dad...we love you!

Dad, we made this cake for you all by ourselves...okay, maybe mom helped a little bit!

But we did want you to know that we think you're the BEST DAD EVER and

WE LOVE YOU!

-Alex & Grace

Chris,

can you believe that this is our life?!

I love you...

and you have to admit...

we make some pretty perfect children together!!!

Thanks for being such a great Dad!

Watching you play with them makes me fall in love with you

ALL OVER AGAIN!

We make a pretty good team...

I can't imagine my life without you!

YOU ROCK!!!

The Firefighter...

Alex has loved fire fighters and figher trucks for as long as I can remember. Actually, he calls them 'Fire Truck Engines'. So, I thought today would be a good day to get out the jacket and take some pictures of our future fire fighter. (Heaven forbid!)

Fire stud...

I'm not sure what's happening here, but it's not what you think.
It was important, though, to properly document the back of the fire jacket.

Making sure all of the buckles are fastened tight!

...Taking inventory. Big fire truck engine, check. Little fire truck engine, check. Fire hat, check. Cowboy boots, check.

OK, mom. I'm ready!

...WAIT! Did you get the BOOTS?!

(Note: These are Emma Koeppens boots that she has grown out of and is generously letting Alex borrow. Thanks, Emma!)

"Mom, I wuv being a firefighter!"

The Ballerina...

Today we had some free time after spending the morning at the pool. So, while enjoying our wonderful air conditioned home, and gazing out at Dad mowing the lawn, and after waving and blowing kisses, we decided to play dress up!

Here is our little Ballerina!

"Can I have that?"


"Oh Thank You! I just LOVE this fairy bear!"
"Do YOU think I look like a ballerina?"

"Thanks. I think I look like one too!"

"Hmm...wait a minute.. Do you think I'll look like one when I'm six feet tall?"

She Loves Me!

My daughter was looking so cute that I couldn't help but swoop her up and hold her in my arms. I lovingly grabbed her hand and held it away from my body and gave her smooches after wiping off her face. Together we sat down in a chair, with her on my lap. She looked up at me, reached up with her hand, gently stroking my face as I stared down at her. I gazed upon her in total infatuation and thought, "She LOVES Me!"

Apples to Apples!

Apples are super yummy, and as these pictures clearly depict, our kids agree!

Fuji apples are our favorite and right now our local grocer has been getting in some nice crunchy, juicy ones!

Apples and Little Einsteins...

Mmmmm!

It's so much fun watching our kids be kids!

How Good is that Turkey?

Alex: Mom, this turkey is delicious!!

Mom: It is!? Awesome!

Mom: Is it delicious enough for a Turkey Dance?!
Alex: Yyyep!

Alex: Mom, can I have more turkey...pplleeaassee?!

Mom: Yyyep!

Alex: Thanks, Mom!

Ahhh...little does he know that he could ask for just about anything with this sweet sweetness, and I'm going to say, "YES!"

Four-four Jon-it

A long, long time ago, I was baffled at Alex saying 'Four-four J-on-it' over and over again. For the life of me, I could not figure out what he was saying. "Do what on it?", I would ask. Then, one Saturday morning we were driving in the car and he said it in front of Chris. Chris then replied to him and said in a big deep low bellowing voice, "Here comes the Forte Giant!"

I could not stop laughing!

There was no way I would have ever figured that one out!

The Forte Giant is a character in Alex's favorite Little Einsteins episode titled, 'Annie and the Beanstalk'.

So last week Alex and I came out into the living room and he pointed to Jayne's mirror on the wall and said, "Forte Giant's boot is up there."

Again, I could NOT figure out what he was saying. Determined, I stood up and picked Alex up and together we followed the line of his finger which ended up here:

Again, I could not stop laughing! Of course, that clearly is the boot of a Forte Giant!

It is hard to believe how much information chlidren are taking in. Here is a picture of the mirror from Alex's perspective.
The 'Forte Giant's Boot' picture is the second from the TOP on the right hand side!
Wow! My kid's going to be an honor roll student!

Happy 3rd Birthday Alex!

Happy Birthday Alex!

Well, your favorite show is Little Einsteins, so this year we chose this as your birthday theme!

I was so excited about decorating this cake for you. You made all the decisions and were very very adamant about having 'white' cake.

I took you grocery shopping with me and you got to pick out the actual cake mix and sure enough, you chose white cake.

During your party, your sister ate delicious food most of the time!

Dad cooked and did a fantastic job!


Grace took Grandma for a walk.

Everybody swam and ate!

And this is how excited you got about your Birthday song!
This is where you chose to sit. Good choice!

You opened presents from your friends!

The party was a success~

Alex, your Dad and I love you so much. You are an awesome son and brother! We feel so lucky and so blessed to have you in our lives. You are such a cute, happy, intelligent, big boy and we absolutely can not imagine our lives without you!

You have turned our lives upside down in the best way possible, and we look forward to all of the adventures you will help bring to our lives in the future!

Memorial Day Weekend

First, I would like to thank my father-in-law for being in charge of the photography for the weekend. It was so nice not to have to worry about the camera, and his photo taking abilities are far superior to mine! He does an amazing job capturing people's facial expressions.

This weekend all of the grandparents and Auntie Annie were in town, and boy did we do a lot of playing! Actually, we did a lot of swimming, playing, and eating!

Here is Grace sending all of you smooches!

For some reason, I just love this picture of Alex, he's just adorable!

Swimming at the pool!
'The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!'

Alex got some cool pool toys for his birthday, which was just what he needed!

Mommy and cutie-pie Grace!

Just taking a little break to soak up some sun!

Opening up some birthday presents. This one was from Auntie Jayne and Tillie

And of course, the rockin super fast car from Dan, Jess, and Nadia!

Again, some awesome expressions!

This is the squinty thing that Grace has started doing. We're not sure why she does it, but here it is!

Grandma 'Pan'

Grandma, Grandpa, and Auntie Annie

I think it's safe to say that we had a blast this weekend! Thank you family for traveling!