Jakesta Gangsta

Good Times With Dad

2009-04-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

I love to help daddy with whatever he's doing. It might be work to him but to me it's fun. Can you tell from my smile.

2009-04-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

This was taken at Sea World. I actually wore a hat but as you can see I like to wear it kinda low. The flowers are so pretty and they smell really good too. Mommy noticed some Gardenia trees and smelled them every time we passed one.

This was Easter Sunday at Abby's cousins house. Their cat actually let us pet it. She's big and fluffy and purrs when you pet her. She doesn't run away from you either.

I really really liked this princess jeep. So much so that after they unplugged the battery I figured out how to plug it back in. Daddy gave me a high five for that one.

My Easter basket. The Easter Bunny left a little stub from his carrot. He must have been hungry. Thank you Easter Bunny for my chocolate bunny.

2009-04-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

Exuce me everybody while I pick a little something here. I was admiring my freckle but something started to tickle and now I'm digging for it.

Look at my blue tongue. It's blue from my lollipop that the bank teller gave me.

I was helping daddy plant some flowers and then I got distracted with some play.

2009-03-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

Jake just loves his Aunt Maine. We rented a bounce house for the backyard for Jake's 3rd birthday. He had an absolute blast. This little boy loves to bounce! Here he is opening presents with the help of little Mikey and Emily.

Saying "Thank you for my presents everybody."

With daddy. his best friend.

Me, Tara and Jake jumping around after the party. Mike's behind the camera. This bouncing is quite a workout. No wonder Jake is pooped for days after.

Jake and Uncle David, his godfather. Jake is always excited when he comes over and Uncle David loves to play with him.

2009-02-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

Jake had such a good time at this place. Trains trains everywhere make for a completely happy little bear. These people really get into this stuff.

Over the Christmas Holiday

2009-02-05T12:12:00.000-08:00

A special note: since we bought a new computer I have had problems uploading pictures and video. So, I tried for like an hour to put some video up but wouldn't you know I sucked up most of the battery just on that and its on power saver. So I hope that pictures are enough for now.

Tara and Kristi gave Jake this Mickey Mouse fishing game for Christmas. Now he says "Mommy, want to play fishing with me?" He loves it but doesn't quite play by the rules. Everyone else catches the fish and he takes them for his own pile. I'm not sure if everyone knows this but Tara has taken an incredible interest in photography and took this picture of Kristi and Jake. Too bad we're not good enough to get a precious one of her with Jake.
So we started the tradition of making a gingerbread house for the holidays every year. Even Tara said "how did it turn out so well," when she found out that Mike and Jake made it. Me, I did the prep and clean up. Jake tried to eat some of the candies and actually did; not caring that they were hard as rocks.

2008-09-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

He loves to play in the yard. Often, he will walk over to the hose and start playing and pretending. Then he says "I want to get wet mommy, I want to get wet." I usually wait for Mike to get home because it often becomes a big job. Also, there's no one he would rather play with than daddy. There are lots of videos of the same play day but, hey, that's what I have.

At 'Funtastic Playland'

2008-09-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

I discovered another indoor playground for Jake.

The Petting Zoo

2008-09-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

The last time dad and Kathie came for a visit they wanted to go to the San Antonio Zoo. At the time it was too cold. So months go by and Jake becomes more interested in more things. I decide to take a trial test to the zoo before they come back for their next visit. Well Jake had a blast. He loved the hippopotamuses and the monkeys. The butterfly garden too. I think he truly enjoyed everything. They have a petting zoo for kids but it only has the goats you see in the pictures. He was apprehensive at first until mommy started petting the animals. Then he became very interested in the tails and the little holes underneath. He would tickle the tails just to see them wiggle and then giggle himself.

Monkey Joe's

2008-08-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

Now I've been taking Jake to these inflatable places for a couple of months now trying to scope out the best ones. Turns out I have to go to Georgia for the cleanest and best one yet. They even have a rest area for the parent with recliners, a giant flat screen and ports for your laptop. Needless to say the kids, all of them, had a blast and fell asleep on the way back to Blairsville.
Madison and Jake were having a wrestling match with a helpless giraffe. Then Jake proceeded to drink all of one of the other kids drinks. If you look at the video you can get a sense of the size of these slides compared to the kids.

Vacation to Georgia

2008-08-21T19:06:00.001-07:00

Mike took these pictures of Jake and the tractor. Said "his eyes got so big when he saw that thing and he did not want to get off of it." Anything that has a steering wheel he wants to drive. He loved to walk around and look at all the different country stuff. On the way there however all he wanted was out of his car seat. He slept maybe two hours the whole way there and keep in mind we drive overnight. That was not a fun part of the vacation. But then again the driving never is.

These other pictures are from the Cabbage Patch Hospital. He kept going back to the miniature town set up with a train, a lake and a waterfall. After that he kept going back to the school lunchroom. He kept trying to eat the fake pizza from one of the Cabbage Patch kids trays. Turns out he was starving since he hadn't had much for breakfast. Anyway, the trip was fun for him and not for me. Luckily we went to lunch after this.

Happy Birthday Tara

2008-06-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

We took a lot video but this one is my favorite. I hope everyone else thinks it's cute too.

Re: Just for Tara

2008-05-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

Correction
For those of you who have seen the 'Just for Tara' video. After going back and watching and listening a couple of times I think Jake really did say "miss you" like Mike thought. Tough to tell but he didn't say "my turn" until cued by me. Sorry Tara. Jake is getting much better at saying your name. He points to pictures and names Tara, Kristi, Mommy and of course Daddy most of all.

Things that go bump and jump

2008-05-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

While we had central air and heat installed at the house I had to find places to take Jake to keep him occupied for about a week. This is a place called 'Fiddlesticks.' It's an indoor playground. They even have a couple of rooms divided by half walls; one is an art room where the kids can color with chalk on walls or color at tables or even paint and the other room is like a sand box. It was filled with what I think was refined plastic from old tires. Mike said "Why do you guys smell like plastic?" when we got home. They had a boat in there and dinasaur fossils you could dig up and even child size working excavators. The rest of the place was open with all kinds of stuff. Playhouses, musical instruments, the same clubhouse we have in our backyard, tools, dolls, etc. We can bring our own food and eat in the designated areas. And of course the ride in the video. All of this in the AIR CONDITIONING. I know the ride doesn't look like much but the little ones just love it.

San Antonio Children's Museum

2008-05-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the Children's Museum of San Antonio. We bought the yearly membership and it has paid off. Jake loves this place. On the top floor they have a miniature airport with a plane and all. The kids can play pilot to ticket agent to baggage handler. On the main level is the bubble room which we usually need a change of clothes for and the basement level is revolving. Last season they had a 'Jump to Japan' exhibit and the new one has something to do with trains. I'm taking Jake tomorrow so we'll have to update the blog again soon.

The Big Slide

2008-05-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

This video was taken at 'Inflatable Wonderland' in The Rolling Oaks Mall. Jake is jumping in the stairwell and the slides are on either side. They have about 15 different inflatables. Some had slides, some had obstacle courses. Lots and lots of benches for the parents to sit on because we aren't allowed on the inflatables. They also have a mini movie theater with a pretty big screen and some arcade games. He had such a good time and was very mad at me for taking him out. Not for long though. We started driving for about 30 seconds when I looked in the rearview mirror and watched him pass out. He was sooo tired. Mike cannot wait to take him. I think it's because he wants to sneak onto the rides.

Just for Tara

2008-05-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

This one is just for Tara. The video is too big to send through e-mail and some of you may not even be able to download it at all. Tara, I hope you are able to download and save this one because I'm probably going to delete from the site since its kind of big, but I wanted you to be able to see it.

The Summer Begins

2008-05-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

So we decided to bring out Jake's pool but discovered overnight that it was deflating. We went out and bought the same pool, different color. Needless to say that now we can't go outside without wanting to go in the pool. Jake just loves to splash. I went to the dollar store and bought a bunch of pool toys and the biggest hits were the blow up beach ball and the sinking dive toys. On extra special days daddy gets into the pool with him and that makes for an extra happy Jakester and a cooled off Eskimo (Mike).

Barbeque at Arts House

2008-05-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

Jake and Abby playing with bubble makers. It's amazing how bubbles can entertain the little people. While Art was grilling the meat we all sat out on the patio. It's covered and the weather was breezy. It turned out to be a nice day. This part of the yard was a nice spot to take pictures of the kids. The little ones have started calling the toys "mine" but have been doing well at sharing.

This is Abbygale's kitchen. It's on the porch in the shade. The doorbell works and well that's another button for Jake. They ate their lunch here and played peek-a-boo through the window with me. There are two little seats inside, a sink with a faucet and a phone. Also there's a mail slot right underneath the doorbell.

Here's Jake sitting in Abby's wagon. Abby tried pulling Jake, the wagon didn't budge. After we got in the car and down the street Jake passed out and was pooped for the rest of the night.

May 4th, 2008

2008-05-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

For any of you who have ever been around Jake, you already know how much he likes to play with buttons. Well, he got hold of the camera and just started pushing away. This was the best picture he took of himself. I love the thumb!
He loves to be outside with daddy. Here he is helping daddy water the flowers out front. "outside with daddy, outside with daddy."
This is Jake's cousin Abbygale, Art and Cheryl's daughter. We had the family over for dinner while David was down from Houston for a couple days. Jake didn't want to do anything without Uncle David and kept calling "Uncle David, Uncle David." Even after David went back home he kept calling for him. Jake and Abby had a good time playing with just about every toy in the house. Jake would call "Abby, where are you. Abby, where are you?" Mike and I just loved seeing Jake so happy playing with another little person. He had a really good time.

"Kids Day in the Park"

2008-04-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

This was a pretty cool free event sponsored by KLRN television. They had all kinds of information booths, free goodies and lots of games and crafts for the kids. Jake loved the bubbles so much that he soaked his shorts resulting in a pull-up clad little boy walking around with the whitest legs. He looked cute though with his socks and shoes still on. The last picture is with Jake's second cousin violet who is only a couple months younger. All in all everyone had a good time but boy was it hot!

The New Do

2008-04-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

"Don't I look just like my daddy now?"

Jake and Mike at the cemetary readying flowers for Grandma and Grandpa (Mikes Mom and Dad). He likes to visit the headstones that have different decorations such as balloons and stuffed animals. He also likes the wide open space so that he can run and run and run away from mommy and daddy. The last time we actually had to drive the car to him because we thought he might come back to us. Yeah right! But he sure does look so cute when he's running with both arms going like a choo choo train. The only thing that slowed him down was a headstone with a colorful pinwheel. Whew.

Jake wasn't feeling to well in the next picture. All he wanted to do was relax which is very rare for him. He stayed with daddy for a little while but soon called out for mommy. At least I didn't have to finish the dishes. Luckily we gave him some medicine and he slept in his crib that night. Usually he likes to sleep on me when he feels ill and will scream bloody murder when I try to put him in his crib. It's always nice to know that he feels better just by you being there.

Jake loves to climb into bed on daddy's day off. Here he is pretending to go night night just because he's next to daddy. Don't be fooled. Daddy loves it just as much as Jake does. My mom really loves this hairdo and called it the 'Beatles Do' when we were visiting. Sorry mom but this is the before haircut photo. Hope you like the after.

'The New Do'
This picture was taken the actual day of the haircut so it was done by a professional with super duper holding gel. We have yet to achieve the same. No matter what his hair would stick straight up. Now we can see all of his cute face, humongous cheeks that jiggle and all.

April 5th, 2008

2008-04-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite picture of Mike and Jake. They were laying on the grass in the backyard and watching the sky for planes and birds. They lay there about 30 minutes. It was precious to watch This was taken at Mom and Sam's new house in Washington state. The two pups had quite a week full. On the left is Nina (border collie) and on the right is Jasper (australian shepherd). They were told beforehand that the tornado was coming. Poor things. They were so well behaved. Nina would get up and walk away or go and hide her face behind her people. Jasper would bark at the air.
Here's jake enjoying a ride on the turtle at the indoor play yard in the mall in Olympia, Washington. He really wore himself out the first time he played there. I take him to the indoor playground here in Texas when the weather isn't great, but I never saw him run around that way before. We took him to this one twice and to the Children's Museum. Yes, I forgot to bring my camera. There was a miniature dump truck that he just loved to pretend drive. He would flip the switches for the lights and play with dumping and hauling the fake rocks in the miniature wheelbarrow.

I threw this picture in because it's the most recent. Jake weighs 28 pounds and is 35 and 3/4 inch tall. He wears between a size 2t and 3t and his feet are almost outgrowing his size eight shoes.

Mom and Sam and Jake at the Toys'R'Us. This was after the shopping spree for his birthday. He got a bunch of cars and a case. Also a lawnmower bubble maker. He loves to drive. If its got a steering wheel he wants to drive it.

Can you tell how much he was enjoying the icing on his cupcake for his second birthday? He would work his way through the icing so that he could have another cupcake. And he ate the icing on that one too. Left the cake parts. This little one loves chocolate and oatmeal cookies and ice cream. But don't worry, he's the first one to eat his fruits and veggies. He really does eat very well. He'll eat almost anything we put in front of him.

***Just in case any of you were wondering where I got the inspiration for this blogs name.***

I'm Blogging

2008-03-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

This whole thing is new to me, so please bear with me. I figured I would start a blog so far away family could peek in every now and then. It's rare for me to find the time to concentrate on the computer without little hands trying to touch every button they can find. This little boy just loves everything technological. He can turn our phones on and off and even make them do things we didn't know they could do. Watch out for your cameras too. The first picture is of Jake playing around in the back yard. Lately he's been running around in circles chanting "happy, happy, happy,...". Speaking of happy, he does the same thing in the mornings when he wakes up. I enter his room and there he is hanging on to the rails of his crib bouncing up and down and chanting happy. I swear we got so lucky with this one. Most of the time he is in such a good mood. He must get that from me.
This is a picture of Kristi enjoying her time with Jake before she left for China. Yes, she's there and it appears from her blog that she's having a good time. I think she comes home at the beginning of July. Just in time for our trip to Georgia where we're renting a cabin for the first time. Usually we stay with Dad and Kathy but they are going to have a very full house. All the kids will be with them, sort of an immediate family reunion. I can't wait. I wonder how different Jake will look to Kristi when she gets back from China. Five months is a long time to a two year old.
The last picture is of Tara and Jake right before his Second birthday. They were playing on his clubhouse that he got for his birthday from Mommy and Daddy. He just loves to be outside. That must come from Grandpa Maes. Tara will be graduating in April from BYU. She's still up there and deciding if she will continue in school or not.

Jake and I are headed off to Washington state to visit mom and Sam tomorrow. We'll be there about a week. I think Nanna and Poppy are more excited than I am. Maybe that's because I'll be flying solo with Jake. Diaper bag, check. Car seat, check. Umbrella stroller, check. Copy of ticketless travel itinerary, check. Sanity, .....