Play Date with Elliana

During our week home, Jameson and I planned a play date to see the Schneiders!!  (mommy was SO excited for a little girl-talk time as well!)  It was Jameson's first time meeting Elliana, but what he doesn't know is mommy and Jenna already have their prom attire picked out and their wedding reception location in mind!  :-)

Jameson and Nate - TWINS!

 Ellie and Jameson saying "Hi" 

(Ellie wasn't too sure about another baby in her daddy's arms)

Ellie wanted to sit in Jameson's car seat...It was so cute!

 SO Pretty!!!

I know we joke around about Ellie and Jameson going to prom together, but I truly can not wait for these two little cuties to grow up together and become friends!  What great memories we have to look forward to, Jenna and Nate!

SO great to see you guys and wish we lived closer!!  Love to the three of you and we will see you soon!



Santa!

With Luke working retail, we knew going into the holiday season that we would have to make some sacrifices.  We knew the week of Thanksgiving would be one of the busiest and most stressful weeks of the entire year as Luke would have to prepare his store and team for Black Friday...  So, Jameson and I decided to pack our bags and head back to Onalaska and spend the week at my parents house.  It was hard to be away from daddy the entire week and on Thanksgiving day, but it gave him time to focus on his busiest day of the entire year and not worry about anyone at home.  (not to mention get a few good nights of sleep since he would be putting in some LONG hours Wednesday-Saturday).

It may sound kind of lame, but one thing I miss about my home town is all the local craft fairs.  I was so excited that I was FINALLY going to be back in the area for the annual Holiday Fair!!  Saturday morning my mom, Jameson and I got up nice and early and got all ready to walk up and down the aisle of the La Crosse Center!!!  (I really can't tell you how excited I was!)

On top of shopping all the wonderful crafts, SANTA was there!!  YAY!!  I was so excited to get Jameson's pictures with him.  (really, I think I was more excited then most kids waiting in line)

Creepy looking Santa, but CUTE baby ;-)

We found some GREAT "treasures" but I was most excited about the rocking chair I bought for Jameson...  (yes, it's a Christmas present, but I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of J sitting in his "big boy" chair")

Such a fun way to start our week away!!!

Love,
Abby

Guess who is 4 months!!

I still can't believe my little man is 4 MONTHS old!!!  I know I keep saying it, but where has the time gone?  Jameson's development over the last month has been absolutely amazing and so much fun to watch!  



Such a BIG boy!!!

Jameson's 4 month birthday was also BLACK FRIDAY!  Here he is sitting on some of our "loot"

The sign... After Jameson decided to chew on it

4 month statistics:

Weight: 17.6 lbs

Height: 26 inches

Head cir: 17 3/4

Diaper size: 3!! 

(yes you read that correctly... we are already in a 3!)

Clothing size: 6-9 month

Jameson's developments over the last month:

Like I said before, the last month has been truly amazing!  I can't believe all the changes in our little man from 3 to 4 months.  Jameson surprised both Luke and I one evening and started giggling when we were talking to him!  By far, the best sound ever!!!  We then kept the camera VERY close by and actually got one of the next giggles on video.  One of my favorite developments has been his sleeping patterns (smile).  Jameson (for the most part) has been sleeping through the night (a new mommy and daddy's dream!)  We try to put him down sometime between 8 and 9 and he usually wakes up between 6 and 7.  I can't believe how refreshed I feel in the mornings now.  I have to say, his nap schedule is not as consistent.  IF we get a nap out of him during the day, it's anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours...  But let me tell you, if we don't get any sort of a nap (which happens often) by 5pm we have one cranky little man.  Jameson is now able to hold his head up and control it all on his own.  He is looking around everywhere (still LOVES the lights) and is VERY observant of what is going on around him.  He is starting to (almost) roll over from his back to his tummy.  He kicks his legs around so hard that he actually spins himself around... It's pretty comical to watch!  At Jameson's four month check-up, we were given the go-ahead to start baby food!  YAY!!!  We are starting slowly, and it was hilarious watching him take his first bites, but he seems to enjoy his veggies.  

Green beans

I can not begin to tell you all how much I LOVE being a mommy!!  Jameson is truly the light of my life.  He makes each and every day amazing!!  I LOVE my little man!!!

Happy 4 month Birthday, Jameson!!!  Mommy and daddy love you dearly.



 

 

Mommy's night out!

So... It was my VERY FIRST night out, away from Jameson!!  Oh my gosh was I nervous, scared, sad... everything under the sun...........but boy did we have fun and it was worth it!!!

I knew my first night away was going to be difficult, so I made it a priority to plan something REALLY FUN to keep my mind occupied :-)    (it's not easy for me to leave my little man, as you can tell..)  My mom and I have a little concert obsession and we heard Zac Brown Band was going to be in the Twin Cities... Anytime we hear of a country concert some-what near, WE ARE THERE!!!!  (you may think I am kidding about the obsession, but here is an example, Zac Brown - November 20th, Lady A - December 8th, Miranda Lambert - January 13th - and that is just the upcoming concerts!) Yes, we love our country concerts!

First, I have to say THANK YOU to Kaylin and my dad for babysitting Mr. J - Luke was busy preparing for Black Friday. 

My mom and I, and our concert buddies - Darcy and Trina, headed for the Twin Cities Sunday afternoon... It's always a BLAST when we get together and this time did not disappoint!  We had a few "roadie sodies" to get our trip started!

We tried something new for this concert...  We are not ones to enjoy floor seating (unless you are right up front) otherwise you really can't see the band and enjoy as much... Well, we decided to "take a gamble" on ZBB since his floor seating was General Admission...  We planned to get to the concert right when the doors opened so we could TRY to get right up front... Well, you guessed it... WE WERE FRONT ROW!!!  Best seats EVER!!!  Seriously, we could see the sweat on their faces... A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!  It was totally worth standing and watching the no-name opening acts. 

Since we knew we had to get to the concert early, and we wouldn't be able to leave the floor once we were in (basically we knew we wouldn't be able to have cocktails once we were at the Target center or go to the restroom otherwise we would lose our seats) so we decided to do a little pre-party at Kieran's and Glueks prior to the concert...

We headed to the Target Center right at 6:30...  Like I said before, it was totally worth watching the no-name opening acts to have these seats:



What a wonderful night!!!  I still can't believe we were front row :-)  Another successful concert under our belts!

Thanks for such a fun and exciting night, Ladies!

Till next time,
Abby



Happy Birthday Uncle Adam

What a great weekend away!!  Luke, Jameson and I (along with my parents) flew out to Washington D.C. to celebrate my brother's 30th birthday.  On top of a big birthday celebration, it was also Veterans Day weekend.  Both my brother and Luke are Vets, so the weekend was extra special. 

We had a VERY early flight out of Omaha

We started our weekend of celebration with a VIP tour of the Capitol (my brother is a medic in the Navy and is currently stationed in DC at the Capitol building) By far, the best part of the tour was getting to walk on the floor of House of Representatives.  A BIG thank you goes out to Adam for arranging the spectacular tour - what a fantastic way to start out our weekend of fun! 

The star on the floor marks the very center of Washington D.C.

One of the Wisconsin Statues - James Marquette (each states has two throughout the Capitol)

This is the stairwell the British used... If you look closely, you can still see bullet holes!

We spent Friday, Veterans Day, touring the National Mall and visiting the monuments.
 

Jameson and Mommy before we headed out for the day!

Heading out for our VERY WINDY and COLD adventure!

A view of the Lincoln Memorial from the WWII Memorial

WWII Memorial

 How perfect?!?! (It was WAY to windy to get J out of the stroller)

After walking the Mall and barring the wind and cold, we decided to warm up by visiting two of the Smithsonian’s: American History and Air and Space. 

We ended Friday with a WONDERFUL seafood dinner with the entire family... 

Saturday was the B-I-G day... Time to celebrate the BIG 3-0!!  It was Adam's day and we were ready to celebrate!  I surprised Uncle Adam with a onesie for Jameson to wear... 

It says "Happy 30th Uncle Adam"

We started our day by visiting the newest museum in D.C..  The Newseum... and I have to say, if you are ever in D.C. this is a MUST!!  VERY interesting and VERY touching!!!  (some of the exhibits consist of: 9/11 Gallery, The Berlin Wall, Pulitzer Prize Photos, and many, many more!  Simply AMAZING!)



They post the front page of each states newspaper everyday

Luke standing in front of a part of the Berlin Wall

 Part of the antenna from the South Twin Tower

On top of the birthday celebration excitement, we got a phone call from Luke's best friend Lee and his wife Laura letting us know they just happened to be in town for the Notre Dame game...  So after the Newseum, we walked over to Union Station to meet up with Lee, Laura, Jim and Joanne for a little lunch.

Jameson's BFF Laura!

All bundled up!

It was then GAME TIME!!!  (Go Badgers!)  Of course we had to watch the Badger kick the Gophers butt!!! 

Grandma and Grandpa Marson were so gracious to watch Jameson for a while Saturday night so Luke and I could head out with Adam and his friends for a little "adult" birthday celebration.

Overall, the weekend was simply wonderful!  We had so much fun visiting Adam, celebrating his birthday, and just getting time to hang out as a family.

Thank you for EVEYTHING Uncle Adam!  We miss you already!  (See you at Christmas!)  We look forward to our next trip to D.C.



Moving on up... And out...

After many, many long discussions, Luke and I finally decided it was time to put Mr. Jameson in his own room...  This was SO hard for me to let go, but I knew it was the right decision.  We had Jameson in our room sleeping in an "Arms Reach Co-Sleeper."  (A HUGE thank you goes out to Jim and Joanne McKenna for this wonderful gift!  and for all you moms-to-be out there, I would highly recommend a co-sleeper!!  We LOVE it)

To paint a picture in your head, Jameson is the loudest and most restless sleeper you will ever meet!  If he's not snoring (Like his father - so yes, snoring husband on one side, snoring baby on the other = very tired mommy!) then he is throwing his arms and legs around in his sleep.  I can't begin to tell you how many nights I have been woken up thinking Jameson is wide awake, ready to eat because of all the noise he is making...but NOPE he is just kicking and turning his body sideways, all while he is sawing logs!

Luke started asking me about three weeks ago, "honey, when do YOU think we should move J to his crib" because he knew whether HE was ready or not, it was going to be up to me :-)  I told him, "as soon as Jameson starts sleep through the night more consistently."  And I kid-you-not, I believe Jameson understood what I was saying because he has been pretty predicable ever since...  We try to put him down by 8:30 every night (when possible) and he manages to sleep (usually) anywhere between 8-9 hours.  (mind you, we have had a couple out of the ordinary nights, but not many!)  So, it was time...

The first couple nights we had monitor issues, so Jameson ended up back in our room by the middle of the night...  Now that we have the monitors all figured out... we are golden!  He sleeps like a champ in his own bed!!  Mommy is still a little on edge, but I knew it was the right choice!

Our little boy is growing up WAY too fast :-(

Sweet Dreams All!!
Love,
Abby

Happy Halloween!

Halloween... My FAVORITE holiday!!!  Yeah, dressing up is fun, but my favorite part of the entire day is handing out candy to the kids...  Seeing all the different costumes and asking the children to describe what they are dressed as (oh the responses you get!) 

I get so excited when it comes time to head to Target to pick out the candy I am going to hand out (yes, you are reading this correctly, picking out candy is a) exciting for me and b) and adventure...I try to get the candy the kids would like the best! - haha I know, NERD!)  Not to mention, I do tend to pick out the candy I LIKE the best as well so I can enjoy any extras (or a few pieces I may hide away) 

I was very interested to see how many trick-or-treaters we would get this year being we are in a new addition and we really don't see too many kids around...  Sioux Falls had a lot to live up to because Halloween night living on Juneau Alcove was AMAZING!!  We had kids yelling "Trick-or-Treat" for hours!!!  (yes, yes, I am one of "those" that keeps tally of how many trick-or-treaters stop by)  It was nothing to have WAY over one hundred kids when we lived in Woodbury! 

Unfortunately, Cayman Street did not live up to Juneau Alcove!  We barley had a DOZEN kids stop by!!!  (pretty depressing for someone that LOVES handing out candy)  My 200+ candy supply was just waiting to be tossed into some little kids bag, but instead, Luke and I have been enjoying the majority of it...  (not good for the waistline!)  Oh well...  I guess my candy-shopping trip will have to be "scaled back" a little next year! 

Even thought trick-or-treating wasn't as much of thrill this year, we still had a great time dressing J up in his 'nana costume and taking a few pictures.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween 2011!