Dane's Birthday

Dane had to put in a full day of work on his birthday, so we couldn't do a celebration for him until the evening of his birthday. We went to a yummy Mexican restaurant, opened some practical gifts (socks, t-shirts, and a new pair of shoes), and then we were able to get the kiddos down to bed early. Em couldn't wait to help Daddy open his presents and Easton didn't want to be tied down to take pictures or help with birthday gift opening. These days all Easton wants to do is MOVE! Birthdays aren't quite what they were when we were kids, but Dane was appreciative for his practical birthday. Come spring hopefully he can get a new bbq grill. We love you, Dane!

Happy Birthday, Dane!!!!

Happy Birthday, Dane!!!! What a blessing you are as a husband, father, brother/brother-in-law, uncle, son/son-in-law. I feel so blessed to have met you 11 years ago and can't tell you how you have blessed my life and countless others. Your selflessness, committment, loyalty, gentle nature, clearheadedness (word?), love for the Lord, and countless other traits are why I love you so much! Thanks be to you for loving me and our children with all your heart! I relish those moments when I see you with our children. Their laughter and smiles are continually apparent when their "Daddy" is near. What a joy you are to me and our family. Thanks for all you do! We love you!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Karim!!!

Happy Birthday, Karim! Although, the day didn't go quite as you planned (traveling back to Virginia from Dallas 1 day later), we are so glad you made it home safely! We are so happy you met and married our brother, Chris. What a blessing you have been to the Jones family. You are an amazing wife, friend, daughter-in-law, and aunt. You are fun to be with and I love the way you like to participate and just be with the Joneses when you are with us. Some of my best memories with you have been spent talking and learning more about one another. Thanks for loving our family (especially the kiddos-Syd, Collins, Easton and Eme). We hope all your dreams and desires come to pass. Thanks for being you. We love you!!!!

Easton's 1st Birthday Ice Cream (not cake)

Sunday after church, we had Easton have his birthday ice cream. We were going to do cake also, but because he got so messy with just ice cream we decided to forego the cake and just have birthday ice cream. He loved 2 helpings of it, and then began to cry because he was cold in just his diaper. Not to be forgotten, Em posed for a picture of herself eating the birthday ice cream - chocolate chip cookie dough.

Done with the ice cream, it was getting too cold for him to hold in his hand.

Josh and Kallie's Open House - LDS Church in Plano, Texas

My hat goes off to Shirley and all those involved with making Josh and Kallie's open house awesome! The black and white with the accents of red really looked awesome. It was fun to be a part of the experience (I even was able to help iron a couple black tablecloths). The low light created an intimate mood and made for a comfortable, fun experience. The church was busy with friends and family for 2 hours straight and Josh, Kallie, Mom, and Dad looked stunning! It was fun to be able to celebrate Josh and Kallie at a second celebration. It was awesome to have everyone together again - we miss you Chris and Karim! My favorite past time is to be with family and just be. What a blessing to have a new member in our family - we are excited to have you here in Texas, Kallie. The food was delicious and the flowers were beautiful. What great friends my parents have and your support and love didn't go without notice. Thanks mom and dad and those that made this night memorable and fun!

Easton's 1st Birthday - Part 2

After finishing up things at the church for the open house, we all headed over to Sonny Bryan's BBQ for a little lunch to celebrate all the January birthdays. Chris and Karim were in town for the weekend and my mom thought it would be fun to do something for all those who had a birthday in January (Sydney, Kallie, Easton, Dane, and Karim). We ate yummy BBQ 'til we were too full to eat anymore and then headed back to Grammy and Poppy's house for a little gift exchange. Thanks Grammy and Poppy for the cute clothes, shorts, swimsuit/shirt, and hat. The Little People toys were fun too - Easton doesn't quite get them and Em can't get enough of them. She loves to give her animals' baths at the pet store. Also, thanks Col and Ashley for the cute truck you gave Easton. We loved and appreciated all the cards and well wishes for Dane and Easton's birthdays. Dane can't wait until he can use his gift card to get a new grill - thanks mom and dad!

(January Birthday crew - Karim, Syd, Kallie, Dane, and Easton)

Easton's 1st Birthday - Part 1

We opted to open Easton's gifts the night before his birthday because his birthday happened to be the same day as the Open House for Josh and Kallie. He didn't seem to care and really enjoyed the wrapping paper and bows. Grandma and Grandpa sent him a fun truck and some pop-together beads that created a fun, colorful bug. Dane and I gave him a swim suit and rash guard for our trip to Orlando and a box with shapes that fit into the different shaped holes. He had fun playing with Em. Sidenote: Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for sending an extra gift for Em, it really made her feel special and important! The next morning we had a chocolate donut with sprinkles that Easton dug right into - Em was definitely excited that she was able to have donuts for breakfast because it was Easton's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Easton!!!!

Eastie man, what a joy it has been to see you grow over the past year! You have an abundance of joy and you love to explore the world around you. It has been fun to see you first roll over, then sit-up, then army crawl, then crawl, then pull yourself up on things to standing position, and now we are awaiting your leap of faith move - walking. We love your love and attention. We love how you smile and laugh with your older sister. Daddy loves to snuggle you, but also loves to wrestle with you. Mommy loves the way you still snuggle up to her when you are tired. Thanks be to you for making our family even better - because we have you. We love you, bud!

Kallie's Birthday Party

We went over to my parent's house tonight for a birthday celebration for Kallie. My mom had purchased a very cute, chocolate cake for Kallie for her birthday. We opened gifts and then had the cake and ice cream, but the picture above shows what happened. Unfortunately, Kallie hasn't felt well since returning from her honeymoon in Mexico, and so Josh blew out the candles for her so she wouldn't pass any germs onto the rest of us. She found out she has a raging viral infection. What a bummer to not feel well on your birthday, but we were glad to celebrate with Kallie. We missed Easton, Em, Dane, Ashley, and Syd.

Happy Birthday, Kallie

Happy Birthday, one year older and wiser to!! Although, we haven't had much time to spend together over the last 8 months, we look forward to many fun times ahead with you. We are happy to have you as part of our family and are also excited you will live so close to us. Em can't wait to have you here. She is always asking "when is Kallie moving to Texas?". Welcome to Texas and the great, old South. We hope you have a wonderful day and will look forward to celebrating with you and enjoying a little cake and presents too! Have a happy day!

Happy Birthday, Mom - Grandma - Lori

Happy Birthday, to you! We love and miss you and were glad to hear that you had a great day with Grandpa Hatch. Thanks for being such a great grandma, mother, and mother-in-law. I am so grateful that I married into such a wonderful family with you and Gary heading it up. I appreciate the values you taught Dane and the girls and know that Dane is the man he is today because of the way he was brought up. I know that Dane is such a great father today because he had a wonderful mother who was hands-on with her children and wanted to be a big part of their growing up - much the same way Dane is with our children. I value Dane's work ethic and know that he learned those values from you and Gary. Thank you for all you do. I appreciate the way you love our children every time you are with them and make them feel special. There is nothing better as a parent to see than to have a grandma who wants to be down on the floor with the kiddos reading books and creating. I know we are far away, but the kiddos remember and as the years go by, you will create many a memories for our kiddos. Thanks for being such a great person and sharing your all with us! We love and miss you!