Indian Grinding Rock State Park!

 June 13th, 2013 we decided to take a little road trip and visit Indian Grinding Rock State Park. It's not terribly far from our house and so it was easy to make a day trip out of it. The state park is nestled near the town of Pine Grove. It has open meadows with tall, large and old oak trees that once provided the local Native Americans with a decent supply of acorns. They would gather up the acorns and bring them to a large slab of marbleized limestone where they would grind them up in mortar holes within the rock. It's said that there are over a thousand mortar holes in the rock. The state park was created to help preserve such an important part of history. The local tribes still use the land today. Where we're standing as a family is an overlook for the rock. It's actually pretty neat to see.

 It's a relatively small state park and there was hardly anyone around while we were there. So we let Jaden out of the stroller so he could run around. He loved it! He started running around like 'I'm free! I'm free! I'm free!' It was cute and funny at the same time.

 Because there weren't many people there at the time we could take our time as we walked up the path. The local tribes still use the land and asked that we treat it with respect and only walk along designated area's. We could walk up to the ceremonial roundhouse but it was locked and we couldn't go inside. There was a smaller version of the roundhouse behind the bigger one that we could go inside and see what it was like. Aside from the door the only light source inside the roundhouse is an opening in the roof top. While we were inside looking up it was really fun to see this little bird keep peeking in and out. I'm not sure if there was a nest inside or not, it was to dark to see. But the little bird would peek in and then hop out for a few seconds and then peek back in. It was as if the little bird were waiting for us to leave. I'm not sure what kind of bird it was but I loved watching it. It looked like a shadow bird against the daylight.

There are a few of these bark houses in the main area where you can go inside. There's also several of the bark houses set up in one of the campgrounds. I guess you can camp inside one for a few days and see what it's like. It would be a get back to nature camp out as you have to pack all your water and stuff. I'd love to camp there but I'm not sure the rest of the family would. I miss camping though. Hopefully we can do more of that soon.

We really had a fun visit to the park. It was a beautiful day and there was a great sense of peace while we were there. We ended up having to leave earlier than we planned though. Poor little Jaden got a little to excited with being able to run around on his own. As he was running up ahead of us he tripped on a rock and hit his head. He was alright however he gave himself a good sized goose egg on his forehead. Luckily I came prepared and had some frankincense oil with me. It really helped with the swelling. Poor little guy tho, you could tell he just didn't feel very well. It was also lucky that he didn't show any signs of a concussion or anything else more serious. We were told to just keep watch over him in case anything changes. 

Despite Jaden's accident we really did enjoy our day. It was so calm and peaceful. Standing underneath the giant oak trees, they just demanded respect. They were so beautiful with their stretched out twisted branches. I love old trees. You can only imagine the stories they would be able to tell. It was a fun visit and we'd like to go back. Maybe next time we'll be able to go back when they have the big ceremony weekend where different Native families get together for the acorn gathering. I guess it is like a festival in it's own way. I think it would be neat to see. Either way, I'm so happy I got to share this day with my family!

Jaxen with Mrs. Mills!

June 13, 2013 was the end of year open house at Jaxen's school. It doesn't seem possible that first grade is coming to an end all ready. It was a great year full of ups and downs for Jaxen. He loved his teacher Mrs. Mills and would give her a goodbye hug everyday after school. Thank goodness for great teachers! Jaxen has learned a lot this year and is starting to read really well. It has been so fun for me to watch him learn and grow. I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished this year. Saying goodbye to Mrs. Mills was hard for Jaxen. He is going to miss her so much. She was a wonderful teacher! Congratulations Jaxen! You did an amazing job! We love you so much! Good luck in 2nd grade!

Life with Jaden!

Life with Jaden is never a dull moment. Everyday he never ceases to amaze me and sometimes he really makes me smile and laugh. For instance, one day daddy was making sandwiches for the boys for lunch. He served Jaden first and then made a cheese sandwich for Jaxen. Jaxen decided that he wanted some mayo on his sandwich and got down from the counter to go get some. As he was leaving his chair Jaden reaches over and grabs a slice of cheese from Jaxen's sandwich. Jaden was so quiet and sneaky that Jaxen never saw him do it. He just sat there eating the cheese as if nothing happened and Jaxen never noticed anything was missing. Jaxen still doesn't know why we were laughing so much that day. I think we may have the perfect little detective or spy in the works with our two year old Jaden. He certainly makes us smile!

 On another day Jaden had got into the pantry and took out the chocolate milk mix. He then somehow managed to carry the chocolate milk mix and his cup up the stairs where he waited in front of the bathroom door for daddy to come out. I should point out that Jaden still needed help going up the stairs at this time whether it was holding on to our hands, railing or crawling up. So the fact that he made it up there on his own with his hands full is a big thing for him. Once daddy opened the door Jaden handed both his cup and the mix to him and said "Dad!" and started going back downstairs. It was so funny! I guess he wanted chocolate milk! We had a good laugh over that one!
One of the area's that Jaden is delayed in is speech and communication. It's something that we work on each day. This funny moment with Jaden was also something that we celebrated. It was a huge step for him. So although we had a good laugh at the situation, I was one proud mamma! We love you Jaden so much!
 

Daddy's Shirt!

Several years ago Ron's mom gave me this shirt. She had painted it for Ron when he was a toddler. I remember Ron was so excited and happy when he first saw this. It was Ron's favorite shirt when he was little. I was able to get pictures of Jaxen in daddy's shirt and now it's Jaden's turn. 

He wasn't to thrilled at first about having to be on the table but I did manage to get a couple smiles from him. I had been waiting since he was born to get a picture of him wearing this just like his big brother. Then all of a sudden I realized that I had better hurry up and put it on him. Just in time too. He's growing so fast I almost missed it. He looks so sweet and adorable and it made my heart happy to see Jaden wear this. 

I love that we have this shirt. It is such a treasure for me. And I love that we got to share this with our boys. It is a memory that I will always hold close to my heart.

Jaxen's Birthday Cake!

 Jaxen's favorite T.V. show right now is Wild Kratts. He watches it every day. He's really come to love wildlife and talks about being an animal adventurer when he grows up. In the show Martin Kratt always names the animals and so now Jaxen has started naming the animals and critters we see along the nature trails here when we go on walks. It makes my heart happy that animals and wildlife have become so important to him. Wolves, porcupines, cheetahs and bats are among some of his favorites. I hope he always holds on to this!

 He was so excited when I found this cake topper of the Wild Kratts. He wanted that for his birthday cake. He then chose to have an under the sea wild animal set to go with it. For the cupcakes he chose a safari set for the toppers. He was so cute about it.

 Chocolate flavor for the cake and red velvet for the cupcakes. That's what he wanted. It was so yummy! I think he made a fantastic choice!

 He was so happy! I loved to see the excitement in his eyes! I think he liked his special day!

Happy Happy Happy Birthday Jaxen! We love you so much!

Happy 7th Birthday Jaxen!

 June 7th, 2013 was Jaxen's 7th birthday! I can hardly believe it's been seven years since he was born. My little boy is growing so fast. I have loved every minute with him. He's our spunky, imaginative and adventurous boy! I keep asking myself where has all the time has gone. It's amazing to me how quickly time seems to move. I still wish I could freeze time and hold on forever. But then I would miss all the wonderful memories we have made. Video games, action figures and riding his bike are some of Jaxen's favorite things to do right now. Oh, and watching Wild Kratts. That's his favorite show.

 Since the week of Jaxen's birthday, he goes back to finish his last few weeks of school after being off track for a month we were able to bring a treat to share with his class on his birthday. I love being able to do this with him. I always thought he'd celebrate his special day after the school year ended. But we lucked out and his school is a year round school. So for now he will be in school on his birthday. When I asked him what he wanted me to make he asked for homemade oreo cookies. One of our favorite things! He said everyone always brings cupcakes and he's tired of cupcakes. I had to smile at that one. So we made homemade oreo's for his class and his teacher made him this crown. I loved how he wanted to wear the crown even at home.

We had a fun little celebration for him. He chose to have ravioli for his special dinner. It was yummy! I think he made a good choice. Kaeryn and Tristan were with us that night so they got to celebrate with us. It was a good night and I loved seeing him so happy and excited. I love you so much Jaxen James! You bring me so much joy! I love you to the moon and back! Happy Happy Happy 7th Birthday buddy!

Our Neighbor Professor Oak!

Last summer while Jaxen was off track from school we each painted a bird feeder for our back yard. We live just a couple blocks from one of the many small nature reserves here in Elk Grove. We thought it would be fun to make a back yard habitat. The birds did indeed enjoy fruit, nuts and seeds that we provided and so did this little guy. He decided to hang around for a bit and become our new neighbor. Some people get really annoyed with squirrels but I tend to think they are adorable and am happy to see them in our back yard. The squirrel and the birds all shared their yummy goodness! Jaxen named him Professor Oak. He's been a fun neighbor to have. He drives the cats crazy and when they chase him up the tree he turns around and starts to yell at them. It's fun and amusing to watch. One can only imagine what our little friend is saying when he's chirping at the cats. Lucky for him our cats don't seem interested in climbing trees. Maybe we will build him his own little house. He sure is a cute little neighbor! We all get really excited when we see him.