Jackson had a fabulous birthday party today! One of Jack's teachers from Village Home, Misty Stromme, also does reptile shows (www.spidersandsnakes.com) so she agreed to come for the party. It was fabulous!

We had a large crowd of cousins, friends from Village, church and cub scouts -- some of whom have been friends with Jackson since birth. They played in the backyard and jumped on the trampoline until the show was ready. Then Misty spent over an hour sharing various reptiles, amphibians and snakes. It was a big hit! They all got to touch and hold the animals which most of the kids thought was fabulous. Mark's mom, who is terribly afraid of snakes, even stayed around and actually touched the python. Go Sharon!! Then we had cake & ice cream, and opened gifts. Jackson, of course, loved all the animals. He had no problem handling any of the animals, and even had a gecko on his head for a while. Bennett was tentative and touched a few of the animals, including the alligator. It was hard to keep Sarah away -- she loved them all.

The family all stayed around for pizza afterwards. John made up a great family trivia gift that pitted the kids against the adults. Great fun! The last question was "What do Aunt Genet and Aunt Wendy have most in common?" We all guessed - They are both pregnant! Yahoo! Wendy is due December 2nd and we are thrilled. Congratulations you guys!

It was a wonderful day and a birthday none of us will forget. Thank you to everyone who made it so memorable! We took so many photos that it was hard to choose which to include, but here are just a few...