we just got back from a long awaited trip back home. shawn finished his first session (and did amazingly well, i might add) so we headed to utah for two weeks. we had a great time catching up with family and friends. it was so good to see the mountains again. the boys. shawn's uncle todd was kind enough to let us sneak up to their cabin up midway. grandpa and grandma gibbs and nate and callie came up with. jack had fun building a fire with nate and shawn and then we had s'mores. it was beautiful up there and we had a great time.
jack was invited to another b-day party today and was pretty funny. it was at a beautiful park so the kids had a great time running around on the grass (a rare commodity in vegas) and playing on the playground. then came time for the "organized" games. keep in mind there were about 10 kids between the ages of 2 and 4.
so "red rover" was first. jack couldn't handle it. no matter which side was doing the calling and who was actually called, jack would run every time. once he got to the other side he said "tickle, tickle!" and tickled everyone's arms...like their forearms. are your forearms ticklish? don't know where that came from.
"red light, green light" was next. i tried to explain that when geoff said "red light!", he had to stop running. not possible. every time, jack was sent back to the line because he just ran all the way. who cares? he was having so much fun.
then we played "duck, duck, goose". so everyone sat in a circle (which looked more like a figure 8 by the time everyone sat) and the first goose was selected. once again, jack couldn't sit still. no matter who was the goose, he'd follow them and pat everyone's head and say "jack, jack, jack..." "jack" sounds like "duck", right? then when the real "goose" was patted, he'd run around like crazy, screaming his girl scream.
THEN it was time for the pinata. they had a bat to swing at the pinata...don't need to say anymore.
these pics are specifically for nate and callie, and my dad. with both my boys, my dad held them as tiny newborns and said "just wait till he's 3 months, his thighs will be so chunky". case in point. this is probably the only time it is good to have rolls on thighs.
jack was invited to his first birthday party for his friend, annie. it was a princess and pirate party with real live princesses Belle and Ariel. pretty exciting, even for the boys. check out that patch...he had to kind of hold it up with his cheek. AAARRRRGH, MATEYS!!!thanks for the great pics, rachel!
shawn and i just had our four year anniversary and i've been thinking about how blessed i am to have him as my husband. since we've moved to vegas i've thought a lot about the crazy world we live in and how sad it can be sometimes. amongst all of that, the prevailing feeling is one of gratitude for shawn. what a blessing it is to feel comfortable and wanted in a relationship, not to have to worry and wonder when it's going to end. i'm so grateful that we both want the same thing, to be with our families and each other forever, and we're willing to work for it. i'm grateful and endlessly touched by what an amazing father he is, and am so acutely aware and thankful for how my boys will be blessed by that.
shawn and i were married in 2005, and we're best friends and soul-mates. jack joined us in 2007, and sam-boy arrived in june 2009. sweet charli came in august 2012. we love saturday morning breakfasts, playing hide-and-seek, playing ball, singing songs, laughing, and being together.
if you try to help him in the middle of it, he purses his lips and hisses at you "i can do it myself!"
sam struggles with his r's and l's. one day, he was eating his lunch and he said "mmmm, this is dewicious!" i thought it was so cute and repeated, "dewicious?" s: "no!!! dewicious." me: "ohhhh, delicious." s: "yeah." got it.
update on sam's prayers. they now go like this:
"Heavenly Father, thank thee for this day. please bless the poor people to have bread and water. please help us to be nice and to not argue. in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
sweet prayer, but it is the same every time. every. time.
to preface this story, i don't think my mom has ever said a cuss word in her life and she hates that i let my damns and hells slip out every once in a while. well, one day jack had gone somewhere with my mom and was getting out of the car. he knocked his head on the door and said to my mom, "now, mom says i'm not supposed to say dammit, i say dang it." ha! the goal is to have your kids turn out better than you, right? we are on our way.
i was asking sam what some of his favorite things are, including his favorite drink. he said it was gatorade and then asked me mine. i told him it was dr. pepper. he said, "ooooo, that's a great one! i think my favorite is dr. pepsi." ha! he's never had pepsi in his life!
our good friend jordan came over the other day and jack asked him what he wanted. jordan teased him and said, "i came to get you, jack. i need you to help me clean my house." jack giggled and told him no way. without missing a beat, sam rolled his eyes and said, "okay. i'll do it." and started trudging to the door. probably thinking, "man, i always have to bail this kid out."
we just got back from a long awaited trip back home. shawn finished his first session (and did amazingly well, i might add) so we headed to utah for two weeks. we had a great time catching up with family and friends. it was so good to see the mountains again. 
the boys.
shawn's uncle todd was kind enough to let us sneak up to their cabin up midway. grandpa and grandma gibbs and nate and callie came up with. jack had fun building a fire with nate and shawn and then we had s'mores. it was beautiful up there and we had a great time.
