Labor Day Fun...2012

Today we went up to the mountains for our annual "Labor Day" picnic. The weather has still been way too hot for me to handle, so I really look forward to this day...we don't get up to the mountains enough. When we got up there we set up our picnic stuff. Josh didn't want to set up the canopy because the weather was perfect and he said we wouldn't need it, but I insisted that he should, so he did. It's a good thing I had him set up the canopy because not long after it was up the weather changed and it started hailing. It was so crazy, but it didn't last long. The kids thought it was cool and I gave a "I told you so" to Josh.

This year we went with the McKee's and Jaedyn was so excited because she wanted to hang out with Casen, aka her "boyfriend". Casen got this play golf set for his birthday and Jaedyn had a blast playing with it with him...

Jaron and Jantzen played with the rest of the McKee boys and they found this really cool fort that had already been built. This is where they took shelter when the quick hail storm came through...


  They also had a "bridge", as they called it, leading to their fort that they had fun playing on. Jaedyn had to get in on the fun with them and her brothers were really sweet as they helped her cross the bridge...     After eating lunch and playing for a little while, Mary and I took the kids on a hike up the mountain...the kids love to go hiking. Jaron and Jaedyn stopped to check out a little bit of graffiti on one of the trees. It really irritates me that people do stuff like that, especially in the middle of nature!     After a while of hiking, we all took a little break...     Jaedyn did a little modeling for me...     ...then Krew joined her...     ...and they had fun making funny faces at me...     While the boys were exploring, Jaedyn found a tree stump to practice some of her gymnastics moves on...     Jaron found a bunch of ants that he decided to irritate a little bit...     Then we continued on with our hike. On our way down the boys took us on a steeper side of the mountain than where we hiked up. Jantzen had a little bit of trouble with it. He almost fell down, but was able to quickly catch himself. Next time I'll lead on the way down instead of letting the boys.     By the time we got back from our hike, it was time to pack up to go home. I got a couple pictures of us adults to prove that our kids weren't there without any parental supervision.    Here I am with my cute friend Mary...     ...and then all of us together...     Before we went home we decided to drive up to the ski resort and see if the lifts were open. They were, so we paid for all of us to take a ride up the mountain on them. Jaedyn was a little hesitant at first, she wasn't sure this ride was going to be a fun thing. She latched on to her daddy pretty tight...         Jaron and Jantzen rode on the ski lift with me. Jaron was loving the ride...     ...Jantzen, not so much! He was a little freaked out about how high he was. I told him to just sit back, hold on, and relax and he'd be fine. After a little while he wasn't as scared anymore.     I attempted to get a picture of the boys and I, but this is what I got. I had to hold the camera out pretty far just to get this and thought if I tried to hold it out any farther that I'd drop it...sorry boys!     I got our feet instead...     Josh and Jaedyn were two seats ahead of us and he took this picture of the boys and I with his GoPro. It doesn't really look like we're that high above the ground, but we really were pretty high up...     Josh got some fun pictures of him and Jaedyn goofing around on the way up the mountain. Jaedyn seemed to be having a good time after she relaxed a little...     Jaedyn got a picture of her feet too. I'm thinking her legs were crossed and that's why her shoes look like they're on the wrong feet because I don't remember putting them on her that way...     Once we got to the top of the mountain, we got off to explore a little bit. Jaedyn had to show me who's #1 in our family (I'm thinking it's her?)...     ...and then, of course, she had to give Jantzen some bunny ears!     My camera battery died right after I got the pictures of Josh and the kids, so Josh started using his GoPro. Here's a cute picture of all of us on top of the mountain that he took...I'm glad we're all in it!     We hopped back on the ski lifts and headed back down the mountain. Jaedyn had some more fun with Josh's camera...         On our ride the boys spotted this red bra dangling from one of the trees, they thought it was really funny and they laughed...you know, the way little boys do. I wonder how many times it took to get the bra to hang on the tree like that.     Our ride finally ended and the boys wanted to go again, but I didn't want to pay again so we didn't. We headed home...back to the heat!    We all had another fun Labor Day in the mountains. I love the cooler weather and I can't wait for it to cool off at home!

Poor Little Guy!

A few weeks ago I ran over this little guy in my driveway. I didn't see him as I pulled up, otherwise I would have tried to avoid smashing him. Jantzen was the one who noticed him as we got out of the car and he told me how disgusting it was, so I just had to get a picture because I thought it looked both gross and cool at the same time...I know, I'm really messed up that way! I just found his insides, that were oozing out of his mouth, to be kind of interesting. Jaedyn's reaction was, "It's too yucky!".

I'm posting this because today I ran over another lizard in the driveway. Here's how it happened...

I went to put Jaedyn in the car to go get the boys from school and there was a lizard hiding in front of one of the back tires. Jaedyn was freaking out and wouldn't get in the car...I'm not sure why, she's never had a bad experience with a lizard. I scared the little guy away and I checked under the car to make sure he was gone. I didn't see him anywhere, so I backed down the driveway. As soon as I got out on the street I noticed something on the driveway and my first thought was, "Great, I did it again", so I went to check it out. Yeah, I did it again, I killed another lizard with my massive mom-mobile. This time it was a little grosser looking so I didn't take any pictures. Jaedyn got mad at me and gave me a lecture. This was what she said to me..."You squished a lizard mom! Why'd you do that, that's not very nice. You need to say sorry now!" I told the poor little guy sorry, then went on my way.

Now, every time we go to get in the car Jaedyn freaks out and thinks there's a lizard under the car that's going to get her. Most of the time she'll just jump in my arms for me to put her in the car instead of getting in it herself like she normally would do. I hope she gets over that fear soon!

I'm really not trying to kill all the lizards that live around my house, but they just need to learn to stay away from my car!

My Cute 3-Eyed Girl

I think Jaedyn has been hanging out too much with her cousin Sadie. That third eye Sadie had on the first day of school is very contagious and now my little princess has caught it...

      The really sad part is is that Jaedyn loves having three eyes. She doesn't want it to ever go away! I guess since she's still super cute I can grow to love an extra eyeball too.

1st Day of School...2012

Today Jantzen and Jaron had their first day of school. They were both excited and not so excited for this day to come. They didn't want their summer fun (mostly sleeping in) to end, but they wanted to see all of their school friends again.

This year is going to be a little more chaotic in the mornings because their schools start a lot earlier this year than they did last year and they're at different schools this year. Jantzen is starting 2nd grade and his school day starts at 7:25am...stupid, I know! I've been complaining about it and trying to get it changed all summer with little success. He was supposed to start at 7:05am, but they pushed it back, not by much, because a lot of parents were complaining. Can you blame us?!?! Last year they started school at 8:55am, so this is a drastic change for the kids, plus there are high schools in our area that don't start until 9am, so I think it's a little ridiculous to make the elementary age kids start as early as they are! Okay, enough of my ranting now.

Jaron's school starts at 8:05am and I got a zone variance for him to go to a school (a much better one than he's zoned for) that's farther away from our house, so trying to figure out how to get both of them up, ready, and out the door in the mornings to be to school on time has given me a little bit of stress! Luckily for me, the first couple days of school it's easy for me to get the boys out the door. It's that excitement of seeing your friends and meeting new ones that makes them wake up earlier than their alarm.

After the boys got all ready for school (they even got their beds made...yay!!) I got some quick "1st day of school" photos before we headed out.

I think my boys looked very handsome for their first day. They always have to pose on this rock in front of our house...they're ready to go!

  Both of the boys got new backpacks this year. Jantzen chose another "Mario" one, of course...      Jaron chose a black backpack, of course, and it's almost as big as he is, especially with all his school books in it! Jaron also has a uniform dress code this year. I'm not an advocate for uniforms in public schools, but most of the middle schools here have a uniform dress code, so there's really no getting around it. Luckily for Jaron, the school he goes to doesn't have a super strict dress code. He can wear any solid colored shirt, so it's not too bad, I guess.     Here's my big "Tartan Tiger" all ready for his first day of 2nd grade...     ...and my big "Cram Wildcat" all ready for his first day of 6th grade...      We all got loaded up in the car and headed to Jantzen's school to do a quick drop off. As I was walking him to his class line, I made him pose for another picture. I'm not sure what this face was all about, but it sure made me laugh!      Jantzen went in with his class and then I rushed back to the car to drive Jaron to his school. When we got there, his cousin Kennedy was waiting for him. I wanted to get a picture of the two of them, but I was strictly instructed that I was NOT allowed to get out of the car to take the picture. Instead, I had to take one from the drivers seat. I'm really going to miss being able to embarrass Jaron at school this year.      After school both the boys told me they had a good day. Jantzen has one of the new teachers at the school and he really likes her, plus he has one of his best friends in his class this year, so that helped make it a good day. Jaron got the elective class that he wanted...guitar, so he was really happy. I thought it was weird, but he didn't get his class schedule until today, so he had no idea what classes he was going to have. He does have four accelerated classes this year, so I told him he's going to have to work extra hard.    As a family tradition, we have pizza for dinner on the first day of school. This year we went over to Nena's house to eat with her family. As always, the kids really enjoyed it, even Sadie with her third eye!    **Check out the weird guy (Josh) in the background flexing...he's such a nerd!      I'm happy that my boys had a fun first day of school, I hope they continue to enjoy it as the year goes on. It's going to be a crazy year with them being at two different schools, but I think I can do it. Luckily for me, a friend of mine offered to pick Jantzen up for me in the morning (since it's hectic for me) and I will pick up her Jansen after school (when her youngest is napping) to help make it a little easier on both of us for the rest of the school year. We'll see how things go.    Good luck at school this year boys, I know you'll do great!

Back to School Lunch...

Yesterday I took the kids out for our annual "back to school" lunch.  This year the kids decided they wanted to go to Sonic. That's right, I gave them a bunch of different options, including Cafe Rio, but they all chose Sonic, so that's where we went. As you can see, they all had the same thing...a corn dog, tots, and a slushy and they all enjoyed their lunch very much. 

 They all gave me a good laugh just watching their faces as they ate...

          We had an extra friend with us for lunch this year...Jace.  We already consider him a member of our family. He was a little camera shy though...     After lunch, we did a little bit of shopping for school supplies and then we headed home for the kids to enjoy their last Friday of freedom.   **Just a little side note... Last night I went out with some friends for a girls night and when I got home this is what I found...         ...yep, both Josh and Jaron were nicely tucked into their beds and Jaedyn and Jantzen were asleep on the couches in the family room...neither one of them in their pj's and I can only guess that they didn't get their vitamins or their teeth brushed either. I guess nothing can get done without mom around!!

Jaron's Back to School BBQ

Tonight we went to a "Back to School BBQ" for for all the incoming 6th graders at Jaron's middle school. He was really excited to go because he wanted to check out the campus. When we got there the principal gave a "welcome" speech which informed all the kids about what would be expected of them during the school year. After that we went and enjoyed dinner in the school cafeteria.

      After dinner I paid for Jaron's yearbook, PE uniform, and a school water bottle he wanted. Then we headed for "6th" grade hall...     Things are so different from when I was in junior high (that's what it was called where I grew up). We didn't have our own sections of the school for our classes, we were all mixed together throughout the whole school. I do think that it's nice that Jaron will have all his classes, minus his electives, in the same area.    Jaron had to do a little playing around with the lockers...he's kind of a goof  in that way, just like his dad...         ...and, of course, Jaedyn had to copy him because she doesn't like being left out of anything...     I'm glad that Jaron's school had a BBQ tonight. It's nice to be able to see the environment that he's going to be in everyday since I won't be at his school all the time anymore. I think being there tonight also made Jaron more excited to start middle school...he's now one of the "cool kids"!

Happy 3rd Birthday Jaedybug!

Today our little princess turned 3 years old. She was so excited for another day of celebrating, mainly because she loves to be the center of attention. For her birthday breakfast she requested french toast and she enjoyed every last bite... 

  The rest of the day we spent playing and hanging out until it was time to go to dinner. Jaedyn wanted to go to Red Robin for her birthday dinner, of course. She enjoyed some coloring and chocolate milk while she waited for her food...     For dinner she chose to have a corn dog and oranges, which she devoured. Then it came time for the waiters to sing "Happy Birthday" to her and give her her birthday sundae (her favorite thing about Red Robin). She wasn't too excited for the singing part, she was actually being very shy with the waiters...     ...but, she LOVED the sundae eating part!     She was even nice enough to share some of her sundae with Jantzen, since he shared his with her on his birthday.     After we were finished with dinner, we went back home to let Jaedyn open her presents. I got Jaedyn some birthday balloons this year to go with her cake and she loved them!     Here's her Hello Kitty birthday cake. I had planned on making a cake for her this year, but I ran out of time and the bakery had one that she really liked. Never mind the smashed in frosting in the front, it was my fault. I moved the box a little too fast, but it still tasted good.     I got a picture of Jaedyn with her presents before she got to open them. I loved how she was holding one of her brothers' Hero Factory figures, she loves those things! Lucky for her the white present next to her is one of her very own.     This is Jaedyn getting ready to open her presents. Can you see a little bit of a resemblance to her brothers in this picture...perhaps with the tongue that's hanging out?!?!     Jaedyn had so much fun opening her presents. She thought the big hot pink one was a Nerf gun (since Jaron just got one in a big box too), but it was just a double stroller for her babies. She also thought the three (Bottom left picture) were Hero Factory's...nope, they were new Disney princess babies...     Jaron picked out some cute jewelry for Jaedyn and Jantzen picked out a new princess dress with a matching tiara and earrings for her...she loved them all!     Jaedyn was especially excited to open her gift from her daddy. It was her very own Hero Factory...Breez to be exact. She saw it at Target and insisted that she wanted it for her birthday. Now she has her very own to play with when her brothers play. I think her brothers have brainwashed her into liking Hero Factory so much!     Jaedyn got a lot of fun stuff for her birthday and she loved it all! She got a new princess dress with matching tiara and earrings, a couple Minnie Mouse books, 3 new Disney princess babies, a princess treasure chest (from Haley), lots of jewelry, a Hello Kitty jewelry box, Breez (Hero Factory), a Cinderella tea set, a new Sleeping Beauty doll (she broke the head off of her last one...lets hope this one survives longer), a double stroller for her babies, some cheerleading stuff, a Hello Kitty art set, and a couple Hello Kitty notepads...     After all of Jaedyn's presents were opened, we got ready to sing "Happy Birthday" to her.     She was trying not to be too shy as we all sang to her...     ...then she blew out her candles...          Then came her favorite part...eating the cake, or I should say frosting! Usually most of the cake is left on her plate, but none of the frosting is ever left.      After Jaedyn finished her frosting, she opened some presents from her cousins. She got a Hello Kitty shirt they brought back for her from Hawaii that matched Sadie's (her favorite cousin) and some Hello Kitty sunglasses, that she obviously likes...      This was Jaedyn reading the birthday card her cousins gave her. She was pretending it was a book and she was telling us all a story that she was really into...literally. She's so funny!      Jaedyn did a little entertaining for us with her pom poms. I think she'll make a really cute cheerleader one day, but according to her dad she'll be the first cheerleader with hairy legs who only wears sweatpants and won't be allowed to do any sexy dancing...good luck with that Josh!     Jaedyn had a little tea party with Sadie...     ...and her dad, he didn't want to be left out of all the fun!      I asked Jaedyn if I could get a picture of her with her princess babies and this is what I got...     She's too cute!      Jaedyn had a fun day/night celebrating her 3rd birthday. By the time it was bedtime, she was exhausted! I went to check on her after she had been asleep for a little while and I saw her snuggling with her new Hello Kitty jewelry box. I thought that was really funny that she picked that to sleep with instead of one of her new babies...silly girl!     Jaedyn has been such a blessing in our lives. She brings so much laughter, silliness, stubbornness, and drama to our family, but we wouldn't change her a bit. She's a very loving and caring little girl who really knows how to keep us all laughing and entertained, not to mention that her brothers absolutely adore her. These last three years have flown by and I can't wait to see how she changes as the years go on. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAEDYN...WE LOVE YOU!!!