Things that make you go..."Aaahhh!"

Ok, so "Hero Worship" may actually be an understatement! Mitch follows Jack around everywhere these days, and can't seem to get close enough to him. At dinner the other night, Mitch, as usual, insisted on sitting beside Jack. He scooted his chair so close to Jack's that it butted right up to his. Mitch proceeded to sit through dinner with his head on Jack's shoulder! Jack, being the trooper that he is, tolerated it all pretty well....until it interfered with his eating! Of course, I couldn't pass up that photo-op! But...when I broke out the camera, this was what I got!
I had Bunco with the girls last night, so Gary was home with Mitch and Jake. When I got home at about 11:00pm, this is what I found! Mitch, Gary, Spiderman, and Dog all asleep in Mitch's twin bed!

Everyone say it with me, "Aaahhh!"

Jake's first haircut

Saturday, October 11, at just over 11 months old, Jake had his first haircut. He actually did much better than I expected! I had to hold him, but he didn't cry at all. Mr. Curious just kept trying to see what Eric (the guy cutting his hair) was doing. Look at my little dude!

Okay...so it may be one of the worst pictures ever of me, but I think it's great of Jake and his new "do"!

M-I-T-C-H

Last weekend, Mitch was playing with his Magna-Doodle while I was getting ready. He came into the bathroom, and said, "Look Mommy! I wrote my name!" Guess what? He really did! I can't believe how much my "baby" is growing up! In typical kid fashion, the letters aren't all in the correct order, or even in the correct direction, but they are all there! Of course, he would have to write it for the first time ever on a Magna-Doodle, so I couldn't save...so I took pictures! :) Check it out!

In case you don't see it....Here is the translation...

11 month update!

Can you believe it is already that time? Jake is 11 months old (11 months and 3 days to be exact...you know I'm always behind on these updates)! He is growing up so fast! I can't believe that he is almost a year old! Where has the time gone?

Jake has become quite the little explorer these days. He likes to open and close every drawer and door within his reach. He spends the whole time I am getting ready in the mornings opening my cabinet door and drawers. And I spend the whole time saying, "No!...No Jake!...Jacob, I said No!" and moving him out of the way. It's pretty much the same story in the kitchen. He already knows which cabinets and drawers he can get into there. He throws all of the can koozies and bibs out of the drawers all over the kitchen, and just a couple of days ago he found the tupperware drawer...uh oh! I looked over and the only thing I could see of him was his bottom sticking out of the cabinet...he was climbing all of the way in it! I ran for the camera, but by the time I found it, this is all I was able to capture...He pulls up on EVERYTHING these days. I have to make sure my elastic pj pants are tied, too, or he would pull them off of me trying to stand up! He tried to pull up on his buddy, Luke (who is 9 moths old), and knocked him flat on his bottom! Every now and then, if he is desparate to get ahold of something, he'll take a couple of very tentative steps while he holds onto something, but I wouldn't exactly say he's "cruising" yet. I don't expect him to be walking too soon.

He is pretty much off of baby food. He will still eat it, but mostly he's eating table food these days...and lots of it! He loves Mac 'n' Cheese (who doesn't?) and green beans. So far, those seem to be his favorites. That...along with anything he happens to find on the floor, anyway. Here is picture of him shovelling Mac 'n' Cheese in his mouth two fistfulls at a time!
Jake loves to play Peek-a-Boo and Patty-Cake. Every time I put him in his crib, he pulls his blanket over his head and Peek-a-Boos! He just giggles every time! It's the best! And Mitch...he can do no wrong in Jake's eyes! As soon as he sees Mitch every morning, he just grins his biggest, happiest grin! Mitch fell asleep in the car the other, and Jake kept trying to wake him up. He was just yelling at him! If you know Mitch, you know that it didn't work...nothing wakes that child up!

Jake is still great at playing by himself or with others. He LOVES toys...especially trucks and tractors! Lucky for me, he still hasn't tried to climb the stairs. We were at Lindsay's (a.k.a. Cee-Cee's) house today, and they have carpeted stairs, and he climbed up those. I think the hardwood stairs scare him as much as they do me.

He stills says "ma-ma" some, but not as much as he did, and he says "da" for "daddy" now, but that is about the extent of his vocabulary. The rest of the time, he just jabbers and/or yells.

I guess that is about it for this month's update, so I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures of Jake! Lindsay took it at the farm a couple of weeks ago.

Yep... I'm still alive!

Sorry for the long absence...No good reason, just can't seem to get my act together. It seems I am always behind these days! But...I'm back now!

September has been a busy month for the Roberts family. We had my birthday (the 17th), Gary's birthday (the 29th), soccer (Mitch), and football (Alex). Plus, we've been enjoying the fall days. We've already been to the pumpkin patch twice. Mitch LOVES it! Jake enjoys eating the hay, too. Jack got to go with us the first time we went, and Lindsay got some great pictures of my boys! Here are a few of them.

Jake and Luke

Me and Jake

Jack and Mitch searching for the perfect pumpkin

Can you believe how grown up Jack is? Gary says this is his "rocker" look!

Here are a couple of my favorite pics...Two years ago, just a few months after Lindsay and I met, we went to the farm with the boys for the first time (only 3 boys then...now there's 5!)...Here is a pic of Mitch and Gabe from that visit and one from this year! I love it! Hmmm...how many years do you think we can keep this going?

Scaredy Cat!

If want a good laugh, keep reading.

The other night, I was woken from a dead sleep by a loud crashing noise in the house! It scared the daylights out of me. Now, I'm not normally a scaredy cat, but something got into me this time. It was midnight and I wanted to go back to sleep, but I just couldn't do it! I could NOT calm down! So...I called the police!

Yep...I had the police come to my house in the middle of the night and walk through it to make sure no one was hiding in any of the closets! Guess what...no one was hiding in any of the closets or anywhere else! But...I never found the culprit!

The next morning, when I walked into the shower...there it was! My razor, which is supposed to be suction cupped to the wall, was lying in the floor of the shower! Bet that made a pretty loud bang when it hit, huh?

"I'm going up!"

Tuesday morning, Gary was talking to Mitch about what all they would do this weekend. Gary told him they would watch a movie and they would play Madden on Playstation. Then he said, "You're going down!" Mitch, very logically, said, "Nuh-uh! I'm going UP!" Gotta love it! I don't think he quite got the trash talking!

While we're on the subject of Mitch "funnies". He's had me amazed and amused all week! So I thought I would share some of the "funnies" with all of you.

The other day at Target, we went by a display of I-Pods. Mitch pitched an all out screaming fit saying, "I want an I-Pod!" Apparently, the people around us found this type of fit to be amusing. They all cracked up laughing at a 3-year screaming for an I-Pod! Later, I was talking to someone on the phone about it and he heard me tell them that Fisher Price makes an MP3 player for kids. What does Mitch have to say about that? "No Mom. I want and I-Pod Touch!" Of course he does...that's what Jack has! So, I fell back on the old standby..."Honey, you have to be 13 to have one of those...It's the rule."

Yesterday, Mitch was playing with his toys in the office floor while I worked on the computer. He was totally in his own little world talking to his toys. Then I hear him say "123-4567". Actually, he said 7 other completely different numbers that just so happen to be Gary's phone number! What???! When did my 3 year old learn his Daddy's phone number? He had no idea that was what it was, but I was still impressed!

10 Months!

I'm a few days late (5 to be exact) with Jake's 10 month update, but better late than never!

Jake is still growing like a weed! I am always amazed at just how big he his...and I mean tall! Everywhere we go, someone comments on his red hair and his size... Of course, with me being a 5'3" blonde, they all ask if his Daddy is a tall red head, and leave me to say "No, but my brother is." Needless to say, that can get a few funny looks! Now that I think of it, I think I'll just start saying "Yes". They'll never know the difference. :)

Jake started Mother's Day Out this month, and he seems to like it. He is only going 1 day a week, but it is a nice break. (By the way, it's amazing how quickly I can run into a store with no kids!) He is always playing happily when I get there to pick him up.

Lucky for me, he is still happy for short periods of time in the doorway jumper. He still swings in it instead of jumping, though. His favorite place to be is in the playroom with all of the toys. He entertains himself very well when there are toys for him to play with. He especially likes cars and trucks. He crawls around with Mitch's cars all the time. Yesterday, he actually learned how to work one of them that you pull back and let go. It went sailing across the room and he was so pleased with himself!

He is finally crawling like a normal person. He still reverts to the army crawl every now and then, but it's not all the time any more. I have to admit, I kind of miss the army crawl! He is also pulling up on everything now. He has been pulling up for a while, but only every now and then....not anymore....every time he can, he stands up!

So far I have been spared the stairs. I posted a while back that he had gotten on the first step and I thought that was going to be the beginning of the end, but he's not any interest again. He just like to stand up and hold on to them. I'm sure by the next update, it will be a whole different story. But for now, we're safe!

I love when I go in to get him out of his crib. Instead of standing up holding onto the rail like most kids do...He sits with his legs between the slats and holds onto the slats with each hand. He looks like he's stuck in jail. It is soooo funny!

He has officially said his first word. Are you ready for it? "Ma Ma" Yeah!!!! He says it on demand, and today when he woke up from his nap he actually called for me! Can you believe it? That's about all he has managed to say, but we are working on "Bye Bye" and "Da Da". I think he says "Da" sometimes, but I'm not sure. That is what Mitch called "Daddy" for a long time.

I just can't believe how fast my baby is growing up! My baby won't be a baby for much longer! :(

He Scores!

Mitch had his first soccer game on Saturday. For a while, it was somewhat of a repeat of his spring performances! He ran like crazy all over the field, but he wouldn't kick the ball! He just ran beside his teammate who was kicking it up and down the field like a pro...or beside the other team...but just wasn't getting in there and kicking it! Finally, he kicked it a couple of times, and then.... GOAL! HE SCORED! I was so excited that my baby scored his first goal. I'm not sure he even knew it, though! It figures, huh? He had a great time, though, and I guess that is all that matters! :) I can't wait until next week's game!

What to do with myself?

I know... I'll catch up on my blog!

School started for my babies today. Mitch is in the Pre-K program this year, not just the Mother's Day Out. He will be in on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I put Jake in this year, too. He is in the Mother's Day Out program on Tuesdays only.

So...today is my first day (or 5 hours, anyway) without the boys. I have a huge list of things I could be doing right now, but I chose to play catch up on the blog! (In case you were wondering how managed so many posts today, now you know!)

I have to leave to go pick them back up in about an hour. Then Mitch has soccer practice tonight. I'll make sure to take the camera and post some pics of him playing (hopefully before next Tuesday)!

Okay, I'm off to do some actual work now!

Family Fun!

This time I got to go, too! Gary and I took Mitch, Jack, and Jake to race go-carts this weekend. Okay...so Jake didn't actually race go-carts. He just watched, but his time will come, all too soon!

Mitch absolutely LOVES to ride go-carts! He was begging to ride one by himself. Fortunately, even the smallest ones, you have to be 6 to drive. So, I'm safe from that one for a few more years. The passenger has a steering wheel in the double go-carts, but it doesn't move. Mitch wanted my seat, since his steering wheel was "stuck"! I don't think so! He can't even see over the steering wheel!




This was the first time that Gary and Jack had been able to race each other in the fast cars! You have to be 13 to ride by yourself. Since Jack turned 13, they have always had Mitch with them (without me) so they had to ride the doubles. Honestly, I don't even remember which one won, but I bet they do!

Jake's 9 month pictures

I finally got around to taking Jake for his 9 month pictures last week (yes, he was almost 10 months, but I got him there)! :) I like to take Mitch to get some of them together, too, but he didn't want to cooperate. He wanted to make silly faces the whole time. Oh well, it probably just saved me money. Here are some of the shots we got!

Bloopers...

"I don't want my picture taken anymore! I just want to play with the &*$# football!"

"Really...I hate working with amateurs!"

Dynamite Definitely Comes in Small Packages!

Alex is playing football for Holy Rosary (his school) again this year. This is his first real year to play. He played last year, but it was a "learning league" so they only had scrimmages, no "real" games. This year he is on the 5th and 6th grade team, and WOW! Is he good! :) He is starting as a 5th grader (which isn't very common).

Gary had been to several of his practices and would come home bragging about how great he was doing, but I had to see it to believe it! I knew he would be good, but I don't think I realized how good! He had a scrimmage last weekend, and I got to go! He scored a touchdown as a Tight End (it was a pass). Not to mention all of the great tackles he made on defense. That kid may be small, but he fast and he is strong! Let me tell you...Daddy couldn't be prouder! :)

Here are a couple of pics from the scrimmage. Of course, Gary was busy watching the game, and missed the shot of his first ever touchdown. But, I'm sure we'll have many more opportunities to get the scoring shots!

Yep, that's him! Number 22!

Look at the tackle he made! Hit me low, and wrapped him up! Way to go Alex!

Look at the size of the guy Alex was up against! (In case you can't tell, that's Alex in the blue)

Where do I start?

Hmmm...It's catch up time!


I promised you an update on Jake's 9 month appointment, so let's start there. He got a break this time from shots. Only a "toe prick" (as opposed to "finger prick") to test his iron levels. Amber, Dr. Moss's nurse, said "I'll prick his toe instead of his finger so he won't get the band-aid in his mouth in the car." I told her it was worth a try, but just because the band-aid is on his toe (instead of finger) didn't mean it wouldn't end up in his mouth. And how right I was! We weren't even out of the parking lot before I had to get out of the car and fish the band-aid out of his mouth! Oh...and when the test results came back, his iron was low! We have to start him on iron vitamin drops and they will recheck it at his 12 month appointment. Everything esle was great, though! He is 29.75" long (90%) and 21 lb 10oz (60%). I have his 9month pictures schedule for this week, so I'll post those as soon as I get them! For now, though, here is one of his newest trick...climbing stairs! So far he only makes it to the first one.



Jake has gotten three of his top teeth in the last week. The funniest thing is that he didn't get either one of his front teeth first! It was one to the left...look at the picture, the arrow is pointing to it. I tried to get a good picture to show you all, but I'm just not that good! You need one person to hold him down and one to take the picture...he is quite the little wiggle worm!

Jack and Alex started back to school a little over a week ago (notice the uniform). Jack is not very happy about having to cut his hair for school, and we are seeing a lot of this "look" in the last week! :) But...he's still a great big brother! Check him out sharing his I-Pod! The scary thing is, he's probably teaching Mitch another completely inappropriate song! Oh...and yes...that is one of my new cabinets in the background. :)

Here is what my days typically look like lately! I am going to be in so much trouble when they get bigger...they love to gang up on me! Mitch likes to "hug" me, but he really knocks me over. Then Jake piles on! Jack thought it was photo worthy and grabbed the camera instead of helping me out. I guess I can just be thankful that he didn't pile on too! :

Last weekend, Gary took Mitch and Jack to ride go-carts. I didn't get to go because Jake was sleeping, but I heard he had a great time! If I had any doubts, though, this put them aside! Mitch has started turning his little "saucer chair" upside down and "driving" it. He says it is his go-cart. By the way...don't you just love the Lightning McQueen socks with his Crocs?

This past Friday, a couple of us went to Pump It Up to let the kids run off some energy...always a great idea! Lindsay dropped Gabe off with me to play while she did some much needed retail therapy with her Mom. The kids had an absolute blast, and I got to know one of my new neighbors who joined in on the fun! After about an hour and a half of solid running, jumping, and sliding, the kids landed for a juice break. I just love these two guys! My friend, Cynthia, grabbed the camera took the very rare photo opp of them sitting still with me! Thanks Cynthia! I love this picture! :)

Okay...that's all I can manage for now. I'll update later (hopefully tomorrow) on the athletes in the Roberts household! :)

When it rains, it pours!

I have so much to catch up on, but today won't be the day it happens! It has been one of those weeks... Last Tuesday, on the way to Chattanooga, Gary's transmission blew! He had to rent a car to get back home while he had his transmission replaced! Then, Friday morning, I got up and tried to get on the computer...CRASHED! Saturday, Gary had his District Managers in town, and they all went out on the lake, and SUNK the Jet Ski! The made it back to the dock, but we don't know what damage was done. And....finally....Yesterday, as Gary was pulling the Jet Ski trailer out of the garage, he hit the garage door rails and broke the track. AAARRRGGH! So, today, I have Gary's laptop, but none of my pictures or anything that I want to post on here, so my updates will have to wait for another day. Unfortunately, in the last week, the only thing that DIDN'T break was my stupid determined washer and dryer! I want a new one, and my cheap ones that I have had for 10 years just keep hanging on!

Okay, so I am off to play outside with Mitch and his friend, Gabe, who is spending the day and night with us! I promised I would take them outside while Jake napped, and it's that time!

Jake is 9 Months

...and 3 days old! He is such a handful these days! I find myself constantly saying, "Mitch didn't do that" or "Mitch was easier than this" or "Mitch spoiled me"! I know I have to stop doing that or poor Jake is going to have a serious complex! But...Mitch was so much easier! Don't get me wrong, compared to a lot of moms, I have it made! Jake is a good sleeper, a good eater, and has the sweetest little personality...but he is into EVERYTHING!

At 9 months, Jake is still "army crawling". I've decided that he will never crawl on hands and knees...seriously! Gary's mom (Gran'ma Judy) says Gary never did, he went straight from army crawling to walking. It's amazing how fast the child can move, though! I blink and he's gone! The other day, I walked out of the room to put my shoes in the closet, and when I came back in he was eating our plant!

One thing he is better about than Mitch was, though, is listening when I say "no". He is really good to leave things alone when I tell him no (most of the time, anyway). He'll just look at me and smile that sweet smile...and go get into something else!

Jake is pulling up and standing in his crib, but nowhere else yet. I don't imagine it will be too much longer, though. He "jabbers" all the time. He loves to talk to himself in the mirror in his car seat. I love listening to his sweet little voice. I'm sorry...did I say "little voice"? There is nothing "little" about it! He is soooo loud! I say "He has his Daddy's volume control issues!"

He is totally a Mommy's boys, too! He has a complete fit if I walk by him without picking him up, and it's insane how loud he can scream if I walk out of the room. The same goes for if Mitch leaves a room. Mitch can calm him like noone else, just by singing ABCs. He loves his big brother!

Jake is just starting to eat some table food. He is still on baby food (and lots of it), but I give him little bits of mine sometimes. Last night he had lasagna and loved it!

His 9 month appointment isn't until the 19th, so I won't know for sure how much he weighs and how long he is until then, but I'll update when I do!

5 Kids? What's the big deal?

I had Lindsay's boys, Sam (5 1/2), Gabe (3), and Luke (6 mo.) on Monday for a few hours. Yep...with my two, that makes 5 kids ages 5 and under... Oh yeah! Jack was here, too, and he is always a huge help with the little guys! I was only worried about how I would care for Jake and Luke both at the same time (the older ones are no problem), but that turned out not to be a concern. Lindsay put Luke down for a nap before she left, and when she got back 3 hours later, he was still asleep! I can handle 5 kids! :)


Mitch and Gabe are so funny together. They have been buddies since they were not much older than Jake, and they crack me up sometimes! While both Jake and Luke were napping, Jack and I took Sam, Gabe, and Mitch outside to play. Mitch and Gabe did not want to share the 4-Wheeler (which is almost too small for either of them anyway), so they came up with a solution!

This worked for a little while...then Gabe decided he was done driving Mitch around, and tried to scoot far enough back on the seat that Mitch couldn't get on. Mitch, being Mitch, was determined to get on it anyway...and CRASH! The 4-Wheeler did a wheely and they both landed on the ground! Gotta love those boys! :)

When Lindsay (aka "Cee Cee") got there to pick up the boys, they all piled on her! I walked into the living room, and this is what I found...so of course, I had to get the camera! I love this picture!

A Teenage Boys Birthday Party!

Jack had his birthday party last Saturday, and it was great! He had 4 of his friends spend the day on the lake with us, and then they spent the night. I have never seen a better group of boys! They were all very polite and wonderfully patient with Mitch. (Oh yeah, Mitch was invited to attend the party also!)

We spent the whole day on the lake. The guys swam, rode the jet ski, and went tubing. Mitch and I went in earlier than Gary and the boys did, and I think the real rowdiness started when I left. I know, you're all really surprised, aren't you?

Here are pictures from the great day! The action shots aren't very good. We don't take our good camera out on the lake, so we had to make do with the old one.

Jack, Trevor, Joe, Jacob, and Zach hanging out on the boat

It's the Birthday Boy!

Mitch riding the Jet Ski and Megan tubing (Yes, they were tied up the anchored boat!)

Jack taking Zach for a ride on the Jet Ski

The guys were double tubing behind the boat, and one would try to "catch" the other tube, and then jump on it! Here are Zach and Trevor trying it!

The guys once we got back home....eating of course!

Here they are eating again on Sunday morning. This time, Mitch and Jake got to join them. Do you think there were enough guys in my house?

More Playdates

Jake had a playdate last week with his friend, Cooper. Cooper is about 3 weeks younger than Jake, and I'm sure they are going to grow up being big buddies! We've been to lunch with Cooper and his mommy, Ann, several times, but this was the first time they have been able to get down and play together. Here's a great picture of Cooper playing with Mitch's tools and Jake posing for camera!

By the way, for those of you have seen our playroom, you know how crazy it is! I cleared it out! I put away 3 FULL boxes of toys (we'll rotate them in an out from now on), and now the boys actually play in there! What a concept, huh? Isn't funny how they always want to play with things that aren't theirs? Jake usually ends up playing with Mitch's toys and Mitch plays with Jake's. Go figure...

Time to lower the crib...again

This past Saturday, while Gary and I were the bathroom getting ready to go to a friend's, Mitch and Jake were in Jake's room playing. Jake was in his crib and Mitch was playing in the floor, and had shut Jake's door. All of sudden, Mitch says, "Mommy...Jake's standing up!" I opened the door, and this is what I found...