Fishing for Birds

On Memorial Day we were in the basement and heard a chirping sound coming from right outside the window. We looked in the window well and saw a baby bird. Old enough to have feathers, but not old enough to fly yet. As we kept watching, we noticed two robins on the fence above. One had a big juicy worm in it's mouth, would fly down to the ledge of the window well, then fly back to the fence. Almost like it saw us or didn't know how to get in the window well or something. Both birds were chirping like crazy, looking around almost as if to say "help! Our baby's down here and we can't get him out". So Tom took a bucket and scooped the baby out of the window. The other two birds were going crazy, flying around and chirping at Tom. He let the bird out by the fence, and it hopped through to the other side. The next day Jeff and I saw the same baby bird on our back fence. It still didn't know how to fly, because we got really close and it just fluttered and hopped a little bit. However, I looked out later and saw another bird (most likely the mom) sitting next to the baby on the fence and then flying off as if it was teaching the baby how to get off the fence. The baby, however, stayed there a very long time, not sure what to do. It's so interesting to watch nature in your own back yard.

Rub-a-dub-dub

Although the only tub we have in our house is a large jetted tub, it's starting to seem smaller and smaller the more kids we have and the bigger they get.


I absolutely love the candid looks on their faces, oh so happy!


Why are baby's just so cute in the nude?


I love Jeff's face in this picture, and Cedric eating Jeff's shoulder!

"A" Cheese

One day Jeff wanted some butterfly crackers. When I got out the box he said "with cheese. 'A' for apple cheese." At first I didn't know what "A" cheese was, until I looked at the picture on the box. Ya, I guess it does look like the letter A. What a smart kid!

Happy 3rd Birthday Jefferson!

Jefferson turned three last Friday. Tom took the day off and we went to the zoo in the morning.










Then we went to Chuck E Cheese Pizza that night. Because we have a zoo pass and printed Chuck E Cheese coupons off the Internet, the whole day cost just over $20 for our whole family! (Sorry, it's a family trait, always have to brag about good deals.)


Jeff's favorite game at Chuck E Cheese is the ski-ball. The only problem is he's not strong enough to throw the ball into the holes. Eventually he just gave up and cheated.









Jeff wanted baseball cupcakes for his birthday. So the Sunday before I made blue cupcakes with baseball frosting and had a mini party with my (Tami's) side of the family.










Jefferson Max was born on May 22nd weighing 8lbs. 2oz. and was a perfect delivery (specially since it was my first, Lily was C-section). When he was a newborn I remember thinking "if every baby was this easy, I'd have 100 of them".


By two months Jefferson was a whopping 16lb baby!

And he just kept growing.


Although he started out as a perfect newborn, the older he got the more independent he got, the smarter he got, and the more challenging he got.


At the age of two, Jeff hardly said any words. Because of his lack of communication he became very smart at figuring out how to do things himself. Of course this added new challenges for us as parents. I can't help but be amazed at the creative intelligence Jeff possesses.


He's all boy, obsessed with sports of any kind, aggressive, active and creative. Jefferson loves to make others laugh. He's always saying or doing cute things that make me love him all the more. I'm so grateful for this free spirited boy and that he's a part of our family.



Happy Birthday Jefferson!

Swimsuits, a Band-aid, PB&J

I love the first hot day of spring. We invited some friends over and played in the kiddy pool and sprinklers. We had a picnic with PB&J. I noticed Cedric was kind of choking on something and fished out a Superman band-aid out of his mouth, nice! (It fell of one of the kids while playing in the water.) Then I heard my phone ring and ran in the house to get it. While I was gone, Cedric had crawled over to the plate of sandwiches and was eating a peanut butter sandwich! No rash on the seven-month-old yet, so hopefully he's not allergic. I think he was trying out his new tooth that just came in. He liked the sandwich, because he cried when I took it away.

It was a fun kick-off to summer.

Darth Jefferson.


All the girls love Cedric.

Swimming, Soccer & Scooting

Lily loves her swimming lessons and is a natural!

Jefferson has been praying to play soccer and did great at his first game!

Cedric is busy scooting everywhere (usually backwards) and is starting to pull himself up on his knees!

Mother's Day

I'm so excited about my new Mother's Day present!

I know I'm almost 30, but on my bike I feel like a kid again. However, I've only ridden it up and down my street and my knees feel like there closer to 60!
Mother's Day is one of those holidays when you get to reflect upon those whom you love and are grateful for in your life.
I'm so grateful to be a wife and mother. Tom is the sweetest, hardworking, selfless, cutest guy I know. I am so lucky he's mine, he treats me like a queen. Lily is becoming so responsible and is really growing up, I love having a five year old! She's such a good singer, artist and reader too. Jefferson is such a cute kid! He's so good at anything physical, but is also a sweety that loves to give hugs and kisses. Cedric is such a joy. He loves to move and is content discovering the world around him. He has the sweetest, slobberiest smiles!
I am also grateful for my own mom. She has always been a great example to me with her testimony of the gospel. She makes friends everywhere she goes, a true talent. She is very dedicated in all she does. She's a caring grandma to my children. I love her more now that I'm a mom and realize the sacrifice it takes to be a good mom.
I am also grateful for my mother-in-law. She is such a selfless, loving person. She is always thinking of others, especially her grandchildren. I love her too.
I am most of all grateful for the knowledge and blessing that my family can be an eternal family. That these people I love so much will forever be my family!

A Silly Little Mix-up and Not Checking The Bag

Obviously for any successful business good customer service is the key. So I have to put in a good word for Applebee's customer service.
A few months ago we ordered Applebee's to-go (it must have been Valentine's or something). Anyway, Tom picked up the order and headed home. Although we've learned our lesson in the past to always check your order before you leave, he neglected to do so. So when we pulled out our dinner, expecting steak or whatever it was we ordered, instead we found two dishes of chicken Alfredo. So Tom called them back explaining we had gotten the wrong order and re-ordered our original food. When he went back again they apologized and included a gift card for two free entrees along with our correct order. Obviously they couldn't take back the wrong order, so they let us keep that for free, which was great for another nights dinner. The kids loved it and pasta's always a great leftover meal. Anyway, last night we decided to use our free gift card only to pull it out and notice it expired two days earlier. Well, it never hurts to ask. So I called up Applebee's and told them we had an expired gift card and asked if we could still use it. Without hesitation he said yes, and again got another completely free meal from Applebee's. I just have to say, I am more than happy to share some positive advertising for them. We got about $40 worth of free food thanks to a silly little mix up, and not checking the bag.

Teacher Appreciation

Next week is teacher appreciation week at Lily's school, so we put some school supplies in a bag and Lily decorated it with this card.

It says "Mrs. R thank you for being marvelous". She drew a picture of scissors (purple & gray), a glue stick (the red and yellow circle), paper (the rectangle), a pencil (the yellow one at the bottom), and the other thing is a... no... it's a peach crayon.