Happy 4th Birthday Jacob!

I can hardly believe that Jacob is four years old! He has been asking me for days and days when it would be his birthday. He was so excited to be four. Now when you ask him how old he is, this is what you get:

O Jacob's birthday we went to the park for a little while. The boys really wanted to go outside for a while because they were tired of all the rainy weather we have been having. Jacob and Ephraim played with Alyssa and Ty and had a fun time. The weather wasn't quite as nice as we would have liked, but at least it wasn't raining! Here is Ephraim on the play equipment:

We had fun running up and down the big hill and playing on the swings and slides.

I know it looks crazy that my boys are wearing shorts and jackets, but they both really wanted to wear shorts. The weather hasn't exactly been cooperative, but it was just warm enough that I figured I could let Jacob wear shorts for his birthday. Isn't he a cutie?

After playing in the park we went home to meet up with Grandma Heiner. She came to visit just for Jacob's birthday! Then we met Daddy at McDonald's for lunch. Jacob and Ephraim just love to play on the equipment there. They both had a great time climbing up the tubes and going down the slides. Usually Jacob is not so keen on the slides, but this time he actually went down a few times. I guess he really is growing up!

The boys thought it was really fun to see Daddy at lunchtime as well. After lunch we headed home. We had to stop at Macy's to get a few grocery items, and somehow we ended up with ice cream cones as well. I guess somebody was just getting spoiled for his birthday!

Then Ephraim took a nap and Jacob got to spend some time with Grandma while I finished this:

I was pretty proud of the way that the cake turned out. I am getting pretty good at making and using fondant!

Originally I was going to make the cake into a sphere, but I decided that was just too much work for me! I was pretty proud that I figured out how to make the antennae for the little green men cupcakes.

This is exactly the type of cake Jacob wanted... a Buzz Lightyear cake! I think this summer we will probably end up going to see Toy Story 3 when it comes out in the theaters. That should be fun for the boys.

Before long Daddy came home and we had dinner. Then it was time to open the presents! Jacob had been waiting all day to see what was in all of those fun boxes!

Jacob got a fun set of Toy Story duplo legos from Grandma and Grandpa Heiner and both of the boys just love them! They like to build things with the blocks and I think it is good practice for the more complicated lego sets they are sure to get in the future!

Jacob was pretty excited to get a cool Toy Story shirt and some nice shorts as well from Grandma and Grandpa Devereaux. It's funny, but Jacob really likes to get new clothes. He had to wear this T-shirt the very next day!

He also got a birthday card with some money in it, which he thought was pretty cool. He had to count it out for Daddy- yep, four dollars!

Then he immediately had to run to his room so he could get his money jar to put his dollars in there!

Jacob also really liked the crane that mommy and daddy got for him. At this point we asked him if he got everything that he wanted for his birthday. It was so funny to see this little thoughtful frown show up on his face... because anyone who had ever asked him would know exactly what he wanted for his birthday.

So Daddy went out and brought back the big box. Jacob was so excited! He opened it and found just what he wanted- his very own garbage truck!

He was so excited to get the truck out of the box and play with it. As a matter of fact, we had to ball up some of the wrapping paper into little wads so he could put them in the garbage can and then make the arm dump the can into the back of the truck. I wasn't sure if the boys would really play with the garbage truck, but it is apparent now that they both LOVE it.

After we played with the presents for a while it was time for some cake and ice cream! I let Jacob put the candles on the cake wherever he wanted them. He did a pretty good job of lining them up.

He was so cute while we were singing "Happy Birthday" to him. Then he took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

Jacob was having so much fun that he just didn't want to go to bed! What a great day he had.

The next day was pretty fun too. We got to go to the pool with Grandma Heiner and our whole family on Friday evening. We went to the Lehi Aquatic Center and had a fabulous time.  Jacob and Ephraim had so much fun! Ephraim loved the water and was fearless, of course. We put Jacob in a little life jacket, and before long he was bobbing around with Daddy and no longer afraid of being splashed by the water features. We all had a great time and will have to go back again sometime.

Happy Birthday Jacob! We are so happy that you are part of our family. We look forward to watching you grow throughout the next year and helping make your wishes and dreams come true.

Jacob's Birthday Party

Since Jacob's Birthday was this week, we got to have his playgroup/preschool at our house so we could have a little birthday party. It was SO much fun!

Joe helped me out and printed some cool decorations for the party at work. Check out all the fun toy story pictures!

The kids had tons of fun at the party. The first thing we did was play musical chairs. I was surprised at how good they were at this game!

There was a lot of running a giggling as they all scrambled to find a chair.

Jacob and Kyle were especially good at musical chairs. They were both pretty fast!

After musical chairs we played "Pin the Badge on Buzz". Check out the cool poster that Joe printed for me and that I pieced together. Not too bad, huh?

Jacob's friends thought this game was pretty fun. Especially the part where I let them help spin each other around in circles!

They all did a pretty good job of pinning their badges on the poster of Buzz!

Then we opened up Jacob's presents. He had so much fun seeing all the nice gifts that his friends got for him! One of his favorites was the bubble gun that Kyle got him. All the kids wanted to see it in action, so we got out our other bubble-blowing wands and went outside for a minute.

The kids all had a great time taking turns blowing bubbles. As you can see, we had bubbles all over the place!

We were planning on having a treasure hunt in the sand box, but it rained too much yesterday.  In the end it didn't really matter because the kids had a great time. We at our cupcakes and ice cream and before long it was already time for everyone to go home!

What a fun time Jacob had at his party! He loved being the "star" for the day (and he looks like a space ranger in those glasses, right?) . I am so glad that he has so many friends that he enjoys playing with that could come celebrate his birthday with us!

Mother's Day

I had a nice quiet Mother's Day with my cute little family. When we got dressed for church, Ephraim and Jacob were both just so cute that I knew I needed to take some pictures of them after church. So here are my two favorite things about being a Mommy:

Don't they look sharp all dressed up for church? What a pair of cuties!

I especially loved Jacob in the suspenders and tie. He is getting to be such a big boy! I can't believe that it will only be a matter of days before I am the mother of a four year old!

For Mother's Day I got to fill my hanging pot with some lovely flowers we got at the nursery. Today the boys both made me the cutest cards in church! Aren't they great?

I love being a mommy! I love being able to spend my time with these two precious boys and watch them grow. We have challenging days and we have fun days, but every day is worth it.

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.
~Mildred B. Vermont

Unexpectedly Busy Saturday

Saturday we didn't really plan on doing anything exciting. So in the morning we were just working around the house. Since the weather was decent the boys decided to wash the van.

Jacob is a big helper and likes to help Daddy wash the van. He always wants to use the chamois and water blade just like daddy.

It works out pretty well because Daddy can get the high spots, and Jacob can get the stuff that is down a little lower.

I also took some pictures of the flowers in our yard. The garden and the flowers have been loving all the wet weather we have been having lately. We haven't really even had to water much yet!

Then my parents called and said they were on their way to SLC to go to the bike shop. My friend Aly was also in Salt Lake for her graduation luncheon, which I was invited too. Since she lives in Alabama now with he new husband, I knew it would be my last chance to see her for a while. So after talking to her and Joe about it, we decided to head up to Salt Lake in the afternoon.

Our first stop was to see Aly. The luncheon was at her in-laws house in South Jordan. It was fun to see Aly and get to chat with her for a while.

The boys had fun playing with the other kids. Jacob wanted to jump on the trampoline, so after the big kids were done with their turn we let him get on a jump around a bit.

Ephraim didn't like jumping very much, but he really loved playing in the playhouse they had, as well as this fun little car.

I really enjoyed hanging out with Aly and just getting a chance to talk with her. I haven't really seen her since she got married last October. The fun thing for me is that when we were roommates in college I always wanted to be as skinny as she was.

Well, in the past couple of months I have been doing pretty well as far as weight goes. I have lost about 14 pounds and can now wear size 12 jeans. Imagine my surprise when Alyssa told me that I could wear her pants because we are in the same size! Wahoo!

After visiting with Alyssa for a while we drove into Salt Lake and met my parents at the bike shop. It was fun to get to see them, even if it was only for an hour or so. The boys loved to see Grandma and Grandpa. It turns out that the bikes they ordered weren't actually in at the shop, but the trip turned out o.k. anyway. Grandma Heiner upgraded to a nice new Trek and my Aunt Kristie got a new bike as well. I guess we have really started a cycling phenomenon in my family, which is kind of cool.

On our way home we stopped at one last bike shop. They had the kind of saddle that Joe had been interested in trying. It is a pretty pricey saddle, but it is supposed to be amazing. Turns out the bike shop has a program where you can put a downpayment on a seat and take it home to try it for a while. So that is what we did. We didn't end up getting home until it was bedtime for the boys. Our lazy Saturday turned out to be very busy indeed!

Pinecones at the Park

Today we had a break in all the stormy weather we have been having. So I got together with Karyn and Melinda and we actually managed to have a nice picnic in the park while I kids got to play OUTSIDE. It was SO much fun.

I love it when I get to spend time with Karyn and Melinda at the same time while I kids have a great time together. I am looking forward to much more of that this summer! We will definitely have to have regular park play days. The only downside this particular time was when Melinda got locked out of her van, but we hung out with her until Jason could come rescue her.

While we were at the park, the kids had a great time running up and down the big hill. Jacob found some pine cones that we just HAD to take home. He knows how much Grandma Heiner likes them, so we brought them with us.

Here he is showing his pine cones to me. Aren't they lovely? 

Later Jacob asked me if he could paint them red (his favorite color). I thought... sure, why not?! So during quiet time I got everything set up and let Jacob go crazy with the red paint. I think the pinecones look pretty good. Maybe I've got a little interior decorator on my hands!

On a side note, I noticed that my irises are starting to bloom. Hooray! I love the color that they add to my back yard.

In other news, last night we planted our vegetable garden! I can't wait for fresh tomatoes. Joe hasn't had time to set up the drip system yet, so today the boys helped me water the plants. Ephraim watered the plants while Jacob was at playgroup. And then later while Ephraim was asleep Jacob helped me water. They both thought it was SO fun!

What great helpers I have!

Silly Sunday and the Fantastic Fort

We have had way TOO much cloudy, cold and rainy weather in the past week. It's driving me crazy! Whatever happened to Spring? Just when its supposed to warm up and the boys really want to play outside, the weather gets all nasty.

We have spent a lot of the past week indoors. It has been SO blustery. I even took the boys to McDonalds the other day so they could go play somewhere besides at home!

So when today dawned another wet day, I knew we were in for it! The excitement started this morning when I found the boys doing this:

Yep. They were jumping off of Jacob's bed. Usually this is frowned upon, but today I decided to supervise their jumping and let them do it for a little while (so I could take pictures, of course). They were both pretty good little jumpers.

Then we got everyone ready and went to church. After church and Ephraim's nap the boys were going a little stir crazy. So we made faces for a while. Check out these monkeys:

Wow they sure have flexible ears, don't you think?

Then finally I decided to make them a fort to play in for the remainder of the day. We got out a bunch of sheets, blankets, chairs and weights. I think the fort turned out pretty well, especially since I am not particularly experienced at making such things!

The boys had a great time crawling around the fort and playing in there. They brought in books to read, coloring books, and all sorts of fun things to do.

Apparently whatever you are doing is much more fun when you are inside of a fort.

The great thing was that the fort kept Jacob and Ephraim busy for a few hours. I will definitely have to keep this in my rainy day arsenal so that the next time we are getting stir-crazy we can find a way to have some fun inside.

Saturday is Haircut and Tub Day

Today was a bit of a cloudy day, so we spent most of it inside. In the morning we just slept in a bit and had breakfast. Then we played around for a while in our pajamas.

I got the Cheerios out and let Ephraim play with this Cheerio book. He thought it was the coolest thing ever! I guess I haven't really gotten it out for him to play with like that and he thought it was fun to put the Cheerios where they were supposed to go.

After a while we decided that it was time for haircuts. Ephraim volunteered himself to go first. He doesn't mind getting a haircut at all!

While we were watching Ephraim get his hair cut, Jacob was goofing around and telling me to take his picture. He was actually pretty cute.

Then we told him that it was his turn to get his hair cut.

He wasn't quite as excited about that. For some reason Jacob does not like haircuts very much at all. Check out all the great faces that he makes.

Meanwhile it was Ephraim's turn to play around and have Mommy take his picture. Isn't he a cutie? I love those blue eyes!

It's funny how Jacob reacts to getting his hair cut. He always gets all worked up at the beginning and there are usually tears.

Sometimes there are even some tortured expressions and moaning going on.

Then eventually Jacob decides that the haircut does not hurt him and he usually ends up just fine. Sometimes he even ends up laughing and smiling! Now if we could only convince him to start off that way, maybe he would have more fun getting his hair cut.

Later that evening it was time for the boys to have a bath so they could be ready for church. Lately I have been bathing them separately because Jacob is getting pretty big and it is squishy to have both of them in the tub. However sometimes there is a short period of overlap where they are both in the tub together.

Tonight the boys were being particularly silly in the tub. I don't really know what was so funny, but I found the two of them laying on the bottom of the tub having an outrageously fun time. My camera was right around the corner on my dresser, so I got it out and took some pictures.

This is one I call "Hear no evil, Speak no evil."

And here is my favorite of the two of them just laughing themselves silly! After spending most of the day inside because of the weather it was fun to see the boys having such a great time together.