Happy Birthday Tori!

On Saturday our baby girl, Victoria Melody Joy turned three! Hard to believe...She daily continues to amaze us! (Potty training, no problem! We don't even use diapers at night!) To celebrate Tori's birthday we rented a bounce house and had a party yesterday with friends and family. Here are a few photos:

Tori blows out her ice cream cone cupcake.

Pink cupcake, please mommy!

The Jones drove out (despite Carson not feeling well!!) to help us celebrate!

Thanks to everybody who came out to help us celebrate!

Four Months Old...(and other news)

...and so big! Joshua weighed in at 14 lbs, 12 oz at his four-month check up. It's hard to believe he's been with us for three months already. He is such a happy boy. He loves to smile and laugh and is so ticklish! Josh is enrolled in the Early Start/Special Ed program in Madera County and so meets regularly with a teacher. He has not be described as delayed, but they want him in the program as a preventative measure.

Tori is working real hard on potty-training, we still use diapers at night, but she is doing so well. I hope to post a video of the potty-training celebratory dance soon.

Lizzie is excelling in school. Her class went on a field trip to the Sugar Pine Railroad last week that was very exciting. Not only did they get to ride the train, but it snowed the entire time. It was so beautiful!

Kevin is also excelling in his classes and being the full-time caregiver. He is aceing his classes (he's so stinkn' smart!) and is really enjoying them. Better yet, he is a phenomenal father, so this time for him being home is very precious. He has taken on some pastoral duties at our church...he's being called the Life Coach...he marries, buries and counsels people. He also in in charge of our blossoming small group ministry (Flipside Fusion). We feel so blessed to be a part of this incredible church plant in the Ranchos.

Official three month pictures!

Swim Lessons and the MCC Sale

We spent this last weekend with Lizzie and Tori starting swim lessons and attending the annual MCC sale. The MCC sale is also known as the West Coast Relief sale, benefiting the Mennonite Central Committee. It's pretty much a magnet for any Mennonites in the area. Can you say, fritters, verinka, German sausage, and of course, zweibach? YUM! They raise hundreds of thousands of dollars every year! Did you know that often times the Mennonites are the first to arrive in an emergency situation? Just a bit of interesting information.

The girls always get fun balloon hats...this year Lizzie chose a joker hat and Tori an angel.


Anyway, we had a great time and saw lots of friends; including one I haven't seen in at least 15 years (great to see you Kari Just-Kirkwood!).

The girls started swim lessons at Break the Barriers this weekend. Lizzie did great, while for Tori, these were her first lessons and she was a little less sure. She definitely was not interested in blowing bubbles for Coach Steve. (but we've been practicing in the tub and are ready for next Saturday!)




All the while Josh stayed bundled up in the stroller.

We ended the weekend at a friend's birthday party. Joshua is already proving to be a ladies man, as the girls were lining up to hold him.

Easter 2007

Happy Easter! What a great day we had yesterday. First we had a fantastic service at church. We invited 3 families to join us at church and all 3 did. How cool is that? After the service the kids (137 of them!) hunted for approximately 9,000 plastic eggs. Wow! We then proceeded to my parents house where we hosted over 50 people for lunch. After lunch we hid LOTS of real eggs for about 12 egg hunters (ages 2 - 12!) We had lots of fun. Joshua really seemed to enjoy the day...he took a 4 hour nap - missing lunch and the egg hunt.

Happy Birthday Lizzie!

On Wednesday, April 4, our oldest daughter, Lizzie turned 7. Unbelievable! Where has time gone? Lizzie opted to have a spy adventure party this year. We hosted about 20 kids (girls AND boys!) at my parent's house for some birthday fun. It was our first co-ed party. With the help of some high schoolers from church (thanks Joe, Shawn, Jaclyn, Sam, Jenna and Emily!) we ran some 'spy adventure' games. It was pretty cool. Some kids even came in disguise!

Lizzie with her camo hat.

Lizzie incognito.
Sisters in disguise.
Cake time!

How are you going to celebrate Easter???

One huge outdoor service at Liberty High School!

10AM with a huge easter egg hunt for kids following the service. Thousands of candy filled eggs to find!

Special children's program at the LHS theatre for children through 6th grade!

Don't miss this special service designed especially for you this Easter!

We aren’t your grandfather’s church. The music is fast and loud; the children are a priority; non church people are a focus; and we love Jesus more than we care about religious rules.

Come join us at Flipside Christian Church Sunday, Liberty High Madera Ranchos
Hwy 41 North; Ave. 12 West (6 miles) Corner of Ave 12 and Rd 36.

This Easter we've planned a great experience for you.

Anyone for a spot of tea?

On the last day of school before spring break, Lizzie's teacher invited her students to a formal tea party! They had lunch in their classroom with her fine china. They wore very nice clothes and even had escorts. The tea was based on a lesson the teacher had taught that week on manners. What a great way to tie everything together. It was wonderful! They kids were so excited. Lizzie, in particular, loved having an escort. Her escort was Kannan Valentine.
a close-up
At the party