Sunday, June 30, 2013

Library Fun

About a month ago, I decided it would be a fun idea to go to the library!  I needed to get a library card and I thought Katie would enjoy it too.  Thank goodness it all worked out - you have to be 4 years old to get your own card...whew!  She had such a fun time going through and picking out some fun books to read.  And she was pretty proud of her new card too.
 I tried to make a point of it to read these library books at least every other day while Jack was napping.  We did a pretty good job...but she always chose the same books each time, so there were definitely books we didn't get to.  Oh well!  Her favorite was The Man With Bad Manners.
As it got closer to return the books, I remembered they were having a fun event at the library.  So we decided that would be the day we went!  Here are what pictures of the kids look like these days (if I am lucky)...
 They were having a Touch A Truck event!  Here Katie is up in a firetruck...
 And in the scoop of a humongous bulldozer...
 This is the tire of the same bulldozer - huge!
 And she  loved pretending to drive it too!
 She was driving the dump truck here...the men that own it taught her how to honk the horn.  She thought that was the most amazing thing ever!
 And she was so excited to find a "bulldozer" that was just her size!
 They also had Chick Fil A, a mobile pet adoption, face painting, etc!  She thought it was hilarious to see the CFA Cow at the library!
 And what did she decide to get painted on her face? A spider!  Even with pictures of rainbows and butterflies and ladybugs!  Oh my.
 After we finished doing all of that fun stuff, we went into the library for more fun!  I think Katie absolutely loves putting the books in the book return!
 Then it was time to pick out some more books!  She is so random about the books she chooses.  But she loves it.  And it is a fun, free thing to do!
 I love this picture :)
Well, we can mark one thing off our summer bucket list!  So glad we got library cards!  Now I can't wait to go for storytime and a craft sometime soon!


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Friday, June 28, 2013

Strawberry Pickin'

Whew! Things are crazy in these parts lately.  But I am going to catch up, I promise.  And that means lots of reading material for anybody that hasn't given up on me and this blog :)  There's a week and a half of fun to catch up on (meanwhile, other fun things are happening - ah!), so be sure to check back frequently.

About a week and a half ago (oops), we went to a farm about 30 minutes away to pick strawberries!  It is nearing the end of strawberry season, but I was so glad we were able to do it!  I wanted to last year, but I was humongous pregnant and then had a new baby and was recovering from the c-section, so it wasn't in the cards.  We went with some of our friends down the street and had a ball!  We went and picked strawberries (and I am fairly certain Katie ate as many walking through the fields as she picked) and then we had a picnic lunch!  It was just so fun!

Here is the crew before heading down to the strawberry fields.  This place had 6 different varieties of strawberries and they were all delicious!
 I'm glad I remembered that Katie had a strawberry outfit :) Just perfect for the occasion!
 Listening intently to the farmer as to what makes a strawberry good to eat now vs good to put in the basket...
 And they were off!
 Jenn did lots of picking and divvying out the eat now ones - and I pushed Jack and took pictures...oh, and ate strawberries :)  
 Katie LOVED it - she ate the entire strawberry...stem and all!
 Love this sweet, strawberry-lovin girl.  She has proclaimed that strawberries are her favorite fruit.  I definitely believe it after seeing how many she ate!
 And Sydney, Jenn, + Reagan!  Love this picture!
 Aren't those strawberries amazing? YUM!
 Once we filled our baskets and paid, it was picnic time!  The kids did a silly picture first...
 And then a sweet picture before digging into the lunches we brought!
 Me and my babies...looks like Jack is doing the Thriller dance to me :)
 And all the kiddos wanted in!  So funny.
 Jenn loaded the kids up and I let Jack out to explore a little before we headed out.  He loved it!  I think this picture sums him up nicely...he was surveying what he could get into next.  And that is him to a tee!
I can't wait to go back and pick some blueberries!  I love summer...and fruit!

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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Jack + The Gifts

We opted for Jack to not open presents at his party - like all babies, he was likely to be more interested in the bows and bag and tissue paper, so we waited until the next morning to open all the goodies.  He got some great toys and clothes and money for the college account :)  And of course big sis was super excited to have some new toys to play with - even though they are baby boy toys :)

When we got in there with all the presents, he wanted to play with balloons and some tissue paper of course.  And Katie wanted to rip into all the presents.  So she got to help with a few presents and then Jack actually did decide to dig into some of the gifts.
 He would rip tissue paper out of one and Katie would start on another...meanwhile I was trying to keep a list so I could write thank you notes.  Sheesh!  Glad we didn't try to do this at the party :)
 He got a little set of golf clubs from Cee Cee...he loves playing with them!  I am just waiting until he figures out he can hit people and things with the...watch out, Sadie!
 He looks so big standing up! At this point, his record is taking 19 steps before landing on his rump :) He gets so excited when he walks around!
 Just look at this big one year old.  What a fun birthday weekend (and Father's Day too)!

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Monday, June 24, 2013

Seven Years Ago...

On this day seven years ago, this happened....
How in the world have I been married SEVEN years!!??  Good grief.  We have accomplished oh so much since this day seven years ago...and I wouldn't want anybody else by my side to experience it all with! 
 Life really couldn't get any better...we are blessed to be surrounded by close family and friends, have a roof over our head, and two amazing children (and one great dog too!)...sometimes I feel like I am playing house - this is exactly where I wanted to be at this point in life and it seems so surreal at times!
 I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us as a couple and us as a family...
Brad is such a great husband, daddy, provider, friend, and person in general.  I am so blessed to call him all mine! :)
 And just because I love this picture, I thought I'd include it too :) We've got a crazy bunch of friends and family...that's for sure!
Happy Anniversary to us!  I love you forever and ever, Brad!

And maybe one day I will scan some more pictures...I love all of them from our wedding but I didn't get them on CD...just in an album!  Can't wait to take some time this afternoon and look through them :)


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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Jack: 12 months

Sleep
Boy, are we blessed in this department!  Jack goes down for bed at around 7:30 and will sleep a good 12 hours.  Sometimes he will wake up a little earlier, but I think he goes back to sleep - I only hear little chirps for a little while!  He also entertains himself in his bed for a while...he will lay in there and relax and then start to play with his lovey.  If it has been too long, he will take his crib rail protector off - it has 3 knot fasteners and I can always tell how long he has been awake by how many of them are undone :)
Eating
Just after Jack turned 11 months, I reached a point of utter frustration.  The battles over the bottle were just wearing me out.  And I am sure they were wearing Jack out too!  So after talking to the pediatrician's office, we made the switch to all table food.  She said to just give him formula in the sippy cups and not do any more bottles.  AH!  We compromised and did just one bottle a day at bedtime to ensure he was at least drinking a good 7-8 ounces of formula (we trialed differed sippy cups with whole milk and water).  And good grief does this boy like to eat.  Looking back, I definitely think he was just telling us he was ready for table food!  I have written down just about everything he has tried and liked, and it is such a long list!  Here is a picture of the latest list!
The only food he has consistently spit out was when we scrambled egg beaters.  I think he prefers real eggs - can't blame him there!  For breakfast, we usually give him some mini pancakes and fruit and some baby cereal with milk + baby food mixed in.  Lunch is crackers, cheese, turkey pepperoni, and fruit/vegetable!  He will have some Pirate's Booty or something like that as a snack with Katie and then dinner is usually whatever we are having (within reason, of course)!  I'm so glad he is willing to try anything and 99% of the time likes it!  And he is getting better about drinking milk (his last formula was the night before his first birthday) - I put it in his morning cereal and then he is slowly getting the hang of the sippy cup.  And at dinner the other night, he actually drank from a straw!!  Hopefully in the next month he will really figure out the sippy cup!
Weight
At his 12 month appointment on Thursday, he weighed 23 pounds, 6 ounces (50-75th percentile)!
Length
Jack was 30" (50-60th percentile)!
Size Clothes
We just transitioned him to size 18 month things - a few of the things are just a little big on him, but he definitely looks more comfortable (especially the jammies)!
Size Diapers
Size 4!
Hair color
Sometimes his hair looks brown, sometimes it looks blonde, and sometimes it even has a reddish tint to it! He definitely has more of it though...and it even has a definitive part!
Eye color
Beautiful blue!  And we've noticed recently that he has some hazel right around the iris - it is so amazing!
Looking Like
When it is just me with the kids, people say he looks a lot like me.  And then when Brad is around, folks say he looks like Brad.  And he definitely has similar features to Katie.  And at his party, my grandmother said he looks a lot like my dad did as a baby.  So...looking like himself with family influence, I guess :)
Nicknames
I seem to always call him Jacky Wacky these days...it just works!
Favorite toy
He got lots of new, fun toys for his birthday!  And then I have introduced some of Katie's old toys to him too - he loves the plastic set of golf clubs that Cee Cee gave him for his birthday.  And he likes to play with blocks.  He also likes to pull up and play with the grocery cart we have.  He got an Elmo toy for his birthday that he loves.  He also has started really liking having a lovey to sleep with...whenever I lay him down he always grabs for it and tucks it close to himself.  And then he also plays with it when he wakes up!  He hasn't been particular to a certain lovey, but he just likes having one with him (one of the Angel Dear ones - we have 4! ha!)
Firsts
The biggest first for Jack recently was his first birthday!  What a fun, special day!
Milestones
This boy is BUSY!  He loves to try to race into the bathroom and play the toilet like a drum.  Or race into the laundry room and splash in Sadie's water.  We try to keep those doors shut now :)  He has figured out how to climb at least one stair.  And he walks!  He took his first step on June 7 and then took like 6 steps the next day. Just today he set a new record at 16 steps before falling.  He will, no doubt, be running sooner than I'd like :) He still prefers the bear crawl as his speedy, primary mode of transportation, but he is definitely figuring out that he can walk and really wants to run everywhere instead!
Talking/Words/Sounds
Still about the same!  He will try to make the sounds to songs, say mama + dada + baby + byebye (with a wave, of course) + try to say dog, ball, book, poop (hehe), uh oh, bottle....he is more willing to imitate for sure!  And when we sing his favorite song, Wheels on the Bus, he has tried to roll his hands for the round and round part.    
Anything else?
I cannot get over how social Jack is!  There seriously is not a time where we go out to run an errand or do something and someone stops to talk to him (like people generally do with babies) and comment on his happy disposition, smile, and bright blue eyes.  Of course, that makes me a very proud mama...and I know we are in big trouble because he is already a big flirt!  I was watching The Today Show this past week and Heidi Klum was on...good grief Jack would not take his eyes off the TV!  He was smiling at her and waving at her and giggling...it was hilarious!  






I cannot believe my little man is already a big ONE YEAR OLD!  How is that possible (I know I've said that probably 10 times!)...I feel like I blinked and it was time for his birthday!  Jack is the sweetest, funniest, happiest boy there ever was.  I am one very blessed mama...that is for sure.


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