EA Company Picnic

EA has a company picnic every year and they know how to throw a party! It was at the fairgrounds and there were inflatable toys like giant slides, jousting, the bungee run, and obstacle courses; a petting zoo; pony rides;, a guy on stilts making balloon animals and swords; a live band; carnival games; a huge climbing wall; and lots of tasty food! Cotton candy, popcorn, candy apples, hotdogs, corn dogs, turkey legs, corn on the cob, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken wings, ect. It was a PARTY! The only downside was the 96 degree weather and no shady trees. But there was a breezy pavillion so we could rest and cool down.

Jacob had to work that Saturday so he didn't stay the whole time but he made good use of what he had. He challenged all of his boys to a jousting match.

I think he let them win.
And slid down the giant slide with his baby girl.

And made sure to leave with a generous sampling of fair food.

Everyone had a horse/pony ride, even me! It was the first time for everyone, except me. Elijah wanted to ride the horse.

His brothers stuck with the ponies.

Aeris wanted to see the "horsies". And she just looked so cute and serious on her pony!


It was a lot of fun. I just wish Jacob could have stayed longer. Usually they do the picnic earlier in the year. A lot of teams are in Alpha right now and you could tell there wasn't the crowd like I've seen in previous years.

Jacob's 32nd Birthday

Guess who's another year older!
O.K., so this is a bit late but he did have a birthday and this is how it all went down.
There was a cake, made from scratch. A Lemon Blitz Torte meaning "fast cake" because it came together very quickly.

There were candles.

And of course there was the requisite silliness.

Four kids by 32 years old? Not too shabby, I'd say! And I like how the children aren't holding anything back for this picture. It's a real insight to the family :)

And there were gifts but I don't have any photographic proof so you'll just have to take my word for it. He got a USB audio interface thingy (it'd been on his Amazon wish list for a while) and Okami (a video game, of course).

That morning he got up early to help our friends, the Engs, move into a new house. They treated him to a steak lunch for his kind assistance and for dinner, we all went out to 5 Guys Burgers.

It was a good day.

My Belated Mother's Day Post

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! I woke up to this:

from Porter.

He made it all by himself. I was impressed! I have been waiting for this to happen on Mother's day for 7+ years. Finally, I got my breakfast in bed! Getting breakfast from one of my kids just seemed like the sign which means I'm truly a mom and I'm really in the "mom groove". But you wonder "why not breakfast in bed from the dear husband?" Eh. I'm never going to get that from Jacob. The only time he ever wakes up before me is on the day after Thanksgiving to get some smokin' hot deals on electronics. :)

I also got hand painted bird houses from my 1st graders and lovely notes about how much they love me. And from my almost kindergartener I got our handprints together (I lent a "hand" imprint for this project) and a note about what he loves about me. Jacob got me Wii Fit and the Balance Board. Just what I wanted!

I got to talk with all my family, even my brother on a mission in Japan because we arranged a conference call with everyone.

For dinner I enjoyed sauteed chicken, aspargus, mashed red potatoes, atomic Kool-aid, and ice cream. YUMMY!

It was a wonderful day. I love being a mom and I wouldn't trade it for anything!