Jack is 5!

Jack had the big party today...this boy has been planning it since Christmas! It goes by so fast and is over before you know it.....all that work and then it is over. No, it was a beautiful day and we had a nice group of friends, family, and neighbors to celebrate Jack's big 5.
Helen wasn't so sure about having the spotlight on Jack all day. We got some really good pics, here are a few of them. Lissa told me she is going to help me format my blog better so people can stop straining their necks! Thanks Lissa.

Spring Princess Fairy, ChuckECheese and More....

The countdown has been on this week for Jack's birthday....his "real 5 year old birthday". I have been happy to see rain but hoping the backyard will dry out in time for his party! All those boys and mud= no fun for Mommy. :( It looks like it will be a good day all and all.
Helen, with the help of Brenden, dressed in her best baubles, wings, shoes and pacifier and did a dance around the living room. She loves an attentive audience!
Jack and Helen and I went to Chuck E Cheese on Thursday for an early birthday present. The mascot Chuck E Cheese was walking around....Jack was excited, as was I, but Helen was not too pleased. She clung to my leg and told Chuck E to "go away, I don't like you, you scare me". He was quite the stealth mouse, he appears so quietly and I have to admit it does freak you out a bit! We were crouched down by the ticket muncher and suddenly I look up at two large hairy legs and tennis shoes! Yikes, I see what Helen means. Jack was happy because Chuck E kept giving him free tickets. Back off Chuck E.....
Helen and Jack love the spring weather and had me take a picture of them eating popsicles on the back deck. So sweet, short lived, but still sweet. Awww.

Fun in St.Louis!

We really know how to pack in the fun! We went to the Nascar park where Jack and I drove the go karts and we all played some games. Jack and Helen rode the carousel and we thought Jack was going to toss his cookies as he spun around and around so fast! On to the Magic House and the park and finally dinner in Chesterfield and playing at Mary Ellen and Marie's house (the most important thing to Jack was the pinball machines downstairs and Helen enjoys their pets). We even were entertained by a mariachi band at the Mexican restaurant. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and had a lot of fun!

We are ready for Spring!!

Jack and Helen are ready for spring! Rainy days are not good, we can't play "outside, outside". So we always hope for nice spring days. We are going to St.Louis tomorrow for Stacey's bridal shower and we hope it is nice so they can play outside at the zoo. Here are some recent pictures....

Happy Easter!

It was a chilly but fun Easter weekend! We actually saw flurries on the way home from church this morning. We had fun hunting for easter eggs inside and outside. Jack and Helen got a kick out of Uncle Bobby and Aunt Angela hiding eggs outside in the cold! They had to bundle up to find them but it was worth it. I think Helen's favorite game was jumping on Uncle Bobby though. Jack was just happy that he found more eggs than his sister!

Happy St.Patrick's Day!

We really celebrated on Saturday by marching in the Snake Saturday parade with Gymboree. It was cold, but at least it wasn't raining. Helen had the best seat, inside the truck with Daddy. Before the parade was over, the truck was full of other cold children, including Jack, Caleb, and Cameron. We had fun though and thank goodness it wasn't today, super rainy and cold!!! Here are some pictures.

Fun with our Friends Seth and Sofia

We traveled to Lee's Summit on Thursday with our friends the Jahraus'----Val (or Al as Helen called her) Seth and Sofia. Jack was jealous because Seth's car has a DVD player too! Everyone but us it seems. We went to lunch at Funhouse Pizza and we were the only ones there....kind of eerie to me sometimes when you are the only ones at a restaurant. Greasy pizza but the kids were good and it was pretty cheap! Val and I just paid for it later......yuck.
We went on to Paradise Park and the kiddos had a lot of fun. Playing in the tunnels and balls, playing in the water play area, playing in the bank and grocery store, and making a DrSeuss Hat treat to eat. Helen loved that there were small, Helen size sinks all over the place. I think she washed her hands at least 20 times. Muddie would be proud!
We went on to US Toy and the kids were good there too. Wow, 3 for 3! Then it was time to head back north and the girls finally gave it up and konked out in the car. Jack loved spending so much time with Seth and Helen had fun too.
Here are a few pics.....