Firecracker!

We had a birthday this week - Mr. Jude! He turned 5 on Wednesday - he's our firecracker!

I can't believe he's 5. Where has the time gone?

Jude keeps saying that this is going to be..'the best year ever!'

We started out his birthday with me running the 4th of July race in Altoona. I was so lucky to have my support crew (the 3 Js) chasing me around the city to switch out my water bottles, cheer me on. It was an early morning adventure.

We came home and packed what seemed like 100 bags and coolers for our next adventure, which was the best part of the day:  our family trip to Glendale Lake for a picnic, a swim, and a boat ride.

It was so hot out, but the perfect day for a picnic and to celebrate little man's special day.

The birthday king

Serving up the burgers and dogs!

Time for cake and candles

Several years ago I made a construction cake for my friend's little boy and Jude requested that same cake for this birthday, so I made it. But don't worry, Grammy Linda's got a cake in store for him for later in the month when we have another party!

The kids are all squinting because the sun was so bright - but I love this picture of them!

Unfortunately, the day ended with Jude spiking a fever, sore throat, belly ache. A trip to the Dr's the next morning confirmed a case of strep throat. Really strep throat? On my little man's birthday? That's not fair. It's been a quick recovery, though!

Oh! And everyone was kind enough to support Jude's quest for an iPod. So we're headed out today to pick it up. You might wonder if 5 is too young for an iPod.....um, maybe, but when Jude shows me how to use my iPhone, I'd say he's ready for his own device!

JUDE - here's to the best year e-v-e-r!



Graduation Day, Graduation Day, Graduation Day is Finally Here!

What a wonderful day - Jude's preschool graduation.

Some of the things we'll want to remember:
* There were 18 students in Jude's class

* His teacher was Miss Katie (with helpers: Miss Jean and Mrs. Bender)

* The students sang: Graduation Day, There are 7 Days, Months of the Year, He's Got the Whole World..., I've Been Going to my Preschool, Jesus Loves Me, Rags the Dog, This Little Light of Mine.

Coming up....

Jude finished his last day of Pre-K today. He graduates on Wednesday.

Jackson's last day of school is Thursday (1/2 day).

Then summer begins! I can't believe the school year is coming to an end (of course Wednesday is the start of the 6 week summer semester for me - seems so cruel). My boys have grown sooooo much.

Photos coming soon!

A Special Friend

A week ago we lost our special friend, our dog, Gertie :(

She was as much a part of our family as anyone.

She lived a good 12 years and we're really missing her.

We don't know exactly what happened to her but she started losing weight in the late fall, but was still eating and fairly active.

She got sick last Sunday, we took her to the vet on Monday evening (he was not sure what was wrong with her but did mention she may have a tumor in her abdomen based on what he saw on the    x-ray), and she died early Tuesday morning.

We are still very sad and miss her so much. I expect to see her when we get home, or around the lake, or at the back door for supper. There is some peace in knowing that she died under her favorite bush and Jeremy buried her close to that bush.

We'll always remember her as loving the outdoors, always puppy-like, and a big sister to our boys!

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love.

For me they are the role model for being alive."

- Gilda Radner

Who Needs a Vacation when you Have This?

My goodness, what a beautiful day.

We packed a picnic and took the boys for a hike in the woods behind our house.

Who needs a vacation when you have this (on a Monday evening to boot):

Heading out!

Heading toward the creek

Crossing the creek

We found a nice place by the creek to set up our picnic. The boys weren't as interested in eating as they were in playing in the water.

It's hard to believe this is all on the other side of the lake, just a 5 minute hike from our doorstep.

I have a feeling this is going to be a fun summer.

Finally, a Post!

You would think that I would have more posts in the winter since I'm inside more often, but I really can't believe it's February already.

Since our 'winter' has been mild, we've been keeping busy with things like:

Building puzzles

Pancake breakfasts

Basketball! (that's Jackson jumping)

Remodeling (this is the rental house we help manage - we have a wonderful couple staying in there for 4 months. The place needed a lot of TLC before they arrived in January)

Enjoying the little bits of snow we've gotten.

Playing trucks

Having fun at school (Jackson with buddies)

Watching my car turn 100K mileage (and wondering if it's time to start thinking about a new vehicle)

Getting hair cuts (and hiding behind palm trees so we don't have to get our picture taken :)



Celebrating Catholic Schools Week

 Building dioramas for Catholic Schools Week

Science fun

And Kindergarten visitation day for Jude (just can't believe he's headin' to Kindergarten this fall!)

And a date night for me and my guy (friends invited us to a semi-formal dinner/dance - we had a really nice time)

So, you can see we've been busy; not a lot of opportunities for updates.

February is proving to have as much fun in store, so it might be a while till I update again!