Family Time at the Mariner's (Jake's 5th Birthday)

Jake's Birthday Party at Jumpin' Jack & Jill

Happy 5th Birthday Jakey Boy!

Well, I can finally say it (with much hesitation), I have a five year old! Jake had a fun-filled birthday party at Jumpin' Jack and Jill on Saturday with lots of his little buddies. I can honestly say that he was in his element with all of his friends...he was having SO much fun. He has become such a sweet little guy who always tries to do what's right, loves his family, and loves to stay busy with his buddies. For the past week, he has asked me every day, "Am I five yet Mom?" So when he actually turned five, he was elated and went around saying "I'm five" and showed us five fingers. For his special day, his Papa and Grammy (Eric's parents) flew over from Milton-Freewater and spent the entire weekend with us. We had so much fun! Jake's Mimi and Grandpa (Bec's parents) also flew home early from Palm Springs and spent his big day with him too. We all went to the Mariner's game on Sunday and had a blast. Jake was excited because he got a new jersey too (they were handing out Felix Hernandez jersies to all the kids). Jakey, I hope you know how much you are loved by all who meet you. You are our pride and joy and your Daddy and I love you more than you'll ever know. Thank you for always being such a good boy and a fantastic big brother to Ava. Happy Birthday Buddy!

The Extra Terrestrial's (E.T.'s)

Here are my little extra terrestrial's...I never knew how long Jake's neck really was until he put on this costume! Jake was very excited when Mimi found these E.T. costumes for $3.95 on Ebay! He asked me every day if the mail truck had brought them...finally they came! I'm not sure if this is a good obsession though (we did have to ban the movie from him...there are a few parts we're not so comfortable with). He rather enjoys being from outer space and is very much infatuated with rockets. He and his little E.T. buddy (Ava) sit in their rocket (a cardboard box! Who knew?) and play for hours. Every day he tells me he wants to go to space and I just tell him that some day he can build his own rocket and fly there. He now has everyone calling him E.T. (including his preschool teachers) and I'm hoping that it's just a phase. He even has me write E.T. on his name badges when putting him in childcare at church! What imaginative minds they have!

Happy Easter 2008!

This year for Easter we made a trip to Milton-Freewater to see all of Eric's family! We traveled over early on Friday and the kids did great! Jake wanted to be "Cowboy" that day, so he was dressed to the 9's in his "Ropin' Shirt," jeans, cowboy boots, hat, and most importantly...his holster and gun. He hunted all the birds he could see out of his window and he and Daddy kept their eyes open for any deer or elk we hoped to see along the way. Every once and a while we'd hear a little click from his cap gun (no caps..thank goodness!).

We made it there by lunch time and the kids were very anxious to play outside on Grammy & Papa's new play structure and of course, the TRACTORS! Jake did get to climb all over them while we were there...Ava wasn't quite as interested! She did find Daddy's baby "Joey" doll from when he was a little guy though. Grammy bought new clothes for the anatomically correct doll and that kept Ava busy changing his clothes! Sorry Eric...was I supposed to mention you had a doll when you were little?

It was really great for the kids to spend time with their cousins while they were there. We kept commenting on how well they were all playing (Jake 4 1/2, Kadence 3 1/2, Hunter 3 1/2, Ava 2, & Addyson 4 1/2 months!). As they get older, they are much more excited to play together rather than by themselves...and most importantly, they've learned to SHARE!

On Saturday, we took Great Papa Earl and Great Grandma Lorraine to lunch at the Creektown Cafe. We had a wonderful visit and Great Papa told Jake a little about bugs and farming. We had a great opportunity to catch up on what's going on in life. We also were able to see their new two bedroom apartment at the retirement home they moved to six months ago. It is absolutely gorgeous, has tons to do, and they are really enjoying living there.

Easter Sunday was a lot of fun for us and the kids. We went to church at Christ the King Lutheran church where Jake got to carry an Easter lily to the front of the church with Kadey. They then proceeded to go stand right next to Grammy as she was playing Pachabel's Canon in D rather than go back to their seats. It was quite comical to watch them stand there and wait for her to finish! They love their Grammy! Later that day, the Easter bunny (Eric) hid eggs all over the yard and the kids had a great time hunting for them. I think Kadence won the prize for most eggs! She was fast! Then we had a fabulous dinner with the entire family! It was a perfect day and we are so thankful for what Christ did for us!

Palm Springs March 2008

We had a blast in Palm Springs this March. We began the trip with Aunt Kelsy, Ty, Josie, Aunt Melanie, Abi, & Emi, and were later joined by Uncle Josh and Daddy. While it seemed a little crazy at times, we all still managed to have a wonderful time soaking up the sun and having lots of pool time. We went for long walks, went for several golf cart rides (and hunted for lemon trees to ambush), shopped on El Paseo, and went to the Living Desert where the kids were able to feed the giraffes (which have long, slimy tongues!). It was great for all the kids to spend time together. Jake was swimming all by himself and could even do handstands by the end of the trip, even though he still LOVES to wear his infant sized RED life jacket. I guess we never let go of some things! Ava loved to walk back and forth on the top step of the pool and didn't really care to wear life jackets or water wings (she did end up stepping off once and Eric was luckily close by). She's so independent! We feel amazingly blessed to have the opportunity to use the house down there and can't wait for the next trip!