We Almost Have Lift Off!

  Jake is getting so close to walking (Of course I have been saying that all summer).  This week he has started walking longer distances while holding onto someone's hands.  He has even started to boss around his Grammy telling her to get up so he can practice walking.  He grabs her by the hands and points to where he wants to go.  This weekend he started being able to walk holding on to one hand.  There have even been a few sightings of one or two steps, before he realizes what he is doing and decides to crawl.   Before we know it he will be running. Anyway, we got some video of him practicing with Granny JoJo.

                                            

Here is a cute picture with Papa too.

 

Sleeping with Baxter

Jake has a buddy named Baxter.  Baxter is always in his crib with him along with his blanket.  I love the way he sleeps with his little but in the air and snuggling with Baxter.  Many times when we have put Jake down to sleep we will hear talking coming from the other room.  It seems as though Jake likes to have chats with Baxter.  The only thing we can really recognize is Maggie's name.  So, Jake has a lot to say about her.  I can only imagine that he is describing to Baxter how Maggie has chewed up the latest toy or licked him one time to many.

Times Change

Now

Then

Times have changed.  Earlier this year Sofia was learning to walk while Jake got to lounge and enjoy the ride.  Now, Sofia was kind enough to let Jake push her around while he is practicing his walking skills.  They are so cute(not at all biased)!  It is hard to believe they have grown so much in such a short period of time. 

San Francisco

   On Thursday and Friday we headed over to San Francisco.  It is probably our favorite place to visit.  Dan and I have been there hundreds of times.  We would go shopping, taste wines at the wine bar(our favorite), and eat out at all the new happening places.  Well times have changed.  Now we hang out at the park and go to places like the zoo in between naps.  Not quite the same as the old days, but we wouldn't have it any other way.   

   Our visit to the zoo was lots of fun.  Jake loved the flamingos and we got to see the new baby tigers.  My favorite part was the visit to the family farm.  Inside the farm are machines to buy food to feed the billy goats.  Some of the billy goats are bullies who wait around below the machines to get food.  Well, they are not very polite.  There is a big one who kept bumping Dan in the back of his legs while he was trying to get the food out.  Then he followed Dan around bumping him some more.  Dan of course would not give that bossy billy goat any food.  I took video of this event and laughed the whole time, unfortunately I am technologically challenged and took the video sideways.  I am including it today, please forgive my video taking skills.

 

Camping

This week Jake got his first taste of roughing it in the great outdoors.  We spent three days at beautiful Pinecrest Lake, about 30 miles above Sonora.  We arrived and set up camp, preparing to brave the elements and live off of the land.  So we set up the tent, complete with aero-bed and florescent lantern.  We unloaded the food, wine, snacks, camp chairs, etc.--you know roughing it.  We had time to make some burgers, grilled over our camp fire, with a salad and a little wine.  We then headed over to the outdoor amphitheater to have some popcorn and watch Wall-E with a bunch of other campers.  Jake only made it through about the first half of the movie, but it did start at 8:30 pm.  On Wednesday as we were headed over to the lake we realized we had made a serious error packing the car and arrived without a camera.  Sorry but this entry will be sans photos.  I know this is a serious faux pas during the times of HD Video blogs and such so please forgive my sloppy prose.  We went to the lake and Jake got to play in the shallow area of the lake.  The water felt a little cool to Meg but Jake didn't seem to mind.  Jake had fun splashing around and socializing with some of the other kids.  I was really kicking myself for leaving the cameras at home.  The next day we went on a nice hike around the lake, part of which Jake slept through.  After coming back to camp for lunch, and another nap for Jake,  we went down to the Marina for some soft-serve ice cream.  We went out for Pizza in Cold Springs (Population 100) and headed back to the campsite.  We made it back to civilization today after a few rough days in the wild.  Pinecrest Lake is a place with fond childhood memories for both Meg and me.  We both spent many summer vacations there as kids and we may very well have been there at the same time but not meeting until later.  It was a yearly tradition in my family and we always took friends with us.  It was so much fun to have a big group there enjoying the lake.  We decided this would be a good tradition for Jake as well but we would love to have a bigger group join us next year so keep a few days open next summer.  

The Party Animal-1st Birthday Party

The Birthday Boy

The Pool

The cupcake all over me and mommy!

Auntie Carrie's artwork

The presents

More presents!

  On Saturday we had Jake's 1st birthday at Granny Jo Jo's house.  Our lucky little man was surrounded by all the people who love him.  Family and friends(family to us) came from far and wide to be here for Jake's big day.  People came from Laguna Beach, Mariposa, Manteca, and Escalon.  He may not understand how lucky he is to have so many people love and adore him, but we do.  

The party was a big success, even though it was really hot(good thing it was a pool party!) Auntie Carrie made the most adorable shark cupcakes, we played in the pool,  ate lots of food(great orzo salad Sarah), opened presents, and had yummy dessert. The best part was being with all the people we love.

Jake's Birthday

So, okay there has been a little delay after our blog began--mid-year resolution is to be better about that.  Today is Jake's 1st birthday and, while Jake doesn't seem to get the milestone yet, we couldn't be happier.  Saturday will be the big party but today we still had to do the birthday thing on his birthday.   Jake tried to put out the candle with his hand but he didn't need any help with the cake.  Not too much ended up on the floor for Maggie to take care of.