7 Years Already???!!!

Can you believe it has been 7 years since Mr. Jonathan has blessed us with his presence in our world? It seems like only yesterday that he amazed us with his outstanding birth weight of 9 lbs. and 10 oz., earning him the nickname "Bruiser" (thanks to good ole Daddy Wayne)! And today I stand in awe of how big he's grown and how much he has learned since that life-changing day he was born. I definitely miss holding my "little man" in my lap, rocking him to sleep, and chasing away the bed bugs; but each day brings more exciting times to my life. How could I trade getting science lessons almost daily, or playing baseball/soccer/racquetball with him, or answering an unending supply of questions from this boy who loves to learn? So as he turns 7, I look back to sweet memories we have made together and I look forward to many, many more memories yet to happen.

So here's to our 7 year old Jonathan and the next year of his life. To celebrate and keep with our tradition, we had birthday pancakes this morning together. Then, he was surprised when he opened his present. He had been wanting a Nintendo gameboy for quite some time, so we presented him with a Nintendo DS. He was extremely excited and couldn't thank us enough. We were happy to make him so happy!

Happy Birthday Jonathan! We love ya, buddy!

The Pool Is Finally Open!

The long awaited opening of the pool finally happened this weekend! We have been swimming everyday since Friday and look forward to many more wades in the pool. Here are pics from opening day!

Park Pals

Last week, our friends from church came over. We had a big hot dog cookout and then we went to play at the park. Here are a few pictures that we thought you'd like!

You're Invited!

All of our friends and family are invited to Jonathan's birthday bash here in Southaven. We are celebrating his exciting 7 years at our gym's pool on Sunday, June 3rd. If anyone wants to try to come, we would love to have you! Just give us a call and let us know.

Secret Message

Here's just another "pick me up" from my eldest son, Jonathan. He may be a stinker sometimes, but there's a little bit of thoughtfulness underneath his stinky cover! Plus, he just couldn't stand not to run his finger through the dirt on our window! You have to look carefully to see the sweet message: "I love Mama."

Camping Adventure

A few weeks ago, the Rhodes Clan loaded up and headed to the mountains of the Arkansas River Valley. We had a blast. We thought you might enjoy some pics from our weekend of extreme adventure!

As you can clearly see, we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies!

Setting up camp was a blast! I, of course, had the best helpers ever!

Here we are practicing our rock climbing skills! We had some cliff hanging good times here!

We saw some great scenery! This is why Arkansas is the "Natural State"!

Here we see Caleb getting in trouble for getting too close to the Hang-glider launch site. I still don't think he is fully aware of the danger. What can I say, he gets his hard-headedness naturally!

Pa and the boys playing in a cool cave!

No camping trip would be right with out the sweetness of S'mores! We made some of the best ever on this trip! Thanx Ma for the help!

Here are some random pics of the boys' exploits around the camp site.

Of course, the most important part of any camping excursion is the camp fire. I am certainly glad I had good help in gathering and chopping the fire wood!

Our favorite meal when camping is breakfast. We spare no effort in rolling out the good stuff!

Finally, time to relax with an ice cold drink and good poking stick!

We can't wait to hit the camping trail again! These boys love a great adventure. However, we did come back with a strong bout of poison ivy! Oh well, I guess the good times are worth the funky itch.

Thanx!