The Endless Birthday Celebration

Cool, huh?
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

We had Jake's kid party on the Friday afternoon after his actual birthday. We got a bouncy house (that would only fit in our front yard). They delivered it at 12:30 in the afternoon and it was an incredibly hot day. Megan and Jake started jumping right away. The party started at 3:00 and I have to say, this was the easiest party ever to coordinate. I didn't have to come up with any activities. They just jumped around in the bouncy house and drank juice and water. The three amigos stopped for a quick photo. Notice how sweaty and red-faced they are:



A big storm rolled in about an hour into the party, so we moved the kids to the basement for a little while and then gave them food and cake.



The rain cleared up and we were back outside jumping by 6:00 - when we invited the neighborhood over to make good use of our bouncy house rental. As it happens, the rental company called and said they would be picking it up the next morning. So, of course, at 5:15 on Saturday morning, Jake poked me in the shoulder and asked if the bouncy house was still here. We made it out there by 7:15 and the guy came to pick it up at 10:00. I think they jumped non-stop for that entire time. Megan told me later that her stomach and legs were sore. She said, "Don't make me laugh, my tummy hurts when I laugh!" Hmmm.....maybe I should have done a little more jumping to work on that core of mine!

Kindergarten Graduation

Diploma
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Well, it's official. Megan's not a little kid anymore. She's a first grader. At least, that's what she'll tell you. There were about 100 kindergarteners graduating that morning, but they only sang 3 songs, so it moved along pretty well. Megan is a little camera-shy, but after we got home, she indulged me with a few poses.



She also gave in and let Jake snap a photo of me with her:



And here's Megan's shot at being the photographer:

Birthday Boy

Birthday Boy
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Here's a photo from Jake's actual birthday. You'll notice Batman is a prominent theme with him. His birthday fell on a Sunday, and Darin was working on the cottage, so we decided to hit the Children's Museum. It was a pretty rainy day, and I had to find something for these kids to do (other than fight with each other). We made a stop at Party City on the way and Jake tried on a few hats. What a ham:



And, long live the king.....



We must have worn him out because he fell asleep for almost an hour in the car (and he never naps).



That evening, when Darin got home, we had cake after dinner and let him open a present. He loved his new legos. When he was going to bed that night he said, "Mom, I'm so excited about my Legos. I love them". Still excited in the morning, he let me snap a photo:

Preschool Graduation

Preschool Graduation
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Jake had is preschool graduation earlier this month. There were only 3 boys in his class and they all told Miss Riley that they were going to sit together. She didn't argue with them. He wasn't shy about singing his songs - as a matter of fact, he had been singing them at home for 2 months prior.

Here's a token picture with Mom. I don't make too many of the photos since I'm usually behind the camera.



Shortly after graduation, we began the process of planning Jake's superhero birthday party. I had to go to a costume shop to find an 80's wig (more on that later), and when we got there Jake fell in love with this batman costume. He begged me to get it for his superhero party. I just couldn't say no.



He put the costume on as soon as we got home and kept it on for the next two days. He walked around the neighborhood with it on. I brought him to the grocery store as Batman and he even went to the Queen of All Saints Parish picnic with that thing on. He got a lot of attention.



I volunteered to help with Megan's Field Day at school. Basically, the class went from station to station playing games. Jake was with me for the day and was a little shy at first, but by the time they got to the parachute, he jumped right in without even being asked. I think he couldn't help himself. They finished up with ice cream in the cafeteria.



When it was time to line up to go inside, Jake just got right into the boys' line and sat at the table with the rest of the boys. This kid will have no trouble at all making friends. He just got himself right into the mix. Look at how comfortable he is with the big kids:



And last but not least, the infamous 80's party. Darin and I went to the Klee's house for an 80's themed party. We like to think we would have ranked pretty high - had there been a costume contest.

Tea Party & More

Tea Party
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

Mimi came over for a visit and had a tea party with the American Girl dolls, Megan and Jake. The kids are definitely controlling when they play with her. They tell her what to say and what to do. Oy.

We went to visit Grandma Helen for her birthday at the end of last month. Lookin' Good Granny!




And, we got Megan a pair of Sketchers Twinkle Toes. Commercials are way too effective on these young minds. These shoes aren't cheap. She took this photo herself:

More catching up.....

Rock Climbing
Originally uploaded by tracyg00

I really must learn to simplify my life. I can't keep up with all of these activities and blog postings! Here's a shot of Megan trying out rock climbing at our Girl Scout end of the year party. Look close - she's free climbing with no rope!

At that same party, the girls got to swim for an hour as well. It's a big group, huh?





Aunt Jenny was watching Jake during the girl scout party, so we went to pick him up, but were sure to stop by the local carnival before heading home. This photo of the kids cracks me up. They spotted a scary ride when we first arrived:



Then, I made them pose for the camera:





And you can't leave without the carousel photo:





They finished off the night with a little Rock Band at Aunt Jenny's.



Megan also had a walk-a-thon at her school at the end of last month. It was kind of funny because they had an 8th grade class out there at the same time that Megan's class was there. The kindergarten class was much more enthusiastic and definitely logged more laps than the big kids. Megan wanted me to come out and watch her. She did more running than walking (that's my girl!)



And Jake couldn't wait for the class to be done so he could give those hurdles a try: