11.24.2013

Preschool Program

Last week we had the pleasure of watching our little ones sing a few Thanksgiving songs {and/or blankly stare at us} at their preschool.  All of the children were so precious and it was such a sweet reminder of all that we have to be thankful for.
 When Miller is nervous he picks at his lips like this.
 He looked like this until he spotted us in the crowd.
 Once he saw us, Miller perked up and sang away.  Jacob, however, stared ahead the entire time.
 Our little turkey!


 Sweet brothers
 We are so grateful that Nana and Papa Frank were able to join us!
I couldn't get the video to upload!  I may try again later, but for now I'm giving up.  Trust me it was adorable ;)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" 
Psalm 107:1

11.14.2013

Jacob::18 Months::

I cannot believe that I haven't done a specific post on Jacob in four months!  So much has changed with him in these last four months and I hope I can remember it all.
Stats:  31.5" tall (25th percentile), 25.25 lbs (25-50th percentile)
Sizes: Size 4 diapers, 18-24 month clothes, size 6 shoes
Schedule:  Jacob wakes up around 6:30/7:00 each morning.  He goes down for his nap around 12:15 and usually sleeps 1.5-3 hours.  Two hours is his typical nap.  I put books in his bed for nap and he will usually look at books for thirty minutes to an hour if he doesn't sleep well.  I love this about him, because it makes our afternoons pretty predictable.  Even if he isn't asleep the entire time, I can pretty much count on three hours of him being in his bed.  He has a snack after nap and plays until dinner.  He goes back bed around 7:00.  We dropped his morning nap around 15/16 months when it started to affect his afternoon nap.  It took him a couple of weeks to adjust and make that afternoon nap a long one.
Eating:  Jacob still loves to eat, but has slowed down a little from the bottomless pit he was.  He's getting better about eating green veggies, but still not great.  His favorites right now are bananas, oranges, sweet potatoes, meat/chicken of any kind, and any kind of bread/roll.  He is doing well with sippy cups and loves to use a fork, but still needs help sometimes.
Language:  Jacob has a good receptive vocabulary and babbles a lot.  However, he is only saying "shz" (shoes), "cheese" (when he sees a camera or a phone), "da" (ball),  and "uh oh".  He can do sign language for "more" and "finished".  I expressed my concerns at this check-up and his pediatrician said that they like to see at least 5-15 words by now so we're going to go through some steps to make sure everything is ok.  He will have his hearing tested next week and we will go back to the pediatrician in 3 months to see how he is progressing.  It could be nothing and he may just be a late talker, but I am glad that we are getting everything checked out just to be sure.

Likes:  Balls, books, music, playing outside, "jumping" on Miller's beds, wrestling, and baths.


He also likes doing anything big brother is doing, even if he can't really do it and it causes frustration.
 Helping daddy and Miller build a fire.
 
But seriously, how does anyone with babies/young children at home home-school older kids? 
 Seriously.

Dislikes:  Being told "no", sharing, coming in from outside, and diaper changes.

Nicknames:  Jake Jake, Baby Jake, Jake the Snake

Milestones:  Around 15 months we took his paci away.  I had been contemplating when we would do this and it just sort of happened one night that he turned his head when I gave him his paci.  I snuck the others out of his bed before I put him in it.  I was totally prepared to give them back if he went crazy, but he didn't cry at all.  After I left his room he cried for about three minutes, fell asleep, and slept all night.  I decided we might as well go with it.  It affected his nap for a few days, but it was around the same time that we dropped to one nap so it was kind of messed up anyway.  He still has his lovie, but actually seems to be slightly less attached to it in the last month or so.  He used to want to carry it everywhere, but now he really only has it for sleep and occasionally in the car.  Jacob is starting to sit for about 5-10 minutes to watch a cartoon, which can be a lifesaver at 5:00.  It isn't often, but those few minutes can really pull us through a long afternoon :)
 
Jacob doesn't love the carseat and isn't the best errand buddy, but he does okay for a few quick trips.

Jacob is also officially into everything and keeps me on my toes these days.
Every single spot is a drop of milk from his sippy cup. He was so proud of himself. Until I said, "No".

Despite the messes and tantrums, this little boy brings us so much joy.
 When he is happy, the kids is HAPPY.  And absolutely adorable.

When he is unhappy, he will let you know that too.
And it can change on a dime, which is why we affectionately call him "Bipolar Baby".

Baby Jake, your giggle can turn my day around.  I am so thankful for you and I love you more than words can say.   I pray for wisdom to be the mother you need and that your spunk will come in handy one day to help you stand up against what is wrong.  I could kiss your cheeks forever {if you'd let me} and you give the best cuddles.  I'm grateful to be your mommy!

11.11.2013

Halloween

We had such a fun couple of days around Halloween this year!  We started out with parties at Miller and Jacob's preschool on Wednesday.




This was the first year that Miller really understood the concept of trick-or-treating.  Jacob on the other hand just kept putting Skittles in and out of his basket.
 Nana was sweet enough to come help since their parties were at the exact same time.  Thanks, Nana!

 Jacob, Hays, Addie, Miller, Hunter
I love the way Jacob is looking at Hays, haha!  I think he's a little scared of the Duck Commander.  I also think Addie and Miller look so sweet checking out their goods.
We had to get a picture with our cute cousin, Molly!

 That night we had Trunk-or-Treat at our church.  Ty and Miller showed off their muscles for us.
 We love Miss Gracie!

Miller and Ella Kate (12 days apart)
 Jacob and Audrey (the younger siblings and about a month apart!)
 Jacob picked up a few girls on the hayride.  I'll let it slide for a few more years ;)

The next night was Halloween.  We invited three other couples and their kids over for dinner and trick-or-treating.  They were predicting a lot of rain that night so we decided we better trick-or-treat first.  We got everyone outside in strollers when it started to rain.  Plan B was to throw everyone in the back of Kendall's Yukon.  Super safe I know, but we only went about a hundred yards and drove very slowly.  We thought we'd just try to do 2-3 houses, but then it stopped raining!  We went for about an hour and then went back to the house for dinner.


Miller was way too fast for me to get pictures.  I saw the back of him running from house to house most of the night.  Like I said, he figured out trick-or-treating this year ;)


The big guys watched Jake and the Neverland Pirates while the babies played and the grownups actually got to talk for a little while!  We are making progress people.
It was such a fun Halloween!