Happy 5th Birthday, Jason!

Happy Birthday to my sweet 5-year-old Jason! He has THE sweet smile of anyone I've ever known. He gives the best hugs and still loves to snuggle with his mama. He is a typical, rambunctuous boy, but is thoughtful and funny. Five years ago I was so thankful for his long awaited birth and I still think he was the most beautiful newborn ever! Happy Birthday to my Boo-Boo!

Jason's Jake and the Neverland Pirates Party

The Motley Crew

...walking the plank in pursuit of the treasure

tiptoeing past Tic-Toc Croc...

Coley beating it out of the pirate ship piñata.

My boy turns five this month, which means he got to plan a big party for friends. He's been talking about the said party for six months now and had the same four friends on his list. I convinced him to do a pirate party, since it goes with his favorite show. He's spent the last two months making "pirate maps" and planning details like what order we should do everything! I had fun planning the details, like the treasure hunt, and decorating for the party, but I'm sure glad we only do these parties every few years!

VACATION 2011

This is our cabin that we stayed in with my parents.

Jeff and Jason bonding while barbecuing...precious!

Highlights: Jeff's beautifully bbq-ed turkey!; not having sleep in the same room as kids anymore; remnants of snow and a quiet mountain atmosphere; relaxing, stress-free time in a cozy cabin; spending Thanksgiving with the greater Case clan at a massive cabin they had rented nearby; sledding at a nearby snow park (see our Christmas card).

Challenges: none to speak of on this part of the journey! We didn't want to come home! But we'll never forget Shaver Lake entirely drained.

VACATION 2011

Our family had a WONDERFUL vacation this year! We spent 4 nights in Yosemite and then 4 nights in Shaver Lake over Thanksgiving weekend. WE were so excited to show our kids Yosemite (a childhood favorite vacation spot for both me and Jeff). It may have been a little cold for them to fully appreciate it though.

Highlights: Snow on the way into Yosemite (chains required); Walking around, enjoying the sites of Yosemite and bringing back all the memories of going there as kids; kids ice skating for the first time; BEAUTY of God's creation (one of them asked "is this real?" which is a clear indication of too much Disneyland).

Challenges: 6 of us in one hotel room (sleeping with a new kid every night is not always enjoyable); 32 degree cold during the day; car sick kid (not a pretty sight).

Catch Up

What we're up to this year....school, of course!

Monkey see, monkey do...that's my Ashley. She wants to "do school" all the time, which means she practices things like colors and body parts and then she gets a candy. Of course, she HAD to have a school picture taken.

And apparently she needed to be in Big Sister's photo too. Shelby started second grade this year. I really couldn't ask for an easier student. She really teaches herself A LOT! But I'm really enjoying my time with her this year. She's one smart cookie!

My sweet boy started preschool this fall. He is finally ready to sit down and learn (rather than the running around learning he did for the first 4 1/2 years of his life). I decided to teach him at home this year and he's doing great!

Tea for Two

Nema took Shelby to tea before we headed back to school. The pics are priceless.

Caleb Has a Room!

So, now that I have some time (and more importantly moved the toddler out of the nursery) Caleb can have his own room! Small twist on our former nurseries...

We've branched out a bit to sports other than football....but only the acceptables ones (that being basketball and baseball, not soccer). So at six months, we are finally ready for our little one! He'll never remember that he first had to sleep in my closet, though he's still quite comfy when napping in there.

Shelby is 7

Happy Birthday to my wonderful oldest child! Shelby is such a sweet and graceful girl. She loves playing with dolls, but still has a bit tom-boy in her. She is such a caring big sister and a great student. It has been my joy to be her mom and teacher. I love how much she has grown in knowledge of her Lord over the last year and has even tried to share Jesus with some of her gymnastics friends. We are so proud to be her parents. God truly blessed us with her!

Happy Birthday to Ashley!

My baby girl is two today! She is so much fun and has quite the personality. She adores her siblings...especially her brothers. She sings all the time and joins in with Mommy, making up silly words to familiar tunes. She loves shoes, a trait she did not inherit from her mother. She will wear her boots even when she's wearing nothing else. Thanks to Nema, she can now master the art of wearing platform flip flops.

Ashley sure gives us plenty of entertainment! We enjoy her so much!

By request...videos of the big kids

Happy Birthday, Auntie Steph!

We love you and miss you SO MUCH!

Happy Resurrection Day!

It was strange not going to Easter services on Sunday ("He is risen" doesn't seem to work as well on Saturday night, but the worship was still great!) It was nice to be able to do the Resurrection Eggs with the kids on Easter morning before family arrived. I love EASTER!

the babies with Nema (yes, Ashley is still my baby)

Most of the Case Cousins

Great-Grandma's 90th

Enjoying Great-Grandma's backyard. It's fun to know that my kids will have memories of great-grandparents. I never met any of mine!

I share this photo to tell you all that I am NOT okay with how old my boy looks in this photo! Slow down, JD! I want you to stay little!

I have now celebrated 90th birthdays for three of my Grandparents! People live a long time these days! But it was a great celebration of a full life. Thanks, Aunt Janny & Aunt Carol, for throwing the party!

Jethawks' Opening Day

Apparently, the Jethawks forgot that it is supposed to be SPRING when you kick off the season. We had tickets to opening night and it was a balmy 39 degrees! But it was a fun night with grandparents. No pictures of Caleb....he was under a blanket the whole night!

We lasted about an hour and a half into the game (as did most of the crowd) and it took me two hours under my electric blanket to feel warm again!

What the Big Kids are Up to!

Jason's "Kings' Car" that he and Daddy made for Cubbies' car night.

Shelby got a medal at church for memorizing Psalm 139:1-12.

The Chunky Monkey at Three Months

My happy boy! I'm enjoying him SO MUCH! Savoring it!

Caleb's new room. Yes, it may look like a closet, but he's not complaining. I think he appreciates that he has his own room!

Apparently he is happy to be armed!

And he is concerned at the amount of enjoyment his mother gets out of his cute hats.

We have another baby who loves his blanky! He's a snuggler.

Catching Up...

Sorry I'm so behind (for the three people out there who actually read my blog). If pregnancy was little excuse, four children and homeschooling is definitely an excuse. Since it is spring break, I'll do a bit of blogging.....mainly so my dad stops complaining. (But also because I love you, Dad!)

Here is our little angel (he really is!) at his first hockey game. He was 2 1/2 months old. So far, it doesn't look like there was any permanent damage done by the loud noise and the flashing lights (he was quite obsessed with the jumbotron).

Here Caleb is meeting his cousin, Emma, who is one month older than him. Notice the difference in girth? Yes, Caleb is a chunker! In fact, he is weighing in somewhere around 16 pounds at three months! That is definitely a record for a Case baby.

Ashley still loves Caleb and always checks up on him. She's actually a good big sister. Not much jealousy there at all!

Baby Caleb

Okay, I've given up on trying to catch up on my blog. Skipping our super-fun vacation to the Grand Canyon. Skipping Christmas and all the surrounding activities. Can I use pregnancy as an excuse for flaking on those things? The most important news in the last three months is that Caleb joined us on January 7th! We love him! So here he is, blogosphere...