Happy Birthday Jagger Michael!

When Jagger woke up I sang Happy Birthday to him. I told him he was 4 now. He told me that no, he was still 3. It is tradition in our house that the birthday child gets their gifts from us in the morning at their spot at the table. Jagger got all of his gifts and then stood up and (finally realized) yelled "I'M FOUR!!" which is what is going on in this picture.
James and Jagger reading the instructions. So cute!

After morning gifts we went to get some Donuts for breakfast in our jammies. That was yummy delicious and a very rare treat indeed!

At 4pm we had our favorite new friends over for a BBQ in Jagger's honor. It was the most relaxing birthday party we have ever had. It was also the first party we had alcohol (for the adults!). Who knew a margarita would take all my birthday party stress away?!! hahaha

Here is Jagger opening some of his presents.

This is the first time ever that I've ordered a birthday cake from a store and not a cake lady. We got it from Target and while it's not the cutest cake in the world...that was some delicious stuff!

The wind kept blowing out the candles so Jagger just blew out the match.

Some of our backyard BBQ fun.

Jonathon and Evan snuck in to play some games in quiet! They were laughing so hard we had to keep checking on them to make sure they were alright. haha

More backyard fun...

James was drinking a Sprite while riding his bike....and anyone who knows James, knows that probably is not a good idea!! He almost ate the pavement a few times! I'm guessing the margarita was still working at this point because instead of telling him to put the Sprite down...we took pictures!

Mom was forced to play the tether ball racket game thingy after much protesting...and I was actually able to hit the ball and beat Kaylee. Go Mom!! (I'm not so coordinated with sports for those that don't know that about me...ask my sisters!!)

Kaylee taking pictures with the camera.

Backyard fun from another angle...

Jagger's second piece of cake as the night is winding down.

Ms. Julie teaching the children how to play Yahtzee for kids.

Jagger loving on Mr. Bill while he plays Fish with Ryan.

Me hanging out and doing a puzzle with a few cute kids.

It was a perfect day. I can't believe my youngest is 4 now. I am a little sad not to have a little one in the house anymore but so excited about watching my children grow and move on to the next phases of their lives. What a blessing it is to be their mommy!

Middle Finger of Grammar

This is from one of my favorite new blogs, www.stuffchristianslike.blogspot.com . I love words. Word puns. Plays on words. The author of the blog is writing a book and is asking people to define words and certain sayings that are from his writings and he gives an example of one. I LOVE THIS THIS EXAMPLE!

Middle finger of grammar

Origin:From the post, "Being afraid to use our gifts."

Definition:When you're tired of putting satan "on notice" and you really want to make him mad, it's best to lowercase his name which, in some circles, is known as the middle finger of grammar. OK, it's only known in the SCL (Stuff Christians Like) circle, but ours is a perfectly fine circle indeed.

Example: "Yeah, I know satan should be capitalized, but what can I say, I'm a big fan of the middle finger of grammar."

Check out the blog...he has lots of great stuff to laugh at!

Jellystone of Estes Park

What a great weekend! It was our family's first camping trip...in a tent, not a cabin. It was cold at some points and rainy at others, but it was a perfect first trip.

The perfect weekend picture!

Jagger saw Yogi and just threw his stick down and ran to hug him. So cute!

Every night at 6pm, and in the morning at 10am, they have the lowering/raising of the flag. The first night we went and James was chosen to help lower the flag and then hold it while it was folded. He did a great job and never let the flag touch the ground (which apparently is a huge no-no...who knew?!).

They have a balloon guy that comes out at certain times and makes hats and animals for the children. Jagger was the only one who was patient enough to wait in line for 30 minutes and got a cool fish on the end of a fishing pole for his patience. It's Monday and it still hasn't popped...I'm dreading that tearfest!

Kaylee found a cool resting spot next to our tent.

Doing the camp thing and roasting some marshmallows for smores..yummy!! I think they have gotten better as I've gotten older!

I was in charge of the fire and was tired of looking for twigs to start the fire...so I just dragged a whole branch over and ripped the twigs off myself. Jimmy thought I was crazy.

This is the tent we all slept in. Not very big but free...Jim's mother gave it to us! It is perfect for our family with the size that we are but we will grow out of it pretty quickly. We're looking into a pop-up now. If you have one or know someone that does and you are looking to sell...let us know!!

We were waiting in line for the Wagon Ride with Yogi when I took this picture of Jagger sitting on my feet. He looks adorable....my dirty pants however, pretty gross!

Wagon Ride with Yogi.

Daddy lovins on the Wagon Ride.

The kids had a blast putting their knees and elbows on this contraption and then sliding down. It looks like James is about to eat it...but he actually has a plan!

I totally LOVE my husband in a sweat shirt! Yummers!

Kaylee and James loved to be pushed by daddy on the tire. It made me and Jagger want to puke just looking at them!

Just daydreaming....

I told you...I was the firewoman!!

He could sell the Oscar Meyer Wieners with this cute picture!

Jagger was making his own garden. Pulling out flowers from random places and then sticking them in his own "garden."

And Kaylee's garden.

Like I said, perfect weekend. You can see what we did on our side trip on Sunday in the post under this one. So much fun!

Side Trip

As much fun as camping was, it was also cold and rainy this weekend, so we decided to take a trip a couple miles down the road to the Rocky Mountains. I am always amazed at the new places we find to explore and how every one of them becomes my new favorite place.

Well, except this first one. There is a parking spot and then you get to walk up on this ridge and look down. This is about 12000 ft elevation here. Obviously you aren't looking over at a 12000 ft drop but it's still way further than I would ever want to fall!

This is only about a 15 ft drop here.
This is right beside where we parked our car. I love how they have photo ops every two miles...you just pull over and they have the perfect boulder/ledge/sign for you to take your picture on/with/beside.

I was way too scared on this ledge thingy so I sat on the edge and told my husband to hold on to my kids for dear life so I could take the picture. Aren't they adorable?!

Some complete stranger managed to talk some courage into me so that I could get in the picture while he took it for us. I was off the ledge about three seconds later! But we will always have the picture! haha

This is a little creek that we found in a spot called the Hidden Valley. Much more my style...I LOVE the word valley!!

The kids wanted to touch the water and see how cold it was. Crazy cold for the end of May! The kids thought that was kind of neat though.

Then we did a bit of scenic driving, still in the Rockies, and ran into this herd (?) of elk. They were right off the side of the road. Amazing!

And a waterfall we found called Fall River. We found a campsite right beside the Falls and they let us drive around in it. Very rustic and beautiful. Tents only...and no hookups or showers. That just might be our next getaway!

We are still so loving Colorado....so much to explore! It will take us years to see all that we want to see here.

Kindergarten Picnic

James had a picnic on his second to last day of school. It was really fun for him to eat lunch at school since he is half-day kinder and doesn't normally get to do that. Jagger and I joined him but he (as well as all of the other kids) wanted to sit with the teacher instead of us! haha It was still lots of fun to watch and Jagger and I enjoyed our picnic on a blanket right next to James' class.
I love that these boys love each other so much. Brothers are so special!

Teacher Gifts

Going along with my new found frugal lifestyle...I had to make FIVE teacher gifts and I tried to do them for under $10 each. I made it at $10.25 and I am pretty happy with that. Next year I will have more time to plan and I will make it a point to pick special things up when I see them on clearance.

Each teacher received a $5 Starbucks card, a candle in a glass jar, a pure and natural hand soap and a destresser hand lotion.

My children colored each of their teacher's gift bags by themselves and then we just added the pink tissue paper. So cute with their added touch. I hoped the teachers loved the bags as much as I did! haha

We were very blessed with all of our teachers this year and I can't say enough about how they made our transition to Colorado so much easier than it could have been. I am so thankful for the teachers we had and I'm already praying for teachers for next year!

I'm a GREAT AUNT!!

My beautiful niece, Melanie, gave birth to her first child today. A beautiful baby girl named Adrianna Jennifer. She came into this world at a whopping 10 pounds and 9 ounces!! Way to go Mel!
I love this picture because you can see all of her chunky little rolls. Such a darling...she looks like a perfect little cherub!

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this beautiful gift that you have brought into our family's hearts. I pray that you will watch over Adrianna and guide her on the path that you have set out for her. I pray for Melanie and Adam as they take their first journey into parenthood. Raise them up to be the parents that you want them to be and give them the wisdom and patience they will need along that path. Bless their little family Lord and keep them safe and healthy and keep them always as close together as they are today. You are an awesome God and we are so grateful for our precious Adrianna. In you holy name I pray, Amen.

Mel...I am so proud of you! You are going to be a great mommy!