This past week was filled with more celebration as we closed out the great birthday season of 2012. Jacoby and I visited Morgan's preschool class with treats and had fun hanging out with the little kids (who thought it was very cool to have a big kid visiting their class). The boys helped me make a card for Justin to celebrate his birthday. He and I enjoyed an evening out while Aunt Jill babysat during their visit with us last weekend. So, everyone has been celebrated and we've all turned another year older--birthday season is always a whirlwind, but it's also one of my favorite times of year.

Now we're looking forward to signs of spring and longer days. Our weather is unseasonably warm and I'm sure we're due for another major snow storm or two, but I love the longer days and seeing my tulips starting to appear. The boys love playing out in the backyard by themselves (definitely no grown ups allowed when they're out there doing their thing). I think they feel very independent and grown up. They can't wait to have the sand table and slide out. They're also very interested in riding their bikes, so it's nice to be getting out, soaking up the vitamin D, and shaking off the remnants of winter.

We enjoyed a day of spring skiing last weekend up at Mary Jane (with everyone else in Colorado!). It was a gorgeous day and we had a great time. Each boy tried out skiing on their own. Jacoby is getting a good handle on snow plowing. I notice he watches other kids intently, so he's definitely working hard to figure it out. Morgan enjoyed "skiing on his own", which basically meant pointing his skis straight down the hill until he ran into me, laughing and giggling all the way. I am impressed with the balance he's gained but he's going to be a terror on the slopes one day when we turn him loose. I am getting quite proficient at skiing and snowplowing backwards!

March is one of the busiest months for medical appointments for us. We had an endocrinology appointment last week, and Jacoby has grown another inch and gained 2 pounds. He's up at the 90th percentile now! Doctor wants him up at the 100th, so there's a little more catching up to do and then it will be all about maintaining growth until he's a big guy. Overall, he's grown 8 inches and gained 18 pounds since June 2010. Next up is an OT/PT check just to see how things are progressing with his development. He's writing his name and other words with quite a bit of confidence, so I don't expect any surprises. Both boys see the pediatrician for well-checks and then we're done until April when Morgan goes in to see the allergist. I've got weird things going on with my eyeballs again. The hemorrhages from last year haven't gone away, and I'm going to be having a bunch of tests done in April to rule out the possible development of glaucoma. Since I have 20/20 vision and don't have any symptoms for all of this, the stuff going on behind the scenes is a little unsettling. But hopefully we'll know more next month.

Justin finishes up teaching for the quarter this evening. He'll be off for the next week before heading to Utah next weekend to present at the SBL conference in Provo. I think his students have done well. They were very excited last night when he showed up with passages from the New Testament (in Greek) for them to read and discovered they could do it!

I'm busy at work and at home--lots of projects going on plus some spring cleaning. I'm also trying to increase the mileage on my runs to get ready for a 10K race at the end of May. I'm hoping to take the boys to Montana during their spring break and while Justin is in Utah in a few weeks. And since I have no interest in getting stuck in the middle of Wyoming, I'm waiting to see what the weather is going to do before making it official (and informing my little travel partners).

We hope you all are having a good week!

Birthday treats with Morgan's class

We brought rice krispies dipped in chocolate with sprinkles

Daddy with his boys on his birthday

Playing in the backyard

Morgan and Mommy on the slopes

Our two snow bunnies...check out the sea of cars behind them!

Our littlest snow bunny

Jacoby and Daddy coming down the slope

Jacoby on his strider bike

Morgan the Fearless on his trike

Wild Things

Little Man is Three!

Happy 3rd Birthday to Morgan!

We've had a wonderful day celebrating Morgan today. He wanted to go to the museum "with no scary dinosaurs", so we packed everyone up and headed to the Children's Museum in Denver. Everyone had a great time. We came back for lunch and naps and then opened presents. Morgan received tons of new treasures and his brother and cousins made sure he new how everything worked. (: Morgan requested spaghetti for dinner and then enjoyed ice cream cone cupcakes for his birthday treat. Aunt Jill initiated a puppet show and balloon games. It was a great day, and we've had a great weekend with the cousins.

I can't believe my littlest boy is three already! I've been savoring every "little" part about him because he's growing up so fast. Morgan is sweet, funny, smart, friendly, and so loving. I love when he sings, especially when he breaks into his own renditions of Old MacDonald/Bingo and Rudolph the Nose Red Deer. I love when he rubs my back and tells me he'll take care of me when I'm sick. He's a great little brother and is one of few people who easily brings Jacoby out of his shell. We love this little boy to pieces!

Balloon decorations

Ice cream cupcakes (a.k.a., disaster with frosting...not even kidding)

Morgan has been talking about the fire truck at the museum for weeks

A very busy scientist

Opening a big box of presents with help on the way!

New instruments!

Enjoying a cupcake

Enjoying a puppet show with Aunt Jill

More Celebration and Ice Castles

We celebrated Jacoby's birthday as a family on Saturday. He wanted to go swimming for his birthday activity, so we went to a great rec center and had fun all morning. Morgan liked the lazy river best, and Jacoby and I were regulars on the water slide. He asked for meatloaf for his birthday dinner, so we dined and then had popcorn cake for a treat. I think he had a great birthday.

On Sunday, we journeyed up to Silverthorne to see the Ice Castles with our friends. It was a chilly day in the mountains, but it was nice to spend time in the fresh air with friends.

Our week has been relatively uneventful. Morgan had lab work done on Monday for food allergies and handled two pokes in his arm like a champ. He didn't cry or make a peep--such a brave little man!

We're looking forward to Aunt Jill and the Cousins visiting this weekend and celebrating Morgan's birthday, of course. This will probably be the last time we see them before they move to Georgia, so we're going to savor each moment with our esteemed guests. (:

We hope you all are doing well and are having a great week!

Jacoby went on another treasure hunt to find birthday presents. This is a marble run from Grandpa Bill & Grandma Pam.

Here's his popcorn birthday cake

Me and my big 5-year old

Me and my almost 3-year old

Entrance to the Ice Castles

Very pretty

Inside the Ice Castles

The boy is 5!

Happy 5th Birthday to Jacoby today! We're so excited for our big 5-year old!

He's had a wonderful year and we're so proud of the many things he's accomplished: lots of growing, handling all of his medications, including a shot in the bottom each evening, like a champ, catching up on several developmental milestones, being a good friend at preschool and an awesome big brother, and learning all sorts of things through his play, imagination, and curiosity. I will always look back on this past year with a smile because I think its been a year full of recovery, renewal, and resilience in the life of this boy. Jacoby is smart, kind, gentle, full of energy and enthusiasm, funny, fiercely independent (no idea were this comes from), and is just a really great kid. I'm so blessed to be his mom and look forward to each and every day with him.

I made rainbow cake push-pops for Jacoby's preschool class. I have yet to find an allergy-friendly cake recipe that is both tasty and sturdy. These definitely fell into the tasty category, but were tricky and messy to assemble because they were so delicate (1 or 2 curses may have been uttered). But since perfection was not the goal and the Pre-Kers gave a unanimous thumbs-up vote, I think they were a very successful birthday treat.

The boys love the new Laurie Berkner Band cd/dvd called "Party Day", which is all about parties, celebration, balloons, color, and fun, so that's sort of our theme for birthdays this year. The balloons were a huge hit, and Justin did a great job with his number 5.

I hung out with Jacoby's class today during circle time and for snack time. The push cakes were hugely popular and Morgan got invited to come celebrate with the big kids. He blended right in and even joined in a serious...I mean very serious...game of Hungry Hippos. Morgan informed me that we need to have this game at our house. I love spending time with Jacoby's classmates and his teachers. It reminds me of how grateful we are to have our kids in such a great school.

We had a dinner of squidlers (which sort of weird me out), watermelon (per request of the birthday boy), and sparkly drink. Then Jacoby went on a treasure hunt with picture clues that led him to presents. Mommy and Daddy got him his first bucket of Legos and, thanks to payment from a research project we've been a part of at Children's Hospital, Jacoby has graduated to a booster seat for the car. It was a great day!