Super Jake

Our compassionate guy came to save the day!  He had his boots and shield in place and that was it... He was able to fight the bad guys and save the good guys, gladiator style ;). 

Yup, it is confirmed... That is all he had to battle with! 

Track and Field Day!

The wind was strong, the spring chill was in the air, but do you think that stopped Josh's school from enjoying their first ever Track and Field day?  Of course not... The generous parents were there to help out and the kids were ready for a little bit of competitive fun! 

To say the least, J was very excited for this day... He made a BIG six year old claim that he was the fasted kid in the school!  We will have to see about that!

 Opening ceremony

 Then they got to get into their teams... He was on the Red team.

  Team obstacle coarse to start the fun. 

 Passing of the hoop to the next pair...

 Sprint races, do you see his expression of glee as he ties with a 2nd grader!

 1/4 & 1/2 mile run for the kinder-2nd grade... Ready, Set Go!

 And they are off!  J got 4th place... Not bad for a kinder!

 J and one of his best buds Antonio.  J was a bit quiet after realizing he was not the fastest kid...

But, no need to dwell on the past... There are other activities to compete in!

...Like the baseball distance & accuracy throws! 

Our little competitive guy had a great time and did awesome!  We had to leave early to go to soccer... more on the soccer season later!  Busy days... I can't imagine what it will be like when they are all involved in activities!  

Here comes trouble! 13 months

My efforts to keep baby from higher places have been defeated... Carter appears to have the curiosity and climbing ability as K and go-getting attitude of J.  If you add a strong ability to charm his way through anything, you have Carter.  I haven't been able to document his 'real' heart stopping accomplishments, as it would be far to dangerous to grab the camera while he is standing on the kitchen table or moving the small trash can over to reach a book shelf.  He is an old pro with the kid sized chair so I was able snap away... You can get an idea of his antics, charm & accomplishments when he gets where he wants to go. 

'So Big!'

 Look at me...

 Ha, I love making Mommy and Daddy jump!

 No hands.

 Humm, what can I get into next?

 If I don't look at mom while I am thinking, she won't know that I am plotting my next scare!

 Ahhhh, crazy man! 

We sure love our charmer, who gets away with a lot!

Blue or Brown?

Carter has some cool eyes!  Sometimes they look blueish, sometime greenish & sometimes we just don't know...  What do you think? 

  Take a closer look...

Easter Day Out Takes...

Not really sure why our attempts at Easter Day group pictures ALWAYS end up being goofy, but here is to celebrating a very special day!  I suppose we are reminded how 'un-perfect' we are and how gracious God was to give us the gift of Jesus... He is risen, Happy Easter!

This picture, so clearly tells the story of our kids right now!  Kyle is always pre-occupied with trying to figure out how something works, Carter is on the escape from being confined, Jakey always giving love & Josh has the school age annoyance about something!  

 This is how they act after a long morning at church, lots of candy and being forced to take pictures!

 Chocolate milk down little J's shirt...

 baby escapes!

 OK. They. have. had. it!

 Bye, Bye!

A typical Spring Day.

Spring, what a lovely time of the year...

Who could deny how pretty all the blooming trees are?

 New life showing up everywhere.

 The unmistakable smells of blossoms are in the air!

 New colors to gaze at.

 And then the suprise snow storm hits overnight in April.

 Big fluffy flakes falling most of the day...

 Cloud covered sky and snow covered ground!

 A couple hours later, the sun comes out and quickly melts the many inches of snow.

 T-shirts, rain boots & lots of puddle jumping!

 Splash!

 Where did all this water come from?

 Reminants of the late snow hides in the shade.

 By the looks of their clothes (or rather, lack of them) you would have never know that it was plowing snow all day long! "Mom, we have a RIVER in our backyard!!!!".

What a crazy day!!!

Birthday boys.

Like every year for the past 4 years, we have 2 back to back birthdays to celebrate.  J & K are 2 years and 1 day apart... K's due date was actually on J's 2 year old birthday, but he came 1 day late. 

This year we told the boys that we were just going to have a simple gathering with the family (and we had all intentions of doing so...).  But- the weather was getting so nice, we all missed our friends and we knew how much the boys wanted to have a 'friend party' so we decided to put together a surprise gathering at the park.  This was not an easy task when you have a soon to be six year old asking questions about my every move! 

Here I present to you the newly turned 4 & 6 year old:

 At school, J got to be the 'Star of the Week' and share a book that he made about himself with his class.

 This is the look upon arriving to the park for his surprise...  After I asked him if he was surprised, he told me, "You didn't surprise me, YOU TRICKED ME!!!!".  I guess he isn't big on surprises?

 Kyle was all smiles, when he saw everyone at the park!

 He was also VERY eager to eat his cake!

 Cake number 1... It is a Lego block with a Star Wars Lego set assembled on top.  It is actually a big Rice Crispy Treat under the frosting... J didn't want cake! It is covered with a layer of whip cream frosting and then a blanket of homemade marshmallow fondant.

 Cake number 2... Lego with Cars Lego assembled on top.  More frosting between the crispy treat and the fondant makes for a smoother finish! 

 Big blowout.

 Watchers!

 cupcakes with handmade marshmallow fondant Lego blocks.

 Gift time.

 It is funny how excited 5/6 year old boys get for each other!

 We found out what a goof ball J is in front of his friends! 

 K was thrilled to get new toys!

 J couldn't wait to have his try at some new Lego's.

 Carter enjoyed all the change of hands that he got.

 Back at home... A few more gifts! Thanks Rob & Amy, he is always up for a good challenge!

 Rocks & Music... it is what he is into!

 He has to feel the smoothness of the rocks...

 A model body for him to explore from Auntie Amy & Uncle Robbie...  He loves it and identified many of the parts before we even showed him!

Boy, how the time flies!  We love you boys, Happy Birthday!