Best Bath Toy Ever!

Like most kids, Cade loves the bath. However, since we only have showers and no bathtub in our home, he still bathes in the kitchen sink. Bummer, I know! Lately, he is over his old bath toys so I wanted to find him some new toys to play with. Look what I found! The funny thing is that he wanted this starfish before I could even get the batteries in. I gave it to him and turned it on and all it did was make a humming noise since it wasn't in water yet. For some reason, he loved it - funny how he was attracted to a toy that did nothing. Until..... we got the bath ready and put it in the water.... man does he L.O.V.E. this thing. I must admit, it is pretty cool - until he tilts it and it shoots water out of the tub and onto the kitchen floor!

Happy baby = happy mommy :)

1st Christmas as a Family of Four

We have a family tradition for Christmas Eve. Church, then out to dinner, then home to get ready for bed in our Christmas jammies. Unfortunately, I only got 1 pic from Christmas Eve. This is at church. We go down to the kids' room so that Cade can play (and the kids can cry) while we watch the service on TV.

The next morning, we were up and ready for breakfast and then some gifts. Berks (& Penny) was the 1st one ready:) (Sorry, I forgot to turn the picture).

Best pic I could get of the kiddos together - what can you expect from a 17.5 month old and a 2.5 month old? :)

Cade loves hammering this new toy!

And he has a blast playing hide and seek in his new Toy Story tent!

But his favorite gift... his drum set complete with a tambourine and maracas :)

LOVE these rain boots!

With the matching rain jacket that lights up!

Talking on his new Elmo cell phone... to his "buddy". He always says, "Hi Buddy!" And he also continually asks, "Wha Dat?" He wants to know what EVERYTHING is... I love his curiosity and his eager to learn all the time.

Berkley got a few more pieces to add to her ever growing wardrobe:) Yes, the more frilly, the better - ha!

These two were pooped after all of the presents

Brad got this in his stocking:)

Wheeee!

And Cade's other favorite gift.... his VERY OWN and FIRST boogie board!! Brad can't wait to take him out this summer!

After gifts, we showered and headed over to Brad's brother's house for more gifts and delicious food. Then on to the beach house with Brad's family. We had a great time. We were very blessed this Christmas. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Double Doctor Appointment

Both Cade & Berkley were due for a doc appt, so we scheduled them together. So glad Brad was off to go with me because they were so sloooow today! Cade had his 18 month check up and Berks had her 2 month (although she is now 2.5 months).
Cade is now old enough to wear a mini hospital gown. It was too cute! Here he is getting measured for his height. He even gets to stand up now instead of laying down to get measured. Such a big boy we have now! :)

The cute little gown:) Not sure why, but I thought it was so darn cute!

Like I said earlier, they were super behind today. Daddy entertained Cade with rides around our room on the doctor's chair!

Cade loved it!

And here is Miss Berks waiting for her turn.

Cade's 18 month stats:

Length: 31 inches (19.5 percentile) - he is no longer tall for his age

Weight: 22 lbs (7.8 percentile) - we need to fatten this little boy up! :)

Berkley's 2.5 month stats:

Length: 23.5 inches (72.5 percentile) - we have a tall one on our hands...just like Cade was in the beginning

Weight: 11 lbs 8oz (46.8 percentile)

Spaghetti Face.... Cade's Italian Roots

One of Brad's favorite pictures!
And Berks showing off some more of her fun wardrobe....

Happy Birthday Mom!

The Jacobsen clan went over to my parents' house on Saturday to celebrate mom's birthday. Berkie dressed up for the occasion:)

And wore a smile:)

Dad & Cade had a blast playing together. Their favorite was playing ball in the hall. I just love watching these 2 play & giggle together.

And here is the birthday girl with her little friends! Berks wasn't too happy at the moment.

Happy 29th birthday mom! We love you so much! xoxo

Just Because

Berkley's 1st Day of School

I took Berks into work today to introduce her to my middle school students. I had promised them I would bring her in before I left for maternity leave and I wanted to keep my promise. Plus, I needed to go talk with my sub to find out where he is leaving off so that I can make my lesson plans for my return after Christmas break.

Brad also teaches math. Our classrooms are 2 doors down from one another. I stopped by his class first so that he could show her off to his students too:) Brad introduced Berkley as his "mini me". It was very cute. He is an extremely proud daddy!

Berkie's Bath Time

Let's Try This Again....

Ok, so this morning I woke at 2am. Please Lord, let Cade sleep till 6am! This girl needs a few hours of R & R. Just fed Berks and now I am off to the gym. Sounds so crazy to get up in the middle of the night, but if that's what it takes, I'd rather lose sleep than be a stress case all day.
On a side note, I am taking Berkley into work today to introduce her to my students:) A little show-in-tell with my middle schoolers!

Part Time Is The Gig For Me!

Before I share about my day, here is Miss Berkie in all her glory! She melts my heart, this girl:)

Today has been a very difficult day being a mom for me. Do I cry? Laugh? Or scream?

Whoever said being a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) is easy, has another thing coming to them. I am currently staying at home since I am still on maternity leave. I only have about 3 weeks left and I am mixed on how I feel. On one hand, I love being able to be with my kids all day to play, giggle, snuggle, cuddle, smooch, hug, etc. On the other hand, I hate feeling unaccomplished. It bothers me (to say it mildly) to be at home all day, yet have nothing to show for it - the house is a mess, dishes are dirty, laundry is piling, and some days I barely manage to squeeze in a shower. How can one be home all day, yet not have an impeccable home? The answer is simple: KIDS.... no wait, the answer is having a TODDLER.

You see, Berkley is super easy. She honestly only cries when she is hungry (or has an upset tummy). But my little boyfriend Cade is a whole other story. He needs me all.the.time. Possibly more now that his sister has arrived. He gets jealous when she needs me, which causes him to fake cry so that I will tend to him instead. That works for a bit until I put my foot down, let him cry, and realize that Berks is getting the raw end of the deal. Isn't she the one that warranted this maternity leave after all? I need to bond with her too.

Back to my point....I have had the most frustrating past 2 days. Cade has not napped!! Maybe 20 minutes or so, but the boy will not sleep. This means that I don't get 1 free minute to even use the restroom in peace.

After being frustrated all day yesterday, I decided to stay up late and get a few things done that I was not able to do during the day. I stayed up till 11pm (my usual bedtime is 8pm). These extra 3 hrs, were not nearly enough time, so I set my alarm for 3am this morning so that I could beat Cade awake and enjoy some quiet time (aka "Me Time"). I planned to work put, shower, prep dinner, unload the dishwasher, put laundry away, and then hopefully have an hour to just sit with me, myself, and I to enjoy taking care of no one but myself. Well, this is how it actually went: woke at 3am, worked out, and then hit the shower by 430am. What happened next was was unbelievable. I could not believe my ears when I heard Cade wailing from in the shower! I think I thought something along these lines, "You have got to be kidding me!! A 3am wake up call still isn't early enough for some alone time? What do I have to do, pull an all-nighter?" Needless to say, I assumed Cade would have a few naps today... but nope, not one! (10 minutes doesn't count in my book).

So this brings me to my point.... while I ADORE my kids, I think working part time is a perfect gig for me. I get to get out of the house for a few hours yet I still get to come home by noon to love, snuggle, bond, and make memories with Cade & Berkley. When I worked full time, I complained that I got home at 4 or 5pm and it was time for baths, dinner, unpacking and repacking diaper bags with no time left to love on the kiddos - all business and no fun time. Thus, part time is the way for me.

Here's to hoping and praying that tomorrow will be a better day! Prayers are welcomed:)

Oldie But Goodie

I found this pic on my phone the other day. I know I have posted one similar before, but I just love this sweet face and wanted to show it off once more. I hope you don't mind:)

My Two Favorite Little People

I don't know why they are in each other's chairs... it just happened that way:)

Berkley got it right this time:)

Favorite Outfit & Messy Eater

Today I dressed Berkley in my favorite outfit so far:)

Isn't she a cutie pie?

And check out Cade Kendall at dinner time! Yep... still smiling! I tell ya, this kid is as happy as they come!

Don't ya just love the mashed potatoes up his nose!? Ha! I am dying laughing as I write this...

I don't know what it is about these kids (ok, yes I do) but I just ADORE them! Thank you Jesus for giving Brad & I these wonderful, beautiful, adorable, perfect children. We cannot imagine life without them.