Mr. Mischievous!

And you thought I was talking about Jake! Looks like Mitch isn't as innocent as he usually looks... Check out that look on his face!

And...Mr. Innocent is back...

Chocolate Cupcake? Really?

A few weeks ago, we all (Me, Gary, Mitch and Jake) went to a "Sip N See" for a college sorority sister of mine. The hostess (T-Lynn) had cupcakes that looked delicious, but I wouldn't let my boys eat them. I could only imagine the mess they would make...especially Jake. So, T-Lynn sent a couple home with me for the kids. Looks like I made the right move! I even scraped off all of the icing before I gave it to Jake! He doesn't really love it anyway...and it was green! Can you even imagine?
Mitch, on the other hand, loves his sweets! He ate Jake's icing and licked all of his off. I'm not sure he even ate the actually cupcake!

Monday Morning Playdate #1

Mitch had the greatest group of kids in his class the past year...and the perfect number... only 8! So...before school was out, we coordinated a little playgroup for the summer. Every Monday morning, we get the kids together to play.

The first one, we went to a park. Mitch was the only boy from his class that was able to make it, and he thought he was hot stuff! :) Of course, Jake just plays right in there with them, and lots of the kids in Mitch's class have younger sibling that are around Jake's age. Here are some pics of all of the little cuties!

I just love this picture of Jake and his little red cheeks! :)

Mitch and Lily

Jake and Nora (Lily's little sister)

The kids wore themselves out going to the top of this hill and running down...Little House on the Prairie style! :) From left to right...Sadie (Ella O's little sister), Noah (Ella A's little brother), random kid, Lily, Ella O, Ella A, Mitch

Mother's Day and Papa Jack's B-day

Last month we went to Gary's parents for Mother's Day weekend, and to celebrate his dad's 70th Birthday! Since it was Mother's Day weekend, Jack and Alex didn't go with us. Alex was with his mom for Mother's Day, and Jack was actually in New York on a school trip. And Ronnie (my oldest nephew) went to a NASCAR race with his dad...so it was just little ones. They had a really good time and loved playing together. Mitch, Wyatt, and Molly are getting old enough to really enjoy each other, and remember that they like to play together from time to time that they see each other.

That Saturday we celebrated Papa Jack's 70th Birthday! The kids had a great time playing outside ALL DAY!

Papa Jack with his 4 youngest grandkids! Wyatt 4 1/2, Mitch 4, Molly 3 1/2, and Jake 1 1/2

The Birthday Boy with all 4 of his kids! Gary, Tara, Lauri, and Matt (from left to right)...Don't worry...I'll spare the ages! :)

And...a photo I just couldn't pass up...

After a full afternoon of play...we all got ready and went to dinner for a Mother's Day celebration with Gary's mom, grandmother, aunt, and uncle...plus of course, all of the his brothers/sisters, and the little ones. Yep...we were very brave! :)

Gary (um...I mean the kids...) got me a new little camera for Mother's Day. I LOVE my Nikon DSLR camera, but it is not very convenient to carry with me places. So...I wanted another one that I could just toss in my purse. He got me the Nikon Coolpix, but it didn't take good pictures so he ended up taking it back and getting me the Cannon PowerShot Digital Elph...I love it! All that say...please excuse the quality of these next pictures...they were taken with the Nikon Coolpix!

At dinner, Gary gave me, Lauri, and Tara the best Mother's Day gift...He sat with the kids and we got the dinner off! It was great...and Gary is so good with the kids...so patient!

Sunday morning, we got up and went to church with Gary's mom. It wasn't until we got there that I found out they would not be having Childrens Church or the Nursery. WHAT!!??!! You mean Mitch and Jake are going to have to sit still and quiet in church for an hour?!? Okay...Here goes nothing! :) Actually, Mitch did great! It was Jake that was quite the challenge! He wasn't loud, but he sure didn't want to sit still! With Gary and Gran'ma Judy's help...we survived! Sure am glad I don't have to do that often, though!

Okay...one more update down, and only 1/2 a ton more to go! :)

The Little Stinker...

You just gotta love him! Jake has started wanting to stay in the garage when we get home from anywhere. I let him out of his car seat, and he doesn't want to come inside. I have a rocker in the garage that needs to be refinished, and sometimes Gary puts Mitch's booster seat in it when he takes it out of his car. The other day I walked out to the garage to get Jake, and this is what I found!

Like I said...you just gotta love him! You never know what the kid is going to do next!

Mitch's Spring Luncheon and Pre-K Program

A couple of months ago, Mitch had his Spring Luncheon at school. It was such a special treat to get to see him in his classroom and see what they had been doing this year. Then the entire Preschool also sang some songs for us! Mitch was glad to have me there, but absoltely beside himself that his Daddy was there! It was just too cute!

It is so precious to watch Mitch and his buddy, Tyner, together. They are inseparable at school! Aren't they too cute?

This is the class walking in and lining up for the singing performance.

And...Mitch smiling for the camera. He was going make sure that we could get an obstructed picture of him! :) (Yep, that's him on the 3rd row...peeking around the kid's head in front of him!)

How does he do it?

It is amazing to me how Gary gets Jake to sit still long enough to fall asleep on him, but he does! Jake has not fallen asleep on me since he was 4 or 5 months old. Oh...how I miss those days! He would fall asleep on me, and I would sit on the sofa holding him while he slept for 2-3 hours (while Mitch was napping in his bed). I knew there were a million things I needed to be doing in those hours, but nothing was more precious that time. It wasn't an all-the-time-thing, but every now and then, I just couldn't help myself!

Well, not so much anymore. My friend, Lindsay, says he climbs on all over me like a dog...and she's right. He won't sit still in my lap. He climbs up in my lap and then back down and over and over again. It's like he's afraid to sit still. But...not with Gary!

Is there anything more precious than a sleeping baby?

Get Ready!

Okay....Get ready....and check back often! I have tons of pictures to post! We've been so busy for the last couple of months that I haven't been able to stay on top of my pictures or my blog...but I'm motivated...I plan on catching all of you up on what has been going on and lots of pictures will be coming! Consider yourselves warned! :)