Happy birthday, Jack!!

We have a two-year-old! I can't believe our little man is two already. How fast these two years have gone! We are so blessed with such a happy little guy. He is definitely feeling his way around how much he can push his limits and what he can get away with. As frustrating as it can be, it's also fascinating to watch his mind work as he tests us. He's talking like crazy, learning new words every day. He can be pretty serious--he gets very focused when he's playing and learning--but is also quick to laugh and giggle. We were blessed with a beautiful weather weekend, and Jeff and Jack spent most of Sunday outside in the yard. We had him open presents right after his nap on Saturday, so you can see from the pictures below he was a little skeptical at first. On Sunday, though, he was so excited to play with his new lawn mower and water table.

A few more snow pics

The snow is already melting--yet another reason we love Denver. Jeff and Jack spent some time outside today to enjoy it while it lasts and to build a snowman. Looks pretty good to me!

Blizzard!

SNOW DAY!! For the first time since we've moved to Denver, we had a true snow day, where no one had to work or go to day care! It's been fabulous. We changed out of our PJs for a little while to play outside and then put them right back on again. We may shower later, but then we'll just put clean PJs on after that. We're feeling very blessed for our warm home, good food to eat, and an extra day to play together. Jack is getting a kick out of the snow and had fun playing outside. He was a total trooper when we stuck him in the snow up to his waist (see video below) to see how deep it was. I would imagine we have 14 or 15 inches, and we're supposed to get another 4 or 5 before it stops tonight. Jeff and I are hoping to head up to Winter Park with Kacie and Jack for a day of skiing for us and a day of playing at the Mitchells for Kacie and Jack. Wish us luck as we take our out-of-shape legs onto the mountain!

Even Kacie got in on the fun!

Getting Jack "positioned."

 Stuck!

 Swinging.

 Helping Daddy shovel . . .

Snow angels! 

And video . . .

National Western Stock Show

The post-holiday blues are short-lived for us Denver residents because January brings the National Western Stock Show! It's the biggest stock show in the country--think state fair, but with lots more cowboys. We love going every year, and it was even more fun with Jack being a little older this year. Here's a picture of Jack and Jeff at last year's show:

 

This year he was big enough to go in the petting zoo. He wasn't sure what to think--and it was pretty crowded--but we think he got a kick out of it.

He really liked watching the horses ride around the stadium but wasn't really a fan when we tried to get him to sit on a saddle of his own.

In other news, we're getting settled back into a routine again. Nike's cousin Kacie has come to live with us. She started classes at University of Colorado Denver and staying with us while she learns her way around town. It's been great to have a live-in baby-sitter, and she loves spending time with Jack. We're looking forward to many more date nights in the months to come!

Happy New Year!

Hello friends and family! Our apologies for the lack of posts in the last couple of months. As many of you know by now, we had some rough news this holiday season: Jeff's mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer the second week of December. You can follow her progress at janefleming.blogspot.com. The short story is that it's stage 3, which is scary news, but since the original diagnosis we've had nothing but positive news. She had surgery on December 28 and has recovered well. Her follow-up appointment with the oncologist is tomorrow, and we'll know more about her chemo schedule then. Feel free to follow her blog and leave comments for her. She's had an amazing outpouring of support so far, and she's going to need it to continue for the new few months. Even if you don't know her, but you know us, don't hesitate to leave her a note. She loves hearing from everyone.

As for us, we're back in Denver, trying to get settled into a routine again. Nike was home in Iowa with Jack for almost three weeks over the holidays, so it was nice to get back to work and get Jack back in day care. Although the holidays were tough, they were also really wonderful at the same time. We are so thankful for the time we got to spend with our families. Jack is doing great. He is learning new words every day and is starting to repeat what we say (yikes!). He is so much fun to be around these days. Below are some pictures and videos from the past couple of months.

This was Jack with his cousin Connor, reading a book with Aunt Ann Marie:

This is Jack doing "cartwheels" with Uncle Jimmy. He wanted to do them after he saw Teagan doing them. His version is a bit different than hers.

Finally, this is Jack with his new toolbox. We didn't open his presents from us until we got home after New Year's, but this is definitely his new favorite.

And here's a few of our favorite pictures:

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.