Peek-a-boo and Anatomy

This is for the grandparents, mostly. Jacie was in a very good mood this day and wanted to share her discoveries. While we were at dinner in Washington, Julie (the recruiter) played peek-a-boo with LaLa. Jacie must of remembered because she started to do it on her own. She also has to show all of her body parts. The second video clip is of her belly button, because I missed it the first time.

Convertible Chair

Jacie loves having her chair in the front room. What I didn't know is that it is a convertible chair. She tipped it over the other day, and sat down in it like that is the way it is supposed to be.
LaLa also gets to sit there when Jacie wants to play with other toys. Cute.

Style choices

On this particular day, Jacie decided the rain boots and dress were necessary to play outside.
Cute, eh?
The next day, he just HAD to wear the green ones. She had on a purple and white outfit, but just had to wear the green galoshes.
I was cleaning her room from top to bottom this day, but took a moment to document her style choices.
Watch out Britney Spears, here comes someone that it cuter than you!

Higbees at the Zoo

Believe it or not, we went to the zoo again. That makes four zoo trips this summer-two in Idaho, and two otu here. Jacie loves it every time, and every time, her favorite thing there are the penguins. She laughs and laughs. this time, she actually enjoyed the butterflt arboratum thingy. In the picture above, he was staring at one. She kept points at all of them that were flying around and wanted so bad to touch one.
This part here in the bird zone. Lots of interesting and beautiful birds! Why is it that I go to a zoo, and the most interesting thing there is my daughter? It is so fun to see her wonder and amazement at things like birds an butterflies.
See those lips? She has been doing that lately. Puckering, but not the way you pucker to give a kiss. She'll walk around like that. Its quite funny to see. She is starting to give real kisses, too. Instead of the straight lips, she will actually smack her lips. After she gives you the kiss, she says thank you and smiles. Too cute!!
Lanie really wanted Jacie to ride with Jacie, but decided that it was more fun to ride by herself.
Brynley wanted so bad to sit on this frog, but he was wet. Her solution? Cover the water with dirk and sit on it that way.

More Washington

How could I not post pictures of the cousins?! Friday was a free day while in Washington, and we had great plans. Oh, how those plans never work the way you think they will. Here is how it was GOING to go:

• Go to the Howard Amon park to play at 10AM and meet some friends that live in the area


• Meet up with Doug in The Dalles Oregon for lunch


• get back and have a yummy dinner


• Go to the minor league game we had tickets for


• Drop Ryan and Jacie off at the hotel and Judy and Alli go see The Dark Knight ( we had free tickets)

Here is how it really happened:

• Go to Howard Amon park, drive around for awhile to find a place to park. Nothing available because of the Art Fair that was also at the park. Miss out on the friends (even forgot to call them to tell them!!)


• Drive to The Dalles. In the car forEVER.


• Get there and say hello and go for lunch at Taco Time


• Play at the park in The Dalles


• Drive home. In the car forEVER. Really only 1.5 hours, but still in the car. It was very fun to see Doug and his kids, though, so very very worth the drive


• Get back to Washington in time for Judy to become a monster because she is starving and needs food. Settle in for some PF Changs with Wild and crazy Jacie hair and the rest of us a little dusty and windblown from being outside


• Go to the game, albeit late.


• Skip the movie, go back to the hotel to do laundry and pack for our departure the next morning

All in all, it was a fabulous day, although we flaked on some people. Speaking of which, I need to call them...

Zack was Jacie's best bud. She thought (or I think she thought) that he was making the wind blow. They sat in the sand and laughed and laughed.Trevian was very excited to see Jacie. She even brought her a toy from her toybox. It is one of those octopus's that have squeaky tentacles. Jacie loves it because it makes some sort of noise. This is a funny picture to post, I know, but the reason is because of the following conversation: Judy-I think she is OK, Trev. She can get through by herself.

Trevian- I'll just help her

Jacie-~~clunk~~ as she hits her head

Trevian-I think I helped her too much.

It was pretty cute.

Here is Allison trying to looked interested in being at The Dalles, but she really was less than thrilled with being hauled yet another place with nobody her age. Poor kid.And the crazy hair. This is before she pulled out the right side pigtail. It got a whole lot worse because we lost one of the barrettes, and the hair tie. I think he must have eaten the hair tie.

Finally, the baseball game! it was a lot of fun, and Jacie enjoyed the mascot Dusty until she got next to him, then she backed as far away as she could. It was a very good trip, but too short, or course.

Besty

These are not the greatest pictures, but it shows her most favorite toy right now. They are these little magnetic dolls that my sister got her. She has figured out that the little outfits stick to the people and loves to put them on, then take them off. She will sit and play with them for quite a long time for someone that isn't even a year and a half yet! Thanks, Aunt Tricia!!

Of course, the partner in crime is never far off, no matter what she is doing. However, on ocassion we still find her in random places, like the hall closet, Allison's room (no doubt traded for Ailli's cell phone) and today, her church bag by the back door. Don't forget the incident of the laundry shoot, and the time I found her under the bathroom sink. There has been the sanck cupboard, too. Poor Lala. Ryan said that the magnetic dolls are not her favorite toy, that Lala is. I said Lala isn't a toy. She is a comforter, a mentor, a best friend. In short, she is a besty. The besty over everything. Kinda reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes. Did I mention she feeds Lala? Oh, yes...and then there was the toilet dipping of yesterday. She thought Lala needed to swim, too. I was trying to put on some makeup in the bathroom when I heard a little series of Oooohs. I turn my head and see Lala getting a repeated bum dunk in the toilet.

Typical Sunday Afternoon

Look like fun? Ryan and I were making dinner Sunday evening, and Jacie thinks that is the time she needs to break out the gold fish. We happened to have a bag from the Washington trip in her snack cupboard. Just as I turned around to get the bag from her, I heard this terrific crash and scatter. Ryan was over by the sink, Allison was by the table, and I was at the counter that looks over into the front room. All of us stood there and stared at Jacie, who looked up at us, then began to cry hysterically. I said she was upset because she thought she was in trouble. Ryan aid she cried because her fish were on the floor instead of in her bowl. Maybe both? Oh, and yes...she does have other dresses, but I wanted to put this one on her one last time before she couldn't wear it anymore.
Sunday evening usually brings some crazy hair. Jacie always pulls out whatever I did to her hair. I don't mind so much, but I di mind when she does it while we are out and I can't fix it. That happened while were were in Washington right before we went to P.F. Changs. We looked like quite the rough group with one pig tail on the left side and crazy hair on the other. Oh well! But the point of this picture is to show her most favorite pair of new shoes--her rain boots! She has a matching jacket that goes with them, and will wear them everywhere. I bet she would wear them to church, if I let her. Too cute, eh? And no, I did not buy the shoes for her-Nana did.
I think I might wear a pair of these they are so cute!
Sunday evening after dinner brought a bike ride. Jacie loves the bike trailer now, but fell asleep 15 minutes into the bike ride. We turned around when we discovered her sleeping and took her home. Darn...

Washington trip

Happy Family getting ready to go to dinner. Ryan had a super long interview day, and we were happy to see him once he got home.

Whoever says you can trick Jacie into thinking that LaLa tres is really LaLa dos doesn't know Jacie. In fact, I bet if LaLa numero uno showed back up (that is still a wish in my heart, no matter how unrealistic) she would know and drop the newer two. Anyway, the point of this picture is to tell the power of the love between a child and a beloved stuffed animal. Jacie is still on Eastern time, even though we are on pacific time right now. She got up at 5:30 this morning!! We needed a nap, and badly. She refused to sleep in the portable crib for her nap, so I scooped her up and layed her next to me. Instantly she was asleep, and slept for an hour when she woke up, decided she was done and crawled to the end of the bed. Lying there was LaLa dos. I layed her down with LaLa tres before. Well, she scooped her up, muttered something I couldn't understand, snuggled her in and layed back down. She slep almost another hour! She knows the difference, and don't even try to trick her!
On the Washington trip itself: We love the area! It helps that you are given the royal treatment, too. Very nice hotel suite, very nice Expedition to drive, fabulous tour around the area by someone that knows the area well, and great weather. No humidity! It was almost 90 degrees, but didn't feel like it. The only bummer moment on our trip was out first meal here. We were driving down the street from our hotel and looking for some dinner before our community tour. Not knowing the area, we didn't want to venture out too far. As we drove, there weren't many options. We saw one place called Sterling's Steak House. Steak Houe? Sounds fabulous! We went in and as soon as we got in the door, I had a little let down moment. It looked like a diner. Not what I had in mind, but I'm not opposed to diners. In fact, there is a diner in Michigan that is one of my mosts favorite places to go. great shakes. Anyway, we sit down and look at the menu. My opinion goes up a little because it actually looks like some delicious food. Allison orders Chicken Cordon Blue-sounds fabulous. Ryan orders a Ribeye steak. Jacie gets a grilled cheese with fries. I opt for the healthier option of the salad bar. There is where it all began to go down hill. For one, it was loaded with ice berg lettuce. Ugh. I hate ice berg lettuce. Next, I go to add red bell pepper. I look closer. Is that mold? Indeed it was. Mold!! Black andwhite and grey and furry mold on my salad bar. Barf. I get some soup. Clam chowder. I take a bite. Not too bad. Next bite I get a chunk of something, thinking maybe it was a clam. Nope, too mushy. I spit it out and it is the blob of something yellow, who knows what. I set that aside. I got for another soup. They have this Cheesy Veggie soup. Oh my gosh, can y ou say throw up? I try the Navy bean soup next. I'm still pretty hungry at this point. i asked Ryan if the little white things were maggots or mill worms. Seriously, they look just like maggots, or maybe weavils. Set that aside. I decide to try Alli's Cordon Bleu. Burned! I try her mashed potatoes and gravy-even worse that the Cheesy veggie soup. Next, I move in for a bite of Ryan's steak--still hungry! It tasted like the backside of a cow. No really, it had no flavor whatsoever. No flavor--in a ribeye. Since I can't have bread, I skipped out on Jacie's sandwhich, but I did eat her fries. She refused all of her food. Ryan ate the grilled cheese and said it was the best thing there. Can you believe we still paid for the meal? Didn't want to cause a commotion. With dinner over, we met our tour guide at the hotel and went for quite an interesting trip around the area. Would you believe that there is a restaurant here owned by Kimo, who is a Pittburgh Steelers guy? Now, if that isn't fate...I don't know what is. For those that don't know, Ryan is the biggest Steelers fan ever known. He just about went through the roof when the tour guide told him that. We loved the tour, love the area, and feel so lucky to be here now! Dinner tonight was at the country club and it was fantastic. Good company, great food, and beautiful view. Julie is the recruiter we have been working with and she is a gem! Cute as a button, and so so nice and acommodating. Over all, it couldn't be better!
Of course Allison has been a huge help with Jacie. Today they were playing Peek a boo and Jacie would roll with laughter. Suddenly, she decided she needed to be the one to cover Allisons eyes. Speaking of funny, we were at dinner tonight and I took Jacie into the restroom with me. She was jabbering, and then did her version of barking like a dog and then started to laugh and laugh. Apparently, she was telling me a joke or something. It was really quite funny.
OK, funny airplane story. Jacie did great on the very long flight. There was a little boy that was a couple months older than her sitting right in front of us. This little boy also had a sister. She had a doll puppet that she thought Jacie would like. Jacie was playing with the boy, and while she had her head turned, the girl put the puppet up right where the boy was. When Jacie turned around, there was this doll puppet with exaggerated facial features and such right in her face. Jacie just about went into convulsions! She screamed, shook, tried to run away, close her eyes and push it away all at once. I, of course, laughed so hard that I could hardly comfort my now completely hysterical daughter. I was trying to sing her a song to comfort her but couldn't get through it because the image of her would pop back into my brain and I would start laughing again. Yes, horrible Mom I am.

Allison, Jacie and I checked out the shopping in the area. I must say, its pretty great. Alli got this great little belt and wore it to dinner. She looked so cute!I didn't bring much out for Jacie to play with because I was afraid of losing a prized possession, but when we got to Target today, they had these great little cheap wooden toys. Some blocks, a truck with pieces to stack on it, and a cube that you put things into, all for around $5! If we lose it, no big deal. Jacie has loved playing with all of it today.
This picture was supposed to illustrate that Ryan dressed Jacie for dinner. He had her cute little ruffle socks pulled all the way up to her knees. Those of you that see him play softball know what I am talking about--he wears his socks pulled up to his knees. She was just so anxious to get moving that she didn't want to stop for the picture.

Ryan and Judy!

OK, so my brother said that just because this is a Jacie blog doesn't mean that I can't say something about Ryan and myself every now and then. So here goes!

Ryan: Always on the phone with someone these days. He is setting up site interviews and doing phone interviews all over the place. Washington, Arkansas, New York, Nevada, Wyoming, California. Just a sample of the places we have talked about. He set up an e-mail account just for this stuff and gets a zillion e-mails about jobs. Its nice to know that there is a demand for what he does. He is the Chief Resident now, and keeps pretty darn busy with work. This month has been a lot less busy, but still, he is gone a lot. He is also playing on an O.R. softball team. They haven't won many games (I think just two), but he loves going every week, and it is kind of fun seeing him play again. Its been a lot of years--since we lived in Idaho, I think! He is training for a 10 mile run in August which means lots of running around here. Its fun to see him get out and do it. Brave, brave man. One last thing...Every night as we go to bed, he says, "she's such a good little peanut". Referring, of course, to Jacie.

Judy: I'm enjoying the days of no school , and just getitng back to reading again. I've been readin the same book for 2 months. I did read a short book right after graduation while I was in Idaho called Chinese Cinderella. I found it kind of choppy, but an interesting and sad tale about a daughter that wasn't wanted by her family. Jacie and I have spent a lot of time just chillin', and going for walks. Since Allison has been here, we've done a lot of shopping for school clothes. Clothes for Alli, of course. No more chool for me. At least this not this year. I joned the gym where Ryan works out, and have loved it!I also started running, which I have not loved nearly as much. In fact, it gave me a knee injury that I have to do PT for. No more running for a while. I can still do stuff that is non-impact, such as using the ARC trainer (sort of like an elliptical, but less bouncy) and strength training. My goal is to get buff. I have this ab workout that even Ryan thinks is hard. Love the burn, baby! I've lost 2% body fat already, and 15 pounds. Ryan is way ahead of me though with a 28 pound loss. I really haven't done anything fantastic with my life since graduation...just working on raising a happy Peanut and entertaining Alli. Oh, I am trying really hard to raise $2200 for the Breast Cancer 3 day walk. If I don't raise it, I have to fork over the dough myself. I still hate yard work, but there is so much of it to do. Barf. I need to fly my Dad out here so he can do it. He likes that kind of thing. Oh--I am thinking about building Jacie a sand box. She loves the sand, and it would go really well with her swing set and pool. We spend so much time outdoors, it would be worth it. She can play in the sandbox while I (barf, gag, stall) work on the yard. At least Alli mows hte lawn. I pay her to do it. Great, eh? I guess that is it for now. Maybe I'll do this again if something interesting comes up.

Enjoying the 4th of July, getting ready for the fireworks. Jacie didn't make it to the end of hte day...

Swimmin'

We figured out the other day that Allison can swim for free at our club, and it’s a great way to spend the evening. We go several times a week. We are trying to get Jacie accustomed to the water, and for the most part, she loves it.
She really likes to sit on the step and splash the water.
We also bought her a little pool for out back. Not as big of a hit as the heated pool at the athletic club, but still, some funny moments.

The pool was on clearance, so super cheap, but the slide doesn't really work. At least Jacie can climb up and down it.

Another Playdate

Jacie and Violet usually play well together. This past week they have played really well together. They copy each other all day long. Well, its really like two hours, but the whole time they copy each other. Screeching is a favorite pastime for the girls. It drives Allison crazy. I just shake my head. Chasing each other is a new sport in our house, too. They chased each other up and down the hall the other day. Sometimes, its fun to get them out and about so that Alli doesn’t lose her mind with the screeching thing. One day I lathered them up in Sunscreen and let them out back to play. Our good friends Matt and Erin just moved back to Idaho, and left us their swing set. We moved it over here and have loved every minute of it! The girls enjoyed swinging together, and the teeter totter is now ready for the next time Violet comes over. Its just the right size for Jacie. Perfect, in fact!

I jsut couldn't resist posting this adorable picture of Violet. Isn't she great?
Nope, Jacie is not picking her nose...She is showing you her nose. She loves to point to her nose, head and ears. She calls her head "dead". Cracks me up every time. She won't point to her own eyes, but has no trouble poking yours out as she names them.
Bike ride! No, Jacie is not drugged, thought she looks like it. The girls just chatted it up the whol way. I heard lots of "wwweeeee!" and "Yeah!" and even some jibberish. I was attempting to pass the park without stopping and Violet voiced her concern with my missing hte turn into the parking lot. Of course, I turned around and let them play. We bought a bike trailer a couple of months ago, and haven’t used it much until this week. What an awesome workout it is to pull an extra 50 pounds behind you! We ride all over the neighborhood.

What are friends for?

Jacie has had her best friend Violet over for four days in a row. She loves it because she is beginning to get into the stage where she actually plays with other kids. They were being pretty good together in the front room...quiet, but good. I went into the kitchen to make my cereal. Literally to pour my milk onto my ceral. I hear these little short bursts of whimpering. I turn around and Jacie is standing behind me with stickers stuck all over her head. This isn't the best picture, but the other ones were blurry. They were all the way around her head. I laughed so hard. Again, I will not be winning parent of the year because I took the chance to document the moment rather than help her out. Violet couldn't figure out why Jacie didn't like the sticker job. It was the best part of my day, seeing those stickers.

Day at the Beach

The other day was a real funk day for me. Jacie is teething, and grouchy, and this particular day I just didn’t’ think I could deal with any extea activities that involved me leaving the house. My friend Jaymie tried really hard to talk me into it by saying it just might be the thing Princess Fussybutt needed. I said I’d call. Well, I talked to Ryan shortly after that and told him I likely wouldn’t go, but guess what—he said do it! Jacie would love it. So, with two adults acting more adult that I was, I loaded Jacie and Alli up into the car with all of the beach necessary junk and headed for the beach. I never came out of my funk; I didn’t even get into my bathing suit, though that had more to do with my self consciousness over being in a bathing suit in front of people. But Jacie had a great time! He didn’t care for the cold water, but loved the sand, and Alli swan for quite awhile. All in all, it was worth it. However, I got a little sunburned and when I attempted to get to the gym later that day, I was wiped out and couldn’t even complete a full workout. Oh well. It was worth it to not have Jacie crying and fussing all day.

I know, strange shot, but Ijust love it.
Alli was hiding from the sun. She got a little sunburn, too. Of course, hers quickly turned into a tan!!