We have a new look -- AND a new name!

In honor of spring, I've decided to give our family's blog a makeover. I guess I'm feeling a big sense of renewal and change -- we'll chalk it up to the new flowers that are popping up all over the place and beautifying the world. Sooooo..... please join me as I unveil the new Jones family blog: Keeping up with our Joneses! I'll keep this blog running so there will always be documentation of the first four years of this family, but from here on out I will be posting to the new blog. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Princesses galore!

This was the look we were waiting for! Let me explain.... Our dearest Auntijen sent me an email letting me know she could get tickets for the Disney Princesses on Ice show that was coming to our area. Did we want to go? Wouldn't Catelyn just LOVE to see real live princesses?! My answer: ABSOLUTELY! :) We're in! So Jen orders the tickets and the date was set. We didn't tell Catelyn ahead of time because we wanted it to be a surprise. Hind sight being what it is though, we probably should have told her. She was a bit overwhelmed when we first got there: kids and kids and more kids, long lines, kids, endless shelves of souvenirs lining the halls..... Did I mention there were a lot of kids there? It was certainly a lot to take in! I think if we had told her ahead of time, she would have been better prepared and probably would have even wanted to wear the princess dress that I had packed for her. Ah well. "If we knew then what we know now!" So we survived the lines of excited kids and their families and made it to our seats, with the kids holding the souvenir that they got to pick out. Catelyn chose an Ariel (Little Mermaid) "wand" that played music and lit up. Caleb chose a Flounder (again, Little Mermaid) cup with the makings of a sno-cone inside. The show was FANTASTIC and much enjoyed, even by the adults! Catelyn's favorite was the Aladdin part of the show and she has been eating, sleeping, and breathing Jasmine ever since! Mickey and Minnie Mouse came out between the different parts of the show and that was by far Caleb's favorite. He sure does love Mickey! The kids were mesmerized and sat through the entire hour and a half production. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and make some new memories for our family. THANK YOU, Auntijen, from the bottom of our hearts. The love you have for our family is truly felt and you constantly remind us of that. You are a blessing in our lives and we are so lucky to have you as "Aunti"! We love you!

A Funny for Ya....

Catelyn had been asking all weekend to bake cookies, so after naps yesterday we tackled the project together. As we sampled the chocolate chip cookie dough goodness (you know, to make sure everything tasted okay before we baked them), Catelyn took a bite and then looked at me and said, "It's like a party in my mouth."

Oh, how I love that girl.... :)

Happiness is....

...climbing on a log at the beach.












...always having a ball in your hands.












...having oatmeal in your hair and marker on your face.








...momma letting you put makeup on. All by yourself.








...playing with your momma at the beach.








...siblings.

Happy Independence Day!

We celebrated Independence Day at my best friend Rachel's parents' house. She and her family were home for the holiday, and her parents have the PERFECT place to hang out for the day and watch the fireworks. It's kind of a tradition now. Eating delicious food, swimming in the pool, a view of the river, hanging out with old friends, grilling, eating, playing with the kids, eating, watching fireworks over the river, setting off our OWN fireworks, eating, sparklers, eating.... It was a GREAT day!

Thank you, Weiner family!! :)








Thank you to the men and women who have fought so that we may be free. They, and their families, have sacrificed so much and we are forever grateful for their service.

A River Concert

We began the Independence Day weekend by visiting a local college that has a River Concert Series every summer. We had never been to one before, but after receiving an invitation from my friend Claire, we decided to check it out. We had a GREAT time!! Catelyn had gobs of fun playing with her best friend Jack, while we listened to music and ate some yummy local fare. Caleb had fun running around the little blanketed spot that we had claimed, and the kids blew bubbles and caught lightning bugs. The evening ended with fireworks, which the two older kids thought were too loud, and Caleb wasn't too sure what to think of it all. It was a wonderful way to kick off such a meaningful weekend.

A Blast from the Past

I was playing around with some "Actions" in my Photoshop software (you know, trying to stay up to speed in the design world!) and thought I would share two of the pictures that I worked on. I just played around with the originals, adding some fades, changing the color scheme, etc.

The photos are courtesy of my BFF Jen (aka Auntijen) and the actions are courtesy of Ree Drummond. Hope you like them!

(Catelyn is eating her peanut butter and jelly sandwich while we were at the beach last summer in the first photo, and I am holding Caleb, who was brand new to the world, in the second photo.)