Peter turns 5!!

So we "decided" that from here on out we will only do friend birthday parties on even birthday years and just do something fun as a family on the odds.  I really love making cakes and having parties so we will see how well I handle this new arrangement! ha ha  Peter still loves sharks and we had heard that the Omaha zoo had a fun aquarium so we thought it would be fun to go check it out.  The zoo was fun but by far the aquarium was worth the drive and the money!

The giant great white at the entrance was a great start to the exhibit!  I think Peter had a perma grin through the whole thing!  

 Naomi even loved all the fun things to see!

 There were lots of fun places to explore and see!  These little viewing bubbles totally tripped Naomi out, she wouldn't go in cause she thought she would fall!

 Here is the shark tunnel!  Peter could barely contain himself!  When we walking in he started jumping up and down exclaiming "this is awesome!!"  They had 3 or 4 different kinds of sharks, sea turtles and some other cool fish.

 I always love the jellyfish!  I love how they light them up!

 Here is the Pacific octopus we saw, which they loved since the had recently watched "Wild Kratticus"

 It was fun to be this up close to a giraffe, you really appreciate how tall they are!

 We of course had to have a turn sitting on the rhino

 The gorilla house was lots of fun too!  They kept playing peek a boo with the boys and would follow them along as they walked.  The boys just kept giggling.

 Getting wet ( so we were totally unprepared for the weather, it was freezing which is why Isaac and Naomi were still in their pj's) even though it was so cold!

 Peter wanted cheesecake for his birthday, so after the zoo we hit up the Cheesecake Factory.  So yummy, and they surprised Peter with a song which apparently he thought was too loud!  Isaac also cried again.

He got an awesome animal encyclopedia from grandpa Jensen that he spends hours looking at! 

 He still wanted a cake so I let him decorate his own this year, he loved it!

 and so did Naomi...

 Daddy made him some apple pancakes for breakfast

 He got some money from grandma Clara which he was thrilled about and stated...I'm rich!

 dinosaur shirt and snake book from grandma McKinney

 He has been asking for a fishing pole forever so we finally got him one...and he spent so much time casting off the deck into the back yard until he tangled the line into knots.

Overall I think he had a great birthday!  I just can't believe we have a 5 year old!  His thirst for answers sometimes drives me crazy, but I hope he never stops asking questions.  He loves to laugh and will talk your ear off if you let him.  He has an amazing memory and loves to read.  His life goal right now is to swim with sharks, go on a mission, go to college get married in the temple and have like 13 kids!  lol  We love you!

Oklahoma

We met up with our good friends from Texas for our yearly vacation at the beginning of September.  We went to lake Eufala, Ok this year and had a wonderful visit!  The house and grounds did not have all the amenities the last one did but the lake was amazing!   

The kiddos couldn't wait for the smores!    

We were planning to go to Jellystone lake on Saturday but then we found out it had just closed for the season so we ended up at a local county fair. The 4-H room was lots of fun.

 

 And we saw a rather large collection of chickens...who knew there were so many!

 The lake was the best part.  Sandy bottom, clear water, warm and the best part was that it was shallow for a super long way so the kiddos could play and we didn't have to worry about anything!

 In honor of Peter and Sadie's upcoming birthday we had ice cream one night and Maren lit a candle for Peter.  He thought that was pretty cool, but poor Isaac burst into tears.

 Still grumpy about the candle!

It was so much fun!  Just to relax, catch up and enjoy good company.  I am still surprised every time at how well all our kids play together!  So grateful for good friends and good times!

August excitement

Our first month in our new home has been a lot of fun.  The kiddos have had so much fun exploring!  We have found so many little critters in our yard; giant grasshoppers, preying mantis, snakes, worms...I actually got a picture of some of the more fun ones.  Here the boys are with the baby bunny Alan found while mowing the yard.  I thought for sure it would scratch and try to bite us, but I think the poor thing was so scared it didn't know what to do.  So that meant everyone got a turn holding it and petting it.  Oh how the boys wanted to keep it!  But after loving it for about an hour they decided to let it live "free and in the wild"

 Naomi has really started trying to be a big girl and wants to do everything just like us.  She has a little meltdown if she doesn't get her own fork to eat with!

 This was a particularly crazy day, one of those days when everytime you turn your back someone was getting into something...I think Alan had stepped out of the bathroom to do something with Isaac and Naomi decided it was time for her bath!  And of course Peter who was still in the tub let her jump right on it!

 After watching Lilo and Stitch Peter wanted to dress his sister up as a Hula girl...I think she loved the attention!

 The boys have been sneaking my camera a lot lately so I get lots of random blurry pictures, but these ones weren't too bad!  I seem to remember doing something similar as a child.  No clue that they are incriminating themselves!

 Here is Peter's favorite discovery in the yard so far, his blue tailed skink.  I am impressed he caught it and his tail is still intact!

 For the life of me I can't remember what Peter had dressed himself up as but I couldn't pass up posting a picture of it!

 And Issac is all for anything that gets him as close to naked as possible! :)

 Here is Maxilla our caterpillar that we tried to raise.  Alan found it while clearing some weeds/brush in the yard.  The boys were SO excited, we went everyday and picked milkweed and cleaned out her jar.  She was doing so good and then after she started hanging upside down to get ready for the chrysalis, she died.  Sad.  maybe we will have better luck next time.

 My parents and two younger sisters came to visit over Labor day weekend to see the new house and to help with some work in the yard.  We have 12 or so trees in our actual yard and many more that hang over the back fence and they were in need of some pruning, as well as the landscaping.  It was amazing how much work we got done with all the extra help.  The kiddos were thrilled that grandma and grandpa brought their new puppy Marty.  They were in heaven, but after getting knocked over a couple times Naomi liked playing with Marty through the window best!