Kiddie Kollege!

Tyler started his second year of pre-school at the Kiddie Kollege today. He was so excited!! Especially because he has Miss Mary. She was also Tracen's teacher when he went.

(what is it with the fake smiles?)

I LOVE the Kiddie Kollege! ( I may have mentioned that before-YES I know I have)
Today's 'first day of school' was much more relaxed than Tracen's. Maybe it is because we have done this before, maybe it is because it is just half a day, but really I KNOW it is because I completely trust every person over that school. I KNOW he is safe. I KNOW they teach the same values as we do. And I KNOW he LOVES being there. Thank You Kiddie Kollege! I am grateful to have a school I feel confident with.

1st Grade!

Most mothers talk about how their little ones cried and cried on their 1st day of school or how they themselves cried and cried as they sent them off to Kindergarten. Well, Tracen did NOT cry or even hesitate when he went to Kindergarten and I found myself to feel completely fine with the whole affair.

So now we are off to 1st grade! I figured it would feel about the same as Kindergarten, he'd just be gone longer during the day. Well, I was wrong.


I kept thinking there had to be so much more I should be doing to be prepared for the 1st day of school, yet... I did nothing and Tracen didn't seem worried one lick. We arrived at the school somewhat early ( I must have been anxious) and I had to keep reminding Tracen to PLEASE WAIT for me and his brothers. He was so excited. We found his classroom. I turned to take Tracen's hand to help him find his seat and show him who his teacher was only to find Tracen walking right in without any hesitation. He found a cubby for his backpack, said hello to his teacher, found his desk, and began talking to the other kids at his table. Not once, mind you, did he even look in my direction. I wasn't sure whether to feel proud or hurt. I mean I am glad he is so confident, but GEEZ! So I "casually" tapped him on the shoulder, "Hey Trace," he looked at me as if to say "What are you still doing here?" Me: "Uh- I am going now... have a great day!" Trace: "Yeah, Bye Mom." Me(under my breath): "I love you."

So when I said I thought it would feel like sending him to Kindergarten just for longer, I am now realizing how wrong I was. It is NOT like that at all.
I am bombarded with a slew of emotions. Pride, Amazement, EXTREME WORRY, curiosity, LOVE, hope.... I have had a major reality check that HE is losening the apron strings and I HAVE to let him. I have to let HIM be on his own to decide if what his friends are talking about or are doing is RIGHT or WRONG. I have to let him hear bad words, see not so great things, and learn about things I don't think he should be learning about. I HAVE TO!
I also HAVE TO HOPE that he remembers who he is, what he has learned about at home, how he should act, what he should stand up for, and most importantly that KNOWS he is LOVED by his family. I hope we can keep the door of communication open so he will always feel comfortable talking to us.
I am amazed that I am feeling all of this already. 1ST GRADE! He is only in 1ST GRADE! Oh the joy of being a parent. I feel as though I am entering an entirely new stage of life. I am no longer the mother of TODDLERS where I can hold their hand and guide them through every step. Now I get to be the cheerleader on the sidelines. Not that I am giving up my parental 'rights'. I do still have the FINAL SAY- thank heavens.

So here he goes... OFF TO 1ST GRADE! (trying to stay cool... he did his own hair too)

And now, until Tyler starts Kiddie Kollege on Monday... this what I find these two silly boys doing to keep themselves busy. Gotta love http://www.pbskids.com/ !
And I still have COMPLETE POWER over these two yah-whos... sort of.

Mother of Five...

...well, at least for the weekend.

We took my sister Melanie's kids for the last 3 days while they ran the Snake River with Ty's family. They have a 3 year old girl and a 1 1/2 year old boy. So they fit right in to our crazy crew.
Speaking of crazy, YES it was wild at times, NO I didn't get any pictures, and YES I would do it again in a heartbeat! WHY? Well, that is what I want to comment on at this time.

I am amazed how EASY it is to fall in love with another child, even when they are not your own.

I am sure many have wondered when they are pregnant with another baby, if they could possibly LOVE this next baby as much as they love the first. How could there be more room in your heart? BUT I know (because I did) you discovered that each child has their very own spot that is BURSTING with LOVE.
Well, I have found each time I am caring for someone elses' child that my heart grows and makes a new spot for that child as well. Love is just a natural reaction when you feed them, bathe them, sing them to sleep, comfort each little "owey" or heartbreak (there were a lot more of those with a little girl in the house) and even when you have to remind them to be nice. When you look into their eyes and know that child is putting all their trust in you. When you serve someone else, you cannot help but love them so deeply.

I also learned that even though I was acting the part of mom for the weekend and loved them as my own, I could never really be THEIR MOM. The bond between a child and their parents cannot be broken. ( not that I tried to break that) Madi and Kevi were definitely ready for mom and dad to be home. They missed them a lot.

I am grateful to have these experiences. It is good to be on this side so that I know when we leave our babies in the care of another mom we trust that they are loved and cared for just as deeply BUT that we are not replaced and they will be very happy to have us come back.

Thank You May and Ty for sharing your treasures with us. We really LOVE them so much!

"The Hunt"

What would make a group of people with young children DRIVE and DRIVE and DRIVE and DRIVE and DRIVE for 7 1/2 hours, 350 miles one way, through the wide open farmlands of Idaho, to set up our tent (in the pouring rain),
sleep in our tent (in the pouring rain),

drink hot chocolate and cook a pancake breakfast (in the pouring rain),
sit on wet chairs around a soggy camp fire, (in the pouring rain)

The JACOBS' CLAN would and DID!

But WHY?

For this lovely scene?
YES!

That's it?

Let's look a bit closer.
Do you see them?

How about NOW?

What? You can't see them?

Why on earth would we be sitting in the middle of the forest looking so...

DETERMINED?
Still can't see them?

How about NOW?

For HUCKLEBERRIES of course!!

Aren't they beauties?

So again, I ask you. WHO would be so CRAZY?
Well, here are just a few of the them.

(Tyler and Riley)
(Tracen- our newest HUCKLEBERRY ADDICT)
(Dee and Tate -who could not stop eating them-OBVIOUSLY)
(My crazy WET boys)

Leo and Tricia (Dan's parents), Bruce, Christy and boys, Leah and Joel and of course Aunt Pat (it just wouldn't be Huckleberry-ing without her) were too busy picking to pose for pictures.

This is such a great Jacobs' family tradition. I am amazed at how quickly my boys jumped in on the trash talking. They really caught the vision of "what you pick is what you get... cause NO ONE is going to share theirs." LOVE IT!

Each family took a meal to be in charge of. Dan and I decided to make good use of our "DUTCH OVEN cooking skills" and chose to make a beef stew with dumplings. But because of the rain, we ended up cooking our stew on the stove top at the TRENDWEST CONDO that Leo, Tricia and Aunt Pat were staying in. It really saved all of our cans from eternal sogginess. Thank You Leo and Tricia!

It still turned out pretty darn tasty if you ask me.
And of course, what meal is complete without a tasty dessert? Especially one that makes this man salivate before the first bite.
HUCKLEBERRY COBBLER!!!

We actually made this in the dutch oven thanks to the grill on the back porch of the condo.

Mmmmm.... so DELICIOUS!

We then packed up our soggy tent, clothes, shoes, and HUCKLEBERRIES, and drove another 7 1/2 hours, 350 miles through the rain and arrived home in time for the next party (see my grandparents 80th B-day party in the post below).

So... was 15 hours, 700 miles of driving through the "lovely" farmlands of Idaho just to camp in the pouring rain worth it?

ABSOLUTELY!

That's 2 1/2 gallons of HUCKLEBERRY HEAVEN waiting to be individually frozen and used for many more cobblers, put on ice cream, cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, syrups, and whatever else our little hearts desire.

Mmmm.... what perfect little treasures! Definitely worth "The Hunt".

*Unfortunately I cannot devulge the exact location of our treasure finding. It would go against The Jacobs' Super Secret Code of Huckleberry-ing.*

80!!

The B-day Queen... (July 5th)

The B-day King... (August 5th)

A few of the party go-ers...

(just hangin' at the water cooler)


What's a party without
FOOD!

We then did some family pictures.

13 great grandkids

Did you notice the boy/girl ratio?

What a legacy!

We LOVE you grandma and grandpa!

Summer Fun...So Far.

I am amazed at how quickly summer time flies by. It seems that every weekend is full. For us, summer so far has been full of FAMILY REUNIONS,and BBQ's with family and friends. Such fun. In between all of that, the boys (and I) have still had plenty of good times in our own backyard. Unfortunately I have not had the chance to spend much time recording many of these events. So be warned... many pictures ahead!

From the pool...

... to the tramp...

... and back to the pool.

Good Times!

We also got the opportunity to go up to the Kemp Cabin this past weekend for possibly a FINAL HOO-RAH! This cabin has been full of so many good times. Thank You to the Kemps for letting us be a part of those fun memories!



Look at these cute little mugs I found.

How did this little mug get so dirty?


Now... how many boys do you see?

Last night the "other Jacobs' boys" came over while the parents worked on their "acting skills" for an upcoming movie Bruce is making for his work with United Way/CFC.

They had so much fun!

They jumped and jumped...

...read some books...

...rode bikes, and had a fantastic time together as always.

We then settle down for a little movie.
Not too bad of an evening for me going solo with this bunch. (Dan was at school)

Stay posted for more fun times with the Jacobs. The month of August is planned to be full of more adventures.