Stacey the lab rat

So, Stacey is part of some sort of experiement they are doing on pregnant women here that involves her consuming all of these pills that contain some sort of fish oil (or nothing, depending on if she actually got the treatment or not). So, that is exciting. She may comment on this later.

Haircut

So, Jacob got a haircut two days ago. Here he is before, looking a little bit bewildered as he should have been. So, after the thinking, I got to cutting, and Jacob got to crying. He did not like it one little bit, no, not even a little. But, after it was cut, he was fine. Here are two pictures of how it turned out. The part I cut with the buzzers turned out fine, but afterwords we cut a bit with scissors, and that did not turn out as well. But, that is that, and we learned a lot for next time.

More fall pictures

Here are two pictures I took this Sunday of Jacob. I took several that were alright, like these, but none that were spectacular.

10,000 Visitors

So, sometime today I anticipate receiving our 10,000th visitor to the site. That is exciting. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating 1000, or that we were celebrating the 100th post. Anyways. It has been a good time. If you think you were the 10,000th visitor, comment, and you may get a prize.

Bike ride

So, last week I went on the most amazing (albeit short) bike ride. I went for about 10 miles along the Huron River, through amazing colored trees, ducks and geese, with fog lifting off the river. It was spectacular. But, I did not have my camera. So, I wanted to go again this week, and get some pictures. I called up my home teacher, who bikes, and he took me on a slightly longer (about 26 miles) ride along the other side of the Huron. The leaves had changed a little bit more and were not so spectacular, but, it was still pretty amazing how beautiful it can get here in Michigan. Here are two pictures along the river that I took.

Going to the Temple

Since we have been here in Ann Arbor, we have been able to go to the Detroit temple a few times. It is a quaint little temple, it takes about 45 minutes to get there from our house, and it is pleasant. So far, the Saturday 8:00 AM sessions are fairly empty, and it is nice. While it is a small temple, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in personalness. The first time I went, the temple president greeted me as I both went in, and out. You have to make an appointment, so they have your name on list, like they are waiting for you, so eager for you to come. And, because there are fewer people (at least in the sessions we have gone to), it is quicker. While Provo averages around 1:43 to get through a session, the first session we did took about 1:33. Impressive. Here is a picture we got someone to take of Stacey and I in front of the temple, and one of Stacey, looking very pretty with the yellow flowers. As you can tell, we were looking into a very bright sun.

Big News!

Last March I won a tutu giveaway online from Miss Priss Tutus. I got to pick the colors and it turned out pretty cute. Here it is in all its glory on the dressform before it was shipped to me:

And here is the little lady who will get to wear the tutu first! We had the ultrasound on Tuesday at the hospital and everything looks good. Jeff is happy that he was right again and wonders why I have ultrasounds when I could just trust him when he says he knows what the baby is because she told him so. I am very excited for Jacob to be a big brother to a sister even though he is not too big just yet!

A friendly sort of bee and Fall on campus

The other day Jacob and I ventured outside for a little while. He wanted to model his Halloween costume so I grabbed the new camera and off we went to the front yard and then the backyard. "Mom, where's the candy?"That's the sandbox behind him. You can't tell anymore, but there is sand under the leaves. Jacob loves looking at the trees whenever we go outside. And he loves reaching for the leaves.

The new business building where Jeff's office will be after this semester ends. I love the clouds and trees in this picture.

Ivy changes colors, too, as shown here on the side of the Legal Research library.

Jacob and the New Camera

So, we got a new camera from my parents for graduation. It took me a while to pick out which one I wanted, but, I finally did, so we finally got it. The camera is a pretty standard point and shoot, a Cannon Powershot SD 750, and I like it a lot. Here are a few pictures I took of Jacob today with the camera.

Jacob updates

I have been doing many fun things with Jacob in the last couple of weeks. Here are just a few things we've decided to share with the Team Hoopes readership!

Last week we visited Plymouth Orchards in the rain. It let up for a little while and we ventured outside to the petting zoo. (Tangent: I grew up calling these Pet-a-Pet Farms, which is more fun to say.) Jacob didn't notice the animals all that much this time around, but for the most part they were all eating so maybe he was just being respectful.

The orchards and cider mills here in Michigan are known for their cider (imagine that!) and doughnuts. Jacob shared a doughnut with me and seemed to enjoy it. You'll notice that I am not as respectful as Jacob when people are eating and I get in their face and take pictures. He was sporting some new clothes that day from his Aunt Megan and Aunt Kristin.

Having finished his Lazy Lasagna, except for a few scattered bits of cottage cheese, and after sipping a few slow sips of his diluted juice, Jacob cried out "Dinnertime nap, anyone?"! Jacob wasn't around for this since he was already in bed, but one night last week I figured I'd try out a new idea I saw for Candy Corn Quesadillas. They were so cute, and tasty too. I think a 3 year old Jacob would be even more wowed than candy candy corn-loving Jeff was, so that is why I include this picture here. :) I wish I could come up with stuff like this on my own sometimes. *If I made them again I would not bother with the bottom layer, though the extra cheese was delicious. Also, cook them in a pan like I did and finish up in the microwave to get the desired look looking better if you wish. We like our cheese crisps crispy, not soggy.*

Our doctor's office is just down the road from the Domino's Pizza headquarters here in Ann Arbor, just around the corner from home, so I took Jacob on a hunt to find and to visit a pretty ugly office building yesterday after we had his head measured again. I decided to take a picture of the sign for kicks, but I guess I was hoping for free pizza when I drove into the parking lot. Oh well, at least you can notice our lovely fall colors in the background. Next door to the Domino's corporate office is a farm, called Domino's Farms even though it is not affiliated with the pizza chain. There is a big pet-a-pet farm there so we'll have to make that visit soon!

And here are some videos for your entertainment. Jacob learned just last week that he is tall enough to play me a tune, and he is a huge fan of the Rocky soundtrack like his parents. Last night for Family Home Evening, our friend getting his Ph.D. in music did a trumpet demonstration for us. Jacob must have been paying attention to that...notice 0:26-0:29 in the first video.

Randazzo's

Last Friday Jacob & I took a trip to a produce market with my friend Andrea and her two kids. I had heard good things about this place but hadn't taken an opportunity to drive out there yet. I got all of the above food for $16.99. That's one bag of croutons, 1.64 lb peaches, 1 lb broccoli crowns, .73 lb green beans, 1.25 lb plums, 1 cucumber, 1lb bag of almonds, 1.91 lb onions, 4 oranges, 2-28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, a can of Italian bread crumbs, 5 lb of carrots and a bag of barley. There was very little there in terms of fruit and vegetables that was much over $1 or $1.50 a pound and I was thoroughly impressed. I can't wait to go back in a couple weeks when we go again!

Solving Problems

So, having arrived in enlightened and progressive Ann Arbor, Stacey and I have significantly changed the way we think. Most recently, we have been concerned about many different issues that, if not addressed, could create serious problems not only for our society now, but for the whole world for generations to come. These are issues like global warming, deforestation, poverty, injustice and overpopulation. In fact, the issue of overpopulation has been very concerning for us. There are increasingly too many people on this planet, natural resources are being depleted, economic growth is being hampered, parking spots are in shortage, and many other problems have resulted because there are simply too many people—and it is getting worse. We are a little concerned about this, not only for our sakes, but also because of little Jacob. We want him to have food to eat and fresh water to drink, and overpopulation could, in fact, prevent him from getting those things. So, Stacey and I decided together that we had to do something to fight this problem. We considered the first and most obvious alternative—stop having kids. It is very reasonable, and would help. But, by having one, or two, or even three fewer children, we would be decreasing the population problem only on a very small scale. We decided we needed to do something that could help other people as well, and help all to come to a solution. So, we put our best genes together, and decided to make a new little person that hopefully will have the ability to help solve this problem. Our hope is that our next child, to be born this March (around the 23rd), will be able to help solve this societal problem and bring peace and prosperity to us all. We are very excited to be helping contribute to the solution, and not just be part of the problem. We'll find out whether this mover and shaker is a boy or girl on October 21st.

Jacob Through the Year

Today Jacob finally had his 1 year well baby visit. I wanted him well for it, and since there were ear infection & RAD issues last week, we went in today! His head is still holding in lots of brains so it is off the charts again, his weight is 23.63 lbs (58th percentile) and his height is 30.51 inches (67th percentile). With that height percentile, I am happy to report that he is finally catching up to his 6'4" father after all!

Humor me whilst I show off pictures of our cute little guy from last year to now.

We love you, Little Jacob!!

Contests You Can Enter

Alright, I know I don't keep up with much stuff like this these days, but every now and again something interesting pops up. Here are a few things of note: Handbag Planet In honor of launching their new line of handbags (which, by the way, I always call purses...), they are giving away a free handbag every hour for 24 hours. Yes, that is 24 free bags and you could win one of them. There are all sorts of ways to enter, so check it out at the link above. And here are a few that end today: A former college dorm floor mate, Brit, has a sister in-law named Molly who posts all sorts of interesting things on her site, My Favorite Things. Molly is having a giveaway for candles. Perfect for fall! And boy has it hit here in Michigan...58 for a high today, anyone? And, last but not least, the ladies at Mom Generations are giving away 4 $25 giftcards to shutterfly's store. That could pay for a lot of pictures! In general their whole site is great and chock full of good ideas and product reviews for moms.

Jacob Turns One!

Jacob had his birthday on Saturday. I decided that birthday parties at this age are more for parents and other guests than for the baby, but he sure had fun even if it tuckered him out a little. :) We had my parents here for the weekend so it was fun for them to be able to celebrate with us & Jacob.

It is hard to believe that a year has passed in so many respects, but our little guy sure has changed a lot over the last several months, so it was really fun to celebrate and remember the excitement of his arrival on Thursday 20 September 2007. Quite an amazing day...

Saturday morning I finished making monkey cupcakes and a jungley-looking cake to go with the monkeys. It was fun to put my leaf and vine-making skills to work again as it's been a while since I took the Wilton I class. Here is the end result:

That afternoon we took a trip downtown to the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. It was a lot of fun and I'm excited to go back with the year pass my parents helped us get. They even have a 4 and under Preschoolers Exhibit so that looks like it will be a fun place to hang out, particularly in the winter months, I am told. Jacob enjoyed several different parts of the museum and it will be great to see him discover more when we go back.

We got home from the museum, fed Jacob some dinner and then he began the festivities in an excellent way: by making a mess! I think he ate a little bit but most of it ended up on the table and his high chair and on his appendages!

He was not so interested in all the presents at first but did like the box that some shirts came in. He has certainly warmed up to the new toys and books since we opened them, though, and loves to scoot around and cruise while holding his new things.