Jonathan's 6th Birthday!

Oh yes I did! I made another tank cake!  A cake like this one is quite memorable and Jonathan announced a few weeks ago that he wanted his cake to be an army tank. Since I'd tackled it before, I figured I could tackle it again. 

Front View

Other side view

Jonathan opened up his gift from Nanny and Pupup first thing after he woke up on the morning of his birthday!

It was PERECT for Jonathan! It doesn't get much better than army stuff for this boy!

A little later he was off for his annual birthday lunch with Daddy. He chose the mexican restaurant ... this is a boy who loves tacos!

Then it was home for a house full of friends to celebrate his birthday. We chowed down on tank cake and ice cream and then opened gifts!

I loved that as he opened his gifts he had friends surrounding him and even up on the chair with him!

It was a special day from start to finish for Jonathan and I cannot believe my youngest son is 6 years old!

(And for those of you who are wondering ... I didn't make him a special birthday dinner on his actual birthday ... the day was just too full of other things to pull that off. So, a couple days later I made his favorite (for now) meal ... pasta, sauce, and meatballs)

Hillridge Farms Fun Day!

It is that time of year again!!! One of my favorite things about the Fall is going to Hillridge Farms! Last year my Mom was unable to go with us because of her accident ... but this year she was able to go and spend the day there with us! It was a fantastic day! We started with the jumping pillow!

Who wouldn't love to jump on a gigantic pillow?

We had a great time riding on the train!

Everyone had to pick out the "perfect" pumpkin!

I think the corn house is quite possible the most favorite thing for all 4 of my children! Once the crowds died down after lunch they spent almost an hour playing in there!

We LOVE the gigantic slide!

I love this picture of my Mom and Rosalie!

I'm so thankful we were able to go once again this year ... and especially thankful that my Mom was able to join us this year!

Oh My how she has grown!

I was just recently looking back at old photos and was struck by how much my "baby" has grown! I am thrilled with each new stage and so thankful for my little girl ... but when I look back at pictures like the one above I cannot help but be reminiscent of days gone by! Rosalie sure is full of joyful energy!

She doesn't hesitate to pose for the camera!

And while she can throw a temper tantrum like the best of them ... she really is as sweet as this pictures looks! Her big (almost) black eyes melt me every time I look into them!

She is also every bit as sassy as this picture indicates!  I love how she can dig in the dirt and run as fast or faster than any boy her age ... but is as girly as you can imagine when she is playing doll babies with her sweet friend, Hannah. She never stops talking or singing. She sings as much as she talks, and I will admit we have to ask her often to stop talking so that someone else can get a word in edgewise. Martin often suggests duct tape for her mouth. (no worries ... it's just a running joke!)
Rosalie has recently started writing her name ... on her own without help! We are amazed at how finely tuned her motor skills are at this age. (it's very different from what we experienced with the boys) She spells her name R O S A L E .
She forgets the "I" almost every single time ... but she's starting to catch herself.
She is a JOY! I am so thankful for my precious girl!

My Political Boy

I didn't realize until just recently that when Martin sits with us each morning while we watch the news he actually watches and listens. He has been incredibly interested in this political election season ... and especially in who will be our next president.
A few days ago, he decided to make some posters for his candidate of choice...and then pass them out around the neighborhood. I am not surprised that a child of my husband's is already thinking about politics and government. Martin has also insisted that we record all the debates ... and he has watched them in their entirety the next day. I often wonder how much of the rhetoric he understands and I am amazed that he cares so much about it. I do hope that as he grows up he will continue to care, be thankful that we live in the USA, and be a passionate voter in the election process.

Aaron's Season comes to a close

Aaron had a great experience playing fall baseball! His last game was this past weekend. I am so  thankful for our next door neighbors who helped in teaching Aaron some important skills necessary for playing the game. My wonderful neighbor spent some time watching Aaron try to swing and hit and discovered some things that Aaron needed to fix. Aaron listened carefully, made the necessary changes ... and was able to start hitting the ball! So, in his last two games he got 5 hits that got him to 1st base all 5 times ... and was able to get home 4 of those times! I am so thankful that my neighbor could help - we aren't exactly knowledgeable about the whole baseball thing ... so having neighbors who are ... really helps!! He played outfield often and he also ...

 ...got to play the position of catcher quite a bit and he really loved it!

Here is a shot of his entire team and his coaches. I look forward to signing Aaron up for some Spring Baseball! He is already excited about the next season. 

Thankful

Lighting is poor ... quality is not the best ... but oh how I love these two pictures.  I was in the kitchen washing dishes and the rest of my family was snuggling in together on the couch. I had to stop what I was doing to capture the moment. Daddy had been gone all day long and the children just wanted to be with him. Nothing else mattered. 

I am so thankful for these 5 amazing people. What a joy it is to be in this family. I hope they grow up knowing that I love being the wife and Mommy of this family more than anything in the world. My heart is full.
My days are busy, full, and loud. I have moments that I want to run for the cover of silence. I don't want to paint an unrealistic picture of my life. I just want to pause and have a heart of thankfulness. I want to be thankful in all of my moments.  I want to live my faith in front of my children.
What are you thankful for today?