A Day at the Park

I just LOVE taking pictures at the park.  I feel like it captures the essence of being a kid.  And, the boys always have big smiles for me.

Swings, slides, teeter-totter, pirate ship, monkey bars.  Whew.  What a fun-packed hour!

Milestones

We've had some milestones during the last couple of weeks.

Chris went to the 1st session of a 3-part dental implant course. I got some raised eyebrows the first couple of times I mentioned that he went to Florida for an implant course, so I've learned to be more specific.

Jasper got a good whack on the eye when we went to a friend's house on New Year's Eve. Luckily, I don't think there is any permanent damage.

The coloring by day 3 almost made me jealous! But then, greenish-yellow isn't really my shade anyway...

Cooper got a few bonks of his own, but really he just wanted me to take a picture of his spiked hair looking like his cousin Jayden.

And here he is with his first lost tooth!! It is literally lost. It came out during dinner and we dug through the bowl of taco soup without finding it. It's amazing how many things in taco soup can look deceivingly like a tooth! It might be a while before I make it again. He probably swallowed it, and I can promise you I'm not digging through that to find a lousy little tooth!

And the best milestone of all.... take a long look at this photo of my light-saber bearing, cowboy-boot wearing, sunglass sporting fireman because it might be the last time you ever see him in a pull-up. This kid is an official Potty Pro!! Woohoo! We decided to just do it while we were snowed in at home for a few days. He caught on quickly and has done a great job.

Romantic and Snowy Days

Oh what do you do in the wintertime, when all the world is white????

Our first couple of snow days in January were kind of fun. Chris came home early from work, I manned the cocoa-latte machine while they boys all bundled up and played.

Here the boys are shoveling the frozen lake! We figured when there were kids in the middle of the lake on their 4-wheelers it was probably safe enough to walk on. We had a few weeks there when I don't think the highs got out of the teens. Brrr. Colder than Germany!

This shows how awesome the zoom is on my new camera. I took this from the warm comfort of our house -- about 30 feet away.

We had a couple of crazy weeks in February. The first snowstorm blew on on Tuesday, Feb 9. School was called off for three days straight, with a 2-hour delay on Friday. Good thing because if I'd been cooped up inside for one more day with 24 boxes of Valentine's candy things could have gotten a little nuts. Then came round 2. Streets were not even cleared from the previous storm when we got hammered. This meant 4 snow days for Cooper. Chris stayed home the first day of the storm because we were on a Level 1 Snow emergency (emergency personnel only on the roads or you can get a ticket). The following day was also a Level 1, but Chris legitimately had patients in pain and went into work. By the end of the week we were getting a little cabin fever!!!

At first the snow was a novelty and the boys just wanted to play, play, play even though it was freeeeeezing.

Soon we were doing more indoor play time (i.e. chasing, wrestling and other boy craziness), movies and free Wii (Cooper usually has to earn stickers, but for sanity's sake, we waved the sticker requirements for those weeks).

And, if you have the coolest dad in the world maybe he will build you a three-foot high fort with every mattress, pillow, and blanket in the house and you can jump off the bunk bed. I love the look of complete elation on Cooper's face. They had so much fun jumping!

In between snowy weeks was Valentine's Day. I wanted to stay in, so we fixed a romantic dinner and watched a movie. Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best.

The Wedding

My sister Stacie got married in Puerto Rico in January. It was amazing. Enjoy!


Guess I'm a little excited!! Woohoo!

The venue, El Conquistador in Fajardo, was absolutely breathtaking. The gardens, the ocean view, the pools and hotel -- amazing. Here you can see the rose petal runner and the trellis for the ceremony. Along with all five of my crazy brothers (and two of my awesome sister-in-laws) this 2nd shot shows the hotel and some of the garden area. The fans with monogram tags were a great touch and a big hit!



My sisters -- the beautiful bridesmaids. Enjoy now while we look nice because it got a little CRAZY later on!


My handsome happy boys!


The ring bearers getting their instructions. Wow! What a handsome lineup...



I love this picture of Dave. Even when things were getting stressful with the weather, no one could rain on his parade! He was just so happy.


And, much to everyone's disappointment, it started to pour minutes before the scheduled ceremony. :-(


Some handled it better than others...


The girls waiting...


The guys waiting...


A couple more shots of the boys. It's my blog, so it's my right to heavily feature my kids in every entry!


Ring bearers and flower girl are ready!


In practice, Cooper had been in front and Jasper knew to follow. But for the ceremony Jasper somehow ended up in front and Cooper literally had to push him down the aisle. It was almost as cute as the zig-zagging flower girl tossing the petals :-).


This is Dave's face as Stacie walked in. I love seeing how happy he is!

Listening to the bishop...

Woohoo!!!! The happy couple are married, pictures have been taken, the delicious dinner has been eaten and it's time to get down! Warning: I'm posting some caught-in-the-act somewhat embarassing photos of myself here because I can't look at them without laughing. I thought my friends and family deserved the same enjoyment. :-)

I know I look like a freak, but I love how hard Cami and Shaulee are laughing in this picture.

Stacie and mom get in on the action! We're lettin' loose!

Stacie kicks off the heels and has a great time.

Shaulee shows her stuff.

The guys show off some moves of their own.

And we start getting a little outta control! That Perkins family is a crazy bunch!

Star Wars

On my Decade in Review I originally failed to include the completion of Chris's Star Wars project. Don't worry, I have recognized and corrected my error! This is a project Chris started on before I even met him and took him the full decade to complete. Let's cut him some slack though, he was pretty busy accomplishing some other very significant things during that time.


To the pure delight of all those involved he finished the project at the end of 2009. We celebrated by having an over-the-top Star Wars premiere. Everyone from the oldest to youngest was decked out in Star Wars garb (many costumes contributed by our in-house costume designer Ali). We rolled out the red carpet and enjoyed a Star Wars feast before the big debut. The movie was a hit! It was especially fun to see how the kids got so involved. As goofy as it is, I feel sure it is destined to be a family treasure. And now, the moment you've all been waiting for......



The Menu: Yoda Soda, BoboFettucine, Tie Fighters, ObiWan Kebabs, Jabba Jiggle Jello, Darth Vader Sundaes, and Wookie Cookies

Kimberly with Jedi Jack

The multiple versions of Princess Leia

This is my favorite new costume for the night. Ali just whipped it up! She's amazing.

Queen Amidala Donnachada or some other such craziness

Is this the sweetest looking Jedi you've ever seen or what?? Don't worry, he still knows how to wield a lightsaber to duel with the best of them and is a mean shot with a laser gun.

Cooper and I were the only ones dressed as villians. I look more authentic with my mask, but R2D2 kept stealing it. Pesky little droid.

Proof of the peskiness. Who'd want my mask when they have their own papier maché helmet?

Adorable R2D2 with hunky Han Solo.