Jack's 1st visit to the Milwaukee Zoo

We met Gramma up in Milwaukee and drove to the zoo together. We had been talking to Jack all week about all the animals and fun things he was going to see, so when we got there, he was pretty excited.  Little did we know until we got there that we forgot his stroller..so we had to rent one. We all had a wonderful time and Jack talks about the zoo nonstop now!

4th of July weekend

We headed up to FDL for the 4th of July - had a great time, but I ended up getting the flu or something like it and didn't feel so hot all weekend.  But the next day we went to Lakeside Park to take Jack on the train and carousel.  But not long after that, Jack ended up getting it and then Mark.  It was not pleasant.

 

Lily got into the spirit as well as you can see here - chillin'!

Riding the train with Gramma and Papa having a great time!

Jack's 1st Brewer Game!

The end of June was a fun way to end the month - we took Jack to his first Brewers game, compliments of his Auntie "Bestie" Jenna.  We got up there early enough to tailgate and relax before the big game.  Here's some pictures of our adventure!  After the game we went back to Jenna's for some more burgers and drinks and then drove back home.

Jack was absolutely exhausted from a full day of adventures!

Our monkey's 2nd Birthday party!!

Jack is a total monkey - climbing over everything, jumping, bouncing,  you name it.  So of course for his 2nd birthday party we had to make the theme MONKEYS!  It turned out to be quite the chilly day unfortunately - but we still had a great time and can't believe Jack's 2 already.

Here's the invitation

The morning of Jack's birthday-He and Owen were just eating breakfast and hanging out.

Really Mommy? Do I look like I want my picture taken?

The bounce house is up and running-just waiting for some jumpers!         

Monkeys are swinging in the trees - some were harder to see than others.

There's the birthday boy bouncing away in the bounce house - he had a great time!

Here's the cake I made all on my own!! I was very proud of myself and even better-Jack loved it! 

And of course the gift bags!

        

Beginning of June 2009

Gramma and Papa came down for a visit a couple weeks before Jack's 2nd Birthday.  We made 3 raised vegetable beds while they were down here - which was the main reason for them visiting. They also brought his present-a Spiderman 4-wheeler!!  Jack was super excited and rode it briefly - you'll see in the next couple pictures he preferred just pushing it around.  Hopefully next summer he'll actually get on and ride it.

The weekend before his birthday-it was Milk Days - so we went to check out the carnival - actually rode our bikes out there and had a great time.  Jack's favorite part, of all things, was the lemonade.  I'm not gonna lie - it was delicious, but really?

And the night before Jack's birthday and party it was Caoimhe's 5th Birthday party!  So there were bounce houses and slides galore.  Jack loved it and had a great time - Owen actually came with us as well. Jack was a bit unsure of the inflatable slide at first, but when he slid down with Daddy-all was right with the world. In the last picture you can see just how happy and how much he laughed while bouncing!

May/June Milestones

Well - I am proud to say - Jack has been pacifier free since Thursday, May 28. YAY!!!!!

He can also count to 10 and say the alphabet from A-E so far...the rate he's learning things just boggles our mind..what a kid!

3 months at a glance

I'm telling you - this working thing, taking care of a toddler, dogs, cats, husband and a house, etc, etc is busy work!! So I do apologize for not blogging for the last 3 months. I could say I'm going to be better, but we know I probably won't be, so you'll just have to settle for a post every so often.

Jack looking at his baby pictures

Since Feb - Jack's been talking up a storm. He says well over 100 words, many 2 and 3 word sentences and phrases, and he's starting to get quite the case of the Terrible Two's. He's an angel most of the time, but when he doesn't get his way he lets us know he isn't a fan of it. He'll smack the wall, couch, floor, etc. He talks back to you but you have no idea what he's saying.He's an amazingly funny little boy though...here he is having fun..

Yes - he's wearing my heels and pushing his truck around..so what?

He went into his basket and pulled out his hat and mittens and asked me to put them on him - I can't deny him so I put them on!!

This is Jack pretty much all the time - making us laugh..

He got his first haircut in March. He was ok for most of it and then the lady brought out the electric clippers and the noise scared him - so unfortunately his hair was cut crooked. Oh well. Next time I'll probably do it. Now that it's been 2 months since his haircut - he's gonna need another one!

Before

During

After

We dogsat Holly in April when Mom and Dad went down to Florida - Jack and Holly became fast friends and absolutely love each other. Well, except when Jack tries to sit on Holly - she's not a fan of that. But he loves to throw the ball at her and it cracks him up when she goes running for it.

So they shared a dog kennel..is there a problem?

Jack was watching the donkey at church on Palm Sunday

For Easter Jack got his first Easter basket full of goodies. The Easter Bunny didn't bring him anything last year cuz he was so little. He didn't get to search for it until after church and his nap. Then he came downstairs and his first reaction was "WOW!" It was adorable. We had a nice low-key dinner, just the 3 of us.

Coloring Easter Eggs

Easter Photo Shoot

At the beginning of May we went up to visit Grandma and Grandpa for the whole weekend. Jack had a blast playing in the sandbox/waterbox. He was full of sand and loved every minute of it. That told me when we got home on Sunday, we had to put his sandbox out that we got from a garage sale.

Now that the weather is nice, we go outside every morning before I have to work. He runs around with his truck, lawnmower, wheelbarrow or 4 wheeler. Plays in the sandbox - helps me garden, or walks up and down the sidewalk. We got a bike trailer to hook onto our bikes at the end of last summer and we're finally able to use it. He loves going for bikerides. He gets himself into the trailer, we buckle him in and we're ready to go. He just sits there, oohing and aahing about what he sees. We see people outside and he'll say hi.

Problem with the weather being so nice - Jack doesn't want to nap or come inside. It's a struggle sometimes, but we're managing.

This past weekend Grandma and Grandpa came down to visit for the whole Memorial Day weekend. We all had a lot of fun. We made 3 raised beds for our vegetable garden. Jack just watched us work and tried helping. He and Grandpa would get up in the morning, eat breakfast and then go outside. They were pals this weekend and really bonded - I loved it and I know Jack did as well. We all kicked the balls around the backyard and had a lot of fun. Jack was sad to see them go and kept asking for Grandma and Papa that night. We'll see them in 3 weeks for Jack's birthday party.

Can't believe Jack will be 2 in 3 weeks. So hard to believe. Time has just flown by. His birthday theme is Monkeys!! We call him monkey all the time because of him climbing all over things. We rented a monkey bounce house so we're very excited to see him in that. I know some people might say I go over the top when planning birthday parties, but he's only going to be 2 once. I want him to look back at pictures and know that I really went all out for his special day because he deserves it. I'd give him the world if I could. He's my life and reason for everything I do.

So I'll be posting more in the next few weeks about his party. I can't wait to see how everything turns out. It should be a good time. Keep reading!!