Mason Fire Station

Today, we visited the Mason Fire Station. My neighbor, Lisa, organized the visit for a few other moms and our kiddies, mostly 2-3 year olds. It was really great. A fire fighter named Beth did an awesome job on the kids program. They learned about fire safety, saw the rooms where the fire fighters sleep, eat, and hang out. Then, we got to see the fire trucks and ambulences! They asked me to sneak away from the group and put on Beth's fire suit, complete with oxygen tank and mask. What an experience! They wanted to teach the children not to be scared of fire fighters. I came out and Jake was the most scared of me. He didn't want to get close at all. When they started taking off the helmet and mask, it was hilarious to see his face realizing it was me! He and the other kids thought that was pretty cool! Thanks to the fire fighters and paramedics for all you do to keep us safe! Also, thanks, Lisa, for organizing this fun trip.

Check out more pictures on our Picasa Web Album.

Who is this fire fighter?

Jake and his "cool" fire fighting mom

Clay, Jake, and Cooper listening intently to the fire fighter in the ambulence.

Jake and Clay sitting on the back of the ambulence

Sweet Smiles at 3 Months

Grace is now 3 months old. She is such a blessing and it's hard to remember life without her. Her personality is really starting to show. She is very happy and greets us often with these sweet smiles which melts our hearts...

The Aliaga Girls

How cute are these two? Jake had a lot of fun playing with Maddie and all of her toys at her Poppy and Mimi's house! After holding hands, Maddie decided to play hard-to-get...smart girl. We were able to meet Maddie's new baby sister, Sophia. Isn't she sweet!?

Milestones

Both Jake and Grace have reached some notable milestones this past week. I think it is safe to say that Jake is now potty trained...YEAH! I finally decided to stop confusing him and just keep him in underwear all the time. He had a few accidents, but he learned from them and quickly started letting us know when he had to use the potty. He is even staying dry during naps and at night. We're so proud of him!

Grace is now able to reach out and grab toys. She is also doing better at "pushing up", but she still doesn't think it's much fun.

Froggie

I had to run across the street to our new house with Grace the other day. It has gotten really cold so I and needed something to bundle her up in. I had gotten Jake's frog costume out and washed it and it was hanging in my closet so put her in it. It was perfect for keeping her warm and she looked awfully cute in it. Here is a picture of Jake when he wore the frog bunting at 6 months:

From Jacob, the little froggie!

Fire House Visit with Uncle Jarrod

 

Uncle Jarrod took Jake to the Fire station today where he used to volunteer as an EMT. Jake got to climb on the fire truck and ambulence. They even gave him his own fireman hat. He loved it all except for when the ladder made a loud sound. He said he's hoping next time they will "start it up". Thanks for such a fun time, Uncle Jarrod!!!

Happy Birthday, Mimi and Daddy!

Birthday season for our family is in full swing! Friday was Mimi and Daddy's Birthday. We started the day by making a delicious breakfast for Daddy...pancakes, eggs, and bacon. For lunch, we took Mimi to "Mimi's Cafe". How fitting! It was great celebrating with her. In the evening, we celebrated Daddy's birthday with Grammy, Poppy, and Uncle Jarrod. We had dinner, then went to see the new Bond movie while our loving neighbors, Josh and Christa Heap, kept Jake and Grace! What a fun-filled day!

 

 

 

 

Crazy Ball

 Jake wanted this ball when we were out shopping for Mike's birthday. We named it the "Crazy Ball" and it has been a lot of fun for him. I like when he puts it on his head and it looks like funny blue hair!

Dinner at the Tompkins

Check out Jennifer Steward's post from our dinner at the Tompkins. It was funny (as usual) watching all the kids interact. I think we might have another "Dr. Williams" on our hands! Thanks, Sara and Andrew for a great time! Jennifer, thanks for the picture - do you like how I stole it off your blog. Hee hee!

Fall Fun!

My mom keeps Jake on Wednesdays. She shared these pictures with me. They did a lot of fun things this fall. They went to Iron's a few times to get pumpkins, see the animals, and eat their delicious cider donuts. I tagged along for a trip to Young's Dairy Farm. Click this link to see more pictures.

Jake and "Joshy Boy" picking a pumpkin at Iron's

Jake playing on the tractor at Young's Dairy Farm

Me and my boy having fun on the tractor

Carving Pumpkins with Grammy and Poppy

 
 

Check out these pumpkin carvers! Jake and Grace had fun carving pumpkins at Grammy and Poppy's house one day this fall. Jake stays there on Tuesdays and Thursdays while I work. Grace isn't a regular yet. :-)

Fun at the Park

We went to the park with Tiffany, Grant, Cole, and Avery today. The weather was beautiful. The boys love playing together...there was a lot of "wrestlemania". Boys will be boys! They also enjoyed feeding the ducks and having a picnic lunch. Check out more pictures from the park.

Little Dribblers

I signed Jake up for the Little Dribblers class at the YMCA. I do the class with him so it our "thing" to do together on Saturday mornings. We stretch, run around cones, knock bowling pins down with the ball, and shoot it in the goal. Jake's favorite thing is for me to chase him and try to get the ball from him. Use this link to check out some pictures:

Little Dribblers

Trick-or-Treat

Pumpkin Patch

October 11

We took advantage of a beautiful fall day to go to Iron's for a pumpkin. We rode the hay wagon out to the field and Jake picked a very nice green pumpkin. We got the usual fritters, donuts, and apples too! Mmmm! They had a fire engine, puppet show, and animals to feed...all of which Jake thoroughly enjoyed! Grace was more interested in sleeping and eating.

Grace - 2 Months

October 11

Who does Grace look like? She definitely resembles Jake, but I also think she looks a lot like Mike at times. Then, I looked at my baby album at my mom's the other night and she looks a lot like me as a baby too! Kind of crazy, eh?
I'll have to post some of our baby pictures so we can have a true vote!

Jake at 2 Months From June - All smiles

Bath Night

October 1

 

Isn't this a funny picture? No, Mike doesn't typically bathe with Jake, but for some reason decided to on this night. Good thing it's such a big tub! Grace loves her baths. Check out her belly!

Applefest

September 27

We had a lot of fun at Applefest this year...we met up with Mimi, Grandpa, and Josh and also ran into lots of other people we knew like Gigi and Natalie and Graham. Jake enjoyed eating a big soft pretzel and some french fries (healthy, I know!). We made sure to buy our usual apple fritters, cider doughnuts, and cider from Iron's. Yum! Jake also loved checking out the fire engine. Grace slept the whole time. What a good baby!

Fun at the Zoo with Braden

September 24

Aunt Christina meets Grace

September 11

Aunt Christina made a trip home from Auburn to meet her new neice. It was love at first sight...

Happy Birthday, Grammy!

Happy Birthday, Grammy!!! Uncle Jarrod was able to come home to interview, meet his new neice, and celebrate Grammy's birthday. Pretty productive trip home, eh!?

September 10

Grace meets Jason Fedor

Our good friends, Jon and Becky Fedor, had a baby boy just 2 weeks after Grace was born. Here is a picture of their first meeting. They seem excited to meet each other, don't they!?

September 9

Loving Brother

Here are a couple of pictures of Jake giving Grace a little love...

September 1

September 16

I'm back!

I know, I haven't posted in forever! Sorry about that. Things have been pretty hectic. I'm back to working a few days a week, and with taking care of two little ones I just haven't had time to blog! I have been taking pictures though, and we've done some fun things this fall so I'll do a few catch-up posts and try to stay more current from here on out.

Grace has been doing AWESOME! At 5 weeks she started smiling and sleeping for about 6 hour stretches at night. As of last week, she started sleeping about 11 hours at night! It was probably 6 months before Jake ever did that, so I feel very blessed for that! She is a pretty happy girl so long as she is not hungry, sleepy, or in need of a diaper change (aren't we all?). At her 2 month check-up she weighed 14 lbs. 13 oz. and was 24" long...very healthy!