T&V Come to Visit

Great grandma and great grandpa Otis came to visit in Octboer and Jack managed to sit still for three nanoseconds to have his photo taken. Then, he was off and running!

Kissing a Brontosaurus

"Look what Mommy brought me!" I went to a writers conference recently and while I didn't get a publishing contract, I did win a stuffed dino and a book for the little guy. Here, Jack welcomes his new friend to dinner.

Hoppy Halloween

Jack, our favorite kangaroo, really loved Halloween. His costume stayed on with no fights, and he even used his kangaroo pouch for candy instead of using the totally adorable, completely overpriced pumpkin bag we bought him from Pottery Barn Kids. He ran around the neighborhood yelling, "kids, kids!" as big groups of trick-or-treaters ran from house to house. He even invited himself into a few homes looking for puppies (not candy). Directly above, Jack and his neighbor buddy Sam Bugge (and mommy Yvonne) get ready to trick-or-treat. The other photos are of Jack ripping apart Yvonne's fall scene. For some reason he was really into the corn; must be the Iowan in him. The scabs you see on his nose are from a face-plant that happened earlier in the week at day care. Try not to mention it to him, he's very self concious about it.

Oh Gosh, Amazing!

Jack is a big football fan already, and has picked up a few phrases key for football viewing. Here, you can here him yelling, "oh gosh, amazing!" as someone (not Iowa) scores a touchdown. He even does a few jumps at the end to show his excitement. Yes, those are jumps. We think he'll actually get off the ground one of these days.

Night Eyes at the Blank Park Zoo

On Saturday, Oct. 20, we went to the Blank Park Zoo for Night Eyes -- Jack's first try at trick-or-treating. He didn't mind his kangaroo costume, and even made sure his Joey was tucked into the seat belt (see photo directly above). We saw lions, tigers, leopards and eagles. No to mention lots of "pooky monsters." Lucky for Bryan and I, Jack doesn't eat candy yet, so we had a pretty good haul. His favorite movie is Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin" and we get daily requests to watch it. He can even tell you what's going to happen before it happens on screen. His favorite part is when Linus tries to squeeze the big pumpkin between the fence and falls down. It gets big laughs every time.

Howell's Pumpkin Patch

On Sunday, Oct. 7, we went to Howell's Pumpkin Patch in Cumming, Iowa. What a production! First, you ride on a tractor-pulled wagon through the flower gardens to the eight-acre pumpkin patch. Then, you search and search until you find the perfect pumpkin. Then you haul your finds back to the greenhouse to be weighed and you're ready to go! Jack also had fun in the Kiddie area and liked looking at the goats (puppies!), bunnies (puppies!) and chickens (puppies!). We are one step closer to our "'pooky Halloween, ha ha ha," as Jack would say. Bryan and I decided the pumpkin patch was a lot of fun, but perhaps better suited to a crisp, fall day, instead of 85 and humid.

Calling All Grandmas in Spencer!

Jack enjoyed meeting Evan Scott (daughter of Fred and Brette, granddaughter of David and Molly Scott) at a breakfast club gathering during the Iowa/Penn State Game. Both kids rocked the Iowa wear, but to no avail (this is soooo not a going to be a good season). We decided chalk drawings and pink basketballs were more important, too. Both send kisses to their grandmas in Spencer, Iowa.

Jack Gets a Haircut

Aunt Tanya gave Jack his second haircut in September (still not much to take off the top). Jack was very helpful by pointing out how he liked his hair combed. He also enjoyed the styling products she used, he's one chic baby!