Fun Fest

As most of you have heard by now, we are busy packing up for our big move across the country. That's right, we are moving all the way to California! But over the weekend, we all needed a break from packing- so we took Jake to a family fun festival that was being held in town. We had a really good time and it was great to have a little break:






Tomorrow we will start our journey across the country. We almost have the U-haul completely packed up and ready to go. We'll keep every informed when we get there!

Best Buds

Jake just loves Catfish. Catfish loves him too, especially when Jake gives him food or drops something on the ground! He isn't as fond of Jake pulling on his ears when he is wound up and overtired, but Catfish puts up with it that's for sure! These two are best buds. On a side note...as you can see in the pictures, Jake had a recent haircut:

Mother's Day Out

Jake had his first week in the Mother's Day Out program at First Presbyterian. He went to "school" on Monday and Wednesday for 2 1/2 hours and did great! I know it isn't really school yet, but I have been calling it that b/c it felt like I was taking him to school and the preschool classes are all around him. He really seemed to love it there. The teachers are great and he loved playing with the other kids and all those new toys! He didn't even cry when I left him or at any time while he was there. The teachers said he did great and that he is so social and sharp!

Playing at the Park

Here are some cute pictures I took of Jake when he was playing at the park yesterday:










Nobody believes me when I tell them that Jake just turned 20 months old this past weekend. He is just a couple of months past a year and half, but he looks like a 2 1/2 yr old. And he is the smartest little kid, which makes him seem that much older too!

As you can see, Jake is climbing all over the playground these days. He can get himself all the way to the top of the play area to go down the spiral slide. He really enjoys going to the park or over to the ball field at the school. One of his favorite things to do right now is playing ball. He loves throwing the baseball (which he can throw overhand!) and his bigger bouncy balls. And he has really figured out how to run now, which makes going to get the balls that much more enjoyable!

Jake has continued to say more and more words, and is even starting to put words together (Mama swing, Pops lawnmower). I even heard him string his first sentence together the other day (Dada gotta go work). It is amazing to watch each new growth in his communication skills, as well as all the other skills he has been developing over the past 20 months! He starts Mother's Day Out next week, so we'll keep you posted. We actually just went to meet one of the teachers today and show Jake his classroom. He was already hugging the teacher's leg and playing with all of the toys, so I am sure he will love it!

Grand Canyon

At the end of our trip we flew out of Phoenix. On the drive there, we were able to see the Grand Canyon before heading back home:





It was definitely scary to have Jake there, but I really wanted Jason to see it since he had never been before. Besides a couple of pictures, I spent most of the time keeping Jake far away from the edge!!!

Absolutely Amazing:





We had a great time on our big trip out West. Now just trying to recuperate and get back in the swing of things here!

Pagosa Springs

We had a great time in Pagosa Springs, where Jake got to visit with his GG and Great Uncles George and Michael!



Jake loved playing outside around the house, especially throwing Charlie's balls around the yard:




During the days, we would head in to town to walk around the shops and the hot springs:

(Ooops- someone plopped in the water with his clothes on!)




At night we had fun doing things like making brownies with Uncle Michael and Amber. Jake wanted to make sure he wasn't going to miss out on the brownies. So- when Uncle Michael went to check on them, he made sure to check on them too:



Such a good trip! Thanks GG for everything :)

Big Trip

We just got back from our visit with friends and family out West. It was such a big trip, I am going to divide the pictures into different blog posts. First we flew into Denver, where we stayed for a couple of days to catch up with old friends before heading to Pagosa Springs for a family get together. We stayed at Anna's house while we were in Denver. Jake absolutely loved playing with her dog, Skylar:



Swinging with Anna:



One day while in Denver, I took Jake over to my friend Monica's house to meet her two boys. I have known Monica since high school, so this play date was very special. Thanks for having us over Monica- it was so great to see you and finally meet Jackson and Brady!






On our drive to Pagosa Springs we made a pit stop in Fairplay to eat lunch with our friend Mags:


It was so great catching up with all of you, and we're so glad you finally got to meet Jake!