I'm Still Afraid Of Sand

Mom spent all day yesterday cleaning and running our errands so today could be my day. We were going to spend the day at the park, swinging and sliding and whatever else it is people do at parks. Well, I guess I don't really like the park. The slide was the best thing, but only because I tolerated it. I hated the swing, and then demanded to be taken off. And lastly my fear of sand kicked in again, and so we just decided to go home. We were at the park all of 5 minutes.

Thrown to the wolves,
HAJ

Idle Hands

I can sniff out an open toilet like Britney Spears can sniff out a Cheeto. And if you have a whole roll of toilet paper, well get ready to clean it up. Word to all future visitors to my house, just start getting into the habit of putting the toilets seats down. Cuz you're going to have to around here. Plus, your wives will love you for it.

No problem, it's a cinch,
HAJ

German Roots Prevail Again

Mmmm, doesn't that sauerkraut look yummy? Mom broke out all of her culinary skills last night and made hot dogs and tater tots for dinner. Dad likes a little kraut on his dogs. So I thought I might give it a shot. Turns out, it wasn't too bad, and I went back for more myself this time. I ate that right up. Side note: I like it a little at a time. If I get too big of a bite it gives me the shimmy shimmy shake shakes, with all of my might.

Second to none,
HAJ

Random Achievements

I'm looking at a usual boring Tuesday today. Not much going on; not much to report. It would be nice to get a full nights sleep and not be woken up by a storm at 3am tonight. Jeez.

I've started crying now when Daddy drops me off at daycare and then he leaves. I never used to do that but now I do. I also grab my nose when someone says "stinky", and if you ask me where my nose is, I'll stick my finger right up one nostril. Photos forthcoming.

Hopefully those bits of information will get you through this Tuesday.

The coast is clear,
HAJ

PS - Happy Anniversary to Bridget & Will! Here's to many more!

Time Goes Too Quickly

This weekend was a whirlwind of craziness. Auntie Gina & Uncle Addison drove up from Houston. Drove, I know, I don't envy them. Then on Saturday we had our 10th ANNUAL, yes 10th, bocce ball tourney. That was crazy! I want to send a special thanks out to Frannie and Morgan for taking care of me that day while my parents we inaccessible. Martina and Val ended up with the championship. No one's sure how Martina ended up there, word on the street is she had her fair share of the beers that were served. She's a funny one.

The sad part is Gina & Add got up and left right away yesterday. Time goes too fast. They needed to stay longer or just move back. That would be the easiest for everyone, I'm sure. So, back to the usual grind today. Seems like the whole weekend was just a blink. I hate when that happens.

That takes the cake,
HAJ

Another Big Weekend

Happy Friday! Today we're getting ready for Auntie Gina & Uncle Addison to arrive from Houston! I haven't seen them in a few months, so I'm very excited. In the mean time, Mom's having one of her famous, "Ladies Friday Luncheon." As usual, I expect I'll be taking a longer than usual nap.

Happy birthday to my Grandpa Jack today! Don't go too crazy, but make sure you make Gammy buy you dinner!

More thrust then a nitro powered weed wacker,
HAJ

Fort Henry

My first fort! Daddy and I spent all day making it. I discovered making forts on vacation. I tipped over a lawn chair and sat under it. I put all my stuff in it including my acorns, sippy cup, and sand shovel. I plan on making a lot more forts in the future.

Mom and I have already gone grocery shopping, had her car in the shop to check out the hail damage, and went shopping for the very coveted prizes for the bocce ball tourney this weekend. This afternoon we're cleaning everything and getting ready for another wild weekend. Per usual.
A rolling stone gathers no moss,
HAJ

Month 14 Archives

Dear Hen,

Yesterday you turned 14 months. In the last week or so, you've really lost your baby-ness, and I think you're officially a little boy. On vacation your hair bleached out so you're officially a toe head, along with your father. You are just too cute for me to handle.

You've started dropping your morning nap a little. If you're in a good mood I'll let you stay up. But if you're crabby, you get all the naps, including the 5 o'clock one like yesterday. I can't blame you for being a little crank this week. We're trying to detox you from the last 12 days with your grandparents.

Your new best friend is the stairs. All you want to do climb them. Its heart attack material, I'm telling you. When you're around stairs, you lean to them, like you want them to pick you up. So, I throw you a bone and let you climb them once, but then you want to go again, and again. I think its good eye/hand coordination training, so I support this need of yours. Anything to nurture your baseball career.

Speaking of careers, you saw your first hockey stick and puck this weekend. I promptly took it away from you, and gave you the stearn "no", and replaced it with the baseball bat. The other mother's thought I was nuts, but just trust me on this one. You're showing signs that football might be the ticket. You love to head butt on purpose, and you push back when we're crawling head to head on the floor. You're even learning to growl. My little Warren Sapp.

Firsts that I've seen you do that floor me: wipe your mouth with a napkin, say Mama in the correct context, point at what you want, say ball, know what, where, and who the doggie is, make up your own dance moves that we've named "The Jolly Rancher", stand alone for a few seconds, wave, blow kisses, there's probably more but I can't keep track. Its happening way too fast.

Thank you for the best month yet Boogie, I can't wait to see what you have in store for next month.

Loves, Mama

Best Friend's Birthday

Happy Birthday to my best bud Palmer! He's one today! Welcome to the wonderful world of ONE buddy! I heard you get to have peanut butter for dinner. Just let me tell you, once you have Jiff, you never go back.

I actually went to his party on Sunday. He wasn't a huge fan of his cake either. He got mad at it, and threw in on the floor and made a good mess of everything. He had to take a bath afterwards. All of our friends were there, including Waurie. I just had to share that shot with guys.

Have a great day dude, see you this weekend.
HAJ

Back From Fishin'

We're finally back from living the life of leisure. Lake living is the way to go. I'm tellin' ya. We had such a great time, I want to show you all the pics, but of course, I just have a select few.

We did so much this past week. It was so fun hanging out with my cousins Presley and Cody, and Larry. Larry even learned how to wake board, and say things like "you betcha" like a true Minnesotan. We all played in the sand and Auntie Niki made a sand castle. And don't forget about the horse carriage rides, swimming, campfires, and Daddy even let me drive the boat.

No vacation of ours would be complete without a storm, and boy did it ever. It hailed like crazy and everyone ended up with hail damage on their cars. Mom's got visions of upgrading her car now.

We had a great time, and I will share more pics through the week. I missed you all dearly, and its good to be home.

The power behind the throne,
HAJ

PS - Shout out to Dan in Las Vegas! Happy Birthday, and I hope you're staying cool.

Gone Fishin'

After filling in an area of the side walk (that got chipped away during the brick removal on the front of the house) with cement, G-pa Jack let me put my hand prints in it! It was kind of messy, but I liked it. Here's a look at the finished product.

Well, we're off on our vacation today. Can't wait to get there. I spent the morning helping Dad clean the boat and clean out the coolers and pack, and all that stuff. Its going to be pretty crazy with all my cousins, they're a rowdy bunch. I'm sure we'll have all kinds of funny stories to share upon our return.

So, that leaves me to say up front, that I'm not sure what kind of internet service we'll have when we're up there. G-pa Jack is bringing his lap top, so maybe it'll work. I'm not sure if Mom's phone will have internet, since it didn't in KC when we were there. We'll really try to not leave you guys hanging. Our usually bloggy-sitter(G-ma E) is coming on the trip with us, so there's no one left to man the ship. Other wise, we'll be back in a week, and we'll miss you dearly. (cough, cough)

Don't do anything I wouldn't do,
HAJ

The cousins are here!

Rally Time

Here's a picture of me and my favorite guitarist, Tom "Val" Valentine. He's Patrick's dad. He's also responsible for teaching me how to fake sneeze and how to make that "pop" sound when you pull your finger out of your mouth. I'm sure these are all skills that will get me through the teenage years.

Can you even believe I caught a cold? I know! If I had a dime for every time I sneezed yesterday, well I sure as heck would be stickin' around here. I'd be retired on a beach in Bermuda. I'm definitely feeling better today, the sneezing is less. Don't worry, I'll rally for vacation tomorrow.

Life is not all beer and skittles,
HAJ

Summer's Going Too Fast

There's not much better in life than eating a summer fresh peach while laying in bed. You should try it.

I know, I know, I don't even want to get into it. I know my posting has been sub-par this week. Its the usual reasons, the same as everyone else, so I won't get into it. But, summer has just gone too fast. Too much to do, and three months time is not enough.

Today we're awaiting the arrival of Gammy and G-pa Jack! Then tomorrow, Auntie Niki, uncle Larry, and my cousins Larry, Pres, and Cody will be here. THEN - we all go to Brainerd for a week and meet up with G&G E, and Uncle Derek and New Auntie! We'll be there a whole week! I just can't wait. We need a vacation around here like nobodies business.

Well, we're off to the airport to pick up the first of the arrivals from TX!
HAJ

Wanna a sip?

Coming home from school

Giant Eye Balls

On Thursday night last week, we got to babysit Patrick so his mom and dad could go out to a fancy dinner. Mom tried and tried to get some nice pictures of us, but we were way too busy playing. One time Patrick tried to work with Mom, but there was no way I was gonna. I was just way too into chewing on the eyeballs that come from my giant stacking bricks set.

5 Days Until Vacation, (but who's counting)
HAJ

PS - Happy Birthday shout out to Brian! No one can believe you're only 28.

My first trip to Cabellas

Freedom

Today Mom, Dad, and I went to visit the hospital where I was born. Its also the hospital that my brother Charlie was born. We met with the social worker, Rachel. She's about as nice as they come. We delivered a bunch of baby blankets for the babies in the NICU, in memory of my brother. I think it was a nice thing to do. I know that my parents really appreciate the little walrus beanie baby, Paul, that they were given when Charlie was there. Its their most prized possession. So, now the mommies and daddies with have these little blankets for their babies.

Tonight uncle Derek and New Auntie are coming over to babysit! Mom and Dad need a night out. They haven't had on since April! I asked them where they're going, but they still don't know. They're paralyzed with freedom.

Cream of the crop,
HAJ

Reflection

I don't know where to begin to talk about the bridge collapse yesterday. We're all safe; everyone I know is safe. There were a few close calls, including that Daddy drove on that bridge earlier in the day, but everyone we know is safe. I feel very sad. Its similar to the feeling of 9/11. Obviously, on a lesser scale, but remember how all you wanted to do that day was go home to be with the ones you love, and call those you couldn't be with, just to make sure they're there? That was/is the feeling right now. The whole city is shaken to the core. As much as we tease our city that it thinks its bigger than it is, this is a time when you really feel like you live in a small town and everyone around is in the same kind of shock and pain dealing with this. Things like this don't happen here, or to our beautiful city. It happens in New York or San Francisco. Its just shocking and we still can't grasp the severity of it. Its too real.

I'm sorry for the families that lost loved ones. Our prayers are with you, with those recovering, and with the citizens of our city. There's a big hole in middle of Minneapolis now, that can't be repaired for years. But at the same time, the stories of the heroes and bystanders who came upon the scene and started pulling people to safety, it gives me hope that we'll all pull together to get through this and rebuild.

Yesterday Mom had a little pity party for herself. She was overwhelmed with her new class, her job, and balancing all of it with her family. Unfortunately it took this tragedy to get her to put her head on straight again. She's ashamed of how she acted, and will again try to remember how lucky she is, and that things will work out, don't worry about it, relax, and be thankful for every moment.

HAJ

We are ok, pray for those hurt in the bridge collapse.

Blue Shirts

Blue shirts and blue eyes and as far as you can see!

We're getting ready for another big push this weekend to get the house ready for G&G M coming next week and leaving for our camping trip, and the whole time Mom's gotten really busy at work so she'll be working from home and the she's taking that class too! Daddy's going to have to intervene on this one. (BTW - the class may not last, it is really hard and almost made Mom cry today. If it wasn't for the fact that her office paid for it, she'd drop it like its hot!) So, today is the last day of rest before things start going crazy!!

Hope you guys are takin' it easy,

HAJ