Summer Fun...in the Spring

If you live in or around Houston, you will agree that it's been HOT outside! Last week, on a particularly warm day, we headed to the neighborhood pool with our friends. And it actually felt refreshing. In April.

People, I don't have high hopes for July.

Macie taught Jake how to play Ring Around the Rosie. Right before she taught him how to fight for his life as she accidentally dragged him underwater around the baby pool. Good thing Mama was 2 ft away :)

Because of the aforementioned incident, we decided to borrow some floaties. Not in our preferred color, but hey, safety first!

If you look closely, you can see that Jake is holding a leaf in each hand. I know I've mentioned before how he's a little (ahem) OCD. He was cleaning out the baby pool, like he was the Polaris. He would pick up all the leaves, sticks, toys, etc and lay them on the side. Makes a Mama proud!

Hanging with Lexi

This picture didn't really go as I had planned...thanks to Jack and Lexi for at least attempting to look my way!

(Lexi, Jake, Blake, Jack, & Macie)

Warming up after a fun afternoon of swimming!

I know summer is just beginning, but I want to get Jake to the pool as much as possible in May while I can still enjoy it with him! We've been one more time since and he had so much fun with his new floaties and "jumping" off the side of the pool.

Easter Continued

This morning I am taking advantage of the fact that my child is actually being normal and sleeping past 7am. Now I know the life of luxury all my friends lead! :)

To finish up the Easter celebrations, we came home and got our Easter basket from Nana! As you can see, Jake was not for the picture taking part. He more has a "give me that, let me see it, more stuff for ME" attitude at this age.

Sometimes it just makes it easier to dump out the entire basket. Sigh.

I must have accidentally loaded this picture but it is an accurate depiction of the struggle that Jake endures getting out of bed each morning. Everything has to come with us to the breakfast table. Everything. And his sweet little hands just can't seem to hold it all. His blanket, stuffed hedgehog, Woody doll, puppy dog, and bear. They all end up getting dropped at least 2-3 times along the way and we have to stop and pick them up after countless "UH-OH!"s.

Back to Easter...

I told Seth that all I wanted was a picture of Jake sitting next to his basket with a big grin on his face. I was told to wait 12 more years.

A big hug for his new Woody doll. Woody goes everywhere with us now!

Again, easier to see when we throw things on the floor.

If you think his basket looked dinky, never fear. He also got a brand new 4-wheeler (not pictured). Hopefully he will share with his little brother so we haven't set way too high of Easter expectations in the years to come :)

Family Easter picture (which may or may not have been taken yesterday). For some reason, Seth and I did not dress in appropriate Easter attire on the actual day (looked like we were ready for a funeral) so I made us reinact the special moment yesterday - ha! I think Seth officially thinks I'm crazy. Thanks Jennifer for coming outside in your pjs to take this for us!

Easter Weekend

I would say you're about to be shocked and amazed by the quality of pictures in this post but that would be a lie. I thought we took a ton of great pictures to capture Easter weekend, but...I think I just confused memories and pictures :)

We started out celebrating Good Friday at Seth's parents house. Every year they host a Crawfish Boil and this one was no exception. I think I've been going with Seth since 2004. That's a lot of crawfish and I can't imagine missing it!

Jake had so much fun running around outside. It's a good thing his grandparents are good sports because they kept him entertained while I kept coming inside to cool off. I think it was right under 120 degrees that day.

Oops, think I caught Seth in mid-conversation :)
Jake got a new bubble blowing lawn mower and didn't let the thing out of his sight. Also note the sippy cup in his arm. He has got to have something in both hands at all times!

We got to catch up with almost all of Seth's extended family and lots of old friends. It was a great way to see everyone all at once!

Just part of the food. I actually should've taken a picture of the dessert table because that's more my forte. And don't let that corn fool you - it lights your lips on fire!

Jake looooves his cousin Alyssa. And she looooves him. We kept joking that they were boyfriend/girlfriend, except I'm not sure those titles will be appropriate in a few more years! If I could have this girl move in with us, I'd be set. She played with Jake, helped him eat, refilled my drink class. If only I could've tested her foot rubbing abilities...

Playing with Tristan and Alyssa. Tristan was born one week before Jake and I think they'll be good friends!

Seth eating with Ashley, Josh, Steve, Cari, and Kevin

Proof that I was actually around too!

As you can imagine, the kids were a disaster after being outside all day. Nothing like a warm bubble bath to make our little boys all sweet smelling again!

Late that night I headed to San Antonio to prepare for not one, but two wedding showers on Saturday. Some of my childhood friends and our moms threw a shower for our dear friend Susan that morning (pictures to come later) and then from that we moved on to another shower for Rachel and Michael. As much as Seth and Jake love showers, I figured it was better for them to stay in LG to do boy things.

So in the meantime...

Jake got to grill out at Uncle Martin and Aunt Kathleen's house and meet his new baby cousin Elizabeth...

Uncle Chase also helped him hunt eggs with Gwyneth and Alyssa.

I got back on Saturday evening and we met at Uncle Greg and Aunt Cynthia's house for fajitas and to see family one more time. All of the festivities wiped Jake out!

Then we came home for our family Easter and to see what the Easter Bunny brought...pictures on my next post :)

Topics to Discuss with Your Husband Before Marriage...

Mary: Our playgroup is meeting on Friday morning in honor of the wedding.
Seth: What wedding?
Mary: Are you kidding me? Will and Kate's!
Seth: Who are they?
Mary: PRINCE WILLIAM?
Seth: Who's he?
Mary: Umm...Charles and Diana's son?
Seth: Who's Diana?
Mary: PRINCESS DIANA?!
Seth: Am I supposed to know who that is?

I can't bear to share anymore of this conversation with you. Just when you think you know someone!!!

Paci Free, That's Me!

Well, Jake technically, not ME. I think I've been paci free for at least 26 years...

Last Wednesday, we finally took away Jake's beloved pacifier. I was dreading the day. Mostly because ever since his 1st birthday, he had developed an obsession with the pacifier. It was like WWIII trying to get it out of his mouth sometimes. Seth had been on me for months about doing this and finally took matters into his own hands.

Much to my surprise, Jake went to bed just fine without a pacifier last Wednesday night and hasn't seemed to miss it since! (Seth is clearly feeling pretty cocky about this whole experience...). I thought the next few days would be a disaster, especially since we were out of town this past weekend but he seems to have adjusted fine and "paci" is now considered a bad word in our house. Well, until Drew comes along at least.

Let's just hope we don't have to re-fight the paci battle then.

In the meantime, Jake has developed a weird obsession with his Buzz Lightyear sippy cup. He typically has his blanket in one arm and an empty cup in the other. He loves him some Buzz. I kept wondering what we could give him in place of the pacifier...I guess he has made his decision. :)

Our little boy is growing up!

34 Weeks

(Jake - left, Drew - right)

I'm 34 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 34 Weeks

Size of Baby: Size of a cantaloupe (Approx 18 inches and 4.75 lbs)

Total Weight Gain: 18 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yes...and I'm running out of options! I tried not to buy many this time around and my clothes from last time don't fit. So don't complain if you see me in the same pink and purple tank tops! :)

Gender: BOY. Andrew James Anderle

Movement: All the time. And it's starting to be uncomfortable when he does move. Direct result of a growing baby in too small of a place!

Sleep: Having more of an issue with not going to bed on time!

What I Miss: Bending over without getting out of breath :)

Cravings: Cereal, Coca Cola, Blueberry waffles, peanut butter

Symptoms: Had some occasional contractions and just getting really sore. You know, all the fun, end-of-the-pregnancy type symptoms. Spent too much time in the car and on my feet this weekend and do not feel well! :(

Best Moment this Week: Knowing little Drew is getting closer and closer to arriving! His lungs will be fully developed in a couple more weeks and will just hang out to cook until it's time...

Biggest Beef (I decided to add this category tonight): Random people that think it's ok to touch my belly...newsflash - you cannot touch someone's baby belly unless you are close friend or family! It is weird and you are in my personal space! Also...people that think just because my belly is smaller that I must feel 110% all the time. WRONG.

PHEW. Feels good to get that off my chest. Ha.

A warm bubble bath is calling my name. I think I might be good for nothing the next couple of days until we recover from Easter!

How Great Thou Art, Indeed!

This is, hands down, my absolute favorite hymn. If only we sung it in church every Sunday! Listening to this tonight brought me to tears as I reflected on what Easter truly means for us.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin...

For the Love

Is anyone else having spacing issues on their blogs? I am not doing anything different, yet it decides to make huge ol' 8 inch spaces instead of what I intend. I am tired of messing with all the html code!

Just in case you were wondering why my blog formats looked stupid all of a sudden :)

1st Easter Egg Hunt

This past Sunday, Jake went on his 1st Easter egg hunt with some of his friends. Our Sunday school class got together at the park after church for lunch and to enjoy the beautiful (albeit, sorta hot) weather!

Since the age range of the kids varied, I knew Jake had to bring his A-game. While maybe not quite as speedy as I'd hoped (one egg would've been good enough for him!), he made it home with 12 eggs full of Easter goodies!

Making sure nobody came after his loot

Mom, this is serious. Stop with the pictures!

Adding more to his collection

Eyeing Sophia's eggs...now that he had the hang of it, he wanted to start taking them away from other kids. Smart and cunning!

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with everyone. Jake looooves following Macie around. I never pinned him as one to chase the older girls so we might be in trouble :) And of course Macie loved having someone to order around.

(Don't worry, that was a supervised trip into the woods)

Fighting with Lexi. Well, Jake was fighting at least. Lexi heard "say cheese" and gave us her best grin!

Just for reference, here are the two of them from last year's egg hunt. So much changes in a year!!

Another one from last year.
Beckett, Blake, Jack, & Jake)

Last year they had no option but to sit. This year they are all MUCH quicker on their feet!

This cracked me up. Blake is mad at his brother for not giving him a turn and Jack doesn't seem a bit concerned!

Having fun on the seesaw with Daddy

I am so excited for Jake to learn more about the Easter holiday and why we celebrate this special occasion. That it's more than just eggs, candy, a creepy bunny, and presents. That he has a Savior who loves him and went through the unthinkable so that Jake and all the rest of us can have eternal life. Praise God!

I don't know if I'll blog again before this weekend so I hope everyone has a safe and fun Easter holiday with your family and friends!!

"...He is risen from the dead..."

Matthew 28:7

18 Months Old!

Sweet little Jake isn't so little anymore! He turned 18 months old last week and I can't believe how much he has grown up since his 1st birthday! I'm almost a little scared for all the changes over the next 6 months!!

Seth and I were just saying tonight how he has really started talking more in the last week or two. He is repeating words like crazy (you know, only the words a mom and dad can truly understand) and trying to use them to his advantage (i.e. "peas! peas! peas!" while pointing to a bag of M&M's...nice try mister)

I would have to say that 18 months is a fun but challenging age...I'm sure you all would agree. The challenge is even more so when I'm lugging around his little brother! :) Some days are wonderful...other days have me crying inside by the end of the day. Life is frustrating for Jake because he can't always easily communicate what he wants...or he does and just doesn't get it. I tell ya, life's tough kid.

But he is learning by leaps and bounds and we love watching him grow. This blonde-haired, brown-eyed toddler is definitely not the same kid we brought home from the hospital!*

*He really is, I promise.

Jake, at 18 months you...

-have an infectious grin! It's not always easy to capture on camera, but you have some great smiles!

-love to play with your friends. You are starting to learn all their names and can identify them by pointing. You get super excited if I say we're going to see Blake, Jack, Luke, Macie, Lexi, etc etc etc

-are also starting to learn how to share. This is completely on your terms right now though. If you're in the mood to share, you will. If not...

-have increased your vocabulary dramatically! You say (again people, the common ear might not understand all these...):

Mama, Dada, Tucker (tuh-tuh), Maggie (Gaga?), please (peas), excuse me (scuuuuz), dog, Mickey (Mimi), Buzz (yes, Lightyear!), Luke (uke), baby, big boy (bi-bo), uh oh (you abuse this), milk (miiiiiik), more (mah), juice (uce), out (can't begin to type how it sounds), up, shoes (soos), socks (sos), ball (bah), baseball (bee-bah)

You also make animal sounds for dogs, cows, chickens, ducks, and monkeys

-you can identify your: nose, eyes, ears, mouth, teeth, hair, fingers, toes, feet, arms, and tummy.

-you can correctly point out certain people and animals in pictures. I was super impressed the other day when I asked where the zebra was and you showed me!

-even though you can't verbally say a ton, you understand so much. And all of a sudden you've started signing "more" with a vengeance. Mostly in relation to things you don't need "more" of :) -have slept for 4 nights in your "big boy" room (even though you're still in a crib) and have napped there as well. There have been no problems so far adjusting to the new room and we are so glad! We ask where your big boy room is and you run down the hall to your new one. We've kept the nursery door shut in hopes that it will soon be forgotten and replaced by your cool new baseball room!

Sidenote: Mom & Dad's greatest joy in the room change is now being able to flush our toilet at will (because our bathroom backs up to the nursery). I know many of you are gasping in shock but the one thing (well, besides the phone ringing) that wakes Jake up is a toilet being flushed. So I typically don't flush the toilet during naps or early in the morning. How he can sleep through crazy dog barking, TV, vacuum, laundry, dishes, etc etc and have a little "flush" wake him up is beyond me.

-love babies. The jury is still out on whether or not you will love our real-live baby come summer but you love to kiss babies in your books, in pictures, etc.

-wear size 12-18 month clothes, size 4 or 5 shoes, and size 4 diapers

-have 12 teeth (waiting on your incisors to come in)

-weigh 22.8 pounds and are probably about 31-32 inches long



-love to watch you some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! You were kind enough to share your chair with Blake this particular time. You forego your cute little Pottery Barn chair and instead use it as a stepstool to get in the recliner. A kid who knows what he wants!

-love to copy what mommy and daddy do. It's so funny how much you pick up on. Brushing teeth, brushing hair, putting on makeup, cologne, shaving, etc

-spend a lot of time outside. We usually stay in most of the morning and play with puzzles, books, trucks, etc but after naptime you are ready to run!

-still wake up very grumpy. It probably takes you 30 minutes to wake up and actually be in a pleasant mood. Most of the day's crying is around breakfast and when you wake up from your nap.

-Take about a 3 hour nap (12-3ish)...you have been pretty consistent with this and your Mama is so grateful!

-sleep from about 7:30pm to 7:30 or 8am (also grateful for this!)

-love when you can sit like a big boy at the table. This is usually when I decide to fight other battles but something about your high chair is turning you off right now.

-still don't enjoy being in your carseat past the 15 minute mark. This makes running errands or leaving town super enjoyable...

-do NOT enjoy getting dressed and are not afraid to show me your opinion about what I've picked out. Mostly with the choice of shoes. We go back and forth between tennis shoes, crocs, sandals, etc etc

-do not eat super well. It comes in spurts but in a typical day you will eat: waffle (breakfast), 1/2 sandwich and maybe some fruit (lunch), Nutri-grain bar (snack), and maybe pick around at dinner. How you live on all 12 of those calories is beyond me!

-are very picky about how your food is served. I'm afraid you might be picking up on some OCD from your Mama! You get very angry if I put your cup down on the left side of your plate, versus the right...you do NOT like to get fruit on your plate before any type of starch...will sometimes eat certain things whole but get mad if I cut them up (or vice versa)...get tired of foods very quickly (heaven forbid we have grapes 2 days in a row!).

-eat pretty well with a fork and spoon. Messes still happen but you love being able to feed yourself. Oh and you love to dip things in ketchup! Who wouldn't??

I'm sure I've forgotten so much but this is just a (long) glimpse into how life is at 18 months old for you, Jake. You have some big changes coming over the next several months...a baby brother, starting preschool, preparing for your 2nd birthday! We know you will be a great big brother and will love having a playmate around soon enough. We are so proud of what you have accomplished and can't wait to see what else is in store!

We love you so much!

Mommy & Daddy

Sneak Peek!

Head on over to the Rachel Honeyman Photography blog to see a sneak peek of Jake's 18 month pictures! I know I'm a little partial, but I truly think he's the cutest little guy in the world!

And (gasp) looking older and older every day...

Thanks Rachel for doing a fabulous job on our pictures - I can't wait to frame a few!

(This means I have to do an 18 month post now...next on my list, I promise!)

Strawberry Pickin'

This morning we headed to King's Orchard with our playgroup to pick some fresh strawberries! I wasn't sure if Jake would enjoy eating them along the way but wore some old clothes just in case. You know, because little boys have a knack for making a mess out of themselves!

Watching our friends pick berries

Took this to put Jake's size into perspective with the rows and rows of plants! Kid was on a mission!

Jake enjoyed his fair share of strawberries. Stems and all. Once he realized there were unlimited snacks at his disposal he went to TOWN.

It took a few tries to teach him that Mama had to wash off the berries first before he could eat them, but he quickly got the hang of it.

Loading up our box

...getting heavier

Chatting with his friend Michael about the weather.

We had so much fun and are enjoying the 4 lbs of strawberries we picked! They are so fresh and I wish we could always get our fruits and veggies like this. But I have a feeling I'd be very sore :)

Speaking of Baby Books

I just pulled out Jake's baby book to see exactly how much work I'd have in store for myself.

I saw the blank spot that said "Tiny Footprints"...let out a big sigh...and put the book back up. I didn't even take my child's footprints when he was a baby! CPS might as well come take him now.

Do you think 18 month old footprints are just as sweet??