November 6, 2012 Update

Jake has taken full advantage of fall fun lately!  He's enjoyed pumpkin painting with Tyson, a trip to the pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving, and trick or treating with his Mommy, Daddy, Tank and Bella.  Jake is 16, almost 17, months old and a complete package of toddler joy.  He keeps us smiling!

Jake enjoys:

- moving laundry from the dryer to the laundry basket
- watching the washer and dryer with fascination
- moving dog food piece by piece from one bowl to the other and then feeding each dog one piece at a time
- the microwave, dishwasher, and any appliance that has buttons and makes noise
- closing and opening all doors, drawers, and cabinets (which includes busting through baby locks)
- being chased
- wrestling with the pups
- babbling with expression and hand gestures
- Fresh Beat Band, Sesame Street, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- reading and being read to
- singing along to the radio
- dancing
- shaking his head no
- listening to his favorite books over and over again
- painting with q-tips
- coloring with crayons
- stampers
- wheels that spin
- pushing and pulling objects from room to room
- brushing his teeth
- laughing
- playing outside
- building (and destroying) with blocks

Jake likes to say (among other things):

- daddy
- mama
- moo
- bow wow wow
- teeth
- an inappropriate word that he learned when Mommy dropped something on her toe
- eat
- bye
- hi
- sorry
- dot


As a teacher, I used to ask kids to say they were sorry, what they were sorry for, and how they planned to make a better choice next time.  Each time Jake says, "sorry," it could easily be translated into one of the following:

"I'm sorry that I used the toilet for water play. Next time I will do it more quietly so you don't hear me and I can enjoy it for a longer period of time."

"I'm sorry that I hit the dogs in the heads with a spatula.  Next time I will ask before taking the spatula to hit them with."

"I'm sorry that I ate part of a crayon.  Next time I will ask for some hummus to dip it in - it didn't taste good."

"I'm sorry that I turned off the cable box right as Kevin Durant went up for a layup.  Next time I will watch the play, clap, and then turn it off at the end of the fourth quarter in a tight game. That should get a bigger reaction."

Our active little guy is always on the go and always a bright spot.  We look forward to the upcoming holidays with family and friends!

Shanda

Jake loves to brush his teeth

Fun at the park

Dinner date with Mommy

The wheels are always spinning

Boomer!

Invading Tyson's personal space

Painting pumpkins is fun!

Two sweet boys sharing toys

Looking sharp for a Hail and Farewell

Crunching in the fall leaves

Touchdown!

Feeding the goats

At TG Farms Pumpkin Patch

Picking pumpkins

Our ray of sunshine

Mattress climbing

Pumpkin carving

Q Tip painting

Little monster

The head piece took some getting used to

The third puppy in the family

Bow wow wow

October 8 Update

Hello friends and family,

Jake has had a busy fall thus far!  In fact, "busy" is the best word to describe Jake these days.  His mind, body, and mouth are constantly on the run making life full of laughter and joy for Mommy and Daddy.  At his 15 month appointment, Jake weighed 22 pounds 3 ounces and was 30.5 inches long.  He loves to eat and hums and dances to express his satisfaction with his meal.  If it's really a hit, you'll hear him say, "Mmmmm." Dessert has become a favorite - ice cream, oreos, chocolate chip cookies - oh my!  Of course, Mommy and Daddy keep it in moderation and he still loves all of his healthy meal items.  Jake has started to use a fork or spoon.  He does great with it, however, food doesn't often reach his mouth.  No worries, Jake uses his hands to scoop up any food particle he may have missed and then shovels it in his mouth.  Tank and Bella are thrilled with his less than stellar utensil skills - more snacks for them!

Jake loves to play outside.  The playground on post is a favorite - especially when Daddy comes.  Jake is fearless and adventurous.  He enjoys climbing up the slide and then sliding down on his tummy (feet first).  Mommy is always so proud of his athletic skills, even though I spent 7 years telling kids NOT to do this at school.  It is so fun to watch Jake have so much joy when he's moving, playing, and enjoying being a toddler.  He loves to march, spin, do pushups, and run!

Our big guy is definitely strong willed, curious, and loves to learn.  He has become quite the mimic. Jake thinks other kids are so much fun to play with, but his dogs are still his favorite playmates.  Tank and Bella get frequent "good dog" pats and lots of hugs and kisses (sometimes surprise ambushes are a more accurate description).

Jake goes to story time once a week at the library on post.  They dance and sing a song, hear a story, and then do a craft that goes with the book theme.  My happy little man loves the dance, usually causes trouble during the story, and then joins back in for the craft.  Most of the kids at story time either sit nicely on the carpet to hear the story (the older kids) or cling to their parents (the kids Jake's age or younger).  Jake doesn't fall into either category.  Mr. Class Clown likes to walk in front of the story and giggle, turn on the CD player during the story, and sit in other kids' laps (if it's a pretty girl, she will get a kiss on the cheek).  I get a bonus workout chasing him.

In September, we got to take a family trip to Adams and Syracuse, NY for my cousin, Katie's wedding.  Jake got to meet and spend time with one of my dearest friends, Jen Surette, and her kids, Laurelle and Brayden.  Jen and I became best friends when I moved to NY and our husbands were deployed together.  It was so heartwarming to introduce her to Jake and to snuggle her kiddos.  We missed seeing her husband, Tristen, who is currently in Korea.  Spending time with Jen, her kids, and her parents was so special.  Jake realized he was loved by a family he didn't even know he had.  How blessed he is!  As always, I was amazed at her strength and patience at juggling a full time job, two amazing kids, and a hectic schedule while her husband serves his country for the zillionth time.  We had such a blast and Jake loved playing with the big kids.  He learned so much from Laurelle and Brayden (he even learned how to spin from their dog, Katie) and got spoiled silly by Aunt Jen.  Jake also got to meet my friends at Sherman Elementary and Aunt Jess Hyde. We visited the Cider Mill for fresh donuts and the Thompson Park Zoo.  The weather was perfect!

After our time in Adams, we went to Syracuse for the weekend.  Aunt Jen, Aunt Jess, and the kids joined us to take care of Jake while we enjoyed the wedding festivities for Katie and Adam.  Jake partied at the hotel with the Surettes while we got to spend time with the Bontempi and Van Horne families.  Jake got to meet his Bontempi aunts and uncles, his cousins (Matt, Pat, Katie, Adam, and Sabrina) and he got to hang out with his new baby cousin Lexie.  What a fun weekend we had celebrating a fantastic couple.  We all really enjoyed ourselves.

More fall fun ahead for the Bandi's and we can't wait.  Happy Fall!

At storytime (facing the audience of parents and NOT the book)

Jake was so into shaking his instrument that he forgot to join the train.  

Jake got his first haircut - thank you Katie!

Delicious!

Ready to board the plane to NY!

Jake and his buddy, Brayden

Snuggles from Laurelle

Movie before bed

Burrville Cider Mill

Loving the fall weather

Loving the cider donuts more!

Aunt Jen has a bouncy house - yippee!

Rough and tumble boys

Matt, Lexie, Jake, and Shanda!  A new generation of cousins.

At the zoo.  Jake loved the donkeys (no political reference intended).

Checking out the snowy owls

Jake loves brushing his teeth (when he controls the brush)

At the cider mill

Boomer!

July and August 2012 - Almost 14 months old!

Hello friends and family,

Jake turns 14 months old on Saturday and he is quite the character.  Our sweet little baby has turned into a ham of a toddler!  He keeps us laughing (and moving) all of the time.  Since his birthday, Jake has had a busy summer.  It got off to an exciting start with the discovery of his peanut allergy (and his first ER trip), which has led to a new lifestyle of making sure that all food that enters his body or touches him are peanut and tree nut free.  Although not an easy task, it certainly could be much worse so we are thankful that we know and we hope he will either grow out of it or learn to grow up with it.

Jake started walking on July 8th...and started running on July 9th!  He is so proud of himself as he continues to gain speed and stability.  He is thrilled with his new independence and craves more. Walking has opened up a whole new world to our curious little explorer and Mommy and Daddy have had to do some quick thinking to prevent major disasters.

Jake loves to play outside.  His wagon, cozy truck, and water table are favorites when we can deal with the heat.  He also enjoys bouncing and rolling footballs and basketballs.  Tank and Bella are learning to run when Jake "dog" piles them to either wrestle or snuggle.  We are lucky - our dogs are so patient and loving toward their human brother.

We began our August with a fun family trip to Phoenix, Arizona to celebrate Adam and Shelly's wedding.  What an awesome time!  I can't say that traveling with a 13 month old was a party, but I am thankful for the members of "Team Jake" who helped keep him safe, fed, happy, and entertained on both flights and throughout the weekend.  I am so glad we got to be there to witness a beautiful wedding weekend for a special couple.

After we returned from Arizona, Jake got another dose of family fun when Uncle Luke, Aunt Stephenie, Sylvie, Uncle Seth, and his friend Kristin came to OKC for a visit. We had a ball watching Jake and Sylvie play and interact (often causing trouble, but in a super cute way).  What a lucky boy Jake is to have a loving family on both sides.

THINGS JAKE SAYS:
mama, mom
daddy, dada, dad
hi dada
night dada
oh geez
cheese
teeth
juice
up
poop (thanks Daddy for that one)
hush (from Goodnight Moon)
yikes

THINGS JAKE DOES:
goes to get a book (and even specific books by title) when asked
says "hush" when reading Goodnight Moon
goes to the fridge and requests cheese
waits at the door and greets Matt with "hi dada"
laughs with a hearty "haha" to get attention
opens your hand to put a book in it when he wants to read
touches his head, belly button, and teeth when asked
dances by bending his knees and nodding his head when asked to dance

THINGS JAKE DOES BUT SHOULDN'T:
climbs onto the fireplace
dumps the dogs' food and water bowls
turns the cable box off - repeatedly
steals the remote
steals all iPhones
climbs up Oma and Opa's stairs
steals food out of our hands

No matter what Jake does, he is always "stealing" our hearts.  More to follow!  In the meantime - here are some pictures of Jake from July and August:

Wagon ride

Thunder Up

Spending the 4th of July playing with the pups

At the park with Mommy and Daddy

Cruisin' the neighborhood

Playing with the water table

Bath time!

Morning snack in AZ with GP

Pool time with Mommy

Relaxing poolside with GM

Just exploring

Soaking up the AZ heat

Aunt Jaime came to play

Morning fun with cousin Sylvie

Cute as can be!

Those pups are funny

Puppy love