Summer fun!

It has been awhile since I have blogged but a lot has been going on. My papa passed away in May so I've been pretty down about that for awhile. You never really know what you've got until it's gone. He was really one of the best people I have ever known. I will blog more about him later though. I just get to emotional... So June has been a pretty crazy month. James is DONE with preschool and will be heading to K in the fall. He is sooo excited. Jaren is still going to preschool but we're not sure what program he will be in. The boys started taking swimming lessons this summer at Splash which is an outdoor water park. I love outdoor pools sooo much more than indoors. Teaches kids about temp. COLD temps too! I think Jake and I were the meanest parents there not letting our kids out of the pool due to coldness. We told them we weren't paying for them to sit around in their towels and I think the other parents were soooo mad at us but hey!!! They learned! James is now moving up in his swim class because he is doing so well and Jaren will be in the preschool class one more time which is good. We have been able to go to the zoo and I took Jake to Raging Waves for our 8th anniversary which we are celebrating today. HURRAY! Anyways, life is ok and we are excited to head east in a few days to visit my family and then we head out west in August to visit Jakes. It's a lot on us but hopefully we won't have to travel so much in a few months... Anyways, I'll start posting pics because it's more fun to see pictures instead of reading my craziness!!!

The May saga...

Well, I'm not sure if this is where I should even start! May has been a chaotic month for this family... It's a month that I look forward to every year because of my birthday, James's birthday, and Memorial Day. I'm a big fan of Memorial Day only because I am proud to know my dad and my grandfathers were so lucky to serve our country! So, I may ramble on and on about what has been going on around here but to start off I will tell you about the bunnies. Most of you probably know that we adopted 6 bunnies for a few days. Unfortunately we had the luck of having 6 bunnies in our yard one morning. James being the animal fanatic decided that he should bring them in and take care of them. We happend to have a big box and some shavings so we brought them in and fed them some formula and gave them a nice place to sleep. I believe they were very appreciative and happy because it was very cold outside. I called around and asked vets and animal shops what to do. They told me to take them outside and put them back where they came from. I felt so bad because the Robins were trying to kill them but with Thing 1 and Thing 2 James and Jaren they were helpful and scared them away. We had them in our yard for about 2 days and were lucky to see that only 1 had died in our yard. Where the other ones went I know not but do I care??? Not really!!! Here are some pictures of the kids and the bunnies...

James rides his bike!

We have been trying to get James to ride his bike now for a year and he just hasn't been that into it. I'm ok with that because the last thing I want to do is that whole "pressure" thing and make a child loose his confidance. So the past few days we have been working on the whole riding thing and now he is LOVING it. I'm so proud of James and his willingness to always try new things and get excited about them. EVEN if it takes a bit longer than others... I'm not sure if you can here him but at some points he'll start chanting... "I'm doing it, I'm doing it" He's soooo dang awesome!

Carefree CC at her best!

Well, after the whole day at the park, CC's little legs wondered into the river!
"Mom, seriously you wanted a good picture"! I think this is priceless!!!! CARAZY I TELL YOU CARAZY!!!

"Mom, this is almost as good as it's gonna get today, I'm just having so much fun and my legs just won't stop for more than a sec"

"Look Mom, would you like a caveman pose? I can give you that but I'm still not gonna look at you"

"I'M RUNNING SO FAST AND MOM STILL HASN'T GOTTEN A GOOD PICTURE OF ME"

"look mom, i've got legs and I'm gonna use them"

"ha ha you thought you were gonna get a picture of me sitting still, NOT QUITE"

"Hey mom, I'm playing with the outlet again"

Ok so I will let you know before hand This last picture is NOT really sweet and innocent!!!! These pictures are also totally in opposite order so go from the bottom up. The other day we went to the park for a birthday party and well CC just had a BIT to much fun!

Happy Mothers Day!

I am so blessed to come from a world of wonderful mothers. My mom is the most hard working, loving, caring, supportive moms I know. She is there no matter what. Growing up she did most of it on her own getting my brother and I through everything. I am blessed that she was able to come watch me at cheering competitions, track meets, and other important events. She has been with me for the best and worst times of my life. After the first birth of my baby boy James we decided it was ok that she didn't need to be at all of my deliveries which I totally understand because it was the most awful experience EVER! Of course she missed out on the 2 best ones after that but she has made a 110% effort to be here with me and help me out whenever I need it! Today I want to express my gratitude and love for my mommy. She is awesome! I am blessed to have her.

Happy Mothers Day Mommy!!!!

Love always,

Rainbow, Mia, Sunshine, Jude!

My favorite little men!

Yesterday we were having fun with the camera. I thought I would play around with Jaren for a bit. Granted he has sauce all over his face I LOVE his chocolate brown eyes... He is just the most handsome little Jaren imaginable!!! And James.... (CHEEEEZE)

Our pretty little garden....

For my early Mothers Day gift I was able to go get some beautiful plants for our yard. I am so thankful for my wonderful hubby and his willingness to let me go over budget. I was however able to get a beautiful Lilac tree. I grew up with one in my yard on West St and always wanted one of my own. I'm soooo excited! The kids had a blast at the nursery and it was like they were in their own "secret garden". The kids also helped plant the flowers so I'm excited to say that it was an eventful family project!!!!