Picnic at the park

Jacob and I had lunch in the park followed by some serious play time on the equipment. I am not sure who designed this one but they get an award in my book. The ramps allow the little ones to go back and forth safely with out having to have mom and dad become a contortionist to make sure the kids don't fall or trip on stairs. There are stairs on this one, which he really enjoys practicing but there is plenty of space to stay close to him.

Our challenge at this point is Jacob throwing tantrums. I had heard this started when they are two. Someone should inform Jacob. When he doesn't want to leave (i.e. today at the park, last night at the Aquatic Center) or doesn't get to play with something (i.e. our camera, the telephone, knives), or I take a toy away from him if he throws it when I tell him not to (the tractor he kept tossing across the room while waiting to get our oil changed yesterday) he will immediately start crying and if he really feels like being dramatic he will flop onto the floor. I am not a patient person so the last couple of days have been extremely challenging for me.

However, I am stubborn as well and I refuse to give into his tantrums. They get ignored and I very calmly (ahem...most of the time) remove him from the situation if need be and we carry on with plans. I will continue to do this until he figures out he will not ever get his way by throwing a fit. Ever. At least that is what I hope to do...I think they better start serving up some patience and perseverance at happy hour!

Stupid parent trick #32

Jacob and I were out running errands and decided to stop for some ice cream. I had a brilliant idea that I would let him have his own kiddee cone and I got one for myself as well. I had forgotten his bib but wasn't too worried about his clothes since we were on our way home and I could change him since he was bound to get ice cream on them. I didn't really know what to expect but I was prepared for a mess. (I am trying really hard to be okay with messes...Lord knows we don't need Jacob growing up to be as Type A as I am ;)

He actually did quite well with it and seemed to thoroughly be enjoying his cone. It was close to 90 degrees so it was melting fast, but he was keeping up. I was thinking to myself..."How cute! I need to get a picture of this." The pictures you see are prior to the meltdown (no pun intended).

I am not sure what happened...he might have got an ice cream headache, took too big of a bite and it was too cold on his teeth, or he got some of the cone and swallowed it without chewing - whatever it was enjoying ice cream turned into complete chaos. He was in the stroller screaming with drool and ice cream coming out of his mouth, reaching for me while I have two melting cones in my hand, desperately trying to find a way to get the camera down without having ice cream melt all over it.

I finally got him to calm down, threw the rest of the cone away, and strolled our sticky selves back to the car. We will be sharing our cones from now on.

First Class fluke

Our flight home could not have been more perfect, at least from my perspective. Scott had an entirely different experience but we'll share the good stuff. We were scheduled to fly out of New York at 2pm. We arrived at our gate about 20 minutes before 1 and upon check-in didn't have seat assignments so we went to the gate and noticed there was another flight to Minneapolis leaving at 1. Upon asking, we were delighted to find out they would be able to put us on the earlier flight and not only that, but our luggage would be put through as well. (If only we were competing on The Amazing Race!) We weren't going to be able to sit next to each other but we felt like it was worth it to get home earlier. We took our boarding passes and walked over to board the plane.

The attendant stopped the gentleman ahead of me as she scanned his ticket and told him she was upgrading him to first class. I smiled as I handed her my ticket and said to her jokingly..."Do you want to upgrade my ticket as well?" She handed my ticket to another agent and just like that I was assigned a seat in first class. Now, this would be a truly fantastic story if I were to tell you there was one more seat available for Scott. Unfortunately for him it wasn't the case. I felt a bit guilty knowing that Scott would be sitting in coach while I sat in seat 2-D. Not having ever enjoyed the luxury of a first class seat, I had no idea what to expect.

The flight attendant came around with a basket of peanuts and cookies and allowed us to choose for ourselves what we wanted. They kept serving us beverages like we were in a restaurant. I thought it was nice and was thinking to myself...I am definitely going to pick out a cookie and coffee if they come around again. I was just about to clear off my tray and get back into my book when the attendant wheeled out another cart and started serving lunch. Yes. Lunch. With a choice of wine. So there I sat, acting as cool and collected as I could while I politely selected the Sauvingnon Blanc all the while thinking to myself..."I didn't even pay for this!" The rest of the flight home was quite lovely and very comfortable. The least I could do was save Scott the caramel cashew brownie which he did enjoy. I am certain I would never purchase a first class ticket but you can be sure I am going to always check to see if they need any volunteers for an upgrade!

NYC - The High Line

The High Line is a must-see if you visit the city. Located in the Meatpacking district is the old set of tracks once used way back in the day for shipments of meat to the city. They have now turned it into a city park. Surely to be crowded on a bright sunny day, I recommend bringing your umbrella and visiting on a gray, rainy day. You can read more about this park at http://www.thehighline.org/.

NYC in pictures - continued

1. Enjoying coffee with Robyne at Le Grand Cafe (21st and 9th)...honestly, have you ever seen a more beautiful cappuccino?

2. The artist behind the creation.

3. This is our dear friend Ramadan.

4. Cool windows in Brooklyn.

5. The twin towers site viewed from our hotel room.

NYC in pictures

1. Improvements to the Subway.

2. Our friends Heidi and Robyne.

3. Yasaman and Scott pondering work at an Art Gallery opening.

4. A slice is never more than a block away.

5. My $15 glass of wine. Seriously folks...

NYC recap

We had a great weekend in NYC - a lot has changed! The taxis now accept credit cards, they are implementing new subway cars with a digital voice system (you can actually understand what is being said), and overall the city looks a bit more tidy that when we left it. Still gritty...but just not AS gritty.

We learned a couple of things on our trip back. The first...don't get too attached to a restaurant. We had a favorite in Brooklyn not too far from our old neighborhood. After a round about subway ride we ended above ground in Cobble Hill only to find the restaurant had closed. We had plans to meet a friend for lunch at another restaurant around the corner from our old apartment the next day as well and before even leaving Manhattan did some research...sure enough that one had also closed.

Second lesson...wear comfortable shoes. I don't remember this being an issue when we lived there - I probably learned early on and my feet were accustomed to the long walks but after a winter in MN and having a car as my main mode of transportation, my poor feet were in for a shock. I walked the entire day on Friday and was reminded upon returning to the hotel that my shoe choice of the day was less than wise. I switched shoes for the evening out only to find four blisters that felt like razor blades slicing into my feet. A trip to the drug store for some blister treatment and a change into some flip flops and I was good to go.

We had a great time catching up with friends and co-workers, eating yummy food, and strolling from city block to city block reminiscing of the days when we lived in the chaos. We feel truly grateful that we had the opportunity to live in NYC and enjoy the idea of our future visits, but I think we both will go to sleep tonight smiling at the fact that we are dozing off to the sound of crickets instead of sirens, honking, and the rumble of the subway.

Vacation: Day 2 and 3

All reports from Lake Julia are great. Jacob is having a wonderful time and is very busy. They had rain yesterday so he spent most of the day indoors playing with toys and riding his radio flyer scooter. (Yes, Grandma and Grandpa let him ride his scooter in the house). :) I was happy to hear that he slept all night and woke up jabbering and in a great mood. I know Grandma wouldn't mind if she had to get up with him and rock him back to sleep - but everything seems to be better with a good night sleep.

As for us here in Hastings, Scott and I ventured into downtown Minneapolis via the lightrail and enjoyed a couple of beers at the Ugly Mug and a delicious salad and pizza at Black Sheep Pizza. Highly recommended next time you are in the city. Yesterday from the time I woke to the time I hit the pillow I was busy completing my very long and tedious to-do list. If I had my choice, I would have spent the day at the movies, but it feels good to have those lingering projects accomplished.

Today I'm wrapping up a few things and packing for our adventure into the bigger city on Thursday. We're looking forward to catching up with old friends and capturing some NYC energy.

This picture was taken mid-December so he wasn't quite a year old. He has grown so much in the last 6 months!

Vacation: Day 1

As I write, Jacob is on his way to Bemidji to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Jacobson for a week! Did you hear me? 7 days! I have a few days at home (as a stay at home mom without the one that I stay home for), and then Scott and I fly out on Thursday to NYC for a long weekend.

After they left this morning (and I stopped crying), I sat with my cup of coffee wondering what in the world I was going to do with myself. About halfway through my cup of coffee, it occurred to me that I didn't have to get Jacob up from his nap in an hour, scarf down a sandwich while getting his lunch ready, go to the gym (after lunch but before nap and preferably after a poopy diaper so they don't have to come get me in the middle of my workout), rush through a shower...okay, so you get my drift. Bottom line, after 18 mos...as selfish as it sounds...it is all about me!

Alright alright. I am being slightly dramatic...Scott and I did get away last October for a weekend, and I have had plenty of breaks (which, by the way, a very special thank you to the Grandmas and Grandpas, Sarah and Tom, and Sarah and Mike for your wonderful care that you give Jacob), but for those of you that have children and even those of you that don't...you know that your needs and wants always come second to your children. With Jacob enjoying his vacation on Lake Julia, the things I plan to accomplish this week do not include picking up toys, filling sippee cups, or reading Goodnight Moon.

I love Jacob more than anything and I wouldn't wish for any other job in the world than to stay at home with him, but for this week, I am going to enjoy the time Scott and I have together and as for right now, I am going to go sit out on my patio and enjoy another cup of coffee.

*Thank you to Nicole Peckumn for capturing this adorable picture of Jacob this past weekend at Jami and Jim's wedding reception!*

This one's for you, Sarah B.

"MOMMMMM! Would you hurry up and get the blog updated already!?"

One of our most devoted blog followers, Sarah B. had kindly reminded me on two different occasions that it had been awhile since our last blog update. (She gave me the exact number of days). I will have you know it is 12:39 am. I should be sleeping, but if it was the last thing I did tonight (and it will be) I wanted to get some pics up. Thanks for checking in and I promise we won't go that long before another post!

Showers and flowers

Aunt Becky flew in last week to host a bridal shower for Sarah - it was great to catch up with our family and friends. Although it was cold and rainy the day of the shower, we had a few nice days to enjoy being outside.

Today was the first day that Jacob was home with me after having Grandpa and Grandma Jacobson here for 6 days. I spent two days in downtown Minneapolis taking some classes so Jacob was thrilled to have their undivided attention for the last couple of days. Now, Scott and I have to gently remind him that he doesn't get to do what he wants, when he wants, all of the time. He's been kind of a pistol (for lack of a better word) today and gets very impatient when he doesn't have my attention right away...so he will throw his sippee cup...or pretend like his fingers are caught in the garbage can lid...or chuck carrots off of his high chair. Although I appreciate his throwing capabilities, I prefer to see them used with the football or softball instead of food. He's a funny one, this little Jacob. :)

He kept spraying himself over and over...until he was drenched. This is why we love summer!