Belated Trick or Treat...And More!

Yes, I have been informed by our avid blog followers that we are very behind in posting Jacob's first Halloween trick-or-treating pictures... sorry, we got lazy & emailed the grandparents directly. We've also been feverishly working to finish our basement before the last major step - carpet & tile installation, which were completed last weekend. Here is a picture of Jacob "helping" Daddy re-install the toilet after installation:

We've come to realize that Halloween these days is not just a one-day thing anymore, like it was when we were little. No, now it's a regular season! Jacob had more that 3 different "invites" to trick-or-treating events in the weeks leading up to Halloween, and he participated in 3: I brought him to my work for trick-or-treating the Wednesday afternoon before Halloween, then the next night, there was "Trunk"-or-treating in our church/daycare parking lot. Finally, we hit our neighborhood with friends & their kids on the actual Halloween night.

Jacob had several costume options that were passed down for friends. So Thursday night, he was a kangaroo (complete with joey in his pouch), and Friday night, he was a race car driver. Lots of candy was collected - he even said "Trick or Treat" when prompted, and "thank you" - even sometimes without prompting! Here are pictures of the kangaroo & race car driver:

After Halloween, Jacob's Daddy got bitten with the hunting bug, and has been bow-hunting for deer practically in our backyard (which backs up to a farm field). He has already been successful, getting a buck. (which I named "Chuck the Buck"). Here is a picture of Jacob & Daddy posing with Chuck. (Jacob liked to pet Chuck... he kept pointing & saying "deer"...)

Since Chuck, Chris has been closely following an even bigger buck, which we've named "Hank" for fun. (easier to talk about than "that really big buck I want to get"). Well, Chris hadn't had any luck getting Hank so far, and had passed up several smaller bucks & does holding out for him. This past weekend, we had our friends Erin & Ed over to visit. Ed is also a big hunter, so Chris wanted to take him out hunting over here, and hopefully get him his first deer with a bow. Well, it seems beginner's luck prevailed, and Ed actually ended up getting a buck that was even bigger than Hank... Karma, right Chris? Good fortune will come your way, too...

Here is the hunters before, and Ed after. Note Ed's big grin on the after shot.

A Year Ago Since We First Met Jacob...

Referral Picture - Received 10/1/07

First visit at Prokopyevsk Baby House - 10/17-10/18/07

Jacob Now

Blame Pa Pa Mueller for this one.

Fall Fun, Puking, Has it been 5 years, and as always, wait till next year

Just wanted to add a quick update, and some pics. We took Jacob to a orchard/farm thing that had a bunch of fall activites. They had a huge culvert that you could slide down, which Jacob absolutely loved, except for the time he somehow came down upside down on his back. But he ran right back up the hill and kept going down again, pretty much nothing scares this kid. We also picked some apples and he rode in wagon train behind a tractor.

Grandma and G'pa Wolters came up to stay with Jacob over the weekend while Carie and I got to get away for our 5 year anniversary. Jacob had lot's of fun with them as always, they took him to Chucky Cheese and and the orchard/farm thingy again, which he loved again. Carie and I went up near Traverse City and went hiking in Sleeping bear dunes national park. Crazy hike, over 9 sand dunes several hundred feet tall apiece up and down about 4 miles round trip through deep sand. We came back a day early because we both had big games on Sat night, Carie wanted to watch Mizzou beat up on Nebraska, (Sorry Kathy), and I had to see the Cubs crap out again.

Jacob got sick last night, and has been puking nonstop it seems like since then. I think I've been puked on about 4 times now since yesterday, and Carie has only got it once, doesn't seem fair. Lots of Laundry though.

The big slide

Jacob in Action, he must have done this 30 times

Good Landing

Being Cute for the Camera

Our Family picture, he was done being cooperative by this point!

The big bouncy pillow

His buddy Carson, They love Bob the Builder and Tools

That's right 450 foot drop, and Carie posing with her rock

PKD walk & subdivision picnic

We are coming to the close of a big weekend. Yesterday, we participated in our 3rd annual Walk for PKD for Team CJ, this year again in Michigan City, IN. We had beautiful, if not a bit unseasonably hot & humid, weather as we walked in a county park in a wooded setting. Our team was composed of 12 friends & family, and together we raised over $800. Our entire walk site had 80 walkers and raised $12,000! We also had 2 other Team CJ's across the country - 1 in St. Louis who walked today with 11 team members, and a team of 4 yesterday in KC. We feel very lucky to have such wonderful and supportive family & friends who continue to join us each year to walk for CJ.

For those of you who did not know us 2 years ago, it was just over 2 years ago that we lost our first-born son, CJ, to Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney disease. Our first walk was just a week and a half after our son passed away, and we're going to try and make it an annual tradition as a way to honor the memory of our son. We'd like to think that his short life was meant to do big things for others, like bring greater awareness to this disease and raise money towards finding a cure. Not only that, but losing CJ led us on a path that ultimately brought us to Jacob (who was only born 3 days apart from CJ). This walk was extra special for us because we could share it with Jacob.

Today, we had our annual subdivision picnic. There was an inflatable jumpy-thing, and pony rides, and after a little warming up to both, Jacob had a blast! In fact, our friend said that once Chris got done finishing the basement, his next project would be to build a stable! (ha ha)

Here are some pictures of Jacob during his "How Big is Elmo" book, which he loves. See him showing how big Elmo is?

On another note, Jacob has figured out how to escape from the big-boy bed! Last Sunday, we awoke to him crying around 7:45. Chris opened the door to our bedroom, and there stood Jacob in our doorway, Cubs hat on backwards, his arms full clutching 2 stuffed animals & his blankie! Time to kiss our lazy weekend mornings sleeping in goodbye! This morning was worse - he woke up at 6:45 am and just cried in his room until we came & got him. He is getting very cute with his stuffed animals, though. We got him a stuffed snow leopard we call "Spot". He carries this new friend everywhere - he even clipped Spot's nails & brushed his teeth one evening at the sink, and this morning, Spot went on the potty before Jacob did. Jacob has been doing really good trying the potty each morning & night at home, always managing to squeeze out a little liquid. He also goes on the potty sometimes at daycare, as there is a little girl in his class who is already starting potty training. Maybe that is his way of trying to impress this girl - who knows, but we don't mind. Maybe she can show him how to sleep in in the mornings...

2-year Pediatrician Appointment

Jacob has his 2-yr appointment with the pediatrician today. He continues to grow - bigger and taller - like a champ. His 2-year old stats: 35 1/4 inches tall, and 29.5 lbs. Both at or above the 50th percentile on those charts the doctors like so much. His stats when he came home from Russia at 16 months: 30 inches & 20 lbs. Wow - over 5 inches & 9 pounds in 8 months!!! He also got a flu shot, and another 2 shots to come in 1 month. After that, he is in the clear, shot-wise, until his 3rd birthday. He did much better at this appointment - we had brought in his "Tender Teddy", and the doctor would do something to Teddy (like look in his ears) before she did the same thing to Jacob. His shot was in his upper thigh, and afterwards they put a band-aid on it. As we were walking out, he kept stopping every 3rd or 4th step and looking for his band-aid. When he would finally find it each time after hiking up his shorts, he would point and go "owww!". (Needless to say, it was a long walk back to the car). He eventually pulled the band-aid off in the car on the way home, and proceded to stick it all over himself & his Teddy (hey - whatever amuses him on the car ride!)

Looking like we're in for a wet weekend here in Michigan - I had to do a 1-mile run tonight (in the rain) as part of a city-wide corporate cup challenge. Tomorrow I'm supposed to bike 10 miles and later run a 5K. We'll see how much it's raining...

End of Summer Fun

Since returning from STL, we celebrated Jacob's actual birthday last Wednesday, 9/3, with a family dinner at none other than Mickey-D's! The nearest one has a pretty sweet Playland area; however, it is not designed for the newly-2-year-old... Jacob, fearless as he is, insisted on climbing to the top of this tower with stairs inside, but once to the top, he freaked out, so Mommy had to shimmy her way up the tiny staircase to retrieve him. (good thing I'm short!) Then, on our way out of the playland, a little boy about 4 or 5, put his arms straight out to the sides and stood in front of Jacob, saying something like "you cannot pass". Well, Jacob walked right up to this kid and gave him a hug! The kid was so shocked, he hugged him right back! I said, "we have a lover, not a fighter!". We finished the evening at one of my favorite places, Ice Cream Ecstacy, where Jacob shared some of both Mommy & Daddy's ice cream, and got a pretty good sugar-buzz going!

This past weekend, we got together with some friends, and Jacob had a blast playing with his big buddy Carson, who is almost 3 1/2. His "lover, not a fighter" status was severely challenged, however, the past few days, where his alter ego, "Jaws", made a return visit. Jacob has been on another biting binge the past few days...we are attributing it mostly to the change in classrooms last week in daycare - we know transitions can be difficult, especially at this age. Either way, Chris & I are trying our best to work with him at home and advocate for him at daycare to help him through this! (any advice and/or prayers will not be turned away).

Here are some pictures to enjoy!

Jacob, with his Thomas the Tank Engine conductor hat from his birthday party, turned backwards. He almost looks like a little Frenchman with a beret - Oui oui!

Jacob, with his big buddy Carson, riding in the wagon behind Daddy's tractor.

With Carson chauffeuring him in the manly Barbie jeep!

At our church's Celebration Sunday yesterday - a big crowd!

Going down the big inflatable slide at the church carnival afterwards.

Stitches, and Birthday Cake

Just wanted to put up some new pics, you might notice that Jacob's habit of banging up his face before big events still holds up. Wednesday before we left for STL to have his B-day party we got a call from daycare that Jacob tripped and fell into a table and hit his forehead. It was split open pretty bad, and bleeding quite a bit, so Carie took him into urgent care were Jacob got about 8 stitches. He was a very brave boy, even as they had to put him in a strait jacket to hold him down. Mom did very good throughout all his stitches, singing him songs to calm him down. Then once all the sewing was done, Carie ended up passing out, giving the nurses two patients. Everybody is OK, and after he got stitched up, Jacob hardly even noticed his owie, until Carie and I got to take his stitches out tonight, he didn't care to much for that, how's that for a birthday present from mom and dad.

Jacob celebrated his 2nd birthday party along with his uncle Matt's 32nd on Saturday in Stl at our friends house where they have a nice pond for everyone to swim in. Jacob had a great time, and is in toy overload, and Matt got to have a cool Thomas the train cake. Carie also heard about this website called Houseparty.com or something like that, where you sign up to have a party for just about anything, in this case Fisher Price, You set up a party to showcase whatever company you are interested in and they send you their product to get some exposure I guess. Well anyway, they sent us two huge boxes full of Fisher Prices' latest and greatest toys, (did I mention toy overload.) some of them look pretty expensive, like a pony that he bounces on and connects wirelessly to the TV, which then reacts to every button or bounce that he does. pretty cool. Excellent deal, if you need toys or a margarita maker or whatever try it out. Everything is free for you to keep, you don't have to try to sell anything to your guests and best of all you don't really have to have a party, just invite your friends and have them play along.

We also got Jacob a big boy bed last night, which he loves, he laid down on all the mattresses at the store and tried them out. He seems to be doing really good in it, no issues so far.

This should make a cool scar!

Playing ball at grandma and grandma's

Did I mention that he does housework?

Sorry no toddler swing here, this one might be a little beyond his ability grandma

Here's why you don't leave you kid alone in the kitchen, He's such an artist.

The Cake

The Birthday boys enjoying their Cake!

Carie, Maggie, Sean, and Jacob playing on the trampoline.

Mommy and Jacob.

The cool drum set that my cousins Ariel and Aubrey got him. Thank you soo Much!!

The load of free Toys from Fisher Price.

Jacob and his new Big Boy Bed!