Emmett is 7!

Back to back birthdays are fun and getting easier every year.  Emmett's birthday (May 8th), the last of the 3, comes just in the nick of time.  He chose a Star Wars theme and had a friend over after school to help celebrate.

 

He asked for Round Table Pizza for dinner

Our little guy is getting big in a hurry - happy 7th birthday Emmett!

Gracie is 9!

Gracie's big day started with a made-to-order breakfast of hashbrowns and waffles, but she was so excited for the day she couldn't eat anything!  Dad ate well...  Amy made cookies for Gracie to share at school.

 After school we hit the diving board for a cannonball competition.  

 

 

 Gracie's dinner pick was salmon, twice-baked potatoes, and chicken strips.  She loved her gifts - a couple dresses, a skirt, shirts, one of her favorite books (Disney's Nevergirls), Potholders (weaving loom), Horse-opoly, and cash to go towards horse camp this summer.  Not too shabby for #9...   

It was a great day!!

Amy went with Gracie on a field-trip the next day (Friday) and I took Emmett and Jessie to watch to "practice" Air Show at Travis.

And we visited Arbuckle.  The inside is sheetrocked and textured, the outside is painted a mossy greenish-grey with beige trim.

 Almond orchards and hills to the west.

 

Jessie bluegill fishing :) 

Easter weekend

We spent the weekend exploring the Mendocino National Forest north-west of Arbuckle, CA.  Almost every weekend we've been driving to Arbuckle to watch our new house go up - it's fun - lot's of anticipation :)  Easter was relaxing, stayed in town, and the backyard was the perfect place for egg-hunting!

 

  

 

 

 

 

Amy went pine cone hunting...

Front of house last week, back of house this week.

What good is a pool if you can't practice your casting?

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!

Jessie is 5!

On Monday, Jessie turned 5! I can't believe she is getting so grown up already! She is my independent thinker, picky eater, and my little grocery shopping buddy - I will miss her company when she starts Kindergarten next year :-( But, I am so excited for her and I know she will LOVE school!

Today, she had a check up and her Kindergarten shots. The CMA said she didn't think she has ever had a patient who helped hold up their own sleeve while getting shots. Not a single tear or even a flinch - I'm so proud! :-)

She is 40 lbs (53rd %tile) and 43.75 inches tall (75th %tile).

The kids always get to pick what type of cake they want (I do my best to oblige them!).

This year Jessie asked for a strawberry butterfly cake with Grammie's berries on it - she wanted to go outside to pick the berries herself. After I told her they wouldn't be ready to pick for a few months, we settled on Grammie's frozen berries. I found a great strawberry and cream cheese frosting on Pinterest - now a family favorite. It was a success and the birthday girl was thrilled.

Presents and cheese pizza finished the day off.

Spring Break

Last week Gracie and Emmett had spring break, so we did what no one else probably did - headed north into the cold, rainy northwest, of course!  My Mom, flew down a little early, then rode with the kids and I while we headed to my parents house up north. The drive was good and we truly enjoyed our wet adventures for the week. My Mom had a few "chores" assigned to us for the week (rolling the coins in the change jar - the kids got to keep it so they didn't mind :-), cutting matting for photos, and a few other fun ones). 

We were also getting ready for Weber Family sausage making so excitement was in the air! On Friday, Jason arrived at noon, then we had an early birthday dinner for Jessie (Pa made her bbq salmon, as requested). The Weber family began arriving Saturday morning and 500lbs of pork was cut, seasoned, ground, stuffed, and smoked before dinner - soooo much fun!! We headed out early Sunday morning and drove all the way back to Fairfield, getting in just before midnight. The kids are already asking when we'll be going back!

Much to Jason's dismay, Emmett and his cousin Cal, thought it would be funny to tramp around the house in clothes from the dress-up bin.....they were pretty cute! :-)

We also had to give my cousin Kate's new fiancee, Jon, a proper welcome to the family, so of course we had a bridal shower complete with lingerie! (There were other practical items too, but Jon didn't appreciate them as much! :-)

And last, but not least, a Hunter Family picture with our newest member, Emerson Mae.