Hot trip to Oklahoma

We had a great visit to Oklahoma, and the kids got to spend some quality time with both sets of Grandparents.  Although it was extremely HOT, as in 105-108 degrees every single day while we were there, it was still a lot of fun.  I think we left all of our family exhausted and came back home exhausted ourselves as well.  On the way up, we stopped at Emily's house and attempted to wear the kids out outside in the sun and water...it worked!  I think all 3 slept about 30 minutes from Dallas to Tulsa, and that is a feat!  We were there for a couple of hours, ate lunch, and got to catch up with Em a bit...I miss her!  Here are the kids having fun together, Annie was a little worn out already!

 Four of the five of them at the water table, Jacob was quite proud of his "I fight Bad Guys" t-shirt with a picture of Luke Skywalker on it that was his birthday present from Em and the girls:

 We stayed with Rick and Sue the first half of the trip...Jacob got a few more birthday presents from Rick and Sue and Stacy and Justin.  He got two dress-up costumes, General Grievous and Anakin Skywalker...he was in heaven!  The start of a week long episode of being spoiled every day by grandparents...POPSICLES every night, sometimes multiple ones!

 General Grievous!

 Stacy and Justin brought the kids (and the adults) these cute donuts...Hello Kitty and Yoda and Storm Troopers...we all thought the Yoda ones looked a little more like Shrek!

 Jacob finally got to go fishing!  We didn't last long, I think it was 100 degrees by 9:30 am, but we did catch quite a few fish, who knew they liked hot dogs!  As you can tell, Gwyn is "so over this."

 They liked the ducks until they got a little too close, and Sue had to stand by the edge to prevent one of the kids from rolling down the hill!

 So proud of his HUGE catch!

 A little too hot for Annie!

 Sue took Gwyn and I for pedicures, we joked that my first pedicure was for Amy's wedding when I was 21 years old, Sue thinks her first one was when she was 50, and here Gwyn is, getting her first one when she is 3!!

 Oh the life!

Rick and Sue got a little puppy named Buster.  Jacob eventually warmed up to him, the girls not so much.  Jacob asked if we could get one, but thankfully I had a great excuse since we were getting ants!  Stacy and Justin got him a cool ant farm for his birthday, so we've ordered the ants and hopefully this time next week we can update you on their progress!

 Anakin Skywalker with his light saber:

 Feeding the fish:

 Rick took Jacob on a tractor ride for about 45 minutes.  Jacob LOVED it!

 We took a trip to the Aquarium, the kids loved feeding the turtles slivers of carrot peel at $2 for 3 slivers we decided they were making a killing!

 Checking out some squishy things you could touch:

 Jacob in a sharks mouth, Gwyn wanted no part of that!

 Looks like a good lunch for a great white shark in this cage:

 Jacob really wanted me to take a picture of this shark:

 Annie checking out the sting rays:

 While we were there, we celebrated Brian's 34th birthday, the kids helped by icing the cake:

We spent the second half of the week at my parents house.  The kids had a great time taking walks with Papa, hanging out with Nana, playing in the pool and trying out the slip in slide.  My cousin James and his family came over one day with their kids, and my Uncle Jim came over a couple of times while we were there.  My mom had come in one night from work, and Jacob told her they had 3 popscicles.  She said you mean you each had one for a total of three?  Jacob said no, "Papa gave us each 3 popscicles!"  Yes he did!  Jacob also got a new Chewbacca shirt, which he wears ALL the time.

 Gwyn on the slip in slide:

 Jacob being silly in the pool:

Here is a short video of them trying out the slip in slide for the first time:

Annie was just too busy for me to get a good picture of her, filling up buckets, dumping buckets, splashing, and doing it all over again.

 Jacob on the slip in slide.

 Sweet little Annie Jaye, it is so hard for me to get a picture of her looking and smiling at the camera.

 We did get to spend some time with Neely and her girls.  The kids had a great time playing and had so much fun together, and I got to catch up with Neely some too, we miss them!

 I helped Jacob build his Star Wars lego set from Neely and her girls.  He told me that I did okay on it, but that Daddy was much better at it (thanks!).

 Jacob caught a butterfly on one of his walks with Papa, he was pretty excited.

 Sweet little Gwyn was worn out by the end of the week.  The kids got used to staying up later, still getting up early, and going non-stop during the day.  We came home exhausted!

We drove home and stopped at Buc-ee's.  If you haven't ever been there, it is an experience.  It is basically the largest truck stop in the United States, they have several around the South and there is a new one inbetween Dallas and Houston.  Jacob was so excited to get a Buc-ee's t-shirt, which he has been wanting for awhile.  He will be sporting a quite impressive wardrobe to Kindergarten in the Fall with all of his Star Wars t-shirts and his Buc-ee's t-shirt, ha!

Funny things the kids said this week:

Jacob:  How can we not see God when he is so big?

Gwyn:  How does God take care of us in the sky?

Gwyn:  I feel like dancing

Jacob:  Me too (and then a dance party to no music!)

Gwyn to Annie:  You are Gorgeous!

Annie's new favorite words:  Oh Gosh!  Help Me!  Buc-ee's! 

Gwyn:  What is Houston?

A few things that make the Katt kids smile :)

Annie Jaye

1. Pacifiers, preferably one in each hand as well as one in her mouth.
2. Tracker her beanie baby puppy.
3. Popsicles.
4. Swimming with Mommy and Daddy.
5. Books, 20+ per day.
6. Eating marker tips.
7. Riding in a baby stroller made for dolls (making the wheels bow inward).
8. Being tickled by Daddy.
9. Saying hello, bye, and sorry.
10. Wearing her crocs all day long around the house, wearing multiple pairs of Gwyn's shoes during the day.
11. Eating dinner and sitting at the big table with everyone.
12. Looking out the window during Jacob and Gwyn's swim lessons.
13. Getting into the craft drawer, getting out all of the straws.
14. Checking out Jacob's bugs.
15. Copying Gwyn's dance moves.
16. Watching bubble guppies on tv.
17. Throwing things away in the trash, putting dirty laundry in the laundry basket, and sometimes getting the two confused.
18. Bringing Mommy her shoes to put on multiple times per day.
19. Playing with Jacob and Gwyn upstairs like a big kid.
20. Sleeps from 7:30 pm to 7:30 am, naps 1.5 - 2 hours per day.

Gwyneth Regan

1. Eating nutella with apples and bread.
2. Playing with her fairies.
3. Putting together puzzles.
4. Picking out her own clothes and picking out Annie's clothes.
5. Sleeping with Sparkles her dog.
6. Bossing Annie around.
7. Tattling on Jacob.
8. Practicing swimming with her goggles on, doing front floats, and back floats.
9. Playing with her friends Laura and Isabel.
10. Singing songs and making up songs.
11. Repeating and trying to do everything that Jacob does.
12. Playing musical chairs.
13. Anything that is purple.
14. Sneaking around the house early in the morning.
15. Sliding down slides.
16. Making sure Mommy and Daddy know that if Jacob did something to get in trouble that she DIDN'T do it.
17. Playing duck, duck, goose or Elijah, elijah, fire.
18. Having a dance party while I cook dinner.
19. Watching Dora, Max & Ruby, and Team Umizoomi on tv.
20. Sleeps 8 pm til 6 am, naps 2-3 times per week if she falls asleep while watching tv during Annie's naptime.

Jacob Mack

1. Star Wars - anything and everything about it.
2. Using tape and scissors to create one of a kind masterpieces everyday.
3. His ceramic Yoda cup that his pre-K teacher gave him.
4. Eating apples dipped in peanut butter.
5. Riding his bike with his helmet and no training wheels.
6. Hitting baseballs off the tee.
7. Swimming all the time, including diving into the deep end to get things off the bottom of the pool.
8. Making books, drawing pictures, using stickers.
9. Playing games: R2D2 trouble and Chutes and Ladders.
10. Eating cheese pizza, hot dogs, Pei Wei honey chicken and strawberries.
11. Reading books, especially Star Wars books.
12. Dressing up in costumes.
13. Constructing giant lego buildings and putting together Star Wars legos.
14. Chewing gum.
15. Playing with his friends Jackson, Ben and Henry.
16. Snuggling with Mommy and Daddy.
17. Playing in the sprinkler, using water guns, and anything to get wet.
18. Hunting for bugs, frogs and lizards.
19. Watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Phineas and Ferb and Little Bear.
20. Sleeps from 8 pm to 6:30 am, hasn't taken a nap in over 2 years.

100 Things About Brian

I decided for Brian's birthday to write down 100 things about him...maybe I'll try to do this again 20 years from now and we'll see how much has changed.  Happy Birthday Brian, we love you!

1. You fix all the things that I break.
2. You can answer ANY question I ask.
3. You make up answers sometimes, and I call you out on it.
4. You do things badly like grocery shop, laundry, dishes, so that you won’t have to do them again.
5. You make a pretty good monkey face.
6. You like doing “manly” things with Jacob.
7. You take Gwyn to Strawberry Bucks.
8. You share popsicles with Annie.
9. You like to take drives with me when I just ride along and don’t tell you where to park and how to drive.
10. You make me laugh.
11. You make fun of me for facebook, but you look at my facebook more than me.
12. You give me red starbursts and share your Swedish fish with me.
13. You have a Cardinals obsession.
14. You don’t like talking on the phone.
15. You are awesome at packing the car for a big trip.
16. You like to get lots of sympathy when you are sick.
17. You like cartoons, especially Phineas and Ferb.
18. You dress very nicely for work.
19. You hate being home alone.
20. You are the best husband.
21. You are the best dad.
22. You are awful at taking pictures.
23. You taught Jacob how to ride a bike in 3 minutes.
24. You are SERIOUS when it comes to church volleyball.
25. You can’t pass up a documentary on the building of Hoover Dam on the history channel.
26. You are a high maintenance sandwich eater.
27. You hate going to sleep without me.
28. You like to keep your garage clean.
29. You don’t like me to put junk in your garage.
30. You appreciate a fine meal.
31. You eat what I put in front of you anyway.
32. You know a LOT about princesses and fairy tales.
33. You made a homemade light saber for Jacob.
34. You do a pretty good Chewbacca imitation.
35. You always have me cut your hair.
36. You mow the yard and sometimes mow on an angle because I like that.
37. You are my best friend.
38. You love the Lord.
39. You love our kids.
40. You love me.
41. You are very good at taking care of the pool.
42. You are a good driver.
43. You like pointing out how bad of a driver I am.
44. You always do the right thing, even when I asked you for that pen you brought home from work and you told me that would be stealing and wouldn't let me have it.
45. You make really good crème brulee.
46. You have no discipline when it comes to stroop waffles.
47. You have chewing your fingernails down to an art.
48. You are an excellent swimmer.
49. You smile when you come home from work and the kids yell “Daddy!”
50. Two movies you will watch over and over again:  Book of Eli and Buddy the Elf
51. You are a stickler for following the rules at board games, and prefer to play with the instruction manual at your side at all times.
52. You get excited when you find a wasp nest and get to get your sprayer out.
53. You are “into” WW II books.
54. You keep your car clean.
55. You are very good at hanging pictures and things on the walls.
56. You are handy to have around the house.
57. You love jelly beans, at all times of the year...especially Easter when there is such a selection.
58. You are good at decorating cakes for the kid’s birthdays.
59. You can do back flips on trampolines.
60. You can do some impressive jumps on your bike.
61. You come up with cool things for Kong Kong to do around Christmas.
62. You can hold your breath for a long time.
63. You are fun to go on road trips with.
64. You really like bagpipe music and wish you could be in a bagpipe band.
65. You have got some super cool lego skills.
66. You like eating the lunch plate specials at gas stations.
67. You like to figure things out yourself.
68. You have very nice handwriting.
69. You correct me when I get Boba Fett and Jango Fett mixed up.
70. You make the best breakfast burritos.
71. You like practicing baseball with Jacob.
72. You are the first person Gwyn goes to when she forgets one of her fairies names.
73. You like playing Texas Hold Em, pitch, spades and cribbage.
74. Your itunes is full of 70s music, and way too many Bob Dylan songs.
75. You are an excellent ice cream dipper.
76. You are a self-proclaimed landscape lighting architect.
77. You have disaster plans and escape routes planned in the event of any emergency.
78. You like to go to Lowes and Home Depot like I like to go to Target and Nordstroms.
79. You are very competitive on the games at Chuck E Cheese with a goal to get something from the "wall."
80. You are the best strawberry picker I've ever seen.
81. You used to walk around for hours with Jacob in the bjorn, and Gwyn and Annie in the pink sling.
82. You do every job with the best of your ability...you are a hard worker.
83. Although you have nothing to show for it, you did shoot a very big deer one time (I believe you).
84. You and your cat/possum traps may have scarred our kids for life.
85. You have made our family some amazing furniture.
86. Your bowling pin tables...not so amazing.
87. You like to snow ski.
88. You have it out for whoever designed the packaging to get into children's toys...especially at Christmas.
89. You are good at cooking crawfish.
90. Putting up Christmas lights might be the most dreaded moment of your life each year.
91. You pull the girls in the trailer on your bike "super-fast."
92. You hate fireworks just as much as Gwyn because you are captain safety.
93. You take the kids to tadpoles because they love going with just you.
94. You despise ketchup and bananas.
95. You read the Bible, a lot.
96. You like to stir up ant hills before you put the poison on it to "make sure they take it to all their friends."
97. You get excited about reading the blog each week.
98. You are good at catching lizards and frogs for Jacob and Annie.
99. When asked what you wanted for your birthday, you said a date with me and some jelly beans.
100. You are 34 today and this is your 14th birthday that we've celebrated together, happy birthday, I love you!

And then he was 5!

I can’t believe my little snook turned 5 today…I’m a bit sad because it seems like the past 5 years have literally flown by, but also very happy that we’ve been blessed with such a sweet little boy.  We LOVE our Jacob!  Oh how he has worked to prolong the celebration…to the point that he now says, Mommy, can I have this pack of M&M’s…it’s my birthday.  Really, he knows how to work the system!  We had his birthday party at a gymnastics place on Saturday.  It was a huge hit.  We had 20 kids there and everyone had a blast.  It was, of course, Star Wars themed, the kids played for an hour on all the equipment, we had pizza, and a cookie cake.  Jacob said it was the best birthday party EVER!

 Having fun after jumping into the pit of foam blocks:

 Trying out the swing....he saw some older kids doing this when we walked in and he was determined!

 Gwyn with her little crush Royce...she also likes Ben and pretty much the rest of the pictures she is by one of them!

 The birthday crew...not the best picture, but this one had Annie in it, she kept running back and forth.

 Loved the expression on Jacob's face, I just love that kid!

 Annie chowing down, her hair is finally getting long enough for a little flip:

 All 3 of them supervising the cutting of the birthday cake...Jacob requested the light sabers for his piece:

Trying out all the birthday presents.  These were big hits, the Boba Fett helmet is being used non-stop.  Jacob wanted to sleep in the Darth Vader costume, but we decided on just setting it on his night stand so he could get it first thing in the morning.

 Jacob went with me to help set up and pick up the balloons before the party.  He was a bit squished in the backseat:

The cookie cake was what Jacob wanted, and I thought it turned out great:

A video of Jacob jumping, Annie wanted to join him:

A video of Jacob running down the trampoline:

A video of Jacob swinging on the rope:

Gwyn jumping too (she now wants to have a gymnastics party too!):

Not to be outdone...Brian had to get in some flips as well.  A friend who doesn't know Brian all that well asked if he was a former cheerleader, HAHAHAH!

The celebration has continued non-stop to include candles in his donuts for breakfast (he asked about them a few days ago and remembered that I did that for him on his 4^th birthday):

He also requested candles in his pizza for lunch, when we had a few friends over to swim and help celebrate on his actual birthday.  He got to go play at their house during Annie's nap and wore his Darth Vader costume over there.  This was followed by his requested birthday dinner of “chicken he eats with sticks”, aka honey chicken from Pei Wei.  Followed by candles in his actual homemade birthday cake of a death star (decorating done by Brian, all the prep work/making the cake/making the icing/clean up done by me!).  The cake has imperial ti fighters, Jedi x wing fighters, surrounding the death star shooting out its death ray:

 Oh yes, he wanted the entire death star, the maximum amount of black icing!

The night before his birthday I was telling Jacob and Gwyn the story about the night before Jacob was born and how we were so excited and then on the day of his birthday we went the hospital, got sent home, then went back to the hospital and he was born later that night.  Jacob was loving the story and even said he remembered when he peed on the nurse after they took him to clean him up and warm him up.  Gwyn by this point was so over all this Jacob-getting-all-the-attention-business, that she said, “I don’t like that story.  I want a story with Anakin and Obi Wan and Princess Padma.”  Poor little Gwyn, so sick of it that she is requesting star wars stories.  She then started talking about what she wants to do for her birthday and asked when her party was going to be….that is what we’ll be doing next….talking all about her birthday party for the next 7 months, ha!  We finished off our day with some sprinkler time outside:

 Annie preferred to bring books outside to read instead of getting hit in the face with any water...she might melt:

 Gwyn, Jacob and I went to her little friend Laura's birthday party at Noah's Ark on Sunday:

Lastly, this is a video I got of the kids a few days before Jacob’s birthday…Pete and Repeat strike again!

Funny things the kids said this week:

Jacob:  Am I going to school on Monday?  (He thought the exact day he turned 5 was the day he would go to Kindergarten)

Jacob:  Why did you get me a balloon with a big S on it? (he was talking about the 5)

Jacob:  I wish God would give us two more babies.

Annie:  Bubba hit me. (yes, a complete sentence…I was in my bedroom and Annie walked in holding her back and said this.  I go out into the living room to see Jacob holding his batman sword, I asked him if he poked her.  He said yes, while shocked that Annie told on him.  Into the trash went the batman sword.)