The Big Trip!

In April, we headed to Washington to celebrate Jack and Lanie's birthdays. Jack had never been on a plane and Lanie was only 7 months the last time she flew, so the anticipation was building at our house the week before the big trip!

Favorite new pose

These were the last moments before complete meltdown...

We made it!

Daddy's Birthday

Too Much Fun

Easter Morn

The festivities began at our house Easter morning before getting ready to go to aunt Suzie's for the big hunt and dinner.

Silly Grandpa!

Grandpa and Lanie had a great time dyeing Easter Eggs. I even got to do other things and pawn the whole job off on him. (Lanie and I had already dyed our share in the week before the big event) Of course by the time I got everything settled and all the supplies out, it only took them about 10 minutes to do the 6 eggs, but that was just the right amount of fun for Lanie!







































Ta-da, the final products!!!!(or De-Da-Da, as Bug would say)

Just A Warm-Up...

The day before Easter we went to the town Easter egg hunt. Lanie was soooo excited. She took off so fast when they opened the gates that grandpa and daddy lost track of her and didn't find her until she had already found all of her eggs (I think 12 in all). Luckily mom was able to keep

up!

Even Jack grabbed an egg!

Almost a Year

I cannot believe Jack will be a year old in less than a month. Where on Earth has the time gone? I know I always feel time flies by, but this seems especially true with our "little Jackman". He has sailed through his first year and seems grown up already. He is saying so many words, many more than I remember Lanie saying at that age. I guess he must feel he needs to keep up with sister's constant jabbering. While it may not be clear to others, David, Lanie and I have no doubt he is already saying the following: Ball, Got it, What's that (with a point), dada, mama(finally!), Jack, and many others I can't think of in this moment... Much to Lanie's disappointment, he is not saying her name yet, but he has tried "sister" several times.
We thought Jack would be walking around like a wild man a month ago, but when he got sick(stomach bug) it seemed to slow him down. He can take 4 or 5 steps, but he tries to practically run so he is not exactly stable. However, this does not keep him from getting into absolutely everything. With Lanie, we never even childproofed our house. Jack, on the other hand, is another story. We learned early on that he would and did put everything he could get his hands on into his mouth. We soon realized those handy little electrical outlet plugs were another must . Jack also feels he should be able to climb the stairs whenever he wants. I was amazed when he tried to climb them a month or more ago and made it all the way to the top. (with daddy right behind him) However, at the time I knew that it meant trouble! Now we cannot keep him away from the stairs. The gate has to be up constantly.
When it comes to eating, Jack and Lanie are about as different as can be. Lanie ate everything we gave her, except tomatoes, which she still hates. Jack won't eat half of the things she did. Vegetables are a nightmare for him. I have to think of a million ways to disguise them. One day he'll eat cauliflower, the next week he'll throw it on the floor every time. He won't even eat potatoes. What kid doesn't love mashed potatoes? I also figured eggs would be a sure thing, but no way. You should see the face he makes...He would live on crackers, meat, and applesauce if I let him, but that is a definite no-no. All I can do is keep trying to give him a variety of things, but some days it's more than a little frustrating to watch half his dinner land on the floor!
I can't believe I actually had time to write more than a couple sentences here, never mind the fact that it's the middle of class and I should be grading papers.

At Last!

There is nothing better than the first official spring walk, especially with 2 kids. They had such a great time. Lanie was exclaiming how beautiful everything was and Jack had a permanent grin on his face...
despite what it looks like in this picture!

Fine folks from Washington

February brought the much anticipated arrival of auntie Erin and uncle Andrew. We had been pumping Lanie up for weeks, and I think the visit met all of her expectations and more. She had a totally captivated and attentive audience for 10 days and basked in the glory of being auntie's little girl. Her and uncle Andrew made more Valentine's cards than I can count. (Jack being the lucky recipient of most)It was almost like she didn't have parents for those few days...Jack fell in love with them both and again loved having non-stop attention. David and I even got to go for a walk at Kerr Dam and out to dinner for Valentine's which was a much-needed treat. In addition I had a wonderful visit with my sister and got to know my new brother-in-law even better. I know it's asking a great deal, but I hope this can be an annual or bi-annual tradition!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Happy New Year!

The look says it all "I'm tired and I don't want you to take my picture in this stupid hat!!!" or as Lanie would say in simpler terms "I tired"

Lovely Birthday Surprise

David made this lovely birthday cake and Lanie decorated it all on her own. She asked me for flowers and created a masterpiece.

They're Here!

Auntie Erin and Uncle Andrew arrived on Sunday and it's as if Lanie and Jakc have forgotten they have parents. They are totally entranced by Erin and Andrew and would be content with David and I fading into the background. I'll have to say it's kind of nice. I actually have the time and space to get things done--like cooking dinner and picking up!
I'm going to post some old pics, but the keyboard on my computer(where the pics are) is broken so I won't be able to add any comments. Right now I'm borrowing a laptop from the computer cart...I'll update everything when my new keyboard gets in. I hope this finds everyone doing well and getting ready for spring!

Christmas Day

Christmas Morning