Surprise!!

On Saturday,Kristen and I surprised Tim and Donavon with a 30th birthday party. They were really surprised. Tim's b-day is July 9 and Donavon's is June 25. So we did it a little bit early, but K &D are moving in a week :( and we had to do it before then.

So here are some pictures of our fun. They're not great photos, but you get the idea. Kristen will probably have some way better ones.

We put up some pictures of the boys from childhood up to now. It was fun to see how far they've come.

This turned out so dark, I forgot to turn my flash on and wasn't paying attention to the pictures I was taking until it was too late. But we served burgers, hot dogs, and brats. Super delish!

These juices were a hit. The kids couldn't stay out of them. I loved these things when I was a kid. We also made felt mustaches for people to wear. Mustaches were kind of our theme for the evening, since the boys are now officially old men. Well, in the next month or so anyway.

We wrote in chalk on the pots. On one table it said "Happy 30th B-day!" and on the other it said "Donavon and Tim, Hooray!" I loved how the flower pots turned out.

I made the boys shirts to go with our mustache theme.

I love Jacob in the background. This kid was so chill all day long. I couldn't have asked him to be better.

We decided to celebrate youth by having a relay race that started off with a 3-legged race.

And ended with a massive water balloon fight. I love Tim's intensity in this photo. Water balloons are serious business.

James got soaked.

We made delicious chocolate mustaches.

We did cupcakes in a jar with a sprinkling of rock candy on top. They were a big hit and, oh-so-yummy!

Thanks to everyone that made this night a success! And thanks to the two birthday boys. We really couldn't have done it without you!

We went camping over the weekend and had so much fun.

Jacob had licorice for the first time and loved it.

The oldest two can't smile normally for the camera. Ever.

The favorite activity was skipping rocks.

Happy family!

We played miniature golf last weekend. We all got a hole-in-one. I got three.

Afterwards we headed over to Colin's last game of the season and enjoyed some of the festivities. James was too scared to go down the slides. Colin only went down once or twice. Matthew couldn't get enough.

Until a 12 year old kicked him down the ladder.

First day of school - August 2009

Last day of school - May 2010

James woke up a bit late.

On Matthew's last day, his class put on a cute little "Celebration Presentation." It was so cute, but this was the best picture I got of him.

The other day I asked Matthew if he was excited for Summer Break and he replied, "Well, it's actually Spring Break, Mom. Summer doesn't start until June 21st. So really it should be called Spring Break at first and then Summer Break."

Matthew did so well in school and will be a great 1st grader. He's already looking forward to finding out who is teacher will be.

This kid only has 3 more days of kindergarten! Yikes! When did he get so old?

Here you are, Mother dear. Thanks for not sending any sarcastic or sassy texts. ;)

James

Everyone knows by now that we thought James was going to be a girl. When I was pregnant with him, I bought the cutest fabric to make a pretty little blanket. I made some for Amy and her twins, Brittnee and Devyn, and my nieces Heidi and Delaney. However, during this time, I could not bring myself to make one for 'Abby.' I was in Joann's a few weeks before my due date and saw the cutest fabrics. One had blue little hippos and the other had colorful stripes. I thought, 'I should get this in case I ever have another boy.' I loved it, but I ended up not getting it. Fast forward a few weeks later and out popped a beautiful little boy that looked just like his Grandpa James. My first thought (after I was so excited to see this tiny surprise) was, 'Oh, but the nursery is so pretty.' My next thought? I was so glad that I had not made the pretty pink blanket. He was less than a week old when my mom and I packed him into the car and we drove to Joann's. I knew exactly what I wanted, blue hippos and colorful stripes. This boy doesn't go anywhere without this blanket. It probably doesn't get washed as often as it should, but it is dearly loved. Just like this little boy. And whenever I see those blue hippos it reminds me of how grateful I am that James is James.

Last month we went in for his 3 year checkup. He is such a little guy. 20% for height and 25% for weight. And we discovered that he had a double ear infection. He never once complained about his ears. I'm sure he would have more ear infections to just take that yummy medicine. He reminded every morning and night that he needed his medicine. And each time after taking it, he'd rub his belly and say, "So yummy, so yummy."

Jacob

This little guy is a momma's boy. I love it. He is such a snuggler and will cuddle up to me and just happily stay there forever. When he's down scootin' around the house, he'll follow me into every room. One of my favorite things that he does is pretend to be shy. The other day Tim turned on some Black Eyed Peas and Jacob started to dance, well bounce up and down and nod his head to the beat. Which, you have to admit, is impressive that my 8 month old can do what lots of white males cannot, keep rhythm. All of my boys are good at this. Anyway, Tim peeked around the corner at him and Jacob all of a sudden was so shy. He got this embarrassed grin and leaned his face down into his hands. So cute! He is also getting a tooth, a nice little, jagged one that he is not afraid to use. And he has slept through the night the past 4 days. Hooray! He's getting so big. Too big. He'll be one in less than 4 months! I just want this little guy to stay a baby forever.

Mother's Day

I love being a mom. I love being a mom so much more than I ever thought I would. I thought I would hate cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard work, and early mornings. But oddly, I love it all. I love getting up with the early bird's morning song and singing my own tune to get Matthew out of bed. The more it irritates him, the louder and gushier I get. I look forward to getting Matthew ready for school in the mornings and that short drive to school. I love reminding Matthew that I love him and to "Remember who you are and what you stand for" even if it bugs the heck out of him. I love seeing James' doggie and blankie come flying down the stairs because it means that the cutest bedhead will shortly follow. I love to hear Jacob yelling impatiently from his room, letting me know he is ready for his breakfast. Nothing beats those moments in the morning when the boys are munching on their latest cereal craze and Jacob is scooting all over the kitchen. Each one wants to impress me with a silly anecdote or a new trick. And I relish in those moments that I'm the star. Everyone wants a piece of me. Just because I'm the mom, their mom. And I love it.

Matthew made me a beautiful corsage. I wore it all day on Sunday.

Matthew at about 9 months.

Just when I think Jacob is starting to get his own look, I find a picture like this.