Nolan...After Cake & Spaghetti

Yesterday was a GOOD day in the world of Nolan. He ate spaghetti for dinner and got a birthday cupcake for dessert! Did his mom bother to clean him up between dinner & dessert? Clearly not.

Tucker was creeping in on the leftovers. Unfortunately for him, this is NOLAN we are talking about. There were NO leftovers.

I finally managed to snap a picture that is 100% on point when it comes to my children. If anyone was ever like, "Hmmm, I wonder what Kady & Tyson's kids are REALLY like..." Just look at that picture. It holds all the answers.

Baby Jakobsen doing some skin-to-skin with his Daddy

And finally - a little story. Everyone knows Molly - Jack's original girlfriend from our days in Royal Oak... Well, Molly & her family moved to Denmark last fall and shortly after they settled in -  we found out they were expecting Baby #3. Well - Molly and her little sister Louise welcomed a baby BROTHER on Nolan's birthday and all my wishes came true. Poor Brooke was seriously over-due and I was secretly (or not so secretly) hoping the baby would come on the 20th. And then she sent me a text that she had been admitted to the hospital...and I immediately went shopping (true story). I am SO incredibly excited for the Jakobsens! We will meet this (unnamed) baby boy...someday...hopefully soon. XOXO

Special Visitor

We had a special visitor last weekend! Our friend, Brooke, was in town for a business trip and stayed at the Becker Hotel.

Saturday night Brooke and I caught up over a nice dinner out and some drinks. Then Sunday we made a trip to Ikea for some lamps and other totally necessary unnecessary items. Brooke requested the Ikea meatballs during her visit - so we made that happen.

We even got to Skype with Molly, Mikkel, and Louise back in Iowa - so we could sing Happy Birthday to Molly! She turned 4 on December 2nd!

It was so great having Brooke here, even if it was a quick trip. We miss the Jakobsens and hope they will keep Metro Detroit on their radar in the future (since we all love moving...).

Photo Booth Favs

My school laptop is big. I sorta need a suitcase to haul her around. Once I was taking her on an airplane and Tyson told me the TSA probably wouldn't let me have her in my carry-on because it could be considered a battery-ram/weapon. Not funny.

Fast-forward to my birthday weekend and Tyson came home from Best Buy with a new 11" MacBook Air...pretty much the opposite of my school laptop. It's tiny and awesome and (once I have all my software on it) I *will* use it a lot!

Here are some of my favorites so far in my Photo Booth...Jack LOVES taking his picture, if you can't tell.

4 Adults, 4 kids, 3 dogs - One night at the Lake

We spent 22 hours at the Lake with the Jakobsens this weekend! It was SO awesome to see them, meet Baby Louise, and catch up! Jack and Molly picked up right where they left off and got along great…just the normal 3 year old stuff.

 It was relaxing…well, as relaxing as it could be with 4 children under 4…and three large dogs.

The lake was completely frozen. Jack and Molly had a blast running on it, crawling on it, and making snow angels! I think Molly even snuck a few bites of snow...

By 9pm all of the children were asleep - and the adults had a chance to have some fun! Adult beverages and a card game kept us up WAY past our normal bedtime. (the porch was freezing…if you can't tell by our blankets) It was NOT, however, sunny - but Tyson was celebrating the fact that Brooke found his long-lost sunglasses.

We learned (again) that we shouldn't have stayed up so late. The kids didn't have "SLEEP IN" on their agenda for today. Rough.

Lots of rides in the tractor!

And finally, an updated group picture! Last time we took this - Louise was in Brooke's belly. I'm pretty sure she thinks we're all too loud…and a tad crazy. She's right.

Always SO great to see our MI buddies! Jack is already asking, "When can I see Molly, Mom?"

As promised...

 {minor miracle}

This is my favorite picture of the weekend! It's going in a frame.

The Jakobsen's Visit FW

We had SUCH a fun weekend with our Royal Oak buddies. Jack and Molly were so excited to see each other {as long as they weren't fighting over toys}. We kept pretty busy and that made for a fast, but very memorable weekend.

Saturday morning we went downtown Fort Wayne to the Barr St Farmer's Market. With the toddlers secured in the wagon - we ventured off to find the Three Rivers Parade. We caught the last 10 minutes of it and Jack & Molly were excited to see a fire truck!

 After lunch and naps - we played. Jack & Molly had the cutest tea party.

Molly got lots of practice being a "big sister." Josie was happy to have a girl around.

Saturday night we left the kiddos with a babysitter and enjoyed dinner out at Club Soda! Over dinner we learned that Brooke and Mikkel had never had an Elephant Ear. Okay - the Dane, I can understand…but a girl from Iowa?!? No excuse!

We walked right over to Junk Food Alley to buy one for dessert. Mikkel didn't seem to think it was as great as we'd promised. But Brooke {and baby} enjoyed it! We also had a chance to "people watch" and saw some of Fort Wayne's finest.

On our way home - we stopped in the parking lot for a group shot. First we almost got hit by a car…then we almost wet our pants. A great end to a great night.

We wrapped up the weekend with a dip in the pool & lunch… Then we waved goodbye to our friends and said "See you soon." We miss them already!

{Brooke managed to snap a group shot - all of the adults, kids, and three dogs! So look for that soon!}

Gettin' Nerdy

Yesterday, Brooke, Christina, and I braved the Cranbrook Museum with four kiddos (and one in the oven, Lucas' baby brother or sister). It was an adventure!

First, Josie stared down a bear! She must have her momma's "mean look," because the bear was scared stiff!

Jack interacted with a lizard and a penguin. Now there's a combination you don't hear too often.

Molly and Jack hung out with a really mean tiger, but they weren't afraid!

And then Molly, Lucas, and Jack got a head start on their Ichthyology. They were all - "Look at the ornate colors of that sea anemone....Ohhh, that Tang Fish is gorgeous."  

"HEY LOOK - IT'S NEMO!!!"

Just another day in the life of a toddler.

Little Friends

Jack, Molly, and Lucas enjoyed a playdate at a local community center today. It's always fun to watch them play and interact with each other. We are sure going to miss days like this...

Reunited...and it feels so good.

"Juice is delicious. AND hilarious,"

Jack and Molly were reunited yesterday after two LONG weeks apart. Brooke and Molly stopped by and surprised Jack when he woke up from his nap. Then Jack and Molly ran around the house playing and making each other laugh. It was clear that the five adults in the house (Tyson, Devin, Kristin, Brooke, and I) were not "in" on the toddler jokes.

I received this picture from Tyson one morning. He and Jack were going to get coffee. Jack insisted on bringing his entire entourage from his crib: Gigi (his monkey), "baby" (that he stole from Josie), Woof-Woof (the blue dog), nigh-nigh, and Pass. Judging from the picture, I think Daddy is a bigger pushover than Mommy.

Mall Rats

Jack and Molly met at Oakland Mall on Monday morning for some playtime.  Jack refused to stay in the Kid's Play section - because there were cars and trucks to play in.  Fortunately for me, he didn't care for them when they moved - which saved me a boatload in quarters.

The first of three time-outs for the day.  I believe it is safe to say that my son has entered the "Terrible Twos."  Pair that with a very pregnant, very tired Mommy - and it's NOT good. My patience is thin and he knows all the right buttons to push.

We decided to let the kiddos take a ride on the Halloween Train before we left.  Jack is ALL about Choo-Choos - so I figured he would LOVE it.

 Here they come....

Jack hated it.  But Molly seemed to enjoy it... Two laps around the track and I told the conductor to stop.  Did I feel bad that I was snapping pictures and laughing? {Mom of the Year!} Not at all.  Be prepared for a similar situation when Jack meets Santa. I'm sorry, but it's funny. And these are the things we will tell his future wife.