Jacob updates

It's been way too long since I've posted to our blog, but just wanted to post a few interesting items:

Jacob has learned to spell his name and can almost write his name all by himself!

He was amazed by all of the snow on March 1st, but I'm such a bad mommy- I don't have any pictures of it! Daddy and I were too busy playing with him to get pictures.

He is nearly 40 inches tall! He's in the 95th percentile in height. He weighs 35 pounds and that puts him in the 50th percentile for weight. He is growing so fast! Sometimes when I look at him in his big boy bed all stretched out and sleeping, I just can't believe that he has grown so much from that scrawny 6 pound newborn into this big boy.

He continues to amaze mommy and daddy with his ever expanding vocabulary. He's quite the precocious one. He talks from the moment he wakes up until his eyes close at night--and even in his sleep!

We are at such a fun age now. He is in the magical stage where pretend rules. He uses his toys to tell us stories and even uses different voices for them. He likes to put on shows for us and insists that we introduce him with "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Jacob Ryan Shick!" Sometimes he gets stage fright and we have to clap loudly and cheer before he'll come out. My little drama king!

Also, we are continuing our Thomas the Tank Engine obsession. I thought this phase would have passed by now, but it has only intensified. If the Shick family ever runs out of money, I think we could sell his trains on ebay and be just fine. Check out the video of him with his trains!

Jacob's Breakout Role

Tonight was the first of many, many Christmas programs to come. Jacob's official debut as a singing angel was nothing short of breathtaking.....for a mom and dad anyway! The theme was Christmas through the decades and his class was the 80's. I mean, how do you dress a boy up for an 80's themed Christmas program? So, I tried my best and put him in his finest punk rock t-shirt and mowhawked his

hair. Only problem was that his hair is so long that it ended up looking like his mom just forgot to brush his hair. He was such a handsome boy! I attached a video of him singing and a couple of pics. The little girl who is in the picture with him is his official "girlfriend" from school. Her name is Reese and they make the cutest couple...Is it too early for me to meddle in his love life?

Jacob is on the back row towards the middle. Just look for the crazy hair and all the hand motions....

Time to Decorate the Tree!

Here are some photos of our tree decorating a couple of nights ago. This was the first year that Jacob stuck it out for the whole process from start to finish. He sang Jingle bells and O Christmas tree to keep us in the Christmas spirit!

Bad Hair Day!

Oh, will this snotty sickness ever end? I haven't posted this month because we have been sick for nearly the entire month! I'll be happy to see November go! Just the usual fall cold stuff, but it has lingered on for what feels like forever! We've had colds, croup, you name it. Maybe now Jacob will be immune to everything for the rest of the winter : ) I took this picture of him today when he woke up from his nap. It kind of sums up our mood lately. But on the bright side, he actually napped! We are looking forward to getting a Christmas tree this weekend and hopefully we'll have some good pics to post from that......

A Beautiful, Lazy Sunday...

Since we are expecting some pretty cold weather this week, we decided to spend our entire Sunday outside enjoying the beautiful fall weather. We were literally outside for nearly the entire afternoon! Daddy did some yard work and Jacob rode everything from his trike to his scooter to his 4-wheeler. Jacob also found an interesting creature while we were outside. See the pic to the right. He kept saying "mommy there's a worm" and I just figured he didn't know what he was talking about. Finally, after Jacob just wouldn't quit talking about this worm, I went over and looked and, to my surprise, this is what we found. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it....

Great Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine

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On Saturday, Bryan, Jacob and I headed down to Cordele, GA for the 2008 Great Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine. It was a long drive for one day, but Jacob had so much fun that no one seemed to care. We couldn't have asked for better weather and there were so many exciting things to do. The best part for mom and dad was the train ride over lake Blackshear. Jacob's favorite part was getting to meet the "real" Sir Topam Hatt! A great time was had by all. Check out all of the photos!

The Finished Product....

Ok, so Jacob, Bryan and I set out to carve our pumpkins last night and we were pleased with our results. Jacob made us laugh when he refused to help us scoop out the goo. He absolutely would not touch the "yucky stuff" that came out of the pumpkins. He also did a bit of gagging and said that it smelled bad. Too funny. We did let him use the saw, but I think he thought it was more fun to watch daddy do it.

The Shicks Check out the Pumpkin Patch!

We visited the pumpkin patch on Sunday to check out what the season had to offer. Jacob picked out a pumpkin that was according to him, "just my size." And mommy and daddy got one that was just their size. Jacob's favorite part of the pumpkin patch was the hay they spread all around. He had a great time throwing it around. We're going to try carving together this year, so we'll see how Jacob does with the saw! Supervision required, of course.....

Birthday Bonanza!

Jacob turned the big 3 this weekend (mommy turns the big 3-0 in April, but don't tell anyone), and we all had a blast. We had the party in the new Ashford Park building and it was great. The weather couldn't have been better and I think a great time was had by all. Jacob was just so excited this year and really understood the "birthday" thing. He realized it was his special day (as if he didn't already think every day was his special day)! Everyone brought great gifts and they were much appreciated, especially in this crazy economy. I hope everyone had as much fun as we did!

Mmmmm.. cupcakes- It's almost Birthday time!

Jacob and I enjoyed our Thursday afternoon and baked some cupcakes in preparation for his little birthday celebration at school tomorrow. I finally let my guard down and let him eat some raw batter. I've always been afraid to since it's got raw eggs, but what the hey, nothing bad ever happened to me from eating it, and trust me, I ate a lot! We've got a big weekend coming up. Big Boy will be 3! I really can't believe it sometimes. Here are some fun pics of Jacob enjoying batter and icing!

Mommy and Daddy get a vacation!

We were in Tampa this past weekend for Billy and Laura's wedding. It was really beautiful and we had some nice mommy and daddy time. It was great getting away for a little while! Here are just a few pictures. Our camera battery died, so no good pics of the reception unfortunately, but there are a few great pics of the beautiful golf course at cocktail hour.

Fun at the Swoffords!

We had a great time at Stephanie and Scott's house. It was the first time that we all got together with all of the kids and man they had a blast! Jacob, Brycen, Gus and Ashton were so exited to play together. Check out the video of them driving the ATV!

The cutest part was that Jacob was steering and Brycen was manning the pedals!

Rain=Green Grass!

We haven't posted in a while because we have been going 90 miles an hour with Jacob back at school in his big boy three-year-old class, me back in school and poor Bryan dealing with the auditor at work. Here are just a few fun pictures of Jacob and Daddy doing some yard work. There's also a pic of Jacob with his prized plant that he planted back in May at school. He is so proud and excited that it's growing. He is really looking forward to his birthday in October. He is making us so proud everyday by singing his ABCs and counting to 20! We can't believe what a big boy he is becoming. Sometimes mom gets a little sad and misses those days when he couldn't do without her, but his growing independence and sense of self is so fun to watch!

Jacob Visits Thomas Town!

Lately, Jacob's obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine has gotten a little out of control! From Thomas toys to pilliows to the website, he's Thomas crazy. I thought that a little visit to Thomas town at Six Flags would be in order! Even though it was insanely hot, we had fun. He thought it was the coolest thing ever to ride a real Thomas engine. Here are some pictures from our fun day.....

Ashburn Lane 4th of July Block Party

We had a 4th of July block party on Friday with all of our neighbors on the street and it was a blast. The kids swam at Kristy and Patricks's and then we cooked out barbecue chicken and hot dogs, courtesy of the executive chef of the W hotel (and our neighbor). Everyone brought a side dish and we all chowed down! There were tons of games set up for the kids from pick up ducks to face painting to beanbag toss. But the hit of the night seemed to be the canoe that was randomly placed in the yard. All the kids sat in it and took turns paddling and yelling "shark". Bryan and I competed in the three-legged race and I am happy to say there are no photos of that! We didn't win, unfortunately, and I think I was injured. Maybe we are getting to old for that stuff. It was a really great time.

Jacob's First Pony Ride

It was Gus's third birthday a couple of weeks ago and we headed out for a cowboy themed celebration. Jacob got his first pony ride...and he did really well. It was really hot, but all of the kids had such a great time. It's so strange to see all of our friends now with their kids running around. It wasn't too many years ago that kids were the farthest thing from our minds....