One day there will be jumping.

And possibly one day there will also be Christmas cards sent out of said jumping.

Until then, here are some of our recent attempts at a family photo. There was no jumping and unlike photo ops before, no strangling of babies. And no real winners either.

We call this, "someone forgot to put mittens on the baby and it's -15..."

And this one, "we are too tall and that's a really ugly background + where is mom's body?"

Then we have the look of disgust on mom's face and the escaping toddler.

And finally everyone is looking at the camera and smiling, but is that the head of a wild animal above Jake's head?

Cuz yo mama is cheap part 2

A little over a year ago someone had the brilliant idea that I should get my Masters. One day I will go back to work (or at least that's what I tell Jake) so it seemed like a good enough reason to pursue that golden piece of paper that would one day bump me up on the pay scale.  And I only had Henry at home and we lived in the middle of nowhere so really what else was I going to do with myself? Get pregnant, have horrible morning sickness, have a new baby, spend a summer in Oregon..and yes start and finish that dang masters program is what I ended up doing. It was definitely not fun and I wanted to quit about 700 times (let's be honest the work wasn't  hard, but it sure took up a lot of time). Now remember I am cheap, so to save our family mucho buckaroos I finished my two year program in a little less than two semesters. Now my personal hygiene, the state of our house and well-planned (or planned at all) meals may have gone out the window the last month or two of my program, but I AM DONE! So to answer the many people who have asked if I have graduated yet, yep sure have! And now I can put that degree to good use by...staying home with these two loves.

The Boy is THREE!

Somehow it has been three years since you were born.  Three years since your daddy came home from work with pizza and beer ready to watch football only to find me laying in bed thinking that I just might die. Who knew labor pains could be so painful!

At three years old not only are you as tall as four year olds, but you talk like one too. You are a constant crack up and at times a little embarrassing (can we please get over asking people if they have a tummy or breasts?) While you have never tasted one, you love beer and will try and order one whenever we go out to eat. This definitely makes me feel like a successful parent.

A good friend of ours once described his daughter as having strong desires, and you my friend definitely do as well.  You know what you want, how you want it and when you want it. Please and thank you. I do believe this will make you a successful adult, but I do believe it will also make me fully grey by the time I'm 35.

You love to play trains, sing and do any kind of craft project and jump over and off anything you can find.  This includes your sister. Yes, you not only repeatedly jump over Evie (thankfully you've cleared her head every time) but you are also tempted to leap off her as well.

Henry Denbrook James, as you call yourself, my life would not be as joyous or memorable without you in it. I love your spirited enthusiasm and zest for life and am blessed by you daily (minus those moments where you poo on the floor).  Happy Birthday to you!

Aw, but a wee little babe. Four days old and I'm pretty sure our house was approximately 57 degrees.

 Mmm, there's that sugar-less banana loaf cake I made you for your first birthday!

The big two year old. Look you finally have hair!

3 years old and eating birthday pancakes!

Cuz yo mama is cheap.

It's true, I'm cheap. Most of the time I like to say I'm frugal or thrifty, but sometimes I'm just cheap. Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I know, I know shame on me. I do love to see kids all dressed up and cute and I, myself, have had a few great costumes but overall not a fan. And especially not a fan of spending money or time on costumes.

Henry was in love with Sesame Street last year so it was only fitting that he was Cookie Monster. Okay, so yes he was in love with Sesame Street but mainly a friend  gave us a Cookie Monster costume for free so then mama really liked Sesame Street too. If our friend had given us a princess costume then we would have rolled with that as well.

Oh and that pumpkin bag thing...yeah the wind had blown that into our neighbor's yard a few days before and when no one else claimed it, we did.

This year Henry wasn't so much into Sesame Street, but the costume still fit (okay maybe it was a tight fit over the big old noggin) so Cookie Monster it was! And man was he excited. Or maybe he was just excited because this year he knew what candy was.  And his mama was excited that it actually fit since the darn thing took up a good chunk of space in our checked luggage.

And we got Sis' costume on clearance last year for $2. If she had surprised us and been a boy, then he would have been a ladybug as well.

Halloween was all sort of fun for Henry. He loved trick-or-treating with his cousins, although he did repeatedly say, "Uncle Brian my arms are tired." Apparently we need to add some weight training to his exercise regime.

Looks like we have a little work to do in the jumping department. Jumps like his mama, I suppose.

So the real question is...will the Cookie Monster costume be as cute next year when it's a belly shirt on him?

Does she know she is a Denbrook?

This little lady appears to confused about her genes...

At 6 months old you weigh in at 14 lbs 10 ounces and are 25 1/2 inches long. Uh, girlfriend, we are relying on you to fund our retirement, so get on growing!

I'm not sure how I got so lucky to call these two mine! Although they both poop a lot. Like a lot, a lot. 

This dude loves you. Oh he loves you. Even when he is sitting on your head, he loves you. He also loves to taste all your baby food before you get a chance to try it. He was not a fan of pureed peas, but you sure were. Truth is, there isn't anything that you don't love. Please don't become a picky eater now that I've publicly announced this.

You really are as sweet as you look. You love to squeal and as of now we still consider it to be cute. If you are still high-pitch squealing as a toddler, we might not love it quite as much.

a family photo is not our strong suit.

When Evie turned one month we took these photos...they were not what we anticipated, but hilariously accurate.
http://www.jillandjake07.blogspot.com/2014/05/awkward-family-photos.html
Four months later, we tried again. Henry automatically went for the cookie bars, so Jake automatically went for the choke hold.

A few clicks later and we tried for a real picture and this was the best we got. One day we'll get it. Maybe? Henry looks like he may be pictured out for the rest of his life.

Our  E is just the sweetest little lady around. She measures in at 25 inches and a respectable 15 pounds.

She responds to Sissy and Sis, and probably has no idea that her name is actually Evelyn. At church last week, Henry told the nursery workers her name was Sissy Janell. When they questioned him further he responded with Enewyn Janell which I believe only confused them further. This Sunday, we missed church and I'm a little relieved. All of this week, Henry has been talking about how he has found "his breast milk and can now feed Sis." I can only imagine the stories he would have told the caregivers, or what he would have tried while I wasn't there.

She is fascinated by her hands, and when she can find them her feet too. She adores her wrist/lower arm and is often found with it shoved in her mouth.

She adores Henry and will laugh at just about anything he does.

He equally adores her, but this will probably end when she starts moving and begins to get into all of his beloved treasures.

And, this was our big boy at the same age as Sis is now. Crazy how fast time flies by!

So long to summer...and apparently sunshine too.

Today Jake is on his third day of work and we are on day who knows what of crappy weather. It currently looks like a Willamette Valley winter day. Now I love clouds and rain, but not in August. And I especially don't like when the extended forecast shows lows in the 30's. Oh Wyoming, what are you doing to us?

We spent a delightful summer overstaying our welcome at various family/friend's houses and taking advantage off all those things "big cities" have to offer..you know- shopping, coffee shops, breweries, parks, did I say coffee shops?

We did what everyone does in the summer time...we visited Multnomah Falls. Henry's expression doesn't quite match his actual excitement.

Not wanting to be mistaken for husband and  wife, Jake and Erika opted for  the awkward and stiff pose at the summit of a day hike.

Doted on and adored all summer long.

It's not at all ridiculous that he insisted on bringing Mimi's purse to OMSI.

Mountain biking in Hood River. He's already better than his mother.

Waiting to ride the train/MAX. A dream come true for this little fella.

Two Evies, cute as can be.

A hiking we will go. I hear he is quite a bit heavier this year. I got lucky and got to wear the 11 pound variety.

At a lovely friend's wedding. I, of course, don't have any pictures of the beautiful bride.

This pretty much sums up Henry.

It's true. Jake was in a band. He might have been just as excited about this as Henry was about the train ride.

She occasionally had ridiculous things put on her head.

Hooray for the Oregon Coast.

Enjoying the beach with her papa.

One day he'll be in a band...but hopefully not one that still requires his parents to pay his bills.

Maybe a little too dressed up for a play date at the park.

Just two dudes and their kids. Henry looks pretty awesome in that hat.

Until next time, Oregon!