Computer Time!

Jacob just loves to play on the new computer he got for his birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Jacob!!

To celebrate Jacob's 4th birthday we decided to visit ICE at the Gaylord Texan. This year's theme was Shrek the Halls, so we knew Jacob would really enjoy it! The drive to the Gaylord wasn't bad, but the lines were outrageous to just get in to the experience!! We first lined up to had over our tickets, then wound around to enter the ICE theater where they showed a brief film about how the exhibit was constructed. Then, following the film we lined up to receive our parkas to wear (it's a chilly 9 degrees!) and were on our way to the final line to actually enter! Jacob (all of us, really) were getting a bit cranky at that point and were ready for the fun to begin!
While there were a lot of people, and it was a bit chaotic at times, we all really enjoyed it and had a great morning celebrating Jacob's birthday! When we were finished at ICE, we looked around the main area at the Gaylord, which was decorated beautifully and then headed home for a delicious birthday lunch at Los Charros! It truly was a fun day and we just can't believe that our little boy is four years old!!

At the end of the Shrek portion of ICE, there was an entire manger scene set up with the story of the first Christmas playing in the background. Had it not been for the crowds, we could have stayed here quite a long time enjoying the majesty of the beautiful ice sculptures that celebrate the birth of our Lord.

Jacob was happy to be out of his parka and enjoyed the fountains at the Gaylord!

Flashback Friday!

December 2008

Four Year Pictures

About a month ago, we met up with our photographer, Terry, at Frisco Commons. It was a beautiful, cool day and we couldn't wait to get some great pictures to capture Jacob at four years old! We had never been to Frisco Commons and didn't really know what to expect, but it was wonderful! Trails led into a little wooded area that would be any four year old boy's dream! Jacob had a wonderful time exploring and didn't want to leave!

Deck the Halls!!!

Shark Party!!!

Last March we visited the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park and decided it was the best place for a birthday party! Fast forward many months of planning and the day finally arrived to have Jacob's 4th birthday party!!

The invitations and all other party decor were designed and created by my sister, Nikki!

A sign for Jacob's party greeted us!

The food all ready to be enjoyed!

Cupcakes and favors!

A close-up for the shark favors and adorable favor tags!

Not only did we get to enjoy all of the great sea life the aquarium has, but we also had a special encounter with a real alligator! The kids learned about the alligator and even got to pet him!
The also got to see shark jaws, a dolphin skull and many other cool sea artifacts!

Next, it was time to feed the stingrays! The feeding was included in the party and unlike the cups of food you can usually buy, it was actually real (frozen) fish!

Yuck!

The kids had a tough time putting their arms and hands in the tank and instead ended up just dropping the fish in for the stingrays to eat! They loved when the stingrays swam by and gave them a little splash!

After all that fun, it was time to eat!

And of course, sing Happy Birthday!

After the party was over, we got to enjoy the aquarium a little longer. Jacob just loves anything about the ocean and loved seeing all of the sea creatures he enjoys reading about in books!

On our way out the door, we stopped in the gift shop and Jacob picked out a shark (he named Franky) and a book about oceans. He loved walking the grounds and enjoyed watching the fountain before our drive home!

Thank you to all of our friends and family that came out today and helped celebrate Jacob's birthday! We had a wonderful time and are so blessed to have such special people to celebrate with!

Joyland Choir

Last Sunday, we kicked off the holiday season with Jacob's Joyland Choir Program at church. The preschoolers had been practicing for many weeks and were ready to shine! I really wondered how he would do in front of a big crowd of people, but he was wonderful! He stood by his best buddy, PJ, nice and still and sang all of the songs! Unfortunately, we were a few rows back and all the kids were a little wiggly, so our pictures aren't the best. You can see Jake in the second row down, center.
After the concert, we went to Cheesecake Factory with Mim and Poppa, who had also come to watch the program, and enjoyed a great dinner on a chilly evening. We were definitely ready for the holiday fun after his fun night!!

In between songs, you can see all the kids wiggling around and Jacob is standing perfectly still with his hands behind his back! He took the program very seriously!!