Jacob's First Birthday

Jacob's first birthday was awesome. It was a family party on Sunday, July 31st. As you can see he is taking the whole thing very seriously.

The cake and icecream was distributed. Aaron and Jacob have similar "frosting on the finger" methods.

This is the BEFORE picture:

And this is the AFTER:

And here he is congratulating himself on a job well done. He wasn't into eating the cake as much as spreading the frosting around on his tray, his face, and his body.

Sunday Musical: Hello Dolly

We watch a musical every Sunday afternoon as a family. It is one of my favorite traditions but when we play movies we haven't seen before it is a mixed bag. We learned a couple weeks ago that a Danny Kay musical "The Inspector General" was less about the music and more about the slapstick. My favorite dancing musical is "Royal Wedding" with Fred Astaire and Jane Powell.

Hello Dolly was a win on many levels today. First, the score was used in the movie Wall-E so the boys would perk their heads up every time the theme replayed. Second, there was so much difficult singing and dancing content it was almost overwhelming. (There is probably a reason why high schools don't just do Hello Dolly every couple years) Third, the costumes were INCREDIBLE. I was entertained by Barbara Streisand's gowns alone. Fourth, it was directed by Gene Kelly. And I just love him so I had to add that in there.

Though it was long, (2.5 hrs) the boys moved the couches back and practiced their break dancing moves to pass the time. Alex was practicing the "coffee grinder" and much to everyone's suprise the dance finale included the ensemble doing a series of coffee grinders. Who knew they were doing hip hop in 1969. priceless.

Dowling/McQueen Reunion - Colorado

We surprised Grandma Dowling by showing up for her 80th birthday weekend. She was definitely surprised when she saw Chris sitting on the couch in Diane's house.

The kids were addicted to Aunt Victoria and her bag of tricks.

Jacob showed off his new walking skills.

And did something he never ever does - fall asleep in the stroller. He was so tired.

We spent Saturday night walking the mall in Boulder and had such a great time watching the street performers. There was a guy with a didgeridoo who was totally enchanting and the kids just sat and watched him. In a "one-man-band style" he Incorporated rhythm instruments into his performance. He had a wood block in his pocket, bells on his shoes, and these cool little frogs on the didgeridoo that made a croaking sound when he hit their back.

Cousin Cameron was an instant buddy. He and Aaron bonded like brothers (and battled like them too)


We watched an old man get into the 20 inch box and the 16 inch tube. Even though I've seen him before, it was still amazing. Keith said he saw that same guy in Key West 20 years ago. The kids liked him because he let 4 of them climb into the box - at the same time.
This guys was truly nuts. He was a ton of fun to watch and before he even got on the unicycle he had a 8 year old boy throw swords up to him and he stood on a ladder with no support. The sun was right in his eyes up there - I really don't know how he does it.

Young Reunion - San Jose

A total miracle happened this summer. Despite busy schedules and lack of funds - the Young family siblings got together. And where better than sunny (but not too hot) San Jose! We even had to get out sweaters and light jackets to manage the 50's-70's tempuratures.

We spent the first 2 days at Justin and Kathryn's house where we swam, had a great BBQ, made apricot jam, and went to the Jelly Belly factory. Midweek, the party moved to our house and we went to a concert in the park (Neon Trees), spent a day in Santa Cruz, had a "yoga n' donuts" morning, did the Young Family Olympics, celebrated Parker's birthday, and went to church and filled 2 entire pews.

St. George Trip - Subway Hike

This is the face of a happy man. Chris and his buddies from highschool, as well as his brother Scott, hiked the Subway at Zions NP the first weekend in July. They had such a fun time together and had plenty to talk about as they caught up on life.

Back at home we had tons of fun with the kids. They jumped on the tramp, painted, watched movies, and lived up the cousins life.

Alex lost his top two teeth

On a bored summer day Alex pulled out one of his top teeth. A couple days later he biffed it on his scooter and out popped the one right next to it. After the trauma of the fall the first thing Alex said was "How am I going to eat corn on the cob!!" The great news is he can still eat it even with the missing teeth. Phew... that was a close one.

Jacob is WALKING!!!

A month ago Jacob took his first steps with the walker. Today he can walk anywhere he wants and has the bumps on the forehead to prove it. It has been so exciting to watch him learn to walk because he can't hold back his giddiness. I love the first picture on this post because he is laughing so hard it takes all he can just to concentrate and stay upright.

This little man has gone from being a sad, sad baby (0-4 mo) to a very happy toddler (he will turn one on Sunday) Every time he has learned a new skill or gained a little more independence, he has become a more content child. I love to see his big spirit find happiness in his little body.