Mark Your Calendars

I am the food coordinator for the BUDS (Bringing Up Down Syndrome) organization in Southern New Jersey. We are having our 13th annual walk on October 5th at Washington Lake Park in Turnersville, NJ. The walk starts at 11AM followed by a day of fun. We have music entertainment, tons of great raffles, games and FREE breakfast and lunch! I have worked hard this year to get hot dogs, pizza, snacks and beverages donated. Last year we had over 2,000 walkers! Please come out and enjoy the day! Check out the site and pics from last year's event!
http://www.bringingupdownsyndrome.org/buddywalk.html

Emily with Jake, she loves babies!!!

Anna with Jakey!

We're Moving!

On October 1st we are moving to our new home! We are so excited. We are moving to Medford, just around the corner. The house is awesome and so is the neighborhood. Jake will attend the elementary school that I taught in and so will his cousins! Three of my former students like in our court. So fun. The house has a pool, so expect an invite next spring!

Weekend with Aunt Abby

Abs was home this weekend and it was so fun seeing her. She LOVES her nephews and little niece. Jake always laughs a lot when she is around. We had family dinners Friday and Saturday night. Sunday Abby and I went to a wedding shower for our friend Kristen. It was nice to see some of my girlfriends I don't normally get a chance to see. We love and miss Abby!!!

We Have Created a Monster

Jake is becoming a little boy right in front of my eyes... He is getting into and out of everything! He is pulling himself up to stand, touching, reaching and eating everything he sees. He has also learned how to sit up on his own. It is a lot of fun, but man are we busy...today he was trying to lick the electrical sockets. Needless to say, they are now covered. He loves things that make lots of noise... including himself. He now has all kinds of words. (we don't know what any mean, besides Daddy, dada)

Cousins Takin' a Ride

Sooo Jealous

Lately, Jake is really interested in what other people are eating...

I gave my nephew Jack a cookie and our little guy doesn't miss a beat..

Close

Closer

Blocked!

More pics From Nikki and Eko

Family Fun Weekend

This past weekend Jake and I went on our first Mommy and baby road trip! Thursday morning we headed down to B-more to see Dad, Carol, Christian and Courtney. Jake slept the entire trip. We played with Carol and the kitties, saw Aunt Court and Uncle Christian. Then in the afternoon, went to the pool where we hung out and had dinner. My dad met us after work and we cooked out on the grill! He had so much fun with Jake in the pool. The next morning, Jake and I drove down to Alexandria, VA to see Nikki and Eko. Jake slept the whole way! Nikki took the day off and we went baby shopping, out to lunch and we even took another dip in the pool. it was like the old days when we lived closer together. That night, Uncle Eko came home and Jake thinks he is so funny! On Saturday we ate breakfast at this yummy French bistro and then went to a fun festival in Leesburg! Jake was pretty good in the car on the way home with a few tough moments. It was a wonderful weekend. I rarely get to kick back and relax with my family. I am reminded of how lucky I am to have a healthy, happy family who loves me and my baby more than anything.

Best Picture of Jake EVER!

Jake's Newest Trick

I layed Jake down for nap #2 today thinking that he would fall right alseep because it was an hour later than I usually lay him down. I leave the room and he begins talking and crawling around his crib. Now, he usually does this for a few minutes then fusses and falls asleep. Well, it went on for awhile. 20 mins or so later it was quiet so I peek in to check on him and found THIS....

So the new game is if I stand, then maybe... she will come get me!!

His Very First Car

Today Jake drove his very first car.! I went to Toys R Us and bought him this adorable ride on car that I can push. Eventually you take the handle off so he can ride alone. He LOVES it! Tonight Jon and I took him on a walk and he kept looking back at us and smiling. He loves holding the steering wheel and hearing the horn squeak. He has had a cold lately and been a little sad so it is so nice to see that he is feeling better! We love our little boy.

Jake the Leaf Eater

You can always tell how busy I have been by the number of posts I have in a week. Let's just say... I have had a busy few weeks. Jake is growing up so fast and is getting smarter every day. He is teething again so everything is going right to his mouth. The other day we were outside and I set him down for a second. He took off and grabbed a leaf. Before I could get it out of his hand he had eaten half of it. I tried to reach in and grab it and ended up sticking it further down his little throat. He made the choking face and I almost died. It was a scary few seconds, but he survived. He is crawling now and pretty quickly I must say. He made it to the stairs today and climbed up three steps!! Every time I open the dishwasher or the fridge he wants in. Jake curious abotu everything and is absorbing so much. He really wants to talk. It is adorable. All day long we have conversations. Who knows what about, but you know I love it! They usually sound like... "Dada baba agoo boo alla baba goo ggaaa." As most of you know I could talk all day if you let me. Now I have someone who can keep up!! Amazing.. Sometimes, I can't believe he is the little baby boy I brought home from the hospital just six months ago.

Missing Mom

It has been over five years since I lost my mom, yet some moments it feels like yesterday. There are nights I miss her so much it hurts. Becoming a mother myself has made me miss her more than ever. Not having her at my wedding was tough, but I knew she wasn't meant to be there. Not having her there the night Jacob was born, was again tough but, I always have such amazing support from my family and friends and they get me through everything.
It wasn't until I started becoming a mom that I would have moments where I will just want her there right then. Like when Jake smiles at his ducky in the bath or he says dada for the first time. Sometimes even when I am shopping for him and buying those tiny clothes. That's when I would love to call her and tell her all about it with Jake in my arms.
As I reflect tonight and hope I am not depressing people, I remember the wonderful mother she was. I know she went to heaven at her perfect time. Even if it wasn't so perfect for me. Until I see her again, I will love Jon Jake with all my heart and try to be half the wife and mom she was. Tough act to follow... let me tell ya. She was selfless, compassionate, full of great advice (and willing to give it anyone at anytime), a great host, funny, sweet, modest and most of all loving beyond words. I feel so lucky to have been blessed with a mom who I knew as an adult. Some people lose their mothers at a very young age. I know how she felt about things, we talked about politics, people, boys (mostly Jon... hehe) jobs, kids and life. Every time we would talk we'd "solved the world's problems" she would say. The night before she passed away, she came to an event I was hosting at our college. Afterwards she stuck around to have a midnight snack with me. We talked for hours right there in the student union. I am so thankful that God gave me that time with her. I thought I would share some of her wise words of wisdom tonight.

- Consider yourself lucky if you have a handful of good friends
- It doesn't go up with ya!
- Buy the Shoes!
- If your dating someone and they aren't treating you the way you want to be treated... It's not going to get better. Move on! She was a big fan of the many fish in the sea thing.. true but not always what you want to hear at the time~
- Friends and family are all that matter
- Lastly, she always stressed how lucky I was to be an American and to have two siblings I am close with.

Uncle Mike and Aunt Katie Visit

This past weekend my brother and his adorable girlfriend Katie came to visit. It was great. They are major foodies so we/they cooked a huge yummy meal and we stayed in and caught up. Mike brought Jake a Clifford dog stuffed animal and a funny cow onezie. Jake loved seeing his Uncle who he misses SO much. They were sitting in the back seat and Jake was mimicking Mike saying,"Hi." It was so cute. Some day soon when Jake is old enough we will take a day trip to NYC to visit Mike! Miss my "little" bro!

Jake Update

Here are some more recent pictures of the Jake man. He is now crawling EVERYWHERE. Totally exploring our house. It is adorable. He also says two "words." His first word was "dada" and now he is saying "ut ut".. not sure what it means, but I think he is saying up? I say "Want mommy to pick you up?" all the time. Can't tell though. It is so amazing to see him try and communicate.

Six Months Old Today

My precious little baby is now six months old. I can't believe it. He has grown so much. Jake is full of happiness and joy. He will smile at anyone who will smile or talk back and he loves to play!

The One He Kept For Me

The one I've waited for

My love's design

The one He kept for me

Until it was time

The one that I dreamed about

The one I can't live without

The one He kept for me

Until it was time

I put my hand in yours

Now and forevermore

Just put your faith in me

I will be all that you need

I'd pray and wait for you

So patiently

And now He's blessed our love

For eternity

The one I was praying for

The one He delayed me for

The one He kept for me

Until it was time

All that I want to be

Is all that you'll ever need

I praise Him for the day

He let you pass by my way

The one that I dreamed about

The one I can't live without

All that I want to be

Is all that you'll ever need

I praise Him for the day

He let you pass by my way

The one I've waited for

My love's design

The one He kept for me

Until it was time

Jakey and Daddy Watching the Phillies Together...

Jake Attempting to Escape