3 1/2 years in the making...

3 1/2 years ago (almost to the day) we bought our house. Signed the papers, and ran over to our new home to change the locks and take an inventory of what we were going to do before the big MOVE IN day. We brought over the big screen tv, a recliner, and a card table so that we had something to do when we were there for long periods of time. Isn't it funny where our priorities are-note we weren't smart enough to think "we won't have cable at the new house yet, so why bother with the tv???"

Rewind a little over a month- We put an offer on the house. The next day we found out we had an accepted offer. The next day (my birthday) Dan had hernia surgery. It was an eventful couple of days- and what do I do when life is exciting and/or stressful??? I start a project. Shopping for fabric, picking a pattern. etc. Well- I took over a year to find all of the fabric, before I started. Then I started and stopped. When I wanted to make Jack's quilt, I made myself finish the top to this quilt (that was 1 1/2 years ago) and just this last week I put it all together, quilted the top and finished the binding. HOORAY!!! It is done and on the bed.

Sadly, I don't love it for summer time, but it will grow on me. :) If anything it is there to remind me that I can do it and maybe I'll make a brighter, more summery quilt. (Hopefully Dan doesn't read all of this, I'm not sure he'd be thrilled with another project... I'm pretty sure he will stop reading by now.)



Jack and I made cookies last weekend- it was NOT a success. Fun to say we did it, but cleaning up the mess, dealing with a stubborn"I want more flour" attitude was not nearly as fun as I thought it might be.
Jack loves our shoes, and his shoes (not sandals though). He always messes with them, but this is the first time he got them on the right way! He worked really hard at this.
His favorite thing to do in the morning, no matter how soon we have to leave for school, is climb into the glider and read books. He prefers to be naked, but I try to put my foot down. He is happy though.
Sorry for all of the lame pacifier pictures, both of them are before breakfast- I am hoping to drop the pacifier next month! Wish us luck!

And a new toy that Dan and Jack were playing with. I have videos where he says "go" after I say 1-2-3, and some where he actually gets the rocket fired off, but none with both. Go figure.

Just to hold you over...

Very very soon, we will have all of our far away family in Wisconsin to visit. We are getting very excited! Here are a couple of pictures to fill the gap from now until you are here to see me (Jack)!


Jack's first McDonald's ice cream cone. He loved it with the spoon...

The hose is a new favorite toy- he is pretty funny!
Watching fireworks at the 4th- he loved it. We were helping him "ooh" and "ah."

And the sand table at our friend's house, playing on the 4th. This little toy gave mom and dad a little time to socialize and relax. :) THANK GOODNESS for fun activities that hold his attention!

And another swimming, splashing video. We love when he shivers. :)

Here, There and Everywhere

It seems like every time we turn around, there is something fun and exciting to do- whether we are out and about, at a friend's house or at home.

A couple of highlights- Last week Jack and I got to hang out at school. My friend Betsy (the singer) had some GIGANTIC marshmallows that she was chucking at her kids, and me, earlier in the morning. Well- Jack had a special giant size marshmallow for snack. (HUGE marshmallows, not just your normal big marshmallows.)



At school the kids have "Water Play Day" once a week. We have yet to get Jack to wear water shoes or sandals without socks- so we decided to give it a try in the sprinkler. He loved the sprinkler and even wore his shoes without socks.

In case you wonder why I "torture" my child with a hat all the time- I guess the scarring will be worse on his head if it get's sunburned. So we keep it sun screened & wear a hat, just to be extra cautious. Jack loves it, even if there is a little bit if special maneuvering when playing in the water. (He did figure it out later...)

Laundry day may be Jack's favorite day of the week! He loves to crawl over neatly folded clothes and he picks out his favorite piece and insists on wearing it over his head, around his neck or even on. This is Dan's Hawaiian shirt that he just had to wear- awesome fashion sense. He is kind of attached to Hawaiian shirts- just like his Papa Russ. :)

And as a special surprise, Grandma Cindy filled the kid pool for Jack. The water was cold but HE LOVED IT!



He couldn't get over just wearing is swim trunks-no diaper. (I am too cheap to put him in a swimming diaper every time we get wet. We just clean out the water after every use. It's like an outdoor bathtub!)

Just the beginning

Happy Summer! We have been extra busy enjoying the nice weather and spending time with friends and family.
A couple of highlights...

We had SEVERE weather on Monday night- we decided to head down to the basement. We made a nice bed on the floor, and TRIED to move Jack downstairs without disturbing his sleep. That lasted 3 minutes and then he was one PARTY ANIMAL! The great thing about it all-we went back upstairs at 10:20 and he was drowsy and went right back in his crib without a peep.
We are all safe- so is our house. We are THANKFUL!



Our cousins came to visit from Illinois. Jack and Cade relaxing in the recliner at Grandma & Papas. The big boys went fishing, and the girls and these two went out to dinner at Red Robin- very good food but Jack is not so fun at restaurants.

Just a silly picture.
And- how can I forget that I am playing in an Ultimate Frisbee league with Dan this summer. What was I thinking??? It is a lot of running, good thing I am there to be a girl body and only play just as much as the other girls ABSOLUTELY NEED ME. The first point or two is VERY painful, but after that it is A LOT of fun. Last week we had to take Jack with us so Dan I never got to play on the field together. It just just nice being out as a family!

And that is just the beginning of our summer. We are looking forward to sneaking in a lot more fun in between the necessities of life- eat, sleep, and of course work.

A rainy day...

a perfect day to play in puddles. :)






The ball pit was the activity for the weekend- card day with a friend on Friday, friends coming over Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon play (a distraction for our overtired child.)
Also- you could say we have started piano lessons. I have been practicing a song for church and Jack sits next to me and turns his pages in the book. He is very cute. Now he goes up to the piano and says "na, na, na." I'm pretty sure that is what he says as he reaches for anything he wants, but maybe it is his way of saying "piano."
And one of the best parts of his seat being forward facing- watching scenes like this unfold. :)

A couple of funny ones...

We pulled out the play food after school on Monday. Jack found a piece of pizza, put it in his mouth and then preceded to throw it in the garbage. I guess it didn't taste as good as homemade. :)

Also- Jack has been a monster going to sleep at night. Last night I took away his blanket that was in his crib, and gave him a different one. He went right to sleep. I think his blue & brown striped blanket scared him.

We did it!

We finally turned Jack's carseat around! The new recommendation is 2 years old, but Jack was getting a little too tall AND the cold air just wasn't getting to him fast enough. VERY LAME REASONS when we're talking about safety, but I am sure he is very safe!

Last weekend we went to Reclaiming Our Heritage at the VA medical center grounds. We only spent about 1 hour there (most of the time seeing my friend from work sing) but Jack wanted to walk EVERYWHERE and see EVERYTHING!


Jack loved to dance to the music! Every once in a while he would get a big idea and dart towards the stage- I WAS ON MY TOES (or behind the camera)!!!

Betsy singing- It was a GREAT show! I really enjoyed the patriotic music at the end- it reminds me of how grateful I am to live in the Land of the Free!

A weekend without Dan...

Dan went to Utah for the Holiday weekend- a friend was getting married and we like to check in on all of our friends.
Yes it seems strange we vacation separate, but how much fun would Jack and I have frisbee golfing every day, eating at Tucanos (I would enjoy this, not Jack so much) and the wedding was in Logan Utah- Jack and I spend most of our time in Provo. It seems like we would have vacationed alone, even if were in the same state.

Jack and I had a lot of fun at home!

Saturday morning, Jack slept until 9:10 AM!!! I woke him up- I don't really plan on him sleeping that long and I didn't want him to wake up during my 9:30 piano lesson. He was ready to go- first stop, a little morning read.

Then we hit up a neighborhood rummage sale. I found Jack a rocking chair- and it's RED! I LOVE RED!


We played at Grandma & Papa's house.

And when Dad made it home- we went on a festive walk for Memorial Day (Thank you Auntie Katie for the festive shirt and of course a Bomb Pop to go!)

AND enjoyed Pizza together, at the table. (Thanks to the new booster seat that I found at the rummage as well!)

Yes, Jack is a happy baby! He has been a lot of fun, going to bed without a peep and napping great! We are very lucky!