Jake is One!

Jake had a "one-derful" first birthday!  His daddy took off work to spend the day with him, which of course made both boys (and me) so happy.  He got his birthday presents first thing that morning.  His Nana got him a little four-wheeler so that he now has something to ride and play on when we're outside too!  Since our little one loves balls so much, we got him this little sports center to play with and a little football.  I've always given Cooper a book on his birthday instead of a card with a little note on the inside.  I decided to get Jake the same book as I gave Coop for his first birthday, Love You Forever.  It's just a classic!  

We also introduced him to our traditional birthday breakfast tradition: donuts!  He and his sweet tooth loved this!  I don't know how or when this became a tradition, but I feel like it's been for a long time now!

After breakfast, we had to do Jake's one-year pictures, and he showed off for me by showing me where his head is when I asked him.  I think it's so cute when he does it!

On Cooper's first birthday, we took him to the zoo for the first time.  Although Jake's been many times, it just seemed like the right thing to do that day.  After getting a quick Mexican lunch, we headed to the zoo, and it was rather cold!  It had been warm when we left he house, but it clouded over while we were at lunch, and it was cool!!  We all had fun nonetheless!

Griffin is the small giraffe you see in the middle.  He was born on New Year's Day this past year, and we always get so excited when Griffin is out!

We finished off our day with good naps and dinner at home.  Jake loves ice cream, so we went and got ice cream after dinner.  It was a wonderful day celebrating our baby and his first year.  As I rocked Jake that night, I couldn't help but just smile down at him.  I am so thankful of this child.  Every single thing about him.  God blessed us beyond measure with this sweet boy.  Lovable doesn't even begin to describe him!

A Hunter in the Making

My little adventurer has enjoyed several trips to the hunting club with his daddy and Pappy recently to get ready for deer season.  Four wheelers, chainsaws, and tools to put up the new shooting house he helped build...what more could this kid want?! My sweet father-in-law does a great job sending me pictures of their adventures.  These were two of my favorites!

My Little Boys

Some mornings are best spent bribing your children with candy so you can get some sweet pictures of them to mark your favorite ages/stages so far in motherhood!  Cooper is now a little way into being four.  I love Cooper at four!  He has such a servant's heart and wants to help anyone with anything all the time.  He has a sudden thirst for knowledge and is really starting to soak in so much academically.  If you know me, you know I am loving his sudden interest and excitement in the alphabet!  He looks after Jake so well and amazes me constantly with just how great of a big brother he is.  Jake was almost one when I took these pictures.  I love Jake at one!  He is so curious and suddenly has this independence blooming in him but still likes to have me close by for reassurance.  He has no problem letting us know when he doesn't like something these days.  He is the little brother, but he keeps his big brother in line.  He is so easy to make happy, but nothing makes him happier than Cooper.  And balls.  The boy loves any type of ball, but he seems to prefer footballs.  Little boys are special, but having two boys and getting to witness the bond and beauty (and messiness and rambunctiousness) of brotherhood is such a blessing.  As I fall more and more in love with my little guys and am soaking in the joy of them both being in such sweet stages at the same time (I know this may never happen again :)), I decided we needed to document this specialness!  Most of these pictures are of Jake since a candy bribe will only work for so long with Cooper, and Jake isn't mobile enough yet to get too far when I want to take his picture.  

Happy 1st Birthday, Jake!

I guess I've been in a mild state of denial that my baby is now one year old, and I've drug my feet on this post!  I can't believe he's one.  I see him as such a baby still, but I guess that's how it goes when it is your baby.  Do they ever really grow up in a mama's eyes?  

On the day Jake was born, I woke up at 4:00 a.m. having contractions (and went into immediate denial that I could be in labor...Jake seems to have that effect on me!).  At 4:35 I woke up Karl.  After a lot of stalling on my part and incredible patience on Karl's part, we arrived at the hospital at 6:00.  My contractions were 1 1/2-3 minutes apart at that point.  Jake was born at 9:45 that morning.  

The world became a better place when he took his first breath.  There was a sweetness, tenderness, and beauty in the world that hadn't been there a minute before.  I had spent months worrying and crying that I wouldn't love him as much as I Cooper and that I wouldn't have the same bond.  I laugh at that now.  

The moment I saw him, I was so head over in heels in love that I really believe I saw a glimpse of what it'll be like to enter Heaven one day.  Everything felt so perfect.  I looked at Karl a little bit later that day and giddily told him, "I do love him!" He laughed and said, "I told you you would."  

And oh how I do love this little boy, my baby boy.  He is a joy.  I've said it so many times on this blog, but he brings such a peace to our family.  The first year is so special as you witness your tiny brand new baby grow, learn, and explore.  Each stage is so short-lived, and each day is an adventure.  He is my little baby no longer; he is now my curious, sweet, sensitive, easy-going little toddler who tries to become more and more independent by the day.  

Thankfully he has a wonderful big brother who likes leading the way for him.  I pray they always will find a way to walk through life together like this.  

Happy 1st Birthday, Sweet Jake!  You are the joy of our lives!

Hello, Fall!

When I think of fall, I think of apples, so what better way to kick off fall than by making homemade applesauce?!  The other morning, Cooper and I got busy in the kitchen peeling, coring, and cutting apples.  I let Little Man cut the apples.  This was HUGE for him, and he was SOOOO excited!  Of course, I was standing right beside him constantly reminding him to check his finger position before cutting, but he did awesome and still has all 10 fingers.  Success.  Then he got to put the apples in the pot.  And pour in the water.  And measure out the sugar and put it in.  And put in the cinnamon.  He was feeling pretty big by the time we turned the stove on!  Once it was cooked, he even got to mash up the apples!  I don't like applesauce, but this stuff was really, really good!  And warm applesauce on a nice, cool morning that happens to be the first day of fall, well, gosh, does it get much better?!

Here's my little chef doing his thing:

 I know you can't smell this picture, but if you could, your heart would smile and you might start to drool a little...

Homemade Applesauce

4 apples peeled, cored, and chopped (we used red delicious)

3/4 c water (I might use a little less next time)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, cover, and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes.  Once the apples are nice and soft, mash with a potato masher.  

*I think the cooking time varies depending on the kind of apples you use because the recipe we used said 20-30 minutes, but this was not nearly long enough for us.  Red delicious are my favorite because of their texture and sweetness.  

*That night we warmed up the applesauce and put it over ice cream.  Oh my.  It was good!

Homemade applesauce + Ice cream = Deliciousness

Keeping It Real

I always mention how sweet Jake is, and while he is the sweetest little thing you'll ever meet, he has his moments, and when he does, this is how they look...

When he's really trying to make a point, he face plants for dramatic emphasis...

 But because he's a boy and still pretty little, the face planting sometimes distracts him, and he quickly moves on...

He's adorable even when he has one of his meltdowns!

This pic is one of those "just because" pictures...

Just because he's so cute...

Just because he's such a great big brother...

Just because he has more energy than I can fathom...

And just because he makes me laugh and keeps me humble...

 My Little Monkey

Jake~11 Months

11 Months...oh my goodness!  It's so hard to believe that this time last year I was one very big and pregnant mama, but it's also very hard to believe that my little sweetheart is already 11 months old.  The transition from a family of 3 to 4 was so smooth that it felt like Jake had always been here.  He has been so easy and such a joy.  The only real difference I feel since he's been here is that all of our lives are so much better.  He's brought us all so much happiness and gives a sense of peace to our family.  I had been so surprised when we found out Jake was a boy.  I just never imagined having two boys.  However, this boy is my bonus boy!  I had enjoyed Cooper so much (and still very much do), and now having two boys is just the greatest thing ever!  I didn't know I wanted another boy, but I got one, and I got possibly the sweetest little one in the whole world!  

Little Buddy is really branching out and exploring his little world.  He can crawl at lightning speed and pulls up on everything.  He loves to go off and crawl around the house, but as soon as he realizes I'm not around, he normally either comes looking for me or starts crying.  If I put him down and walk away, he gets very upset.  He loves to crawl over to me and either pull himself up on his knees or his feet and hugs my leg really tight until I pick him up.  

He is sleeping and eating great.  He still takes two naps a day.  He normally goes down for his morning nap between 9:30-10:30 and will sleep about an hour and a half on average.  He normally goes down for his afternoon nap between 1:30-2:30 and will sleep a little over an hour on average.  Bed time is between 8:00-8:30.  He had been getting up around 6:00 am to eat and then would go back to sleep for an hour or so; however, he kept creeping earlier and earlier, so I made him cry it out one night (I hate doing that, but sometimes you just get to that point where you know it's in their best interest; he only cried for about 15 minutes), and thankfully that's all it took, and he started sleeping later until around 6:30-7:00.  He did get up early again this morning, and I fed him so he would go back to sleep because I knew he wouldn't be able to take his nap until after 10:00 this morning.  You do what you gotta do!  He has boycotted being fed and wants to do it all by himself.  He loves fruit, is so-so about vegetables, meats, and cheese, and passionately loves Cheerios.  He also does great with his sippy cup but tends to just throw a spoon or fork if I give him one, so for now, he just eats with his precious little fingers.  I normally give him a baby food pouch at lunch and/or dinner to go along with whatever we're having, and then he also eats whatever we're eating too. When he's tired of eating or gets full, he starts throwing his food down for Sadie.  Needless to say, Sadie now loves Jake!  As for nursing, he is still doing great and nurses about 5 times a day (morning, before morning nap, before afternoon nap, late afternoon, and at bed time).  

I'm anxious to see how much he's grown when we go for him one year checkup.  He's pretty lean, but he is long!  I think he is pretty tall for his age.  He is wearing size 3 diapers and 12 month clothing overall.  He can still wear a lot of 6-12 month outfits.  He has short legs but a long torso, so for one piece outfits, bigger sizes work better; for shorts and shirts, smaller sizes are better.  

He loves to crawl up stairs, explore, play in Cooper's room, play with Cooper, dance, play on the bed and nose dive in the pillows, and take baths.  The boys now take baths together, and they love it!  They are so cute in the tub together too!  His favorite toys are balls.  He loves all of them, no matter the kind or size!  I think he will athletic.  He can throw well for an 11 month old and loves for you to throw the ball back to him.  To entertain himself, he will get one of his or Sadie's balls, throw it, crawl and get it, and then throw it again.  He can do this forever and gets so excited about it!  He also likes to play with Cooper's tool bench and firetruck ride-on toy.  Maybe Santa will bring him his own ride on toy for Christmas...

We have had to start telling him "no" sometimes as he gets more curious and adventurous.  Sadie's water bowl is just so tempting for him!  He does not like being told "no" though.  He will hold his hands up to his mouth and fake cry.  It's pretty cute.  Sometimes he gets really upset though and will for-real cry.  The other night Karl told him "no" very sternly and it really hurt his feelings.  He flattened himself on the floor with his arms and legs sprawled out, face on the ground, and bawled! It was so pitiful!  He is sensitive for sure.  Cooper used to laugh when we told him no!

We are gearing up for his first birthday and planning a sweet little pumpkin party for our sweet little pumpkin!