Walk, Wag, & Swim

We took Jackson to a Walk, Wag, & Swim today. It was SO much fun!! First, we took a 1 mile walk and then the dogs got to go swimming in a pool! We haven't really taken Jackson swimming before (he goes in the lake at the Dog Park, but that is about it) so we weren't sure how he'd like it. At first, he wasn't too sure about the water, but then he jumped right in :0) He had a great time fetching tennis balls (his and everyone else's!) and playing with the other dogs. He is quite the excellent swimmer!! We are going to take him swimming more from now on. Jackson was by far the cutest dog there :0) Nicholas loved being around all of the dogs and watching Jackson play! We all had a great time and will make this an annual family event. All of the proceeds go to “No More Homeless Pets in Utah”, which is a great foundation. They are how we found Jackson! Nicholas is doing so many new activities that we figure it is good for Jackson to have his own special events! Hope you like the pics!

Tiny Tykes Class 2

Here are some pictures from Nick’s Tiny Tykes class today. There was a new baby girl, Larissa, in our class today. She was born December 25, 2005. Nicholas was flirting with her most of the class (and his teachers too, of course) :0) Nick got to do so many fun things in class today: balancing, rings, swing, trampoline, and the zip line! He loves to crawl all over the gym and explore. He also really loves the puppets and songs! It is great to watch him be so excited and have so much fun :0) I am so glad we signed up for this class!!

Talking, Standing, & Climbing Stairs...OH MY!

Well, it has been a pretty eventful few days! Nicholas said his first word…“MA-MA” :0) He said it a week ago, but I wanted to hear him say it a few more times before I posted it (you know, to make sure it wasn’t a fluke!!). So, here is the story of Nick’s first word. It was Wednesday, August 24, 2005. John had just left for work. Nicholas woke up and yelled “Ma-Ma”. Even though I was sure that it was a fluke, I ran in to his room. I was greeted with a huge smile and another “Ma-Ma” (arms up in the air for me and all)!! I was still unsure if he really knew what he was saying. But, he has said it so many more times. He also says “DA-DA” when John comes in the room now too :0) John still isn’t quite convinced that Nicholas knows what he is saying, but I am :0)

Then, the next day (Thursday, August 25th) Nicholas stood up :0) He used our laptop bag to pull himself up. He is pulling himself up on EVERYTHING now!! I thought it was crazy when he started crawling, but this standing thing is even crazier!! He is always standing, so I am sitting right behind him all the time. I don’t want him to fall and crack his head on anything. Better safe than sorry! Yesterday, Nicholas showed us another new (and scary) trick. He started climbing up the stairs! We were all playing in Nick’s new playroom in the basement and he decided he was bored. So, he headed for the steps (I was right behind him). I was sure he wouldn’t be able to climb the stairs, but he just took off! I will get some pictures and video of the stair climbing when John is here to spot Nicholas. I have posted some pictures of Nicholas standing and some of his “Free Play” at his gym last week! Enjoy :0)

Tiny Tykes

Nicholas & I had our first “Tiny Tykes” gymnastics class today :0) His teachers are Miss Ashley & Miss Erin. There is one other baby in the class! His name is Zachary and he is 11 months. I guess the other “Tiny Tykes” classes may have more kids, but I like our small class :0) Nick & Zachary hit it off right away. We started off with some exploring of the gym. Nicholas was crawling so fast all over the gym. It is all padded so it is nice to let him roam free for a bit. I am thinking of having John do the same thing to our basement :0) Then we had a circle time and welcome song. Nick loved the song. After that, we did some stretching (to a Kelly Clarkson song…haha). Nicholas wasn’t too into the stretching until we were all clapping for him. He sure does love his praise! Once the clapping started, both he and Zachary loved their stretching. Then we danced a bit and learned a forward roll. At first, Nick wasn’t too sure what to think of the forward roll, but with a little praise, he loved it. After that, it was time for more exploring. I took Nicholas into the ball pit and he LOVED it! He also went on the trampoline and slide. Then, we played with some mini hula hoops. Nick was holding one in each hand and throwing his arms up and eating them of course. He also showed some real talent by crawling with one in each hand.

Then, it was time to use some gymnastics apparatus. First, Nicholas hung from the high bar (after he chewed on it for a bit). Then, we practiced more tumbling. Finally, he did some walking on the balance beam. Miss Ashley & Miss Erin brought out some swings for the boys. Nicholas has never been in swing like it before and he LOVED it! After some fun swinging, it was “independent time”. This is when the moms hang back and let the kids interact with each other and the teachers. The teachers assured me that if Nick needed me, he could come get me. I was not worried…I knew he wouldn’t even notice I was gone! He loves to play with other kids. He looked over at me a few times, but had too much fun playing with Zachary to need me! Then it was time to clean up the toys. The moms and teachers did more of that than the boys! We also played “What Time is it Mrs. Fox?” and Miss Annie acted out a song with puppets. Nicholas loved the puppets. Zachary was trying to walk by and leave the puppet show, but Nick grabbed him by the back of the shirt and made him sit and watch! Nicholas was so excited withthe puppets that he started clapping by accident and surprised himself. It was so funny :0)

All in all, we had a great first day of “Tiny Tykes” :0) I am so glad we signed up! It is nice to get out and do something once and a while. We go to class on Tuesdays and get to go to 1 hour of free play a week too. All of the pictures are from the "independent time" today. I will try to get some pictures of Nick on the gym equipment next time. I figured since it is a Mommy & Me class; I better pay attention and do my part this time!!

Our Little Crawling Machine!!

Nicholas has become quite the little crawler! He is pretty much moving all the time. He gets into everything!! He especially loves Jackson’s baskets of toys and bowls. Nick stood up by himself a few days ago!! He used the laptop bag to pull himself up. He did it a few times that day. Now he is trying everyday to stand up using anything he can or from a sitting position. I guess it won’t be too long until he can do that too!! Nicholas and I have our first “Tiny Tykes” gymnastics class today :0) I’ll be sure to take pictures post them tonight! Take care :0)

Happy Birthday Dear Nick's Daddy :0)

John’s birthday was August 26th. We took him to the Blue Iguana for dinner with some friends. Nicholas liked when the band sang Happy Birthday to his daddy :0) But, we was not to sure what he thought of the hat his daddy was wearing! Nick was very interested in John’s Birthday cake. He really wanted to dig his little hands into it! Only a few months until he gets his very own cake for his 1st Birthday!!!! Time sure is flying by!

These Were Just Cute

I didn't know where to fit these in, so I thought I'd just put them up. They were all taken in Vegas. Check out the teeth :0)

Nick's 8 Month Photo Shoot

I took Nicholas for his 8 month photo shoot yesterday. I know, I know…it was a few days late. Believe it or not, there is a story behind the delay! When I called to make the appointment, I received some devastating news!! Marcy (Nick’s personal photographer) was no longer there! I was in shock…I almost passed out!! I didn’t know what to do…you know how I deal with change!! So, I just made an appointment for that afternoon. The girl on the other end could tell that I was distraught, so she told me that I could change the appointment if I needed to. I went in and broke the news to my parents (haha) and tried to find something for Nicholas to wear. After a few minutes, I decided that I just could not take Nick in that day (he was also not having a great day). The girl was not surprised when I called to reschedule.

After a few days of coming to terms with the news I had received (and a trip to Vegas), I decided I needed call to see if Marcy was at another location or gone FOREVER!! I thought I had prepared myself for the worst. But, when I was told that she had gone back to school and was no longer a photographer anywhere, I was shocked! I mean, she didn’t even call to tell me her plans (haha…I am KIDDING!!). So, I had to bite the bullet and take Nicholas in and have some other photographer take his 8 month pictures!! We arrived to the Studio early since I was so nervous (haha…again, I’m kidding. But, that did sound pretty dramatic!). Now, the rest of this really happened. We were taken to Studio B. Nicholas was sensing that things were not quite right…we always go into Studio A! He kinda just stared at the photographer for a few minutes while she got set up and I got him ready. When it was time for the first picture, he just stared at her blankly and wouldn’t even crack a smile. I was trying to get him to smile too, but he just looked at me pretty confused. So, the photographer just took a picture to get him going. I am not kidding, once he saw that first flash, out came the smiles! The new photographer, Angie, said she had never seen a baby react to a camera flash like that. She instantly fell in love with him. I filled her in on our Nicholas…the camera lover. He was just hamming it up for her the whole time. He would roll over, crawl, laugh, show off, etc. Every once and a while, he’s stop to pose for her! Angie said she had never had such an easy photo session with a baby. Needless to say, the pictures turned out great (what did I expect really!?) and Angie is great with him! She happens to be friends with Marcy and she is going to tell her that we said “hi” and that we miss her and that she is going to take good care of us from now on :0)