Wal-Mart Photo

We had a coupon from Wal-Mart for a reduced cost portrait package and since we hadn't had Jamie in for professional (such that it is) portraits since he was six months old, we decided it was time. Jamie was very cooperative but would only give us his big toothy "cheesy" smile (see photo with Easter Bunny below...). We finally decided to go with a serious face as he was getting tired of the patronizing photographer and a meltdown was inevitable.

It's Time For Veggie Tales!

(Jamie, Spencer, Michelle & Richard)

Happy Easter! We woke up early and went to the Ecumenical Sunrise Service at Cole Park. We did the drive-thru at McD's and then drove to Farmington, NM to visit our friends, the Hamilton's. We gathered for lunch and a small birthday party for Spencer before heading to the Convention Center to see Veggie Tales Live! It was a great show and I think the adults had at least as much fun as the kids. We saw our favorite vegetables (and fruit) perform our very favorite Veggie Tale songs.


(Bob & Larry)


(The Hairbrush Song)


(The Dance of the Cucumber)


(Larry Boy)


(I Want To Dance)


(The Finale)

An Easter Egg Hunt was held afterwards. It was called an Egg Hunt but the eggs weren't hidden and there were hundreds of them...it was more like an Egg Frenzy. Anyway, Jamie & Spencer both had fun filling up their baskets, dumping them out and going back for more. They each had more than their share of Easter Candy and Jamie also won a prize. (He won a Disney Princess scooter but the Easter Bunny on duty said that we could exchange it at Wal-Mart.)

Happy Easter!

Happy Birthday Jamie!

Jamie's birthday party was held at Cole Park. The weather was perfect and the kids had fun playing on the slides and swings until it was time for cake and ice cream. Jamie invited his friends from playgroup and church. Special guests were his cousin, Shelby, and Aunt Emily.

The Cake

Julie had been in Denver for a Stampin' Up! seminar until late the night before the party. She had thought ahead enough to bake a cake using the cool train pan that Grandma bought. The plan was to decorate the cake on Sunday morning before the party. Well...you have to know that things never go as planned. The party was set to begin at 12:30 and at 12:10, the cake was only partially decorated and it was determined that it was time for Plan B. Julie raced into town and went to the grocery store bakery for a birthday cake...the only one they had was decorated with flowers. Ugh! Desperate times call for desperate measures...Jamie would just have to have a birthday cake with flowers. So, of course, it didn't matter at all. In fact, all of the kids were fighting over who got a piece of cake with a flower on it.













As the party was winding down, an Infiniti van drove up and parked next to us. Bill noticed immediately that this was a big dude and thought he was Alfred Williams (former defensive end for the Denver Broncos). I just walked up to him and asked if he was Alfred Williams. When he said that he was, I told him that we were having Jamie's birthday party and asked if he would pose for a photo with the birthday boy. He agreed and you'll notice that Bill got in on the photo too! (Bill happened to be appropriately dressed in Broncos gear.) Alfred & his family were passing through Alamosa on their way home to Denver and decided to stop and let the kids play at the park. So, Jamie and the other kids were definitely not as impressed as the adults were, but we can always say that a "celebrity" attended Jamie's 4th birthday party. Jamie does talk about the "big football dude" that was at his birthday, though.


Alfred Williams with Jamie & Bill

The Train Cake
The party wound down and we went home where Jamie & Shelby had a chance to play in the dirt together. After Emily & Shelby left, Julie finished decorating the train cake. It turned out very nice and Jamie was able to take it to his preschool/daycare and share his birthday with his friends there.

Bye-Bye Binky

We have said "good-bye" to binky! For several months, Bill & I have been telling Jamie that it was OK for him to still use his binky until he turned four. It became something of a daily mantra..."three year olds can use their binky and blanky but when you're four, you won't need binky anymore." Jamie would even repeat it to us, "I'm still three, so I need my binky and blanky. When I'm four, I'll still need my blanky but not my binky."

So, a few weeks before his birthday, we started thinking about what to do with binky when Jamie turned four. One day we asked Jamie what we should do with binky. He thought for a few seconds and stated, "throw it away". We discussed it a couple of times and Jamie seemed very comfortable with his decision.

On April 9th, Jamie woke up and snuggled with Bill in front on the television to watch "Thomas and Friends". When it was over, Jamie got up and went into the kitchen. He then called Bill in...he had thrown his binky away all by himself. He was excited to show it to me when I woke up. Jamie is four years old and doesn't need his binky anymore.

It's not often that one would have the need to take a photo of the contents of their garbage can. This photo, however, signifies an important milestone in Jamie's life. The binky has been thrown away!