Mr. Defiant

That post title could be Jake's nickname. Boy is he trying me at times. He is definitely testing the limits. I know this is just the beginning of being a 3 year old. His latest is to stick out his tongue, tilt his head, and say "Na, na, na, na, na! You're not my friend!" It is hard to not laugh at this while he is doing it. I know some of it is just the stage he is at in his development and another part of it is being around older kids at daycare. They can be good and bad influences. Lately, he has been picking up the not-so-great things from them. He can turn anYthiNg into a gun and pretend to shoot. He knows the words he is not supposed to say and some how says them continuously! It is so hard, because the boys that teach him these things are the boys he is constantly talking about at home and pretending to call. I don't know how his daycare provider, Cheryl, can stay sane with these boys! I guess years of experience. I know there would be no way I could do it. Give me a room of 6th graders and I am fine, but toddlers....no way!

We're Buried Under Toys

We have survived Christmas. Jake absolutely lOvEd opening presents...maybe too much. He has asked everyday since the 25th if we have any more presents for him. As I was in the middle of writing this post, he asked for more present! A big change from last year. He wasn't all that excited to open presents, but now he will even offer to "help" you open yours. He had plenty of opportunities to open gifts, as we had Christmas spread out over three days and five locations!

It was very fun for Jake to see his family at each place we went to. There was always someone fun to play with. On Christmas Eve, Joe's cousin's boys were there to play with. Another cousin's husband was a good sport and let them wrestle him. Jake was asleep before we drove out of Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan's neighborhood.

We left a plate of cookies, a glass of milk, and a letter out for Santa on Christmas Eve. We had to wake Jake up so he could see the full plate of cookies before he went to bed. He was surprised to see the cookies were all gone...except for the top of a stocking cookie. Santa must have been really full! Jake thought it was fun to see what was in his stocking. He is now able to shave with dad in the morning, or in the bathtub. He loves his shaver! He also now has a fun Hot Wheels track that launches cars. We need to get some more cards that are heavy enough to go on the track. Jake gets mad at me when I try out certain cars. He tells me, "They don't work!" We have tried all the cars in the house and only two work. The two that came with the track. Thank you Hot Wheels for forcing us to go out and by different cars. Oh well, Jake can use his gift card to Target to do that. Santa also brought him a talking Woody doll (action figure to Joe). He made the trip with us all day.

We had a good time at the Knutson Zoo. Presents were flying all over the living room. To be honest, I don't really know who gave Jake his gifts. He was too fast for me. Jake even helped Uncle Mike open up one of his gifts (gift card) and then lose it. I guess Jake was not to impressed. It was fun to see his cousins open up there gifts and then play with them afterwards. My mom bought them all the same pajamas. We tried to take their picture before opening up gifts, but none of the shots I caught turned out. All in all, a fun time!

Later that afternoon, we were off to the Youngstedt's house with the Deters's side of the family. Jake loved playing with his Uncle Ben. He tried out his drum playing skills on the drum set. Joe's aunt offered the drum set to us, but my headache said no! Jake went outside to sled in the deeeep snow with Emma, Haley, Ben, and Daddy. A few of us sat inside and watched him. He looked like he was having a ton of fun! Jake ate dinner at the "big kids" table and shared a peanut butter sandwich with Joe's cousin Alex, who only really eats pb sandwiches. Jake has not been a good eater, so I was happy he ate something other than a cookie. Jake would eat them from the time he woke up until the time he went to bed if we let him. Grandma and Grandpa Deters, Haley, Ben, and Dan gave Jake some new Playdough, Toy Story figurines, and a cool talking Dinosaur. Again, Jake was asleep right away when we began our drive home. Another no nap day made for an extra sleepy Jakey.

Our final celebration was with Joe's mom, step-dad, and step-sister on Sunday. It was just seven of us there, so it was less chaotic than the other gift openings. Jake was the star of the show and loved getting to open his presents. Grandma and Grandpa gave Jake an interactive video game that Jake loves to play. It is adorable to see him jump up and down to power up the rocket on the Little Einsteins rocket game. He also received some dinosaur and zoo animal figurines, so there is plenty of pretending going on at home. The braciosaurus is always saving someone with his long tail. Again, Jake opted for no dinner and only dessert. This stage he is in, which has been going on for a long time, is getting really old. Cannot wait for it to be over.


I had to make a trip to Goodwill with old toys, in order to make room for new toys. I was not the only person who was cleaning out their house this week. Goodwill was a popular place. Jake did notice that there weren't any toys in one basket in his toy room, but otherwise has been too entertained with his new toys to notice.

Jake went to daycare for a few days this week to play with his friends. He was way to overstimulated with all the new toys here. Every five minutes we were on to a new toy. I needed to get somethings done around here and Jake just did not like that. He had way more fun playing with his friends that being home with me. We are home today and am glad we don't have to go anywhere. It is raining out and very dreary looking. We talked about how the clouds were sad and were crying. Jake told them to not be so, so sad. Wish it would be nicer so we could get out of the house, but I guess Play dough and finger painting are in our near future!

Let it Snow and Snow and Snow

We are in the middle of a snow storm in Minnesota. We are all stuck inside. Jake and Joe are getting ice fishing poles all set up for the first fishing trip of the winter season. Joe is letting Jake help, which has been a sight to see! Here are some pictures of what is going on outside our house.

Outside the front door

A drift at our front door

View from the deck

You cannot even see 169 off to the left. Good thing we are stayig home!

Happy Thanksgiving

We're stuffed from a busy Thanksgiving weekend. Well, two of us are, since Jake doesn't eat much besides fruit snacks! We had dinners with family everyday since Thursday. We enjoyed all the family and friends we were able to see.

Jake and Paige Getting Along!

Jordan

Thanksgiving day, we went to Grandma and Papa Knutson's house for dinner. All of Jake's aunts and uncles on that side of the family were there. The only cousin missing was Hailey. It was her year to spend Thanksgiving with her mom. We definitely missed her. It was great to see Jordan and see how much he is growing and changing. It was different not having my Grandma there. It was the first holiday without her. Although she was not physically there, I could still feel her sitting at the table talking to all of us as we were getting the food ready, repeatedly asking if there was anything she could do to help. The food was great and there were lots of laughs. Jake decided that he liked pumpkin pie. This is the kid that eats nothing except fruit snacks, string cheese, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and chocolate chip cookies. What made it even better was he picked it up and ate it like a piece of pizza.

Friday night, our good friend Brittany and her fiance', Taylor, were in town and came to my parents' house for dinner. Another night of good food and laughter. We hope we made Taylor feel like part of the extended family!

Saturday night, my dad's side of the family got together for dinner. Joe had to work, so it was just Jake and me that tagged along with my parents. Again, a good time catching up with family. We get together during the summer and after Thanksgiving. We don't all see each other throughout the year, so it is our only time to spend with one another. The kiddos loved playing with the dinosaurs, wild animals, and horses. Jake and Paige had been around each other so much by last night, that they were purposely trying to make the other person mad. Each one of them was guilty of giving the other the "ha, ha, ha, look what I have of yours" look. It is quite humorous, until the screaming and tears come along.

This afternoon, we had Joe's dad, step-mom, sister, and brother over for turkey dinner. Joe did a great job with the meal. Very yummy! We have tons of leftovers. Guess Joe will be eating a lot of homemade lunches this week. I am not a fan of leftovers, so they are all his!

A First Time Illness and a Wedding Weekend

The week before Thanksgiving was, by far, our busiest week of the school year. Joe was really busy at work, now that winter has made its grand entrance to MN. He was stuck late at work most nights, which made for really long days. All Jake wanted was to play with his dad after daycare. Quarter 1 grades were due for me, as well as I was asked to take on more leadership at school. I believe I had a meeting every morning before school and every afternoon, too. We are constantly getting ready for our big field trip in January, to Eagle Bluff. It keeps all sixth grade teachers extremely busy, on top of normal school stuff. So, it was quite fitting when I noticed a missed call and voicemail from daycare that said, "Can you come and get Jake? He just threw up three times!" I was just getting ready to run an errand before picking Jake up, dropping him off with Joe's brother, and heading to a groom's dinner. Really, the flu?? I don't have time for that, nor have we ever had to deal with Jake having the flu. I really had no idea how to best take care of him. Thankfully, I did not have to learn how. He "got it out of his system" at daycare. Joe's brother, and mom, offered to still watch Jake so I could go with Joe to the groom's dinner. It did mean that I would be needing to take Friday off, since daycare was not in Jake's future. I arrived at school at 6:15 to get plans ready. My kids were awful, too. Made for a fun Monday! You would never have known Jake was home sick if you actually saw him on Friday. Definitely out of his system. He spent the rest of the weekend at my mom's house and had a blast!

Our good friends, Mike and Sara, were married on Saturday night. Joe was one of the groomsmen. It was a very fun night dancing and catching up with old friends. The weather was not cooperative, though. The freezing rain caused the limo company (our rides home from Uptown) to cancel on us. Put the bride in a panic (don't blame her one bit). After some phone calls, falls on the ice, and a good amount of money, the woman who was working the coat check took a big group of us home in the back of her SUV. The bride and groom thankfully made it back to their hotel in Downtown, and we made it to our friends in Uptown. My leg is a little sore from falling twice. One time, Joe was trying to catch me, but fell on top of me instead. A fun, but tiring, weekend :)

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Santi!

Happy Halloween!

To Infinity and Beyond!

Duluth Trip

Jake playing with Jordan-We reminded him to be gentle
Jake loved the attention from Jordan
Jordan all bundled up in the back of the stroller, ready for Canal Park

Jake had a little meltdown and finally fell asleep

Jake being cheesey

Jordan-5 Months

The first weekend of October, Jake and I headed north to Duluth. Actually, we headed west to St. Cloud first, to pick up Katie and Jordan. Grandma Knutson was with, too. She drove us all. Katie had a college friend's wedding, and Matt was hunting, so my mom was originally going to go with her to watch Jordan while Katie was at the ceremony and reception. Joe had to work that weekend, so Jake and I tagged along. It was a weekend full of laughter! Here were the highlights:

• My dad's new car does NOT fit two pack and plays, a double stroller, and bags for 3 adults and two kids. Also, two car seats crowded the back seat. Katie and I each took our turn being squished.


• Trying to get above items in and out of the back end was quite the feat. I am sure any UMD student watching my mom and me in the parking lot had quite the show. We were a hot mess!


• My beloved London Road Perkins is not quite the same with a 2 year old who refuses to eat, or sit still.


• Jake figured out how to get out of the hotel room...twice! I think Grandma scared him to death the second time when he did it.


• After two trips, my mom knows that I like mayo on my Bony Billy sandwich from Erbert and Gerbert's.
  

I am sure there were many other moments of laughter. I remember my stomach hurting from laughing so much! We were able to walk a little bit in Canal Park. It was cold that weekend. Jake ended up sleeping during most of our walk, after having a meltdown when we first walked there. He woke up when we were in the car and wanted to see the big boats. Maybe next time, sweetie!

Back to the Norm

I guess I have been too busy the past month to update the blog. Can you tell I am adjusting to life being back at work? Over the past month Jake has spent a week with my mom while he was still getting used to his new freedom, and started back full-time at Cheryl's. He was walking really well with my mom, they even went to the zoo and he spent most of the time out of the stroller. He went for a few hours on the Friday before Labor Day to daycare. He was showing off his walking and kept announcing, "I'm back!" He then did not walk at all the week of Labor Day while at daycare! We were are questioning why he was regressing, and the only thing I could think of was that it was such an adjustment being around so many people all day. He was used to being the only kid with 1-3 adults all summer. I was going to call his doctor to ask if we should be concerned, but over last weekend, he was back to walking. He walked all this week, too! If you see him walk, you would wonder where the horse was he just finished riding. He has quite the stance. He is also not putting all his weight on his left leg, so he has an odd rhythm. This past Friday, during the last 10 minutes of daycare, Jake's foot was stepped on. He had a huge meltdown. Cheryl had been working so hard at making sure the other kids were extra safe around him. She felt so bad. His foot was a little red and a little swollen. When stopped by my parents' house after school and were able to get him to walk on it with less complaints. He seemed to be fine later that night. Last night, we had Joe's mom, step-dad, and step-sister over for dinner. Grandma and Jake went to the park while the rest of us finished eating (side note: Jake's appetite is getting better. We are still waiting for his ability to sit at the dinner table until we all finish to improve). While going down one slide with Grandma, Jake's left foot got caught on something. Another minor meltdown. Again, it was a little swollen and he did not want to walk on it. He must have a magnet inside that foot that attracts future injuries. He complained for most of the night, but seems to be fine today. Joe and Jake are at the park now, so I hope we come back in a good mood. Jake's walking status seems to take up much of our lives right now. He is getting better each day. It makes me smile so much to seem him have his independence back!
Labor Day weekend, we had a wedding for Joe's cousin Allison. It was the first wedding on the Deters's side since ours. It was a bit cool for an outdoor ceremony, but it was a beautiful event. Jake was not walking at this time, so he had to be carried the whole night. Thankfully, his aunt and uncle were more then willing to help. I was able to even get Jake out on the dance floor. Jake seemed to have fun getting a lot of attention from everyone.

School seems to be going well, just very busy! I cannot wait for routines to be established and for things to go more smoothly. It will probably take until mid-October! Every morning, Jake wakes up and tells Joe and I that we cannot go to work. I think it has been a hard adjustment for him to make. He has fun a daycare, but what 2 year old wouldn't want to spend the day with his mommy and daddy?

I had a good friend of mine from high school take Jake's pictures this weekend. I had been putting off his 2 year pictures until the end of the school year. Then I found out that my friend was starting her photography business and wanted her to take the pictures. We had a date scheduled in August, but with the broken leg, we had to reschedule. Jake was somewhat cooperative. He was enthralled with the cat that my friend had. We had to trick him to stay in the room she had her backdrop set up in. We went to a park in Jordan and were able to get him to be more like himself. I cannot wait to see how they look.

I hear the boys coming back! Time for dinner!

No More Cast

We are home from the hospital. Jake officially is without a cast. Yeah! He was such a good boy throughout the waiting around this morning, the operating room, and in recovery. The nurses and doctors took good care of him. He was all snuggly when I came back to see him in the recovery room. We sat in the rocking chair and watched cartoons, ate Popsicles, and drank some juice. He did not want anyone to look at or move his leg. They said it would be pretty tender for some time. The doctor said Jake would start walking on it when he felt comfortable. It could be later today, or it could be in a few days. He said to keep Jake off anything he could fall down from. The playground will have to wait. There is always the chance that he could hurt it again, so we will do all that we can to prevent that from happening. He is not going back to daycare full time until the first day of school. Grandma Knutson is going to watch him when I have to be back at workshops. I know Jake is looking forward to being at Cheryl's, but we want to sure he is completely healed before it is back to running around playing with his friends.

We will see how today goes. We are off to the zoo with a friend tomorrow. I cannot wait to get out of the house with him like we used to do. Maybe we will do a little swimming this weekend, too. It is supposed to be nice and warm :)

It is Coming off Tomorrow!

We heard the great news yesterday at Jake's appointment! We were a little concerned when we saw the x-ray at first. It still looked broken when Joe and I first looked it. The doctor showed us where new bone had started to grow and reassured us that you will be able to see the fracture for the next few months on an x-ray. He said he could take it off. I was so nervous when he was talking about the x-ray that he was going to say it needed to stay on longer. I almost jumped up and down when he said he wanted to take it off Thursday, just two days later. The cast will have been on almost exactly, a few hours difference, four weeks. We cannot wait!

We have to be at the hospital at 6 tomorrow morning. My mom is going to come with me. Joe has someone new starting at work and cannot be at the hospital right away. I am glad someone else will be there to help me entertain Jake. Joe's mom is going to try to be there, too. His surgery is scheduled for 7:30. I am not looking forward to when they need to start the anesthesia process. I believe it has to be administered by an IV. I need to prepare myself for that. At least this time around, Jake is not in any pain. He should be in the OR for about 20 minutes to have the cast removed and another x-ray taken. Then it is off to the recovery room. I am not sure how long we will be at the hospital, but I am hoping it won't be too long.

I cannot wait to have Jake walking, even cautiously running, around the house. Just the thought of him being able to get at what he wants to play with puts a smile on my face. The most important thing I am looking forward to is being able to snuggle Jake close and give him a big hug and read a book to him in his rocking chair. Oh, and also being able to sleep a full night in my own bed. Joe and I have still been taking turns going into his room in the middle of the night. Last night, he had scooted his way out of his toddler bed and was "standing" (leaning against his bed) on the floor next to the mattress we have on the floor for us. I am hoping to break him of the habit of needing someone to come into his room each night. Maybe we can even resume potty training?? We'll see.

Keep you updated on how the rest of this week goes!

Doctor's Visit

Jake did a great job at the doctor's today. They took "pictures" of his "turtle shell" and he was able to hold onto his B and his two plastic cows (that he os obsessed with). Joe took him into the room for the x-ray and he cried a little bit at first, but then settled down. We looked at the x-ray with the doctor and although it looked the same as the one done lst Thursday, the doctor assured us that it is healing nicely. He explained to us the process in which the break heals. He wanted us back on the 17th. H said if the x-rays looked good, he would schedule the removal later that week, or the beginning of the following week. We were excited to hear that news, but know we can't bank on it. Lots of calcium until then!

Another Good Day

We had a pretty uneventful day today. Jake was in a pretty good mood all day. We laid around and watched movies this morning before Grandma Nuteson came over. She spent time with Jake so I could take a shower, which was a necessity. She helped vacuum and iron and keep me company while I prepared dinner. I moved Jake's crib mattress to the living room floor and he was content playing with some toys and watching Sprout. I am so lucky he enjoys watching TV and movies. I know some parents shy away from letting their 2 year old do either, but it is my saving grace now. After dinner, Joe was out mowing our lawn, so Jake and I were hanging out. I put in a new Bob the Builder DVD in hopes of sitting down on the couch to watch the news and reading The Lightning Thief. Jake had other plans. He wanted to watch the DVD, the TV, and read my book...while holding it upside down!

We head into the doctor's office tomorrow to have an x-ray done to see how things are progressing. Send some good vibes our way. Think strong bones!

A Better Night's Sleep

After having a rough night on Saturday, that resulted in a 12:3o A.M. trip to the ER (received more pain meds and some Benadryl to help Jake sleep), last night was a better night's sleep. The problem Jake was having was he would get to a certain stage of his sleep and he would twitch. The twitch would wake him up, make his leg hurt, and cause him to scream and cry. You could tell he was tired, because he would fall asleep right away after this happened. The most he slept in on stretch was 10 minutes.

Last night, Joe and I took turns laying on the floor of Jake's room while he slept. The other person slept in our bed. Jake did a much better job last night of sleeping for a longer period of time before twitching himself awake. Joe and I both were able to sleep a little while we were in his room. Today, Jake seems to be acting more and more like his old self. He even had a normal 2 year old temper tantrum when he woke from his nap!

I am so thankful for all the help and visits we have had from our friends and family. It means so much to me that they take time out of their busy lives to come and help us!

Love you all!

Broken Femur

Here is my "turtle shell"!

Laying with Daddy after getting my IV and moving to a new room

Coloring in the Hospital Bed

Yes, we have a broken femur in the Deters's House. It is Jake's femur in his left leg. We are going to be at home for the next 4-6 weeks recovering. Let me start from the beginning...

Thursday morning, I went over to my parents' house to pick up Jake. He had spent the night there, as Joe and I were helping Jamie move out of her apartment. Jake was so excited to see me. He did not want to leave and come home. Jamie watched him while I ran to a garage sale. While I was gone, she taught him how to use toilet paper to "TP" Grandma's kitchen. He LOVED it! Thanks, Jamie. We now have to keep tabs on all our TP. Jake and I headed home with some new garage sale toys and were ready to play. I brought him down to the basement to play with his new bowling pins and balls. I also pulled out some cars that had been packed away from the move. While Jake was playing, I was going through some boxes still sitting in the basement. I had my back to Jake and turned around to carry two camera boxes to a shelf in the laundry room. I saw Jake sitting on the floor, a car under him, and his left leg twisted in a way that was not normal. What was odd was he was so quiet. No noise when he fell, no tears, nothing. I dropped the boxes and ran over to scoop him up. That was when the tears and the screams came.

I panicked. I did not know what to do. Did he break a bone? Was it just a bruise? I called Joe at work. He could hear Jake crying/screaming in the background. I told him I thought we needed to take him in. Joe was on his way. I held Jake and tried to comfort him. He would not let me put him down, sit down, or put my leg up on a chair for support. I had to hold him the exact same way I did when he was a baby, across my stomach. It was the only way that did not hurt. Any movement I made to adjust his position made it worse. We left for the hospital as soon as Joe got home. We knew Jake could not fit into his car seat, so I sat in the back of the car and held him. Thankfully, we live less than a mile away from St. Francis Hospital. We were admitted right away into the ER.

The physician that came in to see us did not think, at first, that Jake had broken a bone. He was thinking it may have been a hip dislocation. After taking him to get an x-ray (which he did not like at all), he came into the room and Joe and I both knew instantly it was a broken bone. They told us they would splint his leg in the ER, and either send him upstairs to the hospital, or to Children's' or Methodist, to have it casted. The orthopedic surgeon came in to talk with us and said he would do the cast in the OR at the hospital. We were lucky that it was a clean break, the bones had not displaced, and that he would not need surgery, or have the bones set. They did need to put him under to have the cast put on. That meant they needed to start an IV. What a horrendous process that was! The nurses did a great job, but Jake was just not having it. They placed it first in his right had and it somehow slipped out. They had to try again in his left arm. Jake was beyond upset. Joe did a great job of sitting in the hospital bed holding him. Once the IV was in, we were moved to the Same-Day Surgery area of the hospital.

Once we were settled into the room, both grandmas were there. The nurses did a great job of trying to cheer Jake up. They even took his new stuffed dog (Thanks, Mom!) and put a blood pressure cuff and surgical hat on him. Jake named him Kirby...go figure! Joe and Jake were wheeled off together to the OR. They started the anesthesia when they were right outside the room. Joe said it was very hard to let him go. The procedure took about 25 minutes. The doctor said it went smoothly. Jake spent about 45 minutes in the recovery area waking up. He missed his nap, so he was tired on top of the medicine. The nurse said he woke up and looked at her and then started crying for his mama and daddy. I was able to sit in a wheel chair and hold him as we were getting ready to be moved to the Pediatric Floor. It was so hard to see him in his big, bulky cast. Even though the doctor described what it would look like, it looked so different on his tiny body.

We were brought up to his new room and had more visitors. Papa Nuteson (Knutson) , Papa Bien, and Auntie Jamie all stopped by to see Jake. He spent most of the time in Joe's arms in the rocking chair. We watched cartoons and a little of the Twins' game. He was on morphine for the pain and was still pretty tired. We ended up moving him to the hospital bed, which made him more comfortable. It changed up our sleeping arrangements a little. Joe slept at the end of the bed with his legs on the rocking chair, and I slept in the fold-out chair/bed. Joe did not sleep very well. Jake slept pretty good. He woke up a few times during the night and cried a little, but went back to sleep. I was glad we stayed the night. The nurses took such good care of all of us. Jake was not a big fan of them coming in to check his vitals or look at his feet. He covered his head with his " B" (blankie).

We were discharged from the hospital shortly before noon on Friday. We had to lay Jake in the backseat of the car and creatively buckle him in. I am glad Joe was the one to do the buckling. We surrounded him with pillows and I sat with him. There is no way he can sit in a regular car seat, so we won't be going far during the next month. When we arrived home, we settled Jake into the recliner and brought him some little toys to play with. We spent the rest of the day watching movies, TV, and resting. Jake stayed up a little later than normal, because he just did not want to go to sleep. Joe read several books to him and eventually Jake was tired enough to go to bed. We put a pillow under the mattress to elevate his head and put two pillows on the floor next to his crib. We had recently taken the side of the crib down, so the pillows were a must. He slept through most of the night. He cried out a few times, but went right back to sleep. Apparently, there was a thunderstorm that went through..none of us heard it!

Today, we had lots of grandparents stop by for visits. They played with Jake, watched movies, and helped me clean. I also snuck in a little nap, too. He is still in pain, and will be for the next few days. He is on Tylenol with Codeine and Ibuprofen. It is so hard to see him in pain, screaming, cringing, and crying...and not be able to scoop him up and cuddle with him. He did let me sit with him in the chair today and hold him for a bit.

We will keep you posted on his recovery. Send him some get well vibes. He is a tough kid and will get through this!

2 Year Olds

So, we have definitely entered the stage of doing things "my way". Jake is pretty adamant when he wants to do something by himself, in the way he wants to do it. He lets us know this using this crazy growl-like voice. Last night, Joe, Jake, and Kirby were on the deck as Joe was grilling chicken. Joe came in with Kirby's bowl and filled it up with water. Jake said he wanted water. He had some juice left over, so I asked him if he wanted that. "No, Momma!" Okay, so I filled up a different cup with water. I brought it out to him and he refused to take it. He said he wanted a "boaaal". Joe and I were not quite sure what this meant at first. Then we figured it out...

He wanted a bowl! He said he wanted to drink just like Kirby! He tried this standing on the chair, and then moved to the deck.
He even needed a refill on his bowl. I guess this is just the start of his creativeness!

Jake-isms

Joe and I cannot help but laugh at some of the says Jake has come up with. Here are some favorites:

• No tell me no, no (his reply when we tell him no)
• I'll be right back. Okay? Okay? (Pauses at the question marks)
• I hold you me? (When he wants to be held)]
• I'm a boy, mommy's a girl, daddy's a boy (This lesson came about after Jake told me I was a good boy after having blood taken at the doctor's office. He was telling the salesperson at the store last night all about who was a boy and who was a girl)
• I hab it (I have it)
• Tornadoes (tomatoes)
• I Page (Ice Age)
• That's mines (Anything that is his...or he thinks is his..)

Hailey-Bug Confusion

I think we have majorly confused Jake. I truly believe he thinks his cousin's name is Haileybug! Hailey has had that nickname for a long time and we all call her that at different times. Jake and I went up to St. Cloud Wednesday morning with my mom to spend some time with Katie, Jordan, Matt, and Hailey. I love being able to spend time with Hailey during the summers. She comes for a week at a time during the summer and I can usually visit for a night, or two. This visit we went to Bounce Depot, a building with five different inflatable structures for Jake and Hailey to jump in, climb on, etc. They had a blast. I did not enjoy the two diaper changes Jake needed. He was eating way too many raisins before we left! Jordan hung out off to the sides with his mom, Grandma, and auntie. Katie and I took turns playing with the older kids. We became tired very quickly. The three adults now have their own pair of "Emergency Bounce Depot Socks" which were purchased for $1. The will fit in with my "Emergency Bowling Socks" I had in college. Don't ask...

Yesterday, the weather was much more cooperative. We went to a splash pad with lots of fountains and buckets that was close to Matt and Katie's house. Hailey had been there before and was really looking forward to taking Jake there, too. Jake had a blast! He did take one fall while playing, but after some cuddling, he was back at it. We love splash pads!

The rest of the visit was spent entertaining Jordan and keeping Jake busy. He loved playing with "Tato Head" (Mr. Potato Head). Overall, we had a great visit. Cannot wait to go back!

Where is my Baby Jake?

Jacob is growing up too quickly. This weekend, he asked for a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Here are some pictures I took while he was eating at the table. He is choosing to not sit in his highchair either. He is becoming more and more independent lately.

Way to go, Uncle Ben! 2nd place in his tournament on Father's Day Weekend

Last Day of School

Another school year is over for me. Well, at least it was my last day with students on Friday. I cannot believe that it has been 10 years since I began teaching. The years seem to have flown by. I always thought I would remember more events from each year of teaching, but it is now all blending into one big memory. I can think back to my first few years of teaching in Minneapolis. It was easier, in some ways, than it is now. I do not remember having to plan as much, and really don't remember teaching a whole lot of content to the students. I suppose it was because I had teacher manuals that scripted exactly what I needed to teach. I spent more time dealing with unruly students. Now, I am spending more and more time planning and grading, but less time dealing with students. Don't get me wrong, my students now are not angels, but they definitely are better behaved than the first few groups I had. This year seemed to have flown by faster than any other year. I suppose having our house on the market for most of the year, and having to drop everything for showings, made it go by fast.

Jake is more than ready to be at home for the summer. Over the past two weeks, it has become harder to get out of the door on time. Jake would much rather play at home than go to daycare. It hasn't made it easier that we have been trying to give him allergy medicine before we leave either. I had to ask Joe to give Jake the medicine a few days, so I don't appear to be the "bad guy". Just a few more days, Jake, and it will be just Kirby, you, and me at home everyday!

Funny Jake story from yesterday. After the last day of school, Jake and I went to a former colleague's house right by my school. There were are few other teachers sitting on the patio having a few drinks and some snacks. Jake was being an excellent sport and entertained himself. He had grabbed a few toys from the diaper bag and from inside my friend's house. He was making his toys "swim" in the beer tub. He was having so much fun, so I did not think anything of it. A few moments later, I see Jake's feet off the ground and head in the beer tub. He was head-first in the beer tub! He had leaned over a bit too far to catch his toy dragon. I ran over to get him and got him dried off with a towel. I thought for sure he would start crying, but my tough guy just wiped his eyes and continued on playing. He gave my friends and me a good laugh at the end of a stressful week/day.

Let the Summer Fun Begin!

Jake and I had a great Memorial Day weekend. Joe was up north fishing with the guys on the Knutson side (minus Mike, who stayed in town). Kirby, Jake, and I spent Saturday-Wednesday with my mom. Every year since Jake was born, I have stayed with my mom over this holiday. It usually is nice and warm, so we spend time in the pool, and it is nice for Jake to get one-on-one time with Grandma "Nuteson". We are working on Knutson, but no quite there yet.

Jake enjoyed the pool 100 times better than last summer. I hope this continues for the rest of the summer. Here are some pictures from our fun in the sun!

Eating some lunch by the pool. Noting better than that!

Jake just woke up from a nap. Paige is curious as to where his clothes are!

I bought Jake a new hat and watering can this weekend-he loved both

The swing outside is a little wild and crazy

Riding on Paige's Dora Big Wheel

Pictures from the New House

Beautiful rainbow last week-when it rained everyday!

Jake's bathroom

Jake's room

Jake's room-love the blackout shades!

Jamie did a great job with the shelves-new big boy bedding, too!

Our bathroom

Space for both of us to get ready

We need to get a new dresser, but this will work for now

Thanks, Joe for letting me have the saying above the bed

Jake's playroom/extra bedroom

Twist and turn, make it tight

Helping Daddy

Baby Jordan slept on the floor in the middle of it all