i LF u

Jacob did this a week or so ago. It's a cookie he made for me in CookieDoodle (iPhone/iPad app, I highly recommend it :). I was really surprised how well he sounded it out and with his handwriting. I just came across it again in my photostream. He used an 'f' instead of a 'v', but we haven't covered v in his reading lessons yet. I worry a little about him going to full day kindergarten next year, he's such a busy boy. But then he does something like this, and I am reminded that he really is ready for it. Love you Jacob!




(ps- my recent posting has been a little 'Jake heavy'. Hopefully I will balance that out soon. The other kids have been busy learning, growing, and playing too!)

...because He was there too

Jacob gets to color during Sacrament Meeting, after the blessing and passing of the sacrament.  Today, he was working really hard on this picture of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.  I wasn't paying much attention, but after several minutes of working and talking to himself, he wanted my attention.  He pointed out Jesus, and John, and then, pointing to the blue stick figure on the right, "...and this is God, because He was there too when Jesus Christ was baptized." He was so matter-of-fact about it too!    Then he made some marks ('writing') above the stick figure's head that started out "This is my Beloved Son..."

When he finished this masterpiece, he moved on to another lds.org picture, and used a pencil to put "Power Ranger masks" on everyone.  It was a short, but sweet moment.  It's always nice to get a little feedback that your children are learning good things from you and from Church.  If you saw how 'busy' Jacob is during Primary, and Family Home Evening, and Family Scripture Time, you'd understand why these little moments with him take me a little by surprise.  Except that they happen often, so in that way, it's just part of who he is.

Spring Break, part 2a- Park in Durango

We arrived in Durango pretty early (it's only a few hours from Alamosa).  So, we went to a little park for lunch.  I got to try out the sports/action setting on my new camera for the first time.  I love what you can capture when it's taking multiple shots per seconds, so fun!

Andrew, Eden, and Jacob running- look at that form!

Charis clapping:

                                      

Spring Break 2013, part 1

The kids actually had a few days off before we started our trip.  We left on Tuesday and got home Saturday, just in time to get ready for Scott's promotion to Major!  Our first stop was The Great Sand Dunes near Alamosa.  I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but knew there was a creek that kids enjoyed playing in, but going in the middle of summer, the sand was too hot.  I guess late March is too early, because the creek wasn't running yet, plus it wasn't warm enough for swim suits.  So, the new sand toys went unused in the back, and we decided to hike to the top instead.  We were lucky to be there while the sun was shining and it wasn't too windy.  We hiked most of the way in our bare feet, and everyone made it to the top!  After that, all they wanted was the hotel pool.  (In fact, if you ask any of the kids about the trip, the first thing they'll tell you about is the hotels and the pools :)

Our destination, from the start

Charis did great in the Ergo- backpack style

Along the way- it really is surreal to be in the middle of the brown sand dunes and see those green and white mountains in the background

One of the steeper sections of the hike

Jacob stopped once or twice to build, just like he does in his 'sandbox' at home.  This sand was so clean though, like the natural beaches in Hawaii, no like the sandy dirt we have in our yard.

Another steep section, Jake decided it would be better if we crawled

Making it to the top of that ridge, with encouragement from Eden and Andrew :)

Fortunately, there was another group at the top and one of the guys offered to take a picture of all of us together

Barefeet, and SNOW!  Yes, that is snow under the sand on the top ridge.  Evidence of the change and growth still happening there.

Rosy cheeks, and fast asleep, back at the start.

The funny things Jacob does

It's warm and cozy (especially when there's still laundry in there), there's a shelf just right for optimal iPad viewing, and it's just his size!  When we can't find Jake or the iPad, this is a good place to look.

Some recent quotes from Jacob:

"Daddy, you know, sometimes I name my sock Bob."

(Out-of-the-blue observations)
"It's hard to sing with your mouth closed." and "This is what I look like with my pants on."

Staining the front

A while ago, the owner had someone come to repair some woodpecker damage, re-stain the upper level of the house.  We kept the leftover stain, but it wasn't enough for the lower level, and we intended to buy more and finish the job so top and bottom would match.  Last weekend, we (Scott) finally got around to it, and let the kids help out too!

Eden and Jake hard at work.  Funny that 'upside' down was the best angle for Jake right then.

The light is cool on this one.

The tools of the trade.

Some collateral damage.  I think Jake was a little 'brush-happy'.

One week TDY

I was going through our photos to see what else might belong on the blog.  I noticed what I thought were random pictures of building from Washington, DC. in the middle of the rest of our photos. Then I remembered we use Photo Stream, which means any pictures taken from either of our iPhones or the iPad is automatically pushed into a collection on all our Apple devices including the iMac.  Anyway, there were quite a few pictures from kids using my phone (unbeknownst to me), there were pictures of a couple other 'events' here at home, and there were the pictures Scott took while he was TDY to DC. So, I thought it might be fun to play around with the features of iPhoto, and made this slideshow.  Enjoy!

Maybe I need to explain a few of the photos.  One day I was in the middle of something when Charis woke up crying from her nap.  Jake said he would go help her be happy.  There are quite a few pictures around the house that the kids took on Monday afternoon when we were getting ready to go to Landsharks.  Then there are photos from the race.  The pictures from our kitchen I took one morning after I came downstairs and discovered that Jake had helped himself to a yogurt- with ketchup, food coloring and sprinkles, I'm sure it was delicious as it sounds.  He must have taken the ketchup out of the fridge first, and when he was done with it (it was nearly empty), stuck it in the container where I keep random things, like food coloring and sprinkles.  Maybe he made some attempt at cleaning up his mess, because I found more food coloring in the sink.  There was also powdered sugar involved, but it didn't show up in the photos very much.  The last picture is how Charis sets herself up every time I put her in the carseat lately: both hands firmly gripping the handle bar.  Maybe she's bracing herself for whatever chaos is about to ensue?  At least she has  a smile on!  It was fairly typical week around here in mid-September.  Then there are the pictures showing a few glimpses of what Scott was up to in our nation's capital that week.  The pictures are in the same order I found them in Photo Stream, I did delete some of the photos the kids took (there were A TON!).