Zoo and the Baby Elephant

We went to the Zoo to see the baby elephant with Christopher and Sean.  The elephant was so cute imitating everything the mom elephant was doing.

Climbing the insect sculpture was a highlight- those Jacobs boys can climb!

The penguins were all about posing for photos.

And a train ride with MaMa was the perfect way to end our day.

Spring Break 2011: Pere Marquette

Over Spring break we spent a night at Pere Marquette with Kate, Amy, Tara and Ryan. It was only 24 hours but we packed a lot of fun into our time together. We first went to lunch at the Finn Inn and then checked into our cabin. We took a hike which was more challenging for Maura than I expected. We then went swimming, had dinner, and went back to the cabin for bed. The next day we drove to the overlooks to see different views of the river. We then went to the Alton Lock and Dam to finish off our history lesson of the Great Rivers.




Nature Museum at Pere Marquette

Walking sticks make all hikes better.



Dominoes and checkers before dinner

Great Hall at Pere Marquette Lodge- "Four Rivers Fabric Art"

Cocktails before dinner





Ben was the official graffiti reader, thankfully everything was pretty tame.

Checking out the Mississippi from Principia



The Mistake House at Principia was created to show different construction techniques such as brick, concrete, stone and creating a thatch roof.

The Principia Chapel built in 1935

Yucando 2011

Last year we decided a good bday gift Kate could give to the kids would be gift certificates to Yucando. They loved their afternoon there so we decided to do it again. They all chose different projects this year and it was fun to see how each one evolved. We added Maura to the mix this year since she has given up naps. She loved the time with everyone and loved painting her heart box. After Yucando we went to FroYo for pounds of frozen yogurt topped with candy toppings. We then had dinner at our house and we had a cousin slumber party- a great way to end Spring Break!

MaMa's Baby Quilts

Ben's quilt (2001)
Max's quilt (2004)

Maura's quilt (2007)

I am still in awe of Kate's beautiful quilting work. Each of these is special, unique, and made with so much love.

Skyping with the Jacobs

We went to Kates for a mini-birthday celebration. While there we were able to skype with Mimi, Christopher, and Sean. The kids thought it was huge fun and now they think everyone needs one.

Powder Valley

Amy had the foresight to take advantage of this beautiful day off and go to Powder Valley for a hike with the kids. We met there and the gate was closed which meant a hike up the hill before getting to the trail. The kids loved the hike and could have spent much more time in the creek if we would have let them.
After the hike we went to Dewey's Pizza for lunch. It was kind of a repeat of Max's field trip last week which meant another yummy lunch. After lunch we went to the farmer's market for the kids to run around. We left before getting pumpkins but I anticipated Maura melting down if we stayed much longer.

Maura's bday with MaMa

The conclusion of Maura's birthday month! We went to Kate's to celebrate Maura's bday since she was out of town on her bday. Nothing better than another birthday party complete with tiara and train cake (made with a whole stick of real butter, yum!).

Botanical Gardens

There was a boy waiting in line to get on the jumping water post. Maura cut in line and the boy started to yell at her. Ryan stopped him and said "Hey, she is only 2!". Nothing like an older cousin sticking up for you :)


I wish I had the patience and gift of knitting. Cutest hat EVER!







The last day of summer break we went to the Botanical Gardens with Kate, Amy, Tara, and Ryan. It was a beautiful day and we they got to play in the water after lunch. We also took the tram through the Garden which we had never done. I think Kate loves these excursions where the cousins are running around enjoying eachother's company.