Childrens Museum

Back in June I took the kids to the local Children's Museum. They had a good time working in the construction zone, putting on dress up clothes and doing plays, puppet shows and much more. Trevan and Kennedy have been asking to go back, Mason on the other hand wants to go to a "real" museum with art on the walls. I'm sure that will be saved for a time when it will just be the two of us. Here they are in the construction zone area. They loved getting to wear the hard hats.

Trevan trying to hear the ocean through this big shell.

Mason working hard, only his hat was way too big.

Kennedy digging in the dino bone area. She was not interested in finding any bones, just playing in the sand.

Summer Fun (June)

This summer has gone by in a blur! I can't believe school starts back up in two weeks. I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog. We will start with our June highlights. When the base baseball season ended all the teams and their families were invited to Great Falls minor league Voyagers baseball game and bbq. All the kids got to go out on the diamond for the National Anthem. Somewhere in the herd of kids is Trevan. He was so funny, he couldn't wait to get out on the field, but as soon as he was done he wanted to go home. Forget about watching the game, it wasn't about him anymore! We did stay until the 6th inning and the Voyagers did win that night.
Here is a picture of Trevan walking back to our seats. The stadium was very crowded that night. It was not only a night for the kids, but it was also Military Appreciation Night so all military ID holders got in free! Talk about CRAZY.

Mason and Trevan also took swimming lessons in June. I didn't sign Kennedy up for them because the flyer we got on the pool said the kids had to be at least 4 yrs. old.

Kennedy waiting on the side lines. It really didn't bother her that she didn't get to swim though. She was fine just watching.

Mason trying to learn the front stroke. He really has enjoyed the water. And he has come so far since the first day.

Trevan walking on the bottom of the pool moving his arms like he is swimming! Poor boy kept rubbing his eyes that on day two they were swollen. (we did get both boys goggles after the first day) He too has done a good job of learning, just not as advanced as Mason is yet.

There is still more to come, but right now I have to take all three kids to swimming lessons!

I Belong!

Today was a special day for Mason. He became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We are so proud of who he is becoming and the choices he is making. Mason is a very good example to his brother and sister. He was pretty nervous before the actual baptism, but so was George. Well, maybe George wasn't as nervous as he was emotional. I guess the first born gets all the tears from dad!

Here are the three kids, well 2 1/2 of them! Kennedy was off in left field. Trevan had asked Mason earlier in the week if he could say the closing prayer today and he did a pretty good job. I also would like to mention the fact that it is a rare occasion for us to have a family event where Trevan does not have a "bonk" on the forehead! This one was from a skate board. If you need to enlarge to get the full view, feel free.

Happy Birthday Mason

Happy Birthday Mason! 8 years sure have gone by fast. In the 8 years Mason has been with us we have lived in 6 different homes, 2 different countries, 2 different states, and traveled many miles. Mason was born in Anchorage Alaska, and has asked countless times over the last 5 years to move back there. Here is a look at how he has grown and changed. 3 weeks old. We tried and tried to wake him up for his first big photo. He was a very good sleeper as a baby.

Here he is at 1yr old. Check out the hair! It was always standing up!

2yrs old. By know I had started butching his hair. I couldn't handle the sticky up hair anymore. (except in the front, he has been sporting that hair do ever since)

3 yrs old. This is when he was still so sweet and easy, you know, before we turned his world upside down and moved him to Germany! We have always joked that the Mason we had in Alaska stayed there and little monster Mason came with us.

4yrs old. Pre-school days.

5yrs old. Kindergarten. I think there was a big change in him from 4 to 5. He lost the last little bit of baby chubby.

6yrs old. He was not wanting to get his picture taken this day. Can you tell by the look on his face? Maybe that is why I don't have one from him being 7yrs old.

Here is my big 8 year old. All grown up. He is so excited to get baptized and to get to go to scouts. Little monster Mason did stay behind in Germany and we found the sweet boy we left behind at 3. He loves school, I think having a male teacher has really helped him this year. He enjoys writing books and they have been up to 20 pages long. He is a very creative kid. His favorite color is blue and his favorite food is, well I don't really know because he is so picky! But to take a guess he loves cereal. He says when he grows up he wants to make video games and be a teacher. (the influence his teacher has had on him this year has been amazing) Crazy to think that in another 8 years he will be getting behind the wheel of a car, legally! (he tried to drive our brand new Durango when he was 3, he started the dings and dents, not me!) We are so grateful to have Mason in our family.

Trevan's First T-Ball Game

May 11, was Trevan's first T-Ball game ever! He is loving it. He told me "Mom, I am rockin awesome!" He is so funny. Here he is on first base. Most of you know the rules of T-Ball. Meaning there are no outs and everyone bats then you switch places with the other team.

Here he is in the field. His position was between first and second base. He was pretty board because the ball never made it past the pitchers mound. Here he is drawing a circle in the dirt so he would "know" where to stand!

This is Trevan running the bases. He was the last batter up so they all run in. Mason was sure that Trevan had hit a home run! And just look at how big that shirt is! This is what happens when dad signs up the kid and orders the shirt!

The look on his face in this one just cracks me up. He is having so much fun.

Here he is guarding 3rd base. Every time the ball was hit he would run and cover his base. He was paying pretty close attention to the game, if only he could get some action! He really is enjoying himself and loves that his team is called the Rangers. (He totally loves Power Rangers)

Misc. stuff

This is Trevan during his Pre-School's Mother's Day program. They sang us a couple of songs and then recited the story "Love you Forever". His teachers Miss Carolle and Miss Diane had taken pictures of each child with their mother and the kids decorated a picture frame, (Kennedy's class did a flower frame). The kids also told their teachers what they like to do with me. Of course they wrote these things down and laminated them for me. Trevan said, "I like it when mom playes the "Cootie" game with me. I love when mom squeezes me tight. I like it when she plays ball with me." Now our version of the Cootie game is not the one you buy at the store. "Cooties" come from getting kissed! Trevan always asks to play that game at bed time.

Kennedy was having nothing to do with the program. She does NOT like big rowdy groups of kids so she glues herself to my side. That is why there are no pictures of her with the other kids.

I put this picture in because of what she told her teachers. Her paper said, "I love my mom's hugs. My mom is special. I love mom. (best of all) I LOVE WHEN MOM FIXES MY HAIR!" she really does enjoy getting her hair done. I am so not making this up. The other day after her bath I was thinking of just blow drying her hair and leaving it alone. She would hear nothing of that! She was so mad and insisted on "getting" it done. I do not intentionally torture her hair, she does! I am just the hands that are there.

Another little thing on Kennedy. She is really trying hard to get the splits down. She will do this for hours and hours a day saying "mom watch me" She is getting better at them. What a fun little girl she is. Exactly what I always wanted!!!!

Easter

Our Easter celebrations were kicked off on Friday night by going to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. The week before the boys started asking to go see that movie and George told them the only movie we would be seeing in the future was the Hannah Montana movie. We didn't tell them we were going to the movie, we kept it a surprise. When we went in to pay for our tickets Trevan was not so happy! He was moping around until he finally asked if he really had to see the Hannah Montana movie! Monsters vs Aliens was actually a pretty fun movie. I wasn't really expecting to like it but I did. The kids loved it, well the boys did, Kennedy couldn't keep the glasses on her little face so she gave up on them. Saturday we finally were able to get the trampoline set up. We have it anchored down with 7 50lb sand bags and George still wants to get a few more. Later that evening after playing at the park and on the trampoline we finally were ready to color the eggs. The kit I bought wasn't the best. Not all the colors dissolved very well. But do kids really care? Not mine!

This is how they really feel! ha ha. If you were to ask these crazy kids what their favorite thing to do on Easter is they would not answer with the egg hunt, or the basket hunt, or even the new clothes. What they would tell you is that the best part it the EGG WARS! If you don't know what an egg war is that just means you have not had the privilege of spending an Easter dinner with the Jacklin family! (my, Linda's, family) Trevan won the first round and I won the second. George tried to cheat but I still beat him.

Sunday afternoon, getting ready to hunt down the candy filled eggs. We gave Kennedy a head start because she was content to just look at the eggs and not really pick them up. After she picked up one she thought she was done!

Both Trevan and Kennedy finding the hardly hidden eggs. The boys were actually pretty funny with Kennedy. They would tell her where the eggs were and then pick them up for her. They really are not stingy boys when it comes to candy.

George did hide some eggs that were a little harder to find. I had to take pictures of where they were and then show the boys the picture so they could go find them. They had a really good time, and so did we.

The past few months Trevan has really been asking alot about Jesus and how and why he died, and that he lives again. It really made an impact on him. He knows the true meaning of Easter and why it is and important for us. We have stressed the fact that Easter isn't about candy and eggs, and we don't even mention the Easter bunny in our house. As we were driving home from church yesterday we were talking about our primary, (George and I are Trevan's teachers) Mason started telling us about sharing time and the lesson that was taught, he said he had one little tear leak from his eye. So nice to know when the spirit whispers truth that he was in tune to hear and feel it.