High Dive

I would like to say that this is a picture of Bree going off the High Dive for the first time, but I missed it (she did it for Grandma while we were in Vancouver)! So here is my first time seeing her go off the high dive. She is usually my fearless one, but for some reason, the high dive just has never interested her before. Now she can't get enough of it!

DOG!

The kids and I decided to go to the park a few evenings ago after dinner. This is a park at the end of our street that we go to occasionally and it's nice and convenient. Another great thing about this park is that it backs to the yards of 2 homes that have dogs. So every time we go there, my kids get to live in their imaginary pet world and see the dogs that they wish were theirs. So as usual, Jake and Bree ran over to the barking dogs to say hi through the fence. I was watching them, so happy to be helping them live the dream, when I looked down at Luke who was making a ruckus. He was pointing over to the kids, saying "Dah! Dah!" and grunting like a dog in between! Yeahhhh for Luke! He has said his first truly meaningful word, Dog. True to form, I showered him with accalades for this great feat. Now everything he sees, he points to and says, "Dah". Jake did the exact same thing too!

Fathers and Sons and then some...

Okay, so I sent Jer with our camera to Father and Sons and this is a sample of what pictures came home. Thanks, Jake, for taking care of the photos for me. Glad to see you and Dad bonding together and having a great time.

They did have a midnight adventure that I must write about. Jer was in charge of the campout this year and he did an awesome job. He had everything organized, did all the shopping, and I didn't lift a finger. When he was all packed up, we went through our mental list of everything he needed and after we were sure he remembered everything, he left. At 2:00 a.m. Jer woke up to realize he had forgotten the pancake mix! (His wife, attempting to be tidy, had taken it off the counter where he surely would have seen and remembered it and put it in the pantry. Oops!) So he woke up Jake and they set out on the 45 minute drive to get pancake mix. On their way, they happened up on a car on the side of the road with hazards blinking and a young couple frantically waving their arms. Now, my husband would never think of putting himself, much less his son, in a dangerous situation, so he naturally passed them by, sending many happy thoughts their way. But then something made him turn around. This young couple with 2 small kids had run out of gas as a result of an unexpected detour. They were freezing ( I think the temp dipped down to the 20's) and were in desperate need of help. So in addition to pancake mix, Jer ended up getting a few gallons of gas! This was quite the story to digest on many levels, but ultimately, isn't it amazing to reflect how when things go wrong they often end up being just right? And it was great for me to recognize as I have so many times in my life that the Lord definitely answers prayers in unexpected ways.

My guys also brought home a treat for me. Three fish! (I was secretly hoping for take out, and yep, that's just what I had in mind!) So after Jer unpacked and cleaned everything up (8:00 p.m.), he threw those babies on the grill. (Thank you Russ for cleaning them out for us!) Bree and Jer gobbled up Jake's catches, but Jake was a little miffed at the whole bone thing, so in the end, he tried a bite and declared himself 'full'. Jer says I am writing an extremely edited version of what actually happened. I must have blocked it all out. I'll leave what really happened up to your imagination.

Vancouver, BC

Jer and I just got back from a very relaxing get-away to Vancouver, BC! It was only the 2nd time that we've left the kids overnight. Grandma flew in to stay with them while we were away and the kids were so excited, they could hardly stand it. In fact, as soon as Luke saw Grandma, he reached for her and was perfectly content to be with her! I knew the kids would be in good hands, but seeing Luke react that way just made everything so much easier! We did so many things and just had a great time hanging out with each other! Here are a few highlights:

This is the beautiful ski resort of Whistler, Canada, home to some of the venues for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Here we are about to embark on the highlight of our trip....the Zip Trek. We Zipped through the forest on suspension cables and it was an experience like no other.
Jer getting ready to plunge down a few hundred meters on the zip trek. Did you know Jer is afraid of heights?? No turning back now, honey!!!
Whee! It kind of looks like Jer's feet are on the snow, but they're not! He's on a 1,000 foot line that dropped 16 stories - the height of the Eiffel Tower.

Don't you just love running into people you haven't seen forever?? We were so surprised to run into Val and Trudy from our little NY ward in Canada of all places! It was great to get caught up over breakfast! We ate the most delicious Crepes (their daughter Jackie's pick!) at this quaint little cafe.

Here I am getting set to cross the Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge (thanks Lisa, for the tip!) Below this shakey (especially with Jer in tow) bridge, was a gorgeous waterfall! It was raining just a bit which was such a treat for us! We rarely see rain or overcast days.Thanks Grandma....We love you!!

Never Kiss a Lizard!

We went camping at Lo Lo Mei this weekend and had a great time! I love being outside with the kids and Jer with nothing else to bug us! We did have a few interesting moments though....Luke for one wanted to get down and play, but since he is not walking, he was somewhat limited. He did really well though - except during the night. He didn't want to sleep in the port-a-crib, so he slept in my sleeping bag instead. Notice the lack of mentioning MY sleep....didn't happen. My night went something like this: Luke's bum wedged into my face, Luke's feet in my ribs, Luke's head butting mine....you get the idea. He definitely will be getting his own sleeping bag before our next camping trip!

We went on a little walk and Jake and Bree couldn't resist the river!
Here's what Luke did while Jake and Bree were wading the river. He must have been exhausted from all the movement he made during his sleep last night!

Jake and Bree had a great time exploring everything, especially the creepy crawlies. There were tons of caterpillars and they caught, "millions" in the bug catcher Jake brought. The most exciting find, though were the 2 lizards they discovered in the fire pit. After many attempts with dirt flying everywhere, they finally captured them. The lizards seemed to take to Jake and Bree immediately and they were content to hang out on their shirts.

Then Bree's lizard jumped off, so Jake quickly recaptured him. She was so happy to have him back that she gave him a big kiss on the lips. The feeling was obviously not mutual because instead of returning her kiss, he bit her on the lip! He actually drew blood! Bree has vowed to never kiss another Lizard.

Hiking at the bubbling pond and fish hatchery.

Luke's favorite new thing is riding high on dad's back. Dee, do you recognize this back pack! We're getting some sweet use out of it!

Jake and the Snake

Jake went to a Fear Factor Party today and got to see, hold and learn about lots of cool creatures. He was in his element! The best part was when he got to hold this snake in a "coffin"!

Wildlife Zoo

Ms. Albrecht's First Grade Class took a field trip to the Wildlife Zoo this week. Breanna was so excited to go there with her friends. Luke and I met them and walked the dusty roads with Clauchette and Bree's friends, Caitlyn, Sandra and Connor. We even saw Polly and her kiddos.

The highlight for Bree was a skytram ride, which she decided to do all by herself!

Luke's First Birthday

Luke, I can't believe your 1 today!! Where did the past year go? What a blessing you have been to our little family! We love you so much!! We all stayed up late the night before decorating the house and when we took Luke downstairs, he didn't notice a thing. Except for the balloons and streamers on his chair which he immediately tore off and started eating.

Luke had an awesome first birthday! We had a few friends over for an afternoon BBQ and Luke got to dive into his birthday cake....literally! He was in it up to his elbows but apparently it wasn't enough because he did a complete face plant right into it! It was hilarious.

He didn't mind being completely gooey and covered in cake! It was just YUM!

Time to tackle those presents!

He opened lots of presents and was true to being a one-year-old and loved the boxes more than anything.

Yeah! It's another box!!

Well, I guess in the end, he thought the toys were pretty cool too!
Jake loves this baseball toy from the Mumfords. Jake, Bree and Dad spent a good part of the day playing with it too.

We finished off the day with a trip to the park and a ride on the Daisy Mountain Railroad.

When we came home, I decided to switch the laundry before putting Luke to bed. So I took the clothes out of the dryer, walked over to the couch, put them down, and just that fast, I came back to see Luke in the dryer! He loves finding all these tight places he can climb into.

"These must be the instructions on how to get out of here!"

11 Month Firsts

Luke made his first attempt to climb our rock wall this weekend, with the help of Jake. Luke loves to be outside and will pound on the sliding glass door and grunt until the kids let him out!
Today Luke climbed into the dishwasher for the first time. He usually just teeths on the rubber edge of it, but not today! He also reached another milestone this morning....he stood all by himself! We were all rushing to get out the door this morning when Jake started shouting. We all turned to see Luke standing by himself, clapping his hands! It was great because we were all there to see it! We're so glad Jake was watching! Yeah Luke!!!

Conference Weekend

We took the kids to the park during Priesthood session and Luke loved to swing thanks to Brittany M. who pushed him while I sat and chatted with my friends!

Jake Honor Roll

Jake was on the honor roll for the 3rd time this year! That means a student must receive all A's and B's on his report card. We're so proud of him and how hard he works to do well in school.

He was honored at an assembly today!

Pine Wood Derby March 29, 2008

Jake (aka Jer) worked feverishly for weeks perfecting this year's Pinewood Derby car and Jake was anxious to race! He did a great job and came in 1st Place in many of his races. His car placed 2nd over all in his division and we were all really excited for him!
Although Jake enjoyed the races, we still aren't sure if he like the races or the donuts and popcorn better! Those donuts were pretty good. I think Jake and Bree had about a dozen between the two of them!

Jake and his cool car!

Ethan, Jake and Jake watch their cars as they race down the ramp. Jake took 1st place in this race!! 3 Year old Harrison was sitting in front of us clapping and saying, "Good Job, Jake!!" Luke loved his first Pinewood Derby and clapped along with everyone!