BOOOOOOO!!!!

Happy Halloween!  We have had a busy few weeks.  My friend Anne and her daughter Dotty came over for a visit a few weeks ago.  Dotty and Jack love each other, they are a month different in age and went to the same school in Missoula, so they spent a lot of time playing together.  We miss them a lot.  We had fun doing some crafts with the babies and we went to some hot springs about an hour from the house.  You have to hike in about 1.5 miles and there are some beautiful hot springs in the middle of nowhere.  The babies loved it, kind of like a big hot bathtub outside.

Jack hit a big milestone on October 15th, he turned 1!   He was sick with a pretty high fever so he didn't enjoy the day too much, but he did like opening presents and eating cake.  He is now waving, at everybody, including dogs, horses, everybody.  He points at everything.  He took his 1st 2 steps the day before his birthday, but since then he mostly monkeys around on all fours.  He shakes his head "no" which is actually pretty cute.  We spend our days together taking lots of walks and wagon rides, feeding the horses behind our house apples, baking, playing, crafting, reading, and exploring.  Our days are very full.  He loves feeding the dogs his food and taking things out of cabinets. 

Last weekend Jack and I went to Missoula for a few days.  It was wonderful to be back, I miss it dearly.  We stayed at Kiley's and had a fabulous time.  Some of his teachers from his old school came over for dinner one night, along with some friends.  He got his year old pictures taken and had his year old doctor appointment.  It is very hard for me to believe a year has passed since he came into out lives.  I know it is cliche sounding, but my gosh his first year went by quickly (too quickly for me).  Jack was a monkey for Halloween (celebrated in Missoula).  In my opinion he was a pretty darn cute monkey. 

Jay is really enjoying his job.  It was a good change for him.  He has been fishing a couple times too.  His favorite hobby at the moment is playing with Jack.

Hope everyone has a SPOOKTACULAR Halloween! (I know I am not funny:)

Emily

Life in Kooskia, Idaho

                                               view coming up the driveway

 Can't figure out how to rotate this.  Marshall and Huck mud wrestled and played in the rain yesterday.

                                                                  Our House

Well folks, we are here.  We made our move from Missoula, Montana to Kooskia, Idaho last week.  My sister helped me move Jack and the dogs over last Friday while Jay finished up with the house, he arrived in Kooskia the following day.  The trip is only 2.5 hours so it wasn't bad.  We had a moving company move us which was super nice to not deal with that.  Moving with a baby is definitely more challenging than moving with just grown ups.  Jack took about 4 days to "adjust" and he is still doing so.  He is finally sleeping a little better and his attitude is back to his cheery normal self.

The house we are renting is absolutely beautiful.   It is just outside the town of Kooskia, population 675.  We are up on a ridge with 2 acres fenced in, outdoor hot tub, gardens, ponds, a small orchard, and a stunning mountain view.  The town of Kooskia is very interesting to say the least.  It is a far cry from being anything like Missoula.  It is very small, very rural, but the people are very nice.  We are hours from an interstate and 1 hour and 45 minutes away from a town over the size of 3000 people.  It is quite different, but we have high hopes that it will be a good experience.  We already got invited to square dancing lessons down at the middle school by our 70 something year old neighbors.  So we could have permanent Friday night plans if we wanted to :)  Despite Jay's love of square dancing, I have a sneaking suspicion we will probably not  be able to make it to square dance lessons.  There are lots of outdoor activities to do here.  Our house is just a few miles from National Forrest land for endless hiking.  We are just a couples miles from some of the best Steelhead and Salmon fishing streams.  People drive from all over to fish these rivers.  Marshall "caught" a duck this morning in our yard.  Jay stopped him from killing it and it flew over to the neighbors pond.  The dogs are in heaven here.  With 2 acres to run and explore on, they have hit the jack pot.  I am still working for my boss at the University of Montana.  I took one of out computers from the lab with me and have remote access set up on it so I can work from home.  This is great for me to be able to work my mind some. 

Jack has been on lots of walks and seems to be enjoying it here now that rooms are unpacked and he can roam around.  He is standing up on his own and will almost take a step, but not quite.  He has decided to become a picky eater.  His diet lately has consisted of cheerios, toast, yogurt, and fruit.  He spits out then throws on the ground anything with protein or any veggie.  I will post some house picture soon.  We are going to meet some of out Missoula friends on the river today to try out some steelhead fishing, fingers crossed.  Jay starts work Tuesday which I am sure he is going to love.  I will be updating you guys a lot more often now that I have the time.  Love to everyone!

Emily

To Idaho We Go!

Well.....I was going to apologize to the 2 or 3 of my loyal blog fans for not blogging lately (busy busy summer), but it looks like in about a month I am going to have MUCH more time to blog and make Jack videos because we are moving to Idaho.  As most of you know, Jay took a job in Grangeville, Idaho.  It is about 3 or 4 hours from Missoula.  It is a very small town (3000 people small), but in a beautiful area with lots of outdoor activities in every direction.  I am very sad to leave Missoula, I have completely fallen in love with this town and the surrounding areas, but this is a great job opportunity for Jay.  I will be staying at home for a while with Jack (no jobs for me in Grangeville) so I am excited about that.  We are now starting the fun process of moving, I am discovering that there is so much to do before October 1st. 

Jack has had quite the summer.  We took him on his very first camping trip to Rock Creek.  We chose a place fairly close to Missoula for his 1st trip in case something happened or if he couldn't sleep.  We had a great time.  Jack slept very well (that was my biggest concern) besides for the 3:00am diaper blowout.  I can now tell you from experience, it is not fun changing a messy diaper at 3:00am in a tent when it is cold outside.  Jay and I used good teamwork and got the job done.  We went hiking, relaxed, caught fish, and just really had a lot of fun sharing something we love to do with Jack. 

                                             camping at Rock Creek

My parents came to visit to watch Jack while Jay and I went on a backpacking trip to Boulder Lake.  They stayed in a cabin in the Bitterroot Valley with Kiley, Jack, and Marshall.  Jay, Huck, and I car camped 1 night then hiked to Boulder Lake to camp.  It was so much fun.  A lot of fish had really sore mouths in that lake :) I swear Jay caught 100 fish.  I relaxed a lot in my camping hammock, it was lovely.  We love Jack so much, but it is really nice and appreciated when we have a night or 2 away with each other with no responsibilities. 

                                                  Boulder Lake

                                                  Ahhhhhhh, bliss

Room with a view

Jack is a WILD little man.  He is sweet, funny, silly, and active.  He crawls everywhere like a maniac, he can pull 75 books off of his book shelf in the blink of an eye.  It is a work out keeping up with him, but it is truly so much fun.  He has 5 teeth now.  He feeds himself a breakfast of toast and a banana most mornings.  He loves eating all his other meals too, but still prefers yogurt or bananas to anything else.  He had his 1st taste of ice cream the other day and didn't know what to think.  He looked pleasantly shocked with every bite.  He loves playing with all his toys, balls, books, and loves being tickled (he chuckles and chuckles).  We miss you all and I will get another post up soon. 

Love, Emily

Oh the Milestones

Well Summer has finally arrived in Montana.  Bright blue skies, green mountains and hills, and sweet sunshine.  I can't express to you how special of a place Montana is, to me it really is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I also love that Jack gets to experience growing up here.  We have been taking lots of hikes.  Jay and I took the boys (Jack, Huck, and Marshall) to Lake Como this past weekend.  It is a very scenic lake nestled in the Bitterroot Mountains just south of Missoula.  

We took a really nice hike along the lake, the hike leads to some nice waterfalls.  The dogs swam and Jack rode in his baby hiking backpack, which he loves.  Jay went fishing with some friends on Sunday so Jack and I got to spend the day together.  We walked around downtown and went the market.  I made him some beef stew and he seemed to like it.  For the 4th we hung out at home and worked in the yard.  That afternoon we went to a BBQ at our friend's house.  Jack and his lady friend Dotty went on a wagon ride and played a lot.  It was a great weekend.  

Jack hit a couple milestones lately.  The first big one was on the day after Father's Day, he was babbling and we heard him say dada so Jay got down on his level and started saying dadadada and Jack looked right in his eyes and with the softest, sweetest baby voice, he repeated dada.  It was quite a moment.  He has done that a few more times since then.  We know that he doesn't necessarily know that Jay is dada, but to witness him communicating like that for the first time was very neat. 

He spent last weekend  teething, not very fun.  But....all that fussing, whining, and congestion lead to his first tooth popping out!  I was at work a week or 2 ago and I got a text from his teacher at daycare, it was Jack standing up holding on to a table.  He started pulling up to standing and is doing it a lot.  He does it in his crib which is frustrating when he is trying to take a nap.  He is such a delight and we just love every minute we get to spend with him :) 

Jumping Jack Flash

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there.  You are probably tired of hearing it, but Jay is a wonderful father.  Jack is so lucky to have him.  We (Jack and I) cooked Jay a Father's Day breakfast, went on a drive, and worked outside in the garden.  Our plans to go canoe and picnic on a lake were changed because of our lovely Montana Spring weather, cool and rainy.  It has still been a great day.  Jack got Jay a card and a coffee mug with Jack's picture on it and it said "Happy First Father's Day, Love Jack Turner June 19th, 2011".  It was quite cute.  He also made him a card that had a sweet poem about a child's hand prints and Jack's hand prints were on it in blue paint.  It was his first of many projects at school. 

Jack started school (daycare) a few weeks ago.  He is going to The Northern Rockies Montessori and he absolutely loves it.  I love it too.  His teachers are so nice and there are only a few babies, so he gets plenty of one on one.  They told me he is very happy and the only time he cries is if they put him in his crib, so they immediately pick him up b/c they don't like to hear him cry.  What this means is that he doesn't nap all day long and he gets home in the afternoon and crashes.  He plays all day with his friend Dottie and is always very excited to arrive in the morning.  It is really nice having him somewhere we trust and while we are at work all day, we never worry about his safety or if he is getting ALL the attention he loves and deserves :)  I know ..... I am probably the only person in the world who thinks he needs lots and lots of love and attention. 

Little Jack has turned into quite the character.  He is still very active, all over the place really.  He bounces like a maniac in his jumper, army crawls everywhere, and sits up completely on his own.  He had his 1st ear infection, it was very sad to see him so upset, but he is better now.  He is eating 3 meals a day, loves fruit, thinks some veggies are soso, and just started eating some chicken stew I made.  He is such a blessing, we never new it would be this fun!

XOXO~Emily

                                  Jack playing with Dottie

                                               Huck sitting pretty

Trip To The Flatlands (Indiana and Illinois :)

Well we made it (insert big sigh here).  I flew with Jack to Indiana last week.  Jay had to work so he stayed home with the dogs.  We had an AMAZING trip.  I was definitely worried about flying alone with a 7 month old baby, but it was successful.   Jack was a complete angel.  He was either smiling, eating or sleeping on all of the planes.  He got SO many "good/cute baby" complements.  I was very proud.  No meltdowns, fits, nothing.  After each plane landed we had people say, wow, I didn't even know there was a baby on the plane, just what I wanted.  I am sure it will get more difficult as his personality develops and he becomes more mobile. 

               Jack packing for his trip.

We stayed at my parents house for most of the trip, with 1 few day trip to Illinois to see friends and family.  I love going to my parent's home.  It is very comfortable and cozy.  Jack loved it there.  He slept very well, played with all his toys, and went on walks and hikes.  We planted flowers and hung out outside a lot in their gorgeous yard.  My parents loved spending this time with us.  We saw my friend Staci and Alli while I was there.  Mom, Jack, and I went to Illinois to stay with my friend Andrea.  They all loved him and I am so glad my friends got to meet the little guy.  After Mt. Vernon we headed up to Springfield so Jack could meet his Great Gaga, Aunt Margy, Uncle Willie, cousins Blake and Maddy.  It was a blast.  Seeing him with these family members was so neat.  The cousins loved playing with him, feeding him, and helping with diapers.  I tried to convince my Aunt to send them out for the summer to watch and entertain him, but I don't think that's going to happen.  I am so blessed to have such great family members (on both sides!) and friends. 

        He is laying on one of my baby blankets
                              
Jack is home now and sleeping, he was up a lot last night, but now I think he is catching up.  He is starting to look like a little boy, growing up WAY to fast.  He is very very active, never likes to sit still.  There is too much exploring to do!  He is holding his bottle pretty well.  No crawling yet, but he can army crawls very fast.  We are starting to baby proof the house because of this.  He loves dogs.  All dogs, not just his own.  Well that's the update for now. 

XOXO
Emily

Jack's Baptism

My my the last few weeks have been crazy.  Last night was the 1st time in 2 and 1/2 weeks we were alone as a family.  We are all great.  We had a fun filled Easter/baptism/family visit, but it is nice now that things have settled down.  Jay's parents, sister, and grandmom flew to Missoula to celebrate Jack's baptism at the Episcopal Church.  My parents also came in town and my sister lives here.  Kiley and Ashley were and are the BEST godmothers a baby could ask for.  Everything was really nice except that Jack was deathly ill with a bad virus for a week.  He has had colds and fevers, but nothing quite like this.  It was so sad to see my little baby so sick and feeling so bad.  I also felt bad for all the relatives that came all the way to Montana and they didn't get to experience the true Jack.  Our funny, bouncy sweet little boy was a pile of mush.   He didn't want to be held by anyone but mom or dad, he fussed, wouldn't sleep day OR night, and was just miserable.  Towards the end of the trip he started to get a little back to normal so they had some fun time with him.  Jack got baptized at the Easter vigil service on the Saturday night before Easter.  It was a beautiful candle lit service with fresh flowers.  Jack made it to the baptism, barely.  I had to twist Jay's arm to get him to leave church early with Jack after he got baptized :)  The next day we had a brunch after church.  It was at a nice restaurant on the river that flows through town.  The weather over the weekend was sunny and warm so we spent a lot of time outside.  We are very lucky that Jack has such a loving and involved extended family.  We had so much fun!

                        This is the storyboard our photographer made.
             
2 hours before my parents were due to fly home to the cornfields of Indiana, Jay got a call from work asking him to go work in South Dakota for 8 days.  I was working also so we convinced my mom (not much "convincing" was needed) to stay an extra week and a 1/2 to watch Jack so I could still work my normal schedule and Jay could go work in South Dakota.  So, tickets were changed and she stayed to help with Jack.  I experienced what it would be like to be a celebrity and have a nanny.  She worked her tail off, made me breakfast every morning, did EVERYTHING for Jack, grocery shopping, dinners, cleaning, laundry, it was amazing.  We had a lot of fun spending so much time together and she relished every minute with me, but mostly her time spent with Jack.  I tried to convince her to stay another 2 weeks until me and Jack are flying to Indiana, but she declined.  I am sure she is resting now at home recovering from her "vacation" :)  Jay had a good hitch in South Dakota.   He said it was really beautiful country.  The town was in the middle of nowhere USA, and I say town very loosely.  The population of Camp Crook, South Dakota at the 2010 census was 68, not 68 hundred, just 68.  Cell service was HOURS away, but luckily he had a bunk house phone so he could call me.  He said it was awful being away from Jack for that long.  Last night when he got home Jack was very excited to see him.  I tried to teach him to say dada while Jay was gone, but the only things he says are screams and squawks.  We are going to lay low this weekend.  I went for a hike this morning and Jay is working in the garden.  We might head downtown to the Garden City Brewfest this afternoon.  Hope everyone else has a wonderful May weekend!

Lots of Love, Emily

Time Flies

Hello all, it has been a while since I have blogged, life has been great, but busy.  Jay went on a fishing trip to the Ruby River with some friends last week.  They camped for 2 nights, many fish were caught.  I stayed home with Jack, camping with a baby in 30ish degree weather just didn't sound like my idea of fun.  Jack and I had a nice time hanging out together.  We ran errands, cuddled in bed in the mornings, and went swimming.  I think since I went back to work I appreciate even more the time I get to spend with Jack.  Aunt Kiley stayed the night one night, so he had lots of fun playing with her.  I went to a bluegrass concert a few weeks ago with Kiley and some friends.  It was my first "girls night out" since having Jack and my, my I have aged.  I had so much fun, but I could definitely feel my age when I was yawning when the clock struck the late hour of 9:00pm. 

                                                 Shopping at Target

 I went with Jack to his 1st of many open houses.  In June he is starting at the Northern Rockies Montessori.  After going to the open house and meeting his teacher and the director, I felt totally at ease about having to leave him somewhere other than his home.  It is a nice, clean, new building with a lot of great baby stuff for him to play with.  They have a huge yard which will have gardens planted pretty soon.  The babies will have plenty of outside time and plenty of love and attention.  And... his girlfriend Dotty is one of the other full time babies there, so he already has a friend.  Spring is here and we have been working in the yard and taking a lot of hikes on the Rattlesnake Creek. 

I am truly amazed at how fast time is going by.  Since I had Jack it seems like everything has just sped up.  All of a sudden when I was rocking him the other night I looked down at this baby stretched out, very long across my lap and I realized he isn't a tiny little infant anymore.  He is a big, growing boy, with a HUGE personality.  I was a little sad about this, but I know he has to grow up, sometimes I just wish I could push the pause button. 

Love-Emily