Proud Parent Moment :)

I walked out to the living room the other day to see Jasper rubbing Avery on the head. I quick grabbed the camera to try and sneak in a picture. I also got a video that I hope to upload if I can figure it out, but it was so cute. He had no idea I was looking and he was just watching his cartoons, rubbing her head, and looking at her. She was also staring straight at him just as peaceful as can be. Made me a proud mom to see how loving he was to her!!

Cousin Noah

Here is just a group picture of Noah, Jman and Avery all together. Noah loves holding Avery. In fact, he probably held her the most at the hospital! J & Avery are so lucky to have so many great cousins!!

More Pillow Time with J & Syd

Jasper and Syd were building a fort to hide from Ken today at Grams and Gramps. Ken does a pretty good about scaring them!!

Brother and Sister

Just a cute picture of the kiddos before bedtime!

Monster House

So...this is a picture of Jasper watching the movie, Monster House. No, it is not a blanket on the couch - there is actually a little Jasper in there. He didn't know that I was taking this picture, so this is no joke - he was all covered up. He is very afraid of Mr. Never-Cracker.

Also, pictured is him watching it with cousin Syd earlier today. He was pretty nervous then,too, but had Syd to cuddle :)

Gotta wear shades

We were on the wrong side of the road last night for the Southeast Polk homecoming parade, so sunglasses were a must. Here's a cool shot of Jasper's Batman shades.

Buddies

We caught up with our friends the Klines after the Thomas Mitchell Days parade. Here, the boys - Zach and Gabe - were gathering up extra candy across the street so Jasper decided to join them.

We've stopped wondering why he does what he does (example: the way he's standing) and just roll with it. Funny boy.

Parade helper

We didn't catch his name, but Jasper had quite the candy-gathering helper during the Thomas Mitchell Days parade. And boy did they gather candy. We forgot a bag so we packed the bottom of the stroller full.

That's J's buddy in the background.

Parade snack

Prior to the Thomas Mitchell Days parade on Sept. 17 Jasper and I found a cinnamon roll. I got a bit, Natalie got a bite and J got the rest.

Another parade ...

Starting last Saturday we have three parades in six days. Jasper is more than excited, as you would expect.

This pic is from the Bondurant-Farrar homecoming parade on Monday night.

You call that dancing?

Jasper danced his heart out when the Southeast Polk marching band passed by Sept. 17 during the Thomas Mitchell Days parade in Mitchellville. I'm sure the pound of candy he'd eaten by that point had something to do with his moves.

Pillow Time and Mud Puddles

Jman and his cousin, Sydney, have no problem finding fun things to do together. Here are just a couple shots of them as they rest after building many things out of pillows (slides, trails, forts, etc.) and also them having some fun in a mud puddle.

Future Singer?

So, Jasper took advantage of the karaoke at his cousin, Erin and Jesse Hunsaker's wedding. He sang 'you are so beautiful'(a song that his Gramps taught him). He was pretty nervous to do it, but really wanted to try out that microphone. He sang it once kind of quiet and sweet and then realized that the whole crowd's attention was on him and the second round of the song was a little more "crazy and showy" you could say. He definitely is more outgoing like his daddy, who also sang a tune that night..."the humpty dance." Let's hope his daddy teaches him the "humpty dance" song in quite a few more years.

Jasper has been known to be a little theatrical, so I'm anxious to see what our little boy does in the future. Issa (his daycare provider) is very involved in the Kids Theatre in Altoona and has suggested that Jman take some theatre classes - we might give that a try one day! Future star in the making?! :)

Nap Time

Daddy and Avery napping on the couch after watching the Hawkeye victory...oh wait, and Cozmo napping too. So peaceful.

Blast from the past

Randomly, Hank Norem sent these pics via email tonight. I couldn't help but share.

From top to bottom:

- Hank, Jason Mohr, Matt Johnson and me building the bar, although I came in late and don't remember helping much so I think it's a posed shot. That thing was an architectural marvel, built with the heaviest materials that could be found and about twice as tall as it should've been. It was a real job at the end of the year when we had to break it down. (Power tools and beer? Sure, what could go wrong?)

- That's Matt Hemphill on Jason's shoulders from our junior year I'd guess. I assume Jason wouldn't have allowed anyone on his shoulders without some 'coaxing' by that Absolut bottle.

- That's Clint Berryman, shirtless, wearing Matt Hemphill's old Angels helmet and playing with the Hulk Hogan figurine. If I remember correctly, that was approximately summer '01 - one of our first Adel Sweetcorn Festivals as a crew. We had some fun that night.

- That's the whole Theme House 5 gang (Matt H, Hank, Matt J, me, Brandon Newell, Jason and Clint) posing together prior to the unofficial kickoff to our senior year - the annual 'stand around' in front of BSC. Yes, that's my, um, 'their' homemade beer bong. And yes, I'm wearing a baby blue leisure suit although I had shed the jacket at this point of the evening. Not to brag, but I definitely won the dance contest that night ... I've been told.

Real Dad

There is no photo to go along with this post, but we had to blog about it. Jasper likes to talk about things that he can do when he's older. Instead of talking about being "older" he likes to talk about when he's a "real dad." I'm not sure if this stems from the fact that when we talk about doing big-boy type of things, we usually say when you're older like daddy, you can do certain things. So, an example of a conversation would be:

J: Mom, when can I drive?
Mom: Well, when you're older.
J: You mean, when I'm a real dad?
Mom: Sure, bud.

J: Mom, when I'm a real dad, can I stay home by myself?
Mom: Yes, probably, buddy.

There are many other things he asks about, but of course, I can't remember them now. We didn't want to forget his 'real dad' stage so I wanted to post this.

Brother and Sister

Jasper likes to call Avery "Sissy" or he also now says that he would like to call her "sweet heart." He is starting to give her alot of kisses and hugs. When she gets upset he'll say, "mom, she's trying to get mad" and put her pacifier back in her mouth. The other day he was out watching cartoons and I was in the kitchen. Avery was on the couch with him and was starting to cry. I peeked out to check on her and he was putting the pacifier in her mouth while not taking his eyes off the cartoon. He's starting to get the hang of having a baby in the house, I think :)

Going to the Zoo

We decided to take Labor Day and head to the Zoo. It was a beautiful day! Jasper said his favorite part was the Dinosaur Exhibit. The line to the train was VERY long and Jasper decided that he would rather stop at the park on the way home to play than wait in line at the train. So, after the zoo, we headed to the park to play. It was not only the perfect weather, but a great family day - no phones, computer, just us hanging out and not thinking or worrying about anything else! Avery did sleep the majority of the trip, but we were able to capture her in some shots! Definitely reminds me of Jasper's first trip to the Zoo, where we got a picture of him sleeping in the stroller next to the Tigers. Silly kiddos!

I'm Smiling!

Avery is starting to show us her pretty smile! So Fun!

"Fire Dirl"

Jasper is kind of obsessed with Fireman Sam. If you don't know who that is, Fireman Sam and his Friend, Elvis, along with a "fire girl" fight many fires usually caused by careless mistakes of people in their town. Once they get word of a fire, they pull the report from their 'fax-like' machine, slide down the pole, get in the fire truck and rush to help those in need. Well, sometimes Jasper turns INTO Fireman Sam. Adam is usually Elvis. I was Fire Girl (Fire Dirl) until Avery arrived - she has taken that title. This picture Avery (I mean Fire Dirl) is outfitted with her helmet to be sure she's safe while the crew puts out fires!

Grandma Trissel's Special Blanket

We lost my Grandma Trissel last year in November to cancer. Her tradition was to make an afghan for each new great-grandchild. Jasper got a blue one, and a special Broncos colored one. When she got sick, she made enough for her future great-grandchildren to have. My grandpa Trissel gave this special blanket to us in the hospital. He was one of the first family members to greet Avery into this world, arriving at the hospital very early Friday morning!! Avery loves to be snuggled up with this blanket and it will be something we will treasure forever! (For some reason, the picture won't turn right-side up) :)

Grandma Alice

Here is Avery with Grandma Alice. This is my dad's mom - she enjoyed Avery's big cheeks and had a baby picture of me out to compare the two. Definitely some similar traits. The other day Jasper was talking about Angels in Heaven. I've told him that he has many angels in heaven, including his Grandpa Rick. Avery is lucky to have those same angels watching over her, too :)

Waukee Fall Festival

We headed to the Waukee Fall Festival and enjoyed a parade and festivities at the Triangle. Two highlights of our day were definitely seeing a real-life Spiderman and getting to sit in the fire truck. There is also a picture of Avery and Grandma Vicki - Avery discovered her thumb!

Reading Time

Jasper loves to read and he's beginning to "read" books to Avery. She has joined us usually each night for stories before bedtime and he always wants her to lay on his pillow with him.

I'm Awake!

I don't know if I've blogged about this, but Avery is a very good sleeper (knock on wood!) She takes quite a few cat naps and at 1 month old has been sleeping atleast 4-5 hours at night. I finally got a picture of her wide-eyed so I wanted to post!

Swingin'

Just like Jasper, Avery likes her swing! Jasper likes to push her and so far, has done a pretty good job of gently pushing her.

Family reunion snapshots

Just a few pics from the Diddy family reunion this weekend.