Easter 2011, part 1

The day before Easter, we gathered at my parent's house in Lemoore to celebrate Easter with my family. It was actually the first time I had seen my brothers and their families since before Weston was born. . . sometimes it is really hard to get us all together. It was a nice morning with yummy brunch-y foods.

Zoe loves her cousin Weston. This picture was taken just before we left. We had misplaced Weston's binky and Zoe sat there and rocked Weston to sleep. It was super cute!
Ethan and Jon got to play RLC. Ethan loves that game. . . if anyone wants to come play, we have it.
Weston got his first toy car in his Easter bag. . . doesn't he look happy. He was actually in a great need for a nap.
Ethan and Zoe had fun pushing the stroller around with Zoe's baby.
Grandma, Weston, and Zoef

Cayucus 2010

Our annual trek to Cayucus with Jon's family has once again come and gone. It is always nice to get together with Jon's family to partake in some fun, relaxing traditions. This year was a bit different because we were in a different house and Jeff, Kelley, and the boys were not there to join us (they had a good excuse. . . Kelley was giving birth to our new, precious little nephew!).

Jon, Ethan, and I headed off to the coast after lunch on Friday, just in time for Ethan to take a nice, long nap (he did nap, but only for about an hour, then he whined. boo). We got into Morro Bay just in time for me to hit my favorite quilt shop before they closed, walk around the Embarcadero, and let Ethan run around at the park. It is such a nice little park at the Marina.

As dinner time started approaching, we headed into Cayucus, found the house, unpacked, and walked to the Sea Shanty for dinner. It was delicious!
We had a lot of fun walking around and going to the Peddler's Fair. I found a really good deal on some antique green bowls (yes, I have an obsession with bowls), and Jon was able to restock his supply of golf balls (apparently a few were lost during the annual Raineri Cup, and Ethan was able to purchase some hot wheels, some books, and a Toy Story bubble whistle.

The man-folk participated in their annual golf tournament (Congrats to John Dooley for winning). We played outside and let off balloons in honor of Jon's cousin who died several years ago.
Ethan also got to celebrate his 2nd birthday with his Nanny (Great Grandma). He had a few presents to unwrap, a balloon, and some yummy cake. He now thinks it is his job to blow out the candles.
Before heading home, we took Ethan to the beach for some fun! It was a bit chilly and foggy, but we weren't complaining (as we would soon be going home to hot temperatures and sun). Ethan had fun walking with his grandma and grandpa Klassen. It was a nice morning!
And of course, what Cayucus weekend would be complete with out a group shot. Here we are being silly. Ethan even joined in the fun, by sticking out his tongue.
And, here we are. . . all smiles.

Independence Day

It has been a couple of years since we have been home for the 4th. 2 years ago, we were finishing our road trip to Oregon in Pismo with our friends Josh and Steph and last year we were at a family reunion. So, this year, we made a point to stay at home and hang out with Jon's side of the family at their annual gathering.

This year, we celebrated with a yummy BBQ at the Dooley's. It was a lot of fun, because they have a pool and all the kids were able to get in the pool. Even little Everett was able to dip his feet in! So much fun! We all went home before it got dark. . . Which worked out great for us since Jon had bought some fireworks for us to do with Ethan (his first 4th of July he can enjoy). So, when we got home, we chilled and watched a movie (Ethan was tired due to no lack, so he willingly chilled). As the sun set, Jon went to set up in the driveway. We had Ethan sit in his stroller for the most of it. Lots of neighbors also came out about the same time, so we had a lot to watch. I will also note, that apparently we couldn't just buy 1 pack of sparklers. . . we had to buy 12! We didn't even use them all! But Ethan got to enjoy his first, second, and third sparkler. He loved the fireworks! Even our neighbors' really loud and annoying Piccolo Pete's. Each time a fire work went off, he kept signing "more". It was so cute!

We can't wait to do it again next year!

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P.S. Sorry that it has been so long since we have updated our blog. I haven't been feeling the greatest and am just now feeling motivated to re-enter blog land.

Father's Day 2010

This year, we spent Father's Day with Jon's family. It was very different than any other year (or family get together, for that matter) because people were all on vacation. This year, we celebrated it with Jon's Grandpa Gene and Grandma Wanda, his parents Rich and Carolyn, his other Grandpa John, and his aunt Cheryl, and of course the cat (Ethan wanted me to throw that in). It was really nice sitting around the table all together and chatting. Ethan did a great job being patient (he had some help . . . thanks Nanny for the toy! Ethan loves it!) while we sat at the table and watched the men open presents.

Ethan had fun playing golf with his grandpa. . . anything with a ball and grass and he's a happy boy. He also spent some time chasing the cat, trying to feed the cat, and even hugging the cat. We even got the opportunity to take a 4 generation picture with Ethan, Jon, Rich, Gene, and John.

Happy Father's Day!

A time for celebration. . .

One week ago, our nephew, Cooper, finished his first year of school. . . kindergarten. We got to go and watch the whole celebration at his school. It was so much fun!

Logan (Cooper's brother) and Ethan had so much fun! This picture was taken before it started, but they when the kids were singing, they would both try to do the motions with the kids. So cute! They also had fun playing with grandma's toy dinosaur.

Cooper got his name called and shook the principal's hand (I think it was the principal anyway).

During their performance, Cooper and a friend got up and said a cute little poem that he memorized.
Ethan and Logan took turns sitting on Grandma's lap. This time, it was Ethan's turn. Here he is trying to do the motions to one of the songs. I love it!
Jeff, Kelley, Logan, Doug, and Diane (Kelley's parents) watching Cooper perform.

Minus the lady in front, here they are singing and doing the motions.

And finally, Cooper and his very proud Mom, Kelley!

Good Job, Cooper!

Cheeney Family Cookbook

Cheeney Family Cookbook by Jolie Klassen | Make Your Own Book

Mother's Day

Mother's Day this year was spent with Jon's family. We had a blast hanging out with Jon's side of the family. I wasn't feeling the greatest thanks to my "lovely" allergies and post birthday party exhaustion (see previous posts). But, it was fun. We celebrated Kelley's 30th birthday and Diane's birthday, too. The little boy in the bottom left is Everett (jon's cousin Matt's little boy) and he is sitting on his grandpa John's lap. Ethan had fun sitting with Grandma Carolyn and stuffing paper down his shirt. He loved every minute of it! I think next year I am going to have to try to get a picture of me and my little squirt. . . after all, it is Mother's Day?

Cousin time!

In the previous post, I mentioned we recently celebrated my step-grandmother's 80th birthday. One of the coolest things about that party, was having our immediate family all together, since my sister and her son, George, live in Wyoming. On my (that would be Jolie's) side of the family, there are 4 grandchildren. . . Ryan (12), Zoe (3), George (2), and Ethan (1). Now, Zoe, George, and Ethan are all born around the Labor Day time frame. They love being together and playing with each other and this year was the first time that Ethan was able to play with his cousins. They had so much fun playing together at Bonnie's birthday party. They played Frisbee, dug in the dirt (and ate some), hugged each other, and filled the house and yard with squeals of joy and laughter. In fact, Grandma and Grandpa Heinrich bought a new toy (a CAT dump truck that moved and made noise (a great toy for grandma and grandpa's house!). The kids had so much fun carrying it together and playing it together. They even stopped playing to dance to the 20 second musical interlude when the correct button was pushed. It was quite funny because, despite the fact that there were 3 kids vs. 1 truck, they never really fought over it - they played so nicely.

I don't think that as kids we thought that we would sit around watching our kids play together, but it is definately a beautiful thing.

Bonnie turned 80!!!

Mother's Day weekend was a great weekend for a birthday party. . . the weather was great, the whole family was in town. . . it couldn't have been more perfect! Glen's mom, Bonnie turned 80. . . a wonderful reason to celebrate!

Karissa and George were here, so we made sure to get a family picture. It's not perfect, but with 3 tired toddlers, we this was what we got.

Dustin, Bonnie, and Robert

Bonnie and Zoe

Bonnie right before she blew out the candles.

Bonnie loves Tweety Bird, so they had it put on the cake.

Easter Sunday

Happy Resurrection Day

from the Klassen's

Our Easter started out with a busy morning at church. I was very thankful that I didn't have to teach Sunday School, as they gave the teacher's the morning off (thanks Michele and Debi!). That meant Jon and I were able to worship God together (something that seems so rare in our business lately). The sermon was really good (you can click on the link to watch the sermon from Easter). Then we went to the nursery to hang out with all the little ones. It was so much fun seeing all the little babies in their Easter attire.
Then we headed down to Hanford to spend some time celebrating Christ's Resurrection with Jon's family. We celebrated with pizza and an Easter Hunt and then cake for Jon's Aunt Debbie's birthday. Each of the boys (well, Cooper, Logan and Ethan) received a golf set from Jon's grandparents. They had so much fun hitting balls around the yard! I think at one point, all the guys were out there and it became slightly "full contact," which apparently how Jon and his cousins used to play. It was neat to see the boys all playing together! It started to rain shortly after the Easter egg hunt, which was perfect timing (it was a beautiful rain. . . cold, but beautiful!).

We ended our day with dinner in Lemoore with my family. We took pictures on my mom's camera - but can't find the cord, so maybe someday those will get posted. Ryan (my niece) hid quite a few eggs for Ethan. Unfortunately, he was tired and not really into hunting, so he gave up after about 5 eggs.

We had so much fun celebrating with our families. We feel so blessed to have them both so close! We hope that everyone had an awesome time this Easter season.

Double Birthday

Happy Birthday to our Pirate Nephews Cooper (6) and Logan (3)!

The party was a couple of weeks ago, but I still wanted to get this up. The weather was great pre-spring and sunny. . . the perfect day for a party. Ethan and I were so excited to join the celebration and Jon came a little later (he had to save the Valley of bad air first). Cooper and Logan had so much fun eating ice cream and playing with their cousins. I think Cooper's favorite gifts were his Nerf Bow and Arrows (which his dad (Jeff) and Jon enjoying trying out later) and Logan enjoyed the balloons . . . until they flew off into the air (ooops!). Kelley did a great job with the pirate theme. . . someday we will get Ethan to wear his hat (we tried to get him in a picture with C & L, but we had no luck. . . he's fast!). Thanks for inviting us Jeff, Kelley, Cooper, and Logan! We had fun!

Happy Birthday Gene and Lisa

January 2010 brought the first family gathering of the New Year. We all got together for a surprise Brunch in honor of Jon's grandpa Gene and Lisa's birthday. (Lisa is Jon's cousin Matt's wife. . . whose birthday is actually in February, but it gets celebrated early with family).
It was decided that it was going to be a surprise and that we were going to do Saturday brunch, which was a little different then normal (normal being Sunday afternoon for cake). So this morning included a yummy egg dish (thanks Kelley!), various bread items, fruit and veggies along with the traditional dessert selection. Man! We were stuffed (and on a sugar high!).
We had so much fun hanging out with everyone. Here's some of the highlights:
:: Watching Everett be cured of the hiccups.
:: Seeing Cooper, Logan, and Ethan play with toys that their daddy's played with when they were young. . . I believe there were some Robin Hood toys and TNT toys. So much fun!
:: Watching Gene and Lisa open presents and blow out their candles.
:: Enjoying Wanda (Jon's grandma) not using her new digital camera. . . she loves her 35 mm, what can we say?

We love getting the chance to spend time with kids and now that Ethan is a tad older, it is so much fun to watch him interact with his cousins. It really is entertaining!

I will end this post, with one final Happy Birthday to Gene and Lisa. Happy Birthday!!!!!

30 years!

I (Jolie) am officially 30! Yikes! I had a nice day celebrating my 30th year with Ethan, while Jon went to work. Ethan and I walked our annual walk to Starbucks (mmm. . .pumpkin spice latte) and spent the day relaxing at home. The real celebration didn't begin until later. . . when Jon got home.
Jon planned a nice quiet dinner to celebrate my 30th birthday at Claim Jumper. He arranged for our friends, Josh and Steph to feed Ethan dinner so I wouldn't have to worry about that on my birthday. It seemed like a nice date night to me! When we went to pick Ethan up, I was blown away by a surprise party! Jon had been planning this for months with his co-conspirators, Josh and Steph. I was completely caught off guard, but am very grateful for my friends and family for giving up their Wednesday night to come celebrate my birthday!

My cake and I. Happy Birthday to me!

Josh and Steph's Foosball table was put to good use! Cooper, Logan (his head is peaking over the back of the Foosball table), Jeff, Jon, and Carolyn had fun playing. I think that Rich joined in too.

Everyone dressed in black and white to mourn the loss of my 20's. Goodbye decade.

I thought this was nice picture of Rich, Carolyn, Cooper and Jeff. (I wonder where Logan and Kelley are?)

And this is my amazing cupcake cake that Monica made. . . with her amazing frosting!

So, this is NOT the first time that Jon has done something sneaky. Although it drives me bonkers, I feel so blessed that he loves me so much to plan things (behind my back) for me. I always tease him about how I am unsure if I can trust him, but honestly, he is such a gift from God and I love him so very much. His sneakiness usually results in an awesome blessing for me. . . so, thank-you Jon!

And thank-you Steph and Josh. . . for all that you did, including opening your home. You guys are such a blessing in our lives and we are so thankful we have such great friends like you!

Halloween

I just realized that I had not yet posted pictures from our Halloween festivities this year. We had such a busy weekend with the zoo on Friday, home inspection, retrieval of phone in Reedley (I had lost it at the zoo), and then Trunk or Treat in Hanford with Grandma, Grandpa, and Zoe. We had so much fun! Zoe couldn't stop eating candy (I think she's a fan of Hershey's miniatures! . . . mmmm. . . chocolate!). Ethan loved saying hi to all the people at the different cars, although he got terrified at a car with people dressed up as gorilla's. He got over that quickly, though. The candy called! He carried around his pumpkin with great pride (thanks Great Grandma and Grandpa Raineri!).
The next night (Halloween), we went the Bridge for a few games with Ethan. Most of the things were a bit too old for him, but he did get to feed a bear, play basketball, golf, and thrown animals into Noah's Ark. We didn't stay too long because we were all incredibly tired from Friday's activities and Ethan and Jon were both suffering from colds. We did however take time to wrap ourselves in foil for free Boo-ritos at Chipotle. That was fun and well worth the foil wristbands that Jon molded for us.
It ended up being a really nice Halloween. We had some crazy adventures but they all ended with relaxing at home. . . just the way we like it!

Family Time

This has been a great week! We kept very busy and got to have some great family time both with just Jon, Ethan, and I and also a nice picnic with Jon's family. I love capturing these moments. . . they are just so nice!

Thursday night, we headed to the Met so Ethan could have see Bob the Builder before it leaves Fresno. The first Thursday night of every month it is free to get in, because of Art Hop, so we took advantage of this great opportunity! Ethan had so much fun! He wanted to see everything and it was hard to keep him in one place. We decided he really isn't so much a builder as he is a destroyer! He really would rather knock things down than build them up! Jon had a blast playing with the ball exhibit. I think the first Thursday of the Month is now our Met Night. . . A new family tradition! We had so much fun! In fact, Ethan came home so very tired, but he couldn't fall asleep. He just sat in his bed with his Bob the Builder book flipping the pages back and forth. I finally had to take him to bed with me to lay down and get him to relax. He had so much fun!

Saturday we met Jon's family at the park by Fresno State for a picnic lunch to celebrate Rich's birthday. We had fun watching the boys play some football and watching Ethan and Logan play in the grass. It was a lot of fun! Happy Birthday Rich!

Cayucus 2009

I can't believe that Cayucus has come and gone. Just a few weeks ago, we were talking about how we couldn't believe how quickly it was coming. . . and now. . . we are recovering from this annual retreat. Each year, Jon's family gathers at a beach house in Cayucus (this has been going on for a LONG time), and spends Labor Day weekend as a family.

Jon's grandparents give each of us 10 dollars to go to the Peddler's Faire and find some sort of fantastic deal. It is incredibly hard for me because I just can't stand buying trinkets and junk! But, it is fun. Usually, I come back with some children's books, marbles, or something. This year, I settled on some cinnamon coated almonds and pecans (they are awesome!) and Jon got a model sail boat to go with our nautical stuff. Ethan was able to get a sand castle building kit and bubble wand kit that came together in one package. Then we treated ourselves to a scrumptious peanut butter cookie from the Brown Butter Cookie Company (Delicious!).
Jon and some of the men went to Los Osos on Saturday afternoon to play some golf - John Dooley won and Jon's grandpa recieved the pink tee award (had something to do with him hitting a really bad shot into a street that bounced into a neighborhood and endangered the lives of many - or so goes the story!)

Saturday night was a night of Rock and Roll. . . literally. We experienced a 4.0 earthquake and then played some American Idol Kareoki on the PS2. It was a blast watching everyone sing their duets together. . . even Cooper and Logan got into it! It was great - and incredibly hillarious!

Sunday marked Ethan's very first birthday! We decided that it was the perfect time to take our little water boy to the beach. It was the perfect day for it, too! The sun was warm and the breeze was nice and cool - so cool that Ethan even shivered for a bit (that didn't stop him, though). He even got to play with his cousins. Cooper got burried and then he went exploring for crabs. He did a great job finding some live sand crabs and then set them free with his Uncle Jon.

Sunday marked Ethan's birthday, as well as Wanda's (Ethan's great grandma), so we celebrated with some presents, cake, and ice cream. We also let go of some balloons in memory of Jon's cousin Mike, who died several years ago. It was so much fun!

Monday, we packed up - ready to leave, yet sad to go. It is always a fantastic weekend, but like most vacations, it is always nice to go home and get back into routine. Before we left, Jon went and did some last minute geocaching, while I took Ethan down to the pier and treated myself to a tea. Ethan had a blast on the swings! We are are very thankful to Jon's grandparents who put together these fun family weekends!

Father's Day, Part 2

This year was Jon's first official Father's Day. We slept in for a bit and then went to church, totally ditching our Sunday School Class (I know. . . we're so bad! hee hee) and then headed to John and Debbie's for lunch. Everyone was there, making it a fantastic day. John even made homemade ice cream, which was delicious! Overall, the day was a great day. I am very thankful for the father that Jon is. It is so much fun to see how he and Ethan interact. I know that Ethan loves his daddy very much because he gets so excited when he sees Jon walk through the door each evening. Thanks Jon for being the father of our son!

We watched the Father's open up their cards.

Cooper kept us entertained by getting completely inside the "Santa" bag.

Jon's granparents, Gene & Wanda

Jon's mom, Carolyn, with Cooper & Ethan (Logan was asleep).

Jon opening a card.

More of everyone.