My Little Girl is Growing up

 One thing Jacee has loved since she was a little girl was going to the salon.  She loves getting her hair and nails done.  John gave me a gift certificate to a Salon for mother's day so Jacee and I made a mother/daugher date.  Here she is with her hc and style.  She loves it. She looks waaaay too grown up.

 This is also her first year on swim team and she LOVES it!  (I'm not sure who loves it more - me or her.  I get a little choked up each time I watch her swim.  Does a parent's pride ever fade in their children?  I hope not!)

Her coach gives a razzle dazzle award to a hard working swimmer each week.  When Jacee found out about it, she told me her goal was to earn the award.  Monday, she ran out to the car to show me her award - she did it!  I often hear her ask her coach if she can try something one more time (flip turns, dive off the block).  Her practice is at 7am and it is soooo hard for me!  On days that she seems extra tired, I ask her if she wants to sleep in, she says no way!  She is such a hard worker.  I am so proud of her!  Love you my little fish.

End of School Festivities

 Here are a few pics from  the  end of the school year.  Maddie and I got to go to Isaac's kindergarten graduation.  I can't believe it will be Maddie next year!

 For the entire month of May, the First Grade classes have a theme everyday.  Here is Jackson ready to go to Pirate Day.  I think he is so handsome.

 Field day was a bit of a challenge this year but at least they had it.  Here is Jack with Thomas ready to do the three-legged race and below, the class finished an activity a bit early so the teacher asked them to show her what dead people looked like.  Great way to contain them and also very entertaining for the parents!

Jack prepped and ready for the frisbee toss.  

I can't believe another school year has come and gone.  I will have all three kids at the same school next year.  Am I ready for that phase of life?  I know they are safe and loved with me, it's hard to send them out  into the world.  Well, I'll worry about that later, I'll just enjoy that I get them home all summer!

My Baby's 5th Bday

 I can't believe my Baby is five!  We started with the traditional donuts and chocolate milk and opening all the presents at breakfast.  I love this tradition!

 Her main birthday present was to make a build a bear.  She chose a pink bear - shocker!

 Here she is stuffing it.

 Testing the stuffing.

 Putting the bears heart and her heart so they will love each other.

 Cleaning it in the air bath.

 We realized Jackson didn't get to make a bear when he turned 5, so he made us a bargain.  He will clean the entire basement to get his bear.  You understand his hesitation when we proposed this to him...he finally decided it was worth it. 

 Jackson had a hard time getting his dressed in the jedi clothes.

 The lady told Maddie she was much better at dressing her bear.

 Hmmm, pink dress, pink shoes, pink undies, and a sparkly pink purse.

 Maddie got to ring the birthday bell.

 Jacee recently got a build a bear, so she just got some pajamas for it.

 Afterwards we ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory.  We got to eat in the Trolley Car.

 Daddy giving her a kiss through the window.

 The gave her a scoop of spumoni icecream that was mostly chocolate and a candle she got to blow out.

 Maddie also got her hair cut at Cookie Cutters

 They braided her hair and it was darling!

 Later that night, we were having treats at the Legacy Center after Jacee's swim  clinic and I noticed Maddie's tooth was gone.

 She lost her first tooth on her 5th birthday!  It was so exciting.  The only problem is - we think she swallowed it.  She didnt' seem very concerned.  She just wrote a note to the tooth fairy and sure enough - $2.00 under her pillow in the morning!  (Good thing she sleeps in later than the tooth fairy - almost a near miss for the first visit!)

The two new build a bears.  Jackson and Maddie have decided their bears like each other.

It was a great fun-filled day.  Now to get ready for the friend birthday party tomorrow ayyiyi!

One Year Closer to 40!

 It was my husband's birthday in April and frankly I only refer to his age as "One more year closer to 40". When I reach a new decade - it takes three years for my husband to be in that same decade and he never lets me forget it - it's a very loooooong three years.

 For his birthday he got a big bum seat for his bike.  He kept stealing my bike for our bike rides because the seat was so comfy, so now he has one of his own!

 We have a crazy neighbor family and they helped us celebrate.  We got a knock on the door and this is what was on our front porch - oh potty humor!

 They also put some inspirational quotes on John's truck.

For his birthday John got some sort of gun.  He really likes it.  He takes it out and looks at it alot.  Unfortunately, he has been so busy he has yet to take it out to shoot it.  Hopefully soon!

Getting the Garden Ready

 Well, like everyone, we have had ALOT going on in our lives.  I have had roadshows, yw, teacher appreciation week, my parents here (YEAH!), John crazy busy at work, field trips, school testing, ballroom concerts, ballroom tryouts, choir concerts, preschool graduation, and well, just life.  So, I haven't been blogging lately.  My husband told me that my mother-in-law has been sorely disappointed in this because she really loves our cute little family and now that she is off serving in the Catfish Capitol of the world - we don't get to see her much...or at all.

So, I opened up my pictures folder and the first pictures that caught my eye are the ones I'm going to blog about.

When we moved into this wonderful home, there was a HUGE garden plot already set up and just begging for a garden.  Last year it was just a haven for weeds.  This year, John is bound and determined to make it productive.  

The first thing we had to do was get rid of our two Christmas trees that we had tossed out there last December.  

Well, John  brought out the blow torch and poof!  Up in flamed they went.  It was kind fun.  All the neighborhood kids came running out and one family in particular kept yelling, "That's illegal!  That's illegal!"

 Next we borrowed a rototiller and then came the furrows.  Yep, even though you really wouldn't know it, John does come from farm folk and I guess furrows are very crucial to the planting process - who knew?

Now, even though both my parents and John's are going to read this, I'm gonna say it anyway.  There is something pretty sexy about a man working with the earth.  Wooowee babe - you are hot!

So far we have corn coming up.  We have also planted beans, carrotts, watermelon and of course pumpkins.  Can't wait til the fall!

A Great Man

Happy Birthday Dad!

Love You!

Just wanted to give a shout out to my wonderful, younger sister.  She's going through stuff right now.  Love you Jen!