My baby is ONE!

I cannot believe that my sweet little Jack is an official one year old! The year went by so fast. It feels like only a few months ago that he was my tiny newborn.....(sigh) I don't want him to grow up!!

We had our families over for a BBQ, cake, and icecream. It was a wild party!

Jack had a great time opening his presents and he especially enjoyed hanging out on his new couch and playing with all of his new toys!

After presents, we headed indoors for cake and icecream. Do you think he enjoyed himself!? It was such a fun night. I really think it was a perfect first birthday!

3 days old

2 months old

6 months old

9 months old

Almost one year old! Isn't he the cutest!?

Jack has been such a happy and pleasant baby. Starting at 4 months old he stopped being a good sleeper, but I am hoping that little "issue" will get resolved soon! Jack loves being outside and will pound on the sliding glass door several times a day so he can go out. Tonight Jack was pounding on the door and Gus was scratching on the door....they both wanted OUT!! Some of his favorite things are balls, phones, blankets (especially his little blankets), his stuffed tiger and stuffed bear, and our dog Gus. Gus is very good with Jack and lets Jack pat him and play with him. Gus and Jack like to share chew toys, dog food, and dog water. They are best friends. He also likes to eat EVERYTHING he sees on the floor or cement, including potato bugs, dirt, rocks, grass, sand, and anything else he spots! He also ADORES his big brothers and is always wanting to be where they are to watch (and destroy) what they are playing or building. Jack is a JOY to have in our family and we all love him so much! Happy Birthday my angel baby!

A weekend with the family and a Moose!

We LOVE going to the cabin with the Webster clan! We always have a blast and the boys love every minute we are there. I realized when I got home I didn't take very many pictures with my camera. I was so mad at myself! I think I was too busy taking pictures with Kathy's AWESOME camera! (Honey.....I want one for Christmas!) But I did get a picture of our little visitor.

It was about 8:30 on Saturday morning and Ben went outside to play on the swings. He quickly ran back in and said, "Mom, I saw a deer!" So I went outside and couldn't believe a momma moose and her baby were having breakfast right behind our cabin!

Soon the baby got tired of eating and decided to take a rest right in front of the steps that lead to the front door. This is a picture of Sam looking out the bathroom window. The momma is standing guard just to the right of her baby.

The baby decided to go rest up the hill a little ways, so the momma looked around and decided she would take a rest too! Denny had just pulled up in his truck after taking a drive and was standing at the bottom of the steps waiting for the moose to leave. Well she had other plans!

Denny ended up climbing the balcony to get to the front door. He said he didn't want to mess with a momma moose (probably a wise choice!) Sam and Ben thought it was really cool at first, but then all they wanted to do was go play on the swing set. So the "coolness" of watching the two moose wore off and Ben kept saying he was going to go scare the moose so they would go away. (Leave it to Ben!) The moose were probably there for an hour to an hour and a half. I thought it was great! I love watching wild animals. They are such amazing creatures.

Jonas and I drove to Smith and Morehouse Reservoir (which is only about a 10 minute drive) with our boys and Davin. They had a fun time throwing rocks into the lake. We all had a rock throwing contest and Davin won! That kid has got an arm on him! At the age of 9 he is already an awesome football player. Sam and Ben really wanted to fish at the lake but we forgot the fishing poles. It was a HUGE bummer because Sam and Ben are ALWAYS asking to go fishing. But they didn't seem to mind because they had so much fun doing other things. They had nonstop fun with their cousins and we enjoyed every minute with all of the family. I was so glad that everyone was able to make it up. We can't wait to go back again!

First Day of School

I cannot believe Sam is in 1st grade! Monday was a short day, so I didn't realize until Tuesday how long it would take for 3:25 to roll around! I missed him so much! I watched the clock all day and kept wondering what he was doing and if he was ok. Ben kept saying that Sam was taking long and I agreed. I was most worried about lunch and if he would be able to do everything, but he came home and said he ate Macaroni and Cheese and that it was yummy, so I guess it was a success! He did say school was fun but that it was long and there were no fun toys there. I am sure he will adjust to the new schedule and the "no toys" like in Kindergarten, but I still worry about how he is doing every day! I hope he makes GOOD friends and GOOD choices while he is in school. Friends are everything when it comes to the school years and I just hope and pray Sam will be influenced for the good! I sure love you Sam and I miss you like crazy when you are gone!

My handsome 1st grader!

Sam and Drew eating donuts from the Primary presidency before the bus comes

Off to school!

Sam acted embarrassed when I took this so I didn't take anymore (although I really wanted to!) He is so cute!

Ben started school on Wednesday and this year we had a tear free first day! He was so excited to go and he just marched right into class like an old time pro. He is so fun to chat with after school. He tells me all about his day and I love it! I have to PRY information out of Sam and I am never very successful with getting much, so it is fun to hear from Ben what he was doing at school. I am so glad he is enjoying preschool this year. He cried every day until after Christmas last year and it was so hard! He is growing up too and is such a handsome little guy!

I was a bad mom and forgot to bring my camera when I picked Ben up on the first day, but I will get some next week and redeem myself! So another year is beginning and we can only hope for the best...Good luck Sam and Ben!