June

The summer is a third of the way over, and I feel like we've just begun! The weather has been so crazy...cold for forever. It's pretty consistently HOT now, so it really feels like Summer. Our June began with some exciting new Jakey news. We have a walker folks! He still, after 4 weeks, looks a little like Franken-baby, but it is so nice to not HAVE to carry him everywhere! We had a play date with our cousin Hailey one afternoon. She was a trooper! We got out the slip 'n slide and she played and played. Ezra is a little wimpy when it comes to being cold, so he played a little, and mostly watched from the sidelines. When they were finished, I snuggled them up on the driveway where it was nice and warm.

Our poor Jakey-bakey...he was so sick a few weeks ago that the Dr. told me, "He has such a bad sinus infection it is basically coming out his ears and eyes." Ugh. Bad mommy. I was trying to not have to call in to work and trying to not have to pay for co-pays and prescriptions. I thought it was just pink eye and I was trying to take care of things on my own. When his Daddy came home and saw this:

he said we had probably better take him in. The poor kid looked worsse before he got better too. Yuck. We had a nice Father's Day. Ezra and I got up early, decorated, made breakfast, Ezra set the table (his new chore on his job chart), and we got everybody up to go jump on Dad. We are pretty lucky to have such a great Daddy! He takes good care of us, and loves us so much.

Last week Ezra got it in his head that he wanted to ride his bike without training wheels. Darrell was a trooper and told him to get his helmet and shoes and he would start teaching him. Ezra was hilarious! He would giggle and giggle, and stop peddling! I didn't get any really good video of it, but just picture it in your head. He is pretty cute in that helmet though!

Ezra's other new chore on his job chart is to throw everyone's laundry downstairs for me to wash on Wednesdays. This week he was doing just that when I heard intense giggling. When I looked around the corner I saw this! Really? Boys are so weird!

Darrell has also finally succombed to my pestering and built a wall where the stair railing used to be. The spaces between the railings were so far apart that jacob could fit his entire body through them. Lately, he's been trying to do just that! So, when the wall is completed, I will post pics of that! Looks great so far though. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the gate back up the other day and Jacob tumbled ALL the way down. He was ok, I think, but it scared the tar out of me! My new calling has been good so far. The trickiest parts are coordinating my meetings and visits, and Darrell's meetings and visits (He is in the Elder's Quorum) so we can take care of our kids. Our stake announced that they are going to re-organize the boundaries of some of the wards, so we are anxious to see if we change wards, what our new callings will be. We are so excited to be getting our big kids for all of July! We see them so little. It will be nice to be together for an extended period of time. Their mom is supposed to be moving them back to Boise for Fall, so we will be able to see them more often! Well...off to a birthday party of my nephews! Happy trails!

May

Boy, may truly sped right past us. Serioiusly...I don't even have as many pics as I usually do. The month started off warm, and we had a fun day outside on the slip and slide, and in the baby pool. Sure makes us appreciate all of Darrell's hard work to get our yard put in last year. Can't wait for the backyard to be strong enough for us to go play on. It's growing! Ezra became a pro slip and slider that day! Jacob was excited until I actually put him in the pool.

It was cold, but he loves to splash so much I thought he would love it. He did warm up to the idea a bit, and enjoyed some splashing. Not much though. Party pooper. One afternoon we were working outside and I decided to clean out the yucky cobweb, and other trash, in our window well. I've looked in there before, but have never had the pleasure of meeting this little guy...

Ok...he's not so little, and I have never had such an animated reaction to seeing a spider before. I was yelling for Darrell, and he leisurely came out to see what was the matter. He was grossed out too, and we got out our RAID and sprayed the heck out of it. It took him quite a while to die, which I did not enjoy. Even after he was dead, I envisioned him coming to life and showing up next to me on the couch in the basement, while I was folding clothes or something. Every time I look at the picture I get goosebumps. YUCKO! I had an opportunity to catch Jacob playing on his tip toes.

He does this often, and I think it is part of the reason why he isn't walking yet. I put him in his little bouncer really early, and he had to stand on tip toes to reach. MY BAD. He tries to walk on tip toes now. Anyway...it's sort of cute and I wanted to capture it. He is getting pretty tall and grabs all sorts of things off of the counter he shouldn't. He also tries hard to open the door and escape. He loves being outside, but gets into EVERYTHING! Letely his common sense has gone out the window too, so he can't be trusted. He slipped outside one day and was headed head first down the window well. Ezra caught him and yelled for help. Darrell told him he saved Jakey's life, so he wanted me to write it on his "caught ya" board. I'd say that is a pretty great "caught ya" wouldn't you? Branson turned ten and wanted a Brainy Smurf cake.

Ugh. This was the best I could do. Unfortunately, I purchased one of those cans of frosting to use and it came out so uneven. Next time I'll have to do it the right way. He was happy though, and we had ourselves a celebration! We had the opportunity to meet with family at the cemetary where my Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen and my aunt Karen are buried. It was a nice moment, and here are a couple of nice pics.

The final bit of news is that I recieved a new calling in church in May. I was asked to be the 2nd counselor in the Relief Society presidency. A BIG job, and I feel so inadequate. I haven't been in RS in almost 5 years! I am looking forward to serving the Lord and getting to know the sisters. As my schedule has been somewhat difficult, I recently took the opportunity to reduce my hours at work. We are taking a HUGE leap of faith that everything will work out ok financially. Tightening our budget a bit more and getting ready for a yard sale! I pray daily for the strength and knowledge to take care of my family's needs, my sisters' needs in the church, and to be a good teacher for my littles at work.

Jakey Updates

Just a few little updates about this big kiddo. He is getting all 4 molars at once. (No bueno!) He has the same horrible allergies the rest of us do. He can stand on his own, and has taken a few steps on his own, but generally refuses to do either. He is so accident prone. The other day he had a busted lip from a fall, then busted up the other side falling again. He loves to sing the song from the Primary book called "My Flag, My Flag" and wave a flag around. He knows sign for "more", "please" and "all done", but usually just grunts or whines to get what he needs. He has learned to enjoy riding in the bike trailer, but is still just a bit small for it. He recently tried out his dad's new drum set, and really, really loved it! He also loves his bath and splashes like a crazy person. I also discovered, though, that he does not enjoy being in a cold baby pool. Here are some cute videos. Our Grandma and Grandpa Ward recently went on a mission, and I thought they might enjoy these. Jacob will be almost 3 yrs old by the time they return, so there may be lots more videos on our blog for their sake!

April

I am well aware that we are now almost half way through May, but there is so much I want to share, and never enough time to share it! Alas, I am left to blog an antire month in one post yet again! And so...here it goes. The big excitement at the beginning of the month was soccer for this guy!

We talked our cousins into playing on the same team! Here is Hailey.

And Henry

We had a pretty special cheering section too! Poor Jakey was so cold...but will never let that stop him from those darn fish crackers!

Is this the cutest team huddle you have ever seen???

Easter was pretty fun. The Saturday before we were able to meet up with the Sorensen clan and have a little egg hunt with our littles. Ezra did well, although he didn't have the drive for finding eggs like the other kids there. Jakey caught on quickly, but had way more fun taking all of the grass out of his basket! Little stinker.

We were a bit tired by that evening, so dying eggs was a bit of a let down. I felt badly for Ezra...we tried though.

Easter baskets before:

And after:

Our Easter clothes:

In April we also leveled our backyard and planted grass...

Jacob turned 1...

I turned 30 something...

Aaaaaaaand, Darrell and I had our 5th wedding anniversary. There. Done. Phew! Long post. Was a good month!

My Jakey Bakey

An entire year has flown by and I feel like I missed it! Somewhere in the midst of working, church, house, yard, and other children this guy showed up...and is turning one.

I feel sad, a little. Sad for me. My last baby. It's going too fast. I am feeling a bit of regret for not slowing down to enjoy it more. Sadly, I cannot slow down, nor can I slow time. Thus...I am left to simply enjoy every possible moment I can. I have to say, though, my moments are far from boring! This dude, and his big brother, sure do keep me hopping! Some of my favorite things about Jacob are: He is such a big beef! He is HUGE, strong, heavy, and all boy! He LOVES food! We find ourselves sneaking to eat around him because he will whine until you simply have to share. He makes the sound Mum, mum, mum, mum very loudly as he eats. He has a cute little space in his front teeth. He has the most infectious laugh, but only shares it when he finds something REALLY funny. He is quite stoic most of the time. Although he would rather be held by Mom or Dad, he is pretty good about being a pass-around-pack at school and church. He loves his bath, and most recently decided that the bath water is fun to drink. Two of his favorite activities are splashing in the toilet and rummaging through the garbage. He has tumbled down the stairs twice, but still has a real fascination for them. He LOVES to dart out the front door whenever he can. He used to tumble down the front step, but has mastered that recently. He still touches everything with one chubby finger. He especially loves any small hole he can poke at. He loves to be held, and isn't showing much interest in walking. He often stands directly in front of the TV and slaps it with his hands. He also likes to push the VCR and DVD player off the back of the entertainment center. He does everything on his very tippy toes. He often stands directly in front of the TV and slaps it with his hands. He also likes to push the VCR and DVD player off the back of the entertainment center. He wakes up so happy! It's such a treat! He gets "tired eyes" and goes to sleep rather easily. He naps well at home...at school not so well. He does not care much for TV, but loves music! He NEVER, EVER, EVER holds still for ANYTHING! Diaper changes and getting him dressed are such a hassle! He loves his bottle at night. He loves his blue striped blankie, and whimpers to be snuggled up in it, if he has wiggled out during the night. He often wiggles out! He has the fatest feet you've ever seen, and it is difficult finding shoes to fit. He loves water. He doesn't love you making him do anything he doesn't want to do. He doesn't like you to hold or touch his hands. He loves to wrestle with Darrell, and sort of loves to wrestle with Ezra. He says Da Da, Ma Ma, and Go Go. Yesterday he said "nae" over and over and shook his head. He signs "more" with one pointer finger hitting his other palm, though he has his meaning mixed up. When he wants more food he claps. When he wants to get up from a diaper change, or being dressed he signs "more". Silly boy! I could probably go on and on...I sure love my Baker-boy! His big wet kisses are the best! Happy Birthday big boy! I love you!

March...in like a lion

Lot's of fun for our family in March! We celebrated Kaylee's 13th birthday! She is growing up so quickly. I remember the cute little 7 year old I met when Darrell and I were first dating. Always so happy and willing to help. She is turning into a beautiful young lady. Still very helpful, when asked. She enjoys music, dancing, and especially reading. She is a good student, and a wonderful big sister. My little guys just adore her. She is enjoying Young Womens, and looks forward to girls camp this summer. We sure love her!

We also celebrated Ashlan's birthday. This year she turned 11 years old! Unbelievable! She is already counting down to twelve...when she gets to be in Young Women's. Ashlan is becoming a very good babysitter, and loves to be in charge! She is very creative and always has some game of make-believe going with Ezra. She is a good dancer, and loves music. She has recently earned very good grades in school, for which we are all very proud!

Ezra and Jacob are starting to play together sometimes, and it is so fun to watch. This was one of their hiding places one morning. We SUPER love stay home days!

I tried hard to get a cute St. Patrick's Day picture. Ezra was in a goofy mood, and Jakey wouldn't hold still. So...this is what we got.

At school, we celebrate Dr. Seuss the entire month of March. I have parents come in as guest readers each day of the month. We were so lucky this year that our Daddy had Mondays off and could come in and read to Ezra's class. Ezra was so proud, and even picked out his "My Dad Rocks" shirt to wear that day.

We had a fun play-date with our cousin Hailey. I mistakingly thought that this would free up some of my time that day, by keeping Ezra busy. Unfortunately, they kept me hoppin'! They had a great time though!

And last, but most certainly not least, my hubby put in a new door! Our old wooden one was the original from the 1960's...so ugly and drafty. Yucko! Darrell worked so hard, and did such a nice job. Our neighbor Dennis, an retired shop teacher, was a great help too! The boys had a great time playing on the old door, and getting dirty out in the yard. I think we are all looking forward to consistant good weather! Here are some pics from that day:

I finally got my act together and bought Jacob a toothbrush. He loves to brush his teeth, and gets so upset when it is time to put it up. His shirt is usually soaking wet by the time he is finished. Drool city! Pretty cute though.