Jake: The Movie

I'm a little behind on updates and then when I sit at the computer I never end up doing what I set out to do.  Yesterday I planned to put together Jake's 10 month update, but started to play in iMovie instead.  I put this together, my first attempt at a movie.  Have a great weekend. 

Unfortunately because I used some music with copyright issues, you cannot view this video on an iPhone or iPad.  It has to be viewed on a computer.  When you press play it will play tiny on the screen, but if you select the YouTube icon in the bottom right corner it will take you to their site to watch it and you can make it full screen, which of course is better.  

Little Man

Dear Jake -
Tonight after dinner you pushed open the door to the guest room, the one with all the cords that you love.  I followed you in and told you couldn't play under the desk, but that you could play on the bed.  This is where I change your diaper and you always like to run away and explore.  You crawled around for a minute or two on the bed and checked out everything.  I laid down on the only open side to keep you safe.  As soon as I laid down you came over to snuggle with me.

The next 10 minutes or so were some of my favorite I have ever had with you.  You gave me lots of kisses, I could smell your sweet hummus breath and I have teeth marks on my arm from your little mouth.  The feeling of your chubby hands hugging me and your slobbery face, mouth wide open, coming straight at my face has to be one of the best things in the world.  You climbed all over me, sticking your fingers in my mouth so I could "bite" them and make you laugh, blowing raspberries in each other's faces and of course watching "the little man" (my index and middle fingers) walk around the bed before he finally found you and tickled you so you would fill the room with belly laughs that I hope you never lose.

Don't get big Jake.  Don't stop crawling to your Mama for snuggles and kisses when you see she is nearby.  Don't stop smiling at everything and laughing at the jokes only you hear.  Don't stop exploring and being curious.  Don't stop being Mama's little baby and the sweetest little boy I ever knew.

Love,
Mama

Boys and Girls

Jake can't focus on anything if there is a noisy truck going by.  Is that all babies, or do little boys really come out loving trucks and other "boy" things?

Today at breakfast I was feeding Jake and the garbage truck was on our street.  We had a front row view right from our living room of the cans being lifted up over the truck and dumped in.  I even thought it was pretty amazing and Jake couldn't get enough.  As a girl with a sister I always thought I wanted to have girls.  I can't believe it, as now I can't picture anything but my little guy.  I feel like I might be a Mom that is better suited to boys anyway.  I'm not sure why, I just have a feeling we will be great buds. 

It is so much fun to watch him discover everything.  When he was a little smaller I told Brian that I worried sometimes because he was so sweet I didn't want him to get picked on when he was older.  He is still so sweet and his little bottom lip curls out when he starts to get sad, but he is also brave and smart.  He isn't going to be a push-over, especially with Mama's blood in him!  It's amazing how you start to worry about your kids before they have even taken their first step or roll for that matter.  

I follow this blog:

http://www.thewiegands.com

I am pretty obsessed with this sweet family.  They have a very strong sense of faith and are a little more religious than we are, but their values cannot be beat.  Casey's husband Chris is making a film called "American Blogger." He has been traveling all over the country filming and she posts some of the bloggers he has met with.  It has sent me to a couple of new sites, this one: http://nataliefalls.com and particularly her story I found incredibly honest and touching.  

Friday rambling I guess, just another fast and fun week with my buddy. Time needs to slow down!

Home Sweet Home

We have been in our house for 3 years this month!  In a way it seems like yesterday that we came over to see it and put in an offer the next day, in others it seems like so long ago since we lived anywhere else.  Since we moved into this house we have had our wedding, several vacations, a PR at the Boston Marathon, Brian has had 2 jobs at Nike, I had 3 (almost), we got pregnant, we had a baby, we've done some kind of work on nearly every room and every inch of the yard. 

We haven't painted anything, we haven't done any remodeling, we took out linoleum and put hardwoods in the kitchen, we got all new appliances, we installed shutters and new blinds, we replaced the lovely blue carpet. We have replaced the fixtures on the kitchen cabinets and many other little upgrades. We put in a new fence and a raised bed garden.  We have planted nearly everything you see. 

 This is our first house, it will always be a very special place for us. I came across some photos of what the house looked like when we saw it before we bought it.  It just shows that if you can look past the cosmetic details, you can really make a house your own without a total remodel!  This house had great bones and continues to make our little family very happy. 

Front Porch Before/After:

Dining Room Before/After:

Living Room Before/After:

Kitchen Before/After:

Family Room Before/After: 

Guest Bathroom Before/After: 

Guest Bedroom Before/After: 

Upstairs Bedroom Before/After: 

Master Bedroom Before/After: 

Master Bathroom Before/After: 

Backyard Deck Before/After: 

Backyard Before/After: 

Backyard Patio Before/After: 

A Week of Dinners

I can go to the grocery store anytime now, but I still plan all of our meals for the week over the weekend and shop on Saturday or Sunday.  There are usually one or two things I have to pick up so it is fresh during the week, but for the most part we are all set.  I decided last Sunday that I was going to take a picture of our dinner every night for a week.  I don't cook a lot of "recipes", it would be very easy to miss an ingredient or two when chasing after a baby.  Everything we eat is simple.  Grilling in the Summer is healthy, delicious, and leaves the kitchen clean too!  We always have breakfast for dinner one night, usually Thursdays, but we mixed it up this week.  Tacos are a staple around here. For a special treat on Saturday we got to go on a date while my parents stayed at our house with little Jakey while he was snoozing!  We checked out a new restaurant in NW Portland called Fireside.  We sat on the sidewalk, which I always love for the people watching.  Brian mentioned how there were so many people out,  we laughed how we forgot how many people don't have to stay at home from 7pm on a Saturday because their little dude is in bed! Anyway, I love food, so this was fun to do!

Jake Month 9

The 9th month in pictures.  From a visit from Ti Ti Boom, a Fourth of July Parade, a playdate with 8 other babies, "search and destroy" missions around the house, fun by the pool, general silliness, new tricks, growing hands and feet, helping Mama, playdates with his girlfriends and family fun. If this collection of pictures doesn't make you smile, then nothing will. Oh Jake, sweet little Jake.