why...

So, we have now entered the "why" phase.  When does it end??  It's kindof driving us crazy.  Here is an example:

jake: Where is Gracie?

me: She is taking a nap.

jake: why?

me: Because she is tired and needs some sleep.

jake: why?

me: she is just a little baby and they need lots of sleep.

jake: why?

This could go on a little longer before i try to change the subject or do something to end the rapid fire of why's.  I think it is great that he is being inquisitive and trying to understand stuff, but there comes a point when i think it is just and automatic response.  anyway, he is a funny guy. 

There hasn't been anything super exciting or out of the ordinary happening, so this post will be kindof a random collection of pictures and stories.  I'll start off with a few shots of Gracie.  I keep expecting some teeth to break thru, but so far...nothin.

Brooke gave Jake some pointers on polishing off a gallon of milk without dirtying a glass.

  

Yesterday I was on the phone with my friend Marcey and I noticed something by the front door.  I thought it was a tarantula and started freaking out.  Brooke wasn't home and i had no idea how i would be able to contain it so it didn't run wild in our house.  Then i realized it hadn't moved since i saw it and i got brave enough to get closer and see what it was.  It turned out to be a toy airplane.  I was never more relieved to be wrong.  You see, here in Albuquerque we have a tarantula season.  In October they come out of hiding for a few weeks for mating season.  I am always on edge when i have to go into the garage and whenever I am outside.  I've never heard of them coming into peoples houses, but it is still a very nervous time for me.

Last week Brooke actually saw one on the flight line when he was walking out to the plane.  This will give you an idea of the creepiness we are dealing with here!

This week we have been walking to the mailbox in the afternoon.  I've been wanting to give Grace some stroller time so she can start getting used to it.  So far so good, she seems to like it.  Jake has been taking his motorcycle and practicing pedaling and he is getting better at it.  I'll try not to let so much time go by between postings!  Enjoy your week!

silly kids

Jake is the best at getting a good laugh out of Grace. Yesterday afternoon we were doing stuff in the kitchen and he just looked at her and she started cracking up. No matter how much she smiles or laughs, we still get a kick out of it. We are so glad to have her in our family!

camping

This weekend our ward organized a little camping trip.  We were so excited to go!  Brooke and I hadn't been camping since we were first married, so it was high time for a camping trip!  The site was only about 45 minutes away and it was a really nice campground.  Quite a few people came and it turned out being a really fun overnighter.  The kids did great...Jake even slept in until 7.  We asked Jake what his favorite part was and he said playing with the kids and the toys.  Now we've got the camping bug.  We will see when we get to go again. 

weekend update

This last weekend was a fun one. Friday was Brooke's birthday...Happy Birthday!  When Brooke got home from work, we headed off to Red Lobster for dinner.  Jake voted for Chuck E. Cheese, but we both overruled him on that one.  Dinner was yummy....I ripped thru my crab legs in record time and the guys enjoyed their shrimp while Grace took in the new scenery.

When we got home, Jake and Brooke wrestled in the backyard while Grace and I watched from the sidelines.  Jake was into rolling across the grass and when he did, he would close his eyes like he was under water.  It was pretty cute.

And here is Gracie chillin on her blanket.  She is getting so big so fast!

Saturday, we went and watched a local rocketry club launch some rockets.  Jake definitely didn't like this.  It was a bit too loud for his taste.  After that, Brooke went to go fly and I embarked on my first time canning.  I got a box of peaches from someone at church and since there is no way we could eat thru the whole thing, i decided to try canning them.  It wasn't too hard, it just took some time.  I was very tired by the time i had finished, but I love looking in my pantry and seeing the 10 beautiful jars of peaches that we now have!  It was a great weekend!

School update:

Jake is doing great at his pre-school.  Last Thursday when I picked him up, he said to me "Thankyou for taking me here mom".   And yesterday when we pulled into the parking lot, he said "Oh, I'm so happy!".  They actually had some ponies there yesterday for the kids to have a ride on.  I guess it made Jake a little nervous.  He wouldn't get on one, but he did pet one with his teacher.  We are glad he is enjoying this new adventure!

First day of School...

Last week I signed Jake up for pre-school.  Because I did it last minute, I wasn't quite prepared for how much he would be gone!  Ok, it is only 2 days a week for 3 hours in the morning...but suddenly, that seemed like alot to me.  Ever since we went in last week, Jake has been so excited to start school.  I was nervous for him when I dropped him off, but he just ran right into the room, gave me a quick hug and he was off.  I am excited for him.  It will be good for him to be around other kids and have some more social interaction with them.  When I picked him up, his teacher said he did great and Jake said he had a fun day.  On the way home, we got McDonalds for lunch as a special treat because it was his first day of school.  I'm so glad he had fun!

vacation fun

Thursday night we got back from spending 2 weeks in Washington.  We had such a good time visiting friends and family.  Our time there went WAY too fast and it made us miss the Northwest even more.  On our way to Washington, we stopped in Utah for a Hanson family reunion.  We were only there for a couple days, but we managed to squeeze in some fun.  These first few pics are from when we were visiting temple square.

The next day, we hit Lagoon.   This was Jakes first time at an amusement park.  We were interested to see how he would do with the rides.  He loved all the kiddie rides and with no nap, he was VERY tired by the time we left. 

  

His most daring ride was the Log Flume.  He didn't see the final drop, and we didn't point it out to him.  I don't think he would have gone on the ride had he see that part.  I think the drop took him by surprise, but when i asked him if he had fun, he said he did.  When I asked if he wanted to go on the ride again, he quickly replied...no.

  

Grace had a hard time getting naps in because it was so noisy there, but for the most part, she was pretty good.  Here she is lounging in her car seat.

Most of the time we were in Washington, we were relaxing and hanging out with family.  We have some friends, the Jerdons, who we knew from our time in England.  They are living in Eugene right now, so we arranged to meet them at the beach.  It was so great to see them and catch up.  They have two boys, Caleb and Brenden, and Jake had such a fun time playing with them.  Here are a few shots from the beach.  I think this is the closest Jake got to the water.

Here are the boys out back at the house we stayed at.  

I tried to take a few pictures of Jake, but he was NOT being cooperative.  oh well, maybe next time.

        

And here is the whole gang.  It was so much fun to see them and catch up with what was happening in their family.  Thanks for meeting us there...we will have to do it again sometime!

Once afternoon, we went with Temple and some of the cousins to a nice spot on the river.  The weather was so perfect and it was so fun.

We were all a bit surprised when Jake went running into the water without any prompting from us.  I think he was chasing his cousin Mark in there.  We were glad to see him get a little more daring.  I think the water got up to his waist at one point.

Grace napping again!

We had such a fun time on our trip.  Jake loved seeing his grandparents, cousins and meeting new friends.  Now we are back to life as usual.  It's kindof nice that we have this long weekend to ease is back into it!

fun in the sun

This week we pulled out the little blowup pool and set it up out back.  Jake loved it for the first few days, but then i think the novelty wore off because his swimming lessons started, so this little pool seems pretty weak compared to the big pool where he has lessons.

And here are a few shots of Gracie doing some of her favorite things....drooling...

chewing her fingers...

and smiling.