One of My Favorites

I love the Crock-Pot! I have been using it a lot lately! It's great to have supper ready on days when I give lessons until 6 or 7 or we have somewhere we need to be. Today I have supper going in one Crock-Pot and desert for small group in another crock-pot. All the work is done! It's fun to try new crock-pot recipes. I've found some really great ones in the last couple weeks.

The Party

We celebrated Jack's birthday with grandparents and Jack's friend, Harrison and his mommy. Jack received so many cute things. He got a mechanical dog that responds to touch and commands. He got cute clothes, puzzels, and cars. Mommy and Daddy enjoy playing with the new toys too. :)

Jack's Cake

Jack wears his hats everywhere. We think it's because Daddy wears hats everywhere. His favorite is his red Nike hat. I decided to try to duplicate his hat for his cake. The cake kind of evolved as I got started. I decided to put it on a base. He really likes balls too and actually throws pretty well, hence the baseball theme. As we were singing Happy Birthday, Jack realized the cake was like his hat and kept patting his head and smiling. I had fun!

September 27, 2008 - Jack's 2nd B-Day!

The morning of Jack's birthday, Craig and I gave him a gift from us. He has been really liking to play with cars lately. We got him a little garage with a car wash and roads. We have just as much fun as Jack opening his gifts, giving him the gifts.

A Fun Kind Of Busy

I am busy getting ready for Jack's birthday party which is tomorrow. The cake is baking and I am going to get as much cleaning done as I can now, while he is sleeping. I hope to decorate the cake tonight after he goes to bed. Craig and I are so excited! It's just so much fun to do things for the little man we love with our whole hearts!!! Pictures to come later.

So Funny!

Jack still isn't talking a whole lot. He makes sounds, points and uses some sign language. We know what he means. We work on our manners a lot. One of Jack's new favorite treats are Kraft caramels. I have some on the piano for students. He knows where they are. :) This morning, he was pointing and patting his tummy. I was sitting on the couch. He then came over to me and kept patting his tummy. I figured out he was saying please, only the sign for please is higher, on your chest. I said,"Oh, you're saying please. Higher!" Jack then stood on his tip-toes and raised his head and kept patting his tummy. He was higher. It was very funny in the moment. I didn't even know he knew what higher meant. I helped him with his hand and put it higher on his chest as we shared a caramel.

Spending Time In The Swing

Outside

We spent a lot of time outside this weekend. Yesterday, we found a praying mantis. Jack just stared, pointed and said, "Bug, bug!"

A Better Picture Of Jack and His Harmonica

Ready To Run Errands

I would ask him to smile and he kept giving me really cheesy grins. I think he really was trying to smile for me.

Playin' a Tune For Us

While I Was Away...

They definitely played! I went to the women's fall retreat with women from our church this past weekend. I played the piano for worship and got to enjoy the great speakers and fellowship of lots of friends. Craig and Jack had a good time at home. Craig has been pulling Jack around in the laundry basket and going up and down stairs ever since. (something they started this last weekend:)

We're Still Here!

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted. Time flies. Last week was busy and this week will be too. I am trying to get my house ready for Jack's birthday party a week from Saturday. My plan is to get everything in order this week, so next week will be a lot less stressful. It would be nice to only worry about the cake and maybe vacuuming a little. We'll see. Trying to get things done in between lessons, appointments, errands, small groups, etc., etc., is always a challenge. I do have some cute pictures and will try to get them posted later today. Right now, I am going to go put supper in the Crock-Pot.

Monday

I had fun at the Mall of America with Craig's mom. I'm just very tired today. It was a long trip for one day. We did a lot of window shopping and watching people which is always fun. We enjoyed Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks (another reason to love fall!!!) and ate lunch at Kokomo's Island Cafe. Craig is on vacation all week and is spending it working on our house. The rain has kind of hindered his progress today. Even though he is in the garage or the basement, I don't seem to be accomplishing as much as I usually do when he's not here. Jack wants to be wherever daddy is, which is challenging too. I love cool, rainy days!!! Jack is napping so it's time to balance the check book and pay bills.

Weekend Get-a-Way

I am headed to Tipton tonight after piano lessons to meet Craig's mom. We are then spending the night in Cedar Rapids so that we can meet a charter bus there at 5:00 am tomorrow morning. Are we crazy? Maybe. We are going to the Mall of America and back all in the same day. The trip is sponsored by Nordstrom, her employer. It will be beautiful weather for traveling and I'm sure will be a lot of fun. I already miss Jack though. He is just doing so many very cute things. I know he and Craig will have fun tomorrow. I think Craig has some fun things planned. He's such a great daddy!

Wouldn't Ya Know It...

My piano lessons cancelled for this afternoon. I was so motivated to get a lot done today, especially while Jack is napping. He just went down and I am getting the blurry vision I get right before a migraine. The headaches are manageable once they come. They used to be a lot worse. It's this crazy blurry vision and no peripheral vision for 1-2 hours that is frustrating. I guess my list won't get any shorter today.
:(

One Of My Projects

I have been cleaning out our linen closet. We don't have much storage here, so it holds towels, cleaning supplies, medicine, and some other things. I have been working a little at a time to clean it out and reorganize it the last few days. I would get a little done and then Jack would wake up or I would have a piano lesson. I would just put everything back in and shut the door. I finally finished today. I keep opening the door and looking at our organized closet. I wonder how long it will stay this way.

Almost...

tall enough to reach the sink. The little step stool we bought, helps, but needs to be a couple inches higher.

A Couple More

I thought this was a cute picture of Jack and Daddy waiting for lunch in the park Sunday.



Jack and his buddy Harrison enjoying their popsicles.

Yummy!

Yesterday, our church had it's service in the park to celebrate the end of summer. It was great! After the service, we had lunch and played games there. I stole these pictures from my friend Amy.