Fire Station no. 9

So I received an order yesterday that came in a very large cardboard box. I decided that it should become a fire station. As just a cardboard box, Jack had no interest in it. As a fire station, however, we have thoroughly enjoyed it! As soon as I had cut out some holes, he was all about crawling in and out of the box. He didn't find the hole on the top until about 30 minutes into playing. That created a whole new level of play!

Spoooooky!

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving 2008

On Monday afternoon, Jack and I carved two pumpkins. Well, I carved the pumpkins and Jack looked quite bored in his highchair. We carved and owl in one and a traditional jack-o-lantern in the other (especially for Jack!) I thought later that I should have carved the jack-o-lantern with just two bottom teeth to truly represent Jack. I roasted the pumpkin seeds and John snapped some pictures. It was true family fun!

Jack's First Steps . . . with the Aunts' help

Claire and Laine gave Jack this walker for his birthday and I couldn't get him interested in it at all. When they were here a few weekends ago, Jack decided to try it out. He is cruising around on furniture right now, but has yet to take his first step by himself. He seems to have figured out that there must be a better way to get around than crawling but can't seem to put it together that he can walk just like we can.

Baby Einstein

If you have ever wondered why Baby Einstein is such a big deal to moms, this video should clear it up for you. The original video I took of Jack was over two minutes long and he looked like this the entire time. He is mesmerized by these DVDs!

The Great Pumpkin Patch

This past Saturday was Katelyn's 2nd birthday and we were invited to go to the pumpkin patch in Blue Mountain, MS. Jack had a great time watching everything that was going on around him and we even managed to pick out a Jack-sized pumpkin. Jack really just wanted to crawl around on the grass all day. Everytime he got down he would make a bee line to the nearest mud puddle. He brought home a tiny little pumpkin just for him and has been playing with it ever since.

John's First 5K

John ran the Burnsville Waterway 5K a few weeks ago and did very well for his first race. He ran it in 28 minutes and 51 seconds which put him in 2nd place in his age group. The next weekend he ran another 5K in 27 minutes and 21 seconds and placed third in his age group. Jack and I were there to cheer him on in Burnsville and we were so proud of him!

Caught Ya!

If my purse is anywhere within reach, Jack has it dumped within two minutes.

Jack's Tent

We made a tent out of some blankets in the dining room and Jack had a big time crawling in and out of his new secret space. We played peek-a-boo for days!

More Parties

Aren't these cute faces! We had some friends over to continue the one year celebration and several of them enjoyed a ride in Jack's new wagon. I wish I had taken a few more pictures . . . it was a fun night.

Beach Pictures

This is way bigger than the bathtub! Jack made his first trip to the beach at the end of the summer. It was loads of fun to watch him try and understand exactly what was going on. At first we put him down in the sand and he immediately started to crawl away from the ocean. It was as if a survival instinct kicked in and he knew that it was safer on land. Forget footprints in the sand, Jack tracks consisted of handprints and a seaturtle like track from crawling. After a few trips up the beach he settled down to play in the sand under the umbrella. Eventually he did notice the ocean and decided immediately that it was for him. We couldn't keep him away from it. He really enjoyed crawling around in the waves but it was exhausting for dad. I would wait until right before the wave came in and lift him up so the water splashed his legs and not in his mouth. Jimmy Buffett would be proud. - John

Jack's Birthday Suit

Claire smocked his Noah's Ark plate and Mother had his outfit made just for his party!

Party!!

These are my favorite pictures from Jack's birthday party with the family. He was very unsure about the cupcake at first . . . he has since become a big fan of sugar!

Birthday Prep

Paige did a wonderful job on Jack's 1st birthday party. Although Jack won't remember it, he will get to see it in pictures. The theme was Noah's Ark complete with not one but two Noah's Ark smocked outfits. The tan one shown below, was mine when I was little. Paige worked really hard on the cupcakes and did a wonderful job. You might notice that among the lions, monkeys, zebra, and elephants, there is a border collie cupcake! Earlier in the day there were two border collie cupcakes on the table but a funny thing happened. Megan was trolling the area for food and reached up a snatched, of all things, the border collie cupcake.. Of course Paige wasn't very happy with her but I think her stomach ache was payback enough. - John