Jack's 8th Birthday!

The new basketball hoop

Jack and his friends at his party

Jack in his new Colts jersey and new football

Summer is in full swing and Jack just had his 8th birthday over the weekend. He invited 7 friends to a place that has an indoor pool, gym and game room. They played basketball, swam and had a great time. We had a small family party for him on Sunday and he enjoyed having his cousins and Noah over to celebrate. Grandma Lana and Grandpa Bill gave him his long-awaited basketball hoop. He has been wanting a "real one" for a long time and we know it will get a lot of use. It is cemented in the ground so hopefully it will withstand the winds at our house. He also received a couple of football jerseys that he had been wanting and a football even though he already has a couple.

Jack has become very opinionated over the last year and is not nearly as reserved as he use to be which is good in most respects. He loves being with his friends, tells me he is bored by 9am every morning and many days I am "the meanest ever" because I do not let him have a friend over upon request. He has turned into a great eater, prefers fruit over cookies most days and loves to sleep in now that school is out. Darren and I are very proud of how much he has grown and how often he is trying new things. Now if we could only convince him to cut his hair!

Hannah began her long-awaited dance class tonight. She was really excited(ok, maybe I was more excited!). We talked about it all day and she told me she was not going to cry because I would be waiting for her when she was done. She loved wearing her leotard and ballet shoes and was all smiles walking in. The instructor told all 15 of the little 3 year old girls to follow her back and they would be divided into 2 groups. She popped up and followed along. I was so proud of her. For those who don't know, she never strays more than a few feet from me even in our own house so this was an accomplishment. After an hour she emerged from the room beaming from ear to ear. She loved it and told me that she need to get tap shoes, a tutu to wear with her leotard, and a dance bag "because she was the only one who did not have one".

Although I have dreamed about my little Hannah taking dance class it was so good to see that she enjoyed herself. I would never force her to dance if she didn't want to but I sure hope she sticks with it for a while.