Our Stuffed Little Turkey

Yes our little turkey is indeed stuffed! He has been stuffing his face since Wednesday night! He has amazed many over the course of 5 days with his ability to put it away! Jace's 1st Thanksgiving weekend began on Wednesday night at Gma and Gpa F.'s. Of course he had to have his first taste of KC chicken. Did he like it?? Of course! Thanksgiving Day was also a hit with little Jacer. He filled his belly with turkey and all the fixins! He even liked the cranberry sauce!!

Mmmm....yummy


Do I look full???? NEVER!


Friday morning Mommy and Aunt Erin decided it would be fun to check out the crowds and go shopping. Of course Jace slept late that morning which meant a later start than expected. Then Mommy's car got mad and started shouting 'STOP'...'Break Default'. After finally getting word that the car was indeed ok, the crew finally made it to B-town. Worst decision ever. Mommy will NEVER go shopping on Black Friday again. Jace was even less enthused.

Booooring!!!


STILL Boooooooring!!

This picture was captured shortly after the clerk in one store decided to take Jace's thumb out of his mouth and pop it in her own! Mommy was so flabbergasted she couldn't even say a word. Jace was not fazed and promptly inserted it BACK IN HIS OWN MOUTH!! Ewwwww. Once again......Never again on Black Friday.

Friday evening Jace got together with his cousins and watched the lighted X-mas parade. He enjoyed about 1/2 of it before Mommy and Daddy thought it was a smidge too cold.


Friday night was a bit of a milestone for Mommy. Her first night out on the town in 2 years. Yes, you read right....2 years. Mommy had only 3 rules for the night....1. No liquor 2. No shots 3. No dancing

This is Mommy taking it easy (breaking rule #2) at around 9:30.

As you may have guesssed rules 1 and 3 were broken in subsequent hours. Mommy also would like to include a transcript from her and Aunt Erin's conversations leading up to a hellish Saturday morning.

Friday night 9:30 pm
Aunt Erin: It's ok...I'll get up with Jace in the morning. Go ahead and have fun.
Mommy: Are you sure?
Aunt Erin: Of course!

Saturday morning 11:00 am
Aunt Erin: (rubbing her eyes and yawning as she stretches and gets up) Good morning! I have the perfect cure for a hangover! Sleep as long as you possibly can!
Mommy: (turning slightly green after being awake since 5:00 am) What happened to getting up with Jace?

Sunday Jace got to celebrate yet again at Nana and Papa Cooks. And once again, he ate like a champ! Mommy even had to have dessert just for him! The things she does for her boy!


Hanging with the boys watching football.


And almost last but not least, Jace now has a total of four teeth with another one right on their tail. 2 broke through on top this weekend and another is so close you can almost brush it!

And really last but not least, Jace started his new daycare today. He did wonderful!! Mommy was so worried but only called once. Jace even managed to take 2 naps--one of which was a whole hour! Way to go Jace!! Mommy couldn't be more proud of her little man!!

515 1/2 Franklin.......and a few additions

Jace got to go to Des Moines with Mommy this weekend to meet up with some old college buddies. Oh how times have changed!! There were several additions to the reunion this time. Mikey D is one of Jace's new dudes. Mikey is 2 months old and belongs to Karla, Mommy's old roommate. Jace also was able to meet Courtney, who belongs to Amy, Mommy's other good friend from college. Courtney is 5 months old and was showing some interest in the older, opposite sex. That's not to say that Mikey D. won't give Jace a run for his money in the future. For now however it appears that Courtney is attracted to men that crawl--or maybe it's the hair? Of course Aunt Mia and Aunt Chrissy were also in attendence to liven things up. Mommy and Jace always have such a good time when everybody gets together--we really wish we lived closer!

Jace and Courtney.........Jace liked patting her on the head. He got a few tugs in on her hair as well! Daddy is going to have to have a talk with him about how to properly flirt!


Jace and Mia.......Jace found Mia and Chrissy quite entertaining. He surely loved the discussion of the good old days--when our only worry was a stick man in underwear, or having a beach party in our living room. Of course maybe someday Jace can record corny phone messages for hours on end as well.


Jace got to know Mike, Mikey D's Daddy, as well. He decided to take a load off and talk a little football with Mike.


Please note that the next pose was done soley by Courtney's Mommy. Jace does look good in pink though. Real men wear pink. Boo yeah!


Could it be the next generation of Panthers???


We can't wait to we see everyone again! Until then we'll live in our memories of Franklin Street!!
And a special note the the 515 1/2 Frankliners---as I wrote this I heard 867-5309 in my head--only it went 266-6976!! :) I'll never forget that number!

Movin' on Up

We have found a new daycare! We think Jace is going to do very well there. On Mondays he will be there by himself with just one other little boy there for 3 hours in the morning. The rest of the week Jace will be with 2 little girls--one 7 months, and one 3 years old. Wednesdays will still be 'Jace and Daddy days' at home. Jace was able to spend time at his new daycare a couple days this week with Daddy. Daddy was home with Jace Wed. and Fri. so they spent some time playing with his new friends and he really seemed to enjoy himself. There is also a big dog there which Jace LOVES!
And in other news......

We have been working on the sippy cup. Jace could care less what is in it so the switch to milk should be a breeze. The problem arises when Jace actually has to DRINK out of it. He would much rather turn it upside down and watch a steady stream of liquid drench his drawers. Mommy decided to stand firm on this one. No laughing when Jace is intentionally being naughty. Jace is not sure what to think of this new found strictness. He has decided the best response is to ignore Mommy. When Jace intentionally dumps out his sippy cup, Mommy immediately takes it away. Jace then proceeds to turn until he can't see her anymore and stay there pouting for several minutes. Oh it is rough being Jace!

Jace received this little car from Papa Cook when he was just an itty bitty little dude. He loves it now. We shuttle him around the living room on it and he thinks he is king of the world!

Jace is becoming quite the smarty pants. He is getting very good at taking the rings off his ringy toy thingy and stacking them back on. He also is getting good with his baby signs. He will sign 'more' indepentently when it is a really yummy food. Jace is also imitating like a mad man! His favorite sound at the moment is /b/. Therefore we have been playing with tons of books, blocks, toy bugs.....you get the idea.

Thursday night was the tree lighting parade downtown. Mommy saw a sign saying that there was free hot chocolate and cookies so of course no amount of cold and wind was going to stop us. Two of her favorite words in one offer---chocolate and free! Jace was bundled up like a bug in a rug but did well and enjoyed the lights and the music. He is a dancer--and yes Mommy is holding off on teaching him any of her rather infamous moves!

Our little marshmallow

Daddy and Jace---ready for Jace's very 1st Christmas!!!!


That's all for now---Jace and Mommy are headed to Des Moines this weekend for an official 515 1/2 Franklin reunion!

Randomness

It seems as if we are due for some random Jace footage. Here goes it!

Our little daycare delinquent eating his first chocolate chip cookie--I must say that it was a hit!

Speaking of delinquent...this is Jace after he got in trouble again and again......and AGAIN for trying to go down the steps while Mommy was folding laundry. It wouldn't be so bad if he really thought going down the steps was ok OR if he was not totally getting in trouble on purpose. Mommy thought the only way to contain the little man was to throw him in the laundry basket.

As you can see that worked for about 2 seconds. Sitting led to this, and this led to......well you can probably guess. While Mommy was busy taking a picture of Jace in his pseudo timeout, Jace tipped himself over. After much reassuring and kissing and calming Jace was right back to his old self. Headed right back to the stairs!

This defintely looks bad. Mommy has tried so hard to spare Jace from the horrible addiction she meets head on every day. She thought never giving his lips that first sweet taste of chocolate may somehow trick his brain into thinking it isn't the best thing in the entire world. She has been defeated. As shown above, Jace loves cookies. This particular occasion was Oreos. It all goes downhill from there.


That concludes our Tuesday night randomness. Stop back soon because there will no doubt be more.

Crazy little thing called life!

Jace has had a crazy few days. Actually Jace doesn't even realize but Mommy and Daddy have had a crazy few days. To make a long story short, we are in the process of finding new daycare for little Mr. It seems his current situation isn't the best for all those involved so we are going to move on. It will be hard--especially for Jace--but it is for the best. It just stinks being on the hunt again--it is so hard to find someone that you really trust.
Now on to what we're all really here for...........pictures of the little prince.

Playing around at bathtime..........

We still have yet to find a food Jace doesn't like. On this particular night you will see he thoroughly enjoyed his meal--beef stew, salmon, cheese, crackers, and pudding!

Yes....it is tiring being this cute!

Friday night Jace was able to attend the state volleyball tourney to watch Mommy's alma mater, Holy Trinity, win.

He really caught on to cheering for the team and clapped along with everyone--even though it was waaaay past his bedtime--we're talking like 7 pm!!


We'll keep you posted on the daycare situation. Hopefully we'll have new arrangements within the next week or so!!
Adios!!

Bug, Bug, Go Away!

To those of you who haven't seen us in several weeks--count your lucky stars. This flu bug is becoming a major pest! Jace was sick last week--and is even still having some trouble keeping food in him. Then all 3 of the other kids at daycare got sick, then Ilene--our daycare lady--got sick. Next, Grandma F. came down with the flu! Mommy was feeling pretty smug about her top notch immune system on Thursday afternoon, when low and behold, Thurday evening, Mommy got sick! Now everybody seems to be on the mend but of course 'the bug' couldn't leave Daddy out! He is a little under the weather today! Whew! Cross your fingers that this week is better! Soooo, we haven't been doing much. In fact we've missed out on a bunch. Jace was supposed to go watch cousin Tracy try on wedding dresses in her very own fashion show this weekend. Boo. We were very sad to miss it! Jace was also supposed to hang with little Mikey D. What a bummer! Go away bug--nobody wants you here!!!
Anyway by Saturday afternoon we were feeling a little better and Sunday was even better than that. Jace and Mommy were able to squeeze some shopping, swinging, and household chores into the weekend, which brightened our day and made us feel great! Jace thinks it's the shopping that did the trick--who is Mommy to argue??

Jace's purchase on our shopping trip--A warm and cozy winter hat!

Finally some fresh air!

Jace loves helping Mommy fill up his tub.

Look at this big helper! Jace also loves to help unload the dryer. He does a great job of getting everything out but sometimes tries to throw it all back in!

We aren't sure how the little boogers are communicating but it seems Jace's cousin Keenan is a bad influence! Jace's newest hobby is going up the stairs....over and over and over! This isn't the only habit of Keenan's Jace has picked up.... Mommy dug the first morsel of dog food out of Jace's mouth the other day!


We wanted to tell Papa Cook that we hope he is feeling better! We are thinking about you!

Happy Halloween!

Jace celebrated his first Halloween yesterday by being at home with Daddy and Ozzy. They got right down to playing before Mommy had a chance to even leave for work.

Dogpile!!

Now, to fully enjoy Jace's experience we must start from the beginning. Surprisingly enough this brings us back to AUGUST when Mommy decided it was time to find the perfect costume. Mommy spent many hours combing the internet, comparing price, size, and overall cuteness for Jace's very first Halloween costume. There were many factors to consider--some costumes look great on kids standing, some look better on those in a crawl position. Now this did take some skill and intuitivness on Mommy's part. What if she got a costume for standing children and Jace was still crawling or vice versa?? Mommy decided to take a risk and buy the costume that looked best on all fours. This leads us to Jace's fabulous Lobster! The many legs just wouldn't look the same if he was standing up! So the costume has been in our possession for well over a month and a half, hanging there patiently. So Halloween comes-- Jace is ready... Mommy is ready.... trick-or-treating is nearing. Mommy gently grabs the Lobster, lays Jace down, inserts his limbs, and zips it up.....Oh wait--the zipper the falls off!!!! Daddy wasn't sure what to do---he kind of chuckled nervously. Mommy kept her cool and gingerly used every ounce of fingernail she had to work the STUPID thing up. Ok so finally we have the costume on. This did not entirely thrill Jace, although he was more accepting than might have been expected considering trick-or-treating was at 6 pm. Jace's bedtime is a firm 6:30 with very few exceptions. This strict time was not imposed by Mommy or Daddy but Jace who does not like to deviate. So Jace is somewhat grumpy because his costume is hot and it's bedtime. Next, his buddies Davon, Haley, and Davion came over so we could hit the mall together.


Of course the usual posing for pictures (which Jace is very used to) happens and we are off. Upon arriving at the mall Jace gets carried by Daddy and gets his very first trick-or-treat candy (with Mommy not far behind snapping a picture)!

Next, Jace goes in his stroller and reaches for his sippy cup only to discover that he has claws and cannot grab anything! So Mommy improvises and feeds Jace herself. Jace calms a little and would love to sit back and get a good thumb suckin in. Can he do that with his CLAWS?? No! Needless to say Jace was happy to get home and out of his long awaited Lobster costume. Mommy doesn't think we will be saving it for Baby #2!
We would like to end with one of Daddy's fabulous creations. This would be called 'The Pumpkin Eater'. Please don't be alarmed---if you remember from a previous post these pumpkins look very similar to the 'big daddy' and 'little Jace' pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. These are different--Daddy is NOT eating Jace!