A Baby on the Way!

I hope Jack looks this excited when the new baby comes!  My due date is June 15.  Jack and the new baby will be 23 months and 2 weeks apart.  We find out on January 20 if we are having a boy or a girl.  We are hoping for a girl to even things out, but would be thrilled with a healthy baby no matter what! 

The pregnancy is going fine so far, just like the last one.  I haven't had many food aversions, cravings or any morning sickness.  We had an ultrasound at 10 weeks and were able to hear the heartbeat!  Dr. Salazar thought I had to be farther along to hear the heartbeat, but we must have one really strong baby!

Jack at Lunch

Ninja Jack

Here I am changing the time on the big clock in the living room and I look
to come down but this is what I see behind me. So fast and sneaky, Ninja
Jack will show up anywhere!

A Monkey Halloween

Jack's second Halloween has been so much fun!  We played at the Greenwood Community Center on Friday night after having yummy lasagna at the Smolas.  They were hosting a Halloween party that was actually sponsored by Endress + Hauser!  Jack and Asher were a little bit too late to enter into the costume contest, but they enjoyed running around in the empty gym when it was over.  We must have taken at least a hundred photos of Jack in his costume, but most of them show him running from us with his cute little tail!  You can see Lion Asher running ahead of him in the picture below.

We spent Halloween driving from house to house to see the grandparents.  At Grandma Karin's, Great Grandma and Blaine came to check out our little monkey too!  He got a vintage Jack-o-Lantern that belonged to Karin and then John as a child.  It had some cookies and a banana inside.  Jack bit the banana right through the peel because he was so excited to eat it! 

Then it was off to Grandpa and Grandma Norma's.  He got another treat bag filled with books, socks and cupcakes.  He got to visit with butterfly Michaela too.  We loved the costume because it was just like a puffy hoodie and pants he can wear anytime!  Jack helped us greet trick-or-treaters once we arrived home.  Halloween was certainly a success when you look back at last year:

Anderson Orchard

We took Jack to the amazing Anderson Orchard this Saturday.  The weather was sunny and perfect.  We got up early, packed a cooler and headed to Mooresville.  Jack was only in the stroller for a few minutes before we saw these beautiful rows of mums and saw a great opportunity for a picture.

Of course I had to come in and snag a kiss!

We've always called Jack our little pumpkin!  One of the pumpkins we bought was 15 pounds and the other one was about 12 pounds.

Jack got rather attached to this baby pumpkin and didn't want to let it go!

This is one of the only pictures we got of him actually looking in the direction of the camera.  He was so excited and wanted to touch and see everything!

Here's John picking some ripe Golden Delicious apples.  Apparently that is about the only apple left in the orchard this time of year.  We plan to go back in August next year to get a better selection of apples.

We walked up and down a few rows picking out some apples before we wised up and drove until we found some apples we wanted to pick.   When we were leaving and showed the guy our apples so we could pay, he made fun of us!  Since our bag wasn't full, he said there are bag filling lessons at 4:30 in the morning.  Haha!  We didn't need a whole giant bag of apples.

We visited the store and concession stand before we left.  I wanted a cider slush which was delicious!  We bought a couple of pumpkins and a gorgeous mum for decorating the house.  John got some apple butter, and we were on our way.  We left feeling very satisfied with our trip and proud of ourselves for providing such experiences for Jack! 

Finally, a Chair for Jack

This chair is mine!

We were recently at a birthday party for a two year old who had a small wingback chair.  Jack spent lots of  time at the party getting in and out of the chair, so we knew we needed to get one.  After much thought and research, we got this one from Pottery Barn Kids yesterday.  He loves it!  As soon as we got home tonight, it was the first thing he went to.  Maybe he will start to sit down for a few minutes now....who am I kidding?

15 Month Photo Outtakes

As you can imagine, the monthly photo is getting more difficult to take each month.  Everything is more interesting than posing for the camera.  He likes to grab for the numbers, hug his bear, and try to get back down to the floor.  Here are some hilarious photos of the not-top choices:

15 Month Photo

So he had a sore, runny nose, but he is pretty cute anyway!  I love the tractor shirt and striped socks!  He has some great clothes for this Fall. 

14 Month Summary

At 14 months Jack started saying "Thank you."  I have also figured out that "Baba" that he says all the time is his version of "Mama."  I was taking a nap in our bedroom with the door closed a couple weekends ago, and he was banging on the door, saying "baba."  It clicked to me that he had been saying that all along for me!

Jack also likes to get in confined spaces like Duke's house and behind the chair in the living room.  So, I bought a little playhut with a tunnel that he hangs out in all the time now!  We took down baby jail finally!  We found we didn't need it anymore. 

Jack is also quite the walker now and almost a runner! He liked chasing John's remote control Corvette in the driveway one Saturday night.  It was a sight to see!

Jack has loved getting in his buddy Duke's house lately!  I have to keep the door closed so he won't get all covered in dog hair. 

Jack and Grandma were taking a walk when I got home from work a few weeks ago.  He didn't mind the grass this time!

Here is "Linus" Jack and Terry hanging out in the famous monthly photo chair.  He had such a nice visit with his grandparents September 17-18!

I can walk down the hall all by myself!

We love the shark towel Grandpa Steve and Grandma Norma got him for our Gatlinburg trip.

This is our new sleeping position, tush up in the air.  Notice the passy fell out of his mouth!  The pillow in the background is from when Jack was a little baby and had his Echo at St. Francis. 

Jack at Independence Park!

Labor Day weekend was the perfect time for a trip to Independence Park just south of us on Morgantown Road. Jack is finally big enough and a strong enough walker to have fun at the park! We didn't even have to bring the stroller because he's such a good walker now!


This park is perfect for Jack because there is a big kid playground and a baby playground. The baby playground has equipment that is very low to the ground, so it's easier to keep up with him. There were several other babies there that Jack had to check out. He's very into watching people now.



We got on the teeter totter with John on one side and Jack and me on the other side. He liked that too! We arrived at the park not long before bed time, so Jack didn't want to leave. He refused to walk to the car when it was time to go, so I had to carry him away! Jack's personality is really shining through now!

Jack also finally signed more for us on Labor Day.  We've been working on that for so long!

How gorgeous in front of the marigolds!

Check out Baby Jack! He looks just like his daddy in this picture!

Jack loved crawling through this caterpillar tunnel. It's the first time he has ever been big enough to play on all the equipment.

Jack is now two and a half feet tall!

Of course we had to swing on the baby swings! Jack loves the swings, and for awhile he had them all to himself.

The static covered hair on the slide is a classic! Jack was able to sit up the whole way down the slide. At first he wanted to lay down. Daddy loved catching him too!

Playing on the teeter totter!

What a perfect evening!

Jack at 13 Months

Life has gotten extremely busy since I went back to work at the beginning of August.  You can tell by the lack of posts from me during the last month.  Luckily, we have not been too busy to continue to take photos of our little bundle of joy!  I decided to give Jack a little bit of peanut butter last Sunday which proved to be a terrible idea.  He broke out on his face and chest, and his eyes were very red and itchy.  I gave him multiple doses of Benadryl as the day went on, and he was okay.

We found this great shirt at Gap Kids when we were in Gatlinburg this summer, and now Jack is big enough to wear it!  I love how it says, "This is How I Roll."

Jack is resisting eating plain bread now (one of the reasons I slathered it with peanut butter last week), so we tried some grape jelly yesterday morning.  It was a big hit!

Aunt Sara brought Jack this awesome backpack last weekend!  He wore it around like a big boy and looked so grown up.  When it was time to go, we packed all of his toys and other gifts inside. 

Here are Jack and Ashlyn playing with the iconic Cookie Monster toy that is over 30 years old!  The Cookie Monster party was inspired by that special toy.  The last time Ashlyn saw Jack he was just a little baby getting baptized.  Notice Jack got some new shoes!  He actually puts his feet out for us to put them on him.  They are really soft and easy for him to walk in!

I wish I could still spend my days at home with Jack.  It makes things especially hard when the beginning of the school year is so hectic and demanding.  I feel blessed to have the summers with him, and we make the most out of our evenings together!  What a wonderful little boy we have!

Walking Jack!

Jack is becoming quite the walker, compared to crawling at least!  He likes to stand up just from the ground and take a few steps.  In the past few weeks he has really improved on his walking.  He especially likes to walk between Mommy and Daddy in the evening.

Jack was back at Sharon's full time this week while I have been working so hard in my classroom.  I have spent at least 40 hours in my room this week going through hand me down materials along with all my own teaching resources!    

Mom and Terry were here Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to visit with us and help in the classroom.  Mom put lots of hours in with me and made such a difference.  We were moving furniture and sorting through numerous books.  I was uneasy about starting over at a new school, but the other teachers in the building have been great about welcoming me and answering any questions I have had.  Not to mention, we have had some wonderful lunches together too!

This is one of the most stressful times of the year, but family has made it all better!  I am not sure it gets any better than watching Jack stand on his own and walk to me.  I am excited for my school work to slow down a little bit so I can enjoy Jack even more! 

Meet the Teacher Night is Tuesday, so I want to make sure everything is ready for the parents and students to see.  For those of you who know me well, I will not rest until that room is perfect!!

Summer Playtime!

Jack took his first steps on July 24!  He was walking between Mommy and Daddy, and he really showed his stuff!  He has been standing up by using a toy that is low to the ground, and today he stood up from just the floor!  Big boy!  I clapped and cheered for him when he did it, and he clapped for himself too. 

Check out the "stethoscope."  This picture was taken just after he was banging the train on the register right behind him. 

Jack has been such a blast to play with this summer.  He wakes up around 8 and eats breakfast at 8:30.  He plays until morning nap time around 10:30.  We usually meet Daddy for lunch and head home for yet another nap at 3:00.  Dinner time is 6:30 followed by play time until 8:30 for bed! 

Jack got some wonderful birthday gifts including toys and books.  He gets them out of the baskets and spreads them all over the room as the day goes on.  Jack isn't quite ready to push the bubble mower, but he knows how to sit on it!  I've captured some really great moments this summer!

Jack loves to put Bart the Bear on his car and drive him around.  Notice Jack is sitting backwards on it which is his favorite way!

Here are some pictures from a play date at the park with Asher:

It was pretty hot that day, so we didn't stay too long.  Jack and Asher both had pink cheeks by the time we left.  Jack loved the swings and the slide.  We'll have to go back soon!

40th Boink Family Reunion

I was so excited to attend the 40th Annual Boink Reunion this year because it was Jack's first one!  It was great to see so many family members that we only see once a year!  It's strange because my family is so, so big, I only know many of the people by sight and not their names.  We stayed at the Fairfield Inn and so did many other Boinks.  We saw some people at breakfast that I knew I should know! 

This was my first reunion also without my grandma.  I miss her so much!  I also miss my Uncle Bob, and it was also my first reunion without him.  The last reunion we went to was in 2008, and I remember taking many pictures of Grandma with Aunt Bert!

Aunt Bert posed for some pictures with all the babies born in 2009!

Jack loved some kisses!

4 Generations!

It was really great to see many of my cousins because so much has changed in our lives since the last time we saw each other.  Many of us have become mommies in the past year, and we caught up by talking about our little ones. 

They say you learn something new every day....Well, when looking at the enormous family tree, I discovered my grandma's name is not Donna Mae like I always thought.  Her name is actually Mary Madonna Boink, but they called her Donna Mae.   Who knew?

This might be the last family reunion to be held at Burdette Park.  I have mixed feelings about this because I have numerous memories of running around with my cousins and swimming at the pool.  I wanted that for Jack because those were such good times for me.  Even if the event is moved, I know he will have a lot of fun with all of those other 2009 kiddos!