3 Great Christmases

We had a fun week over Christmas break. We had three Christmases, one on Christmas morning, just the four of us, the next at G. and G. W's on the 27th, and at G. and G. V's on New Year's Day! We all must have been very good last year, because we got some great presents!

Jack LOVES Santa, especially this one. It is usually hanging on the wall, and he would just stare at it, smile and say 'kitty'. I think his beard confuses him.

Andy showing Vince how to use his cap gun........he has been obsessed with it-even taking naps with it! 

Jack got a car! He loves to sit in it.                     He loves to push Vince around, too (what a strong boy!)

Vince fooling around with Andy.

Jack loves kitties!

Makenzie in her Christmas dress-so cute!       Jack trying to figure out the golf game Vince got-he soon decided that he was too big to fit into the hole!

With Auntie Alissa (Yes, Jack is in a big purse!)           Jack and Uncle Grant-we hadn't seen them for a year!

Santa, Haircut

Vince went to go see Santa! He knew exactly what he was going to ask for, and loved his beard!

Jack all bundled up.                       Checking out the tree.

Vince's preschool class had a Christmas program on Monday. I was so excited to see his first school performance! Unfortunately, he was not so excited......

Vince with all of his classmates before the program.....Vince's class singing Jingle Bells.....

Vince singing Jingle Bells on my lap. Oh well, there's always next year.

Jack got his very first haircut today! He did so well....sat in the booster all by himself! Such a big boy!

Before......                   What is this lady doing?                    After!

Jack discovered magnets today!

Happy Birthday Jack!

Jack is ONE year old! This past year has gone by soooo fast. Jack has learned a lot of new tricks lately. He can say mama and dada, and was close to saying kitty the other day. He can wave, hold his own bottle and eats lots of new foods.

Playing Batman and Superman

Me, Andy and Makenzie at her baptism                 Sleeping on the way home

We celebrated Thanksgiving and Jack's bday with my side of the family a little early this year.

Jack liked the icing                                                     Wearing one of his presents from G. and G. W

Vince helping Jack open his presents

G. V. helped Vince make a gingerbread house.....it turned out really cute!

We went over to G. and G. V's tonight for Jack's bday.....

Andy and Vince helping Jack open his presents.                 Jack's cake

Vince helped Jack blow out the candle.

October...

It's been a long three weeks......All four of us have gotten sick the past three weeks. Jack got sick on the 13th, and STILL has a pretty bad cough. He seems to feel okay though, so hopefully it will clear up soon. Andy and I were sick soon after Jack, and Vince was sick last week. I think Vince had it the worst though, he had 104 temp for a  few days, could barely talk, didn't have any appetite, and had a sore throat. 

He missed his Harvest Party at school, and couldn't go trick-or-treating, poor guy! But we had our own little Halloween on Tuesday night and put his costume on and went out to G. and G. W's, G. and G. V's, and some of our friends' houses. He got quite a haul! Jack and I had to stay home because of his cough, and Andy was in charge of taking pictures.....SO, there are no pictures of him collecting his candy. Lesson learned! Next time I go and Andy stays home. Anyway, Jack is getting pretty good at walking, he rarely crawls anymore. He's also sleeping very well (about 12 hours) at night, and loves to babble. 

Friday I got to go spend some time with my niece, Makenzie. She was so easy to watch. I felt like I was on a little vacation! She is getting so big, and loves to watch tv! 

Jack is very patriotic!                 He's been getting into this position lately....yoga??

Helping daddy rake leaves.                            Wearing Andy's 'Indiana Jones' hat

Vince the pirate!                                Makenzie in her puppy costume!

10 MONTHS!!

(I started writing this on the 8th, but am finishing it tonight, the 12th)

Jack is 10 months! We're thinking he might need to go in for a trim soon....he's got quite a tail! And for the BIG news tonight.......Jack started walking! He took a good five or six steps during one of his tries. He was VERY proud of himself! I don't know if I'm ready for this yet, but I guess I don't have a choice! 

Jack's tail!

Vince and Jack waiting for Grandma!

School is going just great! Vince loves to go, and is learning so much already. He was so excited on Friday-if the class is good, a gumball goes into a jar, and when they get five, each student gets to go to the "treasure chest". Well, they finally got five, and Vince picked out a snake. He was so proud, and we were as well. He comes home with projects every day, and I'm saving them all. His teacher is just great-so patient and fun. We really like her. Andy and I agree that she has a really tough job, but she really enjoys it.

Now to Mr. Jack. He can do so much-stand on his own, loves to clap, play ball, say mama, climb stairs, starting to cruise and wave, loves bath time, looking at books, grocery shopping, and thinks Maddie is pretty funny! He is also quite the mama's boy. I left to run some errands Thursday night, and he was not a happy boy while I was gone. But as soon as I got home he was all smiles! Poor Andy!

Vince and I carved a couple of pumpkins last week.

Vince and Jack playing with the Ball Popper!

9 Month Check-Up

Jack had his nine month check-up today. He weighs 17.8 lbs and is 28.5 inches! It was just a fun visit-no shots. He's getting his two bottom front teeth, we can see just the very tips poking out from his gums.

Naked Jack. He loves to look out the front window.

Jack wearing Vince's green hat.                                   He claps when he's excited.

Vince caught a cold last week.

School!

Vince has already finished his second week of school! It is still so weird to me, but it's going great. Such a big boy!

Waiting to leave....  I want to go in already!

Jack tried chocolate for the first time...he seemed to really like it.

Jack with his buddy Dillon. 

Nine Months!

Jack is NINE months old today! 

He loves his toys!

Yesterday we went to Itasca State Park. The road there was a little too much for Vince-he got car sick about half way there! Luckily I decided to grab an extra outfit at the last minute, just in case. We took a long walk in the woods, ate lunch, and visited the start of the Mississippi River! We had a lot of fun-and the boys were so worn out they both napped most of the way home. 

Going for a walk.                                                             Stopping for a snack.

Family picture.                                                  Crossing the Mississippi.

What We've Been Up To....

Since the weather has been so nice lately, we've been spending a lot of time outside. Vince has been wanting to go and play tennis. Jack likes to watch.

G. True and A. Bev came up for a visit this weekend. 

Jack and I went to see my niece yesterday. 

Home Sweet Home....

Jack is EIGHT months old! He loves to stand, and is VERY proud of himself. He also loves to feed himself....puffs are his favorite.

G.V. and G.V. took Vince to Spirit Lake, where they were joined by cousin Noah. Vince absolutely loves it there, and had a great time!

Andy and I are back from a much needed vacation. We had a great time exploring the area, eating some delicious (and not so delicious) food, shopping, and relaxing by the pool! A HUGE

thank you to G.W., G.W., G.V. and G.V. for watching the boys! 

 

Port Hurcule.                                                    The shiek(?) of Dubai's yacht....ridiculous!

Out to dinner in Monaco.                                        At the beach in Cannes.

Chuck Norris's handprint!                                      The view from the train to Italy.

A very old church in San Remo.

Daddy and Vince in their matching golf shirts. Vince had been asking for an 'alligator shirt like daddy's' for months, and we were able to find one while on vacation. Yea! He has been wearing it every day since we've been back!

I'm An Auntie!

I am officially Auntie Nicole! Makenzie Rae was born on July 21st at 7:14 pm, weighing 8 lbs, 4oz and 20 inches long! After a very long day of labor, and pushing for THREE hours, she was finally delivered by a c-section. Vince and I went for a visit yesterday to meet his new cousin. Mommy and baby are doing great.

Auntie Nicole and Makenzie!

We went to the DL Water Carnival Parade on Sunday. Vince got A LOT of candy! 


Jack has sure changed in the past couple of weeks.....he is an expert at crawling and sitting up! He can really get around now. Time to Jack-proof the house!

He also loves playing with toys. He gets so excited, and can entertain himself for quite a while now. My life has become much easier the past month!

Spirit Lake!

This past weekend we had our first family vacation with Jack. We went to Andy's family's cabin in Spirit Lake, Iowa. The weather was perfect-hot and sunny! Maddie even got to come, too. We all had a great time!

Jack is SEVEN months old!

              The Carousel.                                                                     The 'Water Ride'

On the kiddie roller coaster....Vince was a little scared. He told the operator to turn it off when he would go by, but he made it through and thought it was fun afterward.

Vince's favorite ride...the fishes!                       Jack hanging out in his Pack 'n' Play outside.

Relaxing on a raft.

Long Time, No Blog!

A couple of weekends ago we went to the EJ Reg. at Maddens. The first night they had a bouncy, slide and foam party. Vince loved it, he had so much fun! The weather was great, and we had fun swimming, going for walks and eating! Jack was so tired out he took a nap in one the the beds.

One of Jack's funny faces while eating....       Jack fed himself for the first time! It's kind of like a rice cake-he seemed to enjoy it, a little.

Jack loves playing with his toys!                                  Vince reading Jack a book. He is such a great big brother!

Thursday we had a play date with a friend I went to school with, and her two girls. They just loved doting over Jack. Vincent's first sparkler!

Friday we got to see A. Lisa! We had fun swimming, riding on the Jet Skis, and going for a pontoon ride. This was Jack's very first boat ride! He really liked the steering wheel.

Jack can sit up on his own! Yay! He seems pretty proud of himself.        Love that smirk!

G. V. made Vincent a fancy drink with an umbrella in it. He thought it was pretty cool.

Six Month Check-Up

Jack had his six month check-up yesterday. He weighs 15 lbs, 10 oz and is 25 inches! Growing, growing boy!

Lots Of Pictures....

I think Jack's going to be crawling soon....he's been getting up on his knees and rocking back and forth. Shouldn't be long now!

Jack smiles...A LOT!

Huh?

Daddy helping Vince fish.

Jack's first time in a swing! I think he was more excited about chewing on the strap.

Playing in the lake.

Daddy and Jack watching Vince.

Maddie thought Jack would make a good foot rest...Jack didn't seem to mind.

Six Months! Part II

I meant to write more, but got interrupted! Anyway, Jack is at such a fun age right now. Loves to play(chew) with his toys. He's very interested in watching Vince play...I can just tell he cannot wait until he's able to join him! Loves his feet! Usually sleeps about ten hours a night...last night 9:30 to 7:30....no complaints here! The past six months have gone by so fast...I'm sure the next six will too!

Six Months!

Jack is 6 months old today! He is really loving the baby food-sometimes I can't get him a bite fast enough. He is an expert at rolling over, both from back to tummy and tummy to back. Still enjoys the Jumperoo. Always a happy boy, unless he's tired. 

Maddie the Hunter

Our dog Maddie has been quite the hunter lately. Last week she caught a mole, and this week she's caught two chipmunks. Our yard is not safe for little varments!

Speaking of Maddie, she just loves hanging out with Jack, and Jack loves to stare at her-he thinks she is quite fascinating!

Jack is quite the seasoned veteran with food now. He's tried prunes, peaches, applesauce, pears, peas, carrots, squash and sweet potatoes! He seems to enjoy all of it, especially the fruit.

Vince had his first Push-Up last weekend! I used to love the Flinstone ones. We all took a walk to the park, and Andy told Vince if he went down the big slide alone he would get him some ice cream on the way home. Big mistake! It was a warm day, and by the time we got home Vince had Push-Up everywhere! We went straight to the backyard so Vince could strip and we could get him cleaned up. He was a happy boy!

Bananers!

Vince helping daddy mow.

Jack showing off his flexibility.

My big brother is so funny!

Jack tried bananas for the first time last night...he really liked them! Such a big boy!