Settling in ...

It's finally starting to feel like home now.  There are still a lot of boxes to unpack and decorating to do but we've made a good dent now and can find most of our things without to much digging.  We still can't believe that we get to have this amazing view everyday but we're incredibly grateful.

Trip had promised Jake that he could get a pedal bike when we moved and he decided that it was time so we picked Jake up from daycare together and took him to our local bike store.  He was very excited and had fun riding around inside the store but we had a little bump in the road.  When Trip called the bike store and had them put it together and get it ready he didn't tell them to leave the training wheels off so Jake saw them on it and wanted to keep them.  It is very important that you don't allow training wheels when you transition from balance bike to pedal bike so that has been a bit of a battle since we brought the bike home.  He has absolutely mastered the balance bike and is ready for the transition but he's a bit hesitant so it's in the garage and ready when the time is right for him.

We took Jake for his first dental appointment at his new pediatric dentist here and he was such a big boy.  He was nervous but he did great and we were very proud of him.  Unfortunately, Jake had undeveloped enamel on one of his molars and now has to have a crown so we'll be visiting the dentist again in December to get that taken care of but we're preparing him that he has to have his tooth fixed.   They are going to sedate him and we're kind of nervous about that but we know that it will be much easier on him and less stressful.  A friend at work told me that one of her kids had to have a crown at a very young age for a similar reason and that the dentist who did it did not sedate him and that the experience was horrible and 16 years later he's still absolutely terrified to go to the dentist which really made me feel better about the idea of sedation.

Fall colors were absolutely gorgeous this year!  Every fall is beautiful but this was one of the most colorful and vibrant that I can remember.  We enjoyed one beautiful fall afternoon at the community park near our new house and Jake had a blast.  He played and climbed all over the playground equipment and then enjoyed some time down by the river "rock fishing" and making big splashes with the rocks that he caught.  We'll definitely be spending more time enjoying that beautiful river and the park over the next few years.

New storage for my closet...

  Starting to look like home...

Me and Mama...

Rock fishing with my Daddy...

Mama's boys...

I'm a very good climber!

Here I am Mama...

It won't be long until I can reach the monkey bars...

Our first visit to our community park...

Push me higher Daddy!

I'm a happy boy!

I can do it!

Here I come...

Building some new toy storage...

Happy 44 Month B-Day to Me!

It has been a beautiful fall here!

(photo borrowed from Grandfather Mountain)

It just doesn't get much better than this...

(photo borrowed from Grandfather Mountain)

Wow this dentist has some great stuff!

 

Look at my clean teeth...

Miss Marilyn did a very good job...

I'm going to have some really clean teeth in a few minutes...

We love our view of these mountains!

Awwww... we're home....

This is awesome!

Does anyone know where the keys are?

My first pedal bike...

I love to listen to this book that Daddy recorded for me...

especially when he's out of town.

 

We are so blessed to live here!

Check out my new ASU football sweater

that Grandma made for me.

Thank you Grandma!

This rainbow came between snow showers 

on the first day of October.

At long last.... vacation....

Finally...... vacation!  I was a stay at home Mom for two years and then didn't have any time off during my first year at Mast so it has been over three years since Trip and I have had a real vacation.  We were so excited to take Jake to the beach for the first time and his reaction made it well worth the wait.

As we got closer to our big departure day it seemed that Mother Nature was not on our side.  They were forecasting heavy rain for the duration of our beach trip but we decided that it would be good to get away regardless.  I did take some extra time to seek out and plan for some fun rainy day activities because I wanted to be sure that Jake would be able to have fun even if we couldn't play in the sand.  Fortunately, we were blessed with some very nice breaks in the weather and only saw a couple of rain showers so our outdoor fun was not detoured.  We enjoyed beach time, pool time, some outlet shopping, a visit to the aquarium and a rousing game of putt putt.  We visited our favorite crab leg spot and a little hole in the wall cheeseburger joint that we found years ago when we used to go to the annual Harley Rally at the beach.  When we were getting ready to place our order for crab legs, the waiter was telling us what they had for kids and he said that they also offered crab legs for the little folk but that he had worked there a long time and he had never seen a little one eat them.  He has now!  Our little man not only likes them but he's learning how to help crack them.

We were so happy that my Mama and Daddy were able to make the trip with us.  Mama has had Type 2 Diabetes for years and was recently diagnosed with kidney failure as well so she and Daddy really needed some "Jake" time and he kept them smiling for the entire trip.  On the way down we were going to stop somewhere to get lunch and he was in the "way back" so I asked him to turn off his DVD player and then as we pulled into our parking space I asked him if he had in fact turned it off.  He, without any hesitation, said... "Mama do you hear it playing".  I did not so obviously he had turned it off.  My Mama and Daddy thought that was hilarious.  We went to another favorite seafood place for supper one night and Jake knows that he isn't allowed to order drinks that have caffeine but he loves sweet tea so as soon as the waitress came up to our table he wasted no time ordering... "I'll have the sweet tea, please".  He then crossed his arms in front of him on the table... looked across at his Papaw and said very matter of fact... "That ought to jack me up."  My Daddy nearly fell out of his chair laughing. 

Another memorable moment from our trip...

Jake (to the waitress at breakfast) - "I would like juice, please."
Waitress - "Would you like orange juice, apple juice or tomato juice?"
Jake - "I believe I'll go with the orange juice this morning, please."

Where does he get this stuff?

I love being Jake's Mama.  In his short life he has already taught us so much and I thank God daily for entrusting him to our care.  I pray that he will be blessed with a long happy, healthy, prosperous life full of love and joy and that we will get to share many, many, many more precious family memories with him.

One last picture of our fun, family vacation

before we hit the road to go back home...

Daddy is my best friend!

I love putt putt!

I pretended to be playing in a golf tournament...

A playground right beside the ocean is great!

Daddy touched a stingray and then... 

I touched one all by myself!

Look Daddy... a little poison dart frog...

 

Stingrays are my favorite!

Daddy showed me some jellyfish...

Mamaw and Papaw had fun at the aquarium with me!

Hello... Mr. Shark... nice to meet you!

My Mama loves me!

I'm turning this ship around!

Me and Mamaw learned about Horseshoe Crabs...

Looking through a shark's eyes...

I can see the fish really good from here...

Playing Thomas the Train with Mamaw...

This tickles my back!

Can we really all live in a yellow submarine?

This was the water park at our hotel and it was awesome!

It's hard to beat "swimming" with my Daddy!

This is the face of a happy little boy!

Gotcha Daddy!

Mama and I LOVED the lazy river!

So happy to have my Mama & Papaw with me...

Knocking the sand castle down is even more

fun than helping Daddy build it!

This is like having the biggest sandbox in the world...

Look out world... here I come!

Daddy you wrote my name in the sand!

This place is great!

My first time in the ocean!

 Mama... it's coming closer and closer!

Wow... this is a lot of sand!

 Great family photo of my
Uncle Russell and Aunt Kristi

and my cousins ... Gage, Katie and Abbie

Boxes, boxes everywhere...

Our new home is a maze of unpacked boxes!  But... we already love it even though we can't find anything and we're nowhere near being settled in yet.  Jake is adjusting but change is a little more difficult for little ones so we understand that it will take a little time for this to feel like home to him.  He loves the yard and various things about the house but his routine has been altered and he can't find his stuff so he keeps asking when we're going back to the rental house.  I wish I could wave a magic wand and make him feel safe and comfortable right now but I can't so we'll just try to help him through his sleepless nights and keep reassuring him that he's really home here and hopefully he'll be his happy little self again soon.

Trip's birthday occurred just a few days after we moved into our new house so we celebrated with fresh crab legs from Alaska and Whoopie Pies from Maine... two of his favorite treats.  Jake was a little unsure about both until he tasted them and now he's a big fan too.  We've also enjoyed a trip down to King for a family picnic since our big move.  We had the date picked for months because it's so hard to find a date that works for everyone's very busy lives but Mother Nature didn't get the memo so it was very cold and rainy... not ideal for a picnic.  Unfortunately, Jake had a slight fever and a horrible cough so he wasn't feeling all that great but we bundled him up and headed down the mountain.  Luckily we had a shelter and Grandma came prepared with art & craft supplies for the kids so we were able to enjoy our time together despite the weather.  On the way home from the picnic we stopped in Winston-Salem so that Trip could share one of his childhood favorites with Jake... a visit to Krispy Kreme to watch the donuts being cooked.  Jake has been enjoying Krispy Kreme donuts for quite sometime because Trip stops on his way back from Raleigh each month and picks up a few treats so getting to see the place they come from and how they are made was a special surprise.

Daddy is practicing to be my caddy...

That picnic tuckered me out...

T

 So this is where the magic happens...

 

 This is really cool Daddy!

 

 This is fun but I'm tired...

Happy 43-Month Birthday to Me!

We just love our new view...

This is one side of my family...

 

I love my Grandma!

We're eating crab legs.... really?

Sorry Daddy... I couldn't wait...

these things are delicious!

 

 Happy Birthday Daddy!