The Hirst Burst

The Hirst Burst retires at age 5

2012-06-07T01:52:00.001-04:00

This is my last post on the Hirst Burst. Apparently, I exceeded my photo upload quota, and rather than deal with it, I just started a new blog. If you are interested in reading, head on over!

kandhhirst.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there!

xoxo,

Heather

disneyland

2012-05-16T00:28:00.001-04:00

Ugh!! I cannot figure out how to get my pictures posted in the right order. I am so not good at this blogging. Does anyone else have that problem, or am I just not computer savvy? Oh well, so these pics are all out of order.

Last week we took the boys to Disneyland, and had a blast. We decided to be brave and make the six hour drive instead of flying. And it actually turned out great! We left in the evening, stopped to have dinner and feed Hudson once, and then drove the rest of the way. Hudson did not cry at all. Not once! He is an angel baby. It was his bedtime, so after we stopped for dinner he slept the rest of the way. Jacob did pretty well too--I brought a cookie sheet for him to play with his cars, and Kevin put "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Choo Choo Express" on his iPad, and Jacob was in heaven. He watched it three times in a row, and begged for another. And speaking of Kevin, he is amazing. He drove the entire way there and the entire way home. He knows I don't like driving at night, so he did it all (or maybe he is just afraid of my driving and didn't want me behind the wheel! Either way, I'll take it). He is the best.

Hudson was good the entire time, and Jacob was good too. Although he had a couple of tantrums, but we were expecting that, because he is two. Each day we went back to the hotel to take a nap, and I think that helped a ton. Definitely doing that again. Here are tons of pics from the trip:

The boys with their Mickeys

Before we went to Disneyland, Jacob did a bunch of chores around the house and earned some spending money. He earned about 75 cents. When we got to the store at Disneyland, he saw this cool train and wouldn't part with it. It cost more than 75 cents of course, but we pretended he paid for it all. I figure, he still young enough to not know how much things actually cost.

I was showing Hudson a Mickey stuffed toy, and he laughed for the first time. It melted our hearts so we were suckers and bought it for him:)

My aunt and uncle live in San Diego, So they drove up on our last day and we all had lunch together at the Rainforest Cafe. It was so fun to see them and my twin cousins, who are getting so grown up! They are also great little athletes:) We had fun seeing them, and Jacob kept giving everyone hugs when we said goodbye.

Such a happy boy! He already loves Disneyland.

Jacob's favorite ride, the Casey Jr. Circus train

He also loved the teacups

Handsome boys!

In California Adventure, we took Jacob to the Disney Jr. Live show. He is really into Mickey Mouse clubhouse right now, so we thought he would enjoy it. And as you can see from his face in this picture, he LOVED it!

This once cracks me up

Fun in the Bug's Life Area. Jacob took Mickey with him on some of the rides, seat belt and all!

It was so funny to watch Jacob lean forward to see when the water would come out. I was just waiting for him to get sprayed....and he did. But was not happy about it.

Tired after a long day

So enchanted with the Little Mermaid...I guess he shares his dad's love of Ariel:)

It's funny how you pay tons of money to get into Disneyland, and the kids have the most fun on the slides, which we have at all the parks at home:)

Jacob was being a real charmer with the family behind him in the picture, and he ended up with this bag of chips. He walked right up to them and said "can I have those chips please?" and they started laughing of course and he kept saying it and they couldn't say no. So he walked away happy:)

playing together

"buckle up Mickey!"

Dole whip float--Amazing:)

mint julep

Mickey beignets--sooooo good!

cool guy waiting for the shuttle

"Casey Jr's coming down the track..."

"There it is!" He loved this train:)

Jacob loved sitting in the caboose on Casey Jr.

Mickey's house

Goofy's house

Jungle Cruise, the only ride he cried on

Jacob getting his second wind in Downtown Disney

I love Disneyland. I want to go back already.

The latest

2012-04-24T19:31:00.000-04:00

I know, I haven't posted in ages. I was beginning to wonder if I should keep posting. It is just so time consuming! And time is what I have little of. But I decided to keep going, because it's nice to go back and read posts and remember specific things that happened. And my friends and family can see what is going on in our daily lives.

So, this is going to be a long post, with tons of pics. Because my pics are way better then my words. So here ya go....

Jacob is totally obsessed with trains still. He has us build him a track every morning. We are getting pretty creative too--Kevin started doing these letter tracks.

Hudson continues to be a dream baby. So happy all the time. And if he starts fussing, I usually just lay him down in his crib and he goes right to sleep. And, he is sleeping through the night!!!!! I am so blessed:) He also loves Jacob, and just smiles watching him play. Daddy is his favorite too, making him smile from ear to ear.

For my big 30th birthday this year, we just had a little dinner at our house and had Kevin's parents and sister over. We had Strawberry shortcake and birthday cake oreos (which are quite yummy). Everyone seems to make a big deal out of turning 30, like it is the end of the world or something. I don't feel any different. In fact sometimes it is hard for me to remember that I am not a college student anymore.

Kevin's b day was in March, and we had a little family dinner at home. I made his favorite foods (Parmesan onion chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls) and we made him an ice cream cake with everything you could imagine swirled inside.

He got an amazing present.

Which turns out to be an amazing present for Jacob too (Chuggington on the go! He is in heaven.)

Kevin is such a good daddy and such an amazing husband. I don't know how I got so lucky. He always tries to make me happy and he helps me so much with the boys. Thats because he totally adores them:) I mean, they are mini versions of him!

Easter. Easter was totally fun with Jacob this year. We had a huge egg hunt with our ward, and Jacob had a ball. He was happy with only a few eggs, and he would immediately open them and eat the candy inside. We have the best ward too. Jacob loves all the kids and everyone is so friendly and down to earth. They really make you feel included. We just love it here.

This was Jacob's first time on a trampoline, and it was hilarious. Watching him try to jump was so awesome--he was very awkward and so funny, but he loved it.

We stayed at Kevin's parents house for Easter weekend, and Kevin's sister and her kids were there visiting from Utah. We had so much fun. Jacob loves being around so many kids. And our awesome niece watched the boys for us so Kevin and I could go see Hunger Games (thanks again Makenna!). In the morning we gave Jacob and Hudson Easter baskets, and Jacob immediately got into the food part of it.

Ready for church in our new Easter clothes!

We had another egg hunt and grandma and grandpas house. By this time, Jacob was a pro!

Love Jacob's face in this one.

Love Hudson's face in this one.

While we were at Kevin's parents, Jacob said he wanted to use the potty. I was shocked! So I took him in there, and he got on the toilet, completely naked. He asked for his cousins to come in and watch, and he went! So, I thought he was ready to be potty trained. We got him the cool training pants, new Mickey Mouse underwear, lots of fun prizes and treats, we were ready. I tried for about a week, and he would sit on the potty for a half hour and do nothing. Then I would put his training pants back on, and he would immediately go. So I don't know, I guess he is not ready yet. I am backing off for a bit, because it is way too much work if he is not interested!

My handsome little Huds:) Jacob always calls him "Huds" or "Hudson James". Its really cute.

Kevin's two sisters, mom, and nieces and nephew came over to visit one day, and Jacob was such a charmer. He always takes control of the room in a large crowd. He is quite the charmer. He says the funniest things and will repeat whatever you say. Hudson is already quite the charmer too, smiling at everyone.

Giving everyone multiple hugs while saying "awww".

Train Museum. In Sacramento, they have an awesome railroad museum that we bought a year pass too. So whenever we visit, we try to make a stop here cause Jacob loves it so much. They also have a mini donut shop where you can get melt-in-your-mouth-donuts, and an old fashioned candy store with candy in the bins. It is heaven for a little kid.

Keeping himself entertained while I feed Hudson. He is getting very good at this.

Again, charming anyone who comes in his path.

Paying for the candy.

One happy customer!

Inside the train museum, they have trains of every size, from every decade. There are also several model trains with elaborate villages that you can watch.

Jacob found some vintage Mickey Mouse trains.

They also have a large room with several sets of Thomas trains to play with. This is Jacob's favorite part.

Check out that kid with the overalls and railroad hat!

Such concentration.

Camping. Last weekend, some friends in the ward invited us to go camping with them. I was a little hesitant at first because of Hudson, but in the end we thought it would be fun because it was just for one night and we would be camping in Mt. Diablo, which is really close. We had such a fun time, and Hudson slept like a rock. There were several families who came, and Jacob had a blast playing with all the kids. It was a very successful first camping trip!

We made "walking tacos" (thanks pinterest!) and I highly recommend them. Put taco ingredients in a bag of fritos, and eat. They were so good and so easy.

Hudson seemed to love the outdoors. He was very content all evening.

Our campsite was gorgeous, and we even had awesome views of the city. There were wild turkeys, and you could constantly hear them.

And of course, we made smores. We also made "smeeps", with peeps!

Jacob only had a few bites. He didn't really care about smores. He just wanted to keep roasting marshmallows without eating them.

Hudson slept right through it:)

Reading stories in our tent before bed. Jacob has his only little play tent, so we set it up inside our tent and he slept in that. I had a little bassinet for Hudson.

"I slept great!"

The kids had the most fun with the water spout. Jacob drank the muddy water a few times. Oh well.

Kevin made the best bacon for breakfast on the fire.

Even the kids loved the bacon!

Hudson enjoying the scenery

After we packed up our campsite, we drove up to the top of mount Diablo, which has amazing views. I was more than a little scared on the drive up--narrow, winding roads give me major anxiety. But the views were awesome.

Such a great camping trip. And next week, we are headed to Disneyland!!! Hopefully it won't take me two months to post about it:)

Life with Two

2012-02-09T02:12:00.000-05:00

This post is all out of order because I don't have the patience to try and organize the photos. I hate how blogger organizes the photos you upload! I have such trouble with it, and my final post never looks like it does when I am writing it. Maybe I am not as computer savvy as I thought. Anywho, life with two kids has been fun and challenging. Hudson is such a good baby. I couldn't have asked for a better baby. He eats in under ten minutes, is gaining weight rapidly, and is already smiling at me. But despite the fact that he is an easy baby, it is still so hard! Well, it is getting easier, but the first few weeks were tough. Especially when they both cry at the same time, then it is like "which one do I attend to first?". And then I would get Hudson to sleep, and Jacob would run into the room screaming and wake him up. Also, I didn't feel like I was giving either of them enough attention, and I was so exhausted! I was lucky to have my mom and sister come out to help me the second week. it was so nice to have the extra hands, plus it was fun to hang out with them again. They were a huge help and I was sad to see them go! My sister got some good pics (I was too busy and exhausted to take any) and you can see them here.

But, things are looking up. Hudson is on more of a routine now, so we can get out everyday and take Jacob somewhere fun (like story time or the park) which keeps him happy. We also try to do something fun as a family for Jacob on Saturdays, and that helps too. And Jacob is slowly getting used to Hudson's crying, and will try to give him a pacifier or tell him it is ok. He is even asking to hold him now, and says things like "hey little Hudson" or "he's so sweet". And I can usually get a nap or at least rest while they are both napping now, and Hudson is starting to sleep for longer stretches at night. the other night I got a four hour stretch, which felt so nice! Here are some pics from the past month:

My sis in law and I attempted to get some newborn photos. Hudson wasn't really into it though, but we got a couple of good ones:)

Hudson's cute cousin trying to cheer him up.

Family photo! Would be a good one if my eyes were open

Last Sunday we had Hudson's
blessing, and some of Kevin's family was able to come. We had everyone over after for lunch and had a cake for Jacob (since his birthday is next Sunday). I made him this train cake because he is really into trains right now.

The cake before

blowing out the candles

This cake was just for the kids, so we let them dig right in

The cake after

pics outside the Oakland Temple

watching Chuggington with his cousin (he LOVES this show!) on Aunt Tara's iPad

Hudson just loves his daddy. He always gets a huge smile on his face when he sees him

Out for a stroll. We have a little stream running through our complex, and there are ducks that Jacob loves to see. We take a walk to see them 2-3 times a week. And, on special occasions (like when we have to drop off mail) we make a stop at the leasing office and Jacob gets to pick a piece of candy out of the candy jar. He always picks a lollipop.

Fun with daddy at the Cheesecake Factory

trying to be like Hudson

First bath!

reading Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel--one of Jacob's favorites

playing memory with grandma

shaving like daddy

"I'm a big brother!"

Chips and salsa with daddy

snuggling with grandma

Having fun at Chuck E. Cheese

Jacob has been treating his stuffed animals like babies, and I think it is so hilarious. Here he is in Hudson's bassinet trying to get his dog to sleep.

Swinging his dog who is being fussy

Giving his dog playtime on the play mat

Jacob flocks to the older kids at the park

peek a boo at Costco

So Jacob is really into this show called Chuggington, which is about trains. His aunt Tara got him some Chuggington trains for his birthday, and he is in love with them. He started singing the theme song when he opened them. It's actually more like a resent for me, because he spends lots of time playing in his room with them

"Hudson needs a blinkie!"

Our newest addition

2012-01-08T20:18:00.001-05:00

Our little man is finally here! Hudson James was born on Dec 30 at 7:00 pm, 5 days late. I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to go into labor! On Friday morning I went into the hospital for my doctor's appointment (the regular office was closed for the holiday, so they had me go into the hospital for my appointment) and they hooked me up to a monitor to check the baby's heart rate. The monitor showed that I was having contractions, and they quickly became more and more intense! Finally they decided that I should stay at the hospital.

So, I called Kevin and told him we were having the baby today! He called his sister (she was going to watch Jacob for us) and then worked his way over to the hospital. It took him a while because his sister works a little far, and then I had the car so he couldn't come right away. That was really hard for me because my contractions were getting a lot stronger very quickly, and I didn't have Kevin there to help me through them. So it was a little scary for me. Finally he got there, and I got an epidural, and was able to rest for a little bit. But then, the epidural started to wear off and I was feeling everything! It was not fun. At that point I was at 9 cm and it was almost time to push. They gave my epidural a boost, and that helped take a lot of the pain away. But I still felt immense pressure. I started to push, and the baby's heart rate started to drop. (just like Jacob). So again they had to use the vacuum, which I was not thrilled about. But, it kept popping off, and the doctor said we would give it one more try and if it didn't work we were going to have to do a c section. I did not want that, so I pushed with all my might, and it worked! He came out, all 8 lbs 12 oz of him. Not to mention a 14 cm head (which the nurse told me later that most women can't fit a 14 cm head through, which is probably why I tore--but not nearly as bad as I did with Jacob). It was nice that everything happened so fast--I went in for an appointment at 11:00, and had Hudson at 7:00. The hospital was amazing--the nurses were all so great, I got my own room, and Kevin was able to stay the night with me both nights. It was awesome. And the food was actually good! I am so happy that our little boy is healthy and for the most part everything turned out fine.

The next day, Kevin's sister brought Jacob in to see us, and I was so happy because I missed him a ton. The first thing he did was climb on the bed and scarf down the rest of my lunch. It's nice to see you too Jacob!

He didn't really get what was going on. He would look at the baby and say "baby" or "baby's crying", but then would just roam around the room playing with everything in sight. Hudson "gave" Jacob this stuffed dolphin and a book, which he loved.

Touching Hudson's toes

snuggling with mommy

Kevin provided the entertainment with his "floating head"

going home

It has definitely been challenging having two kids. Luckily Kevin was able to take this whole week off of work to help, and he has been a tremendous help. Jacob has loved having his daddy home too, so I think that has helped. So far Jacob has done better than I expected. He gets a little weird when Hudson cries, and has some cranky moments, but for the most part has been entertaining himself and staying busy.

Costco trip with dad

Hudson is such a sweet little baby. And he has the best cheeks!

Jacob having fun in the tub

Cheesy!

partial smile

I love my boys--all three of them!

Waiting for baby

2011-12-02T17:36:00.001-05:00

I love when I catch Jacob sitting at his little table:)

This past month seemed to just fly by! Between Thanksgiving, unpacking and organizing, and getting ready for the baby, I feel like I blinked and the month was over. And now my due date is only three weeks away! Yikes! I am excited to see this little guy, but am getting really nervous about having two kids. Wish me luck! Here are some pics from the past month.

Jacob wearing one of Kevin's ties. He loves to go through our stuff and put on accessories. He also loves to make this cheesy face for us.

Again with the cheesy face and accessories. This time my sparkly belt.

Here he is on our makeshift desk before we got a real one. He gets on the computer, moves the mouse, and says "working". I guess we always tell him we are working when we are on it:)

On Thanksgiving Day, my camera decided not to work, so I don't really have any pictures from that day. We ended up staying put since I was too far along to fly, and went to Kevin's parents house for Thanksgiving. Jacob had a blast with his cousins, and we also had a chance to take him to the Train Museum, which he loved!

There were tons of model trains, as well as some life sized trains. I thought it was neat to go through the train that was set up like trains used to be, with a sleeping car and a dining car.

This was a magnifying glass, but he thought it was a phone:)

We also set up our Christmas tree, and I tried to get Jacob involved. He thought some of the ornaments were cool, but he was more interested in playing with his cars than putting up ornaments. However, he does love the finished tree. Every morning when he wakes up he asks me to plug it in and says "wow, pretty!"

Here's a pic with my big belly! It is getting so uncomfortable for me to move around or do anything really.

See, more interested in cars and boxes. Such a boy.

We have also been spending a lot of time at Ikea, since we moved with with practically nothing. Luckily they are so kid friendly. Kevin and I can eat a meal there in peace while he plays!

Jacob loves when his Aunt Tara visits. She is so fun and has the coolest toys, like this iPad. Here he is watching Elmo while at the Cheesecake factory (which I love that we are so close to!).

Jacob loves the ducks that live around our apartment complex. He often talks about them, saying that they are eating, or taking a nap. And he loves to push his Mickey around in the stroller to go see the ducks.

I thought this was so funny--he said "look mommy!" and got into the drawer

Another funny thing he said--He put this blanket on and said "fur coat". Where does he come up with these things!

playing legos with cousins

Playing baseball outside with burnt dinner rolls

shopping at walmart

At the park with his pal Mickey

Hopefully for my next post, I will have baby news!!!

Halloween and a special outing

2011-11-04T00:41:00.000-04:00

San Francisco

Eating a banana while waiting for BART

Last Friday Jacob and I went on a very special outing to San Francisco to meet up with our friends Jane and Kenny. We were good friends with them in NYC (J&K are only a month apart) and lucky for us they moved to the bay area the same time as us! So we decided to meet at Fisherman's wharf and spend the morning together. We weren't sure if the boys would remember each other, but they definitely did. They smiled when they saw each other and picked up right where they left off:)

Checking out all the boats

trucks!

K brought his cool trucks and dinosaurs and was so nice to share with Jacob:)

For lunch, we headed to the rainforest cafe, which the kids loved. Jacob especially loved the giant fish tanks. It was so much fun seeing our friends and we hope to be able to do it often! It was an easy train ride into the city and Jacob loved it (he kept calling it the subway). I wish I would have taken more pictures.

Ward Halloween Party

For Halloween this year, I decided to have Jacob wear the same costume as last year. I tried it on him a couple of weeks before Halloween, and it seemed to fit ok, but then when I put it on him for the ward party it seemed pretty tight and short. Oh well, he still looked cute.

We had a great time at our ward party. Jacob gets so excited when he is around other kids.

Scooby and the gang

cupcake walk

walking in the costume parade (I don't think he realized that was what he was doing)

ready for trunk or treating!

I wasn't sure if Jacob would get trick or treating, but he sure caught on fast. He can say "trick or treat" and "Thank you", and he did awesome! Once he discovered he got candy at each car, he kept saying "more candy! More candy!"

Mystery Dinner and Grandma at Grandpa Hirsts

On Sunday we drove to Sacramento for the Hirst's Mystery dinner. While waiting, Jacob discovered the piano and was hooked. Doesn't it look like he is really playing?

Kevin's parents made a menu in which everything had a halloween name, so you had no idea what it was. You had to choose 4 things for each course. I did pretty well on my first course! I got the main dish, bread, a drink, and a knife. It was suprisingly easy eating lasagna with a knife.

I even guessed the right thing for a dessert for the last course!

The Menu

Halloween Night

A family in our new ward was so nice and invited us over to their house for dinner and trick or treating together. Again, Jacob just loved being around all the kids. And trick or treating was so much fun with him! He would laugh and get so excited when the other kids would start running to the next house. And most houses would let the kids pick out the candy, and Jacob was very good at charming a second helping out of everyone:)

Happy Halloween!

Life in California

2011-10-31T17:20:00.002-04:00

Jacob definitely needs a haircut

We are finally getting settled in here in our new apartment in Walnut Creek. So far we really like it here. I'm not going to lie, we had a rough start upon arriving here. It was very stressful trying to find an apartment, a new car, an office for Kevin, and buying all new furniture (not to mention it was stressful spending all that money!). I thought that stuff would be fun to do, but Jacob was in rare form during this time. He was not a happy camper, and he would have meltdowns on every shopping tip. I also think he

was getting some new teeth, so that didn't help. So there were just a lot of stressful things going on. But luckily, we were close to Kevin's family, and they helped us out a ton. Kevin's sister Tara took Jacob for the day so we could go car shopping, so that was a huge help to us! He loves his aunt Tara too:) They went to uncle Justin and Aunt Christina's house and Jacob rode a horse!

cousins

Jacob also needs new clothes--he's busting out of these!

Here is Jacob mooching off of everyone's ice cream

We were also there for the monthly family birthday dinner. It was so fun to watch Jacob with all his cousins. He loves being around kids.

Kevin becomes a big kid when he gets around all the kids. They tried to fit as many kids as they could on this little car.

I promise I change Jacob's diapers and get him dressed each day! He was having so much fun that I didn't have the heart to take him inside to get him dressed.

Oh, and he is really into showing his crack lately.

Now that we live in California we are also closer to our friends Jon and Julie. They came over to visit one day and we played the sports game on kinect. Jacob wanted to be part of the action too.

And, Jacob finally got his first haircut! As you can see from the first picture in this post, his hair was getting a little funky. So Kevin's cousin Jenna cut his hair for him, and she did an amazing job. Now he looks like a cute little boy!

Jacob and I have been trying to stay busy, finding fun things to do in Walnut creek. Our new ward has a playgroup that meets every Wednesday, and last Wednesday we all met at a cute little pumpkin farm. It was perfect for a little guy like Jacob. His favorite things were the playhouse, the hay tunnel, and the chickens.

He thought these chickens were so funny

Jacob got to pick out his own little baby pumpkin. He loved it so much he wanted
to take a nap with it.

This is Jacob's new excited face

Jacob loves playing with the trains at Barnes & Noble

Cupcakes!!!

A few weeks ago we went to Kevin's cousin's wedding reception. They played a lot of music for dancing, and Jacob would not leave the dance floor! He was loving it even though it was way past his bedtime.

Jacob and I have been unpacking and he loves to get into the boxes. He found a box with Halloween costumes in it, and decided to put this "pimp daddy" necklace on.

Jacob's new favorite thing is snuggling with as many stuffed animals and blankets as he can hold. His favorites are his froggy and doggy, but sometimes he holds two blankets and 4-5 animals!

Another new favorite of Jacob's: a show called Little Bear. It's on Nick Jr. on demand, and he loves to watch the same episode over and over (one about caterpillars). I love on demand because I can time it just right--he watches it while I am making dinner.

Here are the ducks that live in the pond in our apartment complex. We live really close to a huge park area where a bunch of ducks and geese live, and they wander over here everyday. Jacob thinks the ducks are hilarious when they bite each other and chase each other. The geese are a little scary though--they are huge and will walk right up to you!

We also found this great ice cream place in downtown Walnut Creek called The Olde San Francisco Creamery. If you watch man vs. food, this is the place where he ate the giant sundae called "The Kitchen Sink". We bought a regular sized sundae, and to our surprise it was huge!

People in California are so nice. Everywhere we go people seem to give stuff to Jacob. At the post office an old man gave him a book, and at the grocery store the checker gave him a lollipop. It was his first one ever, but after showing him what to do he was loving it.

There are also lots of parks nearby, and one that we can walk to. We come here often and Jacob loves this climbing wall. He doesn't climb up it but he loves hiding in this little nook.

Jacob is also discovery the fun of being in a shopping cart! At first he hated them, but now he enjoys them. He especially loved this one at Kohl's because he was lower to the ground and in the front.

Here is a video of Jacob harassing the chickens at the pumpkin farm:)

So far, life in California is great!

France, week 2: Antibes and other fun

2011-10-16T02:08:00.000-04:00

Well, I am finally posting our pics from our second week in France. On Sunday, we flew from Paris to Antibes on this horrible airline called EasyJet (avoid them if you are ever in Europe!). But, we had an awesome place to stay. We rented a little house with our friends Jon & Julie. The house had an ocean view and was right in the middle of the town of Antibes. I thought Antibes was a really cute place, with lots of little shops and restaurants. Everyday they had a little farmers market, and they also had stores where you could buy homemade pasta and sauces that were sooooo goood!

We also rented a car so that we could travel to other fun sites. One place we visited was Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, in between Nice and Monaco. It was a gorgeous mansion built for a Socialite named Beatrice. It was very gorgeous inside, and we had little radios that would explain things and give us a background story about everything. It was hard to enjoy it with Jacob though. We actually tried this little leash that we had. I always thought these were weird, but I was desperate to keep him close! He hated it though, and I felt like I was walking a dog, so it didn't last very long.

Kevin had a hard time keeping his eyes open in pictures.

The mansion had a gorgeous garden, and fountains that did a show every 15 minutes. Jacob loved the turtles in the pond.

Another day we drove to Monaco. We parked near the Monte Carlo Casino and walked around. It was super fancy, and there were nice cars everywhere. But I was surprised to also see a lot of kids. Lots of people were pushing strollers around.

people were getting their picture taken next to the nice cars

The next day we drove to Italy, because it was so close. It was interesting to see the signs on the road change from French to Italian. Luckily we had Jon and Kevin with us. Jon speaks French, and Kevin speaks Spanish, which most Italians could understand. So that worked out well for us:)

In Italy, we ate lunch at this quaint little pasta place. This pasta was absolutely amazing. I couldn't believe how much better it was than any pasta I have eaten in the US. Jacob loved it too, and he ate a ton.

I thought the little street the restaurant was on was really cute, so I took some pictures:)

And of course we had to get some Gelato while in Italy. Also amazing.

Then we drove around and stopped at a beach. The sand was very rocky (in fact I think it was mostly just rocks) but the water was so clear and pretty. All the beaches we went to had super clear water and warm temps. It was really nice. Jacob was kind of afraid of the ocean, but he would play with toys as long as I was sitting next to him. He loved all the rocks.

Jacob was ok in the water as long as he was on daddy's shoulders

Before heading back to Antibes, we had to get some pizza in Italy. And this was amazing too! I don't know how it was so different, but it was the best pizza I have ever eaten. I was grateful that Jon and Julie had done a lot of research on fun places to go. I really hadn't looked up anything before we got here, because I was so consumed with planning for Jacob. So it was nice that they planned such great stuff!

The next day we headed to another beach near Antibes. Jacob had a lot of fun here, because Jon and Julie made him a fun little castle with a moat to play in:)

Kevin and Jon were like two little boys, having fun in the water:)

For dinner that night, we got some fresh, homemade pasta from the pasta store. It was so yummy.

Neither place we stayed at in France had a bath tub, so Jacob took baths in the sink. I think most places are too small to have a bath tub. The place we rented was a pretty good size but didn't have a tub either.

On another day, we took a ferry to a little island called lle Sainte Marguerite. The best part of our visit here was the Nutella filled beignets! They were so awesome. And Jon and Kevin loved the water--it was pretty rocky so I couldn't take Jacob very far out into it.

These were the steps leading to the main street of the town. Jacob loved going down these.

On our last day in France, we decided to spend the whole day in Antibes. We took Jacob to the park, rode a little tour train (which Jacob fell asleep on), spent time at the beach, ate good food, and walked around the cool shops.

The gelato was shaped like a flower!

Our front door

Our street name.

Looking down the street. I am so mad at myself for forgetting to take pictures of the inside!

Here is a video of Jacob running and saying some french words:)

We had a great time in France, but I am happy to be back to normal (somewhat). The flight home was long and pretty hard with Jacob, and I don't really care to fly anytime soon.

France, week 1: Paris

2011-09-16T18:27:00.000-04:00

Our first day in Paris was a little rough, I won't lie. Mainly because we were sooooooo tired. We took an overnight flight, and got to Paris at about 10:00 am. Jacob did really well and slept most of the way, but it was still only about 5 hours of sleep. I think I slept a couple of hours and poor Kevin didn't sleep at all. But we were determined to stay awake so we wouldn't be completely messed up with time!

So, we took it easy that day. We took Jacob to the park near our apartment, which was an awesome park in Jardins du Luxembourg. You actually have to pay to go into the playground in the park, but they had a lot of fun play structures. Jacob loved it.

Our friends Jon and Julie were also in in Paris at the same time as us, and we were able to meet up with them for dinner the first night at a little cafe. We all tried frog legs (including Jacob!) and Kevin and Julie tried escargo (snails!) smothered in butter and garlic and had other yummy food. It was nice to have friends to help us distract Jacob while we ate :)

The first night was kind of rough too. We were all so exhausted. Jacob had a meltdown as we were getting him ready for bed, because I think he was just so tired and homesick. I had a mini meltdown when he went to bed for the same reasons. Things always seem worse at night though, and the next day I was feeling better and excited for the day.

Jacob has been super clingy to his blanket and stuffed toys since we left NYC. He is also able to calm down when we read read books to him, so luckily I brought some of his favorites with us.

Our first full day in Paris was nice and relaxing. We just went with the flow and walked around a lot. We stopped outside the Louvre (but it was closed so we just took pics outside) and went to Jardin des Tuileries. We bought a pack of cards called "City walks for Kids: Paris", and they turned out to be awesome! It had 50 cards with little excursions on them that would be interesting for kids. We basically did those the whole week, and it worked out great for us.

Experimenting with the Nostalgia setting on our camera

The parks here are so fun! They have a lot of play structures that we used to have in US playgrounds but are mostly gone because they are considered "unsafe" in the US, and they also have carousels everywhere.

Arc de triomphe

Jacob snoozing in front of the Arc de Triomphe

"Bus!!" He loved pointing out all the buses that drove by, which is what he did back home

That night we got crepes for dinner and ate them in the park (Champs De Mars) right in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was so pretty at night, and we were there for the twinkling lights which come on every hour. Jacob thought it was so cool and kept saying "tower!"

"tokkers!" translation: Helicopters

The only day I actually did my hair. I plugged my blow dryer in with my adapter, and without turning it on it blew a fuse. So my hair went up everyday thereafter.

Crepe complet--delish! (scrambled egg, ham, and cheese)

Notre-Dame

Whenever we found stairs, we had to stop to let Jacob climb them

We happened to find the LDS church in Paris, which is in a really cool old building

Centre Pompidou. This was a really cool museum with a really fun looking escalator. They also had some interesting fountains right outside.

the escalators at centre pompidou

All the bridges in Paris have locks all over them. I guess people put them here to "lock their heart" and they write their initials and the date. I thought it was very cute.

Here is a little glimpse into the apartment we stayed at. We stayed in someone's rental apartment on Blvd Saint Germain des Pres, which was in a great locations, close to everything. It was very small, but very efficient! Everything was from Ikea:)

loft bedroom

the super steep stairs leading to the bathroom

We also found a street just for Jacob.

The Louvre. I actually found the Louvre to be very overwhelming. even though it had elevators, you still had to go up stairs everywhere. And Jacob was not happy unless walking, but of course he was walking all crazy and being loud. so we didn't last too long. But we did get to see the Mona Lisa and some really neat Italian paintings and Greek sculptures. And the building itself is gorgeous.

"doggy" makes everything all better

After being inside the museum for so long, we took Jacob to the park to let him burn off some energy. And yes, we ate McDonalds in Paris. We needed something quick for him and it was just what he needed:)

Relaxing on the Seine. This was one of Jacob's favorite things about Paris, sitting on the river and watching all the boats go by.

Another favorite of Jacob--riding the metro. I guess it reminded him of the subways in New York, and he had a blast. We took the Metro to Versailles.

The Palace at Versaille was gorgeous, but it was an overwhelming day. We had to do a lot of walking without our stroller (we had to check our stroller to go into the Palace, and didn't realize we could get it back for walking around the gardens) so we were exhausted by the end.

It is hard to capture how impressive this place is with a camera.

All tuckered-out, looking out onto the gardens.

We loved the Petit Trianon and the Hameau! This was a little farm area where Marie Antoinette would go to get away.

you can tell how exhausted I am in this picture!

these fish would swarm if you threw in grass!

more fun on the metro

In front of the Pantheon.

For a more relaxing day, we headed to the puppet show in Jardins du Luxembourg. It was the Three Little Pigs (in French). Jacob loves going to the marionette theater in NYC, so I thought he would really like this. And he did! It was really cute.

The huge gardens were so awesome for Jacob. We could just let him roam free, which he loved. It was a nice break for us too! In many ways we found Paris to be easier with kids than NYC, and one reason was all the great parks and open spaces for kids to play in.

Sainte-Chapelle. This church had an amazing room full of stained glass windows. It was gorgeous.

Boat ride on the Seine. This was a favorite for Jacob too. He loved going under all of the bridges (he called them "tunnels"), and after coming out from the tunnel, he would say "more!". It was very entertaining.

saying "more" for more tunnels

Jacob also had crazy hair all week

check out that baby mullet!

This picture just cracks me up. Jacob couldn't handle the bright sun, so he was making all these weird faces.

We spent a little more time in front of Notre-Dame, because they had a nice big open area for Jacob to run around in.

Paris was a lot of fun. I have to say though, my favorite part was when we did stuff that the locals would do, just taking Jacob to the park, sitting in the grass eating dinner in front of the Eiffel tower, and walking along the streets to see the cool architecture and shops. Even though we had Jacob with us, I think it would still take a long time to see everything that Paris has to offer, but I was happy with what we did get to see and experience:)

Below are a couple of videos--the first one is of Jacob saying "bonjour", the second is the Eiffel Tower at night, and the third is Kevin and Jacob playing in front of Notre Dame.

Now we are in Antibes, in the South of France, so more pics are to come!

Au Revoir, New York

2011-09-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

Jacob loves to point out the helicopters--he calls them "copters"

Saying good bye to New York was harder than I thought. Four years ago when we moved here I was already itching to move back west. But it grew on me, and I made some really great friends. And Jacob was born here, and I have had a lot of fun with him in the city. So while I am excited to be closer to family and have more space and better weather, there are lots of things I am going to miss about New York.

Jacob had a hard time with the move. Every morning when he would wake up, more things would be in boxes. And it was the hardest when we had to pack up his crib--then he really knew something was up. He would get upset easily and he started clinging to his little doggy more and more each day. Poor little guy. I tried to keep his days as normal as I could.

We are going to miss you Central Park!

It didn't help that we had a Hurricane threat in NYC! I was trying to pack stuff up, and then all of a sudden I was buying tons of water and non perishables. To be perfectly honest, I was scared. I think I watched the news too much. But we were fully prepared, with 72-hour kits, lots of water (including a bath tub full of water) and tape on the windows. Our elevators in our building shut down, and on Saturday the streets were empty. All the trains, buses, and subways were shut down, which made the city very quiet and eerie. I also felt bad for my bro. and sis in law--they were visiting in the middle of all of this! But lucky for us, we didn't have any problems, and they were still able to have a good vacation. We were very fortunate, because I know a lot of nearby areas did have some problems.

"cheesy"

So anywho, after that I was able to focus on getting things ready to pack up. I tried to take lots of pictures of Jacob doing his everyday activities, so I can show them to him when he gets lonely for home. The main thing we did everyday was hit up the playgrounds. He loves when I push him on the swings and count to 20:) We also got to have fun Kevin's bro Aaron and his wife Kendra for the last bit of their trip. It was a lot of fun having them stay and it really helped me not stress so much about moving.

"Steps!" Walking with Uncle Aaron in Central Park

Eating pizza at Patsy's with uncle Aaron and Aunt Kendra

Daddy got to come too!

Jacob did have some fun while we were packing up--he had a lot of fun playing with his old baby toys again! Especially his bus:)

Saying good bye is never easy. There are so many people I am going to miss. It didn't feel like I was actually moving though, since we were going straight on vacation from NY, so I kinda felt like I was coming back (although now it has started to hit me and I am feeling sad). I am really going to miss so many amazing people that I have become friends with. I was able to get together with a few close friends before leaving, and it was fun to eat New York treats and chat. Jacob is already asking about his little friends now that we are gone, and it just makes me sad.

I am definitely sad to leave, but am looking forward to a new adventure. (and I am a little scared too!). But right now I have just been trying to enjoy my time in France! Pictures to come soon:)

On a side note, I finally finished a good chunk of Jacob's quiet book! Keep in mind that I am an amateur, so the sewing is a little shaky, and ugly, but it is turning out ok. Oh, and I got these ideas from the internet and from friend's quiet books, so I can't take any credit for the ideas. And I still have more pages that I will add.

sorry it is sideways!

It has turned out to be a lot more work than I thought! But it is also fun:)

Moving to Cali

2011-08-17T12:15:00.029-04:00

Well, it's official--we are moving to California. Walnut Creek, to be exact. Kevin is going to work for his same company out there. I am very excited to be moving--more space, closer to family, cheaper (but not by much) cost of living--it's going to be great. Especially with number 2 on the way. But there are also so many things I am going to miss about New York. We've made some great friends here, and we absolutely love our ward, so I am sad to leave it. Jacob has had a lot of fun at the wide variety of parks within a one mile radius of our apartment. And I love that we walk everywhere. We have been able to do a lot of amazing things while living here, and I will definitely miss a lot of things about New York (it's funny, if you would have asked me if I would miss New York four years ago, I would have said "no way! Good riddance!"). But after having Jacob, I really started liking the city.

Jacob also started attending nursery at church on Sundays, and he absolutely loves it. He doesn't even care when I leave, and when we pick him up he doesn't want to go. This makes me a tiny bit sad, I will admit, but mostly I am happy that he loves it so much. He is such a social butterfly! So I am sad he will be leaving all his friends there.

Anywho, we are leaving on Sept 4 (and making a pit stop in Paris for two weeks!!!) and will be officially living in California on the 18th. We are trying to make the most of our last days here, and here are some pics of what we have been doing lately (most of it is Jacob at the park, because that's really what we spend our day doing--going to various parks).

Jacob will definitely miss spending time at the American Museum of Natural History with his best buddy.

Oh the swings! He cannot get enough of these. I have to really emphasize sharing with other kids to get him off of them. He really loves it when I count to 20, and he loves when he sees a helicopter go by.

This park is a really fun one. It's called River Run, and it has a model of the Hudson River coming from lake Placid down to NYC. It has a big fountain and Jacob loves walking and splashing through the "river".

He likes to think he is one of the big kids, and tries to follow them when they climb up the ladders.

We love this little walkway that you can get to along the pier. I can let Jacob walk freely, and he has fun picking up leaves and chasing bubbles.

This park has become one of our favorites--the Classic Playground. It is a little gem that you get to by walking along the Hudson River, and it's never crowded. It also always shaded, and it has this giant kiddy pool as I like to call it, that is completely full of water by the afternoon. I love walking through it too and cooling off.

Another playground Jacob loves is PS 199. This one is usually crowded, but he loves the water area here and the little "tunnel" on the play structure. It also has a huge fenced in area where he can roam freely. And he recently discovered the hopscotch area, which is labeled with numbers (he is obsessed with numbers lately).

This is something that I am going to miss dearly--Central Park. I love coming here on Saturdays when Kevin doesn't have to work. There are so many things going on, and it's just really pretty.

I am also going to miss all the visitors we get here! We practically run a bed and breakfast here in NYC, and I love it. Jacob really loves having visitors too (and loves to wake them up in the morning by saying "morning!"). Kevin's sister and two nieces recently came to visit and it was a lot of fun.

He knows when he is being funny, and he keeps doing whatever it is that makes people laugh. He is our little comedian.

Hecksher playground is another fun one. It is right in Central Park and has a fun tunnel that Jacob loves, as well as water to play in.

Living right by the water has been so awesome. Jacob and I take walks along the river all the time, and in the summer there are lots of fun things going on. Every Thursday, there is a free children's concert on the pier that's really fun. Jacob walks around and stops every few steps to do his little dance.

The "choo-choo" playground is the closest one to us, so we go there often. This one is also used by the preschools in the area, and Jacob loves when the big kids come. He tries to play with them, and luckily isn't phased when they tell him to go away.

Our little cheeseball!

Jacob is really into snuggling. He comes to us with a blanket or his Mickey and says "nuggle", and it just makes me melt. I love it so much.

Here we are on the paddle boats in Central Park. Last weekend we took Jacob in one for the first time. I think he would have liked it better if he didn't have to wear such a huge life vest, but what can you do. I'll be honest, I was a nervous wreck the whole time, because he kept trying to look over the edge and walk all over the boat.

But I am so happy I got this cute picture! He loves to be helpful.

Sorry about the random post, but I am just reminiscing about the fun things we do here that I will miss. We are excited about California, but will miss you New York!

Here are a couple of Jacob videos:)

4th of July (I know, way late)

2011-07-25T12:25:00.006-04:00

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays, but I have to say, celebrating it in New York is not always the greatest. There are no parades, you can't really bbq, and you can't go to the neighbors pool for a swim during the day. But,we do have a great firework show. This year actually turned out to be pretty fun. Two of my best friends, Karli and Jennie, were in town visiting, and we also had a fun get together with lots of people from the ward. It was probably my best 4th of July in NYC yet!

I love to make festive food for the holidays. Trader Joe's made it easy with these red, white and blue chips.

Red, white, and blue strawberries.

"Patriotic Punch"--red and blue Gatorade ice cubes in 7-up. I also make homemade ice cream every year, and this year I made watermelon sorbet:)

In the afternoon, a bunch of us from the ward met up on the pier along the river, and we all hung out there for a few hours until the fireworks started. It was a lot of fun. Jacob had a lot of places to walk around, and there were lots of other kids there. Everyone brought a picnic dinner and it was just so much fun. Some friends in the ward took some great photos and sent them to everyone, so the next two photos are from friends.

He looks like such a little man walking and eating his chip:)

K&J:)

They have the same exact expression on their faces!

Jacob looks adorable in this picture; I was not looking too hot that day! I blame it on the pregnancy.

Jacob loved his "aunties". They gave him spicy hummus which he LOVED, and he loved to greet them each morning with "morning!" bright and early.

What a happy boy. I was pleasantly surprised how well he did, especially since we were out three hours past his bed time. He was having too much fun I guess.

Watching the firework show

Two handsome boys:)

I still love the 4th of July:)

Exciting News! and "How to take your toddler to Disneyworld"

2011-06-28T20:00:00.020-04:00

First, for the exciting news--we are having another baby! That's right, baby Hirst #2 will be making its debut sometime around Christmas (well, my due date is actually Christmas Day, but we are hoping that the baby comes after). We are very excited! Well, sometimes I feel a little nervous about having 2 kids, but I am mostly excited. I have been kinda sick, but not nearly as bad as when I was pregnant with Jacob. I also have been wearing the sea band bracelets, which are helping a lot. So I can function ok, but I just feel kinda crappy all the time. Hopefully it will get better soon. We get to find out the gender at the beginning of August!

And now, for our trip to Florida:

We were planning on just doing a beach trip, but we couldn't resist taking Jacob to Disney world since it was so close! We weren't really sure how he was going to like it or if there would be much for him to do, but there was tons for him to do!!

We took advantage of all the great areas for little kids the park has to offer. They have this great little baby center, with a giant changing room, and a room with a bunch of tables and high chairs. It's great to have an air-conditioned place to let them eat lunch or take a nap, or

just take a break. They also have books and Disney movies playing, as well as a fully stocked kitchen with anything you could need.

When we first got there, he was just interested in playing with this fountain and going up steps. We were like "great, we shell out all this money for admission, and all he wants to do is climb steps!" But the more he saw, the more excited he got.

There are so many rides at the Magic Kingdom that toddlers can go on. We went on as many as we had time for, like this Aladdin carpets. The fast passes are amazing with kids! We would grab a fast pass, and then go do something else, like eat lunch or wait in a short line for a ride. We wouldn't wait in any line that was longer than 30 minutes (they have a sign that says how long the wait is) so it was no trouble at all with Jacob. And most rides have interesting things to look at while in line.

There are also places in the shade all over to sit and take a break. Jacob was loving all this daddy time.

The jungle cruise is also great, especially for the corny jokes:)

This was probably Jacob's favorite ride--The Buzz lightyear astro-blaster ride. We went on this twice. You sit in a little pod with a gun, and you shoot all these targets. Jacob loved it because of all the colors, and he loved watching the numbers change on our little score box.

This picture just cracks me up!

This was the most delicious brownie sundae for me, because I got to eat it while Jacob was napping. Ever since having Jacob, I rarely get to sit and enjoy a meal, because he also wants to sit on my lap and have bites.

Our fan was so handy to have blowing on him while napping, and just walking through the park. It was so hot and humid this day, so we also kept getting his head wet.

Jacob's other favorite ride was the Winnie the Pooh ride. It had a fun little house right outside the line, and he had tons of fun there.

And the actual ride was so fun for him! You can see how big his eyes are in this picture.

He also loved "it's a small world". After each of the rides were over, he would say "gin! gin!" (again)

So, our trip to Disney world was a success! We had fun, Jacob had fun, and he was still smiling at the end of the day:) Of course, we couldn't resist getting him a souvenir--he picked out this cowboy Mickey stuffed toy.

The next day, we drove to St. Pete Beach on the west side of Florida. We stayed at a fun hotel that was right on the beach. The first night there it was raining a little, so we just spent time in the covered pool. Jacob really liked swimming in the pool.

The next morning we were planning on heading to the beach to spend the day there. But when we got there, the sky looked like this:

We lasted about 20 minutes, and then packed up and went back to our room.

So, now we had to think of something else to do, since it started pouring. We decided to go eat lunch at Chuck E. Cheese, and hoped Jacob would like it enough to kill some time. And lucky for us, he looooved it! They have this great toddler area, with tons of little games for someone Jacob's size. He loved this little phone especially.

Jacob is quite the charmer. He makes friends wherever we go:)

There were also plenty of fun "big boy games" (as Kevin liked to call them) for us to play.

When we got back to our hotel, the sun came out! So we spent the rest of the day at the beach. Jacob wasn't a big fan of the beach. It took him some time to warm up to the idea of sitting in the sand, and he spent a lot of time playing in his little tent. He liked the ocean for about 10 minutes, and then had enough. Eventually he started playing in the sand with his toys.

Overall, it was a great vacation:)

Here is a pic of Jacob making more friends at the airport. He thought these guys were hilarious! (and they thought he was hilarious).

Father's Day and Sesame Place

2011-06-19T21:23:00.006-04:00

We had a fun father's day today. We let Kevin sleep in, then made him pancakes for breakfast. And then, Kevin made Jacob a fun box house! He was in heaven.

Then after church, we went and had a picnic for dinner. Jacob spent most of the time just roaming around.

Happy Father's Day Kevin! We love you so much!

Yesterday we had a fun little outing. Since Jacob has been a little obsessed with Elmo lately, we thought it would be fun to take him to Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA. It was just an hour and a half drive from NYC, and the trip wasn't bad at all. When we got there, it was soooo crowded! And really hot. But overall, we had a fun time. I think it would have been more fun if Jacob was about 3 years old, but at the same time, we didn't have to worry about him asking for everything and throwing temper tantrums.

Sesame Place is part theme park, part water park. Jacob wasn't too comfortable with the water part though. I think it was overwhelming because of all the people. He is crying in most of the water pics.

But, he did love the little plays areas, especially the stairs and slides.

He also loved the rides! Here he is on the flying fish ride with daddy:)

And we saw the "Elmo's World" show. I am not sure what Jacob thought of it. For most of the show, he was sucking his thumb, but he would get excited when everyone was dancing around.

Big Bird's Nest was really fun for him (and us too, because it was an enclosed space that we could just let him play around in).

I think we had a good time because we went in with low expectations. We weren't expecting to be able to do much with a 16-month old, but I was surprised with how much we did. However if I would change one thing, I would go on a weekday--it would be less crowded, and also cheaper:)

What we have been up to lately

2011-06-12T16:10:00.011-04:00

It seems like I haven't been on the computer at all lately. Mainly because I can't be on it with Jacob around--he just constantly whines until I let him up and then he smashes the keyboard. So anyway, here is a little of what we have been up to lately:

Celebrating our 6 year anniversary by getting frozen yogurt

with Jacob

(it was not the most eventful anniversary, but we are going to Florida in a couple of weeks to celebrate better:)

Building forts with daddy

Fun with visitors (my sister and her husband and daughter Kayden)

Brushing teeth with Kayden (he is really into brushing his teeth lately)

Sharing with Aunt Holly

Watching videos with aunt Holly

Making a special birthday cake for Holly (with fondant! My first try with Holly and Kayden's help).

Her birthday is on Flag Day

Showing some crack (he loves pulling down his diaper this low)

Visiting the Intrepid during Fleet Week

Playing in the water (but not always liking it)

Playing at the park with friends

We are loving the warm weather! So that is what has been going on with us lately:)

Mother's day and the latest happenings

2011-05-18T13:13:00.016-04:00

It seems like I have been really busy lately, but when I look back, I can't think of what I have done! I guess it feels busy because we are getting outside more. Jacob and I go to the park just about everyday now. And this is one of his favorite things to do--chase pigeons.

A couple weekends ago, we had some great weather, so we took Jacob out for a day on the town. We walked through Central park, and went on the Carousel (he didn't seem to like it too much, but didn't hate it either).

Then we went to FAO Schwartz for storytime. While there, we went to the barbie section, and they have this cool working catwalk for barbies. Jacob loved that:) They also had this cool barbie foosball table, which you can buy for $25,000.

He loves storytime at Barefoot books.

And the muppet section is pretty fun too:)

Later that week we had a little picnic in the park. We really loves those subs from Dominos, so we picked up a couple of those and headed to Riverside park when Kevin got home from work.

We were really surprised when Jacob just reached for the bag of chips and started eating them, like he has them all the time! It was so funny.

He is so in love with his daddy.

This is what Jacob does during the week when Kevin is at work. He looks at this picture of him, and kisses it. Sometimes he carries it around with him.

And this is how he sleeps lately:)

On another nice day this month, Jacob and I went with some friends to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. It was so beautiful, the weather and the gardens. Here is Jacob making one of his funny faces.

Mother's Day

I had a great mother's day this year. Kevin made me his awesome crepes, with bananas and Nutella, and Jacob was as cute as ever. He even sweeps for me! He loved playing with the broom, so I got him his own and now he loves to "weep" all the time. It will be nice when he actually cleans up while doing it:)

And, Kevin got me a sewing machine!! I've been wanting one for so long and I am so excited. My first project is to make a quiet book for Jacob, and then, the sky's the limit! Well, first I have to learn the basics, but I am excited to learn:) He also got me the robostir, which I have been wanting (I am an infomercial junkie). But, later discovered that either it is a terrible product, or else I got a faulty one. Oh well.

Here is Kevin making his delicious crepes. Thanks for a great Mother's day babe!

And for fun: Kevin went to LA for work a few weeks ago, and on his flight back to NYC, he saw Mario Lopez! I told him he had to snap a pic for me. He hasn't aged a bit!

Here is a video of Jacob in the tub. He has recently become obsessed with Elmo, because of this book that I am reading to him. He has me read it to him a few times during the bath, so now he has some of it memorized:)

Happy Easter

2011-04-26T21:22:00.008-04:00

Easter was a great day. We started it by giving Jacob his Easter bucket (well, I thought it would be more useful that a basket--he could take the bucket to the park!). He got a couple books cause he still loves them a lot, and cute little chick that squeaks, and some super cool shades:)

He will keep the sunglasses on if I continually say "oh, you look so handsome in your sunglasses!" (the same goes for hats).

Later we went to church and heard some amazing musical numbers (our ward has some serious talent) and Jacob actually took a nap at church! It was great. Lately church has been so hard with Jacob, because all he wants to do is walk around. So I am grateful when he will take a nap and then I can actually go to class instead of roaming the halls (although it is fun running into friends and chatting).

After church, we went to our friends house for easter dinner. And I must say, she and her husband made the most AMAZING food! (*Photo by Marne).

Hope you had a great Easter too:)

Sockerbit and other such fun

2011-04-12T21:58:00.026-04:00

A couple weekends ago, Kevin and I took Jacob out to explore a new neighborhood. We decided to visit Greenwich Village, since we don't get down there too often. While walking along Christopher street, we happened upon this cute little candy store!

It is a Swedish candy store. All of the candy comes from Sweden. Some of it is the same candy we have here in the US, but most of it is different. The labels are all in Swedish too (with an English translation underneath). At $12.99 a pound, we went in thinking "ok, we will just pick out a few pieces". But there were so many fun things to try! (we only spent $6 for the record, which is still steep for candy).

The chocolate covered bananas were my favorite! And so were these gummy raspberry hearts:)

After getting our candy, we walked along the Highline. It is an old elevated railroad track that they turned into a park.

It was so bright! We couldn't keep our eyes open.

Next, we made a stop at the Chelsea market. We went into an Italian market, and they had this HUGE jar of Nutella! It cost $65 in case you were interested.

The inside looks really cool and old.

Later that day, we went to Union Square, and witnessed this huge pillow fight! I think they were trying to break a record or something, because it was all organized with police and everything. It is kinda hard to see in my picture.

It was a great weekend!

Oh, and on April Fool's Day, I made this meal for Kevin. I said "we are having cupcakes for dinner!".

It is really a meatloaf muffin, with mashed potatoes on top. And the drink is jello, which I thought he would try to drink and then I would laugh because nothing would come out. But he didn't fall for any of my tricks!

Last weekend, our good friends Rob and Emily came to visit from Philly. We finally got to meet their cute baby boy! He is such a cutie, and Jacob had a lot of fun with him. He kept saying "baby".

See, isn't he cute!

It was a great day, so we went to Shake Shack, and then to Central Park.

Jacob has become quite attached to Kevin lately. The weekends are great for him, because Kevin is home all day and he gets to play! On Monday, Jacob got really upset and kept saying "dada". I think he really missed him:(

Oh, and Jacob is walking like crazy now!

He used to hate when I put these glasses on him, but we kept saying "cool dude!" and then he let us keep them on him.

It was so fun to visit with you Rob and Emily and Bobby!!

5 Cities in 9 Days

2011-03-29T15:22:00.081-04:00

Last week, we went on a trip. A very exhausting trip. We started by flying to Seattle, then taking a train to Portland, then flying to Sacramento and renting a car to drive to San Francisco (and Kevin flew to LA from San Francisco for work, and came back the same day), then driving back to Sacramento for a few days. Whew! That was a lot of traveling. But we had a lot of fun. Beware, there are many, many pictures in this post!!!!!

Seattle

Our first stop was in Seattle, to see our good friend Mike get married. We were basically there for one day, but in the morning we had time to visit Pike Place, which was very cool.

We saw the famous fish market where the employees throw the fish! Unfortunately, it was in the morning when it first opened, so they weren't throwing any fish yet. But it was still cool to see it.

Later that day, we went to the Seattle Temple for our friend Mike's wedding. I just love seeing couples come out of the temple right after they are married--it always brings tears to my eyes:) They looked so happy.

Kevin was a groomsman, so he looked all handsome:) From what I hear, Seattle is almost always rainy, but this day was actually quite sunny!

Mike and Robyn had a great reception. The food was awesome, and they had the cutest choreographed wedding dance. I loved it.

Portland

The next day, we hopped on a train and headed for Portland, to visit Aaron and Kendra (my bro. and sis. in law) and their family. The train is so much easier for Jacob than a car ride, because he doesn't have to be strapped into a car seat.

Jacob playing with his cousin Caleb. J had so much fun with his cousins! It was so fun to watch them interact. But what is with that face?

Kevin celebrated his 28th Birthday while we were in Portland. Kevin and I went to dinner with Aaron and Kendra at an Indian restaurant, and it was delicious! The waiter brought him mango pudding for dessert.

The next day, we went to a few fun places downtown. Our first stop was the Byways Cafe, featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. It was so good! First of all, they had amazing hot chocolate, and their breakfast was so delicious. Jacob was majorly flirting with the waitress, so that was fun to watch:)

The restaurant was so fun on the inside--it had lots of knick-knacks and plates from all 50 states. As a geography lover, I was in heaven. I couldn't even take my eyes off all the decorations to take a picture!

J is really into making funny faces now.

Our next stop was VooDoo Doughnuts. I first saw this place on the travel Channel's "Donut Paradise" show, and thought it was so cool. When Kevin and I found out it was in Portland, we knew we had to go! They have the craziest doughnuts, and you can even get married there.

Check out that huge doughnut on top!

We got two regular boring doughnuts, and two fun ones. The purple is called "Grape Ape", and it tastes like there is grape kool-aid on top. This one was my favorite. The one with Oreos is called "dirt", and it was equally delicious.

San Francisco

The next day, we flew to Sacramento (in a propeller plane! Yikes!) and rented a car there and drove to San Francisco. Kevin had a couple of meetings there (and flew to LA the same day), and we stayed with our friends Jon and Julie. They have the greatest apartment! They live in the Marina, and they have a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of Fine Arts. It was a lot of fun spending time with them, and playing the group dance game on the Wii (it was especially funny watching Kevin and Jon do the moves. Remember this video of Kevin dancing to the Xbox over Christmas?

I got so nervous when I saw we were getting on this plane! For some reason they always scare me. But luckily it was a smooth ride.

Julie with "Jacob The Hut"

Jon and Julie's place was very charming--it even had this old-fashioned telephone in the foyer! I just love vintage things like that.

On Wednesday while everyone was at work/school, I took Jacob to walk around the Palace grounds and the the Exploratorium Museum.

He really liked the three chairs--One big, one just right, and one tiny. He really loved the tiny one.

Another fun thing he really liked was the rainbow shadows. He was following his shadow all around!

This was a big hit with J too. There was dry ice on the bottom, which kept the bubbles from popping.

Playing with the xylophones. You can tell by my hair that it was a muggy, rainy day.

And this was his favorite. you can't tell in the picture, but he is standing in the middle of swirling fog!

Then we fed the ducks. However, this duck was aggressive--J held out his hand, and the duck came right up to him and tried to bite his finger! J wasn't even phased by it.

J loved Jon And Julie's couch. He was also in heaven with the electronics. "A phone and a remote, how can I choose!"

Sacramento

When we got to Sacramento, we visited another Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives place--The Squeeze Inn. It is called this because in the original restaurant, there was little space, so people had to "squeeze in". But it would definitely be worth it, because these burgers were fantastic! they put so much cheese on them that it spills over the edge and makes a crunchy "skirt" of cheese around the burger. Super delicious. Jacob loved it as well.

The next day we went to Justin and Christina's home (my bro. and sis. in law). Their place is so fun because they have lots of animals! About a week ago, their cow had a baby, so we got to see it. It was so cute, but the mom kept moo-ing at us. I think the moo's scared Jacob a little, but he was still interested in the calf.

Mamma cow

The cute baby

They also have many horses, and this cute little pony:)

And for the first time in my life, I shot a gun! I'm not going to lie, it was terrifying (that is a nervous smile on my face). Kendra and I both shot it, but Kendra was a lot braver than I and also shot the bigger gun. I only did a few shots on this gun, because the idea of it is so scary to me. But Justin and Christina know a lot about gun safety and took the time to explain everything about the gun before hand, so I felt very safe. I was proud of myself for doing something I am terrified of!

Jacob loved Grandpa Hirst's mustache:)

The next day, Kevin's sister Colleen got married! It was a very sweet wedding, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures:( But I do have pictures of the amazing cakes that my sis. in law Dianne made--she is an amazing cake-maker.

This one is a milk jar, because Colleen's new husband works on a dairy farm.

And this one is very cute:) And they both tasted excellent too!

My little Alfalfa:) He still has weird hair.

It was a very fun trip, but we were all pretty exhausted after. Jacob got a little cold too, so he had a little trouble sleeping one night. But, it wasn't too bad, because Kevin always helps me with Jacob at night. He is so great about that:)

Funny boy

2011-03-15T21:07:00.015-04:00

Jacob has the funniest personality. He gets it from Kevin (few people know the extremely funny side of Kevin, because he can be be a little shy until he really gets to know you. But trust me, he is hilarious! I laugh with him and at him everyday:). I am happy that Jacob inherited this trait from Kevin. Jacob makes me laugh everyday too. I love taking him on the subway, because he always makes friends with people and smiles at them. The other day he was holding hands with the guy sitting next to him.

He also loves to say "momma" over and over, and pat my chest. He is patting my chest in this picture.

He loves his daddy too:)

Jacob is also starting to like dogs. He knows how to say "dog" (he says "dah"), and he says it when he sees dogs pass us by. And he likes to visit Biscuits & Bath (the local doggy daycare) and watch the dogs play.

"dah!"

He is also very friendly to the workers at Trader Joes. He says hi to the shoppers passing by, and the workers as they are stocking the groceries. No one can resist his charm:)

"Hiiiiii!"

His favorite activity while grocery shopping is eating his socks.

I love when he sleeps in these funny positions:)

My two funny, cute boys:)

Jacob is also taking a liking to parks now. We've gone a few times even in the cold, but I think he will have even more fun when it warms up. He really wants to climb up the slide.

Sunday best. I love getting him dressed up for church. But sadly, he will not wear hats for me anymore. He thinks it is so funny to take them off, and either put them on my head or try to put them on himself, but he won't keep them on:( I was able to get at least one pic though.

As for my kitchen, I cannot keep it clean anymore. Between him spilling food on the floor and pulling everything out of the cupboards, I cannot keep up. Luckily, it is a pretty small kitchen, so he can't make too big of a mess, right?

I decided to make this little water bucket for Jacob to play in, since we are getting a little bored being inside all the time. He got water everywhere, but had a blast!

This new phase he is in is really fun!

Getting into everything

2011-03-04T09:43:00.020-05:00

Jacob has become busy. And I mean really busy. He is constantly moving, and it makes me miss the days when I could just sit him on a blanket with a toy and he would just play with it. But he is not into that anymore. He would rather get the remote. Or the toilet paper. Or any other thing he is not supposed to have! I can no longer be on the computer when he is awake. If I try, he sneaks under my feet and pushes the "off" button, which causes the computer to shutdown. Why did the computer manufacturer have to make the off button light up and be so appealing?

I have been taking Jacob to a music class for the past five weeks, and he seems to enjoy it. Although the past two times he wouldn't sit still. There is a little boy in his class who brings a Woody doll, and when Jacob sees him walk in with it he makes a bee line for him. Luckily the little boy is nice and humors him. And it keeps him still for a few moments.

He thinks he is so handsome (I agree).

"Hello"?

He still really loves the swings at the park. I am excited for the weather to warm up so we can go to the park everyday:)

This is his new favorite thing to do--shut himself in the bathroom. Even if it is dark, he will shut himself him. And when he sees me coming for him, he shuts it even faster. He likes to unravel the toilet paper, as you can see in the picture. It is times like these that make me grateful I live in such a small space--there is only so much he can get into here!

This is one of my favorite things he does. Every time he sits in the high chair, he crosses his feet. Every time. I think it is so cute.

He looks like such a big boy here! He also likes to rock in the rocking chair, and this time he invited a couple of friends.

And here are a couple of videos. The first one is of him shaking his head "no". He gets really into that. The second one is of him taking a couple of steps (both are short).

I just love this little man.

xbox fun

2011-03-01T21:25:00.004-05:00

For Valentine's day/our birthdays, we got the xbox 360 with the Kinect sensor. It is so much fun. This is our favorite game.

And the event that we play the most--track and field, the pentathlon. With the Kinect sensor, you don't use any controllers--there is a camera, and it captures your movements with a sensor. So, you move as though you are really playing the sport! It is an excellent workout. In track and field, there are 5 events: the sprint, javelin, long jump, discus, and hurdles (the hurdles are so hard!) Kevin usually wins, but I have had my moments of victory. It is so funny to watch each other play, so this time we decided to take pictures.

The javelin

"beat that!"

"grrrr"

Sometimes I fall down due to lack of coordination.

Discus

long jump

just for fun

me falling down again

It is only a matter of time before we are sporting chiseled abs and bulging biceps! (ha ha)

Come play with us!

My birthday and other fun

2011-02-27T19:42:00.018-05:00

My little boy is now a big boy. I am trying to be ok about that. But, being a big boy means more of his personality is coming out, and he sure has a fun one. He loves to go to the park and watch the other kids run around--he thinks it is so fun. He also loves the swings. In this pic you can see him watching the other kids as they run around the playground.

He is also enjoying his little music class with his buddy K. The teacher throws down a bunch of instruments to grab, and Jacob loves to shake them. But this time, he decided to use the maraca as a phone.

These "in your face pics" are always so funny to me!

His favorite instrument is the tambourine (well he actually loves the guitar but of the ones he can play, it's the tambourine). We have one at home so I think that is why he likes it so much.

And as for my birthday, you ask--it was fabulous! On Friday night I met up with a friend from my ward at the Museum of Natural History. It is fun for me to take Jacob here because it has lots of room for him to cruise around, with fun stuff to look at. We spent most of our time in the Hall of African Mammals.

Then my friend and I met up with our hubbies at Magnolia's bakery for some yummy banana pudding (it is sooooooo delicious! Much better than the cupcakes). But, we decided to be responsible adults, and eat dinner first. So we got our pudding to go, and headed two blocks south to Francesco's for a slice of pizza. Sometime's I wonder if Jacob can be mine--he is not that into sweets, and he doesn't really care for pizza! What!! Oh well, I guess it is a good thing he prefers whole wheat pasta and fruit. or maybe he just doesn't appreciate the wonderfullness of NY pizza, like his daddy, who often says "I would rather just have Dominoes". I don't get it.

The fabulous pudding

The next morning, Kevin woke up with Jacob and let me sleep in until 9:00!!!! It was bliss. And I woke up to breakfast in bed (sponsored by McDonald's) and two cute boys smiling at me:) I also got that cute card you see in the pic.

Then, Kevin took me to Target (well, I really love Target!). Jacob is so much fun on the subway because he laughs and is very cute with other people.

And for some reason, we decided to buy an ottoman. Oh the joys of bringing a piece of furniture home on the subway!

We saw this garbage can in the middle of the street and we thought it was really weird.

Then I got a package from my sister, with this super cool apron. Thanks Holly!

That evening, Kevin and I got to go on a date! I picked the Shake Shack, because I love those burgers. We also got a peanut butter and chocolate concrete. MMMMMMM!

Thank you Kevin for the best birthday! Did I also mention that he got me the xbox 360 with the Kinect dance and sports games? It is so awesome! We are hoping it will help us get back into shape, but it is more for fun. Come play with us sometime!

And here is a pic of Jacob being cute. He loves when you blow raspberries on his back.

And today for church, we wanted to sport a different look with Jacob's hair, so we decided to do a Gordon Gekko look.

But after an hour or two, it started to look more like an Ernie McCracken do instead.

Jacob is in a weird hair phase.

My little cuddle-bug

2011-02-23T20:06:00.003-05:00

I love cuddling. I am always saying to Kevin "lets cuddle". Luckily he likes to cuddle too. But now, I have someone to cuddle with me all the time! Jacob has become quite the cuddle-er, and I love it:)