Catching up for Summer 2011

This summer has been so nice!

This has been one of the best summers I can remember for a long time.

Lots of sun, and warm days.

Fourth of July we took the kids to the parade and the fireworks,

and of course Auntie Jessica's birthday party barbecue.

Isaac played soccer again this summer. He loved it!

Last year he enjoyed playing, but only with Daddy. He never wanted anything to do with the coaches or any of the other kids.

This summer was a complete turn around. He ran right out there and played, and loved every minute of it. I'm so proud of my boy and how much he is growing up.

With the weather being so nice and warm

we took many trips to the park and played in the sand and sun.

Our first trip I was not prepared at all. I let the kids put just their feet in the water. But poor Jacob fell in and got soaked. I had to take his shirt off so it could dry a little. Then Isaac and Jamie both wanted to get in the water. After two hours we walked home soaking wet, fully clothed and covered from head to toe with sand. (Sorry I don't have pictures of that right now)

I quickly learned to just put them in swim clothes and water shoes before leaving the house. Plus, pack the beach toys, lunch and towels. What a wonderful summer!

Adam's 1st Year!

My Little Adam turned 1 year old last Saturday.

It's amazing to me how fast this year has gone and how much our little baby has grown.

I never thought I would end up with a red-head.

When Adam was born I couldn't believe we got two!

I love your sweet smile, feisty attitude that's starting to come through. And even though it's sometimes painful, I love that you love my hair.

Happy Birthday Baby Adam! I Love You!

Easter

This year for Easter we did an egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

The kids had so much fun hunting for eggs. We did 4 or 5 hunts out in the backyard. Once they decided it was too cold, we went in and did another 4 or 5 hunts in the living room.

Next it was time to dye eggs. Amazingly, there were no big spills, and only a few dyed hands.

Easter Sunday the Kids each got a small basket of goodies.

Before church we propped our camera and took a few family photos. I think it turned out pretty nice. I'm amazed at how big my boys are getting these days. Time goes by too fast sometimes.

Oregon in January

Joe needed to use up a week of paid vacation before his work year finished and he lost that time. So all of a sudden we looked at our mileage account and decided it was time to go visit Grandma Toni and Grandpa John in Oregon! We got to stay for a week, and that week we had a lot of fun!

Isaac played Wii Sports with John or by himself almost everyday while we were there. He got really good at playing and was soon beating just about everyone at Bowling and sometimes Tennis. Even though he is shy, my Isaac is very competitive. This is his reaction after each point he scored. It was very entertaining to watch.

One day was spent at the beach on the coast. First, Jacob rode the Ferris wheel.

Then we went to the little aquarium next to the beach. We got to feed the seals and then check out all the fish and other sea life.

I was impressed both boys were brave enough to touch the starfish.

After we finished at the aquarium, we went out to the beach. The tide was out really far while we were there. The beach was huge! Jacob took this chance to RUN! He chased the seagulls.

He checked out the beautiful view. And he wanted to run! Run and run and run! He ran up and down the beach, back and forth for over and hour.

Adam spent some time hanging with Grandpa. While Isaac and Jacob explored the sand and water.

While Jacob was busy running, Isaac played in the sand. He enjoyed drawing and writing "I" (for Isaac) in the sand. Then Mommy ruined their fun and wanted a family picture. They were not happy about stopping their fun even just for a minute.

The beautiful girl in the middle of John and Toni, is Sarah. She and Sam (Joe's baby brother) are getting married this July. We are very excited! We got to spend lots of time with her while in Oregon and loved her! Can't wait to have her as part of the family! (Even if it does mean I will no longer be John's "favorite daughter-in-law")

As you can see the stroller didn't see much action while at the beach.

Once Joe talked Isaac into walking out by the water, he didn't want to do anything else. They would walk out with the tide then wait for it to come back in and run as fast as they could to avoid getting wet. There were a few close calls, but the waves never caught them.

Our boys were loving every minute on the beach, and being from Alaska it seemed warm to us. But poor Sarah was freezing. Luckily, John lent her his coat for a while.

The beach was amazing, I truly enjoyed watching my boys have so much fun. And I loved all the beautiful pictures (these were only a few of my favorites). Once back to the car, all three boys fell asleep almost instantly. I love the beach! :)

Another day was spent at the Zoo. Their zoo makes the Alaska zoo look tiny. We had a lot of fun checking out all the different animals.

The boys found some places to climb and play too.

And again, by the end of the day, everyone was very tired from all the fun.

My sweet Isaac turned Four Years Old while we were in Oregon. Grandma Toni took us to Chuck E. Cheese for his party after the zoo. Isaac, of course, requested a Hockey cake and I made this for him. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Happy Birthday "My Sweet Thing"! I love you Isaac! I can't believe you are 4 already!

We got to spend some time with lots of the Aunties, Uncles and Cousins that we never get to see. It was so nice to be able to spend Isaac's birthday with everyone.

Even Auntie Alayna, who had broken her thumb and had surgery on her hand two days earlier, came with her kids.

After all the fun was over, it was time to go home. I am always so sad to leave. Especially now that the boys are old enough to really know thier grandparents. I hate that we live so far from them. But we are blessed to be able to visit and have them visit when possible.

We love you Grandma and Grandpa!