Monterey Bay Aquarium

A few weekends ago, we went down to Monterey to visit the aquarium and beach. We discovered that for just a few dollars more, we could get a family pass that will allow us to visit as much as we want for a year.




We haven't been since Parker was 3. The aquarium has the most beautiful exhibits. The kids had a great time watching the animals and interacting with the hands on activities.





The jellyfish were my favorites to watch.







Spencer even had fun watching the fish and playing in the toddler area.




He got to play until his germaphobe daddy couldn't take it any longer and had to wash him up.



We can't wait to go back to Monterey!

3rd Grade

Here are a few things I've learned about going into the 3rd grade.

1. Character backpacks and lunch bags are no longer "cool."

2. Parents are "embarrassing."

3. Never try to hug your son in front of his friends.

I thought I had another year or two before this set in, but evidently 3rd grade is pretty grown up. Justin and I teased him that we were going to walk backwards into "Sneak a Peak" yesterday and talk gibberish to his teacher. Parker was MORTIFIED at the very thought! It is so fun being a parent and teasing your kid!

Summer Fun

I am so behind on my blogging. Summer was way too fun and went way too fast. Parker started the 3rd grade today. It is always funny how I worry about what to do each summer and it is gone before I know it. Summer for the Jeffs Family included Lego Camp, Cub Scout Camp, a visit from Ratface, a 2 week vacation with the Mendoza Crew, swimming, campouts, roasting marshmallows on the fire pit, playdates, sleepovers, and park days. Here are just a few pictures to highlight our summer.


Four Generation of the Jeffs




Fireworks







Cousins










Fourth of July








Swimming

First Haircut

I finally gave in and cut Spencer's hair. There really isn't much to cut, but the ends were getting curly and the top was a little long. I took him to a place in town that specializes in children's haircuts.



He sat in a car and played with an Elmo phone the entire time. It only took about 5 minutes, but surprisingly, he didn't seem to mind.




Spencer looks like a big boy now!

Father's Day

This year for Father's Day, my sister had a friend make matching ties for Papa Tom and all the grandsons. Tyler will be here this week to wear his with the boys. The ties turned out so cute! Thanks for the great idea Jill!!!

TP Bandits

In the grand tradition of his parents, Parker had his first toilet papering experience a couple of weeks ago while his friend, Derick, was here. The victim was Karlee Rudd, a 19 year old girl in our ward whom the boys have a little crush on. She had crashed their sleepover unexpectedly so they decided they wanted to TP her house. They scrambled around to find dark camoflauge gear (Parker wore his church suit because it is a dark blue :) ) and then covered their faces with black and brown shoe polish. Once the backpacks were loaded with toilet paper, we were off. We staked out here house, driving past it to see what we were up against. Once we circled around and parked, we were off. It was fun teaching them how to quickly get the TP off of the roll and to throw it in trees.




We were almost out of TP, so I headed back to the car while the boys finished up. I was busy taking pictures, when all of a sudden, Karlee's older brothers rushed out onto the porch. The poor boys froze like a deer in the headlights. I yelled, "RUN!" and started the car. Once inside the car, we took off and headed to Burger King to celebrate. The boys were so funny to listen to. It was all they talked about for the rest of the evening. Thankfully, the Rudds were good sports and were even proud that the boys had chosen their house to TP for their first experience!

Happy Birthday Spencer!

To celebrate Spencer's 1st Birthday, we invited our family and friends to Donney World for a little cake and waterslide fun. Despite being unseasonally cool, we had a blast going down the waterslide.





One of the Young Women in our ward, Lindsey Hull, made Spencer an Elmo cake with his own little cake to dig in to.



Spencer loved the cake but ate it very delicately. He even wanted to share it with Grandma Vicki.








We ended the party after opening the gifts. It was such a fun way to spend this day. Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us!