Monday, May 28, 2012

Summer update!

The above pictures are the most recent pics I took of the kids. The one of Cort (with the sign) is for a Father's Day gift we are doing for Chad. At the top of the frame it says "I love you because" and then each kid has a sign with a reason they love him. They all turned out really cute. It just so happens that the illusive Cort has not offered up a smile, smirk, grin, or even a full face shot for any other picture I have taken of him in 2012!

Kiley is keeping busy with dance. She has a recital in a couple of weeks and we've been busy with costume tailoring, dance pics, rehearsals, etc. She pretty good. Next year she wants to do both gymnastics and dance. It all depends on her grades though. She has a lot of friends her age on our street and several of them are in competitive gymnastics and are really, really good. The girls spend most days teaching each other dance moves and front hand springs. I just love our neighborhood. Our street is quiet so we don't have to worry about cars. Kiley and her friends are always gossiping on the curb, riding their bikes, going to the park, flipping across my front yard, or making friendship bracelets in the driveway. I am so happy that she has the option to spend the day with her friends, making childhood memories.

Creighton still spends his day working. He is up before 6am nearly every morning-even weekends, ouch....He spends most of his day outside also, but in our backyard doing yardwork or building onto his fort. He is such an engineer! The other day we were watching a movie and a kid crawled into a window and Creighton said to me "I could crawl in a window.......I could build that window". It's so funny that his little brain is always thinking about how to assemble, disassemble, and create. He is so loving and spends a lot of his day just trying to please me. What a great kid, who also has a temper. I often compare him to the sour patch kids commercials (the candy) "At first they are sour, then they are sweet."

Cort is outgrowing the "terrible two's". He no longer runs though the house in destruction mode. Now, he loves to snuggle. He would lay with me and read books all day. He is sooooo loving and cuddly-definitely a mommy's boy. He spends his days playing outside, watching movies, reading books, and putting puzzles together. He has learned how to squeeze through the rails and go upstairs (we will see how long it is before his head gets stuck). He likes the quiet of his room and I often find him laying in his bed, all tucked in, watching a movie that he has put in himself. A smart 2 year old!
Cort is very quiet, unlike our other 3 kids who haven't figured out how to use an inside voice. I really look forward to my alone time with him when we can just cuddle up, read a book, and enjoy the peace and quiet of nap time.

Cheyenne started walking at 10 months. Now, at almost a year, she is running, jumping, and dancing. That girl is determined to grow up faster than I'd like her to. She is a very, very independent baby. As all my kids have been, I guess. She loves to cuddle, but quickly realizes there is a toy she needs to play with and wants off your lap. As the youngest of 4 kids, and a girl with two older brothers, she is a little rough and tumble girly girl. She loves her dresses, bows, and babydolls, but won't hesitate to get her hands dirty or wrestle with her big brothers. Cheyenne is saying: mama, dada, Kye Kye, baba, bye bye, no no, night night, and making animal noises. She has been pretty advanced in her development and fine motor skills. As a 4th child, she's learned to be self-sufficient, independent, loud, and is happy to go to any stranger who will hold her. She loves to read books, dance to music, and do the ABC's. She's the perfect baby and rarely fusses. It's a rare moment to see her in anything but a happy mood with a big smile on her face. She is so funny too and we find ourselves always laughing about something she is doing.  I am enjoying every minute of her since she is my last, but Chad is convinced there will be more. I think six Shaffers is enough though.

Chad is really loving his new job and having a lot of success at this new firm. The principals continue to be impressed with his skills and work ethic and they are very good at showing their appreciation to him. They are a family oriented firm and don't encourage their architects to work more than a 50 hour week. Chad did get put on as project architect of a 1.2 MILLION (yes, million!) sq. ft hospital campus and that meant he had to work 80 hours a week for about 6 weeks, but he made the deadline, got great reviews, and now things have slowed down. He spend the last couple weekends completing an extensive landscaping project for me that included building a retaining wall around a tree, putting down 250 sq. ft of sod in an area of our backyard that the dogs tore up, and putting in several walk-ways through flower beds. It's looking good.

I am really looking forward to the laid-back days of summer. Although, my kids are all early risers so I don't expect to be able to sleep in at all, it will be awesome to not have to worry about getting Kiley to school in the morning. I am excited to have more time to finish house projects, decorate the basement (we have new furniture coming on June 7th!!!) and work out. Perhaps, I will even have time this summer to get in another update before the next school year!!

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