Favorties

I thought it was only appropriate to end the year with some of my "favorites" so here it goes:

Favorite things Jacob says aka "Jakeyisms"

• ice ca-leem (ice cream)
• lawn mow-ner (lawn mower)
• no paw-bla-lem (no problem)
• mama fix it
• super cool
• totally rad
• awe-some-a
• sa-lam dunk!
• you kiddin me? i tough! (Brian taught these to him at the same time so he always says them together!)
• it's aw-kay (usually to his sister)
• sings "Jenna Boo" to the tune of Jingle Bells
• sings along to all of the songs on his favorite Baby Praise CD, especially "Joyful ful ful"

Favorite things Jacob does/did

• "squeeze tight" when hugging
• "more, more, more" for 3 more kisses
• kissed my belly all the time when I was pregnant, then after I had Jenna he never kissed it again even though it was still really fat!
• reached up to hold my hand when he wasn't sure about something (like walking up/down stairs or when in an unfamiliar place)
• fake laugh at Jenna to make her laugh when then makes him laugh (a real laugh)
• checks on Jenna when she's sleeping and sometimes brings her a blanket
• brings anyone willing a book then plops down in their lap
• laughs hysterically at the dogs; also sits on them if they sit still long enough
• spins around on his back like a break dancer in the bathtub

Favorite toys

• lawn mower, sand box, swing set
• police cars/fire trucks/diggers
• crayons
• anything that makes noise
• trampoline
• basket ball hoop
• books, books, books, and more books (thank goodness for Mimi!)

Favorite Moments from 2008

• seeing Jenna for the first time...boy was I shocked to see such a big baby!
• watching Jacob run, run, and run some more at the beach
• watching Brian change before my eyes when he became the daddy of a GIRL
• watching Jacob grow up...I think he has changed more this year than ever before

Favorite present

• the charm bracelet Brian got me for Christmas with a little girl and little boy charm. Then for my birthday he added an "I love You" charm! Unless you count the gift of a beautiful baby girl that is.

I was going to post a few of my favorite pictures but seriously people, how can I narrow it down? I tried, but failed so if you want to see my favorite pictures you'll have to check dropshots yourself because there are WAY too many. In fact, my computer told me just today that I am just about out of free space. I am going to have to spend my birthday money on an external hard drive to put all the pictures on!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! May this year be the best one yet!

p.s. The new background is for my sweet Jacob. He still sleeps with his "bumble bee lovey" and paci but they paci's seem to be disappearing. Hummm.

Christmas Part 2

Here's Jacob blowing out Jesus' birthday cake.

The Alcorn gang: Hannah, Brian, Jan (Brian's mom) holding Jenna, Heather (Brian's sis) holding Jacob, and her hubby Doug.

So my dad got really creative this year when it came to a gift for my mom. He has been painting for the past several years (and has gotten really good). He takes lessons on Saturday afternoons. He had taken this picture of my mom holding Jenna to class and told his teacher he was going to paint it for my mom for Christmas. His teacher responded with "Paul, you stink at portraits! Let me paint it." So he did. He paid her a nominal fee and she painted it for him. He has had it hidden in the house all month. Everyone had seen it but her. While she was working in the kitchen, he snuck it up on the wall but didn't tell her. She came out of the kitchen once and didn't notice but the second time she came out, her jaw dropped. I wished I had my camera ready, it was great! This is her admiring it.

The Wilford clan: Frankie (my mom) holding Jenna, me holding Tito, Grandma (my dad's mom), Brian with Jacob, and Paul (my dad).

We had Christmas at my parent's house Saturday. We had a big lunch and discovered that Jacob LOVES pumpkin pie. That was my favorite dessert as a kid. I would ask for it for my birthday and my Aunt Cheryl would make me a bunch of tiny little pies. Speaking of my birthday, it's only 2 days away!

Christmas

We had such a fun Christmas this year. Last year I was miserable (pregnant but didn't know it yet!) and the year before that we were really poor after having Jacob so this year was really nice. Jacob had so much fun opening presents and playing with all his new stuff.

Brian's sister and her hubby stayed for a few days. Jacob loves playing his aunt and uncle and Jenna got tons of attention of course. We even got to got out to dinner with them one night without the kids!

I am attempting to start some Christmas traditions so here's what I've got so far:

1. Christmas morning is for us only. You know, just me, Brian, and the kids. It keeps things a little calmer and we're able to focus on each other and not be distracted by company etc.
2. Home made cinnamon rolls! I am going to look for an easier recipe though. 3 hrs is a long time to wait for breakfast!
3. A birthday cake for Jesus. Our friends Sara and Robert (from church) came over for dinner on Christmas and Sara brought a little cake and sprinkles for Jacob to decorate. It was a birthday cake for Jesus. She even brought a candle and we sang "Happy Birthday." I thought it was such a good idea and a fun, easy way to keep Him the focus!
4. Jacob gets a snow globe every year and Jenna gets an angel.

I hope to come up with more next year. Let me know if you have any good ideas!

Jenna was fascinated by her new toy

A happy girl on Christmas day!

Here's a funny story from Christmas morning. Jacob had been playing with the tin my watch came in. Brian soon realized that the watch was missing so we started looking for it and asking Jacob where it was. We looked and looked. I went through the trash, looked in all the bags and boxes and still no watch. We finally gave up and figured it would show up eventually when Brian exclaimed "NO WAY!" I ran over and immediately saw my watch hanging on a bottle branch of the Christmas tree. Sweet Jacob thought it was an ornament and hung it back on the tree! He's so innocent. Gotta love that.

4 months & big boy

Jacob must hold Jenna's cheeks to make sure he kisses her right on the lips!

Jenna had her 4 month check last week. She was 14lb 7oz, 25" (both were 75th %). She is doing great and brings a smile to everyone that crosses her path!

spit bubbles in action!

Jacob is loving the "kiss-mus yites." We went driving around last week and he continuously notified us of "more kissmus yites!" I think he loves our lights the most. He will walk around and kiss everything we have in the yard (reindeer, snowman, penguin).

He loves to plug in the Christmas tree lights and to play with the Humpty Dumpty ornament. He also likes the M&M ornament Brian picked out for him this year. They are significant to his potty training which had been going pretty well until it got cold.

He can put his shoes (and everyone else's!) on well now and tries hard to dress himself. He loves to roll Jenna over, although she can do that herself now too! They still think each other are hysterical. I wonder how long that will last?

Brian had 6 days off, but he went back today. He will be off the 25-27th. His sister and hubby are coming for a couple days. So, things should be busy for a while. I am going to get back to my Christmas present projects now!

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

Spit Bubbles

Jenna has learned to blow spit bubbles this week. I especially love the sound of it. It's a mixture of singing and a farting noise. It's too cute.

Jacob has learned how to catch a football. He WILL NOT, I repeat NOT be a football player. Baseball maybe, or soccer but NOT football. I love watching football, don't get me wrong. But I will not EVER enjoy watching my precious J get squished and smacked and crashed into on a football field.

We had our first ice-ish weather this week. It wasn't pretty or fun or exciting. Just froze over the bridges and stuff. I had planned on going into work late that day anyways so it worked out.

I'm getting excited about Christmas. I'm FINALLY mailing cards out tomorrow (hopefully). We have a bit more shopping. One of Brian's presents came today. I love surprises. So fun. Guess I'd better go get ready for tomorrow. Happy Friday!

Santa

Jenna wasn't so sure about this guy.

Jacob's first real Santa pictures!

Brian took the kids to the RPD/RFD kid's Christmas party on Saturday while I went shopping with my mom. Jacob got to play all sorts of games and see Santa. He still doesn't really get Santa but he can sure recognize him! He also got to climb all in a real fire engine.

Jacob started antibiotic #3 Friday. His culture was growing a funky bug as always. Now that we are on the right drug he's doing a ton better.

He's doing very well with his big boy bed too, naps and all! The past 2 months his vocabulary has grown exponentially. He amazes me everyday.

My cuties

Jacob is so sweet to his sister. He loves to lay on the floor next to her and just talk to her. He usually says "baby girl!" and "Jenna Boo!" in his best baby talk voice. He also loves to sing "Jenna Boo" to the tune of "Jingle Bells."

My crazy boy was playing on the chair and the static was giving him a new hair-do. It was pretty funny!

Little Pink Jenna Hood

Jenna's new quilt Ms. Doris made her.

Things I Keep Forgetting to Blog

Jenna has been sleeping in her room for the past several nights. Here's how it went when Brian came home and noticed she wasn't in her pack-and-play:
Brian "Where's Jenna?"
Hannah "In her room."
Brian "WHAT? She's too little for that! You can't do that!"
Hannah "Well I already did and she loves it."
To that he darted off to make sure she was ok. He found her sound asleep in her big crib, snug as a bug!

Jacob learned the song "Brother John" yesterday. I was singing it to him during a breathing treatment and to my surprise, he started singing it back! He sings it like this:
Are you seeping, Are you seeping
Brudder John, Brudder John
Ringing, ringing
Ding Dang Dong
Ding Dang Dong

He has also replace Sesame Street with Jack's Big Music Show during the 8:00 hour. He doesn't watch anything for more than 5-10 minutes but he sure loves it when they sing one of those really silly songs. He dances and spins around. He calls it "Jack Muenicks Show."

One more thing. I just found out my Grandmother's demenia is really bad. She had an appt with her neurologist today and couldn't remember any of the 5 objections they told her after 5 minutes. They don't want her driving (she only drives to church and the senior center) and I think they're going to start looking for a new place for her to live. My dad is taking it really hard.

Road to Recovery

Jacob is on the road to recovery, I hope! We went and saw Dr. Mandujano (one of the docs I work for) yesterday. We switched antibiotics and re-cultured his boogers. Hopefully we're on the right drug for whatever he ends up growing.

He is doing a little better. Less snot and only a rare cough. He is currently taking a nap in his bed for the second time for me! It took an hour but I won!

Jenna is laying on the floor trying to roll over. I thought she did it last night but then I realized that Jacob gave her that little extra push she needed to get all the way over. She has rolled from her stomach to her back, and I think she'll get the reverse very soon. She doesn't get to try as much as Jacob since the floors downstairs are all wood. I put a blanket down and lay her on it but it's still slippery and hard for her to do her thing.

I decided this morning that all stay-at-home moms should get a stipend from the government for a monthly house cleaning. I think it's only fair. We have seen what happens when parents aren't around to raise their kids. We should reward those who make the SACRIFICE to stay home (yes, I know it is also a HUGE privilege but it is also a huge sacrifice) by providing a good deep cleaning of their home. Ok, so I just don't want to scrub my baseboards, and they need it bad! Sorry for the randomness there; can you tell I'm tired????

Jenna's Hair & Jacob's Cough

This is Jenna's "fro" as we call it! Her hair is really curly when it's wet. So cute! When it dries, it is straight but very poofy. I'm not sure what that means for her future hair-do's.

Jenna is doing great. She took a nap in her crib today for the first time. I'm not sure that I'm ready for her to sleep in her room at night. I'm such a wimp. I'll be ready soon. It'll be sooner that the 8 months Jacob stayed in our room.

Jacob is sick again. Or should I say still? I think it's the same stuff he had 2 weeks ago that never really got bad. Well, now it's bad. Cough non-stop, tons of snot. I started him on an antibiotic Thursday. I still had the rx from 2 weeks ago...By the time his culture results came back he was symptom free so we never started it.

Last night marked 1 week of him sleeping in his toddler bed! This is HUGE. I lay with him at night until he falls asleep. Hopefully I can stop doing this soon. Nap time is a big struggle. In fact, he has only really taken one nap in the past week because he won't stay in his bed. And that nap was on a day Mimi was here while I was at work. Why do they cooperate for grandparents so well? He did fall asleep on his own today in his bed but after 40 minutes, he coughed so much it woke him up : (

He had been doing really well with potty training too, but since getting sick he hasn't wanted to go in the potty so much. No big deal. I'm sure he'll tell me once again when he is ready.

Brian got some of the Christmas decorations down from the attic before he left for work. Yea! I love Christmas SO MUCH. It makes up for my dislike of Thanksgiving! Jacob had so much fun at my parents house playing with their Christmas stuff. We went over to celebrate my dad's birthday. I made him a carrot cake and put a "55" in sprinkles on the top. I cut out a stencil and everything and guess what my dad did...he defaced my cake! He turned the first 5 into a 3!

I'm really starting to miss church. I doubt we'll be able to go tomorrow unless Jacob is healed over night. My poor guy. It brings me to tears to see him sick. I'm so glad I'm a pedi nurse. I feel like I at least can do everything possible to get him better. And he is lots better, but still not well. He's gotten to know lots of new cartoons while doing breathing treatments. He loves Barney, Dora, Diego, and Wonder Pets in addition to his favorite Lazy Town. Too much TV time! He'd better not get too used to it!

Stripper

I guess I should give a quick update...my uncle had a cardiac cath last Monday. They put in 2 stints, then sent him home the next day. He is doing well but this has disqualified him from using the experimental treatment for his cancer. There MIGHT be one last option. They will find out this week if there is one last protocol to try at MD Anderson (cancer hospital).

Thanksgiving wasn't all that bad. Ok, so it wasn't great either. We had steaks etc. I made the most yummiest cake that night. It was a pumpkin pound cake with a white chocolate cream cheese filling and a maple glaze. It sounds gross but is was so good! I was just happy to be with my hubby and precious kids. They make me so happy ; )

The potty training saga continues. I won't bore you with 1 million stories from this week. If I told you all the times Jacob stripped down and peed in my house you might never step foot through my front door again! Actually, he mainly only pees in the crib and outside. I have banned him from the crib. This is his second night to be in his big boy bed.

I tried his crib for nap time today and he stripped and peed in it AGAIN for the 10 millionth time this week. He pottied 3 times before laying down. We tried to lay down in his bed first but he wouldn't stay (at night I lay with him until he falls asleep) and Jenna was awake so that's why I put him in the crib. Never again. If he won't stay in his bed then he doesn't get a nap. Oh well. That just means he'll fall asleep faster at night. I'm not sure if it's a reward or punishment for him to miss his nap.

One quick funny story...on Friday night we had put Jacob to bed in his crib then gone downstairs to watch TV. We heard him talking and giggling but nothing major, and it was quiet within 20 minutes or so so we figured he was asleep. A little while later, we went upstairs to get ready for bed. I went in to check on Jacob and ran out of the room hysterical...laughing. I seriously almost peed my pants. Jacob was asleep in the crib as I suspected, laying on his stomach as usual with his lovey over his head, only he was NAKED! His diaper and zip-up footed jammies were laying there beside him! He hardly even stirred when we picked him up to dress him! Oh ya, did I mention he strips even when I put a belt on his pants as tight as I can. Oh, and he can get his diaper off even if he has on a onesie too. He's such a mess!

Jenna and I continue to fight this cold thing Jacob gave us. Brian has had a touch of it too. I have been so tired! I have napped every day for the past 3 days! Once Brian gets up I run up to bed. I have GOT to go to the store tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have a little more energy.

Homeless for Thanksgiving

You know everything I just wrote a few hours ago about being so excited about Thanksgiving...not having to cook or clean etc? Well, scratch that. We are now homeless for Thanksgiving.
It's a long story so I'll try to be brief. It all started 3 yrs ago when my uncle Mike was diagnosed with melanoma. It of course spread (as melanoma always does-which is why it's so deadly) to his liver and lungs. They did a cocktail of chemo of which he only tolerated for about half the length of time he was supposed to get it. The side effects were too much, he had to quit. He was in "remission" for a little over a year. With his type of cancer, the doctors consider remission when the tumors aren't actively growing, even though they were still there.
A week or so ago we got the bad news we knew would come eventually. The tumors are growing again. They had doubled in size in 2 months. The doctors told him at this rate his life expectancy is very short. The problems was trying to figure out what to use to treat him, as he had already tried all of the options in round 1 of chemo. They finally found an experimental drug that they were going to start the first of December. Because it is experimental (he would only be the 2nd in the nation to receive it) insurance does not cover it. So now they had to come up with $25,000. His church immediately put together a fundraiser which took place last Friday night. It raised $21,000. What a miracle!
Well, this morning my uncle woke up and told my aunt he felt funny, and that his chest and arm hurt. He told her he thought he might be having a heart attack. They immediately went to the ER where it was confirmed. I think it was minor but we'll know more tomorrow after his cath.
All that said....they were going to come down (from Houston) for Thanksgiving. Now, my parents are going there. Which means we are stuck at home again. I feel really guilty for being so bummed. Hello! My uncle who has inoperable, incurable cancer just had a heart attack. I am worried about him, don't get me wrong. I just know he's in really good hands. If everyone could please keep him, my Aunt Rita and my cousin Jonathan (who will turn 16 next month) in your prayers.
I bought supplies for making queso and cake so I guess that's what we'll be having on turkey day! Brian is really bummed too. We were so looking forward to a nice, relaxing day. There's just something about my parent's house that is so relaxing! Anyways, now the plan is either burgers or steaks. Oh well, maybe next year!

Update

Both kids are suffering from a cold so we stayed home from church today. Brian stayed home with the kids while I did a massive WalMart run. That place was nuts! I was thinking most people would be in church or getting ready for the Cowboy game. Not.

Jacob has been very in to "go potty" this past week. It's not something I initiated. We all know I do not have the patients for that! He's done well. He usually goes a little in his diaper which reminds him that he needs to "go potty." Then we go in the toilet and the cycle continues. I think we went through a 2 week supply of diapers this past week because I can't stand putting on a non-dry diaper after he goes in the toilet. Even if it's only a little wet (which is usually the case) I put on a clean diaper. I need to get over that!

Jenna has been trying hard to roll over the past few days. I bought her some bows today at WalMart that said for ages 3 and up. Who knew bows had an age ranking? Needless to say, she has plenty of hair to hold them!

We are looking forward to NOT having Thanksgiving at our house for the first time EVER! No cooking, no cleaning, no entertaining. It's going to be great (at my parent's house). I am baking of course. I can't let an opportunity to bake slip by!

Ponytail

Jenna got her first ponytail last night. I couldn't resist. Everyone always says "her hair is so long you could put it in a ponytail!" Well, I did to prove they are right!

We love the tiny barrettes Ami got for us. They tame the mane.
Jacob had a busy day streaking. I would post a picture but I don't know how to cover the "zone" so no pervies can see. First he stripped in his crib, then the backyard. Good thing it was warm today. Both times it was because he needed to "potty." He peed in his crib (the diaper was totally dry) and on the back doorstep.
He's doing well potty training. I'm not doing anything. Just waiting for him to tell me when he needs to go. I'm not patient enough. I figure eventually he'll want to go in the potty which seems to be true now! He loves the m&m reward system too.
We have a very busy day of errand running tomorrow, then Papa is coming on Friday to play. Jacob is very excited about that. He hasn't seen Papa in a while. He kept asking about him last week but he was out of town in San Antonio. All week he would say "papa, onie-onie-o." Now he says "Papa, onie-onie-o, home." That means he was in San Antonio but now he's home. I love that kid!

Dress Up

One of the differences between girls and boys: when Jenna has a blow-out and needs an outfit change I see it as an opportunity to play dress-up! She got this little dress as a hand-me-down from one of my mom's clients. I thought it was SO CUTE and have been patiently waiting for a warm day so she could wear it!

We haven't been up to too much around here. Friday night our friends the Watsons came over with BBQ and the Wii. I rocked it at golf! Well, sort of. Baby Emma is so precious. I could have held her all night! I think she's 6 weeks old and still 2 lbs less than Jenna was at birth!

The ladies breakfast (church ladies that is) was fun Saturday morning. IHOP was so yummy and it was nice to finally get to go...usually ladies night out is on Monday nights; Brian is at work so I never get to go. Now we're going to do a Saturday morning once per quarter. It was obviously popular. I think we had 20 people show up!

After breakfast I got to go shopping. My mother in law gave me $$$ to go buy the kids some clothes. It was SO FUN! She had a 20% off coupon for Carters (my FAVORITE store). I went nuts. They were having a big sale. I got a ton of stuff! Plus, I got another 20% off coupon and when checking out they told me the ENTIRE store will be 50% off the week after Thanksgiving AND you can use the 20% off. Sounds dangerous!

We've been going on lots of walks. I'm trying to shed some pounds. I don't seem to be getting anywhere but the walks are nice. Jacob loves to go feed the ducks. I think I'm going to start looking on Craigs List for a double jogging stroller. Our double stroller is ok but I walk pretty fast and it's a bit hard to maneuver.

Jenna is a giggle box - only giggles at Brian of course. She's very chatty these days too. Jacob is loving the cooler weather. Here is him playing with his new tricycle (another hand-me-down). He likes riding down the tiny slope at the side of the house into the fence. I guess crashing is fun when you're 2.

Work is starting to pick up. We are so much slower than this time of year a few years ago. I think it's because we dropped so many insurances but that's a different story. I'm going to go play with my baby girl now until Jacob wakes up from his nap.

POOP!

Jacob teaches Jenna how to "ride the bull"

Jacob doing patty-cake with Jenna

Today was crappy. Literally. It started off with a frantic call from Brian. He forgot his vest. Yes, his bullet-proof vest that goes under his uniform. You see, he plays racket ball with the guys Wednesday mornings, then showers and goes to his part time at the jewelry store, then from there to work. It's his "long day"...he packed up his stuff last night but somehow forgot the vest. So I grabbed the kids and off we went to Richardson to take daddy his vest and some lunch.

Once we got home and ate lunch, it was nap time. I have been working on trying to get Jacob to sleep in his "big boy bed" and get out of the crib. We will be needing the crib soon, plus he jumps in it and I'm afraid he's going to break it. Anyways, after battling with him for about 30 minutes I give up and put him in the crib, then go to check email. When I go to check on him, I find him in his crib, pants off, holding his diaper saying "poop." The diaper is a little wet, but no poop...I look down and see the poop. Nice. So I clean him up, change the sheets, get him back in bed (he fell asleep fast after all the excitement) and go to lay down and Jenna had woken up. By this time she had already gotten a good 1hr nap or more. I was desperate for a nap since I worked yesterday so I play with her for a few minutes, nurse her, then lay her down. She did eventually go to sleep and so did I. Yeah!

The second poop episode happened in the early evening. I pick up the dog poop every day with a shovel so Jacob won't step in it while running around the yard. Well,he has a big shovel and I guess he had gotten a fresh pile of you know what on his shovel and was bringing it in the house to show me. Apparently it fell off the shovel right at the entry to the back door and he must have stepped in it. So I got to wash his shoes for the second time today. Mimi babysat yesterday and she let him play in the wet backyard so his shoes were all muddy.

So now for the final (I hope) poop. I had bathed Jenna and Jacob was still in the tub. He likes to sit in her bath chair when she gets out. So I was drying her off, dressing her etc when I look over and see Jacob straining. I say YOU HAD BETTER NOT!!!! I thought I caught him in time but he had squeezed out one tiny little terd. So I got him out, got the terd, then sprayed down the tub, chair, and toys with bleach water.

Geesh! What a day. On a funner note, Jacob is talking A LOT. It's amazing how fast it's happening. He sings all of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and all of his ABC's except for HIJKLMNOP but I think he's said LMNOP before. Brian has always sang his ABCs like this: ABCDEFGHI JACOB QRSTUVWXYZ so I blame him for the missing letters.

He also knows the names of all his books. He pooped in the toilet twice yesterday too, though I'm still not really pushing the whole potty training thing. He pees in the potty several times a day, usually when I take off his diaper to change it. He hasn't grasped to concept that he has to tell me when he needs to go.

Jenna is awesome. Love her, love her, love her. Enough said, right? We finally got our pictures back so I'll post some for you. Yikes, I need to go call Grandma, it's her b-day. Do you think she'll still be up? I'd better go try!

Brag

I'm not usually one to brag, I leave that to Brian (sorry honey but you know it's true!) but I feel that it's ok to brag in my blog, and I have lots to brag about.

First off, I have cooked three meals this week. Whoop-tee-do you say? I just don't cook real meals that much. And when I do cook it's always the same old spaghetti or chicken enchiladas or whatever. I am so tired of turkey sandwiches and chicken nuggets. So, this week I cooked taco soup, a cheese ravioli bake, and ranchero pork in the crock pot. And I have a special meal I'm going to prepare for my darling husband on Friday. Oh, and Brian liked the first two meals a lot, but he hasn't tried the pork yet. I'm so proud of myself!

Next up: Jacob. He amazes me everyday. I am constantly asking him "where did you learn that?" The past month or so he's begun to really speak in sentence. It's so cute. He brings me books and says "mama read" or "go outside" or "what is it?". He says longer things too I just can't think of anything right now. Last night I was eating a brownie and gave him a tiny pinch of a bite. He ate it then said "Jacob big" ....he wanted the big brownie! That's my boy! He's very into identifying everything he sees. He'll tell you what it is, what color it is, where it came from, etc. It's fun to just walk around the house with him and listen to everything he says. Oh and one more funny story. Yesterday I was putting his hot dog in the microwave to cook and he said "zap it!" Isn't that cute? I swear they store everything they have EVER heard in their brains and it just sits there until they start talking!

Now for my sweet baby girl. Jenna has been sleeping 8-9 hours at night. I know this is somewhat normal for many babies but being that Jacob was at least 9 months before that happened, I consider it a miracle! God does listen even to our selfish pleas! Jacob really enjoys showing her all his old baby toys. She has been enjoying his old play mat. It has a ball that hangs down that you kick. She's quite a kicker already. And once in a while she will bat at the little hanging fish too.

I don't have anything specific to brag about for Brian. He's been doing a great job being my "trainer" getting me back in shape. He also does a great job with the kids on daddy day (every Thursday or Friday when I'm at work).

Now for some random thoughts. First off, what's up with Lupe Valdez's (Dallas Co Sheriff) eyebrows? It looks like she drew them on with a black sharpie. Weird. Next, I want to give two thumbs up for both of the Presidential candidate's speeches last night. I thought they were both great. I know that God will use Obama to do great things for our country, even if his values aren't the same as mine.

The Monkey and The Ladybug

TRICK or TREAT! Our first time trick or treating was a great success! Jacob had so much fun. He had no clue what was going on but he sure enjoyed it. Jenna did great too. I think the both got hot after 10min or so. Halloween is usually cold and nasty, but not this year. Go figure, both of their costumes were for 50 degree Halloweens, not 70 degree!

This is Jacob's gorilla aka "monkey" costume. The face doesn't show up well but it's really funny. It's very gorilla-ish. He LOVED it. When I showed it to him yesterday morning, he exclaimed "LOVE" and huged it, then took it to the rocking chair to snuggle!

This was a cool pumpkin at our neighbor's house. Jacob was fascinated by it.

And of course our little darling Jenna sporting the cute bib her Aunt Heather bought her.

Last Week

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a while-life gets so busy sometimes! I'll try to catch you up on what's been going on.

First of all, I'm going to be an aunt! I can't tell you how excited I am. I have been waiting and waiting for this. Brian's brother's wife is pregnant, due in late June. They live in Arizona now but Chris will graduate in May and they will be moving back to Dallas. It's so awesome that Jacob and Jenna will have cousins! I know Chris and Val will be AWESOME parents!

Now an update on us. I'll start with the bottom and work my way up. Jenna is doing great. She has become a pro at sucking her thumb. I have mixed emotions about this. It's nice that she can soothe herself but it's not like a paci that can be taken away at the appropriate time and age. She is also smiling and cooing tons, loves to sit in her bumbo chair, loves taking baths with her brother, and has gone 7hrs at night several times recently. She gets more and more beautiful every day!

Jacob is doing much better. He was sick for about 9 days. I was talking to one of our docs at work yesterday, telling him about Jacob and he said as long as he is symptom free after 10 days, it's most likely a virus and I did the right thing (according to the American Academy of Pediatrics) by waiting and not starting antibiotics. That's right folks, they recommend waiting 10 days before antibiotics. We barely made it but he really was better on day 10! I hate giving my kids drugs and wait as long as I can before medicating with Rx drugs. I know, I'm so old fashioned!

I am doing well. My allergies are driving me CRAZY but other than that I'm good. I broke down and took a Children's Claritin yesterday at work. That probably explains why I only pumped 8 ounces of milk; I usually get closer to 12oz. So I am now drug free, and seem better today.

Brian's birthday was Sunday. We had a Cowboy's game party. It was fun, mostly because they won. Several people couldn't make it 'cause they were sick, but I appreciate them not contaminating my house! Brian is now 1 away from 5 away from 40. He came up with that, not me! I got him a Romo jersey, and his mom gave him lots of money which he is going to use to buy a new off-duty gun that's a lot smaller than his duty gun.

We did make it to the Fort Worth zoo last Friday. I LOVE the Fort Worth zoo. I could go every week if we lived closer. Jacob had a great time. We took Brian's mom too because she had NEVER been before. I'm not sure how you can raise 3 kids here and never go to that zoo! Jacob's favorites were the parakeet pavilion, the penguins, and the monkeys. My favorite were the lion cubs (I think there were 3 or 4) that were wrestling and playing under mom's watchful eye.

Then, Saturday night we had a real date night! Brian and I went to dinner at SilverFox Steakhouse...yum! I always feel weird about spending that much money on food but it was SO GOOD. We had a good time and the kids had an even better time at MiMi and PaPa's. I think Jacob would rather be there than anywhere else. Brian is the same way. When we were done, he just wanted to go hang out at my parents for a while with the kids. It was a nice, relaxing evening.

Brian is in class all week so he will actually be home for dinner this week! That's all the excitement for now.

Jenna is now 2 months, 12lb and I can't remember how many inches!
Jacob playing with his new Elmo LIVE Nana bought him.


Let's see, my last post was about how mad I was that Jacob was sick...guess what? He's STILL sick. That's the crappy part about having a kid that doesn't go to daycare or somewhere that there are lots of germs. When he does get sick it lasts forever! Now he has respiratory and GI issues. It's not fun.

We even had to miss church-not just miss church but miss a BIG important day at church. A new pastor preached in view of a call, then was vote in! He sounds great from what I hear. I'm very excited to meet him and his family.

Jenna is doing great. She was really fussy and gassy this morning but seems better now. I heard a few coughs today which made me nervous but I continue to pray protection (from brother's germs) over her.

Brian's awards banquet was Saturday night. I think it was our first "date" since Jenna was born. It wasn't much of date though. He was the MC and had to be there early and stay late, plus he was up on the stage most of the night so I just sat there. The food was good. I wanted to stay and dance but mother nature called (had to go home and pump!).

Brian has a few extra days off this week...he took off for his birthday so we have a real date night planned and some other fun family stuff. We are so glad my parents are such good sports and keep our kiddos so we can enjoy a night out here and there. They even offered an overnight date but I'd have to get up and pump...think we'll wait a bit on that one!


This is Jacob being a toad...see the toad in front of him. And I thought he was a monkey!Me and my sweet Jenna. She is such a precious girl!