Snakes!

Jake got to go to see a real, live snake! Poppy took him out of school early to go to the event.

For days they had talked about what snakes might feel like and look like up close. Jake would say, "I don't know. Maybe rattle-y?"

There were tons of kids there, but Jake was so well behaved that the snake ...dude? guy? handler? bent down and made sure that Jake got to touch the snake.

Afterwards, Jake was pleased to report that snakes are "soft and dry."

Sweet Dreams

I'm not sure how this is comfortable, but apparently it is. We find him in all sorts of positions during the night, some even stranger than this one.

But Mommy I Will Miss You

The other day on the ride home, Jake asked me what we were having for dinner.

M: "Spahgetti and cheese toast, I think."
J: "Yum! That's my favorite!"
M: "Do you want to help me cook?"
J: "Sure! I'm a good cooker."
M: "Yes, you are. Do you think you want to be a chef when you grow up?"
J: "Yes! I will a chef and have a restaurant and cook for lots of people."
(pause and then a small, soft voice from the back says)
J: "But I will miss you, Mommy."
M: "Oh, I would miss you, too, Jake. Tell you what, when you grow up, you can live near me."
J: "Yes! I will live right next to you and my restaurant will be next door and you can come visit me and I will cook for you every day."
M: "Sounds good to me, sweetie."

If only it were that easy...I'll remind myself of this conversation in 10 years, when he can't wait to grow up and leave home...sniff.

The mighty hiker, ready for anything. Water bottle? Check. Walking stick? Check. Binoculars? Check. Toy gun? Check. Hat? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Bug spray? Um, bug spray?

Soon after this picture was taken, the mighty hiker moved into the shade. Swarms of the Wisconsin state bird (aka the mosquito) attacked. End of hiking trip...

What's a Calorie? And Hey, That Man Is Fat!

As a special treat, I took half a day off work so Jake and I could go to Vitense's Golf Land, a fun family entertainment center here in Madison. Jake and I pass it every day on our way to school and work, marveling at the many fun creatures populating the mini golf courses. I told Jake he had been so good lately, he would get to play putt-putt for the first time (or as he calls it, "hutt-hutt").

Before we went, I took Jake to lunch. While we were waiting for our food ("Why does it take so long to cook our food, Mommy?" he always asks) we were building forts with the jelly and sugar packs. Jake asked why there were three different colored packets of sugar in the container. I explained about the difference between sugar and artificial sweeteners, and we talked about calories and making healthy choices. Jake was really into it, and talking about healthy foods. I was mentally congratulating myself for raising a kid with such a good attitude toward food, when Jake informed me he likes sugar.

M: "Yes, I like sugar too. But I don't want to eat too much, because I don't want to be unhealthy and get fat."
J: (seriously) "Noooo." (thinks for a minute) "Hey, Mommy! That guy is fat!" Pointing to customer at the next table, who of course heard him and gave me the evil eye.

So then we had to have the talk about not pointing at people and not talking about them in public....

Jake in July

What a busy month! Earlier in July, we went to my parents in NC for vacation. Jake had an awesome time. MeMe and PapPap spoiled him, of course. Here are some highlights:



Jake went to the beach for the first time! He was very excited. He loved the sand, the waves, the salt air....just like Mommy does. He had a blast with his Uncle Nate, who took him out "way far!" in the waves and helped him ride the boogie board MeMe bought.



Speaking of MeMe, here are Jake and my mom at the estuarium in Washington, NC. Jake really liked all of the open tanks they had with different crabs, shrimp, turtles and fish. They also had a baby alligator, which fascinated him.


Happy Fourth of July!



We had a lot of fun in NC -- sometimes too much fun. Jake's schedule got a little off some days. He handled it pretty well most of the time. He had a blast on the Fourth of July -- we had a cook out, he played with the neighbor girl, he went swimming (it was really hot while we were there), and of course we went to the fireworks down by the river. He got to stay up until 10:30 pm and have ice cream! He thought the fireworks were really cool. Either Nate or I held him the entire time (Poppy, who is not a big fireworks fan, stayed home with Charlie) and Jake just oo'ed and ah'ed the entire time. Here he is at the end of a long day. Thank goodness he isn't too old to want to snuggle with Mommy.




Here's the family, after our $900 Mexican dinner (there was a little error on the Visa charge...oops!). Uncle Keith is taking the picture, and once again, Poppy is home with Charlie, enjoying some peace and quiet. Everyone just loved Jake, and couldn't believe how big he's gotten. It was really nice to spend time with my sister and brother, and my brother-in-law and niece.

His vocabulary is certainly much bigger than most three-year-olds. He and PapPap were talking about something, and Jake said, "That's very disturbing!" We were talking on the phone to MoMom and PopPop and PopPop was surprised that he could 1) hold a conversation and b) understand everything Jake said, very clearly. You can tell and Alex and I don't talk down to him. If Jake doesn't understand a word, he just asks what it means.



Madison has its decorative cows, Washington DC has its donkeys and elephants, and Washington, NC has...crabs. (Insert your own joke here.) Jake really liked finding all of the different crabs around town. "They are so pretty, Mommy!"




Jake's cousin Elle is staying with MeMe ad PapPap this summer. She was so sweet to Jake. They liked to play "Chuzzle" together on the computer, and she would watch his cartoon shows in the morning.




Jake's very first friend was Morgan, the daughter of my parent's next door neighbor. They were born just two months apart, so she's an older woman. Morgan's mom is also an older mom (ahem), so we had a lot in common. We used to take Morgan and Jake strolling around the neighborhood. Now, they were old enough to actually play together. Morgan has a four-wheeler and an electric Jeep--lots of fun, although Jake asked her to "Go slow! Slow down!" when they were driving. Let's hope he still feels that way once he gets his license! This picture makes me think of the future, when Jake will be going on real dates, instead of play dates...sniff. Let's hope he dates teenage girls as sweet and nice as Morgan.



Here are the Pipsoes on vacation. We really did have a great time. As usual, it went by too fast. Jake keeps talking about the trip, saying, "I wish we could go see MeMe again today!" Me too.