Summer fun

We have had a lot of fun this summer already, we have had swimming lessons, beach trips, free movie trips, tons o play dates!, and lots of other lucky stuff, but due to my great camera malfunction all I've been able to get pictures of this summer have been at the beach, because I stole my sisters camera! Our ward is so cool, they have something fun to do everyday for the kids, and one day was beach day! So we braved taking kids without dads, and it turned out pretty well, it was a little crazy at the end trying to get 3 kids showered off before we got into the car.. you know I'd wash one, then as I began to wash the other the newly showered one would walk back into the sand...but it was actually a really fun day! I love going to the beach every summer, because its fun to reflect on how much they have changed in just a year! Last year Jake would never have gotten into the water very far by himself, and this year he was in over his head before I knew it! We cant wait for more beach days this summer!

Jake and JP braving the ocean! I dont think either one of them would have gone out very far if it hadnt been for the other, but it was Jake that stayed out the longest!

Jake and JP good buddies!

Lily and Jessica, getting into trouble! All of a sudden they would disappear and be halfway down the beach, after one such trip down the beach Jessica said "I was just following Lily".. and Lily said "I was just following Jessica!"

A very happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July everybody! We love Independence day in our family! Besides being the birth of our country, it is also my sister's bday, and Nephi's bday is the next day. So we had a lot of fun, first we got together with my family and had a fun day at my uncles parents house. They had a beautiful backyard with a huge pond in it, that even had a little rowboat in it to ride around in, the kids loved it! We all had a great time! Then we went over for our annual trek to the Azusa war zone. In Azusa it is still legal to light off your own fireworks, and while that is great and all, it doesnt stop very many people from shooting off the illegal ones too. So it drives the kids crazy, they love it, but they are pretty nervous about it by the end of the night, the only exception was actually Cody, who sat and enjoyed more than the other 2 did! funny, huh? Even more proof that he is more like Nephi! We all had fun, and Independence day activities ended with Nephi's bday today, 30 years old!

The birthday cake, America and all of the rest of the Packer's we've missed recently, not to mention Nephi! and you too Ri!

Lily's hair! Didnt it look awesome?

Grandpa giving Cody a ride in the boat, he loved it!

Erin giving Lily and Jake a ride

The kids, complaining about their food as usual!Even though we had super yummy food!

The firework watching in Azusa. Prior to this picture I had to beg Lily to put her hands down from her ears!

Lily in her normal position for the night, next to her little cousin Nathan.

I have realized that I never really put up any pictures of myself, so I decided I should, besides this one actually turned out kinda cute! At least Lily anyway!

Updates from June!! Sorry so late!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I blogged! I have gotten so caught up with school, and with Jake being out of school, and keeping the kids busy, that I havent yet shown off the funnest events of the last few months! So, first Jakey graduated kindergarten... I know its amazing! haha... kindergarten graduations are so funny, but they are fun! At Jakes school they call it the celebration of growth, so it really makes the whole event reflect on the fact that a whole year has passed and they really have grown so much! So now I have a first grader! yeah!

Okay, next on the agenda after the graduation, was Lily's ballet recital, which turned out to be one of the funnest events we have ever been too! I am actually a huge fan of the ballet, so I would normally look forward to something like that in general, but to have your own daughter in it made it so much more enthralling! Hopefully soon I will figure out how to put the video of it up so I can share my daughters amazing talent! Seriously though, she did so well, and had so much fun doing it! I cannot wait until next year!

Then we had Jake's last T-ball game of the season, uneventful, but fun all the same, I got some real good shots of him at bat, and he actually did really well at bat this last game. T-ball has been a fun experience, but I am so glad it is over!

Lastly Jake turned 6 yrs old! My baby! Nephi made the cake for his birthday, because at first he wanted a lego cake, which I was all excited to do, but at the last minute he changed his mind and said he wanted an army cake! So Nephi took over, and did a great job! As per usual! The picture turned out kinda fuzzy, but the candles make it look even more like the horrible battle scene it was, and believe me it was horrible, random limbs, explosions in the cake itself, it was definitely a battlefield!

So that raps up the end of the year events that I took way too long to get out there! Now, I just need to catch up on all of the fun activities we have been up to since school let out! and of course Nephi's birthday, watch out for the cake I made him!

The army cake

Jake with his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Johnson, on the last day of school.

Jake with his T-ball coach, this guy was so awesome!

Jake's last at bat

Lily and Hailey with their trophies! Thanks Jamie and Colin!

Lily looking cute in her tutu!

Lily with her friend from her old ballet class, she was so excited to see Addie, it was great!

Last but not least! Jake recieving his kinder diploma! Cute, huh?

Its my birthday!

Its my birthday today, and although I usually like to avoid it and forget about it, it already started out really well! But, what began the day, was finding the awesome cake that my hubby made me! Didnt it turn out awesome? Now everyone completely knows how much Nephi not only influences but perfects all the cakes we do!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! I LOVE Easter! Especially since I teach primary, because this way, not only do I remember the savior and the atonement, but I have to study it and think of new ways to creatively teach it. I had a really good sunday today. My kids had a real good time with their easter egg hunts and fun primary lessons, but my primary kids actually listened to 75% of the lesson! pretty good huh? Seriously though, I think after last weeks conference I was much better prepared to fully enjoy and truly appreciate Easter today. I hope everyone else had a good Easter!

Tutus and CARS!

Lily and Jake have had a very exciting and fun past few weeks. Not only did we go to Baja last week, but the week before that Lily had her first Ballet recital! She was awesome! I had been forewarned by other parents that I shouldnt expect much, and that she most likely would be running to me. She didnt do any of that! It was a very short recital, there was just her class, and about 2 songs. So it was short and sweet, and she danced every step (almost) and really paid attention to what she was doing! She really was adorable. So the picture above is her with her teacher after the performance. I will get the video of her as soon as I can but I videoed it with the camcorder and I have no idea how to get it on the computer, so hopefully soon! Oh yeah and I made Lilys tutu isnt it cute?

Jakes school put on the KINDY500! We had to make a car and the only real stipulations were that he had to be able to carry it around all day at school comfortably. So Nephi went to work and created a masterpiece first shaping a box, and then shaping "Lightning" out of foam-o-fill stuff, then he added a thin paper skin. The paint job looks awesome, huh? and the tires are marie calendar pie tins, so they have that really shiny rim! Jake felt really cool all day at school. They did the coolest things too. They had drive ins for drinks and popcorn, and a drive in movie! The had some of the Police Officer dads in uniform there writing tickets for a red light green light game! It was so much fun! We cannot wait until Lilys turn, she already wants a pink car! What a fun and extremely busy couple of weeks we had!

Grandchild trip 2009

Every year, my grandparents take the grandchildren down to their house in Mexico for a week of fun without parents. However, as we, the grandchildren, have gotten older older there have been fewer and fewer grandchildren to take. So they have begun to include the grandchildren and the great grandchildren! So the last few years I have been included once again in the granchild spring breaks in Mexico. We had so much fun, we spent 6 days in Mexico this time, and fully enjoyed every minute of it!
This is our little fam in our fabulously famous BAJA shirts!

Nephi and Colin goofing off before snorkeling

Nephi and Colin getting ready for snorkeling.. you like Colins pose?

Lily danced and pranced all week for some reason, this is only one of the many pics of her dancing. Arabesques that she learned from ballet, cute, huh?

Jake literally JUMPED into the ocean, without any coaxing or prodding or begging! I was shocked! He was braver than I was, I couldnt make it past my waist!

Shell hunting

Best and worst friends. What is it about 2 and 3 year old girls? Their emotions are like light switches that turn off and on like crazy!

Nephis big project this year was painting a surfboard that has been left in the house for future use. Not that we used it at all, but it looked cute. It has the footprints of Jake, Lily, Hailey, and Cody. Hailey is Colins little girl. Isnt it cute?

My cute kids loved the quads!

We cannot wait until next year! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa, we love you!