Luke's 3rd Birthday Party--TRAINS!

Luke chose to have a CHOO CHOO party! I really didn't want a "Thomas" party, but honestly, there are not many other kinds of trains out there; so really, it did turn into one.  We had a great time and everything turned out great!

I used my Cricut machine and computer to make the signs.  Many of the ideas I got from Pinterest!  The Thomas tent was something we've had since Jack was a toddler.  It worked well as an accent decoration!

The boys really enjoyed helping me make the "train tracks" on the sidewalk!  Grandma Rickert bought Luke's adorable Old Navy Choo Choo shirt!

The cake was nearly a #pinterestfail! Up until the night before, I still didn't know which cake I was going to bake.  The #3 one with rail road tracks or the classic Wilton's train cake pan.  I decided to go with the #3 forgetting that once you cut apart a cake, it's nearly impossible to frost it without the whole thing falling to pieces!  I stayed calm and it all worked out, but it was a LONG process; and like many of my cakes, it was quite frosting heavy!  My guys don't care, though!  They love my frosting!

I got the idea for this "Baggage Claim" suitcase from Pinterest.  I wasn't able to execute it without the old fashioned looking suitcase from our "Drama Closet" at school!  Thanks, Deb!  I hand made each of the tags, and the real prize in the goody back were the train whistles!

My mom and sister made the R X R cookies.  They turned out awesome!  And they tasted amazing as usual!

My sister walked in with the train painting as a gift for their bedroom.  It worked well on the gift table.

The party was a huge success.  Luke had a great time and the day was gorgeous!  Lots of friends and family were able to make it.  Now on to planning the next party?

Luke's Third Birthday!

As per family tradition, I made breakfast on Luke's birthday!  We had Monkey Bread (his choice) with candles, presents and singing all before 6:30 am!  He went on to have a fabulous day at Kari's where he got to wear his birthday crown, enjoy a chocolate chip cookie cake and presents from her!  That evening we enjoyed a family supper at Newt's.  The big party was the next day!

First Day of School--2013!

The First Day of School snuck up on us too quickly like usual.  Jack found out the week before he'd be in Mrs. Gronemeyer's first grade class.  He was very happy with that placement, though not many of his best friends with kindergarten were in his class.

Mommy and Jack's first day of school pic!

The first week of school went well.  Upon asking Jack daily how his day went, he always replied something like, "I got two interceptions and a touchdown!"  Clearly RECESS is a highlight!  He's really liking his teacher, his classroom, lunch, all day school and the math portion of the day too.

Rickert Summer Reunion--KC

This summer we spent a long weekend in KC for our who-knows-how-many-years-we've-been-doing-the-summer-reunions!  The weather was fantastic...especially for KC in AUGUST!  Unfortunately Jay didn't travel with us because he had baseball playoffs, nor did Anna, Jake, and Ella.

The best shot we could get of all the boys!  

Jack and Braden were best buddies and joined at the hip!

Geri made capes for all of the kids.  All of them were Batman capes, but the inside was either V for Vikings or M for Mizzou (I think!). Ella got a cute purple one!

Water balloons and the bon fire was a big hit too!  But as always, just fun, food and fellowship!  We did add a first annual UNO Tournament!  Derrick won!  The big little boys really had fun playing too!

Summer Fun 2013

As usual, the summer went by way too fast and was filled with tons of fun.  Below are some snap shots of the summer!

Strawberry picking...IN JULY! Late season this year.  Made my first pie!  A strawberry one!

4th of July ice cream treats before the fireworks!

Visited Grandma Evie at St. Mary's Hospital while she was admitted for Lyme Disease.  I took the boys to the fountain and tried to explain its importance. At least they posed for this nice photo!

We attempted a family movie two times this summer.  The first movie we took Luke to was Monsters University.  He didn't do so hot.  I ended up leaving early with him.  Then we tried Planes.  He lasted a little longer, but Jay had to leave early with him.  No more money wasted on that for awhile longer!

Sprinkler and Slip-n-Slide fun!

Jay celebrated his 17th Heart Transplant Anniversary!  So hard to believe that much time as passed.  He did battle a month of pneumonia after we returned from the lake. Luckily he wasn't hospitalized and it wasn't too serious.  It just knocked him out of baseball and running.

Luke moved into a big boy bed!  We took down the crib (and sold it) and moved him into the bunk beds with Jack!  He's done great.  Hasn't fallen out once, but he she is having a time going to sleep at night.  Boo.

COUSINS!

Ella!

Lake 2013

4th annual trip to "the lake."  3rd year back at Breezy Point Resort in Osage, MN.  Good times!