Our mini vacation to Legoland!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had such a great time in Carlsbad, CA visiting one of Brian's favorite places of all...LEGOLAND!! We spent two days exploring all the fun and interactive sites, and of course, riding rides!! Gracie was able to go on every single ride but one...she missed it by 1/2 inch, cried, of course, and we told her next time we go she'll be tall enough. She had the most fun I have seen her have in SO long!! It was great being able to tell her, yes, you can go on this one. She was so thrilled to be 4, cause that is why she can ride all the big kid rides. Kids, ain't they cute?!? It was amazing to see EVERYTHING made of Lego's. Honestly, I was expecting the potties to be Lego's too, but to my dismay, regular white toilets. But other than that, tables, umbrellas, rides, streets, everything made of Lego's. So neat and totally cool!! (Yeah, I have a bit of an inner-geek too. He's rubbing off on me!) The weather was a nice change, and we even got to go to the beach for a bit! That was a fun detour. Next time, more beach for sure. Hope you enjoyed taking a walk with us through Legoland. We had so much fun together and hope you did too.

Gracie's first day of Pre-K!!

Well, it is official!! My baby is in "school!" OK, so it is pre-K and it is only 3 days a week, but to me, right now, my baby is in school!!! She has started school at our local community center 3 mornings a week (m,w,f) from 9-12pm. They will be learning all sorts of fun things - numbers, letters, writing, reading, telling time, calendars, and my favorite, how to work together and be with other kids. Gracie has proven to Brian and I that she needs constant activity and challenges. That was a bit of a challenge to mommy, so thank goodness for this program!! She already made two new friends today, and is in class with one of her bestest friends, Preston. She was so glad to go today and see him and her teachers. Afterwards, I picked her up and we headed off to McDonald's for a treat....yogurt parfait, her fave!! That last picture is her just enjoying her special "4 year old" treat. (Her favorite new saying....I am a 4 year old now, ...) Happy first day of school to all you kiddos out there, and happy end of summer to all you mommies!!

Coming soon from a womb near you....

So we had our first ultrasound today and found out we are having a healthy baby ??? I am only 10 weeks, so we won't find out the sex for another few months, but let me tell you how relieved I was to see just one baby swimming around in there. (Jen, I know you are super mom, but I was not ready to be that much like you!! :o) ) So our due date is pretty acurate, March 14th, and I am so thrilled to have the next few months to plan for this beautiful baby!! Isn't "he/she" cute??? Look at me, a proud parent already! I also have a new doctor this time (mine retired from delivering) and she is GREAT!! I just got a great feeling when I met her and she put me completely at ease. I told her that any doctor that can make me laugh while I am in stirups, is the best doctor ever!! She agreed, you girls will get that! :o) So join with us as we keep praying for this little one, for the change in our lives which is so welcomed, and for the blessing that God has bestowed upon us. Thank you to Him for giving us this gift!!! Love to you all!!!

4th of July!

We had lots of fireworks to watch! The kids were in heaven enjoying the beautiful colors and crazy sounds!! Josh and his cousin put on an amazing show for all of us to see. It was great fun!!

The kiddos all got sparklers and were having so much fun making neat shapes with them. Gracie was amazed at the pretty colors and how hot they were.

Paris and Gracie had too much fun making faces at the camera. Those two are hams!! A great friendship starting, no doubt!

The girls are a lot like their mommies...great friends! Ash and I both got to sit and enjoy the fireworks...thanks to our hubbies! We had so much fun watching our kiddos playing and laughing with each other.
A rarity...a picture of me and Brian. Doesn't happen often, so enjoy it! ;o) Usually one of us is behind the camera.
My favorite...See no, Speak no, Hear no, and Smell no evil. Our kids are performers in the making!!
Sparkler city!! Pretty cool time shot!!

Thanks to our dear friends for having us over for a super fun night!! The fireworks were awesome, the dessert fabulous, and the friendship is priceless. We love you guys!!!

Our trip to see the Durkees

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Gracie and I were able to spend some great time reconnecting with friends at their home in Arkansas. We spent the time touring their town, going to Branson, going to church for AWANA Sunday, visiting U of A to see Guy's name(totally cool) and hanging back at the homestead spending some quality time together. Gracie and Hope were able to get to know each other as big girls which had its challenges, but was so great to see. When we got back on the plane, Gracie was so sad and misses her friend to this day! When she sees the pictures she cries. That tells me she has GREAT memories and had a super awesome time!! She wasn't the only one! I totally enjoyed getting to pal around with my great friend, Jen! I truly enjoyed the chance to catch up and spend quality time together. Plus, we both got to meet the twins!! Grace and Nolan - 15 months - were so much fun!! I was completely taken by them! I am just amazed at their similarities and yet they are so different. It was so wonderful. Thank you to the whole Durkee family for making us feel so welcome. Thank you for the fun times and priceless memories. Words cannot express how much fun we had and what a blessing you both are to me. Thank you thank you thank you. I hope you all enjoy taking our trip with us...it was such a great adventure!!

Grace and Cael...fast friends

Gracie has wanted to meet Cael for so long! She is trying to get the concept of adoption, not quite there yet. But she does know she gets to have a new friend! That is the best part in her eyes. Cael came over to our house and brought his mommy and daddy. The kids were a little shy at first but quickly overcame that. Before we knew it, they were swinging together, eating together, and making BIG chalk prints on our driveway! (Thanks to Betsy, bringing the coolest toys!! Thanks Bets!) They seemed to bond pretty quickly. A few days later, we got to see them all at church and Gracie was SO excited to see her new buddy!! And just a few days ago, Bets and I went on one of our favorite shopping trips, but this time, brought both of our kiddos!! We rented the cool car strollers, went to our favorite stores, and ate a yum-o lunch. The only downer for me, the Disney store is officially closed in our mall. A sad day for all. So we needed to commemorate the event by having the kids stand on Mickey's ears and taking their picture. I will always remember that store fondly....moment of silence for the closed chain....thank you. After we left our friends, Gracie talked the entire ride home of her new friend and how much she missed Cael. I am so glad that our kids love each other. Thanks for sharing your balloons, Cael. You are one sweet little boy! And Bets, you know I love you!! We had so much fun. Thanks again!!

Betsy giving the kids a push.

Grace and Cael swinging in our backyard.

Our kids on the ears of Mickey in front
of the now closed forever Disney store.

Brite Idea!!

For Christmas, Gracie got her first Lite Brite. How many remember those?!? I totally remember the "classic" version, a flat board, black construction paper (usually left my hands with black all over them), colored pegs, and one single Christmas light bulb illuminating my masterpiece. It fell over a lot, the pieces got lost (the dog enjoyed them, I am sure), and it was sometimes hard to see the depth of my creation. Now, I am not knocking this groudbreaking toy by any means. I LOVED my Lite Brite! Truly, ask my mom. (Mom, tell them.) But I am amazed at how far toys have come in 20 some years. Now, it is a cube, much steadier, the paper is still black, but doesn't come off on your hands. It has a centrally located light, illumens all 4 sides at once, and it shines so brightly, you can actually tell the peg popped paper is a car! As for the pegs themselves, nothing new under the sun there. Same pegs, different dog. Sorry Chewy! But as for the enjoyment of my kiddo, priceless!! Please enjoy Gracie's first ever published Lite Brite materpiece! (If you can't tell, its a butterfly.) Love to all, happy creating!

Mother's Day!

So Mother's Day was so much fun this year!! We had an AMAZING musical that the K-6th graders put on, and WOW!! They did a fabulous job! I was so excited to see these adorable little ones honor their mommies in this way. I also thought it was a great day to take pictures of some of my buds and their kiddos. I hope everyone had a great and special day, and to all those mommies out there, I love you and thank you for doing a great job doing the hardest job out there!! Love to all!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our Disney Adventure

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Gracie, Brian, Gammy, Poppy, and I all went to Disneyland and California Adventure for Gracie and Poppy's birthdays. We all had such a great time together! It truly was a blast! Enjoy the slideshow!

Friends!!

Just a few pictures of me with some friends. The first two are Ashley and me. We always seem to be going a little nuts but always having fun!! Love you Ash!! The last is of me and Jessica. Jess you are the greatest! Love you too Jess!! (Jealous of your tan, but I still love you!!) A tribute to my friends...hope you both are blessed and find rest. May God grant you laughter, time, energy, and lots of sleep. He has blessed me with you both in my life, and I am forever grateful! Love you!!!

Heigh-Ho!! Heigh-Ho!!

Gracie's friend Natalie had a birthday!! She is 3! Natalie wanted to celebrate with her favorite princess, Snow White, so her mommy Christine threw the cutest theme party. Natalie was Snow White and all the guests were to come as dwarfs! Gracie decided she wanted to be "Happy." I figured this is appropriate most of the time, so we did our research and checked out Happy's outfit. Well, at least what mommy could throw together in 15 minutes since she forgot it was a dress up party! Oops!! Anyway, Gracie looked cute and she even got to wear some of mommy's makeup! OOOOHHHH!! (Don't tell Gammy...she didn't let mommy wear makeup until she was 13!) The kiddos all had a great time, they made beards, decorated mirrors, played an apple game, and mined for jewels...just like the real dwarfs. Thanks, Natalie, for having such a great party!! We had a great time!! Happy Birthday!

Tortillas!!

So, not that I am anyway Martha Stewart, but in one of Gracie's books there was a recipe to make tortillas. It seemed easy enough, and looked pretty fun. So we tried it! And let me tell you, nothing tastes as good as a hot, fresh, homemade tortilla. Now, for those of you that have had tortillas in Mexico or in Old Town near San Diego, these are probably not quite the same, but compared to the cold ones in the grocery store, YUMMY!! And, only 4 ingredients that I can even pronounce. So relatively healthy. Anyway, she enjoyed them, I enjoyed letting go and letting her get messy, and the result was delicious!!

Gracie rolling out the dough...she really got into it.


cooking one in a pan...yum! Even Minnie was enjoying it!

Lunch, yum!!!

Awana Grand Prix

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So the past few weeks, Gracie and Brian have been making their Awana cars for the Awana Grand Prix that happened this past Wednesday. Gracie instantly knew she wanted to make a train like her favorite Emily of the Thomas the Tank Engine series. Emily is green with gold and red...as you can see from the slideshow, Gracie decided to use these colors plus so many others. It was beautiful!! She tied first place with her cousin Ephraim in design, and her super fast train took second in overall speed in her Cubbies category! But Gracie wasn't the only Jacobs in the house competing. Brian also constructed a car, like he has for so many years before. He was a little more excited than the kiddo, but I am told that is normal. Brian made a replica, almost exact, to the new 2008 Knight Rider car...known as the KITT3000! I am so proud of my husband, his car took first prize in speed! YEAH!! So, we brought home three trophies last night. And to make the night sweeter, Gracie's cousins won trophies (Hayden and Ephraim) as did her Aunt Becky and Uncle Mike! Good job family!! Way to go!!

Chewbacca is 2!!

Our birthday boy turned two a few days ago. We got him groomed and all pretty smelling. I am not usually one for dog birthdays and those kind of celebrations, but Gracie has been so into people's birthdays lately, and she asked about Chewy's. So, long story short, the dog got a couple new toys and a great new collar...camouflage to show he is a big tough boy! (I know, I hear the snickering.) Anyway, he is the BEST dog! We love him and he is a great addition to our family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHEWBACCA!!

Thank you God!!

God is SO amazing!! We were driving to church last week really early, and it was sort of raining...OK, so it was spitting enough to get the car dirty, but still giving the appearance of rain. The clouds were beautiful, and the sun was starting to shine...and low and behold, a beautiful RAINBOW!! When we first saw it, it was just the right quarter over the mountains, but as we drove closer to church, we were able to see the ENTIRE rainbow!! And it was ginormous! (yes, its a real word!) I was almost in tears just remembering the love that our Father has for us and He chose to display it that day to us in a rainbow. I am always amazed that something the world can see, can also feel like it was just for this one person. I needed to SEE God's love for me that Sunday morning, and there it was. Thank you, Jesus, for your beautiful promise that you love us and that you will never again destroy your creation. Thank you for showing me that you love to give us beauty in the midst of the barren desert. Even in its drabness, beauty exists. Thank you, it was breathtaking!

Gracie's first portrait

Gracie and her Gammy were drawing, and I guess they decided to draw each other's portraits. The red tall one was drawn by my mom - a portrait of Gracie. See the curly hair and the bow? And the black one towards the bottom is by Gracie of her Gammy. She has drawn these crazy "smiley faces" before, but never one with so much detail that she did entirely on her own. They usually look more Picasso-esque, with ears on top and lips vertical...you know, crazy kid faces. This is a special treat to see, considering we are not the most artistic of families. I was so proud of her, and as you can see, she is quite proud of herself. We will be selling her artwork on Ebay soon. Just kidding...

Gracie's sweet treat

Gracie had her first real doughnut experience the other day. We had a special morning together and I treated her to the doughnut shop. Her eyes were HUGE when she entered the shop, saw all the doughnuts and just smiled! She picked her very own chocolate with sprinkles (also her daddy's favorite...guess that acorn didn't fall far). She dove in and took her bites. These pictures say it all...grins and giggles and just sheer enjoyment. I couldn't help but laugh. We had such a fun time together. And to top it off, each time we drive by the store, "Mommy, that is the place we had our doughnuts, the place with the blue letters!" Ahhh, a child's memory, much like an elephant's - never do they forget!

Gracie's Tricycle

Gracie riding her trike! She just loves to get out and ride. Don't you love her choice for bike shoes? Always the girly girl.

Brian enjoyed walking next to her, getting her used to being on her own. She still can't maneuver a turn, so she needs a little help.



Gracie got a trike from Gigi and George (my grandparents) for Christmas. She just loves the shiny red bike. We don't have any place for her to ride in the back, so Brian took her out into our cul-de-sac one evening for some lessons. She loves to ride it, but still isn't able to do everything herself. She loves to ring that bell!!! I am so glad the two of them got some time to spend playing together.