Jack's 4th Birthday & Memorial Day Weekend

On May 29, Jack turned 4 years old. I can't believe how fast the time is going by. This year for his birthday, he had a Star Wars day. To start, a few days before his birthday I took him to Party City and let him pick out a few things. We got plates, napkins, a special cup, and a "Happy Birthday" sign. Of course it was all Star Wars. The following days he was just so excited. He was constantly talking about his birthday and his "party stuff". When the day finally came, he came downstairs to see his Happy Birthday sign hanging up above the dining table. He was so excited. At lunch time we got some pizzas and got together with a couple of his friends at the pool. It was only 2 kids from his sunbeam class, but he has so much fun with them. That afternoon was resting time, then his choice for dinner...chicken and rice! Now it was time for the real fun...PRESENTS! He got a light saber, an x-wing, some Star Wars characters, the Millennium Falcon, and another small spaceship. I think he was in heaven with all of his new toys. 

To end the night, we had chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream. He didn't even finish his dessert before he was off playing with all of his new toys again.

I think it's safe to say that he had a great birthday. 

Over Memorial Day weekend, we spent an evening at the beach. But before we got to the beach, we had to make a stop at Jamba Juice. When we got to the beach it was a little chilly. It was cold enough to need jackets. The kids loved walking in the sand, but did not like the idea of getting close to the water. So we spent the evening just relaxing in the sand and watching the sunset.

Well...we couldn't get enough of the beach. So this time we went in the daytime and enjoyed the sun and sand. We brought our sand toys and the kids had fun playing. Kyle and Jack built a little sand castle, and Joey just took a little shovel and just tossed sand around. Again, the kids did not want to go by the water. As we were walking back to the car, we took a quick detour and watched the waves from the pier. It was crowded, but we enjoyed another day at the beach.

Happy Easter!

Our Easter weekend started on Saturday with coloring eggs. Joey put a couple of eggs in the colors, but she wasn't as interested as Jack was. Once we got all of the eggs colored, we waited for them to dry and added some stickers. We really didn't do much else as far as special Easter fun on Saturday. But on Sunday morning...the real fun began...

When they woke up, we went downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny had brought them. Jack had a pirate basket full of candy, and also a Dusty helmet. Joey had her own basket of candy and a new baby doll stroller. She immediately went for the stroller and started pushing around her baby. Jack loved looking at his new helmet, but actually putting it on and getting it buckled was a little bit of a struggle. After a sad face, a few tears, and a nice talk, Jack was finally ok with wearing his helmet. Quite a way to start Easter. The kids had a little fun playing while I made waffles for breakfast. We had a nice breakfast and then once everything was cleaned up, we went out in the front yard for the easter egg hunt. Jack was racing around trying to get all the eggs, and Joey needed a little help understanding what she was supposed to do. Kyle ended up holding her basket while she slowly picked up the eggs, shook them a few times, and then very slowly stuck them in her basket. After we gathered all the eggs, it was time to go inside and get ready for church. But we did sneak a few pieces of candy in before we left :)

After we got home from church, Joey took a nap and the rest of us got dinner ready. We had a nice dinner of teriyaki steak, rice, and corn on the cob. Yum! We spent a portion of the afternoon just relaxing and letting the kids play, and then went out to ride bikes. Jack had his new helmet to try out, and Joey always enjoys getting in her little princess car. The kids didn't last too long outside, but we all enjoyed the afternoon together. We had a great Easter and we hope you did too! Happy Easter!!

Better Late Than Never

So I know I am late on writing this post, but I guess better late than never. April 2 made it one year since Jack's liver resection surgery at UCLA. A year ago, we were...how do you put it...stressed. And yes, that is an understatement. I was looking at Jack at his lowest point, also thinking about my 3 month old baby girl at home, and not knowing how all of this was going to pan out.  But Jack was in the best hands we could ever ask for, and the surgery went very well. A year later, Jack is doing so great. I have never seen him so full of energy, and just so full of life. He has so much energy and I am actually having a hard time keeping up with him! And to add to his energy, little Joey is running around right next to Jack. It is so good to see both Jack and Joey running, playing, and even fighting together. Looking back to last year, I don't think I was even able to imagine Jack doing this well. I'm sure every mom says this, but I think Jack is the friendliest little boy you will ever meet. He loves to talk to everyone and will sometimes even cry if he doesn't get to say hi to someone. He has completely changed for the better.

I love being home with my kids and I love seeing them both happy and healthy!