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!

This Week....

Andy, Vince and I went to the Fargo Zoo on Sunday! Jack got to spend the afternoon with A. Shannyn and U. Chad. Everyone had a fun day!

Posing with the camels.

Vince rode the Carousel...he loved it and wanted to go faster!

Vince trying to move a huge rock. It wouldn't budge.

Daddy and Vince petting a mini pony.

G.V. took this picture of Vince...I just love it! He looks so sweet!

Jack is an expert on rolling over from his back to his tummy, but can't quite get from his tummy to his back yet, which is a problem in his crib....he rolls onto his stomach and wakes up NOT happy.

Taking a nap on daddy.

Jack likes to stick his tongue out....a lot!

This is why one of Jack's nicknames is 'Fuzzy Head'. 

5 Months!

Jack is 5 months old today! He is such a happy guy-always smiling and giggling.

The weather's been so nice this week-we were able to get to the park on Wednesday. Vince loved playing with the kids, and even went down the big slide. He's had a cold this week, so Andy and I have been teasing him, telling him he has the 'Pig Flu'. Big mistake-he told one of the parents at the park that he had it! Luckily, the mom just laughed.

This and That....

Not much going on this week. We've been able to get out and play in the backyard quite a bit, which is so nice. Vincent and I went out to rake the front yard tonight, and there were some neighborhood kids out playing, so of course Vince wanted to join in on the fun. He was soooo excited. At one point we had 9 kids in our backyard! I think it's going to be a fun summer! 

We picked a preschool for Vince to go to next fall! Andy and I went and checked it out earlier this week, and we really liked what we saw. Plus, we know the teacher-she is a friend of a friend-so we know he'll be in good hands. I'm really excited for both Vince and I. I know he's just going to love it, and it will be nice having a little time to spend with Jack, just the two of us. I'm also a little sad about it. This is the first step of him going off on his own-it won't be long until he's ready to move out (a little dramatic, I know)! 

So excited that Jack likes Effie! When Vince was a baby, he would take him everywhere.

In his new outfit from A. Lisa and U. Matt!           Playing in his Bumbo-love the tray!

Love his pose!