Finally Enjoying the View!!!!

Hello Loyal and Patient Fans and Fam! We are finally approaching a relaxed state of mind, kickin up our feet, and enjoying the amazing view that this opportunity has given us! So, let's just get to it shall we!!!!

June has been a crazy month!

Jake started walking the second week of June and is now a pro! He can walk and stop and keep walking and squat to pick up a toy and keep walking and take a break by his pal Mya the cat and then get up and keep walking and stop to dance to a little Carrie Underwood and yup that's right keep walking! He can't stand being held, being in a stroller, or sitting. He's got places to go and people to meet, don't hold this kid back!!! He has also jumped up in his eatin echelon... spaghetti and meatballs, corn on the cob, bbq chicken, BLUEBERRIES- which he can't live without right now and is so pretty comin out, avocado toast, mushroom casserole, vanilla waffles, and his latest adventure the transition from formula to cow's milk! He seems to enjoy it and so does our "pocketbook" it's a big day for our budget!!! He had his first ordered out fare- grilled cheese and he loved it!! We started bumping his night bottle to just water and he did well until tonight. He FINALLY started using the sign language we worked on so hard months ago! Just out of the blue he pulled out the sleep and milk signs!!! It is AWESOME to know when he is thirsty or sleepy but he goes into a panic if you don't acknowledge him right away and starts holding his breathe and turning red! He must get his patience from Eric! To make it all so cute he is starting to talk saying "mama, dadda, iya(mya), and lots of other words that sound alot like opi(poppi-mydad), geeg(gigi-mymom), trrrtrrr(tree), he is definately in mimic mode which has us on our toes! He said his first sentence the other day at breakfast. We were eating as usual and Eric came to kiss us goodbye on his way out and Jake smiled, waved to Eric and said "Byebye Dadda"! We were shocked and thought we just heard something and then just to prove us wrong he said it again! We were so impressed and since then he has been on a mission to try to communicate. But, singing still tops his list of favorites! He loves to hum and bop his head back and forth and stops in his tracks when he hears reggae or any woman signing. His recent favs: Carrie Underwood, Nelly Furtado, Reggae Saturday, and I was just reminded of Eebbee! I can't even impress the joy our son gets out of watching and dancing to and playing with Eebbee from the ondemand kids channel! So much so that we stockin up for his soon to be birthday! He loves takin that post nap chill time for his pals on Sesame Street, Curious George, and Eebee! It seems like overnight he went from my precious little baby to my active little toddler! It's just amazing and sad and exciting and wow! Being a parent makes you very aware of the sands of time! Feast your eyes on the little dude and then we will move down the story line.



Maria on her 30th birthday with her little man!

Jake enjoying some family fun on the deck this past week.

Look at the view we get - pretty lucky!

The grill master - rick displaying his backyard talents - just look at that technique - Rick is showing the world why he is a grill master!

Wow, a Starbucks in Seattle? C'mon....Just getting some energy on Maria's 30th birthday and trying to be Oh-so Seattle.




An empty movie theater - it could have been a fantasy in the making but we just sat back and enjoyed the flick!

The Freemont Sunday Street fair...the little guy is really trying to walk everywhere now!







My first corn on the cob - I really like it - the next day it came out just as he ate it!

Just hanging with mommy and daddy.

The mascot of the Freemont Sunday fair.

Future Wall Street hunk.

I like my toys - especially my baseball bat - daddy is teaching him well!

Look, I can feed myself now - I am getting to be a big boy!

I like to be silly - I am practicing so that when I am older I know what to do with the cigar.

Daddy and me before I go to bed...

My best friend....hugs and kisses!

My first real meal - basgettie and meatballs!

I love my stuffies!

I am so silly....

Look at my teeth - I have 6 now and 2 more on the way!

The bum shots.

I don't throw tantrums..

Jake at the Pacific Science Center for his buddy Finn's Birthday!

Jake hangin with his PEPS peeps while we make food for the shelter! He loves windows views!

New Adventure - ski lodge living!

Hello everyone. Well, most of you by now have heard that we are moving into a new house on the East side - Kirkland Washington. We bought a house with a large lot over there. The first big mileston was met earlier this week with Maria picking up the keys on Wednesday - pretty exciting. We currently have our house on the market so if you know anyone looking to buy in Seattle, let us know.

Rick, Marguerite, Katie, Maggie, Emma, and Zepher (dog dog) are all moving out here this summer. Rick is on his way as I write this, probably in North Dakota. We expect him to arrive on Monday, May 7th. He will be the first to move out here with Maggie next, Marguerite and Emma after that and than finally Katie. It will be interesting on so many levels to see how this will work out, but I have faith in God and both Maria and me have an open attitude to make this successful. It will be great to have family so close, like the bedroom next door.

With this new house, we will be looking to start a new chapter in life which will entail living with Maria's family while we build a new house on this property. Hopefully we can have it done in the summer of 2008 and putting it up for sale as Rick gets the business under way. This will be a big step for Rick's new business - Jake Richards Construction. I know that moving to Kirkland will be a great thing for him and his family.

The house we will be living in is nicknamed "The Wigwam" as it has a unique octagon (yes I wrote octagon)shape and exposed cedar post and beam inside - kinda like living in a ski lodge. So we are going to have fun with it knowing that it is only temporary until we can look at the option of building new on the existing octagon house. I think we will really embrace the ski lodge living with furniture and decorations to boot, really making it feel warm and cozy. Anyway, it should be a big test for both Rick's and my family as we will have 2 families living under the same roof - so called "European-style living". Anyway, here are some pictures of "The Wigwam". It has great views of Lake Washington, Olympic Mountains
(on a clear day) and a huge yard that we will take advantage of this summer with BBQ's, wiffle ball home run derby, horseshoes and fun and games. This will be the only summer we can do this as the yard will be the next lot of the new house we will be building. Anyway, hope you enjoy the update and the pictures and until than - keep on keepin on and make everyday count!

WCB


Latest Video of Jake



Pictures of Jake and the new "Wigwam"

Jake and Dad playing

GO SPEEDRACER!!!

Okay so I am not even exaggerating when I titled this post!!! Our little bugger is a crawling speed demon!! He can pace a cheetah from one end of our house to the other! Have you ever chased after a baby half bent trying desperately to clear the path of dangers and animals all while trying not to pee your pants from laughter cuz you're baby loves this game and belly laughs the whole way into mayhem!? Ya.. you know what I mean! Who needs yoga? And that lays out a pretty good picture of our latest adventures!

So once Jake upgraded his engine to a 6 cylinder, we wisely and quickly ran out and got our first gate! And it has made a world of difference. We can now calmly go about everyday tasks without the enormous stress of "OMG Where's Jake?" And it has given him a great sense of freedom and exploration which is pretty cool to see! He is now really into his super bouncy gripper ball and is pretty good at rolling it (more like flailing it) to us or the cats. He has MASTERED the stand up and sit down technique and is a little ADD about it! Stand up-sit down- stand up-sit down- no really!!! He also, aahh so cute, mastered waiving hi and bye and kinda makes a "hi" sound when he does it!! He waives hello to people, plants, animals, furniture, he is really good at it!

On top of movement and new tricks, Jakester is now using a sippycup, eating chicken, upgraded to big boy car seat, can't live without his babyeinstien fix, is bathing in the actual tub, saying interesting things like "baba, mama, ieieie, sthhhee, and is starting to understand (just barely) a little discipline in arenas like biting, hairpulling, and as of yesterday hitting when he doesn't want to share!!! Hmmm? Where does he get this passionate side from? Gramps? Gigi? :)

We are super excited to hit some big milestones next week! Jake turns a big 10 months! Holy cow.. ( that's a long time without one night of sleep!!) Eric starts his new position in his company which he is pretty geeked about! My sister Katie comes out to check out her new home and sign up for classes... if you didn't know she got into Bastyr University: one of the world's leading academic centers for advancing knowledge in the natural health sciences. Check it out for yourself:http://www.bastyr.edu/ My dad packs up the super shiny trailer with JakeRichards logo and road trips it out for his migration to the westcoast to move into the house we just bought together and pick up keys for on Tuesday; which we are calling "the Wigwam" but it's official name is "FalconHurst" after the SwissFamilyRobinsons via the previous owners. I know you can't wait for those pictures!!! I celebrate my first mommies day! I am really kinda thrilled about it! And, oh yeah, I get one last month in my twenties before I step into the "thirty something" decade! I know, I know!! Just a little everyday kinda stuff out here!!!!!:)

Well, I will leave with these cute pictures and funny stories and hope to start blogging more than once a month! Especially, now that we have two beller-blogs, two-kenrick/cousin blogs, and one goddard/cousin blog to keep up with!! I love all this sharing and keeping in touch!! This is definitely one super plus in the technology field!!!

Lots of love and hopefully sunshine!

WCB