Party Time!

Mitch and Thomas (one of our friends in the neighborhood) are only 5 days apart, so we decided to have a joint party for them. We had the party at Pump It Up. For any of you parents who have never done or been to a Pump It Up party...I highly recommend it! They do everything! We took goody bags and cakes and that was it! They have two "Arenas" with different inflatables in each arena. The kids spend 40 minutes in each arena and 40 minutes in the party. We were even able to order pizza, ice cream, and drinks through them.

I think Mitch's favorite part was wrestling in the "jumpies" and "force fielding" Jack and his friend, Joe. Mitch is seriously into Star Wars, if you didn't catch that. If you ask him, he will tell you that his favorite part was all of the presents! Yep...he's 4! Here are some pics of the festivities!

Here is one of many pictures of him "force fielding"

He loves to climb the rock wall...but he always wants Daddy to help...no one else...just Daddy!

These are the four boys in his preschool class. Funny how they all grouped together, isn't it?

Here's the attempt at a group photo. There were way more kids there than this picture shows, but you try getting 20 4 year olds to all sit still for a picture! This is the best we could do!

Thomas's and Mitch's cakes. Thomas had a Wall-E cake and Mitch had a Star Wars cake. If you have never done one of these Pull-Apart cakes, you are really missing out. It is cupcakes (these have 24 each) that are iced together like a cake... no cake to cut...you just pull them apart and hand them out! Wonderful invention! We got these at Publix.

I made these goody bags for the party. I love doing this kind of thing...I just wish I was a little more creative by nature. By the way, as long as I'm giving party advice... Oriental Trading! You can't beat it for goody bags goodies!

Mitch and Thomas sharing the "throne"!

Mitch wasn't so sure at first when everyone started singing Happy Birthday, but he warmed up to it pretty quickly!

I know it was Mitch's day, but I can't complete this post without some pics of Jake enjoying the "jumpies" also! He was very clingy with me when we first got there, but Mimi eventually got him to go to her for a while. Before long he had warmed up to everyone except the men. It was really pretty funny... After Jake had completely worn me out carrying all 27 pounds of him up the steps to the gigantic slide, I made Uncle Josh take him. Jake cried the entire time Josh was carrying him up the steps. As soon as they got to the top and Jake got ready to go down the slide, he went straight from crying to laughing. He laughed all the way down...all the way until Josh picked him up at then end of the slide...and then he went straight back to crying! It was way too funny!

Jake going down the slide alone...the only way he likes to go!

Gary throwing Jake...he LOVED it!

After the party, Mom, Josh and Leah (my brother and his wife) came back to the house with us and spent the day. It was so much fun to be able to just hang out with everyone while the kids played! Josh and Leah are great and super patient with Mitch wanting them to play with him all the time! They are going to be great parents to my little neices/nephews one day! :)

Happy Birthday Mitch!

I can hardly believe that my little baby turned 4 last week! When did he change from a baby to a little boy who wants to go everywhere his Daddy goes and do everything his Daddy does? Where has the time gone?

Last Wednesday was his birthday and Mom, Dad, and Kathy (Dad's wife) came over to help him celebrate! They went in together and got him a Power Wheels. My brother had gotten him a little 4-wheeler for toddlers for Christmas a few years ago, and he had outgrown it...so he needed a big one! He wasn't too sure about it at first, but he's kind of getting the hang of it. I think I have him figured out finally...he doesn't like to be out of control, and he isn't totally certain how to control the Power Wheels yet. He is so concerned that he is going to run into the road, bless his little heart. Jake sure had a blast being driven around in it, though!

Don't you just love how hard he is concentrating?

Oh! And how about the haircut? Yep...I had it chopped off again! I know, I can't make up my mind if I like it short or long.

Mitch had his party this past weekend, but that is a post all on its own. Don't worry, I'll get to work on it, and it won't be another month before I get it up! :)

Wow! He's really becoming a man!

Last weekend, Jack had his Confirmation. For any of you who don't know what that means exactly, I'm kind of with you. It is something the Catholic faith does, and I am not always up on those things, having been raised Methodist. I've learned alot over the last several years, though, through Jack and Alex. To the best of my understanding, this is a time that is Jack's turn to Confirm his faith...to make the same promises on his own that his parents made for him as an infant when he was Baptized.

What an amazing day it was to see this wonderful "kid" taking one more step to becoming a wonderful man! I am so proud of him...the love he shows his friends and family, the friends he has chosen, and the decisions he makes on an every day basis! I feel so blessed that his dad chose me to be a part of his life, and am cherishing every moment!

Easter Fun!

Yes, I am just now getting around to posting Easter pics...I have figured out my problem with keeping up with this blog. I take way too many pictures, and it takes forever for me to sort through them, and narrow them to what I want to put on here. Anyway, I'll definitely work on it, but for now, here's my Easter post...two weeks late!

Mitch's first Easter Egg Hunt this year was at school. He was so excited about it! He got to take his Easter Bucket (not a basket...that would be too girly...note the sarcasm) to school, and some of the parents hid eggs on the playground. Then the kids all got to go outside and find them. When I got there to pick Mitch up that day, one of the other mom's, Andrea, said that Mitch had gotten about 3 eggs! From the sound of it, he got side-tracked by the slide! He said he had to go down the slide to see if any were hidden on it! He is way too good at making excuses for his age!

Then we went to Mimi's house (for those of you who don't know...that's my mom), and colored eggs. Then I hid them and he found them. He really did a good job of finding them, much better than I expected, but he didn't exactly have any competition, since he was the only one hunting. Then he wanted to hide them for Mimi to find. Wow! He is much better at hiding them than he is hunting them! He was putting them in the bushes and everything! Mimi even missed a few the first time around!

On the Saturday before Easter, we took the kids to the Easter Egg Hunt at the Zoo this year. When I say we took the kids, I mean all 4 of them...and Mimi even joined us! Is so much fun! It was right up Mitch's alley...it was more of an Egg Gathering than an Egg Hunt. They dumped thousands of eggs in the middle of a field and the kids got to run out and pick them up. He didn't actually have to search for any of them. The hunts were divided by age groups so Jake and Mitch went at separate times, but I think they both had fun.

Jake on the way home from the Zoo, eating his animal crackers. This is what happens if you give Jake more than one animal cracker at a time!

Alex helped Mitch on the Carousel
Jack was way too cool to ride the Carousel, so he just sat and waiting on the uncool people to get off!

Jake LOVES the Carousel... He giggled and clapped through the whole ride!

Mitch showing off his two buckets full of eggs! Daddy is so proud!

Mitch filling his bucket

Alex helping Jake with his first Egg Hunt

Not real sure what this face is all about, but I just love that pout! Oh, and yes, that is the beginning of a black eye...he ran into a chair in the restaurant.

Jake "practicing" carrying his bucket

Jake wanted to make sure Mimi had enough to eat!

Is he....

...as sweet as he looks?

From 9th Grade to Now...

Mt. Juliet High School Cheerleaders...

Then...

and now...

Spring Break Vacation

Okay...big surprise, I know...but I'm a little overdue on this post (and a couple others). I actually have an excuse, sort of, this time. Most of the "action" shots we took on vacation were taken with Jack's camera, and he had it with him for the past two weeks... Is that a good excuse?

So....here goes....

We took our first Spring Break Vacation this year and went to Fort Walton Beach, Fl. For anyone who doesn't know, that is on the Floriday panhandle, right beside Destin. Alex decided to stay and hang out with him Mom, so Gary, me, and the other 3 boys headed off to the beach for 6 nights! We had a wonderful time, and had mostly cooperative weather. The first couple of days were a little cool and we did have a little bit of rain, but the last few days were great!

When we go to the beach, we always go somewhere there on the panhandle because it is the closest, only about 7-8 hours. We have had 3 kids who travel wonderfully....and then...there's Jake! Oh my gosh! I was ready to jump from the moving car by the time we got there! He yelled...and I mean YELLED...almost the entire trip! Not crying, not even really fussing all that much...just YELLING! And he was into everything! As you can imagine, it's tough to pack for 5 people for 6 nights, with baby gear and toys, and pack light. So, it was almost impossible to make sure nothing was in his reach. He kept pulling Boogie Boards down on top of himself and then getting mad. Poor Jack was on Jake duty...good thing he is such a trooper! Jake only slept for about an hour of the entire ride down. When Mitch was that age, he would have slept most of the trip! I will say, though, the trip back went much more smoothly! Jake still didn't sleep much, but he was much more content.

While we were there, we hung out at the beach a little, and the pool a little, and Jack and Gary even went Deep Sea Fishing one day, Mitch wasn't quite old enough...one more year. I DON'T Deep Sea Fish! I love it, but my tummy doesn't...I am talking SERIOUS sea-sickness! We ate out a few nights and cooked in some. It was a wonderful vacation, and so nice to be able to spend 6 nights straight with my hubby!

Mitch really enjoyed the sand and the pool this time. Jake loved the pool, but not so much the sand! I remember Mitch being the exact same way when he was this age. The difference, though, is that Mitch would sit and play very happily under the umbrella for hours! Just guess if Jake did that... Ha! 30 minutes, max! I did forget how hard it is to be away from home with a 16 month old. The child was into everything! The first thing we had to do was rearrange the kitchen (knives in the bottom drawers...not a good idea)!

The sleep arrangements worked out great. Jack had his own room, and Gary and I had our room, Mitch had a little "bunk alcove" (nothing but bunk beds in a little corner, not even a door) and he was so excited to sleep on the top bunk! Jake...well...what do you expect from parents who make their child sleep in a closet? We set up his pack n play in the bathroom (yes, it was a big bathroom)!

Okay...enough of my rambling...I know you really just want to see pics, so here they are!

For once in my life, I actually planned ahead and got everyone white shirts and khaki shorts (and me a white dress) so we could get some pictures on the beach! Unfortunately, we didn't get any of all 5 of us together, but the ones we got turned out great...I just wish Alex had been with us! Oh, and, yes, Jack is that much taller than me...he is even standing down-slope from me!

Here are the pics of the fishing trip...They caught an AmberJack and a few White Snappers. We grilled them one night at the condo, and they were great! Mitch even ate them!

For the most part, Jake stayed on the beach chairs...

Leave it to Gary...I don't know how he does it, but he is a pro at getting the kids to do things they aren't comfortable with! Look at Jake walking on that sand all by himself! I think that was a one-shot deal, though!

Gary and Jack decided to take a kayak out one afternoon, and Mitch said he wanted to go with them. Okay...now this is the kid who is scared to do anything new...a kayak on the ocean...yeah right! Gary and I both thought he would last all of 10 minutes before they would have to bring him back in....Boy were we wrong! He LOVED it, and stayed out the whole hour!

Jack dug the sand out from under the legs of the beach chair that Gary was relaxing in and it tipped over! This was payback!

Jack dug a "seat" for Mitch...funny to think Mitch wouldn't touch the sand just 2 years ago!

Daddy really has the touch! I tried for over an hour to get Jake to go to sleep...Gary had him for a few minutes!

Mitch wanted to go around the Lazy River, but the water was too cold for his taste, so Gary and Jack took turns like this!

Mitch with his "circle"...he thought he was so big that he didn't need any help! Neither did he understand why he couldn't go where we couldn't see him! Jake "swimming" between Gary and Jack...Jake LOVED the pool! I couldn't keep him out of it...he would just slide right off the side into the water, whether anyone was there or not...definitely had to be on our toes!

All pooped out! He literally fell asleep just like this...and stayed that way for about an hour!

Who knew Jake was so creative?
This was our one attempt at a group picture of all 5 of us...and it was the very last night!