Lily's preschool picture 2011-2012

L-R:
(front row)- Andrew, Owen, Alex, Noah, Chase, Ben
(back row)- Joshua, Lily, Chloe, Hunter, Mrs. Kellee, Alyssa, Charlie, Jillian, Caleb

Pumpkin Patch preschool field trip

We had another fun trip with Lily's preschool to the pumpkin patch. This was the same location we went to last year- her director, Ms. Janie's house. She owns quite a bit of land and has converted a good part of it to a fun playland and pumpkin patch for the preschoolers. It really is amazing what she has done to her property to make it fun for the kids. This year was quite a bit colder than last. It was in the 30's this morning, so we were bundled up!

ready for the hayride!

heading into the maze

making and eating a S'more

Jackson had a great time! Plenty of open land for him to roam :-)

this HUGE ball was quite the hit

As I have mentioned before, Jackson is REALLY in to balls. When he saw this huge ball coming, he immediately went for it. he was yelling and carrying on as if to say "hey! wait for me!"
It was too cute!posing with friends by the teepee

checking out which pumpkin to pick

here's the prize!

What a fun time!!

Jackson's 1st year photobook

Click here to view this photo book larger

I just finished Jackson's 1st year photo book.
Enjoy a walk down memory lane! :-)

Roaring River with the Schowengerdt's

Last weekend, we headed down to Roaring River for our fall camping trip. This time, the Schowengerdt family joined us! The weather was perfect- cool and crisp. We enjoyed a weekend of fishing, campfires, walks and bike rides through the campground, and relaxation! Thank you Scott, Hilary, Colin, and Maria for another fun trip to Roaring River!

Heading to the campground! Look at these happy campers!

Hilary brought this "baby jail" with her and we loved it! Great way to contain the little ones while we were busy getting meals ready.

We did let them out to explore once in a while though :-)

Colin and Lily in the creek- which obviously was dry this time of year

Daddy and daughter "fishing the buzzer"

Daddy showing Jackson how to catch the keepers

Swinging in the playground by the river

Silly girl!
Happy boy!

a little nature hike

the girls

Schowengerdt family

showing off their big catches!

s'more time!

family shot

Lily's first sleepover!

On Wednesday night, Lily had her first BFF sleepover with Madison!! Madison's mommy is now substitute teaching so we brought Madison home with us after AWANA and she spent the night and the following day with us. Lily was BEYOND excited to have her friend over. Here is the play-by-play: (yes...I'm THAT mom! :)

the girls took a quick bath together and then they both slept in Lily's bed.
Crazy girls....they fell asleep about 20 minutes after this pic was taken

AWANA nights are usually late nights for us, as it ends at 8:15pm and our church is 20 minutes away. So, imagine my surprise when both girls were up at 6:00am!! That's the Bolinger house for you!

Pancakes for breakfast

A little morning playtime with Polly Pockets

Quick picture before taking Lily to school

Here the girls are eating lunch...grilled cheese and chips!

After Madison left, Lily fell asleep on the couch. We had to wake her up for dinner! The girls had such a blast and Lily can't wait to have Madison over again soon.

Kelsey

On Sunday, we adopted a rescue dog, Kelsey. She is approximately 6 years old and an Irish Setter. We had been mildly looking for a new dog since last spring. Well...to be honest...Daddy had been looking and Mommy was delaying. Watching two kiddos is a lot of work in of itself! :-)
But, when we saw her, we knew she would be such a great match. We had been looking for a shelter dog. We wanted an older dog who had been around kids and had outgrown the "puppy stage". Daddy grew up with an Irish Setter and knew they were great with kids. We were told by the shelter rep. that she rarely sees Irish Setters, so we knew this was a rare opportunity for us! After introducing her to the kids, we decided to go home and talk it over. It didn't take long before we realized Kelsey would be a great addition to our family.
On the drive over to pick her up, Lily could hardly contain her excitement. Her famous quote was: "This is the BEST day of my life!!" She, along with Daddy, had been pulling on Mommy's heartstrings for quite some time. So this truly was a BIG day for Lily. Just look at the picture below:

Lily & Kelsey on her new bed- first night at our home

Daddy, Jackson, & Kelsey- getting her acquainted with her new yard

The best part about Kelsey is that she was raised in a home with 3 small children. So...she is well-adjusted to the pulling and poking. We are doing our best to train Jackson to be "gentle" with Kelsey, but he just gets so excited that sometimes the result is quite the opposite. Kelsey's behavior, however, has been excellent towards the kids, and that makes this mommy VERY happy!

Welcome to our home, Kelsey. We are so happy to have found you!

Jackson's 1st birthday party!

For his 1st birthday, I decided to go with a monkey theme. Somehow, it just seemed fitting for his personality :-) I had such a great time planning and preparing for this party.
Here are some pictures of the decor:

homemade monkey cupcakes

big sister Lily modeling the birthday balloons

Jackson's #1
party favors- frozen chocolate bananas

We had friends and family join us to celebrate. It was a full house! Tons of fun.

Present time!! Jackson didn't have much to do with presents this year, as to be expected. His sister, however, had a BLAST opening each and every one!

1st birthday quilt made by Grandma B.
modeling his 'little rockstar' tshirt from Aunt Sarah & Ashley

And then it was cake time!! Immediately after I took the wrapper off of his cupcake, Jackson slammed his hand right through the middle of it and mushed it around in his fingers a bit before he put a huge chunk in his mouth. After that first bite, it was gone! He really enjoyed it, and didn't have a problem drinking down a sippy cup of milk afterward :-)

after Mommy blew out the candle

first bite...

then....GONE! one happy boy!

cousins Powell & Lola and friend Madison enjoying cupcakes with Lily

Jackson received to very special gifts this year on his 1st birthday from both grandparents.

Below is the heirloom rocking chair that Grandma & Grandpa L. got for Jackson, which he opened on his actual birthday. It has his name and birthdate engraved behind his head (in the picture). Lily received one for her 1st birthday also, so now they can sit and rock together!

And the picture below is a closer look at the quilt that Grandma B. made for Jackson. Just beautiful...so detailed and with vibrant colors!

We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who love Jackson as much as we do. Thank you for making this birthday so memorable for us and for him!