fire station

While we were in Louisville, we were able to go visit Uncle Tom at work. Jake thought the fire truck was pretty cool and loved trying out the steering wheel. He really liked the plastic fire hat Uncle Tom gave him and he now has it easily accessible in his new toy bin!

"Driving" the fire truck with Uncle Tom.

The Puckett men.

fancy wheels

Jake got new wheels from both Nana and Grammy and Grandpa. Grammy and Grandpa got him a Cozy Coupe with a removable floor so that his feet don't get caught underneath. He really enjoyed being pushed around the house, and wore Grammy and Grandpa out! Nana got him a Radio Flyer Retro Rocket that he can sit on and scoot around on with his feet. He even managed to walk and push it a bit! He loves being on the move. Thanks for the fun toys!

one year pictures

We got Jake's twelve month pictures done this past weekend. It was a little more difficult this time since he wanted to crawl all over the place and not sit still. Luckily they had balls, and Jake loves balls! I don't think we would have been able to get him to look at the camera if we hadn't had a ball right there next to it! Luckily we got some good ones!

Notice the crossed ankles- classic Jake!

Such a sweet smile:)

Precious!

He loved making the rocking chair rock!

A family photo. Thought we should have one of the three of us before the family grows!

Here are some of the runner-ups:

twelve month check-up

Jake had his twelve month check-up last week, and he's back on his growth curve! After dropping to the 5th percentile for weight at nine months (17 pounds, 5 ounces), he's back up almost to the 25th percentile which is where he's been all along. He weighed in at 20 pounds, 14 ounces! He gained about a pound while we were on vacation in Louisville! He was 30 1/2 inches long, which puts him in the 75th percentile. He head circumference hadn't changed much since his nine month visit, so he's in the 50th percentile. Everything looked great, and he's developing appropriately. No concerns here! He received three shots, and he cried until he saw the banana we had for him as a reward! Then the tears stopped and he was all happy! He sure does loves bananas!

Jake was enthralled with the fish tank in the waiting room this time. He would point at the fish as they swam by and say, "Ooh! Ooh!"

The fish tank kept him entertained the entire time we waited, and he didn't want to leave when they called his name to see Dr. Danny!

birthday cake

So Jake had his first taste of cake on his birthday, and boy was he neat! We were expecting to have to change his clothes and give him a bath after he ate his cake, but we were wrong. I guess we should have known that he wouldn't waste a single bite. Every bit that he wanted made it straight into his mouth. He enjoyed the icing, and I cut the cake so he could taste cake as well. He simply opened his mouth and took a bite. No mess! I think he enjoyed the sugar!

Jake's cake.

Checking out the icing. Not sure just yet!

First taste.

"I can get more if I put my whole hand in my mouth!"

"This is even better- mom feeding me!"

jake's new shirt

So, Jake opened a fun present on his birthday. Well, really Mark opened it. Jake wasn't too interested in opening presents. It was a cool new shirt! Here it is:

Yep! That's right! Jake's going to be a big brother! I'm 15 weeks pregnant, and we're due October 11th (Grandpa Dan's birthday). We're very excited and so glad to be able to share this fun news with everyone!

the life of jake

Since today is Jake's 1st birthday, I thought we'd take a stroll down memory lane. Here is the past year in pictures...

One Day Old

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Month Two

Month Three

Three Months

Month Four

Month Five

Month Six

Six Months

Month Seven

Month Eight

Month Nine

Nine Months

Month Ten

Month Eleven

Month Twelve

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAKE!

my little helper

Jake enjoys helping me with laundry. Often this just translates into him pulling all of the clean clothes out of the laundry basket onto the floor. Sometimes he even puts them back in. Well, the other day, he decided to "help me" with his outgrown clothes. When he outgrows an outfit, I put it in a soft-sided bin on his second shelf... easily accessible by him but usually he ignores the bins on the second shelf. He must have been feeling mischievous because he pulled the bin down and proceeded to empty it of its contents. He was helpful because he tried to stuff them all back in but he couldn't get them to fit again!

"... but I'm cute!"

Caught in action!

What else is in here?

shower time

Jake LOVES his daddy! He also loves the bath tub. This is an especially potent combination when Mark gets home from being on call.  Often he needs to shower before holding or playing with Jake because he's taken care of some really sick people. As soon as Jake hears the shower turn on, he takes off down the hall and crawls into the bathroom. He then goes over to the tub, pulls open the shower curtain, and stands there by the faucet watching and waiting for Mark to finish his shower! It is priceless! Jake will get all wet, but he doesn't care one bit... he just wants his daddy! Needless to say, Mark feels the love!

new bath trick

So, Jake's new idea of fun in the bathtub is placing his head under the running water! It's quite hilarious to watch; he doesn't seem to mind a bit. I think he's trying to drink from the running stream, but I'm not positive. He also puts his face in the water and he then comes up sputtering. Yet he continues to do it! He's a funny little man. Hopefully this means he'll really enjoy the pool this summer!

chili cook-off

A few weeks ago some friends of ours hosted a chili cook-off so that we could hear about their friends' ministry with campus crusade. It was a great time of fellowship and we were able to hear how God is using their friends to impact college students' lives. Their were children everywhere and lots of different types of chili. All in all, I think we had five or six different chilis; Jake sampled every single one! He loved the chili and cornbread! He just sat on the floor and opened his mouth for bites like a baby bird! The other kids didn't seem quite as interested in the chili as Jake. In fact, the older kids were so busy playing that they didn't want to stop to eat. No worries. Jake happily munched on their food as well. Their parents thought it was hilarious how much Jake can eat and how interested he is in food that they kept offering him new things to try. He had goldfish, cheez-its, and some type of organic cookies. He was in heaven!

The winning chili was made by my friend Trisha. It was delicious. It says it's sweet and spicy, but Mark liked it so it can't be too spicy. We think it tasted more sweet than spicy. Here's the recipe if you're interested in trying it out. Enjoy!


Matt's Sweet & Spicy Chili
2lbs ground beef
1 large onion
6 garlic cloves
2 cans (15oz) chili beans
2 cans (14.5oz) petite diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp. Tony's creole seasoning
3 Tbsp. chili powder
9 Tbsp. brown sugar

Chop onions and garlic and put in crock pot. Brown ground beef and and add to crock pot. Add spices and sugar to crock pot. Stir. Add beans and tomatoes to crock pot. Stir. Cook on high for 3 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour (or cook on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally).

Some of the kids playing: Kaleb, Owen, Jake, and Corrie.

Chloe trying to climb in with Jake.

The play center Jake was in had wheels, and Chloe was pushing him around on the deck!