And the changes begin....

Well, I had a long talk with myself and decided to take over Breckin's blog. Please follow our new and improved FAMILY blog here http://armstrongfamilychronicles.blogspot.com
We will add pics and updated stuff there. And, I'd like you to vote in the new survey!

Happy Birthday Bobby!

I've been hibernating and I think it's time to wake up. It's hard to tell cause there is still snow on the ground and we haven't gone to any festivals in a while. But, it's light outside when I come home from preschool and it's mostly light when I wake up. Plus, today is my "uncle" Bobby's birthday and that means it's time to start spring-like things. Mommy and I bought some seed packets the other day so we'll be doing that soon... I've spent the last two entire days at Grandma and Baba's house. How did I get so lucky??? More to come.....

Finally!!! The Big Day!

Alrighty! I knew it would come! I've been faithfully opening the little doors on my advent calendar and eating my little chocolates. And here it is! Christmas Day! I slept horribly last night cause I wanted to meet Santa. I heard him, for sure, but he wouldn't come in my room. I even saw where he landed on Paul's roof. There were sleigh marks and everything right outside their bedroom window. If only I could see my roof....

Just like I told him in my letter, he got me the yellow airplane I wanted for my Geo Trax. Thanks, Santa. I got lots of other great stuff- lincoln logs, rc car, hot wheels, trains, a new quilt, a giant Sully, a hippo, and a stocking full of toys and chocolate. Oh, and a new slinky to replace the last one I busted. We spent most of the afternoon at Grandma and Baba's house. Their snow is taller than me!!! We didn't go out to play cause it was just too cold and too much snow. I love Christmas. And, we haven't even been to Daddy's family's Christmas party, yet. Yee haw!

Snowy Days

Here we are on two weeks of being home from school and I'm finding new ways of entertaining myself at home. When it's not too busy snowing outside, we go sledding and eat a lot of snow. When it's dark or too gross out there, I teach myself new things. Like how to jump on the furniture, how to chase Tiki around the house, and how many pairs of glasses I can put on my head. I really like the sledding part but Mommy keeps saying I am getting cabin fever. But, I haven't even been to the cabin since summer... whatever.

I Love Gig Harbor

We packed up and headed out for the other far reaches of Western Washington- Gig Harbor. I love going there. Joslyn, Mo, Mommy, and I drove down to Maggie's cottage for our 3rd Annual Gingerbread House Making Party. We always get to stay up late, eat junk, and play games. My aunties are the best. They sure giggle a lot. I'll let the pictures say it all. Oh, and I hope you are feeling better, Natalee. Thanks for letting me play with all of your toys.

The Show and The Snow

Just so you know, I haven't been to school since Dec 12th. But, let's go back a step. On Dec 12th, I had a lot on my mind. School was crazy cause we were all making last minute adjustments to our big performance that night and the kids and I were a little nuts with excitement. Yeah, that's right, I was in a big Christmas show. I would like to call it "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." I got to go to Johnny Rockets for dinner with Grandma, Baba, Mommy, Daddy, Heather, Noah, and Joslyn. I love that place. Mommy got me all gussied up in some new handsome clothes and we went back to school (who goes to school on a Friday night???) for me to sing. If you remember from Thanksgiving, I love being on stage and singing. Turns out, I was pretty much the only one that loved it that night. Most of my friends stood there and smiled and I sang my little heart out to the Reindeer Pokey and Jingle Bells. My friend Isaiah was in no mood and he got carted off the stage. I waved a few times but had a BLAST singin those songs. When can we do that again?

Well, like I said, I haven't been back to school since then. It was freezing cold that night and slushy and snowy and wouldn't you know it- it just never stopped. Joslyn packed that weather in her suitcase from Spokane and it sure stayed. She and Daddy and Mommy and I played in the snow the next day and then we went to Gig Harbor..... to be continued....

Tree Hunting

Well, the day after my big camp out, we bundled up and headed out to the far reaches of Western Washington- North Bend. The Biss's got us hooked on this place and now I have to go there to have a candy cane, sit by the campfire, check out the cool old fire truck, and oh yeah- get a tree. They are all so nice and help Daddy put the tree on top of the Jeep. We had to look at every single one and picked the best of the bunch. Now what the heck do we do with it? I have no idea. But, while Daddy was putting it in the dirka ball bucket in the garage and Mommy was toodling around, I stumbled across a huge box of GeoTrax in the closet! I don't know why both of those doors were locked but I saw them and you better believe I started playing with them!! Tree Day was awesome!! Wait, what else was in that closet? I better go back and check.

(Mommy note- yeah, that was the big surprise gift for Christmas. Oops. I thought two locked doors would keep a 3 year old out. Better find a new hiding place.)

Star Chart

Filled up that star chart again.... This time I picked camping in the living room with Daddy as my special deal for being good. I helped him set up the tent and we watched Kung Fu Panda. He got pretty tired and at some point, I helped him get upstairs and into our real beds. Oh yeah, we also played legos. Thanks, Daddy. Anyone got a good suggestion for my next Star Chart reward?

The Guy in Red

I like Santa and I'll tell you why: he smiles a lot, knows my name, wants to talk about toys, and doesn't make me wash my hair or eat all my veggies or sit still very long. I met him and I think we get along well. I also met some of his elves and I tried to give them instructions on how to make GeoTrax so that they will work with Santa to bring me some.

On two seperate occasions, I hung out with Santa. I met him at a fancy time downtown Seattle where Mommy and Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa were there. I also met him on the sly at Bellevue where I really spent more time with his assistants. He was hangin out in his sleigh and I snuck up behind him and waved and reminded him about those GeoTrax. He waved (cause he recognized me from before) and gave me the thumbs up. And asked if I've been good. I hadn't hit anyone that day so I said yes. On that very same day, I met his tin soldiers, snow princesses (bleh), a polar bear, and tackled rudolf. That guy would just not stop to dance with me so I slammed right into him just like I do with Daddy. He didn't fall very much and gave me a nice big hug. How come the kids at preschool don't hug me after I tackle them?

Well, my friend Natalee gets me. She and I danced and tackled those darn rudolfs and polar bears all night. We had a great time playing in the snow and hangin out with our aunties.

The Madness of December

Oh where to start... let's go all the way back to Thanksgiving. I had two Thanksgivings- one at preschool and one at Grandma's house. At preschool, I got a taste of stage fright- and bit it right back. I love singing in front of people! Mrs. Deanna made us some wicked cool turkey hats and taught us a song about something. All I know is I got to do hand signs and sing about boats and stuff. Fun!

The thanksgiving at Grandma's house was much less intense. I pretty much just played a bunch and took a nap and ate a ton of food. Spent time with Grandpa Bob and the fam and ate some more.

To Grandma's House We Go!

Well, I don't have any pictures to add but I just wanted to let you all know that I went on my first solo extended vacation! To Grandma and Baba's house! They picked me up from school on Friday- just in time to skip that pestery old nap time- and kept me for the weekend. I have a nice little list of things I love to do when I visit them and since we had the whole weekend, we got them all in (and then some). Grandma and Baba have a way of making even the most normal things really fun! I went to the clubhouse and got a donut, played on the swings at the park for about 41 hours, went to the train/hobby store, played and played and played with Baba's old trains, played marble game, pool, and every other toy Grandma keeps stashed at her house just for me. Thank you Baba and Grandma for having me over!!!

*side note from Mommy- Breckin went to bed at 6:30 Sunday night (two hours early), slept in til 7 (one hour late), and had to stay home sick on Monday! Way to wear him out Mom!!!

Halloween Night

Alright, Halloween just keeps going. First two pumpkin patch days, then the snack party, then huge trucks with candy and NOW- after a seemingly endless dinner time- trick or treating with Daddy! Finally! Everyone kept telling me I'd get to walk around the 'hood at night and see all my friends walking around and ringing door bells. I've been practicing my very best "Trick or Treat" all week and now it's time to go! However, once I got outside, I didn't see any of my friends. Daddy and I went door to door and all I saw was princesses, ninjas, indiana jones, superheros, and bumble bees. If you were out there, Jonathon or Hope or Isaac, I hope you had fun, too. I got lots of loot that I don't know what to do with and bargaining with Daddy was quite a chore. I'm pretty sure I won, though, cause I got to eat two candies that night. Does this mean I don't get to wear my monkey suit anymore? We might have to talk.......

Candy parties and Big trucks

I love days at school when afternoon snack time consists of jello, cookies, and juice. Whatever this Halloween holiday is all about, I'm in! Everyone wore orange to school and Mommy came during our snack party to take me home early. On the way home, we changed into my monkey suit, grabbed the ol' Thomas candy bucket, and sped off to- da da da DA- Trick or Truck!
What's better than a bunch of candy? A bunch of huge trucks that give you a bunch of candy!!! I could hardly contain myself and had to do some victory dances when I saw that I got to drive the huge trucks. The best part? Oh yeah, that'd have to be when I got to drive the giant dump truck and the driver- we'll call him Bob the Builder- let me tip up the big dumper! Whaaaat? I know, that's what I said, too! I think that or the garbage truck were my favorite. What's your favorite kind of truck? Check out the pictures and let me know....

This is Halloween!

I LOVE Jack the Pumpkin King and anything that has to do with pumpkins, for that matter. I loved pumpkins so much when I went with my school to Maris Farms that I brought my whole family back so they could have as much fun as I did. I'm pretty sure my mission was accomplished cause Daddy got to ride a monster truck and Mommy got to jump with me on the biggest pillow I've ever seen. Hey, aren't there supposed to be a whole mob of people that go pumpkin picking with us? Yeah, I'm talkin to you: Bobby, Aaron, Mo, Maggie, and Natalee. What gives? Courtney was the only trooper this year and I think we ran her ragged with train rides, monster trucks, the jumpy pillow, tractor driving, wheel barrow racing, slides, bouncy houses, and- oh yeah- pumpkins. Good times.

Preschool at the Pumpkin Farm

Well, I'm not potty trained. Because of that small, insignificant fact, I could not ride on the bus to the pumpkin farm with my class. That's ok cause Mommy took me in our car and I still had a rockin' good time. It was fun to see Austin, Ty, Ethan, Sophia, Peyton, Mylie, and all of my preschool buddies outside of the school. We drove out to the middle of nowhere (Buckley) and went to a fantastic farm. I got to see baby animals, ride a hay wagon, go through a corn maze, pump water, and check out a monster truck. Mommy and I liked it so much that we are going back next weekend and taking Daddy and our friends. However, at the end of this field trip, I was exhausted. I fell asleep in the car on the way back to school and Miss Deanna said I slept about three hours at school. Mommy says we should go to the pumpkin farm more often..... Go Halloween!!

Spokane

I officially went on my first, super-long road trip. The kind where you have to get out in Ellensburg and do a bunch of stretches by the gas station and put on your pajamas for the second half of the drive. Wait, second half? It took forever to get to Ellensburg and there's a second half???? Spokane was really far away. I stayed awake until the last town I asked about was Spangler then decided it was all tooooo much and fell asleep.

It was all worth it cause we went to see my friend Joslyn. It's her birthday and she had a party. But, first, I got to meet her friend Ryan and his fun kids, Bailey and Faith. We went to a pumpkin festival, rode on a Wiggle Worm, played on swings, wandered through orchards, and climbed on rocks. I really liked Spokane. That night, we all hung out at Ryan's house and I got to have a slumber party in Bailey's room. It was a fun weekend except for when we had to drive back. Washington is too big.

<------------ Check out my pictures from Spokane (and other places) over there

Duck Feet

Well, that was it for the sun, huh? That's ok. Today we went snazzy boot shopping so that I could hang out outside when it rains and not get soggy sockys. I forgot how much I love having snazzy boots. I picked out a pair that are even better than last years- bright orange and shaped like duck feet!!! They are super comfy and although Mommy told me they were waterproof, I had to test them out. Fortunately, it rained all day today so there were some awesome puddles around the neighborhood and I showed Mommy just how waterproof those duck feet really are! Now, if I could just get some waterproof sweats....

Last Sunny Day

Well, just when I thought things were going to be all fall-like around here, we had one more day of sunshine. After dinner, I convinced Mommy and Daddy to get the croquet game out again and play outside. The sunshine was sure ready to go to bed, though, cause we didn't get to play very long. But, and I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, when Daddy and I play higher outside, I can get thrown in the air a whole lot higher than when we're inside! That was super fun!!! Let's do that again, Daddy!

Monkey Suit

So, I know I haven't been updating in a while but after that crazy summer, I've been too tired to do any more fun things. But, now that it's Halloween time, I'm BACK!!! Mommy has been asking me all the time about what I want to be for Halloween! What does that even mean, I thought? Aren't I going to be me? But I've been through the stores and now I know.... I get pick out a silly outfit and wear it whenever I want! I picked a monkey suit. And, like I said, I wear it whenever I want. It's always monkey suit time. Hey, why wear something so cool only one day a year????

Today we got the pumpkin stuff out and decorated the porch. And the leaves are all turning colors and I love to yell the new colors out whenever I see them. And, there's a farm on the way to school and I can see those big, real pumpkins growing in the dirt and I can't wait til it's our turn to go pick one out!!!

Fair Time!!!

I have been waiting all summer for this day! The grand poo-bah of festivals! The Pooyallyup Fair! I have a list of things that must be done at the fair and we got them all in. Mommy and I headed down while Daddy and Bobby watched more football- they don't seem to like it very much, they are always mad at those guys. Anyway, we met up with Mo and her friend Gavin and his mommy. I really like Gavin! He is older than me and showed me how to be brave on the big kid rides. We did the train, airplanes, canoes, swings, and race cars. After that, we had some fair food, hopped on the fire trucks, and went to check out the baby animals. I got to hold and pet the rabbit and feed the sheep. I saw baby ducks!!! I love the fair more than anything and had a great time. I could have done without walking through the big, loud place with all the booths but my aunties just kept feeding me french fries and lemonade so it wasn't so bad. On the way out, Debbie and Susie and Mo and I drove some tractors. Complete Success!!! Sorry you missed it dad, hope the football was better this time....