Santa Claus is coming to town!

Well it's nearly Christmas time and I have so many picture updates yet we've been trying to work out a virus program that will allow me to post pictures again. Anyway, Jonathan is so trying to talk clearly and Carolyn is unbelieveably excited about Santa Claus. All she can talk about is getting a rock and roll star guitar...thankfully, Santa is indeed bringing this request. Other than that, life is crazy fun. I'll post pics soon...hopefully!

First day of school

Well I survived...no tears and Carolyn loved it! She came home and I asked how as school and she put two thumbs up and yelled "School is Cool." Obviously something the teacher worked on with the students. LOL. But the day before school, we went apple picking and Carolyn picked her teacher the biggest apple I've ever seen and her teacher said it was the biggest she has ever seen too. And Carolyn's response..."It's juicy too!" Her teacher responded with a big "I Bet" gave her a huge and showed her the way to the classroom. The second photo is of Carolyn running out to greet me after school. What a big girl we have now!

Our newest cousin

Dylan Christopher Meier entered the family tree on July 2, 2008. Elle and Dane are in love with their angel boy. Carolyn, of course, was all over Dylan at first sight. Jonathan just wanted to see how well his hand worked by "patting" Dylan but he did go in for a kiss too. We can't wait to see Dylan's personality develop as he gets older and starts to really play hard with his three older boy cousins. XOXO

Summer fun

We've been so busy this summer playing with the cousins and meeting new friends all over town. Other than the ever popular zoo, we've been to the Missouri Botantical Gardens several times and saved a weekend to head out to the country for some relaxing summer fun with the new see saw at Grams and Gramps house. Carolyn is fearless this summer and Jonathan is right by her side, although judging by his photo in the Garden's children's tree, he is a bit more cautious.

Another great day at the Zoo!

It might be overkill but on Sunday we went to the Zoo as a family and had the cousins join us for the fun. We got there early so the carousel was free and the kids rode it two or three times before venturing off to the penguins and train. Another beautiful day and the most memorable weekend of my motherhood.

First school picnic

Well Carolyn had her first school picnic. Different than most by offering bubbles and dry, colored rice tables to play with, she had a blast. She even got to walk across the stage and recieve her hat and new bookbag, loaded with school supplies for the Fall. She is very much looking forward to school .

One Amazing day

So Friday was quite possibly the best day of my life. We (a friend and I)started the day at the Zoo watching the children discover new things. Jonathan rode the train for the first time and LOVED it and he also was fascinated with seeing the animals which was awesome to see as a mother. Then Carolyn was having a great time with friends and loved the beautiful outdoors. Later that evening, Evan and I celebrated our 6th anniversary with a dinner cruise down the Mississippi river at sunset and had an amazing time dancing on the top deck of the boat ALONE as we pushed off and the sun set. Why others didn't get the idea not to eat right away and watch the setting sun over the arch grounds and glissening on the river, I have no idea. The weather was perfect. The day was perfect.

My baby is 1!

Well it happened...my darling son is now 1 years old. He's walking, he's getting into trouble, he's totally crazy about his sister and loves kisses and hugs from just about anyone. I think we're going to be in trouble with this one! He was sick over his first birthday and hardly eating so I didn't bother with making him a little cake just for him to destroy but he did end up eating a few bites from his Great-grandma Lillian's plate. Uber cute. Well Happy birthday sweetheart....Happy Birthday!

My girl is 3 (or free if you ask her)!

I can't believe it...she's 3. Although I'm sure I'll say this about every birthday of hers from now until I quit writing on this stupid blog. She had a bunch of little kiddos over for a princess party and while a few friends couldn't make...the house was packed with laughter and giggles most of the time. Of course I did the cake and she loved teh sparkles on the side of it along with many of her friends which only ate the icing. (good thing we did the cake toward the end...LOL.) Anyway, all is well and she was blessed with many great memories and many great gifts. Thank you all for celebrating with us!

Carolyn's 3rd birthday cake

Well tomorrow my baby girl turns 3! She's going to be sooo surprised when she sees her cake. It's buttercream with a fondant board to add to the overall appearance. Filled with a dutch apple mixture...it's sure to freak her freak! Can't wait to see our little princess all dressed up with her tiny little friends having a great party (hopefully)! Just wanted to share.

Easter cake

Well I really wanted to do this cake for as long as I can remember after taking the Wilton fondant and tiered cakes course several years ago...so here it is...and it was beautiful..and also yummy! Too bad you can't eat a photo huh??

Hoppy Easter!

So we really were like humm do we want to do the whole Easter Bunny thing and you know...still haven't quite decided but she LOVED looking for eggs so that was fun and we knew the candy would be a big hit. For Jonathan I found these adorable linking eggs and he loved those. Of course when mom and dad weren't looking, Carolyn shared her chocolate with Jonathan neglecting to take off the foil wrapping so Jonathan was covered in chocolate and choking on it but all was well and he wanted more. LOL. Looks like they both got daddy's sweet tooth. What a happy Easter and God Bless.

Evan's 30!

Well it's true...after 29 comes 30 and Evan now has reached that "pivotal" point in his life. Let's see so his parents and grandma flew in to surprise him and friends and family sent birthday cards (which I totally appreciated) and overall, he was feeling very loved. Evan was so overwhelmed with all the love, he and Jonathan needed a nap. So for those of you who are like...humm...what cake did Jessica do for the love of her life...here they are. Yep I made two. One funny one of a man being sucked into a grave and one very cool one using chocolate transfers on spiked peanut butter chocolate and pirouette cookies surrounding it. What you don't see is the apple filling in the grave cake and Reese pieces filling in the "that's just cool" cake. I did not include his surprise face because I didn't want to embarass him (also, it's just not a "good" surprise face.). But really, thanks again all for showing Evan how totally awesome he is and even the scandalous cards that were sent (and you know who you are) they were great. Carolyn and my nephews particularily loved the superman card that played the theme song. So thanks again...from a very grateful wife.

Forget the bib!

He LOVES Spaghetti! Look at this gorgeous boy all a mess and showing off the war-wounds.

Snow babies!

Well we got hit with some snow and while Jonathan wasn't all that impressed...Carolyn was all over the snow. From snow angels to her first sledding experience...she is a snow addict!

Here he comes!

Well Jonathan started driving...I can't believe how fast time goes by. I think for his 1st birthday here coming up we'll have to get him his first car and personal gas pump. (We've been eyeing one up anyway for him). At least for his first car he has good taste with learning to drive using a BMW and he even offered a ride to his cousin Addyson (who both didn't like how tight the interior was with this model. Oh well. Pretty cute.

Jonathan's new train

Jonathan got a really big Thomas train for Christmas from Grandma Lillian but we didn't open it until we came home from Texas. It however quickly became a joy for all the cousins to play with on New Year's Eve and he got into the routine of crawling thru it pretty quickly. Such a cutie!

The newest cousin

Well the children finally met. Carolyn was all over Madeline. We had talked about baby Madeline for such a long time that I think she was ready and willing to start playing with her. She had her moments of holding her and giving her lots of kisses (despite the runny nose and my fear of spreading potential colds to such a young baby). Jonathan was less than impressed with this new cousin for now, but I'm sure that will change with time. He kept wanting to wack her head especially when mommy was holding her. Good thing we're stopping at two children since I think he'd be the one with jealous issues. Well it was a good time in Texas and looking forward to heading back down there again this summer potentially.