A Weekend Away

So my older brother, Brayden, came to Utah last weekend. Since we hadn't seen him in quite a while and may not seem him this summer, Karma and I drove down to Utah with our babies to see him. It was such a fun break from the normal stresses of life and so fun to talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and then talk some more. It made me realize how lucky I am to genuinely love and like my brothers and sisters and parents to much. They are my best friends (after David) and I love having them in my life. We covered everything from politics to missionaries and of course did a lot of laughing. I don't think I'll ever think of elbows in the same way. Of course it was absolutely wonderful to get home yesterday and see my adorable children and sexy husband. David had taken great care of the kids and the house was nice and clean. I am a very lucky woman!

Jakey, Jake!

Our little Jakey is almost nine months old--I can hardly write that without grimacing.  I can't believe the time has flown so quickly.  He is such a fun boy and our family has LOVED having him around.  Jackson, Ellie and Thomas all love to hold and entertain him.  I hate to say he has favorites, but he thinks Jackson is the funniest guy alive!  He has a special little squeal just for Jackson's hilarious antics.  Jacob has earned the nick-name "Gus Gus" because he has a raspy little voice at times that reminds us of the mouse Gus from Cinderella.  Also, he's pretty chubby like Gus Gus, too.  It has been fun having a baby around again.  Here are a few pictures of our sweet little Jakey!

Thomas the Graduate

Thomas graduated from preschool yesterday!  We sent him to Cloverdale Christian Preschool this year and it was a fabulous experience for him.  Miss Denise is a wonderful teacher and Thomas has learned and grown so much.  Besides learning all about letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc; he also learned all the states and all the presidents of the United States.  I was thoroughly impressed.  He is so excited to move up to Kindergarten next year, but we will miss Miss Denise.  Congratulations, cute Thomas!

Jackson's Orchestra Concert

It has been so fun watching Jackson learn to play the viola this year.  He really enjoys it and we will definitely keep him going with it.  The concerts are pretty interesting as 60+ elementary age kids try to play together.  Their instructor plays the piano along with them so you can tell what they are playing, but there was definite improvement at this concert compared with the Christmas performance.  I actually caught myself tearing-up just watching all those kids who have learned so much this year.  Way to go, Jackson, and keep up the good work!

Thomas' Birthday

Five years ago our family was happily surprised by a little, tiny blonde haired boy.  He's always had something a little angelic about him and I think it's more than just the light hair.  Thomas is such a fun little boy to be around.  He expresses his thoughts and feelings often (whether they be positive or otherwise).  Thomas loves his mommy and that's my favorite thing.  He loves to cuddle and give hugs and kisses.  Thomas also is our sports fan--if there is a ball involved, Thomas will love it.  He has recently taken-up skateboarding (yikes!) and has some bruises and scrapes to show for it already.  Thomas also has a great talent for drawing and coloring.  Perhaps it's my complete lack of skills in this area, but he consistently amazes me with his drawing and coloring abilities.  We are so glad Thomas is part of our family and feel so blessed that he was sent to our home.

The day before his birthday, we took birthday treats to his preschool class.  Following his brother's lead, Thomas too wanted something gross out of the "Fear Factor Cookbook."  These are supposed to resemble Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches.  Of course, his teacher thought they were caterpillars and I think that sounds much sweeter.  Thomas said they were yummy!

Here is Thomas on the morning of his birthday, sporting his birthday crown from preschool, syrup on his t-shirt, and a $20 bill from his grandparents.  Wow!  I don't think he's ever had more than $5 in his coin jar.  Lucky!!!

Thomas had his first "friend" birthday party this year.  Of course his cousin Andi was invited (the only girl, poor thing).  The party had an animal theme and here they are wearing their animal mouths for a game we played.  Pretty fun!

After lots of fun games, Thomas and his friends also had a treasure hunt that lead them to a pinata.  Here Thomas is skillfully taking a whack at the poor thing.  In the background you can also see Ellie, sitting so lady-like on the trampoline. 

Thomas apparently was pleased with the new skateboard we gave him.  I'm afraid of the possible injuries ahead, but I guess that's what helmets and pads are for.  Happy Birthday, Thomas!

Jackson's Birthday

Our sweet Jackson turned 10 years old!  It's hard to believe he's been here for ten years already--the time has gone so quickly.  In some ways it seems like just yesterday that David and I graduated from BYU--me, about to burst--and had our first little boy the next day.  It was so amazing to see this little, tiny person emerge from the chaos of labor.  He was screaming like all babies do when he was first born, but as soon as they put him in my arms and I started talking to him, he stopped crying and looked at me with those huge, brown eyes.  From that moment he has been a pure joy and pleasure to have in our family.  Jackson loves to learn and discover mew things.  He is constantly fascinated with a new subject he's discovered and tells me all about it.  The worst punishment we can give Jackson is to not allow him to read before bed.  We are so grateful to have Jackson as our son and feel it a privilege to be his parents. 

Jackson checked out a "Fear Factor Cookbook" from the school library and insisted on having something from it for his birthday dinner.  The only thing the family could stomach was this concoction, meant to look like eyeballs and brains.  He was thrilled, of course!

Jackson loves magic tricks and practical jokes.  We found some candy that makes people toot (supposedly), worms that grow in people's drinks, and several other tricks and jokes.  Jackson thought it was hilarious and immediately began devising plans to trick his teacher and friends at school.  I'm sure they appreciated his new gifts.

For Jackson's biggest gift of the day, we put together a treasure hunt for him to find it.  Here he is, followed by his faithful siblings, hot on the trail. 

Again, more clues to be deciphered.

The gift was a trampoline!  David has always been opposed to trampolines, but this year I caught him at a vulnerable moment (baby coming, kids need summer entertainment) and he finally relented.  He now claims he never remembers being anti-trampoline (I'm sure), but at any rate, the Stewarts finally have a trampoline. 

Jackson loves it, of course, as do Ellie and Thomas.  They actually got ready for school in record time the next morning so they could jump before school.  Happy Birthday, Jackson!

Easter

Here is cute little Thomas with his dyed and sticker covered egg.  We had Karma's kids over for egg dyeing and cookie frosting.  There were some pretty creative egg and cookie creations!

Jackson was proud of his BSU egg--go Broncos!

We had an easter egg hunt at our neighborhood park.  Ellie is lookin' pretty cute and springy!

Jackson has a basketful of eggs, but he was so sweet to make sure his little brother found most of the eggs.

Here are the happy little egg hunters!

On Easter Sunday we had Grandma and Grandpa Highbarger, the Hopes and the Cowlishaws all over for dinner and the last session of General Conference.  It was so fun to be with our family and celebrate this wonderful time of year.