First Trip to the Zoo!

We got a Zoo Pass for Christmas and decided to give it a try this morning since it was sunny and not too cold outside!

Jack had a great time. We looked at most of the animals, he walked/ran around, and we had a nice lunch before heading home for nap time! Jack was so exhausted he couldn't keep his eyes open on the ride home and went straight to bed as soon as we got in the door. He was wiped!

It was nice that it wasn't too crowded so Jack could explore on foot and not have to be in the stroller the whole time. It was cool, but the sun made it not so bad. We all had a fun time and will be going back again soon :)

Spring has Sprung!

The snow has all melted, it stopped raining and the sun came out this week!!!

Jack and I have gone to the park and on walks a few afternoon this week and he's played outside after dinner a lot too!

Jack absolutely LOVES to be outside. He loves to sandbox, swing, his big-boy bike and pretty much anything else he can find in the garage to drag out and play with. There's no keeping him inside if the sun is shining.

Swinging in the backyard!

Playing in the sand - one of his absolute favorite things!

Sitting on his bike!

We hope this weather sticks around so we can have even more fun :)

Jack's a big boy!

This past week I converted Jack's crib into a toddler bed. We removed one full size side rail and put up the half-rail with a "door" in it.

Jack has done really well in it so far. He really likes that he can go in and get all of his puppies and blankies whenever he wants!

Jack is such a big boy :(

All smiles after waking up from his first nap in the big-boy bed!
Jack in his new bed! (Along with all his toys, puppies, and blankies)

Latest Project...

A week and a half ago I decided that the wallpaper in my kitchen just HAD to go... and it had to go NOW! (It was dinged up along the bottom a bit and Jack had started to pick at a very obvious seam....) So on February 25, before school, Jack and I started "tearing" it off. I put "tearing" in quotes because it did not "tear" off, it "flaked" off one-inch-piece by one-inch-piece, one layer at a time :( It was absolutely miserable.

But Jack was sure a helper. He stood by me almost all of the 6 days it took me to get it all down. Morning, Noon and Night. It was a messy, wet job, but now it's done... and painted... and looks fantastic!

Here's Jack working on the wall with his books... I'm not entirely sure what he's doing, but he was really into it!
A half completed wall (before/after picture)!

Jack posing by the messy wall to show just how awful the process was :(

And the finished room! It looks great :)

Weekend at The Country Springs!

This weekend we spent two nights at Country Springs with Greg, Megan, Chase and Jillian.


We spent lots of time in the waterpark and pool - Jack had a fantastic time. He sure loves the water :)

He went on the lazy river, down some big slides with daddy and also had fun just splashing in the zero-depth area. One thing he did not like.... the giant bucket that dumps water all over everything. Whenever the bell rang before it dumped, he would get shaky and his lip would start to quiver. But otherwise, he loved it!

It's a ...

BOY !


Jack's going to have a little brother in July :)


Here's our 18 week ultrasound picture.

Mom's Birthday Party!

Last night we had B's over for a pizza party for my birthday! It was a lot of fun. Jack had a wonderful time (and it really wore him out because he slept until 6:45 this morning!!!)

We had yummy snacks, delicious homemade pizzas and a delectable birthday cake :)

Jack had lots of fun playing, eating, dancing, and singing.

Blowing out all 27 candles!
Jack enjoying his ba-ba and a story with Grandpa!
Jack showing Grandma and Auntie how he likes to dance to Mama-Mia!
Getting tickled by Auntie!

With Grandma and Grandpa

Jack got a Potty!

He's not quite ready for it yet... but just so we are prepared when the time comes... Jack got a potty chair last weekend! Right now he just likes to play with it. Actually, he pretends it's just another thing to "cook" with and keeps putting his play food in the bowl.......


But eventually he'll catch on, we hope!

Jack is so on-the-ball!

It may only be January 30th... but Jack is all finished with his Valentine cards! (home-made Valentine cards!)

He just needs to add a few special treats and they'll be all set to start handing out so his family and friends can enjoy them for more than just one day :)

Happy early Valentine's Day from Jackson!

Monkey Joes - take 2 !

This morning we took Jack to Monkey Joes again. Something different to do that got us all out of the house and wasn't too expensive.

Jack had a blast! It took a while to get there... long drive out to Waukesha, and it was snowing some which made the roads a little slower. Jack actually fell asleep in the car. But that was OK, then he just had MORE energy for jumping!

Jack loved the slides and climbing. He even did a few bigger slides with daddy this time. And he found a new jumping/bouncing area which he just loved. He would jump for a while and then when he got tired he'd just sit down in the middle and let the other kids in there bounce him around. He had a grin on his face the entire time (until it was time to leave)! We played for a little over an hour, then went to get custard at Kopps. YUM! What a fun Saturday morning.

Bouncing around!
Look at those faces and that hair - it was a fast slide!

Climbing!

Jumping!