Jacob 18 Months

So our boy is growing up fast! Right now he is doing so many cute things, I probably can't remember them all, but I wanted to jot down a few.

He found his belly button...

 He loves to drive cars, just like his big brothers!

 He is really into pushing things around whether its a car or stroller or basket.

 If we take him outside, he cheers up instantly. He loves to be outside.

 And he's going down slides by himself, too.

Some words he is saying: mama, dada, i (eye), no (nose), p (please), mi (milk)
He can point out all the features on the face too. His absolute favorite drink is milk and he wants it all the time! He loves strawberries and blueberries, frozen peas and carrots, and pb&j. He weighs about 26 pounds now. Loves Rio and Cars.
I'm glad I remember that much! Someday I will be happy I wrote it down!

Ethan's Camp Out

So I am a little behind....what's new? Last month was Ethan's 7th birthday and we decided to do something a little smaller than usual. He wanted to have a sleepover and Josh wanted to do some extra curricular stuff, so we compromised on having the camp out and all the 'games' at mom and dad's (thank you!).
This was a super easy party to plan and we had a lot of fun! We had target practice with BB guns and bow and arrows, s'mores over a HUGE fire, basketball, and not-so-much-sleeping sleepover outside.

Linden taking a shot, and Colby (the pro) in the background taking his

Josh helping out Jonas with the bow, after a few tries he just wanted to jump on the trampoline with Isaiah.

 

 Reef was pretty good for his first time with the bow and arrow.

 My boy

 The supervisors...and yes, its about 55 degrees and Josh is wearing shorts.

 

 We were going to roast hot dogs and sausage over the campfire but decided it was easier (and warmer) to eat inside.

We had fruit skewers and they turned into swords...I should have saw that coming. 

After dinner, we headed out to the bonfire...it was huge. Troy brought some glow sticks that we gave to the boys and they ran around in the dark for a long time with them.

 S'mores always bring smiles!

 Linden enjoyed his 3rds on s'mores while keeping warm by the fire.

 After we finished up with s'mores, we went inside for cake and ice cream, yes more sweets. What can I say? You can't have a fire without s'mores and you can't have a birthday without cake...Ethan asked for a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and chocolate chips all over...easiest cake ever and it was SO good!

 After cake the boys settled into their pj's and into their sleeping bags for a good night's sleep. Sleep? Yeah right!

 The next morning, we had a huge breakfast and then had some more target practice. Isaiah finally took a shot!

 One of the things Ethan wanted to do most was play basketball, so they had a friendly game of boys vs. dads.

During the game, Isaiah and Linden collected rocks. Sports isn't really their thing. 

 We had so much fun! We are so blessed to have wonderful friends who love our boy so much!

So The Celebrating Begins...

February is a big birthday month for us! There are 9 birthdays in our immediate family alone! Today was Ethan's birthday and my grandmother's 80th birthday party. Almost all the family came in town to celebrate, so we spent the bulk of the day honoring her and then headed out so we could get a short nap before the Spurs game we were taking Ethan and Isaiah to.

 

Blueberry pancakes were Ethan's request for breakfast, complete with cool whip with a strawberry on top! 

 On the way home, we stopped to have ice cream with Grammy and Papa.

 Too much sugar for this day but you can't say no to the birthday boy!

 Excited for our friends to join us at the game!!

GO SPURS GO!

 Best friends!

 Happy 7th birthday my sweet boy. You are growing up way too fast!

January In A Flash

So I didn't take many pictures in January. It kinda flew right by us. Some big things happened, though. Josh changed careers and is now working for Northwestern Mutual. This has been several months in the making and he is beyond excited. I am considering this a faith strengthening transition for me. I have definitely become closer to God and realizing that I need to let go of the 'false securities' of this world and put my security in Him, to trust that He will provide for us. We spent a lot of time praying about this decision, and though its been difficult so far, we both believe that this is the path God wants us on.

Here are a few random pictures from this month.

 Isaiah is now riding bikes, but I think we need to look for a bigger bike...

 Jacob is obsessed with brushing his teeth. Ok, really its not brushing, its more like sucking the dot of toothpaste I put on there! I am trying to teach him the brushing movement though.

 The boys finally painted their birdhouses they got from Aunt Debbi for Christmas. They are hanging in the backyard, but we haven't put any seed in them. Maybe we should do that...

S'more Please!

After celebrating Christmas with my dad's family, we hopped over to the Harrison's for some good 'ole s'mores. Unfortunately, Ethan wasn't feeling great so we didn't stay long, but I love this picture of the boys and their best friends!

Christmas

Christmas morning came and went so fast! Mom and dad showed up just before the boys woke up and I barely had time to get the camera before they had started with the gifts!

 My Granny got Jacob this jumpsuit and I think he looks so cute!

Josh got a very nice pellet gun from his parents...he can't wait to shoot some dove in our backyard.

So another Christmas morning gone. Its just so fast! We went to my aunt's house for a quick lunch and then off to Josh's parents for Christmas with his family. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so much family!