Skiing Minnesota style

Hi all. Mom and Dad and our friends Kris and Owin went to a water ski show last night. I was checking out the tricks...quite impressive if I do say so myself. There were pyramids and guys flying behind the boat without any skis and they even jumped off of a ramp. In between drinking water from my sippee cup (it was a hot day...and I was very thirsty) and chewing on Mr. Seahorse, I was taking notes. Mom says with the way that I can pop up to my feet on land that I will be a natural in the water. I haven't tried it yet, but as soon as I fit into my life jacket I will give it a whirl. Ha. Stop freaking out. I will learn to swim first. It's happy hour. That means Mom takes me for a walk in my stroller. Gotta go. Love, Jacob

Nap time prayers

Como Zoo

Jake spent the day at the Como Zoo with Dad, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Tom.

1. I have the best daddy in the whole wide world.

2. Sarah, come on. Seriously. Enough pictures already. We need to go see the animals now.

3. This is what they call a Jacob sandwich.

4. Dad, go very slowly. I am going to catch this butterfly.

Date Knight

Like I mentioned before, Scott and I are taking full advantage of having Grandma in town. Last night we saw The Dark Knight. I think the last movie we went to was Juno...and I was pregnant so that would mean that it was over 7 months ago. That is a long time to not see a movie especially considering we used to see movies weekly (pre Jacob). I thought it was quite clever and the performances across the board were fantastic. My favorite part is when he retracts back to the airplane. I think this one is worth seeing on the big screen.

You Belong In the Zoo

We took Jacob to Zollman Zoo and Oxbow Nature Center yesterday. I don't think he really cares if he is looking at animals, barn boards, or leaves blowing in the wind...as long as he is outside he is a happy camper.

You and Me

Scott took the afternoon off on Wednesday and we drove over to Winona. We had lunch at The Acoustic Cafe, strolled along the river, and checked out the view from the bluff. It was a perfect day for a drive (we are getting old, aren't we?) and we are taking full advantage of having Grandma in town!

Eat Here

My friend Kim and I enjoyed the evening at Sontes - a tapas style restaurant with an impressive wine list. We sat outside and enjoyed the great summer evening along with a potpourri of gourmet foods. This is my favorite style of restaurant...they leave the menu and you continue to order items on the menu as long as you feel like eating. They are small portions - perfect to experience and appreciate the food. The other great thing about this style of eating is that you take your time - dinner isn't rushed and you leave feeling content...not stuffed. If you are looking for a "value meal" this isn't the place for you but I would highly recommend a visit to Sontes for some stellar cuisine and phenomenal drink choices.

I Wonder What He's Thinking?

Cool dip

Grandma J is in town for the week and yesterday we took Jacob to Soldier's Field pool. They have a great kid pool with giant fountains and a nice area on the deck with a lot of shade. He loves being in the water. We couldn't get him to look at the camera at all - he was too busy watching the other kids splash around. I think Jacob is going to keep his blue eyes but we are definitely seeing shades of red in his hair!

Lookin' Good Honey!

Scott doesn't wear earrings on a regular basis - especially the dangling kind. Sarah and Mike had stayed over the previous night and she left her earrings behind. I had been working on the computer and when I turned to talk to Scott there he stood with earrings in his ears. That's my husband.

Go Trimont U Rah Rah

A part of the 4th of July festivites which I forgot to post was a cheer by Becky, Susie, and Cindy. Let's take a look at Cindy Ahrens (left), Becky Meyer (center), and Sue Jacobson (right) as they attempt one of their routines from the good ol' days.

Happy Belly: Take II

Jacob had his 6 month checkup on Thursday and other than a little wax buildup in his ears, which he whole heartedly protested being removed by Dr. Arndt, he checked out great. He is weighing in at a svelt 15 lb 6 oz and doc said he was doing well. So well in fact that he suggested trying some rice cereal again which we're ALL excited about. Jacob is excited because he LOVES his rice cereal, dad is excited because he thinks it's hilarious watching Jacob eat his rice cereal, and momma is thrilled because she thinks it might stick to his ribs long enough to allow her to get a decent night's sleep sometime in the near future. We're going to give the cereal a try for a couple weeks and if that works out well then it will be on to even more exciting new foods like carrots and squash. Looks like Little Jake is about to experience a taste explosion!

America's Hometown

We made a quick trip to Charles City Wednesday evening...

Picture #1 - Jacob enjoys some Polka music with Dad, Ryan, and Lauren after the picnic with Grandpa Dale.

Picture #2 - Jacob tells Great Grandpa Dale about his new teeth.

Picture #3 - Snuggling with cousin Lauren.

Beach Bums

My mom and her friend Kris took me and Owin to the beach today. It was a perfect day! The water was fun to splash in. It was a little chilly at first but very refreshing. I like to watch Owin play in the sand. He likes to use a shovel and put sand in his bucket. I just like to hold the sand in my hands and try to eat it. Mom says I can't do that. Fair enough. Kris took some really cool pictures and then you can see mom was getting a little camera happy and just wouldn't give up. She kept jumping up and down making crazy noises - I am surprised she didn't topple backwards into the lake. Finally I just laid back and covered my eyes with my hat. I told Owin not to look at her either. I think she finally figured out our photo session was over and we wanted to get back to playing in the sand. If you come visit me I can take you to the beach too! I have something going on every day this week so check back for more updates! Love, Jacob

My New Ride

Honk Honk Beep Beep! Check out my new ride everyone. I am leasing it from my friend, Owin. It's in great shape - the horn, blinkers, and radio work great. It starts on a dime. The only tricky thing is that it is manual transmission...that takes a little getting used to.

Free Tickets to the Gun Show

I know what some of you are thinking...that kid is juicing for sure. I mean, who has ever seen a 6 month old with pipes like these, right? I understand your sketpicism, but for the record these pythons are 100% natural, the product of a rigid diet of momma's milk and a strict exercise regiment of rattle curls and push ups along with barrel rolls to work my core. I know I know, it sounds too simple, but it works. I've got the pictures to prove it!

Hope you're all enjoying this fine summer weather. Well, it's nice in Rochester at least. Dad and I just ran to Menard's. He says he is going to rewire a lamp, whatever that means. It sounds pretty complicated to me so hopefully he knows what he's doing. He's going to fix his lamp while I take a nap and then we're going on a mission to find a new pillow for Mom. Hopefully we'll be shopping at the mall so I can stop in to see momma at work.

It's nap time so I'm off to the land of nod. Ciao for now, jacob

Don't Worry, Be Happy

OMG, is that singing cow funny or what? Grandma and Grandpa Sinclair gave him to me. He hangs out in my pack 'n play and keeps me entertained while Mom & Dad are changing my diaper. Man he cracks me up. Hopefully one of these days I'll be able to sing along with him.

As the wise cow sings...don't worry, be happy! ~jacob

Shout out to my homies!

Here's wishing everyone a belated happy 4th 'o July! I'm back in Rochester at my house now, but I thought I'd post some pics from my week in Bemidji. I got to spend the week before the 4th at G&G Jacobson's which was really fun. I sure do like sitting on the deck and watching the boats on the lake and listening to the birds chirping and watching Ernie chasing chipmunks all over the yard. I also got to see Aunt Sarah and Uncle Mike when they came to visit for the weekend which was great. Actually there were a LOT of people at Grandma and Grandpa's and I got to chat with all of them.

Can you believe how big I'm getting? Mom says it's not that big of a surprise considering how much I eat. What can I say? I like milk and Mom's got the best milk around so I like to indulge.

Well my eyes are getting heavy and dad says we've got a big day ahead of us I better go take a nap. Hope to see you all soon! Holla! ~Little Jake

MOM!

Jacob has been quite the peanut lately. His bottom front two teeth are just showing through and although he is still squealing and laughing he has his moments of obvious discomfort. For cutting teeth, he is doing great but the days are starting to feel like weeks. He's been up every couple of hours for the past three nights. Not to mention he's eating like a horse. How does a horse eat, anyway? I am guessing he is going through his six month growth spurt as well. I am patiently (or not so patiently?) waiting for him to resume to a somewhat normal sleep pattern. What can I say? It's tough being a baby and sometimes it's a lot of work being a mom, too. :)

Taking a dip

Jake enjoyed cooling off yesterday in his swimming pool. First he wanted to splash. Then he had to try the front float, the back float, and finish off with his signature move...the backfloat while sucking on his toes. He calls it the toe float.

robin family relocated!

Scott came home last week after work and said "Honey, do you want to hear some bad news?" Obviously I didn't say "Of course, dear...I love hearing bad news!" Anyway, he proceeded to tell me about this robin that had built a nest in the building that they are renovating. They were scheduled to put the windows in and close up the building today so he had a bit of a dilemma as to what to do with the nest and the newly hatched babies. I was a bit concerned as to what he would end up doing come today. He just sent an e-mail update - it looks like the robin family was successfully relocated!

There was a bit of drama with the robin relocation operation, but long story short it worked and the robins have a new home outside of our building. That's the short version. The long version goes like this.

I bought a bottle of gorilla glue and scrounged some scrap lumber and cobbled together a box for the nest this morning. I then took it into the room where the nest was made, thinking the parents would be locked out. Well, they were trapped in the room as well (one window was left out but they couldn't figure that out). They left me alone while I pulled the nest out of the ceiling joists and slipped it into the box. I then set it on the sill of the open window hoping they would hear the babies, but that didn't work. I tried prodding the parents out with a 2x4 which forced one of them to swoop down and crash into the window and fall to the floor. I felt pretty bad at that point thinking it was a gonner but after watching it for a few minutes and seeing it breathe I thought maybe it was just in shock. So I put that one in the box with the babies and covered it with a shirt. Then I went outside and climbed up on some scaffolding and slipped the box between the outside wall and some gas pipe and wired it all together with some scrap electrical wire. After getting it secured, I took the shirt off the box and lo and behold the parent was sitting on the nest, apparently fully recovered from his collision with the window! I left it at that...hopefully the other parent will find its way out of the building tonight while we're gone and reunite with the family. Pic of the relocated nest in its box is attached. Hopefully they will like their new home!