Quick Trip to Montrose

Lucas is still a big boy although I think he has regretted his choice a few times. The other night he asked me, "Where are the bottles Mommy?" I told him the little babies were using them and they were very happy he gave them his bottles. He then proceeded to tell me, "I don't want to be a big boy, I don't want my plane, I don't want my winder, I want my bottles back!" We then had a little discussion about how it's hard to grow up sometimes and how he really would be sad if he didn't have his big boy airplane and winder. He seemed okay with it but every once in awhile asks about the bottles and the babies. He still loves his plane and to our amazement, it's lasted a whole week! Not bad for a plane that's made of foam and balsa wood.

Last weekend, Mommy and Lucas headed to Montrose, CO. (Sorry to all our Montrose friends we were unable to catch up with this trip...we'll be back!) Mommy grew up in Montrose and it was fun to go back to visit friends. I have a great friend who lives in Gunnison, CO named Ruth. Ruth is married to Morgan and they have an 18 month old son named Thomas (see photos). She was visiting her parents, Bobbi and Lew who are also dear, dear friends. Bobbi and Lew opened their home to all of us and boy did we have a great time catching up! The boys did great together and Lucas even shared his new airplane!

We took Lucas and Thomas to McDonalds Playground one cold day...I'm not a big fan of places like this. It's very stressful for a mommy and my over protective instincts come out when big kids get to pushy. It took about two minutes and Lucas became the pushy one and was not intimidated at all! I was so proud that he stood his ground and had a ball! Thanks to hand wipes and new vitamins he didn't catch the flu or any other bug going around that place. Thomas had a great time too and had to go to bed super early, he was all tuckered out!

We also went to the Ouray Hot Springs Pool which is always a treat. The drive from Montrose to Ouray is one of my favorites and very spectacular. The views of the San Juan Mountain Range are stunning! The pool is wonderful and I do miss having it so close. We had an unexpected treat of watching two bobcats (or Lynx) walk down the hill side across the street from where we were soaking. They were the first wild cats I've ever seen in the wild and of course, I had no camera. It was awesome to see for sure.

On Sunday before driving home, we headed to a good friends house to visit with her and her two kids. Angie and I went to elementary school together and always try to connect when we come to town. Her kids are growing fast and Lucas loved all the big boy and big girl toys in their house...the chocolate treats were a hit too!

We’re not sure what’s in store for this weekend. Daddy has one more trip to finish his big climb but we’re not sure when that will be happening. After he’s done, he’ll be sticking close to home for awhile. He’s pretty tired of the 10 hour drive…20 hours round trip…that’s why Lucas and Mommy stay closer to home. J

We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying THE DANGER ZONE!
Love, Janelle Mike & Lucas

Big Boy Lucas!

A few months ago, I was trying to convince Lucas to give up his milk bottle at night time. I told him we could give his bottles to little babies who really needed them. He was all for this new idea until that night when he cried and cried wanting to get his bottles back. "I don't want to give my bottles to the babies!" We decided not to push it and let him continue using his bottle before bedtime.

One day after Christmas, we were at the park. We saw another boy about Lucas' age who was playing with a rubber band windup airplane. He was out with his grandparents and they had an electric (battery operated) winder for the little plane. Lucas instantly wanted one of course but I told him airplanes and windups were for big boys who don't use bottles. He was ready to give up the bottles but then again, night time came and he wasn't so ready. Again, we didn't push it.

A few days ago, Lucas came to me and said, "I want to be a big boy and get an airplane." It took me a few minutes to realize what he was referring to. "I want to give my bottles to the babies and get an airplane Mommy." So, we packed up the bottles and that night he drank his milk from a sippy cup with no complaints. We then went to a few stores to find an airplane and windup but had no luck.

I decided to go online so Lucas and I sat down and found the perfect airplane on the computer and low and behold, they had the electric windup too! He was so excited! I explained that we would send a message to the store to buy the airplane and windup, they would pack it and the mailman would deliver it in a few days (an eternity for a two year old!).

Yesterday after nap, Lucas went outside to see if the mailman had delivered his airplane? It was there!!!! He ran and picked up the package and was sooooo excited. We brought
it inside and put everything together. We then waited a few minutes for Daddy to come home for the first flight. It was cold outside but there was no stopping us from testing out the airplane!!
Lucas loves his new airplane and really loves the windup because you can see the gears and motor working. What a big boy!!!

Notice his cool new Jamaica shirt? It also arrived today from Aunt Christina...thank you!

Rowdy & The Hockey Game

Last weekend, Lucas had an opportunity to go to a real hockey game with Mommy, Grandpa J and Uncle Micah. Daddy was out in Zion Nat'l Park making climbing history and taking advantage of Zion before we head to Ohio. The hockey game was great and Lucas had a ball. He watched the hockey players and loves the idea of skating on ice. "Where are my skates?" he would ask. The hockey game was cool but nothing compared to "Rowdy" the team’s mascot. Lucas was running some laps around the arena and ran right into Rowdy. He was half scared and half excited; really having a hard time figuring out what Rowdy was?! Lucas could spot Rowdy anywhere in the arena and would stare at him. Grandpa made a little request to have Rowdy come visit Lucas personally and boy was that exciting! We all had a great time, a big thanks to Grandpa for getting this together!

Standing At Attention!

Has someone been sneaking in our house and teaching Lucas all about military protocol?

Last night, Lucas pulled out his big Dr. Seuss Dictionary and found a new discovery. The book has lots of little scenes on each page with words and sentences use to help teach the alphabet. His favorite is the "I burnt it" scene which shows a little bear who burnt his toast. Lucas gets very concerned and tells the bear, "You have to unplug the toaster and take out the toast when it's cool and get new toast."

So last night... He found and became infatuated with "Soldiers Standing at Attention" and instantly asked what the row of soilders were doing. I simply explained that they were standing at attention and holding very still. He stood up and said, "They stand like this" as he stood at attention. Then he realized he needed a hat so he got one for Lucas, one for daddy and one for mommy. We all had to stand at attention in the living room.

After practicing, he walked over to the dinning room table and explained, "The cadets sit at that table like this (he sat at attention), and they take their hats off and then eat their biscuits and butter!" Mike and I looked at each other with amazement and tried to figure out how he knew that hats were to be taken off while the cadets ate? Who knows?! It just goes to show what sponges these two year olds are and I'm amazed everyday on what he learns and knows and talks about. I love that he can know express his feelings and thoughts with us verbally through speech...incredible!

Hour and a Half Later...

....Lucas was finally done playing with his coffee grounds! He poured and transferred and poured and stirred and mixed and poured some more. He loves his little stool and being able to see and help me in the kitchen. I have to keep a close eye on him because he can now reach for new and exciting things but for this time period, he was content as could be! What a baby doll. We do love this kid soooo much and we tell him everyday multiple times that, "WE LOVE YOU LUCAS... ALWAYS AND FOREVER!" He now tells his favorite Teddy Bear, "I LOVE YOU SEDRICK... ALWAYS AND FOREVER!" How precious...we are so lucky to have him in our lives... Thank You God!!!

Park Time!

The park was ours to enjoy...a little cold but we didn't care!

Oh What to Do on Cold Windy Days?

Homemade play dough...milk shakes with daddy and time to visit with Kelsey and Morgan.

Shaklee Clean!

Basic H2 really does work! Lucas loves cleaning...I wonder how long that will last?!

POTTY DANCE!

I am just soooo proud of Lucas...today was a big day for potty training. I took Lucas to the store today to pick out some Big Boy Undies (thanks for the tip Jodie) and he found some Sponge Bob ones he thought were just perfect. He wore his undies ALL day and used the potty ALL day long. He even made it through nap time without an accident!! Every time we use the potty we get to do the POTTY DANCE...we run down the hallway and into the kitchen jumping and spinning around singing our new POTTY DANCE song which goes something like this..."Lucas is a big, big boy...he used his potty...oooo what a big, big boy...potty, potty, potty" clap, clap, clap, spin around 1-2-3 and then he gets a mini marshmallow! His teeth might rot out but he'll be potty trained in no time. That boy loves marshmallows (just like his mommy). Because day one went well so we will continue tomorrow. :)

We've had a pretty exciting week. Last weekend the weather was no fun again but we headed to Boulder and went to a rock climbing gym with friends. It was a friendly kid place too and Lucas had a ball. He ran around and got to go swinging on a giant rope. He wasn't into climbing but spinning around in circles with his little helmet on kept him occupied and very dizzy! We then made a quick trip to visit "Ganma & Gampa Jakulewicz" and had dinner with them. Lucas was not prepared and very upset when we told him we were leaving and not spending the night. He cried and cried...we even had Oreo cookies to help distract him. I gave him a cookie when we got in the car and he cried and cried. I asked him if he wanted to eat his cookie and his response was, "I'm too sad, I want Ganma & Gampa!" Then he took a bite of the cookie and said, "Mmmm, I like this cookie, we can get more cookies next time we go to Ganma & Gampa's house." He was fine the rest of the ride home but about 20 miles from our house he told us "I'm all done driving!" I love hearing his thoughts and new sentences.

My cousin Kelsey was able to stop by on Wednesday after we hosted play group. I hadn't seen Kelsey for 5 years (she was 14 the last time I saw her) and she'll all grown up. She was with a friend, Morgan, and the were off to California (moving from Minnesota) so they are ready for some adventures in acting and singing. We loved visiting and catching up with her. Lucas was in heaven, he made pretend blender drinks for them, sang songs, showed off all his favorite appliances and flirted as much as possible! It was so fun to watch and he was instantly comfortable around both of them.

We were able to sneak out to the park a couple times and run and run and run. It was cold and windy so we bundled up. Both Lucas and I were just soooo excited to be outside. We had the park to ourselves too! Lucas loves playing kick ball and will run himself tired kicking and chasing the ball. He also makes sure to dedicate time looking for sprinklers after telling me, " I'm tired Mommy, it's too hard." (referring to kick ball)

Tonight, Lucas spent exactly 1 1/2 hours standing on a stool in the kitchen playing with coffee grounds! He poured coffee ground from bowl, to cup, to bowl, to coffee grinder and back and forth. He made one big mess but it was so fun to watch him the mess didn't even matter. Mike and I are not coffee drinkers. Sometimes I'll have a little here and there but now that I know Lucas loves the coffee maker I try to go out of my way to show him how it works. We bought some coffee beans at the store a few days ago, grinded them up at home and made coffee. It was such a treat for Lucas to watch the process and tell me everything he witnessed. Tonight just reinforced how important little things are to him. An hour and a half!! Who would have known a 2 1/2 year old would be infatuated with coffee grounds for that long! He kept telling me how stinky and yucky coffee was but that didn't deter him at all.

Okay, I better go. We have a big weekend ahead and it's getting late. I'll try posting photos again. Have a wonderful weekend!!
Love, Janelle Mike & Lucas

Home BE-BO

If you live in Colorado this winter you understand that the wind, the snow and the freezing cold have taken over. We are getting tired of going to the mall and even Lucas has lost his interest in the puppies, water fountains and escalators. We've been exploring other stores like REI and Home Depot. The other night Mike asked Lucas if he wanted to go to Home Depot to see the grills, lawn mowers and all the other cool "toys" that live there. Lucas replied, “I DO want to go to Home BE-BO!" For anyone who reads Sandra Boynton they may have read The Belly Button Book. BE-BO is a tiny way Hippos say Belly Button! I laughed and laughed. Home BE-BO is much better than Home Depot that's for sure.

We have had a long week with lots of horrible windy days. Lot's of inside time and we are all pretty tired of our house. Luckily, last Friday a great friend Darcy drove Lucas and me up to Fort Collins, CO. We have a mutual, childhood friend named Jessica who has two boys, Kurt and Bradley. Lucas was in heaven. New toys, new appliances and new friends! The girls talked and the boys played and played and played. It was a real treat to catch up with old friends and boy, we are getting old! I think the last time I saw Jessica was back in the late 90's!!! What a great day for sure!

Daddy was able to take the afternoon off and head up to Golden to the Mountaineering Library. I'm sure he was in heaven...a million books all about the mountains and climbing and no one there to bug him. He came home with a stack of information.

On the way home Darcy and I amused ourselves by having Lucas repeat big words like Madagascar, Mozambique, Uruguay, Chiropractor and all sorts of other words we could think of. He's really good at repeating the words and most of the time gets it correct on the first try. It's so fun to see such big words coming out of such a tiny boy. He is a talker for sure, a real Jakulewicz at heart! :) We are so proud of him and are so happy to have him in our life. We truly are blessed.

Tonight we had a great time at a friends 1st birthday party. Yep, Hayden turned ONE!! What a big boy and what a fun party. Eating the marshmallows off the craft table was Lucas' favorite part by far. He loves marshmallows (just like his mommy) and boy did he work every angle to get just one more in his mouth. It was fun to see Hayden and all his friends. We took him a helium filled balloon and a box of Kleenex. What a funny thing to see a one year old pull out one Kleenex after the other... over and over again! What a big mess too but sooooo much fun. Bad habits are hard to break...sorry Amy and Rich but it was just too cute!

Well, we are hoping for good weather tomorrow. If not, we'll have to come up with something fun. Gotta love winter time!!

We love you all!
Janelle, Mike & Lucas