Festivus-light!

Our annual Festivus celebration is changing to a bi-annual event so it was a nice bonus to see the Mullings family and the Rowden family on Quinn's actual birthday.  Here are some happy shots!

Emma

Jake and Jake

Sawyer

Lauren

Part of the crew

Uncle Michael love

Fiesta #2

Thank you hugs to Uncle Michael (and Christina!)

Thanks for the Rapunzel wig, Grandma!  

Aunty gave Quinn her first fishing pole and tackle kit PLUS a trip to use gifted items the next day. 

I didn't get any good pictures of this happiness so I'll have to take her out myself for a fishing expedition.

Fun at Grandma's House

Sharing sweet treats with cousin Zen.

Playing dress up with treasures Grandma found at a garage sale.

Helping Grandma water the garden (and feed the birds.)

Fishing trip and critter catching adventure with Aunty.

Playing with Maize.

Helping Grandma paint. 

Water fun.

Setting up the garage sale.

Chase!

Learning how to play Battleship.

Puzzle time fun.

Absconding with things from the garage sale.  

Fashion show!

Play Dough fun.

Painting rocks.

Road trip to Grandma's!

We visited the Tennessee Aquarium on our way to Grandma's.

Overlooking the Tennessee River, which we cross twice on our trip!

Examining an otter pelt.  

Touch tank--sturgeons!

How cool would it be to ride on the back of a turtle THIS large!

Might be the size of our Civic!

Quinn's 3rd birthday: celebration #1

Every three year old should have three parties to celebrate her birthday, right?  Okay, so maybe that's a bit extravagant; however, since we were going to be out of town on her actual day, Daddy wanted to have a small celebration so he could see her open up her presents.  These pictures are from the night before our trip.

Painting his special wrapping paper.

Fresh sandwich ingredients for her kitchen set. Yum!

Dagwood anyone? 

Perfect timing for our long road trip!  

Sporting her Rapunzel dress and sipping out of her new tea set.

Happy Father's Day!

We tailored a weekend around some of Jess' favorite things.

Apparently one doesn't have to wait until fall to rub shoulders with the Falcons.

We donned our jerseys and ventured up to the Mall of Georgia for an event called "Grill with the Falcons."

Rookies ran the carnival like booths and both kids enjoyed competing for prizes.  

Quinn won a stuffed animal from a player simply for being cute.  

(Though she held her own on the games, too!)

Jake with Freddie the Falcon 

Rise up!

Celebrating Daddy

Quinn, 

Your daddy loves you SOOOOO much.  You look SO much like him, too...sort of a mini-me.  He's not much of a morning person but you light up his life with good morning hugs and snuggles.  Your hugs are a better start to the day than coffee.  (And that's saying a lot!) You call your daddy, "Prince Charming."  He delights in taking you out on dates.  (On Monday he brought you a rose, took you to dinner, went to Pet Smart to look at animals and then went to Bruster's for ice cream.)  You are blessed to have a daddy who is kind, thoughtful, hard working, affectionate, playful and funny.  He rains positive praise on you, tells you that you are beautiful, smart and funny.  He is doing an excellent job modeling how a woman should be treated since he's a GREAT husband, too!

Jake, 

You are so blessed to have a daddy who loves you with all his heart.  He delights in playing with you.  I hope you remember the countless wrestling matches (complete with championship belt) and two man Wolf Pack adventures (complete with hand sign and chant).  Daddy is also an incredible fan of yours.  He showers you with praise and affection.  He celebrates your major and minor accomplishments.  He nurtures you when you are sad or wounded and he teaches you to be more like Jesus.  You have such an excellent model for a father that I know that you, too, will be an amazing father some day, God willing!  

Summer Fun

We've settled into a pretty mellow routine in week two of summer vacation.  Quinn started gymnastics today and LOVED it.  Jake is asking to start so we may check a class out in July.  He has his second karate class today and is focused on achieving his white belt on Saturday.

After three years of Jess serving in the middle school ministry at church, Jess and I are finally able to GO to service together.  Though our church is pretty casual, jeans are the norm, we got dressed up like it was a date!  (Which it felt like!)  I have to say that I'll miss my quiet mornings of staying home and watching church online, sipping coffee in my pjs and folding clothes while singing to the worship songs; however, the children ARE starting to ask why mommy doesn't go to church.  (I do...the ultra contemporary solitary service!)

I'll take another year off of serving and then try to jump into UpStreet during the 2014-2015 school year. 

I love my Quinnie Bear so much!

We've enjoyed investing some time into a handful of Jake's kindergarten friends.

Mrs. Harrison is looping up with the class so most of his kindergarten peers will also be his first grade friends.  Since I wasn't involved at all for room mom stuff except Moms-n-Muffins and Jake's Star Student week, I don't know many of the children.  However, we are amending that this summer. This is Jonathan, my favorite of his kindergarten friends.  His mom has been a wonderful liaison for us.  She's blessed us with her friendship and Jake with many after school play dates. 

We've enjoyed a lot of rainy day indoor activities.  

Here are two:

Today it is GORGEOUS!  We set up the slip-n-slide, engaged in a water gun war and dipped in a storage bin.  Since we are in swim lessons right now, Ms. Erin has asked us NOT to swim without her.  Though I was sorely tempted to venture to the club today, we made due with some backyard fun.

We snagged this at Lauren's garage sale.  

Yee-haw!

Jake and I went out on a date Monday night.

It was fun to get dressed up, share a meal and a movie. 

Quinn loves to dress up as her brother.