The Jacobs Family

Ready for Soccer

2012-02-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

We just signed Taylor up for soccer. It doesn't start until the end of March so we have some time to get ready. We ordered this goal to start practicing. I'm a little worried about Taylor. She insisted on getting her ballet clothes on to practice.

It's a Girl!!!

2012-02-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

We are going to have another cousin! At first Jeff and Kate were not going to find out the sex of the baby. Of course I did not like this idea! I don't like surprises but since it is not my baby I didn't really get a say in the matter. 25 weeks into the pregnancy they finally came to their senses. They took the ultrasound to a bakery and had the baker fill the cake with icing to represent what kind of baby it is. When they cut the cake it was pink icing inside. So, it will be a girl. We are so excited!!!!!!!!!!

Fire Station Visit

2012-02-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

Our playgroup went on a fire station tour last week. One of the little boys in our group is lucky enough to have a fireman for a dad so we got an extra great tour. The kids were totally amazed by everything we saw. I learned some really interesting things too.

Most of the group sitting on the front of the engine.

Taylor and Ethan on the back of the truck.

Taylor holding the fire hose,

One of the fireman dressed up in all the gear.

We got to sit inside the fire engine too.

Nikki's Birthday

2012-02-03T09:55:00.000-08:00

We had everyone over to celebrate Aunt Nikki's birthday. The kids helped bake the cake and of course do some taste testing along the way. Taylor insisted that the cake be pink.

Roller Paints

2012-02-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

The kids got these new roller paints for Christmas. We have been playing with them everyday. Ethan and Taylor are becoming quite the artists. Taylor has finally moved beyond the stage of "everything must be pink" and is now using all colors on her artwork.

Homework

2012-02-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

Taylor takes preschool classes two days a week right now. Her teacher doesn't give homework so I bought her some preschool workbooks. She can't wait for Ethan to take his nap everyday so we can do her "homework". I hope this love for homework never ends!

Nana's Birthday

2012-01-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

Nana, Pa, and Nikki came over to celebrate Nana's birthday last week. Taylor and I made a cake for Nana. My little baker is an excellent taster and is getting better at her decorating skills.

Bowling

2012-01-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

We went bowling with Nana and Pa over winter break. The kids really liked playing with the balls but quickly lost interest with the game. Taylor insisted on using a pink ball even though it was way too heavy and Ethan just wanted to run down the lanes. After the 3rd time he tried and slipped on the slippery lane he figured out they weren't great for playing on.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-12T14:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all! We had some friends over to ring in the new year with us. We ate too much, drank too much, and managed to play a few games while 10 crazy kids ran around.

Cheers!

Taylor and Ethan fell asleep on the couch around 10:30, but all the other kids made it to 12:00.

Disneyland

2012-01-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

We said we wouldn't take them to Disneyland until they were older and would remember it, but we lied. How can you deny your children this amazing place? I've gone to Disneyland 20+ times, but this was by far the best trip. Yes, it was busy since we did it over winter break, but it was so worth it! I've got thousands of pictures of our trip. If our computer wasn't so slow I'd share them all!

In the submarine to see Nemo

Aunt Nikki and Taylor driving the car

Nikki, Ethan, and mom on some ride

Waiting for the parade to start in our mouse ears.

Riding the carousel.

The castle is so gorgeous at night!

Taylor in her mouse headband and princess shirt that Aunt Nikki made her.

We went on Small World twice. They played Christmas music in it instead of the regular song. The kids loved it. Ethan kept saying more every time we go off.

Greg's cousin Cheryl and her family joined us one day to ride a few rides. They live about 40 minutes away from Disney-lucky!

We didn't ride the teacups. We just took a photo in them. My stomach thanked me!

Dumbo is one of my favorites and now it the kids too.

Riding in the Casey Jones Train. Ethan is in love with trains right now. All I hear is choo choo all day long. He was thrilled during the ride.

Disney Princesses

2012-01-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

Taylor and Ethan loved all the rides at Disneyland, but by far their favorite thing was visiting the Disney Princess area. The princesses put on a great dancing show, have storytelling, and photo opportunities. We spent A LOT of time in the this area of Disneyland.

Ethan and Cinderella. I noticed that Cinderella didn't get down on her knees for any of the other kids in front of us in line, but she dropped quickly to give little Ethan a hug. I have a hard time resisting him too!

Taylor and Ethan with Snow White. Snow White remembered us from story time earlier that day.

Taylor was very happy at story time. Snow White told us her story.

Gathering around the maypole after the Princess celebration.

Taylor and her favorite princess, Sleeping Beauty

This girl loved Disneyland!

Off to Disneyland We Go

2012-01-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

Nana made the kids these super cute sweatshirts with Mickey on them. The kids love them and they are perfect for our Disneyland trip.

Christmas with the Steele Family

2012-01-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

By Christmas evening we were pretty tired, but we were not going to let that slow us down. We had Nana, Pa, Nikki, and Grandpa Fred over for dinner. It was a perfect ending to a super day. We opened up even more presents and played with all our new toys.

The kids with their Nana, Pa, and Grandpa Fred

More toys! Oh boy.

Taylor modeled her new princess shirt from Aunt Nikki

Opening up presents was so much fun. By the evening we were pros.

Family photo. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Morning

2012-01-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was amazing! The kids were so excited for Christmas this year. We all woke up at 6:30 to celebrate as a family before going over to Grandma's house.

Opening up presents with Dad

Santa was very generous this year. There were so many presents under the tree.

Our stockings were very full!

Taylor ripped through her presents so fast this year.

Our future photographer. Some day I will post some of his pictures. Right now all he does is take pictures of carpet.

Taylor on her new big girl barbie bike.

Ethan on his new quad

Christmas with the Jacobs Fam

2012-01-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas morning with Greg's family. We ate way too much and opened lots of presents. Greg's cousin and his family came in from San Diego to celebrate with us this year and it was so much fun to have another little one around.

Grandma Becky and the kids

Playing Hungry Hungry Hippos with Julie

Guess who likes bagels and cream cheese?

Opening up presents!

This picture is from the day before Christmas. We had everyone over for pizza.

Snow Fun

2012-01-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

We have a great toy shop in Las Vegas that has an indoor snow playground. Its not real snow, it's small little plastic beads. For $5 the kids can go inside and play for as long as they want. They also get a little bag to put little toys in that are hidden in the snow. I love this place because while the kids are playing I can get toy shopping done!

Gingerbread House Party

2012-01-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

We had a gingerbread house party with some of our friends before Christmas. It was very hard for me, but I let the kids decorate the houses all by themselves. I think they turned out great!

Playgroup Santa

2012-01-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

Our playgroup hires a Santa every year for our Christmas party. The kids love it because Santa gives them each a gift at the party (I buy the present and Santa gets all the credit!). Santa gave Taylor a new Barbie and Ethan got a new animal toy. The kids had a great time. I didn't get a ton of pictures. Santa ducked out a little early from the party. I guess he needed to feed the reindeer or something!

Taylor with the Santa and the Mrs.

Ethan liked Mrs. Clause a little better than Santa

The kids were very excited to open their gifts.

We always have snacks at parties!

Cutie!

Cookies and Crafts

2011-12-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

We have been very busy this holiday season with all of the cookies and crafts (craps as Taylor calls them) that we have been making. We have done it all. Sugar cookies, peanut butter balls, paper mache wreaths, salt clay ornaments, potato stamped wrapping paper and candy cane playdough. I love this time of year. It seems like the projects just never end which keeps our days very full and the television off.

Advent Calendar

2011-12-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

The kids have used my advent calendar since they were babies. My grandma made it for me when I was little so although it is falling apart I think it is amazing. They love putting the ornaments on the tree and like the gifts our elf & santa bring even more. These are the pics from the December 1st. Taylor and Ethan got new Christmas books. We are in love with the Fancy Nancy Christmas book right now.

Tree Lighting

2011-12-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

We love our little community in Las Vegas. They have fun events like a fall festival, a Memorial Day celebration, and a tree lighting. Even though it was super cold and windy we made the 5 minute walk down to where they have the giant tree to watch Santa light it up.

Mom and the kids

Ethan enjoying one of the many free cookies at the event,

The kids made some super cute mouse candy cane crafts.

We had to wait 30 minutes in the cold to see the big guy, but it was worth it

Greg and the kids getting ready to go

Taylor fell asleep on the walk home

I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

2011-12-15T09:58:00.000-08:00

This girl loves everything pink so of course we had to buy a little pink tree for her room.

Christmas is Coming

2011-12-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

We are all ready for Christmas around here!

Taylor and Ethan love playing with this magnetic ice skating toy that I had when I was a kid.

Taylor had a lot of fun decorating the tree and Ethan is having fun undecorating the tree. Taylor got to put the 1st ornament up this year. She chose her new Barbie ballerina ornament that Nana gave her.

The kids love snuggling with their Christmas blankets that Nana made for them.

We have read Elf on the Shelf numerous times. Taylor understands but Ethan is totally clueless. Maybe next year he will behave for the Elf.

This boy loves Christmas

Turkey Time

2011-11-27T20:14:00.000-08:00

We found a ton of pine cones on our walk the other. We just couldn't help ourselves. We had to make turkey name cards for our Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Food Truck!

2011-11-27T20:09:00.000-08:00

Greg is totally obsessed with the whole food truck sensation that is hitting Las Vegas. He follows several trucks on facebook. I must say, some of the food is amazing. I just have a hard time driving across town to eat outside on a curb. Luckily, the other week there was a food truck festival just 5 minutes from our house. There were over 20 trucks at the location and a band was playing music. We had the best time and ate way too much!

Natural History Museum

2011-11-27T20:03:00.000-08:00

We went to the Natural History Museum the other week with some friends. It is a really old museum in Las Vegas, but the kids always have fun.

Checking out the animals

Looking at the sharks and stingrays

I love this aquarium because the kids get to put their heads inside it

Ethan spent a ton of time digging for bones and fossils

My Little Shopper

2011-11-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

Taylor is not a big fan of shopping, but she loves going to Whole Foods since they have mini carts for her to push around. I love how happy she is when we are there, but she drives me crazy because every time I turn around she is putting cookies or something unhealthy into her cart.

UNLV Basketball

2011-11-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

Almost everyone knows that we are huge UNLV basketball fans. Greg has had season tickets his entire life. The kids and I try to go to as many games as we can, but there are so many games. We have been to about 4 games so far and we are having the best season. We just beat #1 ranked North Carolina last night!!!!! Here are some pictures from our first rebel game this season.

Mom and the kiddos outside the stadium

Our little Rebel Girl

Ethan and Dad in their rebel red

Taylor fell asleep about 10 minutes into the game. I don't know how she can sleep through the games, but she's been doing it since she was a baby.

Playgroup Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

We hosted our playgroup's Thanksgiving this year at our house. It was so fun to have all the kids over to eat and play (actually it was a complete chaotic mess since we had about 20 kids there). We ate too much and made silly turkey hats.

Family Photos

2011-11-27T19:22:00.000-08:00

We had a our family photos taken last week. They need some editing, but I think they turned out great. Ethan cooperated for all of 5 minutes so I am amazed that we got so many cute ones.

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

Playgroup Halloween Picnic

2011-10-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

Our playgroup had our annual fall picnic this week. The big kids were off from school for Nevada Day so we had a full house. Luckily the party was at the park in our community so there was plenty of room. The kids had a great time and we did a lot of fun stuff.

We all wore our costumes to the party

We trick or treated to everyone's blanket

We had a picnic lunch with daddy

We ate too much candy

We chased pigeons around the park

We played pin the stem on the pumpkin

We played ring around the pumkin

We played x marks the pumpkin

Halloween Train

2011-10-30T14:57:00.001-07:00

We went on the Halloween train up in Boulder City with the Jacobs family this weekend. The kids wore their costumes so they got to ride for free! The train ride was about 45 minutes and the weather was perfect. Ethan just learned how to say Choo Choo and was super excited when we pulled into the parking lot and he saw the train.

Arizona

2011-10-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Arizona to visit some family and friends. We went to Phoenix and then Maricopa. Greg had to stay home and work so we hitched a ride with Nana and Pa. The kids had a blast and since it was 95 degrees most of the time they felt right at home!

The kiddos minus little Carson

The kids thought these lights at the hotel were microphones. They had so much fun singing into them.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast for 2 of the nights. It had this beautiful pool. The water was super chilly, but we still went in.

Pa, Taylor, and Ethan in the crazy car. Ethan loved this car. He spent hours sitting in it pretending to drive.

Mom and Taylor riding a three wheeler.

Nana took Ethan for a ride.

Swimming in the hot tub at the Prentice's house.

Garage Sale

2011-10-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

Our playgroup had a garage sale last week to raise money for charity. Taylor came to help me out. The kids had so much fun and they ran a little lemonade stand and did a bake sale.

Lexi's Volleyball Game

2011-10-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

Our friend Alexa is on the JV volleyball team at her high school. They had an away game at the high school right by our house so we went and watched it. Alexa's team didn't win, but we had so much fun watching her play.

Taylor spent most of her time playing on the bleachers and eating snacks.

Emily took care of Ethan. She is such a big helper.

Alexa is on the far right. Can't believe this girl is a sophomore in high school. Seems like just yesterday she was a student in my 4th grade classroom.

McKee Ranch

2011-10-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

We have this super cute ranch about 5 minutes from the house that we always visit. The kids love feeding the horses carrots and the goats crackers. In October they have a pumpkin patch there too with horsey rides, a hay ride, and loads of fun.

The fam on the hayride.

My cute little boy.

Taylor rode on this super big horse! She was all smiles the whole time.

We love this playground.

Cutest tire swing ever.

Hay pyramid

Doing some work in the field.

Ethan rode the little horse with a little help from dad.

Kisses for the pony.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Our playgroup took a field trip to a pumpkin patch. I'm usually not a big fan of the corner pumpkin patches, but this one was great!

Group shot- my two are the ones on the left that look super tired and overheated.

Ethan loved the animals at the petting zoo.

Tractor ride!

Bouncy house fun.

Taylor and a baby goat.

Not so happy on this super scary ride.

Going down the slide. Taylor is the one who is about to go down backwards!

Springs Preserve Halloween

2011-10-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

We went over to the Springs Preserve last night to check out their Halloween activities. We played some fun carnival games, went on a hay ride, and trick or treated for some delicious candy while we were there.

I didn't want the kids to get their costumes dirty so I let them wear old costumes. Taylor was a unicorn and Ethan was a duck.

This boy loves candy!

My cute little unicorn.

The Jacobs Boys

Ready for the hayride

Playing some fun carnival games

Enjoying a popcorn ball

We are all done and ready to go home!

Taylor's First Movie

2011-10-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Taylor finally got to see her very first movie the other week. Although she has seen many movies at home (the girl loves her TV) we've never taken her to see anything in the theater until now! I took her to see the movie Dolphin Tale. She has been in love with dolphins ever since she got to pet and feed one at Sea World over the summer. She really enjoyed the movie. She asked a ton of questions during it. Taylor also loved the popcorn!

Trunkis

2011-10-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

I bought the kids these new suitcases for Christmas, but decided to let them have them now since we are going to Arizona next week. They are having a ball playing with them.

Flower Girl Taylor

2011-10-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

Our little girl was the best flower girl ever at Greg's cousin's wedding last month. We were so proud at the amazing job she did. She is still talking about "her wedding" and is obsessed with everything that goes with weddings these days.

All dressed up and ready for her big job!

Here she comes. She did a great job, but forgot to throw the petals. It was okay since they already had a ton of petals on the walkway.

The wedding was at Anthem Country Club. The ceremony was just beautiful. Do you see that huge rain cloud? Yep, it let us know it was there. But it only rained for about 1 minute.

Taylor was so good during the ceremony. She did talk a few times. Once because of the rain on her dress and the other time because she realized there were ducks in the pond.

The happy married couple + their adorable little girl.

Taylor enjoying her first ever Shirley Temple drink.

The whole reception all Taylor talked about was dancing on the dance floor. She did a little dance for Mike and Cheryl during dinner and then we told her she had to wait for the dance time. Unfortunately, she fell asleep about 5 minutes before everyone started dancing!

Super cute picture of the bridal party.

Dad, Taylor, & Mom at the wedding. Ethan got to stay home with Aunt Nikki since he was sick.

Ready for Halloween

2011-10-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

We have decorated our courtyard with lights and light up ghosts (ghosteses if your Taylor).

We have painted pumpkins.

We have done so many Halloween crafts it is crazy.

WE ARE READY FOR HALLOWEEN!!! ARE YOU?

Boulder City Art Fair

2011-10-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

Aunt Nikki and I took the kiddos up to Boulder City for the craft fair this year. We found some super cute crafts and way too much fair food.

Taylor loves going down slides lately. She loved this one at the park where the fair is located.

Ethan couldn't stop drinking the yummy lemonade. It was a warm day so who could blame him.

We all shared a delicious funnel cake. This was Ethan's first ever funnel cake and he really enjoyed it.

More fun at the park!

Fishy Jacobs

2011-09-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

Introducing the newest member of the family- Fishy Jacobs! The kids really want a dog, but it just isn't going to happen. Hopefully this fish ties them over for a few years.

Cowboy Day

2011-09-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

We had Cowboy Day with our playgroup this week. We dressed the kids up like cowboys and cowgirls, played rodeo games, and had a great time.

Taylor made this great cowboy vest.

Ethan loved playing the horseshoe game.

Taylor was in love with the cattle roping game.

Abby's 3rd Birthday

2011-09-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Cousin Abby turned three last week! She had a fabulous Cinderella party at her house.

Cinderella and Taylor

Did you know that Cinderella is a tattoo artist? She gave Taylor this super glitter tattoo that lasted forever!

Ethan loved playing on Abby's slide.

Taylor thought the cake was delicious

Abby's cake was gorgeous!

Story Time at the Mall

2011-09-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday our local mall has a story time near the food court. Last week we met Cousin Abby for story time. The story time is super cute. The lady has puppets and we sing songs as well as read books. The best part is that you get to ride the carousel at the mall for free, twice!!!

Summer Storm

2011-09-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

I love the crazy thunderstorms we get in the summer in the desert. The kids were super impressed with the one we had last week. It lasted about 45 minutes and they were so cute watching it. They ran from window to window to see it. I didn't let them go outside (lightning = scary), but I did let them stand under the patio for about 5 minutes. They insisted putting on jackets, rain boots, and umbrellas. The temperature dropped down to about 70 degrees this day, but it is back to 100 now.

Watching the rain come down.

Ethan loves this pink jacket of Taylors!

Not sure if you can see it, but the rain came down in buckets.

Ethan's First Haircut

2011-09-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ethan had a bit of a baby mullet going on so we got his haircut last week. He was really good and sat on my lap the whole time. It only took about 5 minutes and he was looking super cute! Taylor got a haircut too. It is amazing how long her hair is getting.

1st Day of Preschool

2011-09-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that I get to stay home this year and spend more time with the kids. The only problem is that Taylor is 3 now and most 3 year olds go to preschool. Which means that my little girl should leave me 2 days a week. I wasn't really to keen on this idea so we found some preschool classes at our local recreation center that are only held 1 day a week for an hour at a time. I am really impressed so far. The teacher is really nice and they do all the preschool stuff that you'd expect. They play with toys, do art, do letter stuff, and have story time. Taylor didn't cry when I dropped her off (I teared up ). The hour went by super fast. I peeked into the classroom a few times to check on her. She did great, but is definitely not the best listener (not the best at home either). Taylor seemed to be more interested in socializing than following directions. Oh well, I guess that is what preschool is for.

First day of Preschool!!!!!!

Ethan wanted to be in a picture too.

Taylor and her work from preschool.

Children's Museum

2011-09-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

We went to the children's museum last week with our playgroup friends. We hadn't been there in over a year and the kids had so much fun. I don't know why we waited so long to go back.

Taylor and Ethan playing in the wind tunnel. Ethan was not a fan!

The bubbles were a big hit.

Making new colors with water and food coloring.

Playing in the airplane.

How many kids can we fit in the boat?

Washable Markers?

2011-09-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

I got these new washable white board markers the other day and we were super excited about them. The kids love using the white boards, but they usually do it naked since regular markers stain clothes. Well, after letting all the kids in our playgroup play with them the other day we figured out they are not so washable. They are still fun to play with though!

Taylor and her animals drawing on the white board.

Ethan is a big fan of coloring too.

Taylor's picture of Greg

Taylor's picture of Momma

Taylor's picture of Ethan. I think this actually looks like Ethan!

Come Home Soon

2011-08-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Nana & Pa,
We miss you so so much. Please come home soon!
Love,
Taylor & Ethan

Almost A Flower Girl

2011-08-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Taylor's flower girl dress for Cousin Cheryl's wedding came in a while ago. We finally tried it on. It is a little big, but she doesn't care. She danced and twirled and posed forever! We can't wait till September 24th so she can be a real flower girl.

TV Box

2011-08-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

We had to get a new TV since our old one broke this week. We thought the kids would think getting a new TV was pretty cool. They could care less, but they love playing in the boxes!

Party Time

2011-08-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Taylor is all about having parties lately. Her parties are a little odd, but it makes her happy so we go with it. She lays out A LOT of blankets ALL OVER the house and then puts her stuff on them. Everything is strategically placed and don't even think about moving something because you could ruin the whole party.

So Sweet

2011-08-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

We had to go to Bass Pro Shop last week to pick up something for Pa since he is out of town. We love this place because they have giant stuffed animals and super sized aquariums (and its free). We were walking through and I look over and Ethan and Taylor were holding hands. My heart melted! These two are super sweet sometimes.

Salsa Queen

2011-08-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

Taylor and I made salsa the other day. She insisted on trying eat even though she hates tomatoes. To my surprise she loved the salsa we made. She sat there eating spoonful after spoonful of salsa.

Trip to the Dentist

2011-08-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from a few months ago, but I just found them and thought I'd put them up. Taylor went to the dentist for the first time and did great. She opened her mouth for the doctor and even let the technician clean her teeth. I was so proud! Best of all, no cavities!

New Trampoline

2011-08-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Taylor got a fabulous new trampoline for her birthday from Greg's family. The kids love playing on it. We can't wait for the weather to cool down a bit so we can jump all day long on it.

Taylor and Ethan had fun playing on the box. Taylor called it her stage all day.

Greg started putting together the trampoline inside the house. We quickly figured out that this was not an inside toy. The kids loved helping daddy on this project!

Jump, Jump, Jump

More jumping

And even more jumping

This girl jumped until she just couldn't jump anymore!

Taylor is 3

2011-08-09T21:08:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it because we can't! Our little girl is 3. She is such an amazing daughter and we love her more and more each day. Taylor celebrated her 3rd birthday with all of her friends and family at Run Plus Fun. She was so happy it almost made me cry. The kids had a great time going through the jungle gym, going down the slides, playing in the ball pits, and jumping in the bounce house. My favorite part was not having to clean my house before and after the party!

Our 3 year old!

The party room was full of people

Going down the slide with Abby and Elizabeth

Having fun in the playroom

Pinata time

Ethan had fun playing in the baby area

Taylor and her Barbie cake

This slide is awesome. It is super slippery so you really zoom down it.

Yummy cupcakes

Ethan and his party favor. The boys got swords and the girls got wands.

Cave Lake

2011-08-09T20:34:00.001-07:00

We went camping with Nana, Pa & Niki in Northern Nevada. Our kids just love camping. They love getting dirty, running around, and just being free. Our days were full of fishing, swimming, hiking, and relaxing.

Sitting around the campfire

Self portrait

Taylor burning her marshmellow

One day we drove out to see these charcoal ovens - not the highlight of the trip that's for sure.

Playing in the lake with Niki

Checking out the fish with Pa and Daddy

Ethan wasn't too sure about the fish

My little fishermen

We caught one! Actually we caught a bunch

Good Night

Mommy & Me Ballet

2011-07-24T14:16:00.001-07:00

Taylor and I have been taking mommy & me ballet at the rec. center for the past few weeks. Taylor is in heaven. She is just in love with ballet lately. She loves to wear all her cute ballet clothes and thinks she is a real ballerina. Ballet/dance is not really my thing, but watching her during class time is so great.

Cute Jeans

2011-07-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

So Babies R Us had some super good deals on diapers and I had a ton of Huggies coupons so we picked up some jean diapers for Ethan. Usually these diapers are super expensive and I am certainly not going to pay extra for something that Ethan pees in, but after coupons they were just $2 a pack! I think he is really cute in them.

Sticker Fun

2011-07-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have millions of stickers that I brought home when I cleaned out my classroom that other month. The kids have been having a ball playing with them.

Water Park

2011-07-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

We went to a water park with a group of friends the other day. Aunt Nikki joined us and we had so much fun. Both of my kids love to play in the water, but don't like to get their heads wet. This place is great for them. There is a huge part that has a beach entry on it. I really enjoyed relaxing in the water and letting them play.

Nikki and the kids hanging in the pool.

My little fish.

Ethan loved relaxing in the water.

Taylor and her friends enjoying lunch in the shade.

Mom and the kiddos

BLUE

2011-07-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

I think Mr. Ethan thought he should have a blue body to go with his adorable blue eyes.

San Diego Here We Come

2011-07-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

Nana & Pa rented a beach house down in San Diego for a week. We were so thrilled when they asked us to join them. The trip was AMAZING! I've never seen my kids happier. We did it all, the beach, the fair, the zoo, and Sea World. Most importantly, we relaxed!

Packing up Pa's truck. We brought a ton of stuff!

Packing our bags for the trip.

We're here! The house was so cute. The kids loved playing in the yard. We were only 3 houses away from Mission Bay and about 7 houses away from Mission Beach. It was heaven.

Beach, Beach, and More Beach

2011-07-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how many times we went to the beach while in San Diego. It seems like we were there multiple times most days. We loved playing in the sand, walking along it, collecting shells, and splashing in the water.

These kids napped great after a few hours playing at the beach. I now know why people pay so much to live on the beach!

Sea World

2011-07-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Our Sea World passes are going to expire in a few months so we thought we'd get a lot of use out of them while in SD for the week. We went twice and it was so nice to be just 10 minutes from the house. Ethan is in love with animals now so he was very impressed with Sea World this trip.

We checked out the new turtle exhibit. It was cool, but this turtle was our favorite.

Taylor could stand and watch her buddy Shamu all day long.

Feeding the sea lions.

We found a great spot to see Shamu. He was only about 5 feet from us!

Watching the Shamu show with the rest of the whole entire world that was there. We sat in the splash zone, but luckily we didn't get wet!

Feeding the dolphins. Yes, we actually got to touch them!

These three are just so cute watching the fish.

4th of July

2011-07-12T21:12:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July in San Diego was amazing. First of all, we were able to spend the whole day outside. At home our time outside in the summer is super limited so this was a big treat. Grandpa Fred was able to come over to the beach house and spent the day with us. We walked over to the bay when the sun went down and watched the fireworks. It was so nice to walk three houses home after the show!

Taylor is ready for the 4th of July.

These two never stay still for a picture!

Happy 4th!

Enjoying dinner outside!!!

Ethan is really into giving kisses right now. He was kissing Aunt Nikki the whole time we were waiting for the fireworks to begin.

San Diego Fair

2011-07-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

While in San Diego we couldn't help ourselves. We had to visit the fair. This was Ethan's first time and we all had so much fun. The kids are still a little small for the rides so we just walked around and ate and ate and ate. It is amazing how they keep thinking of new things to fry.

family photo

Taylor was nice and shared her dip n dots with everyone

Taylor rode this pony named peanut. This was the highlight of her day.

My little farmers on the hay bales.

Our feet were really tired after all the walking we did.

Pool Party & Goodbye

2011-06-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

My teacher friend Kathy had a pool party last week to celebrate the end of the school year with all the kindergarten teachers from my school and their kids. I left Ethan at home (didn't feel like chasing him around a pool without a fence around it, and honestly I wanted to be able to have a conversation that lasted more than 2 seconds). Taylor had so much fun swimming with all her "friends". It was a great party, but a little bittersweet. I won't be going back to work next year. I have decided to stay home with the kids next school year and be a stay at home mommy. It was really hard to say goodbye to all my fun teacher friends. I've worked with most of the girls for the past 5 years. We've spent so much time together it will be hard to not see them everyday.

Hot!!!!!!

2011-06-24T21:45:00.001-07:00

It's hot here. I mean really really hot. Thank goodness both grandmas have a pool. I can't remember the last day we didn't go swimming. We also have this kiddy pool at our house. It sure isn't as great as grandma's, but it does feel good on your feet.

Potty Training

2011-06-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

We have been in full potty training mode in these parts for the past 2 weeks. We are amazed at how well Taylor is doing. She totally has the potty thing down (we're still working on #2). She loves her big girl panties and we are very happy that we are not paying for 2 kids in diapers anymore.
The potty fairy came to our house and brought Taylor a new Barbie for all her potties she has been making.

Taylor loves popsicles and has been getting them along with m&m's and marshmellows as rewards.

Found her like this the other day. Just like Daddy.

This is Taylor's potty chart after just one day! She is a potty machine.

Bad Kitty

2011-06-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

I know what your thinking. Yes, it is horrible to let your 1 year old ride the kitty, but our kitty is very naughty. I would personally never hurt an animal, but it is really funny watching our children do silly things to him. I guess it is just payback for all the messes and horrible things this cat has done over the past 10 years.

Memorial Day

2011-06-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Our community has an awesome Memorial Day Celebration with fireworks every year. This year we had a BBQ with the Rash family, Nana, Pa, & Nikki at our house and walked over to the park for the big fireworks show.

Taylor playing with sparklers.

Ethan like the sparklers too.

Ethan also liked dancing on the table for everyone.

Of course we had a ton of food to eat!

The "little" kids got to ride on the wagon to the park.

Ethan was impressed by the guy on stilts at the park. He made Ethan a balloon animal.

The Jacobs Family

Taylor had a blast running around and she even got her face painted.

Waiting for the fireworks to begin.

Watching the fireworks and trying not to fall asleep.

Computer Nerd

2011-06-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

Ethan has found the computer and is in love. We have to put away the chair so that he won't climb up and play with the computer. He is so cute when he plays. He has this super proud look on his face.

Princess Bedding

2011-06-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Last week Taylor got new bedding for her bed. We were walking through Target and she saw it and fell in love. As most of you know, Taylor is not a big fan of sleeping in her own room or bed. We bought the new bedding in hopes that she would sleep in her own bed. It is working and she is super cute sleeping in her new princess bed!

Kite Flying

2011-06-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

Taylor got a new Yo Gabba Gabba kite in her Easter basket. It was super windy last week so we rode our bikes to the park to fly kites. Taylor was really interested in it for the first 5 seconds, then was done. I also lost interest very quickly, but Greg had a lot of fun flying the kite.

Corny

2011-05-28T16:02:00.001-07:00

We have been getting a ton of corn in our bountiful baskets the last few weeks. We had so much that I decided to cook it all and freeze it for later. Taylor was a big help. She really enjoyed eating the raw corn right off the cob.

Water Park

2011-05-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

Nikki and I rode the kids over to the park near our house that has water features at it. The kids are both a little scared to go in, but love to stand near it. We had to help them get wet. We really wore them out and they both fell asleep in the bike trailor on the way home.

Strawberry Boy

2011-05-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

This boy loves strawberries. He eats them with every meal. The other day I put some in the cart and he started shrieking with joy!

80's Party

2011-05-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

We went to an 80's birthday party for my friend Beth. We looked totally ridiculous, but had a blast.

Rear View Mirror

2011-05-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

I love when I see this in my rear view mirror. They are so adorable when they are asleep!

Summerlin Ice Cream Festival

2011-05-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

We went to the Summerlin Ice Cream Festival the other weekend. It was a bit of a disapointment, but we loved the ice cream and we got to meet our buddy Curious George.

Zion Camping Trip 2011

2011-05-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

Every spring we go camping in Utah with about 30 of our closest friends and family members. We didn't make it last year because Ethan was only a month old, but we went this year. Ethan and Taylor loved camping. We are planning on doing more camping this summer since Greg and I will both be off for the summer.

Greg and Ethan
Taylor playing frisbee
Of course there was beer pong

Our little camper, Ethan

Our site had a huge open field by it for the kids to play

It was really cold this year (20 degrees at night) so we spent a lot of time by the campfire

Our little goofball, Taylor

Our family

Aunt Nikki and Taylor roasting marshmellows

Baby Ethan

2011-05-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

Ethan loves Taylor's baby doll stroller. He is always trying to climb in it. The other day Taylor was pushing him around in it.

Field Day

2011-05-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Our playgroup had a field day at the park. It was a gorgeous day and we had a great turnout. The 5 year olds really dominated the games and won them all, but the little ones didn't seem to mind.

Taylor doing the sack race.

The egg and spoon race.

The balloon toss (or just hand to your friend).

My little shadow.

Taylor and her medal for doing a great job!

Ethan's Favorite Book

2011-05-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Ethan has a very odd favorite book. Taylor is totally into Barbie and Curious George books, but Ethan's is not your typical book for a one year old. Ethan's favorite book is a romance novel that I keep on a bookshelf in my room. I've never read it(can't imagine why I don't have the time), but it must be good. Everyday I put it back, but he always seems to find it. He looks through it and is really fascinated by it.

Easter

2011-05-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Easter 3 times this year. We celebrated once at home, grandma's house, and Nana & Pa's house. To say that Easter was exhausting is an understatement. We are so blessed to have so many loved ones around us, but it was hard work this year. The kids had so much fun doing all the egg hunts and opening up their baskets.

Family Photo

Silly Easter bunny hid Taylor's basket in the tub!

Ethan loved looking at the eggs.

We played in Abby's new bouncy house on Easter.

Look at all the stuff in those baskets.

We had an amazing dinner at Nana's house.

More egg hunts!

Easter Eggs

2011-04-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

We are ready for Easter. The eggs are now dyed. Taylor (in her princess dress) was amazed by the whole egg coloring process. Ethan tried to destroy (help) too. We are very proud of our finished products and we didn't break a single one (we are not hard boiled egg fans so we colored regular eggs).

Butterflies

2011-04-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

I had caterpillars in my classroom. They didn't come out of their chrysalis in time for my class to see so I had to bring them home over Spring Break. Luckily, Taylor got to see the butterflies come out. She was really fascinated by them. Greg was really impressed too.

New Bikes

2011-04-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

For our birthdays Greg and I decided to get new bikes and a bike trailer. We have been having a blast riding around our neighborhood. The kids like the trailer as long as there are many snacks to eat inside it.

Run Plus Fun

2011-04-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

We went to Run Plus Fun the other day. We went to a birthday party here a few weeks ago. Since it is Spring Break we thought it would be great to go here before we have to go back to work. Ethan loves to play in the baby area and Taylor loves to go down the huge slides.

On The Go

2011-04-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

Ethan has been "walking" for what seems like months now. He'd take 2-5 steps and then fall down. Well now he's got it. It happened overnight. All of a sudden he can walk. He has the cutest waddle/walk I've ever seen. I am so happy he can finally do it. Almost all of his pants have holes in the knees from him crawling.

Greg's Birthday

2011-04-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was Greg's birthday. Nana and Aunt Nikki came over to help us celebrate. Greg got a new food dehydrator from me and the kids. He's really excited to make some homeade beef jerky. Taylor and I made him a dirt cake too. Greg's been requesting it forever, so he was so happy to eat it.

California Beach Fun

2011-04-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

We drove down to California for a quick getaway the other weekend with Greg's family. We had so much fun playing at the beach. The kids are so different its crazy. Taylor spent all her time in the sand building and jumping on sand castles. Ethan was obsessed with the water. He got drenched and tried diving into the ocean!

Hiking At Red Rock

2011-04-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

The weather has been awesome lately. We went to Red Rock last week to take a little hike. This was the first time hiking with both kids. I have to say I liked it better when I didn't have to carry one of the kids. As if hiking is not hard enough already, try it with an extra 25 pounds on your back.