Happy Halloween (just in time for Thanksgiving)!

So better late than never, here are pictures from Halloween. Jack wore his costume to day care, and he was the only one who stayed in costume all day! I couldn't believe he still had it on when I went to pick him up. It was really just a fleece sweatsuit, so I can't blame him for wanting to wear it all day.

After work we threw Jack in the wagon and took him to a few friends' houses within our neighborhood. He didn't want to go up to any doors, but by the end he started to get the hang of letting people put candy in his pumpkin. We let him try his first candy bar, but all he did was lick the chocolate off without taking a bite, and he wasn't that interested in it. So Jeff and I figured we better just eat his candy so he didn't have to!

Other than Halloween, not much new around here. Jack continues to learn new words every day. He is also starting to show some hints of what he'll be like as a 2-year-old. He is testing his limits with Jeff and I. Sometimes it's adorable and other times, not so much. Overall though, it's really amazing to watch him learn new things each day. As the Christmas season begins, we're really looking forward to teaching him Christmas songs and watching him open presents on Christmas morning!

Splish splash

Bath time! Jack was very happy in the bath last night, so I grabbed a couple of pictures while he was cooperating with the camera.

Helper Jack

We have a third set of hands around the house now! Jack is our own little helper. He's been getting that way for a while, but this weekend he wanted to do everything we were doing--brushing our teeth, raking leaves, mowing the lawn, switching laundry, and cleaning vegetables. It is so fun to watch him watch us and try to copy what we're doing and what we're saying. He's learning new words all the time. This week his new word is "pumpkin." He's kind of afraid of the pumpkin on our front porch, and now that squirrels have eaten the front of the pumpkin, he says, "pumpkin, uh-oh" when he walks by.

I think I may have mentioned this in the last post, but it is getting very hard to get pictures of Jack these days. He either runs toward the camera so he can see what I'm taking a picture of or purposefully ignores me when I try to get his attention. Most of my pictures are turning out like this:

Or like this, where we bribe him with some food:

Jack has also gotten very good at riding his tricycle. After a week at home with Grandma and lots of practice on the riding toys at day care, he seems to have gotten the hang of it. Jeff and I can't believe how much better he is even in the last few weeks.

Speaking of a week at home with Grandma . . . Jack had a whole week of being spoiled by both Grandmas (who switched off halfway through our trip) when Jeff and I took a vacation a couple of weeks ago. Jeff presented at a conference for the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists, and I got to tag along (click on the link to go to his abstract). The conference was at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia (fancy, fancy!). We flew into Washington, D.C. and made a beautiful drive to the resort. The leaves were at the peak of changing colors. Then we had about 24 hours to spend in D.C. before flying home. We rented bikes and crammed in as much sight-seeing as possible. It would have been nice to have a bit more time, but we had a blast riding our bikes along the Mall, and we were antsy to get home and see Mr. Jack. Thank you Grandma Jane and Grandma Janet for taking such good care of our little man. It was a great trip for Jeff and I, and we are so glad we took the opportunity to get away!

Up next, Halloween! Stay tuned to see what costume Jack will be wearing this year.

Our little wordsmith

It's October already, although you wouldn't know it by the weather here in Denver. We've had a few cool days, but it's stayed pretty warm lately. We should enjoy the warm weather while it's here, I suppose, but I'm ready for some cooler temperatures. September went by in a flash, mostly trying to settle into a new routine with my new job. We started the month getting ready for football season. Jack helps Jeff hang our Hawkeye flag every week.

My cousin Bridgette and her husband Matt stayed with us while they went to a wedding in town, and we got to baby-sit Cooper, their black lab. Jack was in heaven!! I didn't get any pictures of them because they both moved too fast, but it was love at first sight for Jack. I have to admit it was fun to have a dog around, but we're not quite ready to add to the Fleming family.

Since I'm no longer working much on the weekends--okay, not working at all--we've been taking lots of trips to the park and the zoo. It's been fantastic and I feel like I have the chance to watch Jack grow up. Jack had his 18-month appointment and is in the 50th percentile for height and 30th percentile for weight. He learns a new word every few days it seems, and he loves to repeat words back (even if his pronunciation is totally wrong!). Right now he'll touch something or hold something up and say, "hot." When we say, "It's not hot. It's okay," he'll say, "cold!" It's pretty adorable. He continues to be our serious little man, especially around others. He watches and thinks, and then when he's ready he'll let others see what a happy guy he is.

This last weekend we drove up to Estes Park to go for a nice drive and to see if we could spot any elk. There were quite a few out, and we even got pretty close to a couple of them. It was neat, but also a reminder that we're the ones invading their land, so we should let them have their space.

Next week both Grandmas are taking overlapping trips out here to baby-sit Jack while Jeff and I take a trip. We'll be gone five days, which is the longest either of us has been away from him. Neither of us is looking forward to leaving him behind, but a vacation for just the two of us will be worth it, and Jack will get nice and spoiled while we're gone.

Happy October to all!

USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Last week the USA Pro Cycling Challenge came to Colorado. The top three finishers from the Tour de France were in it, as were most of the other top cyclists in the world. The final stage started in Golden and came into downtown Denver, where they did six laps. We braved the heat and were able to find a spot that wasn't too crowded. The best part was that the riders came by our spot twice in each lap, so we got to see them 12 times! Even if you know nothing about cycling, it was pretty cool to watch the cyclists fly by, as well as all of the support cars and the cameramen on the backs of motorcycles. The videos we took didn't really turn out since they fly past so fast, so instead here are a couple of pictures of Jack. He was a total trooper in the hot weather and had more fun with this dog than he did looking at the cyclists.

Thirsty

All's well in the Fleming household this month. I've been at my new job for two weeks, and it's great so far! It's going to be such a good fit, with new and interesting work every day. We had a little hiccup last week when, on my first day at the new job, Jack's day care called and asked us to come get him because he had pink eye! After staying home on Tuesday, Jack went back to day care on Wednesday. By Thursday night, he had a fever, so we went back to the doctor on Friday. Diagnosis: double ear infection! Poor guy. He was kind of a mess on Friday and Saturday, but by Sunday he was back to his happy self.

This weekend my dad is visiting, which is apparently just in time to see Jack's latest trick:

I swear we didn't teach him this! He saw me get a beer for Dad and apparently wanted to do the same. I'm thinking we'll need to put this skill to use.

Hiking

This weekend we took our first Jack with hike this summer. We had a hand-me-down hiking backpack that we've been anxious to try. Once Jeff got the straps adjusted so they were comfortable, it was a great hike. We only went about 2 miles to make sure that Jack did okay, and he did great! He almost fell asleep, and this weekend we're hoping to go on a bit longer journey.