Say What?!?!?

We finally have a talker on our hands (to my relief) and it is so fun to try to decipher what he says. As with most moms I may be one of the few that can understand him but I thought that I would let you all give it a try. So, here how this will work. I have written 20 words as best as I can how he pronouces them. If it has a capital letter that is my way of saying he says that letter. Like O is pronounced like the name of the letter 'O'. Some of them will be easy and others may not be. I will post the answers in order in the comments so you can check to see how you did. Good Luck, and you can post your score in the comments to let everyone know how you did!

1. baow
2. daaa
3. mO
4. buh
5. poo
6. mI
7. chooos
8. aacks
9. belbut
10. eyes
    
11. teees
12. ow
13. uhoh
14. ouw
15. elp
16. up
17. own
18. mama
19. daaaaadaa
20. gama
    

All Together Now

One of Jaxson's favorite toys is the Motorworks from Discovery Toys that his grandma Elaine got him for Christmas. It comes with a electric screw driver and you can take each thing apart and put it back together. For the first few weeks after Christmas I was really good about keeping all the pieces together and making sure I knew what went to what. Then life happened and they all got taken completely apart and all jumbled together in the toolbox. Worried that pieces were becoming missing I sat down this morning and started to build. With about 40 different pieces in front of me I wasn't sure where to start. I had the instructions for two of them and the other two I was on my own. It is a toy for kids so of course it shouldn't be difficult but it really made my mind work. I guess that is the point for kids too. Now, I have all of the cars, trains, and cycles put together and think I am only missing one piece for the car. YaHoo. Dave was even pretty impressed with my skill. He had been putting it off since he wasn't sure he would be able to do it. And next time I will be able to do it in record time!

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular

Hoops & YoYo

If you have never enjoyed time at the Hoops and YoYo stand at the greeting cards you should because it will make you smile. Although quite expensive for a greeting card (4.99 or so) it is well worth it. Especially for a 1 year old. I also got him a My Pal Scout for Valentines day that hooks to your computer and learns his name and all his favorite things. It is pretty neat! I brought both home and he literally threw the box with My Pal Scout and jumped on the couch and played with the card over and over and over again. It is pretty funny card (they all are) and I wanted to share it with everyone!

Can I Ride the Zamboni??

Dave and I celebrated Valentines day early on Friday. Carol offered to watch Jaxson as a V-day gift to us and we took her up on it. Friday night we ate at Miyabi 9 downtown. We called a little early to put our name on the list because they ALWAYS have a wait 30+ and don't take reservations. Just as we sat down we saw our friends Gamble and his girlfriend Katherine walk in just putting their name on the list. They were meeting some friends but had a 45 minute wait for a table so sat with us and got drinks. Once their friends got there the hostess put a table along side ours and let all six sit down together. Dave knew the friends that were meeting them but I had never met them. It was a big gathering and completely not expected!

Then, in spirit of the Winter Olympics we all are enjoying, Dave dreamed up the idea to go ice skating downtown. I thought it was a great idea and to give credit it was completely Dave's idea. Then when we parked and walking up I got a little more nervous. I have ice skated before, and I have also roller bladed but I didn't know how it was going to help since it had been at least ten years ago for either. We put on our skates and wobbled our way out to the rink. Dave was anxious to get out on the ice and I wanted to just watch for awhile. I was stalling! We finally did it and I held closely to the wall as I got my balance. Dave would speed off then run into the wall not knowing how to stop. After a few times around we both got the hang of it and was able to go around and around without holding on to the railings constantly. The best news is neither of us fell down after skating for over an hour! We did however look FAR from experienced as you will notice in the video of Dave below. We had a great time and if you have a chance I would recommend going out and giving it a try. When you are done you will have a far greater respect for all those in Vancouver on skates!

And no.. I did not ask to ride the Zamboni..

You'll see Dave coming from the top of the rink and almost is at fault for a collision. Luckily his wife was there to warn him! Enjoy!

Bubbles Gone Wrong

Jaxson helped me do the dishes yesterday and there was a huge buildup of bubbles in one spot that he just went crazy with. Seeing how much fun he had I grabbed some bubble bath at Target and thought he would have some fun with it. He has never had a bubble bath in the bath tub yet, only when he was a little baby still in the sink and he didn't think much of it. As the bath filled up he quickly tried to get undressed all by himself eventually needing help and then just stood by the edge of the tub with a grin from ear to ear watch the bubbles form right before his eyes. He was excited. It was time, I popped him and he just stood there. He was a little unsure, maybe it was because he couldn't see his feet. He eventually sat down and he wouldn't put his arms in. I showed him it was just water. He eventually lightened up a little bit but still was just in awe at the bubbles feeling them in his hands and not even touching his toys.

Finally he started to go for some of his toys and as some of the bubbles cleared I saw something in the tub. As I looked closer I realized he went to the bath room in the tub!!! I popped him out so fast he was still covered in bubbles standing on the rug. I called for Dave to throw a diaper on him, just in case. I emptied the tub and cleaned it up while he whined to get back in. I know that this is just part of having a toddler, it is just going to happen sooner or later. I was hoping I would be the lucky one and miss it all together. It certainly didn't help that it was the first bubble bath so I couldn't see what was going on before it was a total mess! It might be a while before we do the bubble bath again. I would just prefer to see what was going on..

And now I officially have a story I can tell a future girlfriend. Won't he love that!!

Hats On.. Hats Off

It was naked hour to help clear up a stubborn diaper rash for Jaxson. He first ran around like a crazy man and then decided he didn't want to be naked any longer. So first he found a pair of socks that he put on sideways and eventually fell off. So he found his hat which he found much easier to put on. Niley wandered over for a pet while he was enjoying rearranging his hat on his head over and over again. Bad timing Niley because then he decided Niley needed to wear his hat and he would just go naked and try to stand on his head. It was pretty cute.

The Daily Read

Jaxson is in love with books lately. He has one in his hand from the moment he wakes up to the moment he lays down to bed. He even had to take one inside Target with him today. I let him just to avoid a fight since I was in a hurry. It was his Baby Colors book today. He loves the Brown Bear Brown Bear book and he curled up in the corner and read the book to his frog.

Jaxson and Thomas the Train

Dave was a little on edge this morning with a ton of school work to do and even though we were walking very softly with no TV we were still being too loud so we took a trip to Barnes and Nobles and played with the train set for over two hours. Kids came and went and Jaxson stayed content with the same two trains from start to finish. All the other kids knew each train by name and so did the parents. It happened that Jaxson had Thomas and all the other kids were pretty jealous. He shared pretty well and only put a little fuss if there were too many kids and he had to give up one of his trains so everyone could play with one. At one point there were three kids there all within 1 month of each other. Jaxson was by far the most calm of all three. One little boy, Brody, was a little grabby snatching trains from everyone, and the little girl, Myra, was VERY spirited yelling, singing, and trying to move the table and so on. Jaxson dodged all the action and continued to move his train around and around the outside track. Once he had the set all to himself he decided to try going down a different track in the middle and his little train got stuck. It was so cute watching him try to get the trains that first I had to take a picture before helping.

First trying to jump onto the table. He would jump but his little feet would barely make it off the ground. So cute.

Then he tried to climb up on the table. Makes sense but it was just a little too tall and he couldn't get there.

He was having a lot of fun and as soon as he saw me grab his coat he took off running with his two trains in hand. Boy, he is getting fast these days. Once I caught up with him he had the fit of the century and fought me so hard making nearly impossible to get his coat on. At one point he got his coat back off and decided to lay on the floor screaming trying to take off the rest of his clothes as well. That was our first big fit in a store.. needless to say I wasn't that happy about it. I guess it is to be expected with a toddler and it surely won't be my last. At least the other parents had looks of sympathy rather than annoyance. I can't say the same for the Saturday shoppers that were childless enjoying their day.

Cadillac of HyVee

Yesterday Jaxson and I took a quick trip to HyVee since my dad was coming over for dinner and wanted to grab a few things to make sure we had enough. We happened to park on the other side of the store and go in a different (main) door where these monster shopping carts are parked. He was pointing and 'uh uh uh' ing at the big blue one that I think was some race car. I thought I would give it a try, how bad could it be right? WRONG! It was the biggest thing I have ever tried to drive, seriously. I had to stop at the end of ever aisle to be sure I didn't run into someone because there was no stopping on a dime with this machine of a cart. I also had to do about a 3 point turn just to go in a different direction. I think my whole trip took 10 minutes longer because of this thing and I left a few items because I just didn't feel like trying to turn it around. Now, if Jaxson was telling the story it would probably go more like this.

My mom went to the store and went into the most awesome door where they have these amazing race cars parked. The best part was the seat-belt was broken. This meant I could stand up, jump up, and turn around the whole time! I was able to see where we were going and didn't have to watch my moms funny faces to 'try' to keep me entertained since my back was to her. Awesome. They had these awesome steering wheels that made a slight squeak so I tried to turn it as many times as I could. I love things that make noise. I could also practice my baseball skills with the HUGE basket right in front of me. I could take things and throw them with all my might and most of the time they would land right where I wanted them too. Man, I hope my mom walks into the other big door EVERY time we go to the grocery store.

Life in 3D

Last weekend Dave and I finally used our Christmas present from Dan and Anne which was a babysitting coupon and a gift certificate to the movies. We decided to jump on the Avatar bandwagon even though we are NOT fans of SciFi. When getting our tickets we were surprised by the extra 3 dollars per ticket for the glasses and were wondering how good of a decision this would be when we could just go see a 'regular' non science fiction movie and save six dollars. We stuck with our decision and tried on the glasses while grabbing a bite to eat in the food court. They definitely weren't a fashion statement. I was thinking, at least it will be dark and everyone else will be wearing them.

Once the movie started I was still a little skeptical but was happy to see that there were real people and not all 'aliens'. By 30 minutes in I was hooked into the story line and was LOVING the movie. I was enjoying the story line I almost forgot it was 3D since I wasn't paying attention to the effects as much. With the glasses off the screen was all blurry. It was neat since that is what the world probably looks like for people who wear glasses maybe. Just a random thought I had.
The movie will be one of my favorites and definitely my favorite sci-fi. Hope it wins some awards because it won over a scifi hater like me.

Reading Baby

Jaxson wants to do everything himself these days. He won't let me feed him his breakfast in the morning, doesn't want me to help him brush his teeth, dress him, or anything else it seems lately. He also enjoys reading to himself and to his frog that he has become very attached in the last week or so. His favorite book is Miffy the Artist that his Aunt Mimi sent him from New York. Unfortunately this book has soft pages but he does pretty good at being careful. It is so cute when he reads to himself and especially cute when the book is upside down, which is about half the time. I am so happy he enjoys reading and hope he will be a library worm like I was through middle school. Enjoy the video!

Chap to the Stick

Jaxson has recently discovered the joys of chapstick. He had chapped lips recently and we put it on at night before bed. He then got a hold of it on his own one day and put it on over and over and over again. He woke up this morning and when walking into the kitchen with him in my arms he spotted the chapstick on the kitchen counter and giggled and wiggled and screamed to have it. I handed it to him and grabbed my camera. He since has put it on about 20 more times and finally set it down so I secretly hid it when he wasn't looking to avoid a meltdown.

There is a bonus in this video as well! He uses two words together. He has used "my book" recently when talking to his 'baby' which is his stuffed frog and I caught it this time on video. Enjoy!

The Almost Family Vacation

It's all winter's fault. If we could just see the sun at least a few times a week maybe we wouldn't want to leave so bad but not so much this winter. I have some paid time off running out and must be used by March 12th. We talked it over and thought about taking a weekend trip somewhere. Nothing sounds appealing since everything within driving distance is all still cold. We thought of going to visit Dave's sister in New York but was a little out of the price range and would have loved to book some Caribbean cruise that was on "sale" also out of the price range. Then while brainstorming Dave looked on Allegiant for tickets to Orlando where Dave's dad has a condo we could possibly use. We found tickets on the exact dates we would need for all three of us for 265. Wow! I almost booked them right then and there. But we waited to make sure we could use the condo, and to find someone to help watch the dogs. As we waited for them to all get back to us we started to really think, should we really be leaving on a somewhat expensive (for us) vacation in just three short weeks? Although the sun sounded sooooo appealing what the heck would we do in Orlando for a week with a baby??? All the amusement parks and "fun" stuff would be out since he is too young so we decided to put it off for five years or so when Jaxson could have fun too. I do have to say it was nice to think we were really going on vacation for a day. It almost satisfied the need for a vacation... almost.

New (not so fun) Games

Jaxson's two newest fun time activities is to:
1. Jump from one piece of furniture to another.
2. Put stuffed animals and electronics in the toilet.

Neither am I very excited about.

It all started with the Wii remote. I saw him dragging it and went to see, and to get it back. I turned the corner to the bathroom and find Jaxson with a dripping wet arm pulling the wii remote out of the toilet. Luckily it was only the numchuck thing for the wii fit. Those of you without a wii may be confused, but essentially it is the not as expensive of the pair. It is currently in a bag of rice, we will see if it still works. Then this morning we were getting ready for our day and I turned to find one stuffed animal in the bathtub, and the other (his favorite) in the toilet. Luckily I grabbed it on his way in so not much damage but I do not like this new trend.

The second oh so fun game started last night. He took his chair from his drum set and positioned it just next to the couch. He climbed up and jumped. Then he put the chair back further and jumped. I kept moving the chair and tried to get him entertained with any other toy but it didn't work. He just wanted to jump. He found a solution to my protest. He wandered into his bedroom and he usually will sit in there and "read" books. Not this time. I went in to check a minute later to find him standing on the footstool of the rocking chair (which rocks) and jumping onto the rocking chair. Great.. now he can't go in there alone. I didn't need a video baby monitor when he was a baby.. I need one now more than ever!!!

Baby Sheepdog

Carol and I were cruising around West Glen last week and Jaxson kept blinking like something was poking him in the eye. Well, there was something in his eyes.. it was his hair. We like his hair shaggy but we want him comfortable so stopped in for a quick haircut. We were in and out and cheap so all in all it was a success, and the haircut isn't too bad either. Carol took pics and included her always hilarious commentary. Enjoy.



We were out last week and Jamie decided to get Jaxson a 'store bought' haircut. He was tired so didn't have the energy to put up too much of a fight. No "after" picture here, but just know he is one handsome little character with his new do!

"If I sit real quiet maybe nobody will notice me."

"OK, that didn't work, although I am starting to look like a baby sheepdog."




"You're asking me?? Save your breath sweetheart, need to run any questions by my boss mom."




"Pleeez... no white sidewalls."




"So far so good.... oh she hasn't even started yet?"

"Watch the ear, watch the ear!!"

"Not enough for Locks of Love, darn it."

"I'm losing patience and may act my age if you don't hurry this up!"



"Aunt Carol, can you rescue me?"



"What do you mean NO... you NEVER say no, dang."



"Could you please hurry this up."



"Good God , I feel a sneeze come on..... RUN with scissors!!"

Still Going...

Still going as in still opening Christmas gifts he still hadn't played with yet. This is the blessing and curse of a large family. Toys for days.. but toys for days that you have no room for! This night he put on his safety goggles and did some major sawing. The batteries were a little low so mostly it just said "time to power down" but he thought it was fantastic. The goggles couldn't have been cuter so it has become one of my favorites for him to play with.

Rooting for History

Dave loves history. No, I am not talking about kings and queens but sports history in the making. That is why he was hoping for a victory for the Vikings in the playoffs. We had a few friends over and all with food of course. Everyone was rooting for the guys in purple and most of all Brett Favre. He is trying to decide if he should come back for his 20th season and knowing him he won't, then he will change him mind, then change again, then back again... and so on. But although he is a bit of a drama king when it comes to things like that he truly is great at making history. I don't know all of his stats or anything (if you are wondering just give Dave a call, he can give you a run down) but I do know he holds more records and has played more games than anyone, which also translates to he has more money than he knows what to do with.

Dan Mulcahy came over who is the biggest (not literal) Vikings fan, in Dave's network of friends anyway. He went from despising Brett Favre on Greenbay to loving him in purple. When the game was going his way he enjoyed throwing plastic fruit down the hallway for the little ones with an ice cream scooper. They loved it and it did keep them out of trouble for a while.

Then the game took some unfortunate turns and the players in purple found themselves in overtime with a banged up quarterback who may be great but is still older.. for football anyway. They couldn't make it happen and he loses in the playoffs.... again. Until next year Brett.. or not... or yes... or maybe.. and so on.

The face of a young Viking's fan after a hard fought game...

Food For Days

When summer's first flood, possible power outage with a strong thunderstorm comes along or winter's next big storm comes knocking on our door and the weatherman says stock your pantries because this is going to be a bad one I can breath a little easier. Why? Because I actually have a pantry to stock now!! I had to go the basement to open my Christmas gift this year because it was too big and heavy to carry upstairs but despite all that Dave still got it wrapped.. most of it anyway. As I ripped the paper off I was convinced it was a bike because my first guess was a pantry and Dave acted like that was the most ridiculous thing ever. Well, my first instinct was correct and I was estactic. Some of you may know how long I have been begging, fighting, pleading, and begging for a pantry. Our kitchen has about 2 cabinets (I'm exaggerating a little but not much) and we were stuffed in there like a turkey on Thanksgiving. Seriously. Then my knight in shining pantry arrived and we can now breath. We have room for more stuff and when you open the cabinet doors nothing falls on your head. Before this was a daily hazard whether it be a can of corn or box of some sort it always hurt and left me wanting a pantry more than ever. When things came crashing down on Dave he thought I had set him up to prove to him we needed a pantry. I hadn't, we just truly needed a pantry. We have had it now for about three weeks and although I am used to seeing it, every time I open it I still smile. Mostly because nothing is falling on my head.