Rainie Falls

We went on a family hike yesterday afternoon. Some of the pictures will look familiar as we did the same hike last October!At the end of the hike are some small but fast waterfalls. Around this time of year the Salmon migrate upstream and if you are lucky you can see them attempt to jump UP the falls. Last year we missed the fish but this year we were rewarded for our efforts! The first fish we saw was HUGE and a beautiful pink. Hoping to catch one on camera I sat as still as I could with my camera ready to go. The giant fish never reappeared but several of it's travel companions showed off for us. It was so cool to watch!

This was the first hike we went on that Care Bear did not have the luxury of riding in a carrier on Daddy's shoulders. She did really well until she tripped a few times and landed with her knees on rough rocks. Towards the end she kept complaining that her leg hurt and she was limping. I was afraid she had really bruised her knee but when we got home I realized her socks had slipped down and she had a big blister on her heel from her shoe. Jaco and La-La did their fair share of complaining but I have decided it just wouldn't be a family hike if everyone was happy the whole time! They did have fun especially at the falls where they attempted to build a dam and while playing in the water. Round trip the hike is 4 miles long so for little legs that is quite a distance!


Beautiful crane in flight!
Crane scanning the moving waters hoping for a fishy dinner!

Jaco busy collecting rocks to build his dam.
I know this picture is not in focus but it shows how crazy Miss Care Bear is on a regular basis.

La-La posed for me at the beginning of the hike. I love how beautiful she is with filthy fingers! She is such a girly girl but can and does get dirtier than any boy I have met.
Cody was pretty tuckered out and had a hard time finding a comfortable spot on the hard rocks.
Family shot! Like Cody's rear-end?

My Baby is 4!

I can not believe my youngest child is so old! Where have the last four years gone? Care Bear was born just 2 months after Justin started his medical residency. It was a crazy busy time for all of us but somehow she fit in to our family perfectly. I don't know what I would do without her! She makes us all laugh, has the absolute best smile, and is so full of life that nothing stops her, not even sleep! Her sleeping habits are slowly improving but she still wakes up screaming 3-4 times a week in the middle of the night. That is one part of her I wouldn't mind changing!

Care Bear woke up to the usual decorations provided by the Birthday Fairy. I think she opened her gifts in record time so Daddy could watch before he went to work. Her favorite gifts were a doll seat that hooks to the back of her bike so she can take her babies riding and a Barbie Girls MP3 player. All afternoon she rode her bike while singing out loud with her music player. She screamed and threw a huge fit when I took the music player away so she would go to sleep tonight.

We met several friends from church at the park this morning and at the last minute I decided to take her cake and ice-cream to the park to share with all our friends. The cake required almost 2 full mixes and I really did not want that much cake laying around!

Care Bear chose a cow cake and I think it turned out pretty cute!

We had fun playing at the park and Care Bear loved getting under-doggies on the swing, her favorite park toy.

We met Daddy at DQ for lunch. That is where the birthday girl wanted to eat so we willingly obliged! She decided she never wants to get an Artic Rush again because of the brain freeze head aches she kept getting.

Later this afternoon we went swimming in our neighbor's pool. Care Bear did not want to get in the water because she did not want to stop listening to her new MP3 player. Eventually she got in and had fun splashing and playing with several other kids.

The rest of Care Bear's day was spent eating pizza (her dinner choice) and listening to her music while riding her bike. I think she had a great day! I love my kid's birthday's and doing everything I can to make them feel special and loved. Happy Birthday Care Bear!!

Party Time!

We decided to have Care Bear's birthday party a little early so her cousin Alivia and Aunt Miranda could be there. So on Tuesday August 18 we had Care Bear's first friend party to celebrate her 4th birthday! Since she loves puzzles so much, we decided to have a puzzle party!

I made the invitations into a puzzle the guests had to assemble to find out the party details. We invited 7 friends; 2 boys and 5 girls. All the girls were able to come but both boys couldn't make it.

The party started with a round of duck duck goose and other preschool games.

Then we went on a puzzle piece hunt where the kids had to look for 25 hidden puzzle pieces and then assemble the puzzle together. Our neighbor has an 11 year old grand-daughter who was so sweet and helped at the party. She was so patient with the kids while they put the puzzle together.

By this time, Care Bear was dying to open her gifts. She got two play-dough sets, a High School Musical Barbie, some paints, and a Polly Pocket Doll. She loved everything!

Then it was time for cake and ice-cream. I decided to save my special cake for her actual birthday so for the party I just made a small round cake and cupcakes with puzzle pieces made from fondant. The kids were thrilled with the cupcakes!

While we waited for the parents to arrive, we colored puzzle pictures, ate popsicles because it was over 100 degrees, and played animal memory. Everyone had fun and Care Bear was very happy to have her first friend party! Aunt Miranda was a life saver and helped a ton in keeping a room full of preschoolers happy! Each of the guests got to take home a small backpack with a new puzzle inside, crayons, and a punch ball. Love the Dollar Store for party favors!

All the party animals: Raegen, Angelique, La-La, Cheyenne, Care Bear, Amelia, Anna, Alivia

Happy 33rd!

My favorite hubby is 33 years old today! Happy Birthday Justin! He spent his day doing his favorite outdoor activity, GOLF! He played in our local country club's championship tournament. He didn't win but he had fun and played really well. His biggest problem was he had to play against the 5 year championship winner. Justin was able to spend the day doing what he loves so it was a good birthday!

The girls hung streamers and balloons for Dad and we had a family dinner. My favorite part of the day was making his cake. I got the idea off the internet and I have to say I love the way it turned out! Justin thought it was pretty cool too.

Happy Birthday to a great dad and husband! I love you!!

Then & Now

It is amazing what a little time but more importantly what a patient kind teacher can do for someone. Last summer Jaco would not get in our apartment pool at all. He would just sit on the chairs reading or playing a game by himself. We did swim lessons at the YMCA over Spring Break and he learned he could put his face in the water but that was about it. We have a neighbor and friend from church who teaches swim lessons from her house with her daughter so I signed the kids up. They were both so patient with Jaco and even gave him 2 extra weeks of free lessons because he was doing so good and they did not want him to forget what he learned. I am so proud of him and can't believe the progress he made!

Beautiful!

We had an amazing sunset last night. The air itself seemed orange and the clouds looked like giant puffy marshmellows.