Today was Jacob's first day of Kindergarten at Dry Creek Elementary School. I can't believe this day is finally here. It seems like only yesterday, we welcomed him into the world. You'll be proud of me that I didn't cry too much, but I haven't picked him up yet . . . so there's still a chance that I could loose it.

We are so proud of our Jacob; his is confident, well-adjusted, loving, sweet, but not afraid to stand up for himself. He was so excited today, hardly nervous at all. Meanwhile, my stomach was in knots for the last two days: Will he be alright? Did I pack enough snack? Will he make new friends? Will he like his teacher?

Despite my normal mommy fears, God has reminded me that none of us are out of his control. Jacob actually reminded me this morning that God knew all of us before we were even born, and that He loves us so much and can see everything, everywhere. I guess I was the one that needed the pep talk :-) That's our Jacob.

Atta Boy!

I love the mountains!

Over the Fourth of July weekend, we took a short family vacation near Lake Tahoe in Genoa, Nevada at David Walley's Resort and Hot Spring. As we drove aroud Lake Tahoe (hoping to swim in the lake) we couldn't find parking, so we stopped and had a picnic at Spooner Lake instead. The kids had a great time chasing lizards, chipmunks, and Blue Jays. We took a mini hike to the lake, getting really dirty along the way (dry dirt trail), but had a fun little lunch even though we didn't get to the big lake (Tahoe) on this trip. Perhaps next time.

At the resort, we swam every day and soaked up the sun. We met cousins Mike and Danielle Henderson for dinner at Old Red's 395 in Carson City and had a good relaxing time.

Jacob's Rainbow

I've enjoyed seeing Jacob grow to love coloring and drawing pictures in the past year. He didn't always love doing artwork, but now, he takes pride in drawing a beautiful rainbow (see left) or coloring pictures to go along with our daily Bible lesson. He's such a people-pleaser, and loves to make things for everyone.

Currently he's obsessed with making paper airplanes for all his friends, which means we have dozens of paper airplanes all over the house. Who knew paper could be so entertaining? Children are so creative, it often blows me away.

Jacob is preparing to start kindergarten in August, and so we're already getting a bit weepy and thinking back to when he was just a little baby. Wasn't that long ago :-)

Grammy's Visit

Grammy Henderson (Lauren's Mom) just visited us for the week and left this past Tuesday. We had a great time, unfortunately, we have all gone 20 rounds with the stomach flu. We sent Grammy home a little sick, but she made it. We enjoyed having her visit; the kids loved playing games and just hanging out with their Grammy. We are looking forward to our visit to Texas this July when we'll get to swim in their pool and relax in the Texas sun. (PS--Sorry the video is sideways, I can't figure out how to turn it.)

Madeline Turns 3

So our darling Madeline turned 3 years old on April 8. We had a lovely little party at a nearby park with Grandma & Grandpa Hunter, Uncle Josh and a few of her friends. Everything had to be pink. Pink table cloths, pink napkins. And yes, so got lots of pink presents. It's always amazing to me how we don't really push girly pink things, yet she inherently wants pink. I think some little girls are just born with pink on the brain.

In this picture, you can see she loves the dress up jewelry she received. She had lots of fun dressing up and playing princess. In addition, we've spent the last month potty training, and she is now diaper-free. Mommy is overjoyed. Our Madeline is like a cat, whereas Jacob is like a dog. Madeline wants you on her terms, when she wishes to snuggle or wants you to color or play. Jacob wants lovin' any old time and prefers constant companionship. I guess that's somewhat stereotypical, but that's just the way it is.

As for Bradley, he's crawling at full-speed. He's 8 months old and can't wait to be a "big kid." His favorite place to crawl is into the big kids' room, up onto Madeline's mattress. He is so happy there and prefers their toys to his "baby" toys. Go figure.

Well, that's just a brief update! Love, All of Us