Dandelions!

The weather up here has been great lately! We've been getting outside as much as possible. Jack loves sitting in the grass.

Blocks!!!

Grandma bought Jack blocks and at first they were great for throwing and dumping everywhere. Now Jack can stack about 5 to 6 blocks. That is more than the average 16 month old. He loves to build towers, and of course knock them down. Fun Times!!

Walking Seems So Simple

Jack has been walking like crazy the past couple of days. He now can walk from room to room without falling. Also John and I took him to the board walk and he was walking all over trying to pet everyone's dog. He doesn't even want to hold my hand anymore, he's becoming so independent. We're so proud of his walking achievment!

What's This New Substance?

I made play-dough the other day for Jack. It is flavored with grape kool-aid for great smelling fun. He loves when we roll it into balls and let him squish them. He has so much fun with it.

Shupper Sweeet Shades

On the way to the Zoo with my bottle and my ball.

Fun Times

A week and a half ago we went to my family's cabin for Memorial Day weekend. It was around 85-90 degrees outside. We all went swimming for the first time this summer. The baby had a great time in his baby float the he had gotten as a gift from John's Aunt Liz. He didn't want to get out even when his lips were blue and quivering. We had a lot of fun and the three of us spent the night in a tent in the back yard. Once the baby passed out in the tent, we had a chance to play Apples to Apples with Leah, Andy, and Joe. Can't wait to go back!
Today we went to the Lake Superior Zoo. Jackson called every animal a Kitty, his favorite animal and first word. While we were watching the cougars Jack noticed they had a ball (his favorite toy and latest word) and wanted it so bad. We had to go on to the grizzly bear so that he would forget about the ball. As we walked around, John and I noticed that Jack seemed to be more interested in the other kids than in the animals. At least he gets in free.

A Little Bit About Us

We (Nora and John) have recently come to one of those decisions that changes things drastically. One of those choices that makes your life take a sharp turn in a different direction. Your comfortable, familiar, daily routine becomes a distant memory of the way things once were. We have made the dicision to adopt my nephew, Jackson. We have decided also to start this blog in order to keep everyone who is interested up to date on our latest adventures in parenting, school, work, and life in general.

A quick glimpse at our life thus far: We have been married for a bit over a year and a half now and live in Duluth, MN. We are both students and work. Nora will be a senior at St. Scholastica this fall and is getting her BA in Social Work. I just finished Lake Superior College with two of my three two-year degrees; a Network Specialist AAS and a Computer Technology AAS. After one more five credit class this summer, I will have the third, an AA. This will allow me to enter St. Scholastica in the fall as a junior and spend two years there getting my BA in Computer Information Systems (CIS). Nora works at Residential Services Inc. and I am a server at the local Olive Garden.

Jackson has come to us just in time for summer. Thus far we have had many adventures on hikes and at the local parks. We will be sure to share more about these expeditions as they continue.

As we chronicle our experiences I hope that you will enjoy the journey. The curves and detours are what make life interesting.