Week Twenty Six

Hey mom...can you see me? Jack has really taken an interest to his blocks. He will sit on the blanket and play with them for a long time, which is great since it entertains him long enough for me to take a shower!


Jack watched his first Baby Einstein video this week. He LOVED it! If any of you are looking to purchase stocks I would say a safe bet would be Baby Einstein, Pampers, and Shout. The Hanks family will make sure your investments in these do well!


Before going to bed each night Tom and I check on Jack one last time. The other night it was a good thing that we did as he was a little caught up!


Jack and his best friend Emmie wait patiently (patiently as a 6 month old and 15 month old can) to see the koalas at the zoo.


It sure was worth the wait! Isn't he cute?!?!?!


Yumm...my toes sure taste good! Come on Grandpa you try...


For the Memorial Day Weekend we were able to spend it with the Borchardt side of the family. We celebrated Britt and Justin's marriage with a great party! Jack had a ton of fun seeing everyone, and was amazed by all the 4 wheelers, golf carts, and dirt bikes. He can't wait until he is old enough to ride them....I am sure he will be starting much sooner than mom would like!

With all the action going on it was hard to imagine that Jack would ever go to bed. It seemed that Grandma Nancy had the magic touch...now if we could just get her to move closer so she could help with bedtime!


Memorial Day Weekend marked Jack's first camping outing. He thought it was great! We'll see how he likes the tent in a few more weeks!


Nothing like a family game of Flippy Cup!


A picture with some of the gracious losers in Flippy Cup.


Back in Eau Claire we enjoyed a campfire with Grandma Jane and Grandpa Tim, for some reason Jack thought the fire was hilarious. He just sat and giggled at it. I'm sure it had nothing to do with Grandpa Tim standing on the other side of it!

Week Twenty Five

Okay, so I think I have redeemed myself from my poor post last week! Enjoy the new pictures!


We had to wait for Jack to finish playing before we could go to the zoo on Mother's Day. The only thought that crossed my mind was, "he is just like his father." It is pretty obvious that Jack is going to be a tinkerer, I just hope he doesn't inherit the "lateness!"
By the way I had an AWESOME first Mother's Day. It started with breakfast in bed, followed by the unveiling of my new ipod, and the rest of the day spent with my two favorite boys! The best part was I only changed 2 diapers all day!!


Jack LOVED the river otters at the zoo! He could have sat in front of their cage all day long. When we returned to the zoo later in the week I was so thankful that Jack can't ask questions yet. You see the river otters were being "crowd performers," if you know what I mean, and I don't know how I would have answered the question..."what are the otters doing Mommy?"


Can you figure out what is wrong with this picture? (Take a peek at the sunglasses!)


Jack looks back to see where his friend Emmie is going. It was a pretty funny day at the park as Jack was very intent on watching Emmie. His little head kept zooming back and forth, trying to keep up with her as she swang.


It's about time!! Jack offered to help with the laundry, since most of it is his!


Jack has his Future President shirt on. Now all he has to decide is which ticket he will run on...


Unfortunately for Tom, Jack wasn't too keen on the idea of becoming a Republican.


As you can see he is much more willing to run on the Democratic ticket! (Woo hoo!) Move over Obama and Hilary...Here comes Jack!


Grandma Jane and Grandpa Tim came down to visit for the weekend. We had fun filled times as we went to the zoo and Brewers' game!


Jack's first tailgate. He had a blast even if it was super chilly outside!


The Brewers avoided a sweep by the Twins, and we laughed at Jack's reactions to his first MLB game.


Sound asleep at the game.

Week Twenty Four

This week is a short post as I was a bad mom last week and didn't have the camera out as much as usual. I promise that next week will be better!


One of the main reasons for the short post is the pre-teething tendencies that were mentioned last week. To help combat Jack's discomfort I found a vibrating teething ring. It worked great until it started turning on by itself.


Jack decides that he has had enough of the vibrating teether and goes for his toes. He attempted to get Tom to do the same.

Week Twenty Three

As you can see on Monday evening Tom was still getting over his jet lag from his trip to Holland and Italy. Jack thought it would be a good idea to take a little snooze also. Both of my boys were in bed and sleeping by 8:45! I didn't know what to do with myself and a little free time, so I got caught up on laundry.


Hmm...let me ponder that thought for a minute.....


Jack thought he was so cool wearing his sunglasses on his head like Dad, when they got back from their Saturday morning run.


Jack invited me to have a finger eating contest with him. He won, fitting all ten fingers in his mouth....I know it is hard to believe with my big mouth!


How many fingers can you fit into your mouth? In case you didn't notice, or haven't called the house lately to hear the crying baby, we think Jack has some pre-teething tendencies...we are REALLY looking forward to the real thing! (Just kidding! It is so hard to see our normally happy guy so upset!)

Week Twenty Two

This is Emmie (daughter of my good friend Becky). She and Jack spend a lot of time riding next to each other in their strollers, while Becky and I try to walk off the "baby weight." Becky has had A LOT more success than I have, but I'll keep trying!


Emmie gives Jack a reassuring pat that the whole growing up thing isn't all that bad.


Tom built Jack a "mini-swingset" to hold his very own swing. We thought that it would be a good investment since Jack-a-Roo LOVES to swing!


We spent the majority of the week in Eau Claire visiting with the grandparents, since Tom was off to Holland and Italy for work. We had a GREAT time, and we even got to spend the day with Grandma Jane on her 29th birthday! As a special gift to her Jack let her read him his new favorite book.


While in Eau Claire Jack was able to meet his new friend Miles (son of our friends Chris and Lindsay). Yeah another boy friend! Jack was very envious of all Miles' hair.


Here are Jack and Miles dreaming of future ski trips with their dads. I think they just got board of listening to Lindsay and I share motherhood tips. All in all it was great to meet Miles and we can't wait to spend more time together when we return to E.C.


Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Tom made a quick jump over the border to Mexico on their recent trip to Texas. They found this adorable hat for Jack and just had to buy it, so he and Grandpa could be twins.


Grandma Jane graces Jack with her wonderful harmonica playing.....I'm sure she will bust out the washboard and paintstick, just like at the Sawmill Saloon, on our next visit.


Once Grandpa Tim heard that Jack enjoyed swinging, he made it his mission to scope out all of the swings in the Eau Claire Area. I'm not sure who had more fun swinging, Jack or Grandpa!


I walked into my parents' room only to find my son lying on their bed receiving a massage....I sure wish I had his life!


Jack thought he was pretty cool sporting his new hunting hat with Grandma Nancy's blaze orange gardening shoes. It sure is a good thing that Jack likes being outside with all the different activities our family is involved with!


Grandpa Tom and Jack had too much fun on their walk in the woods, so they had to take a quick snooze.


We visited another Eau Claire Area must-see...Irvine Park. Jack rode the bear with Grandma Jane's help, while Grandpa Tim went to see if any swings were available. After the park we did the right thing and made a stop at Olson's Ice Cream Parlor. Don't worry Jack...Grandpa Tim will be sure to get you your first chocolate malt when you are ready!


SOOOOOO much fun tuckers a little guy out!

Week Twenty One

All in blue...even the sky! At first I thought I was going to have troubles dressing a little boy. Needless to say since Jack's arrival I can spot the color blue a mile away!


Jack and Tom beat the pants off of me in Bocce. I think next time I will have to wear the Baby Bjorn so Jack can bring me good luck. We have always been game players at our house and now the winner gets to pick a chore for the loser. I was the one who got stuck changing the poopy diapers for the rest of the day!


You would have a big smile on your face too if you had these giant, beautiful blues eyes sitting next to you! Jack got to spend some more time with his friend Hailey this week. She and Jack are only 11 days apart. They had a great time riding the backseat together on our trip up to Sheboygan to visit their new friend Mason. Don't worry Nick (Hailey's Dad) Jack was a complete gentleman the whole way!


Jack gives his new friend Mason the once over. It seems like Jack has been spending a lot of time with the girls lately, so he is so happy to have a friend who is a boy! I have a feeling that we will be getting together with Mason and his parents, Matt and Jen, for many more playdates.


After Jack gave Mason the once over he seemed to look at me and ask "Can we get one of these Mommy?" I guess we'll have to wait and see what Dad says.....I have a feeling that I know what the answer will be, but we'll keep asking!


Jack talkin' to his other friend...the frog!


On Saturday Jack and I walked the Laura's Smile Mile, while Tom was a little more ambitious and ran it. It was a beautiful day to enjoy a great walk by Lake Michigan. After the race we got to catch-up with Jake.