Christmas 2011

Ahhh...Christmas has come and gone! This year was a whirlwind leading up to the big event because I had school until December 23rd. It is nice to start the break with so much time off after Christmas.
It was so fun to see Jack take in all the Christmas festivities this year. He was obsessed with the lights and decorations everywhere. He also knows how to point out Santa and snowmen. We broke down this year and bought a Christmas tree (haven't had one since 08) and maybe next year we will put some ornaments on it. Hey--babysteps here guys! I'm excited for next year when Jack understands the concept of Christmas a little more and actually wants to open some of his presents.
Santa was far too good to us this year. He must have lost his "naughty" list. :)  Jack got way too many toys and clothes and Gabe and I didn't do too bad either.
The normal Christmas traditions had to be shaken up this year...my nephew Connor was diagnosed with strep and croup on the 23rd and we didn't want to expose Jack to that so Gabe and Jack stayed home while I dropped presents off at my mom's house. It was fun seeing everyone, but I wish we could have all been together. After I came home we headed over to Gabe's Aunt's house. It was a fun, loud time just like normal! We had great food and Gabe got to play Santa for the 2nd year in a row. It is so funny to watch the little kids get so excited when he walks in. We also tried to get a picture of Jack with him but that didn't work out too well...apparently Jack is scared of mascots and Santa! Ha ha!
It's nice to sit back, look at pictures, and reflect on how lucky we are.  :)

Jack with Nana BEFORE Santa

Jack isn't a fan of Santa...even when he looks and sounds familiar

Jack loves this crate! All he wanted to do was sit in it!

We had to bring the presents to Jack in the crate.

He loves his Sparky pillow pet!

Trying to figure out how he can rip this tree down.

Anticipating the presents.

Presents weren't exciting--lets play!

Jack loves looking at himself in mirrors

Jack is definitely my child--he loves this rocking horse!

This was the ONLY family picture I got!!! Ugh!!

Jack's 1st Haircut!

Jack got his first haircut today. Pretty much 13 months after he was born. :)  His hair wasn't out of control but it just needed to be evened up and cut into a style. There were times Gabe and I would call him Frankenstein because his hair would hang over his ears and the top of his hair would be pushed forward. Now he looks like an All-American boy! Ha ha!
He did surprisingly well...as long as he had something to eat. We took him to Sportclips, the same place Gabe goes, and they did a great job. It was the fastest haircut I had ever seen. The poor girl had to cut as fast as she could before Jack moved again. He looks so handsome now. :)
Few other things about Jack right now---he no longer walks, he runs! When it comes time for him to do something he doesn't want to he runs and tries to hide. If he needs a diaper change or it's time for a bath he takes off.  He has 12 teeth and the 13th (an eye tooth) is getting ready to pop through. He has distinct words for his favorite things: nana = food or drink; da da = dad; ma ma = mom (FINALLY); di dah = dog. He knows where his belly button and "chi chi's" are and isn't afraid to show anyone. He walks around lifting his shirt up and smacking his belly. Jack is the only kid I know that doesn't like to sit in the bath. He stands and walks around the entire time. I don't know how he does it because I would be freezing! This kid cracks me up! He is changing so quickly and each day brings something new to laugh at! :)

Getting ready for the haircut. Snacks are already in hand!

Not a fan of her cutting by the ears!

The goldfish were key to the success of today!

All done! Jack is striking a model pose...

Handsome boy!!! (I don't think he was too happy with me...)

One of Jack's favorite things is sitting in the fridge. I like how he has milk all over his chin too!

Bubble Santa Claus

This was the only shot I could get of him showing his belly button. This kid doesn't stand still!

Jack's 1 year stats

Gabe took Jack to the doctor today for his 12 month check up. Yes, we are a little behind, but November was a crazy month and we wanted to wait for things to slow down in case Jack got a fever again like the last time he got his vaccines. I am always anxious when Jack goes to the doctor because I want to know how he measures up to kids his same age. (Yes the competitive side of me comes out)  At this point Jack weighs 26 lbs 14 oz (98%), he is 32 inches tall (97%), and his head is 49.5 (99%).  Jack continues to grow at a nice steady rate! :)
Jack has been working on 4 teeth coming in at the same time. He currently has 11 teeth which include 3 molars. There are 2 more teeth ready to break through at any time. Poor guy! No wonder he has been a drooling machine!
We also had Jack's 1 year pictures taken and threw in some family shots. I couldn't be happier with the way the pictures came out. We haven't had any real family pictures taken since Jack was at his newborn shoot and those weren't my favorite... :-/  Jack was a total ham for the pictures which made the day really nice. I have included a few of my favorite pictures.

Thanksgiving 2011

Wow--so many things to be thankful for this year!! We have a healthy, loud, loving, funny little boy who doesn't sit still. I have a wonderful husband who is a fantastic father and role model to Jack. I have family who is supportive and helpful whenever I need them. We have friends who are so much fun to be around. Gabe and I are truly lucky and have lots to be thankful for.
We spent Thanksgiving this year with Scott who came in town from California. It's always nice to have him stay with us. Our day wasn't as lovely as I would have liked...Jack has a cold and he is getting a molar on the left side of his mouth. Between him being stuffy and being in pain from his mouth he wasn't very pleasant to be around. Throw a short morning nap on top of that and we knew we were in trouble. As soon as Jack woke up we went over to my mom's house so we could socialize with them for a while and then dropped in to see my sister and her family. Then we raced home to put Jack down again.
Ceci continued our tradition with Thanksgiving at our house when Jack woke up from his nap. Ceci does all the cooking and then brings it over for all of us to devour! It's the best of both worlds. I don't have to cook and I get to eat great food. I will clean the kitchen for days as long as I don't have to cook! It was really low key at our house this year. We had dinner with Scott, and Joe and that's it! Gabe's brother and his wife were out of town this year so our house felt more empty than normal.

Jack helping his Nana cook

The boys watching football. (Note the open computer...had to keep up on the fantasy scores!)

The crew sitting down to eat

All Jack wanted to do was squeeze his food. I don't think he was hungry enough for dinner. yet. (We ate about an hour earlier than normal)

Jack's newest accomplishment is feeding himself his own snacks. He finally figured out how to grab the goldfish and bring them out of the cup.

Note how close Roxy is...she knows the goldfish don't always make it into Jack's mouth!

He loves his snacks!!!

Michigan

Gabe and I went on our first vacation since Jack was born. We went with our friends the Putz' and Bauer's to Michigan to re-visit our college years. Kelsey and JJ both went to Michigan and played sports so we were treated to some VIP tours of the campus and athletic department.
We arrived Thursday night (actually Friday morning) at 1am and after a few hours of sleep we were up and ready to tour Ann Arbor. We walked around the campus, stopping at a few bars, and then went to the hockey game Friday night. I've never been a hockey fan but this environment was really cool. We were playing Ohio State and it was so entertaining to watch the student section get into the game! After the game we went to JJ's old college hangout, Ricks. We all had a great time closing out the night there (some of us had a little more fun than others...).
Saturday was full of football!! We left the hotel at 9 am to tailgate for the 12:30 game. I haven't ever been to a sporting event this big. The people in Michigan love their football and know how to tailgate! We had a few rally drinks at the tailgate and then walked through the tunnel the players walk through and got to hang out on the sideline. The band coming on to the field was so fun and we had the best view of the four F-16's that flew over the stadium after the anthem. The game was won in impressive fashion by Michigan and we found ourselves back at Rick's to close the night out again.
It was so much fun to hang out with our friends and not have to worry about nap times or Jack turning into a time bomb. He was in great hands with my mom all weekend and came home much more spoiled than he was when he left. We loved being on vacation, but we loved coming back to our little family just as much. Being away for a short amount of time makes you appreciate what you have at home. :)

Cari, Kelsey and I walking around campus

Our first stop of the day

Gabe and I walking around campus

Cari and I always have to do a silly sunglasses picture

At the hockey game

Tailgating with the stadium behind us

Walking through the tunnel

Pre-game sideline passes

Dan, JJ, Gabe and Craig are the old guys posing with the cheerleaders. :)

Packed house! Playing against Nebraska

JJ, Dan, and Gabe doing a "shotski" after the game. Four shot glasses attached to a ski.

Kelsey, Amy, Cari, and I after the game. No shotski's for us! 

Jack-1 year old!

Jack,
I cannot believe we have already celebrated your first birthday. It seems like just yesterday we were getting your room ready to bring you home from the hospital! This year has been a big learning curve for your Dad and I...learning how to survive on little sleep, learning how we can drive ourselves crazy worrying about you, learning that our house is not babyproofed enough for you, and most importantly, learning how amazing it is to love someone more than we ever thought possible.
I have never known a baby to be as vocal as you have been. You still love to hear yourself talk. Your favorite words of choice are still, "da da" but you do say, "Jack" and are making this "ooooohhhh" noise now that you seem to be enamored with. You like to give big, slobbery open mouth kisses and even though you have never been a snuggler you love sitting in my lap as we read books at night. In fact, my favorite time of the day is when you bring a book over to me and plop down in my lap for me to read. (You only stay that cute and cuddly for a couple of pages and then you are gone again but I love it.) You don't like to sit still, you are the busiest kid I know. You play hard and you sleep hard!
You are such a good eater and you love your snacks just like I do. You aren't afraid to try anything (with your 9 teeth) but your food of choice is still avocados and pears. You crack me up because you love to feed yourself but you are always looking out for the well-being of the dogs. Your dad and I have to stop you from feeding the dogs as you are eating...
You love to play and have the perfect play mate in your Dad. I love the way your face lights up when you see him and the way you squeal as you laugh when you are playing.
Happy Birthday to my sweet boy. I love you more than you will ever know and I look forward to each day I get to spend with you!

Jack's 1st Birthday Party

This weekend we celebrated Jack's first birthday. I can't believe a year has already gone by. We had about 50 people over to celebrate Jack's big day and amid all the chaos it was a good party! We had a bounce house for all the kids to wear themselves out in and enough food to feel 150 people...I was packing food up and forcing people to take it home. :)  Jack got WAY too many presents and was a trooper the whole day. He loves being outside so I'm thankful the day turned out to be nice (a little bit warm but better than rain). We had a blast and are so thankful everyone could be here to celebrate with us. We are so lucky to have Jack in our lives and we love showing him off to everyone. :)

Jack loves balloons--I like how they were making his hair full of static!

Jack watching all the big kids play in the bounce house

Jack's turn!

Such a mess!

This kid could not get cake in his mouth fast enough! I had to take the rest of his piece away from him because I didn't want him to get sick. 

I love this picture because Jack is so upset that Ethan has his new toy.

Aiden and Jack sharing the toy

Birthday boy!

After everyone left we broke out a few more toys...

He loves his cell phones!