Hi

Remember us? Yeah, we are still here. Actually we are in a new "here". It has been quite a while since my last post, and I have had it on my mind for about 2 weeks to write a update, and finally, I have sat down to do just that (thanks for the nudge, Kelli).

Looks like I left off at the end of June. July was the last month we spent living with Jake's parents. It was wonderful to have extra hands, way less chores and plenty of good food. We celebrated the 4th of July on the lake as usual. It wasn't sunny but it was warm enough to hang out on the patio. Jameson went to his first fireworks out on Geist Res, which he very much enjoyed until he decided he was ready for bed, about 10 minutes in to the show, but he did wonderful. It was amazing to see such awe and surprise on his face and in his expressions.

The last few weeks of July were filled with moving and moving preparations. Jake and I made a day trip to Ikea, while Jameson hung out on my aunt and uncle's farm. Our new house needed a lot of window coverings and we got the whole first floor covered with our trip and could easily use a second trip soon. We are so blessed to live near family and friends who made our move very easy. We closed on a Tuesday and our POD was completely unloaded that night, beds set up and pizza and beer brought over so we could spend our first night in our new home, albeit with out a refrigerator. While we have everything moved in, it isn't necessarily organized or put away in a way I would call "done" but we are starting to get settled and every day it feels a little bit more like home. I do love all our new space, but as I expected it does take a bit more time to keep clean.

We have also had a couple of trips in July and August. At the end of July, Jameson, my mom and I flew to Boston just days after we closed on the house for a baby shower. My oldest friend Kaily is expecting a baby any day now and I knew I could not miss that shower or rubbing that belly. It was a quick weekend trip with early flights, but Jameson did great and I just love the comfort of being around Kaily. We were perfectly content to catch up on the couch, watch J "baby proof" the apartment and not do much more than enjoy each other's company. It makes me truly cherish our friendship, it is easy in a way that old friends are and we can always pick up right where we left off.

Next we were off to Colorado about 2 weeks later for our annual family vacation. I got to catch up with my other true friend Megan (I'm such a lucky girl!), the girl who straightened me out and with whom I share many many fond memories. We actually got lost in the rockies once about 15 years before on a church trip, so it was fun to relive some of those old memories. We had a cabin in Estes Park. Colorado and also spent some time in Denver and Boulder. It has been a long time since our family has been out west and you remember the scenery, but the beauty of it still surprises you. We took a drive on the Alpine Ridge Trail that was very memorable, spent a day at Grand Lake, and finished off the trip with an overnight backpacking trip with my dad, brothers and Jake to Lawn Lake (and Crystal Lake for the more adventurous). I know Jameson won't remember much about the trip, but hope it leaves a lasting impression on him about God's creation and how incredible the world (and America) truly is.

Now back home we have had a solid couple of weeks in our place and though we have been here for about 6 weeks this weekend will be the first weekend Jake and I have both been around to work on finishing up moving in. We have a few more lights to install, some more window treatments to buy, and plenty of other things on our list of things to do. This was quite a long post, with not nearly enough details on our trips and new home, but for now this will suffice and I hope to be more consistent with posting, but life doensn't appear to be slowing down any time soon :)

Kaily & Scott

Kaily & Sean

Us!

Jameson is currently obsessed with stickers 

Daddy's helper

Took a trip to the state fair

12,000Ft

Father-son duo

Lots of days spent at the park

Drumming

Fishers splash pad fun

Spoiled with a cupcake

Our new place before landscaping and grass

Summer

I wish I could say we have been away doing something fantastical but really we have just been right here, soaking up the good life. Things haven't slowed down since moving out of our home four weeks ago. Summer is in full swing with trips to the zoo, parks, splash pads, swimming pools and weddings and grad parties. Our new home is moving along quickly and many of our days are filled with trips to go check on the progress. Most recently we had our cabinets and counters installed, our trim and walls have been painted, next up will be floors and we will be in before we know it (in about 4 more weeks). We still have some summer trips planned but for now we are sticking close to home. 

Jameson is coming up on 20 months and boy does he love to swim. He will promptly put himself in any water within  sight. His new favorite words are "boats" and "birds" and loves to point out airplanes, tractors, trucks and cars. He went to his first baseball game and seems to grow an inch every night. I'm trying not to mourn the apparent disappearance of my "baby" and enjoy the fun moments of having an active toddler. He definitely wears us out, but I count every moment as precious, most especially when he finds it in his heart to bestow upon me an unasked for kiss or a brief moment to hold his hand. 

Taking a break...

From packing and cooling off in the sprinkler. Jake jr. was also very interested in "figuring out" the sprinkler and testing its capabilities. 

A little squirt in the face

Running from the water

Hmmm... What does this knob do...

Conner Prairie

We were invited by some friends to go play at Conner Prairie today. Jameson is absolutely fearless! He was the youngest kid chasing goats and sheep, petting them and he even hugged a baby calf! They had lots of baby goats and sheep that were just adorable, we wanted to trade the dogs for them! We also played at the two indoor areas with a market, garden, trains and more. Jameson also enjoyed watching the hot air balloon go up. Thanks for the invite Linda and Blair! It was worth it just to play in the barn!

A year in a glimpse...

Sometimes a year can seem very long and at other times it can seem as if you only blinked and it has passed. I was taking pics of Jameson in the yard this week and I was in awe of how much he has changed in one year. 

On the top picture Jameson was right at 6 months and just barely sitting up. I remember Jake and I propping him up just so for these pics but I was always close by for the inevitable lean and then tumble. In the picture below Jameson is now sitting himself down on the ledge, and climbing it and stepping off it all on his own. Incredible isn't it!? Also at this time last year he wasn't too fond of the grass and this year we can't keep him out of the yard!

Zoo

Again, I have gotten behind on our blog, but a few weeks ago we took our first family trip to the zoo. It's one of those things I had been very much looking forward to as a mom. And it was even more wonderful than I could have even hoped, and I'm sure as Jameson gets older and we can understand him better it will become and even greater experience. I am learning that pretty much everything that was cool before is even cooler when you are a mom :)

Checking out the sharks

His arms aren't quite long enough to pet them yet

Checking out the giraffes. He thought they were pretty cool

You weren't expecting a bunch of animal pictures were you?? :)

Family Dinners

Our independent little mister has laid down the law. He is fed up with being in his highchair across the bar where mama and dada sit for dinner. After a week of fits about going in to the highchair and another week of eating dinner on my lap, we had all had it, and I was hungry! Time for a change.

Then I remembered all those seemingly long and agonizing family dinners at the table. Hmmm... doesn't seem like such a bad idea now, and I couldn't recall the last time we actually ate in our dining room. Was it just my family or did everyone else have rules like "ask to be excused" , and "first one up has to do the dishes", or "don't brush your hair with that fork" (I had a thing for The Little Mermaid)?

So we set up shop in the dining room and it has been wonderful. Jameson is happy to be part of the crowd and I actually get to eat. Yes, it takes a painful three extra steps to get to the dining room and the rug is harder to keep clean than the tile, but really I love our new little tradition. I can't wait to reprimand Jameson for combing his hair with a fork! Or more likely to put away his cell phone!