Happy 2nd Birthday Blake!!!

We celebrated Blake's 2nd birthday today (a day early). We had a fun day going for a walk to the park, kicking a ball around on the soccer fields and just being outside on such a beautiful day. Blake really loved his cake too! Not surprising...he definitely has a sweet tooth (or two or three)! He has gotten some fun new toys and we can't wait to try them all out.

It's so hard to believe 2 years have already passed (sniff sniff). He is growing so fast and we are having so much fun seeing what new things he has learned every day. Some days it feels as if he went from being our little baby to a big boy overnight! We love him so much and treasure each little experience and memory he has created in our lives. I am sure the next 2 years will be just as amazing as the first 2.

Two weeks to go...

We're officially 38 weeks and I don't think I can possibly get any bigger! Needless to say I haven't seen my feet in a very long time!

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...

well maybe the Goodyear Blimp! No, it's just me balancing a bowl on my 36 week pregnant belly!! But note, instead of ice cream that bowl held a very healthy combination of strawberries, low fat angel food cake, and fat free cool whip!

Room's all ready...

for Baby Jarrett! This was Blake's bedroom originally, so all we had to do was freshen it up a bit. I'm sure it will serve the new little one as well as it did him!

Fish Face

Sometimes Blake has a little trouble breathing thanks to a combination of allergies and mild asthma. We've been using his nebulizer periodically since he was a little baby, but not until recently was he able to hold the tube up to his mouth all by himself. The little mask looks like a fish, so we tell him he's wearing his "fish face" when he does it. Cooperation is hit or miss...it just so happened to be a "hit" this time.

Future Tiger...

Woods that is...Blake got his first golf set. He has made contact a few times too! As long as he keeps an eye on the ball and doesn't go after Molly or our hastas we'll be okay!

A day at the zoo...

We had a great time taking a Friday off of work and going out to the Minnesota Zoo. They just opened a new attraction called "Russia's Grizzly Coast", but the highlight of the day was definitely the farm. Blake loved petting and feeding the goats (his Grady relatives will appreciate that), sheep and looking at the pigs . Note -- that is not a real pig he is riding on, though his Aunt Julie had already mastered that skill around his age! We took the wagon to and from the farm and were lucky to have the tractor pull us one time and the work horses the next.

Blake was still pretty excited about the animals he saw at the grocery store later that day. There was a man set up with samples of a Kemp's Dairy product and was surrounded by inflatable cows...Blake started shouting "moo" at the man. It was pretty funny...luckily the sample guy thought so too!

Like Father, Like Son...

they were laying the exact same way..one leg bent up and all! Blake needed a little help getting settled down this night and Kurt was just the man for the job.

Who needs an IPod...

when a Sony Walkman (circa 1990's) works just fine!! When cleaning out a closet, Blake came across an old Walkman and it has become a fun new toy. He likes pushing the buttons and if he's lucky enough to accidentally hit the radio switch he'll dance around to the music.

We've finally made it...

to the internet that is! In an effort to seem somewhat technically sophisticated, I've decided to start this webpage/blog. Hopefully, we can keep it up!

We have FINALLY been able to enjoy some nice weather the last few weeks. Blake likes going outside and it's been good to have some new distractions as we wait for Baby Jarrett to arrive...4 more weeks YIPPEE!!

Blake will be 2 on June 30th and boy, does time sure fly by! Everyone says time goes by so much faster once you have children and that couldn't be more true. He is talking a ton and repeating nearly everything we say. We call him "boss" or "big B" because he is clearly the boss in this house. He uses his "authority" to boss poor Molly around too. I'm convinced she would run away from home if she had the chance. It's pretty common to hear him shouting orders at us like "More Milk Mommy" or "Need Juice Daddy"!

He's been sleeping in his "big boy" room for a couple of months now and really likes it. I was worried about how well he would transition, but he has surprised us. He is thriving at his school and the teachers say he is a smart little guy. He counted to 3 for the first time today and can sing the ABC song, though you have to use your imagination a little with a few of the letters. He LOVES puppies, balls and likes to watch for airplanes. He has a little group of friends that we are quite fond of...especially Miss Chloe. They have so much fun together! Oh and much to our chagrin, he likes the "Wiggles". He will be in toddler heaven when his Daddy takes him to see the Wiggles in concert this August.

Everything with the new baby is on track...due date is still 7/15 (give or take a day) and I'm measuring just right. Other than being a gazillion times more tired this go around, everything has been pretty much the same. But no, I do not believe that is a sign that it's a boy. And no, we really don't know what we're having. We are getting very anxious and simply hoping for a healthy baby and a smooth delivery. We will be sure to send updates when he/she arrives.

Here are some recent pictures of us...