My Little Pork Chop

EJ had his first pork chop tonight. I used to love them when I was a little girl and I have a picture just like this one as a little girl. Makes me smile.

Clifford

Clifford and his friends had a limited engagement at the Omaha Children's Museum. It was advertised incessantly on the PBS station so EJ kept telling me he wanted to see Clifford. We finally made our way there with Grandma Bobbie to see the larger than life pooch.

Here's Clifford, EJ, Grandma & Clifford's owner, Emily Elizabeth.



Climbing on Clifford was fun. EJ also liked taking Clifford's "bones" and putting them on the conveyer belt his dish along with all the other little boys in the exhibit!





Here's EJ kissing Cleo. Her job was to teach about friendship and sharing. EJ didn't mind sharing kisses, that's for sure!



We got to enjoy the rest of the museum too. Here's EJ & Grandma playing with the big Lite Brites.

Our Own Busy Bee

Today was EJ's first day of pre-school! He goes to Busy Bee Preschool and that name fits him perfectly.



This is his teacher, Miss Deb. She's everything you would want in a preschool teacher. She's sweet, patient and kind. A lovely person, indeed.



EJ's first piece of art. It's a poem about the first book they read called, The Kissing Hand. It's a precious story about Chester the Racoon who doesn't want to leave his mommy to go to school. So, she plants a kiss on his hand and he can touch his it anytime to feel close to his mom. The teacher had the kids make a hand print with a heart in it and then when they came out from school they all had heart stamps on their hands to give us love too. It was really sweet.



Miss Deb said EJ had a great first day and was a super friend and helper. Thank goodness for that news. We'll see what next week brings!

Labor Day Fun

My cousin and her family came for the long weekend. EJ & Ally are the same age and Katelynn is 1. We had a ton of fun visiting the zoo, children's museum, Sunken Gardens and the local playground.

The kids had a great time at the zoo! They rode horses, fed goats, and saw lots of animals. They loved riding the train around the museum and checking out the engine.







Kate was adorable with her corn! The bigger kids got to enjoy sprinkle doughnuts on outside one morning while sitting in the wagon.







My cousin, Chalayne & I at the Sunken Gardens. The flowers are in full bloom and are absolutely gorgeous.

Eric's Birthday

We had a fun birthday celebration for Eric. My mom and EJ made his cake and had lots of fun decorating it. The weather was beautiful so we were able to celebrate outside.

Lake Maloney

Carri & Paul bought a house on Lake Maloney and we were invited out last weekend. They have a beautiful property with an amazing view. It was so relaxing and the kids had fun. Here's EJ & Dana swimming.



EJ jumped off the dock with Eric...once. He will love it when he gets older but for now he would rather "just swim."



We had lots of fun on the boat Saturday afternoon. It was EJ's first boat ride and he was a little nervous but seemed to like it overall. Dana, on the other hand, loves waterskiing and did a great job. It's been a few years since Eric was on a wakeboard but you wouldn't know it by watching him. He was up quickly and able to enjoy the ride. Ryan liked riding in front of the boat watching all the action on the lake.






Here's the sunset from their deck. It was spectacular. The first Nebraska sunset that has ever compared to a Colorado one...In my book at least!



On a fun note, EJ used the "big" potty at their house and did a great job all weekend with no accidents. When EJ would go, Paul would sing the song he made up and give him a "lopsapop," which is how EJ says "popsicle." EJ loved the song and the treat. Since being home, I've sang the song a hundred times and given him tons of popsicles for the great progress he is making. It's been well worth the investment! A big thanks to Paul for his enthusiasm!!

Disneyland!

The highlight of our California trip was the day we spent at Disneyland for EJ's 3rd birthday. Here are some of the highlights.



Grandma, Kellie & I found some fun shirts at the mall to bring along for our special day!



It's not a trip to Disneyland without getting your ears. Grandpa Michael got E.J. his "birthday ears" right when we arrived.



The Buzz Lightyear ride was a favorite. You could score points by shooting your astro blaster at the laser targets.



Even waiting in line is fun at Disneyland when Uncle Andy & Kellie are there! Kellie had a good supply of popcorn and candy for EJ which made the wait time go by fast.



Kellie, EJ & I had a blast flying up, down and around on Dumbo.



EJ loved his time on the carosal with Grandma.



A day full of smiles and laughter!



We got to see all the characters up close during the Parade. EJ loves Toy Story so it was a treat to have Woody and Jessie right in front of us on Main Street.



Our final celebration was at the house when Kellie made her special cookie dessert with candles and EJ got his Disneyland birthday presents...an astroblaster and a flashing Buzz Lightyear. A dream come true for a 3 year-old boy!

I'm "Phree"

EJ turned 3 on August 13th so we were able to celebrate with both our families again this year. After the beach trip, I flew to Dallas for work and Eric and EJ flew to Colorado. On Friday, I flew in just in time to make it for games at Chucky Cheese's and Lighting McQueen cake.

As many of you know, EJ shares a birthday with Tricia. We had plans to see her for a quick celebration before her fabulous birthday date night but my flight was delayed for two hours after aborting take off out of Dallas. Thankfully, we got a few minutes with Tricia where she gave EJ a panda bear she got for him in China. EJ loves his panda! He is named "Po" after the Panda in Kung Fu Panda. EJ's Po does a lot of "kung fu" moves with EJ's assistance! (Notice he still has his Disney ears on!)



Here's EJ at Chucky Cheese's trying to play Skee Ball. Thank goodness they don't have any rules about staying off the actual Skee Ball alley!



EJ with Daddy after earning his superstar glasses!



More games and fun...





My mom made EJ a Lightening McQueen cake. That's a tough task in and of itself but she also found Blue Bell ice cream for our celebration! Blue Bell is the most delicious ice cream and it's only in Texas. We've missed it dearly since moving away so how she pulled this off...I don't know!!



Here is EJ on his new scooter. He acutally does pretty well on it. He can't wait to get home and show Jayden his new scooter...it's just like hers!

Beach Trip

2010 brought another visit to Southern California. The first few days we spent time with Grandma, Kelly & Uncle Andy on the beach and at the condo. Here are some of our favorite shots!















EJ kept wanting his hair "spicy" like Uncle Andy's. He meant "spiky" and Andy was happy to show him how it's done.





Our annual picture on the Pier in San Clemente!