This post is all about catching up on stuff that I should have blogged about long ago but didn't. Some (all) of these pics are just too great for me not to show off, so here goes (prepare yourself - it's a long one):
Tate had his second preschool graduation (he had one last year too). His teacher Miss Kerry, had each child come up individually and before giving them their certificate she talked about the child's accomplishments, attitudes, attributes, etc. She had so many kind things to say about Tate and it really made me feel good. Yes, when it comes to my kids I have a lot of pride. She said that he always has good manners, that he has an outstanding concept of shapes including three dimensional shapes, that he is an excellent reader and already reading at kindergarten 8th month level, that he is a leader, always kind and helpful to all the children, and that he constantly talks about his daddy. We really liked Miss Kerry's school and are grateful for all she taught Tate.
Tate finished his first season of T-Ball, and did start to like it a little bit. His favorite position to play was catcher, even though the catcher equipment was so big he could hardly move, let alone see the ball or pick it up. It was always quite funny to watch though. He was so proud to get his trophy at his closing ceremony. We celebrated with his team afterward with pizza and cupcakes at the park. A good time was had by all.
For Mothers Day John and the boys gave me tickets to the Keith Urban & Kenney Chesney concert. John bought two tickets, but never intended on going with me, he wanted me to take my sister - so sweet. Katie and I had a great time. I asked her several times throughout the night if she was embarrassed to have her older sister acting like such a goofy teenager - she said no, and screamed and danced right along with me. We had great seats on the floor and could see pretty well. Needless to say we had a fabulous time, and we both commented what nice jeans Keith Urban was wearing - WOW he is a good looking man! Don't worry, John knows I think he's HOT! It was so fun to party with my sister.
We have made some major and exciting improvements to our home. John painted a blue harlequin pattern in the family room to go with our new comfy sectional. I had been so tired of my denim couches for quite some time, but I'm not rid of them yet. If anyone knows of someone who needs couches they are sitting in my garage. We also finally got a stainless steel dishwasher to match our other appliances and believe it or not, it actually washes the dishes! I have always just had the crappy dishwasher that came with the house, and I never knew that a good dishwasher actually does its job. Our biggest home improvement was the wall of cabinets that John installed while I was in Oregon. He told me he was working on a surprise, but wow, I was not expecting that. This was also something we'd wanted to do for a while, but never had. It more than tripled the cabinet space in our kitchen, and I am still trying to fill it up. I have such a talented husband!
Jack turned two on the 12th. We celebrated with the grandparents at Red Robin with a free kids meal and then walked over to Krispy Kreme to get Jacks free dozen donuts. (Sign up on Red Robin's website, and just walk in to Krispy Kreme. Also sign up on Coldstone Creamery's website for a free love it size, and Baskin Robbins for a free scoop. I love free stuff!) Katie made Jack an adorable gelato cake, and Jack blew out the candle at least five times. He loved all of his presents, but especially liked the bubble gun from Grandma Elaine, and the animal books from Grandma Chapman.
Last but not least, John had two days of celebration with his birthday on Saturday and Fathers day on Sunday. Tate picked out some awesome plaid shorts for him, which he surprisingly likes. His big gift from all of us was a Nintendo Wii, which I'd been able to keep a secret for over a month. He was extremely surprised and way excited. He and Tate have played it almost everyday. John is such a good husband and dad. He works so hard for our family, but he schedules his time so that he can still spend time with us. He is very helpful with the boys and is always willing to help his family, friends, neighbors and ward members, as well as random strangers at Home Depot. He shares his advice with anyone who will listen and can tell you all the right ways to paint a room, hang a ceiling fan, install a light, refinish cabinets and many other things. He is so talented and willing shares his talents with others. I love my Sweet husband and am so grateful for him. We celebrated Fathers Day at Brent's new home, and I didn't get any pics of John, but I got some cute ones of Jack and his cousin Evie and Papa John.
