Treats for All!

I read a review about a book that sounded really interesting a few days ago and decided I needed to read it... so I went to amazon.com to order it. While there I looked for books about new babies and homebirth (which I couldn't find!) for Jake. Once I went to check-out I realized that John already had something placed in his cart... so I ordered that too. Today our package of treats arrived...

John loves his new cd :)

I am thoroughly enjoying my new book, although it makes me a little angry at times too. It's fascinating, a must read for ALL women!

And Jake loves his book about having a new baby in the house.
I love that it's mostly pictures and few words so we can make up the story ourselves... and talk about how the baby was born at home.

We've Blurbed Our Blog

Well, it's FINALLY finished, ordered, and on it's way!! The book, "In the Wake of Jake~ 2007" is just about as cute as they come. I'm really happy with the finished product and can't wait until it arrives so I can flip through the pages and really see what it looks like! It took a lot of time and creative thought to take this 'ole blog and make it into a book, but I'm so glad I did it. Now we will have a hardbound book with all of our memories from last year... hip, hip, hooray!

Here's a sneak peak for you... the cover:

The Baby's Arrival...

I've added a poll to the blog about when the baby is going to arrive. I'd love to know what you think. Maybe I'll even have a prize for the person who's closest to an exact date! :)

Wanna play along? I'd love you to!!

A Baby is Brewin'

Today was my baby shower with family and friends hosted by my dear friends Elizabeth and Meme. It was so much fun to visit with everyone and enjoy our time together. I am so grateful for their love and support with the upcoming birth of this little baby. We truly were showered with love. This little girl is going to be one well dressed gal!

Heather Keil, Mema, Meme, Norah, Elizabeth, Ruthie, Mom (aka Gramma), and me

Heather Del & I at the shower

Before the shower John, Jake & I, along with the Keil's (Heather, Ben & Kyle) walked over to the mall for the Amgen Tour of California events. Just about as soon as we got there it was time for Heather & I to head over to the shower, but the boy's stayed and had a fun time watching the professional cyclist come through town and race to the finish line.

After the exciting events, we all met back at our house and decided it was time for dinner. We met at Panda Express and then went over to the Reagan's for an evening of fun and games. It was a very busy and fun-filled day!

Midwives & Home Visits

Davi and Aviva (our midwives) came today for my 36 week appointment. It was so nice having them in our home. We discussed our "vision" of the birth as well as a bunch of other important things regarding the upcoming birth of our baby. They also checked my fundal height, the baby's heartbeat, and her location. She's head down and ready to go!! Jake was really cute, not only did he help Davi measure my fundal height, when she asked if she could measure his hand he laid down and pulled up his shirt so she could measure his tummy too. It was really cute.

Now that they've been here we feel ready for this baby to come. We're excited to have this homebirth experience and welcome our baby into our family!!

It was a really good and uplifting day.

SOLD!

We're back to being a two car family. We sold my white Accord. It was a good car, my first big purchase after graduating from USU. There were many good adventures in the white Accord, including driving back and forth between Salt Lake and home, a cross country road trip, and many others. She will be missed... but it feels soooo good to have the cash money in my savings account!! Farewell friend... And just in case anyone was concerned-- John remembered to take off my USU Alumni license plate frame so I can put it on my "new" Accord. :)

Acts 2:1~

A Good Read

Today I read Austenland by Shannon Hale. I've never been a big Jane Austen fan (surprising, I know), but it's the Book Club choice for March so I gave it a chance. It was a really quick and easy read with an enjoyable story. It doesn't make me want to pick up Pride and Prejudice or Masfield Park or any other Jane Austen book... or watch the BBC DVD's of any of the Jane Austen books made into movies, but I enjoyed the story and was glad to have something to read for the day! Now, I'm ready for Book Club on March 5th... think I'll be there???

Happy Birthday G'Gma!!!

We had a great day celebrating G'Gma's birthday! The morning started with Gramma coming to pick up Jake so I could help a woman in the ward with the newFamily Search program. Then I met them back at Gramma's. When I walked in I found this: don't they both look like they've been caught doing something naughty?!?! They were sweetly sharing a little birthday pre-cake cake. It was very cute. Jake had pushed his chair over to sit by GGma. He likes to be close to her... eventually he ended up sharing her tray. I think she's giving him the "Hey Buddy, you're taking up my space" look. :)After lunch we headed to Old Navy to do a little shopping. Then to Costco (Jake's new favorite place, well that and El Pollo Loco... can you tell where we go when we leave the house?!?!?) and finally back to Gramma's to prepare for GGma's requested LOBSTER birthday dinner. (The rest of us had chicken, a much better choice in my opinion.)

When we arrived Aunt Linda and Alan were there... we visited for a little while and then they had me open my baby shower gift... THANK YOU! This little girl is going to be the cutest dressed girl ever! They were really kind to me and I soooooo appreciate it.

Once they left it was time to get serious about GGma's lobster dinner -- she really said she wanted lobster, not one of us had ever heard her say she liked lobster before!!!!-- but that's what she got and she ate her entire plate of lobster, potatoes, and veggies and afterward she had a huge piece of cake to boot! She hardly ever eats anymore so this was seriously impressive!!
We hope she had a great birthday! We love you GGma!
G'Gma's high school Senior picture

Double Stroller...

Look what arrived today...

It's very exciting and a little overwhelming that it's actually here. A double stroller... because we're going to have two kids to put in it! Holy Cow! Jake was really excited when we opened the box and let him put the wheels on. He loves helping Daddy do everything. John admitted that he was a little overwhelmed with putting it together... and it's size... and that fact that it means two kids. We're really happy with it though. It turns fabulously (a must!) and Jake has already picked his seat -- and it's a good thing he picked the front one since that's where he has to sit for a while!! :) When it was time to leave for Costco (our exciting Valentine's date) he didn't want to get out of it! I think he likes it...

Now if we can just figure out a way to use our old infant car seat with the new stroller we're in business!! And Happy Valentine's Day!

Waeeeeeeeee....

Although it wasn't as warm as it has been, it still was a warm day -- minus the chilly wind-- so the three of us headed to the park this afternoon. Jake loves being outside and it's fun to watch him play at the park, he gets really excited about the slides and swings (finally!). His new "thing" is to ask (over and over and over again) for someone to slide next to him... and since Daddy was there, I got a break! I loved watching the two of them race down the slide time after time while I sat and enjoyed the sunshine. I think they had a good time, what do you think???


And once John had to leave for work... it was my turn. It's really too bad other kids weren't there to keep him entertained! :)

Bikes & Babes

It was another gorgeous Southern California winter day; temps were in the high 70's - low 80's. It felt soooo good! Gramma had the day off (gotta love those teachers schedules!) so we spent the day with her. Jake had a lot of fun riding the bike at her house in the backyard, discovering new things back there, and unrolling the hose several times. We loved watching him play and enjoy the yard.
We did a few errands as well and picked up a few of the needed items for the birth and first few days of life with a new baby. Slowly we're getting ready. The birth kit arrived yesterday, the pool should be here today or tomorrow and the stroller on Thursday. It's getting very close...

And for those who are curious... we bought Jake's bed at Costco a few months ago. It's made by Cafe Kids. And as far as sleeping's going... last night he came into the living room at least 6 times. We need to work on keeping him in his bed! He doesn't cry when we put him in it- thank goodness- and he has the biggest "look what I can do" smile on his face when comes around the corner, but he needs to go to sleep!!! :)

The Big Bed

Well, we did it. Yesterday we put together Jake's new big bed and re-arranged (and re-arranged again) the bedroom to fit a twin bed, a crib, the changing table, the bookshelf, my rocker, and Jake's little art table. It was quite a challenge, but thankfully Gramma came to help out and offer furniture placement advice.

To start with we moved all of Jake's toys into the living room so we'd have room to work in the bedroom. From there his new bed was put together - which I love!!! it almost matches the red dresser perfectly-- and then the trundle/drawer to hide all the toys. It was a lot of work, and it's still not completely finished, I have pictures to hang and a crib to get together in the near future, but I think it looks great and will work for us.

So... having the new big bed means transition for our little guy. So far it's gone like this: Saturday naptime- refused to lay down on the bed, cried for his crib, I rocked him for a little while, he fell sound asleep in my arms, I put him down, instantly his eyes opened and began crying, finally put his head on his new train pillow, relaxed for a few minutes, and got up. (We decided, we'd try again later.)

Saturday night- fell asleep during dinner (thanks to no nap), John put him in the new bed. He slept for a couple of hours then woke up ready to play. We let him have dinner, play for a little while, read stories, said prayers and did the normal bedtime routine. John laid down with him, but whenever John would get up Jake would pat his pillow and say, "No, down". After playing this little game a couple of times, John said goodnight and left with Jake still patting the pillow. Within 5 minutes he was sound asleep. Fast-forward to 4am... I hear John startle, look over to see him putting Jake in-between us in bed. I guess he stayed in bed for most of the night, right?!

Now, it's naptime... and it's taking awhile. I walked in the room about 15 minutes ago and found him under his covers with his head on the pillow, but now that he really does have to go to sleep he's having none of it!

Overall I think it's going ok, there haven't been any major breakdowns, but time will tell...

Perfect Park Day

Today was one of those winter days that remind me just how much I love living in Southern California! We had our first above-average temperatures since December... it was absolutely a gorgeous day. 74 and sunny, with a slight breeze. It was perfect.

Once Jake woke up from his nap we walked to the park and played with several families from our ward. He had a great time running around with Kyle, Flynn, and Ella... and some of the bigger boys. I loved being outside and visiting with friends. It really was a perfect afternoon!
This little (well ok, monster) car belonged to a little boy not in our ward, but all the kids kept climbing in for their turn. When Jake got in to drive the first thing he did was buckle his seat belt... that's my boy! Well trained. (He loves to be buckled in the stroller, car seat and his little rocking chair too! weird kid.)

This evening John picked up Jake's new mattress for his "big bed". It's his last night in the crib... wish us luck that the transition goes well! Any suggestions???

34+ Weeks Already?!?!??

Today we had another appointment with Davi & Aviva, our midwives. It's our last appointment in their office... next one's here! We have some things to get prepared for that visit. I cannot believe we are already at the point where they come here. Where has the time gone? Seriously... 40 more days until my due date and realistically this baby could be here as soon as 2.5 weeks from now and be considered full-term. We gotta get moving!! I don't think she'll be early though, at least I'm not counting on it. When my due date with Jake came and went I remember that feeling of disappointment so this time I'll just plan for late and be pleasantly surprised if she comes before St. Patty's Day.

Jake may have discovered his calling in life... he loves measuring the baby (well, mama's tummy) and listening to the heartbeat. He got sooo excited when he could hear her moving in there!

Happy 6th Birthday Caleb!!

Happy 6th Birthday to our sweet nephew Caleb

Caleb is such a smart boy. He started kindergarten (all day kindergarten!) this year and he is the only kid in his class who knows how to read so his teacher lets him sit in her big chair and read stories to the class. He's amazing! He loves to learn new things and he LOVES reading. He also loves playing soccer and wrestling, but thanks to a recent accident he will have to wait a while before he can play either again. Caleb is the oldest grandson on my side so when he was born it was a BIG deal! Now he is the older brother of Loryn and Elijah and another one on the way. He is a great big brother and oldest cousin. He is such a good example to them all.

We love you Caleb!

Happy 6th Birthday!!

2 years & the Monkey

Well, he's 2 now... unbelievable!
Here are his latest stats from the doctor:

Height: 34 in. (40%)

Weight: 30 lb. (75%)

Head: 50 cm (80%)

I guess all his weight is in his big 'ole head since his pants fall off all day long! :)

While we waited for the doctor to see us, Jake decided to make himself at home. He'll pulled up the step stool and got it right where he needed it, in front of the computer!

We also got to spend a little time with Norah today. Hurray! We love spending time with Norah... and Meme.

Let Him Eat Cake!

Finally! The boy gets his birthday cake!!

(Gretchen, you will be happy to know that John got some too!)

Jake's Birthday

Jakey had a great 2nd birthday. During breakfast he opened his gift from Grandma & Papa M., he loved the Diego puzzle and sat there for nearly 20 minutes doing it over and over.

For lunch we went to Souplantation (because Jakey loves the ice cream at the end!) and Gramma met us there. It was fun watching Jake decide what he wanted to eat, open, do, etc. He is such a little adventurous smarty-pants. While there he opened his gift from Gramma: 2 puzzles and a set of (little kid) dominos. He loved the train puzzle and wanted to do it over and over and over again... until it was time for ice cream -- then he had other plans! :)

After lunch we headed over to Toys-R-Us (something John & I swore we would NEVER do!!!) to look for a car-ramp-sort-of-toy so Jake could actually send his cars down a ramp instead of using his giraffe with holes in it thus causing the cars to fall off every time. For a while there we thought we were going to go home empty handed... until viola! We found the perfect ramp! The boy hasn't stopped playing with it since!

For dinner we went to Jake's other favorite place - El CoCo (El Pollo Loco). We brought it home to eat and have cake afterwards. Poor baby boy didn't make it through dinner... he was too pooped to party! I suppose we'll have to have cake tomorrow. It was a great day and I think Jake had a good time. If you ask him he'll tell you he's two now-- and he'll hold up three fingers. We're working on that. It takes a little coordination to make a "peace" sign. :)

Happy 2nd Birthday Bunny Boy!!

It's Jake's 2nd birthday... and it's hard to believe he really is 2 already. We love him so very much and are grateful for his special little spirit in our lives.

A Little Pre-Birthday Celebrating

Late this afternoon John & I decided to head to Disneyland for a little pre-birthday celebration. (Elizabeth, Meme, & I had planned to go earlier in the day but it just didn't work out.) After sitting in LA traffic for 2 hours, we arrived around 6pm and went straight into California Adventure for dinner. We rode a few rides in "A Bug's Life" and then watched the Electrical Parade. Jake loved all the lights, but he especially loved seeing Mickey on the train. He kept waving and saying, "Hi Mickey Mouse" it was adorable, I wish I had the video rolling.

Once the parade was over we walked over to Disneyland and spent some time in Fantasyland riding Dumbo, the carousel, went over to Tomorrowland for Autopia, Buzz Lightyear, and then back to Fantasyland for the Casey Jr. train, Pinocchio. It was a great evening! We left there at 11:30pm -- the park was closed and we were tired :)

Jake was a little upset as we were leaving because he wanted to see more Mickey Mouse... we'll have to go back soon...