Look closely at this picture!

I love this picture! The first thing you probably see is my sweet boys totally excited face after making us a yummy treat...but look closer...Aaron is such a dork! Jake made us cookie ice cream sandwiches on Sunday evening for a treat. He saw the recipe in his cook book by Rachel Ray (we needed the recipe because we never could have figured it out on our own...I am being sarcastic for anyone who doesn't know me well enough to know that when I am typing I do it as if you can hear me talking...). They were a great treat-you can tell by the picture, because Aaron couldn't wait until I took the picture of Jake posing before going in for a bite!

I have a good husband...

For whatever reason our bedroom has been cluttered for a week (at least...) and I worked on it, in between babysitting 2 sweet and precious little girls- one 18 mos. and the other 3 mos. I am telling you their ages so you will understand why I said I worked on it instead of finished it! :) The ironing board has been up for a week, laundry has been sitting in the basket (and on the floor) since Friday...You know what I mean, not horrible but totally annoying. So, Aaron noticed my efforts and did a very sweet thing. He usually has a small pile of clean clothes on the floor next to his bed. His sweatshirt that he took off before going to bed or his jeans that he only wore for a couple of hours, that he is going to wear tomorrow so why bother put them a way...And of course his pajamas always end up in this pile in the morning. Well, I have mentioned many times (too many times...I nagged on numerous occasions!!) it bothers me. Especially when the rest of the room is neat and tidy and freshly vacuumed and still the pile re-emerges! Well, to get to the point, I am not even finished picking up our room but Aaron's little pile was something I managed to tackle yesterday. This crazy morning after Jake was fed, dressed, and ready to go, lunches were made, sweet babies were dropped off at our house, and the dog barfed on the floor (twice!) I walked into the bedroom to something that brought tears to my eyes! A neatly folded pair of PJ's on the bed, not the floor...I didn't even ask...Aaron you made my day! Now I am going to make my bed!

Jake cracks me up!

We were all just hanging out one day last week when I noticed Jake had disappeared into his room. Which usually means he is going to dress up as something silly and either try to entertain us or scare us. Usually he gets out old Halloween costumes but not this time. He came out with his church belt on over his shirt and all sorts of things stuffed in his shirt so he looked like a tough guy with big muscles. The best part is that he walks out all big and bad with a mean look on his face, and then he flexes his "muscles". Next he starts kissing his arms like a macho body builder!!! We lost it! It was hysterical! He then tells Aaron "Daddy punch me in the stomach, go ahead!" Where he gets these crazy ideas I do not know, but he always make us laugh! He is one crazy kiddo!

Snowboarding!

Aaron and Jake went snowboarding last week and of course I went along for the photo opp! Jake read 100 books last summer to earn his own snowboard (which we ended up getting for free from the Sloan's-Thanks guys!) and spent months earning $25 to go toward his bindings. He has been working hard and was finally ready to hit the slopes with Daddy! He will need a new board next year because he is growing like a weed but his bindings will last him a few years. They had a blast!


Jake slept the whole way home...he was wiped out!

Cousins...

Jake is lucky to have great cousins! When you don't have siblings it helps to have cousins that are awesome and Jake loves his! I am so grateful for all the wonderful memories Jake has with his cousins. I tried to find recent pictures of all his cousins but I didn't have any of the oldest cousins Megan and Kalya! Oh darn-I guess we will just have to make a trip to Virginia to take some!
Jake is surrounded by 6 girl cousins on the Harmon side of the family and he loves them all! He is especially close to Riannon and Della because we had the great opportunity of living right around the corner from them for about a year and a half. Which meant we got to see them almost every day! They act like siblings a lot of the time!
On the Graves side of the family Jake has 1 girl and 3 boy cousins! They live out of the country so when they are in the U.S. we take advantage of it and spend as much time together as possible. They all just went tubbing last week and had a blast! And while they were visiting one last time before going back to Uraguay (how do you spell that?) Jake lucked out and had a snow day (even though we had no snow-some places did, but we didn't!) which meant more time for fun!
Cousins are the next best thing to brothers and sisters. Especially when they are as awesome as the ones Jake has!

Jake, Della, Addie Kate, and Emily (our dog) on a hike at Pisgah!


Jake and Della at the fish hatchery.


Anika, Jake, Sam, and Saku holding Ben, the newest cousin!


Jake, Megan, and Riannon, playing outside when we all got together at Christmas time.


"Nee" (that is what Jake calls my mom. He made it up when he was a baby and it stuck), Jake, Anika, Saku, and Sam driving to go do the funny, bungee jumping thing at the mall...I have no better way to describe it I am sorry to admit...

What did I just read?....

Okay...I was just on "The Cutest Blog on the Block" website to change my background yet again, (because now that I have started I just can't stop...) when I noticed an advertisement down the side of the page I was on. It read "Asian women for love and marriage" and had pictures of pretty Asian women and their stats. Is it just me or is it strange that "The Cutest Blog on the Block" is pimping out women? I was shocked and I am really hoping someone can tell me where there is another website that offers cute backgrounds that doesn't allow advertisements like this! Does anyone know of any? Does this bother anyone else or am I just overreacting?...I do that sometimes so I won't be offended if you tell me the truth. :) Yep, it is still there I just checked! I am really surprised and disappointed!

One of those mornings....

I love Fridays! But, this past Friday started out horribly...and it was my fault. Jake woke up earlier than usual (6:00-he usually gets up around 6:15 or 6:30, we leave for school at 7:45) and it went down hill from there. We have a short list of things to do in the morning and they are: make your bed, eat, brush your teeth, make sure your hair isn't crazy, get dressed, feed the dog and get your back pack as you walk out the door. Not too bad, and most mornings it goes smoothly. This particular morning I had to take a shower to go to a PTO meeting and I couldn't remind Jake to stay on task...to make a long story short I let Jake be late to school, after bringing him to tears...I felt horrible. When I realized that he was doing every step on the list, but taking 20 minutes to do each task, I got very frustrated and decided rather than prodding him, (which I don't usually have to do, but lately I have been having to more often) I let him waste the time he should have been getting ready so I could teach him a lesson...I think it worked. I doubt we will be late again for this reason...but the process I used to come to this conclusion broke my heart and his. I told him when he was sitting looking at his scholastic book order form (with, no shoes on, crazy hair and bag not ready to go) that he had 4 minutes and I was not going to help him and I may leave him because I had to be at school...I have threatened him with leaving him before, but he doesn't usually believe it because he knows I would never do it, but it makes him hustle any way. Well, needless to say 4 minutes later I was headed out the door and he was crying and trying to make himself a lunch. On Fridays he gets school lunch, but in the chaos of my threats and yes I do admit my yelling, he forgot that and he thought I was not willing to help in any way ever again and therefore he would have to fend for himself ...I of course would never leave him, but the very crazed voice that I threatened him with this time was one that he took very seriously. I know some mothers that would say good for you, sometimes you just have to do the tough love thing...And I thought that that is how I would feel when it seemed I had won! But the look on his sweet face let me know that though yelling and threats work very well for some children, it doesn't really work for Jake. I can remember 3 other times I have finally resorted to similar tactics and they have never worked. But this time was even worse. You see when he was 3 and I had my adult meltdown (similar to a child's-you know yelling, saying things that you don't really mean) I explained to him how it was not okay for anyone to act that way, and I was sorry, and we need to work together, and do you understand why I got so frustrated, and so on and so on....Well, he is 7 now and even though he knows what he needs to do and yes he can do it all without my help...Maybe, just maybe, he isn't ready to really not need me to help him and I am not ready for him to not need me to help him. Our routine is getting ready together and that works for us because as he often reminds me he is at school for 6 hours and 45 minutes and we have to spend all the other time we can together. I have a sweet 7 year old who still loves to be with me. At what age does that change? I hope never, but if I keep breaking his little heart it could be sooner than later. I calmed down and we got in the Jeep and we talked on the 2 minute trip to school (and yes we were late) and we both said we were sorry, but I still felt horrible. I told him I would come have lunch with him and I did. I even brought him a card to let him know I was proud of him. Which, it turns out, all his friends thought was very cool. I am glad that us not working together doesn't work. I know he can do all the things he needs to and he usually does but, I am starting to figure out that the days he needs the extra shove are usually the days that he needs a little more me. He doesn't really need my help but he needs to feel loved and cared for. This was a busy week of lots of homework, babysitting, family being in town and school meetings. And even though it was a great week, we didn't have a lot of time to spend together, just us. Friday morning was his way of letting me know he was needing a little more from me and I was to busy to notice. Don't get me wrong my child doesn't listen all the time and he does not always do what I want him to do, but this was not one of those times, this was a time he just needed me and I didn't realize it until I hurt his feelings. Another day that I went to bed thinking have I done any good today? I am rambling and I know it, but it feels better to get it off my chest. I really hope I am not the only one making, as I call them "mommy mistakes". But if I am at least I am figuring them out as I go...or at least trying too!

Jake's practically toothless!

Jake pulled out his 6th tooth on Wednesday night and I am starting to wonder how the poor boy can eat! He has pretty much been eating on the side of his mouth for the past 6 or 8 months! If he doesn't have a couple loose, he is missing a couple! We painted his face at Halloween to look like a "Jake-o-Lantern". I love the missing teeth look, I think it is adorable! I can't wait to see what his big teeth look like when they come in. The tooth fairly was very nice to him this time. He got $5! The tooth fairy usually gives him $1, (way up from the quarter I got as a child) but I think she must have heard him when he was questioning why she gives more to his cousins. Jake got lucky this time...I think the economy is eventually going to start effecting the Tooth Fairy too.

Basketball Tournament!

Aaron had a great time playing in a church a basketball tournament this past weekend. We had a fun time watching it...Actually I had fun watching it and Jake had a great time running around, playing, and making new friends! Jake did take time at the end to pose with Daddy and the trophy after he realized that they had won the whole thing!