And we're off..............

We are ready to face the road once again.....this time with our 80 lb. dog in tow as well. The 12 (and then some) hour drive will be quite a challenge we are assuming but we are staying positive. Our first stop will be Colorado to finally meet Jace's new cousin Keenan and visit Alisa, Eric, Maveric, and Sasha. Then it's off to South Dakota to see Great Aunt Rita and let Ozzy run till he can't run anymore!! Our plan is to wear Jace out before the drive so we have been staying as busy as possible. Mommy must admit however she has been somewhat of a slacker in the picture department! Saturday was the annual Sturgis Falls so Jace was able to attend his first parade--Mommy took no pictures. Saturday night was Jace's Great Uncle Keith's surprise birthday party--Mommy took no pictures. Sunday Jace got to go back to Sturgis with Davon and Haley and watch Chinese Dancer's in the kids tent. He loved the bright colors and thought about taking up karate in the future. And Mommy even remembered to take a picture!!

This week has been great weather (although a little warm) so Jace has done what he loves most--play outside.



He has also been working on 'Mommy hugs' which she LOVES!

We are not sure if Jace is disco dancing here or just reminding everyone that he is #1?????

The rest of the week Jace has a visit from Grandma (so she can get her 'Jace fix' before our trip) and a trip to the pool. Hopefully by the time our loooong drive comes he will be pooped and will snooze!!! Until we get back.......

Random Thoughts

We have an overflow of pictures on our computer--due to Mommy's increasing obsessiveness with getting pictures of absoluely EVERYTHING. Here's a few---

Playing dress-up with Aunt Erin (Mommy would never do this to Jace)--of course this is one to break out on his wedding day!!

Sliding with Aunt Erin--notice the look of terror on her face while Jace calmly sucks his thumb!

Perfecting his sitting--he really is sitting all by himself and is not leaning on the wall-- it is an optical illusion--we swear!!

Sleepy baby

Smooth Operator

Daddy Rulz!!

We love Daddy and today was his special day!! Jace helped Mommy make him a cake--of course Jace didn't understand why he couldn't dig in himself!

Jace and Ozzy also each had their own present for Daddy so they took turns posing with them.


We really hope that Daddy's first Father's Day was extra special!!

Jace has been a busy little bee the past week. He even got to go visit his friends Mia, Karla, and soon-to-be Baby Dunagan. He had a great time with them and is still perfecting the 'shimmy' that Mia taught him. He can't wait to meet Baby ?? Dunagan!
Mommy also decided to share some random recent pictures of 'Jace Moments'.

Mohawk Madness!!

I love Peas!!!

Swimming with Davon and Haley.

This is Jace's newest pose. It actually kills 2 birds with 1 stone for him. When he gets tired of practicing his sitting he simply leans forward to rest. Then he discovered that while resting, he has a perfect opportunity to nibble on his toes!! He's a genius we say!!!

Two Little Monkeys

Jace finally got to hang out with his buddy Preston this week. Jace, Mommy, and Daddy, met Preston and his Mommy and Daddy at the Des Moines Zoo. Jace and Preston were glad to spend some time together and were ready to roll as soon as we got there.

Of course Jace also got to hang with Mommy...............

And Daddy........................

After a while Jace and Preston got a little more comfortable together and decided to really check eachother out...

Preston got so comfortable that he contemplated putting Jace's foot in his mouth!!

Of course after a long day at the zoo, Jace needed a little break....................

In the end it was a great day and Jace and Preston are sure to have many great times together, just as their Mommy's have!

On the Road Again.......

Jace has been at it again.....traveling all over the place! Daddy was in another wedding this weekend so Mommy and Jace made the trip down Saturday afternoon. The wedding was inside this weekend in a somewhat small church. Just small enough to be seated pretty cozy in relation to the rest of the guests. Jace was great at the beginning with the music playing and the wedding party walking etc, etc. After the music stopped and things got quiet is when Jace decided to make his presence known. No, he did not start crying....he took it upon himself to fill his drawers right then! Now Jace is capable of accomplishing this feat with litle or no sound---not Saturday! It was so loud Daddy claims he heard it from the altar! Most of the guests around us were looking at eachother trying to figure out who just let one! We would have been in the clear if Jace had just let it be-- but he took it upon himself to then let out a huge grunt just so there was no question about who did it!! Mommy spent much of the rest of the wedding trying to muffle the aftershocks in Jace's diaper and smother the smell!! She did have a chance to catch a quick picture of Jace and Daddy on the way to the bathroom! Notice Jace looks somewhat smug--and a little proud.

After the wedding reception, Jace and Mommy drove to Grandma and Grandpa's since it was quite a bit closer than home... and they never seem to object to having Jace there. On Sunday Jace got to go to out to eat with his great, terrific, fabulous Aunts Kay and Debbie. After eating Jace decided he would like to try going to the park. If there is one thing becoming apparent in the last few weeks it is that Jace is somewhat fearless. In fact his courage is growing much quicker than his muscles. Mommy is sure this equation is going to equal some bumps and bruises by the time his body catches up to what he thinks he can do!
Jace loved swinging!! You could tell he really thought he was king of the world!


Jace also got to try the slide although Mommy appears to be enjoying it just as much, if not more than Jace!

When Mommy and Jace got home Monday afternoon it was HOT!! Jace hung out by his pool for a little while before we decided it was time for a bath. Notice that Jace's tub is now inside of the big tub. Jace has also discovered how to splash! He went from sitting totally still while being bathed to a complete maniac splashing 3/4 of the water out all over the floor. That's when his tub was moved. He loves the water though--note the fearlessness coming through as he flirts with falling face first in the water!

Jace's toes are also one of the coolest things in the world right now (at least to him). He can't get enough of them--even while taking a bath. He tried for about 5 minutes to get them in his mouth!!

Not too long after Jace got out of the bath he fell asleep playing on the floor--which NEVER happens!! Mommy thought he looked way too cute to move and decided to leave him there until after supper.

Of course she should have remembered the one sure fire way to wake Jace---start to eat!! He woke just in time to enjoy the great weather and eat outside with Mommy, Daddy, and Aunt Erin.

Another fearless move Jace is beginning to attempt is what Mommy likes to call his 'swimmin' on the floor' stance. He lays flat on his belly and lifts his head, arms, and legs, and starts flailing them. He definitely thinks he is going to go somewhere doing this. Unfortunately Mommy had not been able to catch him in the act in a picture because she has been trying to show him that he is going to have to lift his budda belly up first!!!

Running Fools

After many weeks of Mommy's indecisiveness and comparing and reviewing we have finally done it!!!!! We got our jogger stroller!! So far Ozzy, Mommy, and Jace love it! Jace falls asleep within minutes whenever we go running with it! Ozzy loves it too because we are back to our early morning runs from the pre-pregnancy days! Our newest goal is for Mommy and Jace to do a 5k together--the sooner the better before he gets TOO heavy!

Jace would also like to show off his new onsie which Mommy finds absolutely hilarious!

And finally, Jace wanted to share his progress in the sitting up department. He's doing great but we have to be very cautious of the tippage---he tips over if he moves his head or arms!! :)

Looking to Buy Real Estate in Wisconsin

Our second roadtrip of the young summer consisted of heading to LaCrosse Wisconsin for a wedding. Apparently Jace loves Wisconsin and Mommy and Daddy are thinking of buying property there! He was a dream baby all weekend!! Friday we were running a little late between FORGETTING Jace's FOOD, pottying, and taking wrong roads. By the time we actually got to our hotel we had about 1/2 hour to get ready for the rehearsal. This meant Jace had very little time to stretch and unwind from the drive. Even after all this he sat through the entire rehearsal and dinner without a peep! We were so proud of him!!
As you can see, Jace was still all smiles when we got back to the hotel.......

Saturday morning we had a little time before the wedding festivities so Mommy and Jace decided to GO SWIMMING!!

Jace thought he was a little fish and desperately wanted to put his face in the water.

This is after Jace threw up in the pool!! That will explain any white floaties in the background!! It didn't faze him though--although Mommy made a mental note to not feed Jace immediately before swimming next time!

The wedding ceremony itself was outside and was very, very pretty. Jace was pretty unimpressed with the lack of action and decided to take a cue from his friend Logan and snooze.

The reception was much more lively and Mommy was able to get a picture of her two handsome men......

Jace was apparently not done partying because he was up bright and early Sunday morning. He did agree to nap a little longer as long as he could lay in bed with Mommy. Daddy caught her letting Jace sleep in bed with her after he came back upstairs from breakfast. Ooops.

And, as any father and son should do, Daddy and Jace made their first visit together to Hooters--too bad for them Mommy was also in attendance. Jace found the menu quite entertaining--we think he was looking at the pictures of the food--just like Daddy does there.