Easter 2008

We had a great Easter in the mountains. I just love spending holidays there. Everything is just slowed down and enjoyed so much more. You never stop wishing that Richard and Sandy were there but being there, you feel like they are.

We celebrated on Saturday even though Jamie, Jasmine and Jacob were staying until Monday. I had to be back to babysit on Monday and get James back in time to get to his mom's. Instead of rushing on Sunday, we just did everything on Saturday. Jordan spent this Easter with his dad's family.

Jamie was off mowing something or cutting down a tree; something wilder-nessy. He told me to go ahead and get the kids started on the coloring of the eggs. He'd be back in time. Um, dude, do you remember how quickly our children color eggs? Anyway, here are some pictures of the coloring.

While I was getting the colors ready for the kids, I told them to go ahead and start drawing on their eggs with the white crayons. When I turned around, tis is what I found. Apparently drawing on eggs makes you hungry!



Getting into it







What's coloring eggs without colored hands?





Having fun





Yup, you guessed it ~ Daddy missed egg coloring. I knew that was going to happen!

Later on, Jamie's cousin David, his wife, Michelle and their son, Bradley, came over. They were going to eat with us. We also had an Easter Egg hunt! We had over 130 eggs!! So much fun! And of course, some pictures of the fun!











Now we had a special silver egg which had $5 in it! The kids looked and looked. We even gave clues and finally, Jasmine found it! Am I good or what?



Easter morning with their baskets of goodies!









And right before we went home, Jenna had to take a spin with Daddy. She came home with me. She is just way too mean to her poor daddy to be able to stay with him.

Jasmine started gymnastics today!

Jasmine started gymnastics today! The weeks leading up, she was ready to explode! This morning, while getting ready for school, she came down and asked me "Should I put my gymnastics clothes on under my school clothes?" I let her know she'd had plenty of time after school to get ready. She is just too darn cute sometimes!

She totally loved every second of it. Her teacher is really sweet which makes it that much better for Jasmine. There are three other kids in her class. Two boys and another girl.

She can't wait for Monday nights now! My baby girl is a gymnast!!

Jordan's big month

Jordan tested a few months ago to get into the Magnet program for middle school. That is basically the program for Gifted & Talented students. Jordan thought he tested well. Usually when he thinks that, he did. He's a very smart kid but often is seen as a trouble maker because he talks. I've always said it's because he is bored. Well, we found out today that he made it! He is so excited and super proud of himself, as we are too! He will be going for Math, Science and Computer Science. All of his classes will be advanced classes, which I am certain he will have no problems with. There are only a few middle schools in the county that offer these programs. Children go to the one that is closet to them. We lucked out and our home middle school offers the programs!

Jordan also found out which baseball team he belongs to. Jordan is a Muckdog....whatever a muckdog is. He is really happy to be apart of a team and he knows at least one kid on his team from school. Practice starts on Wednesday. He is so excited to beging! His first game is April 5th.

Happy 4th Birthday Jacob!

Oh my baby boy! You can't be four! It just can't be. You are such a great kid and make me and Daddy laugh every single day. You are truly Daddy's little buddy. If Daddy likes it, so do you. You are just such a fun fun boy and we are so lucky to be your parents.

For Jacob's birthday, he got some video games for his Nintendo DS and a ramp for his Hot Wheels. For dinner, Jacob chose Red Lobster. Ah, smart boy! No, we didn't influene him at all....ok, maybe a little. Jacob, of course, being the smart boy that he is, asked for chocolate cake with chocolate icing just like his brothers.

Happy 4th Birthday my sweet, albeit crazy, boy!

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Some Birthday Facts

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17 February 2001
Your date of conception was on or about 27 May 2000 which was a Saturday.

You were born on a Saturday
under the astrological sign Aquarius.
Your Life path number is 4.

Your fortune cookie reads:
Ideas are like children; there are none so wonderful as your own.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 6 & 7.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 3, 5 & 9.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2451957.5.
The golden number for 2001 is 7.
The epact number for 2001 is 5.
The year 2001 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 1/24/2001 and ending 2/11/2002.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Snake.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Otter; your plant is Fern.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Parmuthy, the fourth month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 24 Shevat 5761.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 25 Shevat 5761.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.19.7.17.13 which is
12 baktun 19 katun 7 tun 17 uinal 13 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Saturday, 23 Dhi'l-Qa'dih 1421 (1421-11-23).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 15 April 2001.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 15 April 2001.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 28 February 2001.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 3 June 2001.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 10 June 2001.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 18 September 2001.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Sunday, 8 April 2001.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 27 February 2001.

As of 4/13/2008 10:32:31 PM EDT
You are 7 years old.
You are 86 months old.
You are 374 weeks old.
You are 2,612 days old.
You are 62,710 hours old.
You are 3,762,632 minutes old.
You are 225,757,951 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (1981) Paris Hilton (1981) Jerry O'Connell (1974)
Bryan White (1974) Billie Joe Armstrong (1972) Denise Richards (1972)
Michael Jordan (1963) Rene Russo (1954) Jim Brown (1936)
Alan Bates (1934) Hal Holbrook (1925) Arthur Kennedy (1914)
Red Barber (1908)

Top songs of 2001
Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse Fallin' by Alicia Keys
All for You by Janet (Jackson) Drops of Jupiter by Train
I'm Real by Jennifer Lopez If You're Gone by Matchbox 20
Let Me Blow Ya Mind by Eve (w/Gwen Stefani) Thank You by Dido
Again by Lenny Kravitz Independent Women Part 1 by Destiny's Child

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 1.02230919765166 years old. (You're just a pup!)

Your lucky day is Saturday.
Your lucky number is 4 & 8.
Your ruling planet(s) is Saturn & Uranus.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Leo.
Your opposition number(s) is 1.

Today is not one of your lucky days!

There are 310 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 8 candles.

Those 8 candles produce 8 BTUs,
or 2,016 calories of heat (that's only 2.0160 food Calories!) .
You can boil 0.91 US ounces of water with that many candles.


In 2001 there were 4,025,933 births in the US.
In 2001 the US population was approximately 281,421,906 people, 79.6 persons per square mile.
In 2001 in the US there were 2,327,000 marriages (8.4%) and — divorces (4%)
In 2001 in the US there were approximately 2,403,000 deaths (8.7 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 2001 the population of Australia was approximately 19,529,274.
In 2001 there were approximately 246,394 births in Australia.
In 2001 in Australia there were approximately 103,130 marriages and 55,330 divorces.
In 2001 in Australia there were approximately 128,544 deaths.


Your birthstone is Amethyst

The Mystical properties of Amethyst

Amethyst is used to increase spiritually
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Bloodstone, Onyx, Moonstone

Your birth tree is

Cedar, the Confidence
Of rare beauty, knows how to adapt, likes luxury, of good health not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, determined, impatient, wants to impress others, many talents, industrious, healthy, optimism, waiting for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.



There are 256 days till Christmas 2008!
There are 269 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waning crescent.

Happy 8th Birthday James!

Happy Birthday James! Let me start by saying as I typed the title of this post, that I typed 7 first and really struggled with making it an 8. I hate that you guys are growing up so fast. Like I told Jordan on his birthday, you can stop growing up right now and be a kid forever!

This will be your first year doing sports. Flag football! Yay! I don't know if I can handle tackle football. I know you are strong but I still can't stand the thought of my babies getting tackled.

Thank you for being such a great son. You are a wonderful brother and so willing to help everyone when they ask. You are a great kid!

This year, James picked Wendy's as his choice of restuarant. What is it with James and Jordan and their obsession with fast food? Child, please pick something better next year! I don't mind a little burger and fries but when you can have any place, any place at all, and you pick this? Next year, let's shoot for TGIFridays or something like that!

Again, no pictures. What is wrong with me this year? James got a couple of games for his PSP. He also got the same chocolate cake that Jordan had asked for. Smart boys we have here!

Happy 8th Birthday James!

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Some Birthday Facts

---

5 February 2000
Your date of conception was on or about 15 May 1999 which was a Saturday.

You were born on a Saturday
under the astrological sign Aquarius.
Your Life path number is 9.

Your fortune cookie reads:
In the end there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 6 & 9.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 1 & 5.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 7 & 11.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 4, 8 & 22.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2451579.5.
The golden number for 2000 is 6.
The epact number for 2000 is 24.
The year 2000 was a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/5/2000 and ending 1/23/2001.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Dragon.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Otter; your plant is Fern.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Parmuthy, the fourth month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 29 Shevat 5760.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 30 Shevat 5760.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.19.6.16.15 which is
12 baktun 19 katun 6 tun 16 uinal 15 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Saturday, 29 Shavval 1420 (1420-10-29).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 23 April 2000.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 30 April 2000.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 8 March 2000.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 11 June 2000.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 18 June 2000.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Saturday, 30 September 2000.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Thursday, 20 April 2000.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 7 March 2000.

As of 4/13/2008 10:31:25 PM EDT
You are 8 years old.
You are 98 months old.
You are 428 weeks old.
You are 2,990 days old.
You are 71,782 hours old.
You are 4,306,951 minutes old.
You are 258,417,085 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Jeremy Sumpter (1989) Jennifer Jason Leigh (1962) Christopher Guest (1948)
Barbara Hershey (1948) Roger Staubach (1942) H.R. Giger (1940)
Alex Harvey (1935) Henry 'Hank' Aaron (1934) Andrew Greeley (1928)
Red Buttons (1919) William Burroughs (1914) Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr. (1900)

Top songs of 2000
Breathe by Faith Hill Smooth by Santana
Maria Maria by Santana I Wanna Know by Joe
Everything You Want by Vertical Horizon Say My Name by Destiny's Child
I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden Amazed by Lonestar
Bent by Matchbox 20 He Wasn't Man Enough by Toni Braxton

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 1.17025440313112 years old. (You're just a pup!)

Your lucky day is Saturday.
Your lucky number is 4 & 8.
Your ruling planet(s) is Saturn & Uranus.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Leo.
Your opposition number(s) is 1.

Today is not one of your lucky days!

There are 298 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 9 candles.

Those 9 candles produce 9 BTUs,
or 2,268 calories of heat (that's only 2.2680 food Calories!) .
You can boil 1.03 US ounces of water with that many candles.


In 2000 there were 4,058,814 births in the US.
In 2000 the US population was approximately 281,421,906 people, 79.6 persons per square mile.
In 2000 in the US there were 2,329,000 marriages (8.5%) and — divorces (4.1%)
In 2000 in the US there were approximately 2,403,000 deaths (8.7 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 2000 the population of Australia was approximately 19,272,644.
In 2000 there were approximately 249,636 births in Australia.
In 2000 in Australia there were approximately 113,429 marriages and 49,906 divorces.
In 2000 in Australia there were approximately 128,291 deaths.


Your birthstone is Amethyst

The Mystical properties of Amethyst

Amethyst is used to increase spiritually
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Bloodstone, Onyx, Moonstone

Your birth tree is

Poplar, the Uncertainty
Looks very decorative, no self-confident behaviour, only courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, artistic nature, good organiser, tends to philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership serious.



There are 256 days till Christmas 2008!
There are 269 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was new.

Happy 11th Birthday Jordan!

Happy Birthday Jordan! I can't believe you are already 11! Where did the time go? Where did my tiny little baby? You had a really great year, minus the broken wrist! Although I think part of you secretly enjoyed that!

This year will bring lots of new things to you. Baseball! A summer of swimming at the pool. Going to middle school! Oh how that pains me! Really, you can stop growing right now. I won't mind.

Thank you for being a wonderful son to us and a wonderful brother to all the other kids. You are truly a blessing and I'm so lucky to be your mom!

With that said, every year the kids get to pick any place they want for dinner. Any place at all. Jordan picked McDonald's. Yeah, you can read the dissappointment in my words. *sigh* Son, please read this blog before your next birthday and pick someone better. Bugaboo Steak House, Red Lobster or at least Checkers. Jordan also got a couple of video games for his PSP. I always make the kids' whatever cake they want as well. Jordan, my smart child (I know, a minute ago, he was a dunce!), picked a chocolate cake with chocolate icing! YUMMY!

I didn't get any pictures. I've totally been slacking this year.

Happy 11th Birthday Jordan! We love you!

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Some Birthday Facts

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23 January 1997
Your date of conception was on or about 2 May 1996 which was a Thursday.

You were born on a Thursday
under the astrological sign Aquarius.
Your Life path number is 5.

Your fortune cookie reads:
A friend is a present you give yourself.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 3 & 9.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path number 8.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 6, 11 & 22.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2450471.5.
The golden number for 1997 is 3.
The epact number for 1997 is 21.
The year 1997 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/19/1996 and ending 2/6/1997.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Rat.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Otter; your plant is Fern.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Parmuthy, the fourth month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 15 Shevat 5757.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 16 Shevat 5757.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.19.3.15.7 which is
12 baktun 19 katun 3 tun 15 uinal 7 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Thursday, 14 Ramadan 1417 (1417-9-14).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 30 March 1997.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 27 April 1997.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 12 February 1997.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 18 May 1997.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 25 May 1997.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Thursday, 2 October 1997.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 22 April 1997.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 11 February 1997.

As of 4/13/2008 10:29:39 PM EDT
You are 11 years old.
You are 135 months old.
You are 586 weeks old.
You are 4,098 days old.
You are 98,374 hours old.
You are 5,902,469 minutes old.
You are 354,148,179 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (1974) Brendan Shanahan (1969) Princess Caroline of Monaco (1957)
Dr. Laura Schlessinger (1947) Rutger Hauer (1944) Chita Rivera (1933)
Jeanne Moreau (1928) Ernie Kovacs (1919) Edouard Manet (1832)
John Hancock (1737)

Top songs of 1997
Candle in the Wind 1997 by Elton John You Were Meant for Me/Foolish Games by Jewel
I'll Be Missing you by Puff Daddy/Faith Evans/112 Un-Break My Heart by Toni Braxton
Can't Nobody Hold Me Down by Puff Daddy featuring Mase I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly
Don't Let Go (Love) by En Vogue Return of the Mack by Mark Morrison
How Do I Live by Leann Rimes Wannabe by Spice Girls

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 1.60391389432485 years old. (You're just a pup!)

Your lucky day is Saturday.
Your lucky number is 4 & 8.
Your ruling planet(s) is Saturn & Uranus.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Leo.
Your opposition number(s) is 1.

Today is not one of your lucky days!

There are 285 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 12 candles.

Those 12 candles produce 12 BTUs,
or 3,024 calories of heat (that's only 3.0240 food Calories!) .
You can boil 1.37 US ounces of water with that many candles.


In 1997 there were 3,880,894 births in the US.
In 1997 the US population was approximately 248,709,873 people, 70.3 persons per square mile.
In 1997 in the US there were 2,384,000 marriages (8.9%) and 1,163,000 divorces (4.3%)
In 1997 in the US there were approximately 2,148,000 deaths (8.6 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1997 the population of Australia was approximately 18,609,115.
In 1997 there were approximately 251,842 births in Australia.
In 1997 in Australia there were approximately 106,735 marriages and 51,288 divorces.
In 1997 in Australia there were approximately 129,350 deaths.


Your birthstone is Garnet

The Mystical properties of Garnet

Garnet is used as a power stone
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Emerald, Rose Quartz

Your birth tree is

Elm Tree, the noble-mindedness
Pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, tends to a know-all-attitude and making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humour, practical.



There are 256 days till Christmas 2008!
There are 269 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was full.

Landon's Quilt

A wonderful family friend, actually my mom's Goddaughter, and her hubby are due March 2nd! We are so excited for Jason and Crystal! They found out what the baby is (thankfully! It sure makes gift making so much easier!!).

Being a boy, they are doing a sports themed room. This is the first thing I made for Baby Landon. The front side is sports themed quarter flats and with fleece. The backside is alpine fleece and totally soft! I still have a few more goodies to make him.

Christmas 2007

This year, Jordan was at his dad's Christmas morning and James at his mom's. We let Jasmine, Jacob and Jenna open their stockings and a few gifts. They really did a great job of waiting until their brothers were here. I don't know how; I wouldn't have been able to as a kid!

The presents after Santa came



Jordan ~ I only got two pictures of him. He showed up with Oma and Opa and then everything went nuts and we didn't get as many pictures. Jordan is also trying to grow his hair out right now.



James ~ Contrary to what the first picture looks like, he was very excited about his PSP.



Jasmine



Jacob




Jenna



Chad opening his gift from Uncle Jamie. Jamie has been talking about this since we found out Becky was pregnant. Boy or girl, this kid was getting a Gator!



The kids *BIG* gift from Santa



Finally, Opa opening his gift from us. BB King tickets!!!

A Blanket for Jazzi's Teacher

Jasmine wanted to make a special gift for her teacher. She came up with the idea of doing a blanket. After emailing her teacher's husband, who just happens to be a teacher at the school as well, we found out what colors to work with. Jasmine picked out the fabrics and sewed the smaller squares together. After that, I did the rest. It was just too big for Jasmine to handle yet and her machine couldn't handle the thicker fabrics.



Embroidered with their name ~ The Howingtons



The back embroidered with a special message

Alexandra's Blanket

I just simply love this quilt kit at JoAnn's. The colors are just beautiful and it makes for a great quilt for any little girl. My wonderful neighbors, Justin and Nicki, have a sweet little girl, Alexandra. I whipped this one up for her.