A family weekend

We haven't seen Adam's brother and his wife in eighteen months, so it was really exciting to spend the weekend with them. The first night, we got out all of our toys (Peter on the go-cart, Adam on the mini-motorcycle, Jacob riding his bike, Gavin riding his quad, and Casey in his stroller ;) and just played and raced each other all evening. They we came home, had a campfire with s'mores, and talked the night away while the boys were sleeping.

The next day, we went on our boat. It was supposed to be the last nice day of this Indian summer, so we took advantage of it. I have to admit, I'm pretty sad to put it away for the winter... especially since I just got the hang of wakeboarding!

Jacob with Aunt Melisa

Gavin with Uncle Peter



On Saturday, we got to hang out with Grandpa Holmes

GG (Grandma Gayle)
Cousin Olivia and have some boy cousin time. All on their own, they grabbed hands and played ring around the rosie. It was so cute!

Sunday was my nephew's birthday, so the boys were really excited to celebrate with him. My sister was telling me that Jacob was the only person Travis kept asking to come to his party, so she decided to make it a family celebration and rent ponies for all of the cousins. It was adorable. (I think about how many times we've waited in an hour line line to have a two minute pony ride!) The boys were led on their own ponies while the adults followed them on horses. We rode into the woods, up and down hills, and along trails together. It was a beautiful day and definitely one I'll always remember.


We're ready!

I don't remember what my sister was laughing about, but I LOVE this picture of her. I'm so glad I was able to capture the moment.

The birthday boy on his horse. He was so excited!

Doin' the Puyallup

We went to the fair on opening day this year. It was pretty crowded so I think we are going to stick with military appreciation day from now on. ;) We met my dad and step mom there though, so it was really special to watch them experience the fair through the eyes of our boys.

Gavin and his Krusty Pup
I think they were supposed to keep their hands in the canoe, but it was so funny watching them try to paddle!
I don't know why my boys love this ride, but they get super excited about it.
Driving the car with my brother...

It was so funny to watch Gavin steering all over the place, with no particular rhyme or rhythm. Jacob, however, was meticulous about steering the car perfectly around each corner and holding the wheel still along the straight-aways. I'm pretty sure he thought he was actually steering the car!
This was a particularly exciting feat because Jacob has been scared of rollercoasters ever since his Daddy took him on the Dragon rollercoaster at Legoland. We were so excited he was willing to give it a try, with his hands in the air nonetheless!

The boys were more than excited to get spray painted

Jacob chooses the dolphin every time :)

How cute is this little girl cuddling with the cow?!
These baby pigs were only a few days old
It was so cute watching Casey pull himself up on the animals
He was really happy to be at the fair...
...but a baby boy can only last so long.

And THAT takes care of THAT

Today was Gavin's appointment to see what the dentist wants to do about the tooth that was knocked up into his gums. Little did I know, we wouldn't be finding out what the dentist thinks about that tooth.

Because he knocked it out.
All by himself.
I'm not kidding.

It was crazy actually. We were getting ready to go out the door to Gavin's dental appointment. I went to get my shoes and when I turned back around, I saw that Gavin had fallen. It wasn't anything that looked or sounded tragic, he just fell on our tile floor. Under closer observation, I saw that his mouth was bleeding. Under even closer observation, I saw his tooth (root and all again) lying right beside him.

My first thoughts were... Are you kidding me?! Again? How does this happen? Seriously! It stopped bleeding really quickly though and Gavin seemed fine. More than fine actually. I kept asking him if his tooth hurt, but he said it was all better (10 minutes after it happened). I'm telling you, this kid is made of steel.

How convenient that I just happen to have a dentist appointment, right? After talking with the dentist, I felt a lot better about the whole situation. He said that the root of the tooth had most likely detached from the bone during the first fall. (That explains why it was knocked out so easily.) Also, if the root had detached from the bone, Gavin most likely would have had to have it removed by an oral surgeon. So the dentist seemed to think it was a blessing in disguise. Gavin just took care of it himself so he didn't have to have oral surgery.

And THAT takes care of THAT.

First days of Preschool

The entire reason Gavin was going to attend the same preschool as Jacob is because I loved Mrs. Andrews, Jacob's three year-old teacher. There is another really good preschool close to my house, but I decided to make the drive so Gavin could have this teacher too. Imagine my surprise, when I walked into his classroom and the teacher I was expecting was not there. I scanned the room until I came across her assistant teacher, who instantly recognized me. She explained that due to the economy, the school wasn't able to offer Mrs. Andrews a full-time position, so she had to take a different one. I hope my disappointment didn't show, but I'm pretty sure that it did.

We made the best of it.
I tried to make Gavin feel comfortable enough to play...
... but I'm pretty sure all he cared about was snack!


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What a difference there was between Jacob and Gavin on the first day of preschool! Jacob is fearless of new situations and was off talking and playing immediately. Gavin clung to my leg and didn't say a word. He would draw a picture or play with playdough as long as I was right by his side. When it was time to leave, he just stood frozen in place and stared at me with his big blue eyes. I don't think he was upset or scared, just unsure of who all these people were and what to do.




Casey could have played in these beans for hours!
He is definitely NOT ready for preschool though.

The craziest thing happened as I was leaving. There was a mom just outside the door that was a nervous wreck about leaving her child. She was as white as a ghost and pleading with her husband that she wasn't ready to leave yet. Just as her husband was trying to convince her that it would be fine, the preschool door shut behind us. The mom gasped, as if there was a fire inside and her child was trapped. We heard a three year-old's cry and she shrieked in utter panic, "I think that's her!!!! What do we do?!" That was all I heard before I had walked down the hall and was out of earshot. Wow. Compared to that, I am the most laid-back mom in the world. :)

Although Gavin seemed happy and relieved to see me when I picked him up, he was excited to go back the next day. Even if he does call his teacher Mrs. Andrews.

Our little ringbearer

One of Adam's closest friends got married this past weekend. We were honored that they asked Jacob to be the ringbearer. It was so fun to see my little five year-old all dressed up in a tux!


I think he had a little crush on the flower girl. ;)

They both wanted to wear the fake rings on his pillow.Daddy making sure everything is on just right.

Dancing with mommy and the bride.



He did an awesome job during the ceremony.
Adam was in charge of decorating the car... but he had me(with all that first grade teaching practice ;) do the writing.