Filling in the gaps

We have been very busy the last couple of months- I know I like to complain about it, and I do take pictures but have been a little lazy/or just too busy to post them all. So here it is- pictures at all!

We went sledding in Chicago when we went to visit Jack's cousins. Auntie Marcia was in town too! Jack- didn't love it but did enjoy it once he was on his way down the hill.


Jack has obviously been busy also. He has fallen asleep in the lovesac, on the floor, the couch, and in our arms a couple times. His sleep is FAR from under control. We are working on that. :)

Superbowl Sunday: Maybe we are out of control when it comes to sleep because Jack was sick. Probably just a cold, but his fever Superbowl Sunday was OUT OF CONTROL! and he refused medicine time and time again. So we have no pictures of the game, but we were decked out for church (before I sent Jack and Dan home.) My mom and dad brought over a cheese-head tie and earrings the night before the big game. We were a HIT!
Jack and his friend enjoy relaxing, watching me make cookies in their comfy chairs.
And of course, Marshmallow Wars. Jack gets right into the action. :)
And enjoys the treat!
Yesterday we got some new snow- Dan and Jack went outside to build a snowman together as I enjoyed a little quiet time inside. Aaaahhhh, a little rest is all we need sometimes.

Publish Post

The best part of 2

Jack was up early the day after his birthday. We snuggled on the couch watching Dinosaur Train together. He turns to me and says "milk."
I said "You want milk? ok."
As I'm walking out of the room I turn around and say "I love you Jack."
He, turns to me and says "Love you."

No coaching, no "can you say 'Love you Mom,'" nothing. It was wonderful. :)

Jack had a birthday... Shout Hooray!

Or, run in the other direction screaming!
It's like he really understood that it was his day...
This is how it all began:
Yes. That is ice cream for breakfast. Usually the first thing out of his mouth in the morning is "Papa Work." Tuesday it was "Ice cream."

Then, for real breakfast, we had pancakes with Dan (he had a late start to his morning.) I made him a Mickey Mouse pancake and he was so excited! After we enjoyed looking at it, he put syrup on it and I cut it up with a pizza cutter. "Mickey Mouse broken. Fix it!" Awesome!
So I made him another Mickey Mouse pancake. he bit off the ears and was all done.

30 minutes later- after I cleaned up his plate he comes back to the table and is sad because his pancakes are all gone. So, I made him a piece of heart-shaped french toast.


Then we had a friend come over to play. We decorated cookies, played and they found some old sunglasses. This is both of them dancing in their boots and sunglasses. It's always a party at our house!

Jack's nap, which he fought until at least 1:30 PM, was spent putting finishing touches on his pinata and cake.
Neither of them turned out exactly how I had planned, but I was proud because I did it all by myself. This is NOT my cup of tea. :)
And then it was time for the big party! We had pizza for dinner, cake, opened presents and played all night long!

(And yes, there is the baby bump! I have 6/7 weeks to go and have no major complaints. EXCEPT Tuesday I was the most uncomfortable I have been thus far. It was miserable. Add our diva birthday boy, and my to-do list and it was not a overly pleasant day. Luckily I got everything done, plus a shower, and I was able to enjoy the evening celebration.)
Grandma & Papa were there- Jack was too entertained by his toys and the candy that busted out of the pinata.
Grandma & Bubba got Jack a swing in the basement. He loved that!
And our little family at the end of a long, wonderful day!

We also celebrated with our friends Saturday night-our 5 day apart Birthday Buddies have lots of fun together!

Cup cakes

Matching McQueen blankets

And Harold the Helicopter & train cars to go with our train set. Thank you Trevin!

Snowed In!

Here it is... our Snow Day! The day went so fast and it seemed like we were outside more than we were inside, but our snow removal didn't really take all that long.

Jack LOVED playing in the snow, and helping Dan (I was helping too!)


It was kind of nice- our back porch is surrounded by a 5 foot snow drift, so Jack really couldn't go anywhere. We still had our swimming pool set up from summer time (yes, we are totally trashy!) and it filled with snow. Jack loved digging in it, and then shoveling the back porch and putting it in. It was a great way for all of us to play- shielded from the cold wind.




The 2nd time we went outside, Dan was snowblowing our front sidewalks. Jack loved following Dan down and using his little tiny shovel to break down the snow along Dan's path. I was working on knocking down cold snow at the bottom of our driveway so that Dan could snowblow it over the really tall snow banks. This is one of the joys of living on a corner- the snowplows come by and the snow banks keep getting taller.
It was a great day! One of our friends, an Elder serving in our ward, was supposed to be transferred out first thing in the morning- that was postponed so our snowblowing was interrupted by a breakfast/lunch ping pong party. I took a nap, Dan watched some TV, and then Dan helped my Dad with snow in the evening. It is amazing how fast the day went and it didn't seem all that relaxing.

I guess that is how it goes when you live in a house. It just goes with the territory!

Go Pack Go!

So the Packer's are going to the SUPER BOWL! This is a big deal in our house.

I know I said that Jack and I flew home from CA during the Packer Play-off Game. I failed to mention that Dan would not come get us from the airport. My parents are in town, so he knew I had other options, but I guess that tells you where his priorities lie...

Last Sunday we watched the game at our house again. I asked Dan Sunday morning early (before his 7:30 AM church meetings...) if it would be bad if I put a collared shirt on Jack and his Packer t-shirt over it. He said, why not.

So yes, that was my child in his very "Sunday church-dress" Packer shirt.

I tell myself that I am personally responsible for the Packer's going to the SUPER BOWL. Let me tell you why...

1) Jack has a very cute Packer's sweatsuit. He has worn it every packer game this season. I have been in my Packer's Gear, and of course Dan too. I have yet to take a family picture-which is what you do when you all dress alike. So- because I am a slacker and haven't taken the picture yet, they keep winning so we can take that family picture.

2) I made a Packer's blanket for Dan, for Christmas. Well, at least I bought the fabric before Christmas. I finished the sewing just before the last Packer's game, but I told Dan that I wasn't going to do the finishing touches until after they played. I didn't want to jinx them (same as the family picture- unfinished business, if I finished it then they wouldn't have to win.)

3) There has to be a #3, but I can't think of it right now. Maybe because I actually am following a little football this year, have enjoyed a game or two when Jack takes his Sunday nap, or just because I really like football snacks. Maybe I am just a really good wife and wished for this, so that Dan would be very happy-which he is.

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And of course, our happy kid. All bundled up to play in the snow with friends. :)


Funny story: Today we were watching "Trains" and I had 2 magazines in my lap. A Lamaze Magazine, just to start thinking about having this baby, and a magazine with tons of chocolate cake recipes, big pictures... mmmmm. Jack wanted to read the Lamaze magazine, I tried both of the other options but he knew what he wanted. Very strange.

"Don't Do It!"

Jack and I took a break from our snowy winter weather and headed to sunny CA to visit our friends! (in fact, we got super delayed in Milwaukee because of snow and missed our connection in Vegas, AND didn't get to CA until 1 AM Wisconsin time... THANK YOU snowstorm!)

We enjoyed playing outside, digging for rocks, movies, playing with friends, library story time, and just relaxing. It was a wonderful little vacation away from all of the cold. One morning it had rained, and we went for a walk to the orchard up the driveway/street. We did not get very far...

Looks pretty harmless, but by the time I could catch up and I call out "Jack, stay standing! Don't sit down." I saw a big splash!

What can I say... a two year old helps me to enjoy the little things in life.


A couple of pictures from our trip...

Bedtime

Playing trucks. Jack loved his friend's big truck, and Jack shared his identical truck- just a lot smaller. It's funny how kids determine which one they want more.
Moms and almost 2 year olds. They are 3 weeks apart-Jack younger.

We had an excellent trip! And the flight home, much smoother. Jack was on my lap and slept the whole 3 hour flight from AZ. I even dozed off a little bit! :)

We made it home just in time for the big Packers Game, actually during it. We flew in our Packers gear so we were ready for a PARTY and delicious snacks Dan made for us. We were so lucky! AND the Packer's won! We are so excited for this weeks BIG WIN! (hopefully)

Some good clean fun!

A family date night: We took Jack to see his first movie, "Tangled." He loved it- for the first 30 minutes, then he enjoyed doing the stairs, running up to the big screen and back, and just enjoying the excitement of a new place and a new activity. It was great!
We were going to go for ice cream afterward, but we had more fun running around in the lobby. It was wonderful!


Our latest "hobby": Marshmallow Shooter Capture the flag in our basement.
How it all began... I mentioned a couple of months ago to a friend that I wanted to make a marshmallow shooter. She tells me that she has made one and they are very fun. I forget about it, and for my birthday my friend gave me a gift. I opened it up and it was my very own marshmallow shooter WITH mini-marshmallows. I was just so impressed- what a thoughtful gift! (Jack loved it too!)


Then... I decided to make marshmallow shooters for my siblings and their spouses for their $1 gifts for Christmas. Of course Dan got one out of the deal, the Elders serving in our ward, and a couple of extra shooters just to keep handy.

New Years Eve: We have no plans, just a quiet night at home. We call the Elders to see if they want some snacks. With nothing to do, we set up Capture the Flag in our basement. Lots of fun! This is a picture of one of the battlefields. (I kind of just let our basement free game- you can use anything to build forts, obstacles, etc. I knew that there would be some recovery after the fun!)


Then... A Marshmallow Shooter War. After telling some friends how much fun our marshmallow guns were, we had the Missionaries over for dinner and invited the friends for a PARTY. The kids had a great time upstairs, while the real party took place downstairs.

Jack and his friend playing McQueen on the piano ( at 10 PM or later... they are so good together!)

The funny thing is, after our "war" we decided we needed to even out the battlegrounds. The side with all of our storage stuff had a huge advantage because it was a disaster! NOT ANYMORE! Dan helped me clean out and organize so that it is better equipped for our next game. It looks GREAT!
The only sad thing...I am getting a little big to really get in the action. I may have to sit out the next couple of games. Bummer.