September is Birthday Month

On my side of the family there are 5 birthdays at the end of September. Jackson (9/20), my cousin Miles (9/23), my grandma (9/24), Lincoln (9/26) and my grandpa (9/29). So every year my aunt throws a birthday party in honor of all the September birthdays. Sunday, September 21 we celebrated at her house and Lincoln and Jackson were thrilled to get to open presents and blow out candles (especially since they won't be having a birthday party of their own this year). Its also our last swimming experience of the summer and we were lucky enough to have it be warm enough for swimming--barely. Only children are brave enough for such things.

Jackson's Birthday

Saturday, September 20 was Jackson's birthday. He turned 3! I can't believe he's so old and yet he seems older than three at the same time. We aren't doing birthday parties for the boys this year because we're going to Disneyland, but we thought we should do something special on Jackson's birthday anyway. He knew it was his birthday so that made it all the more important to make it an exciting day for him. We started the day by going to breakfast at Mimi's Cafe with the fam and the Bouteries. Afterward, we made a special trip to Toys R Us to pick out bikes for Jackson and Lincoln, something Jackson's been asking for for awhile.

After we got the bikes, we went to Maddox Park for a picnic and a bike ride. The boys had never had bikes before so we had to teach them how to ride. I have a serious coordination deficiency and only learned to ride a bike with a great deal of frustration (and tears). It is a trait that I'd hoped I had not passed on to my boys. Though at first it seemed he may have inherited my affliction, Lincoln quickly proved to have his Daddy's genes in the bike riding department and picked it up like a pro. Jackson's still working on it, but thrilled to have his own bike anyway.

School begins already?!?

Lincoln had his first day of school on September 4, 2008. He's attending Pre-K at Carden Christian Academy. He was so excited about starting school and was talking about it for weeks. I think I was more nervous than he was! All the kids line up in their classes outside before school starts and he got right in his line as if he'd done it before. I walked with the class back to their classroom and he barely noticed that I was there. When I picked him up afterward he said "can I go back tomorrow?" What a big boy! (*tear, sniff*)

Back track ... Lola's Birthday

Lola had a great birthday party on August 16, 2008. We were so blessed to have so many family and friends join us to celebrate her turning one year old. Ashton Park is such a beautiful place and we were lucky to have really great (almost cold) weather, especially considering it was the middle of August and could have been deathly hot. Lola seemed to have a really great time, especially during the opening of her presents. She even "ooohed" and "ahhhhed" over some of them! Here are some pictures from her big day!

Gianna Jessen

I sent this video around through email, so anyone reading this probably already saw it, but I am still amazed by this woman. Her faith shines so brightly! She has truly grasped the concept that, if you're a Christian, even the trials in life are a gift from God. One of my favorite verses is 1 Thessalonians 5:18 which says, "in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Its hard to do when all you want to do is ask "why me?" but knowing that through suffering we are molded into the image of Christ ... wow! Look at how this woman is using her affliction to be a blessing to others. Praise God for suffering!

A blog? Really?!?

I've been toying with the idea of whether or not to start one of the blog-thingies for a while. I finally decided that it could be fun. Not only will we (yes, I said "we" in hopes that Jeff may contribute ideas and perspective as well) be able to share photos of our kiddos and keep family and friends updated on our lives , but with a blog but there's opportunity for discussion, which we both find interesting. Hope you find what we put up here interesting and we're looking forward to hearing from you!