Mischief Managed

Jacob has been extra busy as of late. Recently in one day he emptied a bottle of starch on the wall and carpet. He climbed onto the washer in the laundry room and got into the cabinet with our cleaning supplies. He sprayed the girls with CLR, and the walls, the doors, and the floors of the laundry room with various other nasties. He took his diaper off and pottied on the lid of the toilet. I put him down for his nap and he pulled off his diaper and pooped in his bed.  When I was getting him out of his bed he said, "Don't be mad at me, I'm little."  I had to chase him through the backroom of Extreme Soccer in Roseville. He got the Pam and sprayed it on the family room ottoman and couch. That was just in one day. He's also been climbing on the washer to undo the deadbolt and the child latch at the top of the door.  He learned how to climb the shelf to get to the garage door opener and took himself out into the front yard.  Enough was enough!  I bought a new locking door knob for the laundry room and figured out how to put it in myself. I blame it all on my mother. She said so many times in the past that she hoped I had a child that was just like me. Really? I don't think I could ever have been this wild.  As the last Harry Potter film is out, I thought the line "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" was quite appropriate.  I finally pulled out my Silhouette and used it for the first time to make this little shirt for my little stinker.

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Rub a dub dub, one baby in a tub...

Fred

Because we're 1,000's of miles apart, Jacob has only gotten to see his granddads 3 or 4 times in his 2.5 years.  He talks to them on the phone and sees a lot of pictures but he had a hard time getting everyone's names straight in person.  We spent the first two nights of our visit with my mom and stepdad, also known as Nana and Poppy.  We drove to my dad's and stepmom's (AKA PawPaw and Granny) the next day and spent the next week and a half with them.  Jacob called my dad "Poppy" most of the visit.  Every time Jacob would call him "Poppy" instead of "PawPaw", my dad would call him "Fred" in return.  I just had to laugh because I went through something similar with my dad's mom.  She wanted to be called Grandma but I kept calling her "Gahbbie".  Every time I called her "Gahbbie" she would call me "Susie".  I finally got the hang of it and began to call her Grandma.  Jacob, too, started to get the hang of it and would call my dad by the right name...most of the time.  Toward the end of our stay, he walked up to my dad with a balloon and said, "Fill it please, Poppy."  My dad looked at him and said, "What's my  name?"  Without even so much as a moment's hesitation, Jacob replied, "Fred".

This saddle was at my mom's house and belonged to my mom's family when she was little.  They had a shetland pony named "Patsy" and this saddle was just the right size for her.  We have a picture of me when I was young sitting on this same saddle, although I was on an actual horse instead of a log.  I couldn't find a horse so I guess you do what you can!

You may be wonderin'...

So, you may be wondering where I've been and why I haven't been updating as often as I should (cough, cough, grandmothers).  There are about 10 reasons why I've been slacking, as of late.  Reasons #1, #2, and #3 are the three on-line classes I took this semester.  As of Thursday, I am now done with Medical Terminology I and II, as well as Human Anatomy & Physiology I.  Whew!  It feels so good to have those behind me.  The girls have taken to saying that I never have any time for them as I'm always on the computer.  Well, classes done means more free time for mommy and the kiddos.  I sat down yesterday and planned out some fun summer activities.  Hopefully, I can make it up to them.

Reasons #4-10 have something to do with this little fellow...

He is an out of control monkey.  He's figured out the pantry latches.  I caught him trying to drink almond extract.  He's learned to open the fridge.  I found him trying to eat a tablespoon of Starbucks coffee from the freezer.  He's learned to climb on the cabinets and check out the top of the fridge.  My keys were missing an entire day until I found them in a side drawer of the buffet.  The sisters have taught him how to unlock the windows.  I heard him saying, "Hi, Butterfwies!!" the other day and found him standing on the rocking horse in the girls' room peering out the open window (second floor).  Anna taught him how to use deodorant and he's now obsessed with it and keeps finding it no matter where I hide it.  At the same time, he's absolutely adorable and precious.  I've just never experienced this with the girls.  I'm thinking about tying him to my belt loop.

The many faces of Jacob

Happy.

Surprised.

Scared.

Sad.

Confused.

Mad.

Or at least these are the faces he made when I said each of those words.  He's a character!

Two...

Happy, Happy Birthday to our smallest family member! Sweet Jacob turned two today.

At two, he loves choo-choo trains, balls, and dancing.  He has music in his soul.  He loves books and his favorites are "Owl Babies", "The Goodnight Book", "Inside, Outside, Upside Down", and "Caps For Sale".  He knows all of the sounds to "Moo, Baa, La-La-La" and supplies them at the appropriate time...even the pig's oink.

He slides down the stairs on his tummy faster than either Doug or I can run down them.

                                                          

He is a very adventurous boy and climbs like a monkey...on everything.  He's fearless.

He has a lot to say these days.  His favorite words are Bahnd-daid, Tuh-tel, Hey, Mine, Mama, Dada, Anna, Lornen, Tank-too (thank you), Pease, Sah-wee and always responds to "I love you" with the word "Too".

He brings joy to our family and we couldn't imagine our lives without him.

We're so proud of our two year old and filled to bursting with love for our little man.

Happy Birthday to you, Jakie! ~XOXO, Mommy



This Blue Stool of Mine

When we were growing up, my brother had a little stepstool that had this saying painted on the top step,

"This little stool is mine,

I use it all the time

To reach the things I couldn't,

And lots of things I shouldn't."

Well here I am many years down the road and my little boy has his very own stool.  It doesn't have anything painted on it but it might as well have.  Every time I turn around he's running by with this little blue booster headed for something he shouldn't be.  He's used it to get razors off the bathroom counter, to crawl onto the tub and turn the water on, to try and unlock the front door, as a toilet, and to get into the shelves in his sisters' room.  He's also learned how to work all of the child latches we've installed and so now nothing is off limits.  Doug was out at Home Depot yesterday buying more hardware to try and foil our one man wrecking crew.  Last night, he got into the cabinet under the sink in the kitchen and dumped an entire box of dishwashing detergent.  I walked up and said, "Jakie, No, No!"  He just looked at me with the biggest, most adorable grin you've ever seen, pointed at his mess and said, "Woah, wow!"  How can you stay mad at that??

I am the biggest geek ever.

Okay, so I nearly jumped for joy when our 2010 census arrived today.  I know...right?  I am most definitely the biggest geek ever.  I love, love, love genealogy.  It's like a big crossword puzzle that I cannot get enough of.  I haven't had much time for it recently but I'm always thinking about it.  I have hundreds of copies of old census images from our family.  I enjoy watching how the family changes through the years in the records; the birthplaces of course stay the same (mostly) but occupations, ages, and marriage status always fluctuate.  It's exciting.  Like I said,  the biggest geek ever.  So, anyway, I've been looking forward to personally being listed in a census.  I thought it would be fun for future generations to look up our family and wonder if it was a mistake once they read our list of birthplaces: Wisconsin, Alabama, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Louisiana, California (and no, it is not a mistake, we just move a lot).  I've been waiting and waiting.  Today when it came, I opened it right away and sat down to fill it out.  Imagine my disappointment when all it asked was name, birthDATE, and whether or not we were hispanic and ever moved around.  The lameness of it all just really ruined my day. Really?  That's the best they can do??  Sigh.

These pictures are totally unrelated but brought a little joy back to my cen-crap-sus day.  Hope they bring a little happiness your way as well. :)

On Sunday, my friend Courtney and I went to the antique fair  in Sacramento and I came home with a new toy.  It's still a bit too big for Jacob but I love it regardless.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Whenever I see something this golden, I can't help but think about that line in the movie "The Outsiders".  Johnny is talking to Ponyboy and quotes the Robert Frost poem:

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Our friends told us about this field on Saturday and so we rushed over to take some pictures.  Last year I had taken some shots of Jacob in some of these flowers as well but it was just a strip along the highway in the back parking lot of the Ace Hardware distribution center.  I must say this is much more spectacular.

The Baptism

On Sunday we had Jacob baptized at St. Andrew's Presbyterian. We just love the pastor and congregation there and feel so at home. We began attending church there when we still lived on base. Since we've moved it takes us almost an hour to drive there every Sunday but it's definitely worth it.  We were so thankful to have all of our family in town to share the day with us.

You all know that Jacob can't do much unless his tongue is sticking out. I guess the associate pastor must have been feeling it. Take a look at his mouth! :)

Here's a video that my step-mom shot. I love the end when everyone sings "Jesus Loves Me" to Jake.

The Party

We had a great time with family and friends this weekend at the kid's circus birthday party.  I truly feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful and loving people.  Happy Birthday Lauren and Jacob!

Come One, Come All!

Lauren will be turning 5 on Saturday. It's hard to believe how quickly the time has flown by. She has certainly kept us on our toes during her little lifetime but I'm thankful for every minute with our fearless, strong, bull-headed, loving daughter. We're having a joint circus birthday party for her and our sweet little 1-year old. Family start arriving today! I'm so excited and just can't wait!

Guess who is turning one....

At this time one year ago, we were about to be blessed with our sweet Jacob. It’s hard to believe that 12 months have passed since that night. We are extremely lucky to have our little boy in our lives. He is so full of joy, so inquisitive, and so loving. My heart is filled to overflowing. Happy Birthday, dear Jacob!

Does anyone have a chicken I could borrow?

No, there is no punchline. I seriously need to borrow a chicken for a project I'm working on. Anybody know anyone with a few hens in the local area?

It's been a productive day...for Jacob. I put laundry away. He rearranged Daddy's sock drawer. Note the intense concentration. You've heard the lyrics "Whistle while you work", well, sticking your tongue out works just as well.

I straightened the girls' room. He ate a few crayons.

Lastly, Jacob has really been looking for ways to bond with Daddy. He thought maybe he could talk race cars with his Dad later this evening. For some hands-on experience he made a few laps around the upstairs in his laundry racer with the help of a big sister.

All in a day's work for a busy baby.

Happy Belated Hall"owl"een

Hi all,

Sorry we've been absent for most of the month. It's been a bit tumultuous around here as of late. Hopefully, things are back on track in our home and I'll be able to update more often. I'm working on a recap of October that I'll try to post tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a shot of our baby owl on his first Halloween. I was so excited about his costume. It's one of the few things I've attempted to make that actually turned out! Hope you had lots of treats and not too many tricks!

Boy Meets Pumpkin

Boy meets pumpkin... Boy contemplates pumpkin...

I don't know about you guys but I'm starting to see pumpkins everywhere...even in places where there aren't any. Can you guess where I found this one? Have you guys found any pumpkins hiding in strange places too?