Building A New House

We made the decision to build a new house! We have been patiently (okay, impatiently) waiting for this house to sale. It is still on the market, if you know anyone who may be interested. In the meantime, we decided to bite the bullet and begin building the house we want in a new development in Shakopee. If all goes as planned, we would close the end of April. Just in time for the new little Knutson grandson to be born (Matt and Katie!)

The house we are building is a split-entry walkout, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, three-car garage, a deck, fence, and an unfinished basement. There will be three bedrooms on the main level. Jake will have his own bathroom and there will be a bathroom off the master bedroom. In the basement will be the fourth bedroom and the third bathroom. We, meaning Joe and friends, will work on finishing the basement during next winter. We are very excited to be living in a more family friendly neighborhood. There is a park so close to us. It will take less than two minutes to get there. Jake and Kirby both need more room to play, which this house will offer.

The house is located off of 169 and Marystown Road. Here is a picture from the builder's website of what the house will be modeled after.

Jake's New Job

Joe hired Jake for a new job....Jake takes it very seriously. I just had to put a lock on the fridge because he kept opening it and was taking bottles out!

Winter Fun!

We took Jake outside to play in the snow today. It was his first time really being able to play in the snow. He was too little last winter to play outside. We put all his warm clothes on, but changed his diaper first. It is a good thing he is still in diapers, so we don't have to hear "Mom, I have to go to the baaathrooom!" He wasn't very excited to get into his snow pants. He has this thing about his toes being covered by anything other than socks, shoes, or boots. His snow pants are a tad long, so he was letting me know his frustrations. I was able to get his hat and hood up and buttoned before he could fight it. The next step were the mittens. I purposely left that for Joe and ran upstairs to get my own mittens. Jake HATES, to put it mildly, his mittens. Both Cheryl (daycare) and I have tried to get him to wear them, but no luck. The moment we were outside, the mittens were on the ground. We tried several times to put them back on, but he wouldn't go for it. He even picked up some snow with his bare hands and said "Ouch!" I thought he would figure out that with his mittens on, he wouldn't be as cold. It worked for a little but. He and dad karate-chopped some snow. Since Jake wouldn't wear anything on his hands, we did not stay out for very long. His cheeks were getting pink, but they were so adorable!

Let the tantrums begin!

We have officially entered the stage of temper tantrums. They began this past week and are quite an interesting sight. Thankfully, they have only taken place in our house and my parents' house. Today, Jake spent about 20 minutes standing against the wall with his blanket. He got mad at me that I turned the light on to take a picture. The other picture was Jake having his tantrum on the kitchen floor.

Baptism

Last Sunday, we had Jake baptized. Yes, he is almost 20 months old. It was something we had been putting off for some time. We decided in September that we wanted to have him baptized before Christmas. Well, in the Knutson family, the weekends in the fall are dedicated to hunting. We were able to find a weekend in November that wasn't an opener of any sort. Thanks Matt for giving up going hunting! Jake was baptized at my family's church in Bloomington. Jake was a pretty good sport during the service before the baptisim. When it was the big moment, Jake chose to not be too cooperative. Thankfully, he was quiet about his dislike of the whole event. He just wanted to be in Daddy's arms. Surprise, surprise! Here is a photo of Jake with Joe and me, along with Jake's godparents (Dan-Joe's brother and Jamie-my sister).

After church, we went over to my parents' house for lunch. It was nice to get both sides of the family together to celebrate Jake.

Jake with his Auntie Katie and Uncle Matt and soon-to-be-cousin

Jake with his Grandma-Grandma Tootsie and Great Uncle David

Jake with his Great Grandparents (Deters (left) and Sullivan(right))

Jake with Uncle Dan and Charli, Grandpa and Grandma Bien

Jake with Grandma and Grandpa Deters, Uncle Ben, and Auntie HaleyJake and Auntie Jamie...didn't want to be cooperative

There were no pictures with my parents...on accident. I guess we were going to do it later, but never did. Sorry mom and dad. Also, there were no pictures with Mike, Nikki, and Paige. Paige wasn't feeling all that well. She actually wasn't able to go to church because she got sick in the kitchen right before we were all going to leave. She is feeling much better now!

New Cousin/Halloween

They love to lay on Grandma's counter and watch TV!

Usually it is Hailey that won't look at the camera!

Jake is going to have a new cousin in 2010! My brother Matt and his wife Katie are expecting their first child at the end of April/beginning of May. We are all very excited for them. Hailey wants them to have triplets, but Katie has assured us there is one one baby "in there". When I asked Hailey if she knew how many triplets are, she said "two." I told her triplets means three babies and twins means two. She then changed her mind and said they should have "doublets". Go figure!

We had a busy day on Halloween. So busy that I did not get a chance to take a picture. Hopefully my siblings will send me a few pictures. Joe worked all day. We moved my sister out of my parents' house and into her new apartment in St. Paul. Later in the day, we made the mistake of heading to the Mall of America. Never again.... It was beyond crowded. We did our best to keep our group of eleven together as the kids were able to trick-or-treat. Hailey did have a chance to go on some rides, while Jake had a few meltdowns. Thankfully, we found the food court...barely any tables to sit at. By the time we finally got home, we had one tired monkey.

Oh, we found out that Jake loves chocolate. Thanks to my sister!

Disney Movie Obsession

Jake has developed an obsession with Disney movies this week. It started out with neededing to watch Finding Nemo numerous times, sometimes in one day. Jake calls this movie "Memo". Then the obsession turned to Monsters, Inc. He calls this movie "Nonsters". We have sinced moved on to Hercules, because it has a horse, albeit a flying one, in it. I had to beg my sister to bring a few movies from my parents' house. Joe and I need a change of movies!You know it is bad when you can recite lines from all three of those movies. He likes to play and have them on in the background. Other times, he likes to just sit on the couch and watch. It was nice when he woke up early Saturday morning. We were able to watch some movies and I was able to lay on the couch!

Last night, Joe and I had friends over for our 5th annual Halloween Party. It started off with Jake and Paige playing in the basement and in the garage. It was so cute to see the two of them in costume! Jake did not want to wear his monkey costume at first, but when he saw Paige in her Elmo costume, he was more comfortable. The adults had a fun time and it even turned into a little dance party. A fun time!

Updated Pictures

Celebrating Kamryn's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese
Playing on the slide. Jake was scared of the other little rides for toddlers, but loved to climb the slide!

Having some raisins before daycare. Sporting some MN Twins' Gear

Playing with my best friend Rrrbe (Kirby)

Waiting for dad to come home

Playing with a "dar'

I have finally had a chance to upload some pictures from the past month. Jake and I are home today. I was in Las Vegas with my sister and three friends this past weekend. Our flight arrived late last night, so I am "sick" today. Jake was quite confused when I was the one to get him out of his crib today. Before I left for Vegas, I had was at school for 12 hours, two days in a row. I did not have a chance to see Jake or Joe very much. He spent time with both grandmas when I was out of town. Joe had to work when I was gone and Jake's daycare was closed on Friday. It is a good thing he is so flexible and doesn't mind sleeping in other people's houses.

18 Months Old!

Jake turned 18 months old today. It is crazy how fast those 18 months have flown by. I tried to get a picture of him today, but he would not allow it this morning. He continues to voice his opinion each day. It is cute to hear him say "no", as long as it isn't the only thing he says.

We found out that Jake likes vanilla pudding. He kept calling it bubbles, but he wanted more and more. He is getting better at using a spoon to feed himself. There was a little bit of a mess, but we were in need of a bath anyways.

Nothing new with the house...continue to have showings, but nothing further than that. I am beginning to feel bad for our house. Our house is like the last person chosen to play on a team. We are patiently waiting...

Getting Bigger by the Moment!

This past weekend Jake seemed to have gone from a baby to a big boy! He had his haircut on Saturday. He cried the whole time and drooled red sucker. He ended up with hair stuck to his face and tried to "clean" himself with the drenched cape they put on him. On Sunday, Jake got his new tennis shoes. They look like real tennis shoes for adults! The tennis shoes make his legs look so much taller. He loves them, too! He was showing everyone at daycare his new shoes. I kept telling him they would make him run fast. He is trying to run more. I think it must be his new shoes! He is learning more and more words. In the car yesterday, Joe was counting the monkeys on a old gift card Jake was holding on to. Jake said two after Joe said one. Where did he learn to count?? He is growing up way too fast for his mommy and daddy!

Hilton Head

Jake and I had a fantastic time with my parents in Hilton Head. It was a very laid back and relaxing time. Jake did a great job on the plane ride from Mpls to Atlanta. He was a trooper. He spent time "reading" the emergency pamphlet, so I wasn't worried about anything. He studied up! Our short flight from Atlanta to Savannah got to be a little long for Jake. Thankfully, it was not a full flight and we were able to be in the back of the plane and not distract too many people. When we were in Hilton Head, we spent M-W at the pool at the resort. Jake liked it more and more each day. We were smart and rented some beach toys for the week and bought a beach ball. He was pretty entertained with those items. He enjoyed going out into the middle of the pool with Papa. My parents golfed most of the mornings, so Jake and I hung out in the unit until after his morning nap. We even watched our normal "toon toons". We did a fair amount of walking and shopping. We ate ice cream daily! Yummy! On my birthday, we went to an Italian restaurant that was recommended highly by a golf course worker my parents spoke to. It was very tasty. I had some cheese ravioli, while Jake ate bread and crackers. He does not like pasta or any type of tomato sauce. How can he be my son?? Later that night, I went with my dad to his favorite restaurant, Steamers. They have a man that plays music there most nights. my dad really enjoys listening to him. I was able to order my favorite beer from my time in Duluth, Woodpecker Cider. Brought back memories! Thursday and Friday were rainy days. We were able to squeeze in a trip to the beach on Thursday. Jake was a little unsure of the ocean at first, but he did go out with Papa. Jake even wanted to stand and not be held. My mom and I watched and took pictures from the shore. Jake and Papa played in the sand. I really do not know who had more fun! Jake enjoyed knocking down what Papa had built. On our last day, we went into Harbor Town. I was able to see, in person, the infamous light house that my parents take an annual picture of. Jake and Papa went onto the 18th green in search of golf balls. There were some amazing boats docked in the harbor. We woke up early on Saturday morning to head back home. The two flights were not as great for Jake. The fight from Atlanta to Mpls was the hardest for him. I think his ears may have been hurting. Mine were plugged until later the next day. My mom was able to help me keep him somewhat entertained. He did sleep for about an hour, which was peaceful. The other hour and fifteen minutes...not so much.

I was so thankful for the opportunity to spend time with my parents in a town they love. I am not sure when I will be able to come back, but I will look forward to it. My parents thought about having Joe and Jake come sometime, if it doesn't work with my school schedule. We'll have to just wait and see.

The Wall Won

Jake sustained his first injury that left marks. Joe was just pulling into the alley way, so I told Jake that Daddy was home. He was very excited about this. He went walking into the living room and tripped and fell into the corner of the living room wall and the doorway to the attic. He was scared and I was scared. I wasn't sure how bad it really was. Thankfully, I knew Joe would be able to calm Jake down. Once Jake was in his dad's arms (and playing with the steering wheel), he was fine. We did not notice the mark on his cheek at first, but think it may be from the wall or the carpet. This will be the first of many such accidents!

Beach, Reunion, and the PGA

Last week, my sister and I went to the beach with Jake. In Minnetrista, there is the Lake Minnetonka Regional Park. They have a man-made, chlorinated lake. I had heard about this lake from my brother and sister-in-law. We decided to check it out. It was a blast! It took longer than we had expected to get there, but it was only about 25 minutes away, just out Hwy 7. Jake had a fun time playing in the sand with his toys. He did not really care to much about the water, but we did bring him in a few times. I bought him this new turtle floaty and brought him with. Matt and Katie gave him one for his birthday, but for some reason, he does not like it at all. We had him in the floaty and were pushing him back and forth between us. He kind of liked it, but kept leaning to one side, as if trying to get out. We were in the process of taking him out when a lifeguard came over and said we could not use the toy in the water. They only allow inner tube and small rafts and noodles. What do you expect a 16 month old child to use? We just put it back on shore. It wasn't like Jake was really into it anyways. Jake's teeth were hurting that day...surprise, surprise. When aren't they hurting? We gave him an All-American Popsicle. You know, the red, white, and blue kind. He thought that was fun. It was tricky for him to eat it, but we helped! I thought we were going to get him to take a nap in his stroller, like the group next to us were able to do with their toddler. No such luck! There is a picture below of him peeking out of the towel we used to cover the stroller with. Oh well! He napped on the way home .

Jamie and I hosted a mini-Encore Dance Academy reunion at my parents' house. We were hoping for nice weather and be out by the pool. Mother Nature did not get that message. It was really windy and cool that day. We spent most of the time inside talking and watching old recital videos. That was a good back-up plan, if you ask me. There were a bunch of girls who RSVPd they were coming, but it ended up being mostly the Alumni group (the group Jamie and I danced in the last three years at the studio). We had even had a surprise visitor who came all the way from Seattle.

Here are some pictures of Paige and Jake from Tuesday. We took the kids to watch the "golfer guys" practice for the tournament this weekend. It was a hot day, but overall, they did very well. Joe and I are hoping to go on Sunday.

Eating a hot dog for lunch. Jake calls them "dog dogs".

Jamie feeding Paige lunch.

Waiting for Vijay to tee off and walk by.

Taking a break. I'm exhausted!

Still on the Market & The Johnsons Visit!

Our house remains on the market. We've dropped the price twice and have had tons of showings, but nothing more than that. Our realtor says we are approaching his record of the most number of showings without a sale. Yeah for us! My car is able to drive itself down to my parents' house, as that is where we go when we have showings during the day. We'll keep everyone updated if there are any changes.

My good friend from UMD, Haley and her family, were in town the past two days from Michigan. She has a son, Cade who is 4, and a daughter, Calli who is less than a month younger than Jake. We saw them last summer when they came to the Cities to do some shopping. This year, it was a visit full of fun and excitement. Jake and I met them at the Mall of America yesterday for some fun at Nickelodeon Universe. Calli and Jake had a fun time looking at one another from their strollers. They both were a bit confused when their moms were pushing a different stroller. We had dinner at The Rain Forest Cafe. It was the first time I had eaten there. The food was okay, but the atmosphere was better. Cade did not like when it began to thunder and lightning, nor did Calli. Jake didn't really notice too much. He was too busy throwing stuff on the floor. Thankfully, we had a nice person sitting at the table near us who picked up Jake's cup numerous times. Calli and Jake were both entertaining! They were extremely tired, hungry, and antsy. Mark (Haley's husband) and I took the little ones to go run around in the area around Bloomingdales. I thought Jake would try to run like Calli. She is all over the place! He stuck to his walking. We even rode the escalators to pass the time. Everyone was much happier after the food came. Of course, it took a long time to get the bill, but it was a fun time!

Today, we had a busy day again. There was a slight miscommunication with which museum to meet at. Haley and I spoke earlier in the week and she mentioned going to the Children's Museum. So, that was where Jake and I went. Umm...they were at the Science Museum. I did not want to pay money to get into the Science Museum, so Jake and I spent time at the Children's Museum. He loved that Habitot area, where they had places for toddlers to climb and play. He thought it was great in the Clifford Exhibit. He loved going up and down his tail that was a slide. We were hoping to catch a picture with Clifford, but we missed him. We even took a walk around downtown St. Paul. We all met up at the hotel to play and swim. Jake and Calli both tried napping in the car and in the bedroom, but neither of them slept much. This became evident later at dinner! The two of them had a fun time playing with each other in the hotel room. We went down to the pool. The water was freezing! I really did not want to get in. I had to be a big girl and just do it! We all swam for a little bit before the cold water got to us. We went back to the room, gave the little ones baths, and played some more. I caught some cute pictures of Calli and Jake playing. They played very well together. Calli is a wild girl! She is constantly getting into things she is not supposed to. Jake followed her lead many of times!

After a short trip to IKEA, we met up again at TGI Fridays. Quite a mistake to take tired and hungry kids under 5 to a busy place. If anyone there was thinking about having kids, our group was the perfect birth control. There were tears, screams, items thrown, etc. We sat the babies next to each other and they made much more of a mess on the floor than last night. I could not wait to get out of there! Again, after an even longer wait for the bill, we made it out alive...barely. It was great to spend time with the Johnsons and Haley's sister's family. I have decided that Jake needs a break from going out to eat at restaurants. Oh wait, I need a break from Jake going out to eat! Unless Joe is there to help!

Belly Buttons

So, Jake is obsessed with belly buttons. It is so bad, that he makes you lift up your shirt so he can touch your belly button. I have to admit...I was the one who got him started on this. For quite some time, I had made a "beep, beep" sound when I touched his belly button. I had an aunt and uncle growing up that did the same to us, but they made this odd sound that I was not able to recreate. Jake has now started doing it to both Joe and me. While I was trying to get him to eat his veggies (no luck) he stopped and said "beep, beep", which means, "lift up your shirt and let me see your belly!" Hopefully, he will grow out of this before he starts school. I can only imagine the phone calls.

Happy 4th of July!

What a difference a year makes! Joe's sister and brother, Haley and Ben, made Jake a onesie for the 4th of July last year. This year they each made him a t-shirt. Jake is sporting Haley's creation. We will get a picture of Ben's this week.

We were able to finally get away, as a family, this past weekend. It has been tricky with Joe's work schedule to have family time away from him. We headed to Wascott, WI. Joe's Uncle Jeff and Aunt Becky have a cabin there. We have gone once together in the winter and once on a Memorial Day a few years back. The weather was not nice on either occasion. We were pleasantly surprised that we had FANTASTIC weather! Nice enough to golf, tan, play on the beach, go for wagon rides, etc.

Jake was a bit unhappy in the car when we first started out. We ended up needing to play some "Jake Music" to calm him down. Joe even sang along. This helped Jake calm down. Overall, he was a really good sport in the car. We stopped for dinner in Danbury. Jake had a fun time playing with the silverware at the table. He even walked around to visit other tables. Next, we had to stop and pick up some fireworks. Jake did not like the fact that his daddy went into the store without him. How dare he! We drove a little while longer and we arrived at the cabin. The rest of the family was just sitting down to eat dinner, so we hung out and chatted. We had time to play inside and outside before it got dark. Jake liked sitting and looking at the fire. Before too long, it was time for bed. Joe stayed up much later than Jake and I sitting around the fire.

Saturday morning, Jake was up bright and early. So was I. Joe slept in for a little while. Thankfully, Ben was up and entertained Jake for a while. Most of the guys went golfing. The girls all put on their suits and headed down to the lake to lay in the sun. Jake went down for a nap, which allowed me to get some reading in. After he woke up, I put on his suit and we went to play in the sand. It was Jake's first time sitting in the sand. He is somewhat picky about what he sits on outside, so I wasn't sure how he would like sand. No problem with it! He enjoyed finally using his sand toys they way they were meant to be used! We have used them in the pool, but it was more fun for him to scoop sand into the bucket. Haley and her friend came over to help build sandcastles. Jake only ate a little bit of the sand. I am sure it tasted yummy! Jake was very excited when the golfing was done and he could have time with Joe. They played in the sand for awhile before it was nap time. Later in the day, Jake was able to go for a boat ride. He liked it, just not having to wear his life jacket. His face gets really squished when he has it on. Poor guy.

After dinner, we did our best to keep Jake awake for fireworks. We all piled into three cars to head a couple towns over to see the show. Jake fell asleep right away in the car. Joe's cousin Andrew and his girlfriend had a fun time watching Jake in his car seat. Haley and her friend made a bed for Jake in his wagon, which was very comfy. We just laid him down into the bed and wheeled him from the car to the spot we watched from. He received a few funny looks from people as we walked through the crowd. Joe and Grandma Laurie took turns holding Jake in their laps during the show. He seemed to like the fireworks. Every time I looked, he was staring off into the sky. I think he was too tired to show any emotion! It was a great show for being in a small town. They had a neat firework that included a parachute falling down from the sky. At the end of the show, we put Jake back into the wagon and pulled him back to the car. By the time we had him in his car seat and pulled away, he was asleep! It was an early night for everyone.

Jake slept in a little bit on Sunday morning. It was Joe's turn to hang out with Jake. I was happy to sleep a bit more. We had to get up and get things packed up so we could make it home in time to pick Kirby up from the kennel. It was looking like a nice day and we wished we could have stayed longer. Jake was able to get in some more time with his grandpa, which he loved. We timed our trip home with Jake's nap. He slept all the way to Hinkcley. Then it was time for his music. We stopped for lunch in Forest Lake and made it home. Kirby had a great time at the kennel. He was tired when he got home. He is still laying on our bed and it is almost 11:00!

We hope to have some showings this week. The house needs a cleaning before then. We have another busy weekend. The Knutson family is getting together with my dad's cousins at my parents' house. Joe has to work, which is a bummer. I hope he will be able to make it for part of the time. I need to get going. I hear someone on the monitor!