Christmas Eve
Posted: January 1, 2011 Filed under: Holidays, Jake, Tyson Leave a comment
Jake was much more laid back about it all…
And done after the first present: a set of Handy Manny tools. Tornado Ty happily opened the rest of Jake’s gifts for him. And everyone else.
When I was little my mom used to take my brother and I to the fabric store, let us pick out our own fabric and made us each a blanket. Mine was always double stuffed because I ran cold and I still have my very loved Strawberry Shortcake blanket. This year, Jakey got his very own double stuffed blanket. I am way jealous.
Uncle D had just as much fun with the toys as the boys did:
Tyson was so in love with his new construction site set that we literally didn’t hear a peep out of him all night:
He played and played and played and played…
And eventually suckered his Uncle into a game of Candy Land. I can’t play with him anymore. He wins. All.the.time. And cheats. I can’t take it.
Jake LOVES his tools. He carries them around. Sings. Dances. Does this little move:
Dancing with his Chuck Truck:
Grandma, Uncle D, and Tanya made Santa his cookies. The boys were very spoiled. Very much loved on. And had an amazing night. Tyson and Jake each picked out a cookie for Santa and celery for the reindeer. And quickly zonked out for the night…
Turkey Crafts
Posted: November 8, 2010 Filed under: Arts and Crafts, Holidays, Jake, Tyson Leave a comment
Handed each kiddo a full set of supplies:
Washable glue from Lakeshore made this activity entirely possible. Jake was intrigued by the sparkle:
It didn’t take long for both of them to go to town:
Jake was ALLLLLLLL about the glue:
LOOOOOOOOOVED the glue:
Tyson was much more particular about putting his turkey together:
He quickly figured out that dipping some pieces was faster than using the popsicle stick. Smart boy:
Turkey making machine:
I will say that the glue washed off incredibly easy and as much as I feared the clean up and mess…it wasn’t bad at all. More glue. Never enough. Apparently:
Happy boy:
Jake’s finished turkey:
And as he began his second…he decided he was done in true toddler fashion:
Tyson happily took over. One of Ty’s three finished creations:
Ty’s turkey line up:
Our finished flock:
Las Vegas
Posted: March 11, 2010 Filed under: Jake, Tyson Leave a commentBeing the amazingly devoted basketball fan that I am (read: no way I would let my husband enjoy five days and four nights of uninterrupted sleep in a blissful hotel room by himself), the boys and I decided to join him on his last work trip to Vegas. Tyson couldn’t stop talking about going on an airplane and was so so so excited. BOTH boys were amazing on the flight. Ty took in the sights and watched the portable DVD player. Jake slept. Waiting to board the plane:
Our first night there we walked the Strip with the boys. They literally sat on the edges of their seats and took in all the lights, sounds, and overall craziness that is Vegas. Both boys were absolutely amazed by the Bellagio water show and Mirage volcano. As we walked down the street, Jake would dance as he heard music coming from various hotels and casinos which garnered us many smiles and laughs from the strangers walking by:
Our first full day in Vegas, the husband was stuck in meetings all day so I took the boys to the Lied Children’s Discovery Museum. It is a cross between our local Studio Grow and the Exploritorium. The bottom floor was very much like Studio Grow: a play construction area, an infant crawl and shape sorting area, a drawing/craft room, a bubble/water play area, and a big room that resembled a small town- bank, auto shop, grocery store, airport, hardware store. Tyson had a great time working the assembly line and passing the blocks down to Jacob waiting at the end:
There was just as much for Jake to enjoy as Ty…which is rare. And I had to get a picture of Jake’s outfit. Still one of my all time favorite outfits…I am sure one day the boys will hate me for the number of pictures of both of them in it. It’s okay. Doesn’t bother me. They both look so darn cute:
The air pipes. Put ball in and it zips up the pipes. The boys played here for a good ten minutes:
Similar exhibit to the one above only the air shoots out of the cone. Jake couldn’t get enough:
For PopPop, check out Ty’s pipe building skillz. Not bad:
Jake enjoying the infant play area:
Not enjoying my impromptu photo shoot:
Water play. Put the plastic dividers in and watch the boat go:
Hehehe. Ty trying SOOOOOOO hard to blow a big bubble…
And he finally got it:
Jake working the airport luggage station. Take luggage off. Put luggage on. Take luggage off. Put luggage on. Apparently, a thoroughly entertaining exhibit for a one year old. Note Ty’s absence. He wasn’t interested in the least:
He was busy fixing cars in the Auto Shop. Every time you work the drill correctly a loud sound came out of the car. He LOVED:
Practicing car maintenance:
Upstairs on the science floor. Learning about gravity:
And nutrition. Match the food item with it’s proper food group:
Can you guess who was asked NOT TO CLIMB into the below exhibit? His name rhymes with Shyson:
Learning about music. A laser harp. My little music LOVER LOVED:
Trying to walk in anti-gravity boots. Harder than it looks. I think I may need to find a pair of these bad boys in Ty’s size. They REALLY slowed him down. Like really really slowed him down:
Back downstairs for one last loop. Enjoying the grocery store and it’s cash register…especially the button that made it *BEEEEEEP* *BEEEEEEP* over. And over. And over.
Meanwhile, Jacob enjoyed clearing the shelf entirely of all its contents:
Working hard to move the Lego blocks:
While Jake chilled in the front of the truck:
And knocked off Lego blocks whenever they got close enough…which eventually led to our departure:
While Jake napped, Ty hung out and watched movies:
Our second full day, Daddy was again stuck in meetings and we headed over to the Mirage Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat:
It made me a little nervous just how close we were to this big guy:
It was surreal how close we were to the dolphins. We could have literally reached out and touched them on a few occasions:
Jacob…trying to literally reach out and touch them:
There wasn’t a “show” but the dolphins are exercised every twenty minutes or so:
Again, so so so close:
Exploring the Venetian (read: buying Mommy a blended coffee from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf). Tyson LOOOOVED the gondolas. I told him to look at the boats and he promptly corrected me by telling me they weren’t boats they were gondolas. Excuse me.
Last full day. We headed over to the Mandalay Bay Aquarium. Tyson was absolutely beside himself with excitement. There was an underwater ship exhibit with floor to ceiling glass windows…and lots of sharks, big sharks, fish, and turtles. I think Ty sat in front of that window for a good twenty minutes:
And…enjoying the second half of the game from the best seat in the house. And enjoying the free popcorn. Cookies. Water. Snacks.
While traveling with two kiddos certainly posed its challenges- especially the logistics of getting two big suitcases, two carry on bags, two backpacks, two kids, and a double stroller from the car to the airport. From the airport to the hotel. We managed to figure it out and have a really really amazing trip.First Birthday Letter
Posted: February 23, 2010 Filed under: Jake Leave a commentDear Jake,
I have been trying to come up with the right words for this letter for the last couple weeks. I worried about how it would be loving a second child while I was pregnant but that all changed the moment I met you. My heart literally grew by two feet (hehehe. Totally cliche. Very Hallmark. But so true.) You instantly molded into our family and I can no longer remember what it was like without you here.
You have flourished. Grown into such a curious, silly, happy ONE YEAR old. You say “Mama” very clearly. Dada, baba. LOVE to show people your belly. And nose. And head. We are working on feet right now. You sign: more, please, milk, and are learning “thank you” and “all done”. You climb. Everything. Love to climb up the ladder on our play structure and go down the slide. Head first. While you often gravitate towards which ever toys your brother is playing with, you LOVE balls, trucks, and books. Particularly the touch and feel books. By far, your biggest love seems to be food or your binks. Followed closely by music- whenever you hear music you immediately stop what you are doing and dance. You haven’t been a fan of the car since birth, but I finally discovered that MUSIC was the answer to your happiness. Either Ty and I sing to you or we listen to the radio.
You are quickly outgrowing 12 to 18 month clothing and have already moved up to size 4 diapers. Your brother wears a 5. Right now. You seem to be completely content crawling everywhere. You take a couple steps here and there but no real walking going on. You much prefer to be carried. By mama. Everywhere. Slowly but surely your hair is getting curlier and curlier. I love it.
Your eyes. Your smile. Your curls. Make me smile. Your laugh brightens my day. When you stop what you are doing when I enter a room and crawl towards me, my heart melts. I love you more than words can express and am so grateful to be your Mommy. I am proud of all that you have accomplished in your first year and look forward to all the things that are to come…most notably sleeping entirely through the night. Like til, 8 am. On Saturdays and Sundays. And Mondays. And Tuesdays. And Wednesdays. And Thursdays. And Fridays.
I love you Jakey.
Happy Birthday Sweet Boy.
Jake’s One Year Montage
Posted: February 23, 2010 Filed under: Jake, Milestones Leave a commentIt feels as though his first year really did go by in a matter of minutes…
A Birthday Party for TWO
Posted: February 20, 2010 Filed under: Jake, Milestones, Tyson Leave a comment
I definitely had just as much fun as the kiddos. Jake LOVED the slides and bouncers:
Climbing up each time was no joke. Especially when carrying a 24 pound one year old:
Did I mention the curly-haired-ONE-year-old LOVED each and every minute of it:
As did the super-excited-THREE-year-old Ty:
An attempt at a group shot. Note the one kid not cooperating. Shocking, I know:
Unfortunately, I couldn’t back up anymore and didn’t have a different lens…but a pretty good shot of everyone. Sorry, Orion for cutting off your cute little face:
Tyson’s favorite part- the birthday cake- or a new Lightning McQueen and Mater car:
Impatiently waiting for everyone to finish singing Happy Birthday…he desperately wanted his hands on those cars:
Jakey’s special egg-free cupcake:
Making a wish and blowing out the candles:
And a happy camper, finally:
Enjoying the goods:
Also enjoying the goods. Can you tell:
Thank you everyone for coming out on Superbowl Sunday to party with the boys. They are so loved. We are very lucky to have such wonderful friends and family.8 Months
Posted: October 6, 2009 Filed under: Jake, Milestones Leave a comment
He adores Tyson in every way. He loves to stand in his exersaucer and play trains with his brother.
LOVES it:
He loves the outdoors and often accompanies me on my runs around the Rez while Ty is at school.
Where ever Ty is…Jacob wants to be. One of very few toys that have stood the test of time in our house. Both boys really enjoy it…
Jacob had a BLAST on the swings for the first time:
A preview of his Halloween costume as it may be too small once Halloween rolls around. The price you pay for ordering too soon:
He’s figured out how to pull up and stand on just about everything. He cruises along the table. I love this outfit. The jeans. The mocs. Love it. You’ll likely see it often.
He’s also figured out how to push his walker and climb our stairs…did I mention life around here has got pretty interesting lately. Two very mobile boys. Roaming. Discovering. Exploring:
7 Month Picture
Posted: September 28, 2009 Filed under: Jake, Milestones Leave a comment
The J-Dub Scoot and Shuffle
Posted: August 11, 2009 Filed under: Jake, Milestones Leave a commentBad lighting, poor video quality, and a silly two and a half year old…but you get the idea. Jake is officially mobile. And is getting faster by the day. Visions of going back to work are dancing in my head.
Six Months
Posted: August 3, 2009 Filed under: Jake, Milestones Leave a comment
Jacob is SIX months old today. The right words to express how quickly time has gone by fail me. Jake has turned into such a social, happy, smiley boy. 
mom.run.craft 