We got a grill...

...and all it took was a little potato salad!

Hmmm....I know you are wondering what on earth I am talking about. Well, as many of you already know, our grill died on us last summer. So, Gary being Gary, didn't want to settle for a lesser grill. He wanted one of the mack-daddy grills with the smoker, grill, refrigerator, and kitchen sink...you know what I'm talking about. Since we couldn't get that, he decided to just "wait". You've just gotta love him, though. He took out the gas burner, and made it a charcoal grill! :) Unfortunately, it just wasn't the same. The grill was not vented properly to use as a charcoal grill, so for the entire past year, grilling has been an adventure, to say the least!

This morning when we were talking about what we were going to have for dinner tonight, he said the words I have been waiting to hear, "I wish we had a grill." Yeah!!! What a break through! So, I said, "Just go get one today! If you do, I'll make potato salad while you are gone to get it." Guess what...IT WORKED! We had hamburgers on the grill, and he didn't even use a single curse word! :)

The best part, though, was the box it came in. Jack convinced Mitch to let him put him in the box. Mitch spent the next 30-45 minutes in the box. Some things never change....Kids still prefer boxes to toys! He took his basketball in with him and piled all of the packing cardboard on top of him so we couldn't see him and stayed there forever! Oh...to be so easily entertained!

Foreshadowing?

Hmmm... Don't Josh and Leah just look so natural with Jake? That red hair fits right in! :)

Happy Birthday, Mitch!

If the soccer games wasn't enough excitement, we went straight from the game to Mitch's Birthday Party. I can't believe he is already 3! (Well, he will be tomorrow, anyway.) We had his party at the park, and he had such a great time with all of his friends and family. He spent most of the time playing basketball with Jack and Alex and the other big boys. Papa Jack (Gary's dad) pushed Mitch and Gabe on the swings for a little while, but I don't think he played on the playground at all other than that. Of course, he had a Spiderman cake (for those of you who don't know, he is obsessed with Spiderman)! It was a really cool cake... check it out!

Mitch couldn't wait to sample it. And, of course, Daddy told him it was his cake and he could do what he wanted to! :)

We chose not to open presents at the party. It has been my experience that with this age, that is a nightmare! So, after the party, all of the family came back to our house and Mitch opened his presents. Man, am I glad we didn't do it at the party... It took him HOURS to get through his gifts. He got so many wonderful things (Thank you so much to all of you!), and he had to take out and play with each one before he could move on to the next package.

Uncle Josh and Aunt Leah got him this hard hat and safety goggles!

Gary and I got him the Spiderman bike he has been asking for. I think "Mommy" thought he was a little bigger than he actually is. He shouldn't outgrow this bike anytime soon! :)

First Soccer Game

Mitch had his first soccer game this past Saturday! It was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. Mitch had 14 people there just watch him! We had lots of family in from out of town for his birthday, so they got the added bonus of being able to see his first ever organized sports game. Mitch did great! He was right in the middle of it all the whole time! Of course, there was the required inspection of the grass, also. Luckily, he saved that for when he was "taking a break". He really had a great time, and it was so much fun to watch him. I can't believe how grown he is getting. The game was an hour long, and he got a little tired and a little bored before it was over. Here are some great pictures "Daddy" took at the game. He is much better photographer than I am! (Mitch is Number 4, and that is his buddy, Gabe with the long blond hair)

Someone is going to have to tell Mitch to push the other team, not his teammates! (Nice shot, Daddy!)

Long awaited soccer practice!

Mitch had his first ever "organized" sports practice on Tuesday. I use the word "organized" VERY loosely...we are talking about 3-4 year old kids playing soccer, after all. It was so great! Mitch was all decked out in his soccer cleats, shin guards, and socks, and loving it. For the first 45 minutes of the hour long practice, he had a blast...then he came over to me and said he didn't want to play anymore. He said he was tired (and he probably was - it was a school day). For the life of me, I couldn't get the kid back out there. Mimi was there, so she tried, and that didn't work either. Mimi was really funny. She looked at me and said, "I don't know, Nicole. I never had one like that!" Hmmm.... His buddy, Gabe (Lindsay's son), is on his team, so Lindsay finally told Mitch she didn't think he could kick the ball into the goal. That got him back out there...long enough to kick the ball in the goal and come back. I give! But, hey... what do you do? It was a good effort. I got some funny video and a couple of decent pictures (I was a really bad photographer that day). Here are a few of the pics...

Love those cheeks!

My friend, Lindsay, did a little "photo shoot" of Jake for me a couple of weeks ago (Thanks Cee-Cee). Most of you have probably seen them already, but just in case...here are some of my favorites. Have you even seen such kissable cheeks? :)