Summer Times!!

There is so much to blog about this summer!! I guess I should just start at the beginning! This June, Jacob's favorite cousin and BFF turned 3!!! I cannot  believe how big these little guys are getting! Everett spent his big 3rd birthday at the steam trains at Tilden Park.  It was the perfect location, not only because the boys LOVE trains, but because it was nice and cool!! It was a great weather break for everyone! And the boys had a blast running around everywhere!!

Us adults do love the steam trains too! It actually is really beautiful and quite a nice ride! One thing I will always remember (and wish I caught it on camera) is Brayden's face coming out of the tunnels!! He would semi fake scream, but was also slightly nervous with the dark. It made for one of the best awkward moment faces ever!

June is a crazy month for us! We have multiple birthdays, Mike gets off of work (this year for the last time forever! YAY!), and the boys are done with daycare! So things get a little hectic (in a good way) fast! But another birthday happened this month... Tutu turned 91!!! We celebrated in style with just a little get together at her house.  The boys LOVE their Tutu (and so do I), that they could have hung out there all day!

Besides going to birthday parties this Summer, we have been spending so much time at the pool, ponds, and lakes around our house! I swear we live in the best location!!! We have Noni's lake/pond/beach, 7 minutes from our house, an awesome water park/pool 2 minutes from our house, Lake Tahoe a little over an hour from our house, and Lake Folsom 10 minutes from our house! Although the drought has been bad this year and has affected our lakes tremendously, there is a bonus. Boats have been banned, so we pretty much have these ginormous lakes to ourselves to play in!! 

It honestly broke my heart a bit to see both Lake Tahoe and Folsom Lake this year, and I can only hope that the El Nino they predict is true, but the boys had an absolute blast!! They both have gotten so much more comfortable in the water. Jacob especially! He went from being scared and super whiney, to just jumping in and swimming across the pool!  Brayden does fantastic, and even will occasionally put his head under water, until he gets cold.  Once this kid gets slightly cold, he has a total emotional 180 and is just done!

The pool is honestly where we have spent most of our summer days.  Our gym pool is amazing!!! And it's hardly ever crowded! That is where the boys have really taken off in their swimming skills.  I honestly could not be more proud of them! They have come such a long way with water, I can only hope that they continue to love it! One thing that is extra awesome is, Jacob asked me the other day if he could get the surf board down and go surfing! Ah, a boy after my own heart!

I should also mention that we have spent a lot of time in our own backyard.  When we were looking for a house, all Mike cared about was that the backyard was big enough for the boys to play in.  Well, another one of dreams came true with this house. The boys LOVE having a water slide, running through the sprinklers, playing on the playground, and riding their 5 million different types of "bikes" around. They seriously could not be happier!

Summer Time...

Wow this summer flew by!!! I can't believe Mike went back to school this week and the boys are going back to daycare!!! CRAZY!!! I feel like I have so much to catch everyone up on that I don't know where to start?!?!? I guess the beginning is always a good place ;0)

So we had July fourth and the World Cup this year...it was quite the patriotic month!!! It was so fun to teach Jacob about soccer and about our country.  I think he was chanting U-S-A for the whole month of July. So I had to of course work on the 4th, but we still went to Gabby and Jason's house to celebrate. Jacob definitely didn't care for the fireworks because they were "too loud!", no surprise there! However, Brayden was fascinated by them.Thanks to Gabby we had many projects and themes happening...including waffles, cupcakes, make your own flag (it is quite possible that Memo and Jacob have never seen an American Flag based on their replication lol).

I thought these facial expressions were priceless!!! So funny watching them blow these out...oh and they were trick candles too! (Gabby's idea!!)

They obviously enjoyed the cupcakes too!!

Here is our patriotic breakfast!!

This summer there was a lot of swimming!!! Between us finally joining a gym1(yay to getting healthy!) and going to Tahoe, and other various swim places; Both Jacob and Everett are getting more comfortable in the water!!! As you can tell by the lower left picture, Brayden has no issues with water lol!

Jacob also took up a new sport this summer...

He really likes to golf...however, I believe the golf club went into the garbage after someone was hit in the head...lol!!! (Yeah, my dad gave him this!)

We have also had some good times with Everett and Kiki!!! We had a few sleepovers and lots of play dates!! these cousins love hanging out with each other!!

As I look over the spelling of this post I am realizing that there is a lot about Jacob LOL. Brayden has accomplished so much this summer too!!! I feel like this post is getting a little long, so my post tomorrow will be all about Brayden!

The Pose

It's funny how often I compare Jacob and Brayden, however there is another Wood boy that Brayden tends to emulate... his cousin Everett!! When Everett was a baby he used to put his hands behind his head and just pose, as if to say, "This is the life!"  It always made me laugh to see photos of him doing it, or catching him falling asleep like that. Here is a great photo of it...

Look how little baby Everett was!!! I always thought this pose was strictly an Everett pose... however his little cousin thinks it belongs to him now!

Brayden doesn't always have his hands so low on his head, but this version of the pose cracked me up! I wonder why they do this pose? I think Brayden likes to feel his hair, well that's my theory anyways. It's so great to see strong family genes...LOL!!!

Sleepover!!!

This past week the cousins had one of their many sleepovers they will have in their lifetime.  This one was extra special because it was the first time that they really played with each other. They were both into playing trains, watching Thomas, eating, and playing outside.  It was funny to see them run around together because it made me realize how much they have grown up!! I love the cousin love they have for each other...

Here they are cuddling on the couch together...I promise they are watching Thomas and not some scary movie as their faces portray!

They also enjoyed some Memo time! They all three took a bath together, which was rather funny! I'm sure they will appreciate all these photos when they are older!

This collage cracks me up because it's Everett saying goodnight to Jacob. He was trying to give Jacob a hug, but Jacob was too into his Duplos and Bumbo. They did have some great hugs this week actually!

Jacob's Semi Parent Free Weekend

 As my last blog entry showed, there was much time spent away from Jacob. Yup, that made two blog entries in a row without one picture of the little man!!  I'm sure your all on the edge of your seats to see how he has changed since November 6th!! LOL. Mike and I had a great mostly adult weekend, but don't be fooled, Jacob had a blast without us too! He got to hang out with grandparents and his two BFFs!!!  He went to the park both days and got to have a sleepover with Everett!!

The boys had a marathon bath because the new toy (plastic green cups) kept their interest for forever. Then when Grandpa Dayton turned on the faucet...well things could not have gotten more exciting for them!! Oh our little water babies!!

On Sunday, Jacob got the surprise of the weekend!! Memo was at the same park in Pleasanton as him, completely by chance!! They were both a little stunned at first, but once they got over the initial shock... they both did their shrieking of excitement! The funniest part was when we were leaving...Memo decided to hop in Jacob's car and have him drive her home. LOL

We walked her all the way home like this (which is not that far). I just know that if any other kid tried this with  Jacob there would be a lot of screaming involved...are Gabby and I getting a glimpse into the future?!?!

"Beverett"

Kim and I could not have planned our pregnancies any better... Jacob and Everett are three months apart and were born to be best buddies!! Growing up myself with my cousin, who was more like my brother, I could not have been more excited when Matt and Kim told us they were pregnant at the burger restaurant that day!! It was the same place we told them we were pregnant, so when Matt picked that place for lunch I immediately looked at Mike and said "I hope their pregnant!!" LOL! Well luckily that was the case... and I knew right then and there that Jacob and Everett would have a bond like no other!

When Everett was still in Kimmy's belly, Jacob was actually excited to see him (although this picture may not accurately show his excitement.

This is one of the first photos of the boys together (see I told you Jacob was excited!). Even at such a young age Jacob knew that Everett was someone special. It's ironic how two boys who are related could be so different. From day one of Everett's life the differences were noticeable.  Everett was actually the size of a newborn, whereas Jacob was a 3 month old on his birth date. The size between them is not the only difference. As they have begun to grow older and they're personalities are developing... the more differences we see.

This photo just makes me laugh... it really has nothing to do with their relationship. LOL

As their personalities blossomed, Kimmy and I both realized that we may be in trouble!! Everett is very subdued and lets Jacob run the show. However, Everett can be quite dramatic at times and  just throw himself on the floor. Jacob on the other hand, likes to be in control and is probably the most stubborn member of this family (let's face it, that's saying something). 

They do have a big similarity... they love to give kisses!! But even the way they kiss is very different. Beverett kisses mouth wide open and Jacob kisses with just putting his mouth against you. LOL 

 They're so cute!

Although they are very different, they LOVE being with each other!! They have their squabbles here and there, but they genuinely enjoy each others company. The boys have started enjoying the same things...being outside, riding in the wagon, playing with balls, and playing with Noni and Grandpa. 

We have been so lucky that since moving away, Kimmy brings Everett up here for weekends at a time. We tend to pack those weekends full of stuff, so the boys can spend as much time together doing fun things. Like last weekend, they went to gymnastics, Bishop Farms, and Fairy Tale Land!! It's so great watching these two grow up together...it's absolutely priceless! We are so lucky to have little "Beverett"!!