Cole is 13 months!

I have huge mom guilt that I didn't do the monthly updates on Cole like I did for Nash. Honestly, I just had a really hard time keeping up on the dishes let alone blogging month to month on his milestones. But now!! Now, it is a new day in the Gerke house where I will be able to spend more time at home and keep everyone updated as to more of the day to day changes. 

Cole is now 13 months old and what an amazing kid. He is doing his one legged crawl and taking a few steps here and there, but not officially waking yet. He is the most curious baby I have ever seen. We are about to take the Christmas tree out of the house. He has broken a couple ornaments and tried to pull the tree down. He drags around my Santa and I had some smaller display trees that just ended up in the basement for this year. Whew! He keeps us running and laughing. He is the most friendly and outgoing baby I have ever seen. Loves people and loves people to love him. Nash and Cole are best buds. And Coke now says Nash, dada, mama, kitty. He eats like a 4 year old and loves everything! Last night I fed him a packet of salmon and broccoli and peaches and he cleared his plate! So blessed for this little guy to be in our lives. 

Birthday for Baby Lia

Many of you know that Nash has an imaginary friend, Baby Lia. She attends dance class and apparently today was her 4th birthday. So we made cupcakes to celebrate her big day! Nash insisted that chocolate is her favorite, therefore chocolate is what she must have. 

My heart just melts when he talks about her. 

Cole is 2 months old!

Two months. We are just cruising along and enjoying every minute of being a family of 4. Nash loves being a big brother and the look on Cole's face when Nash is around is priceless. 

Here are this months fun facts:

1. He weighs 14, that's right! 14 lbs. 

2. He's a momma's boy for sure 

3. He giggles and smiles the entire time he's awake. 

4. He's holding his head up so well. Isaac calls him the wobbly cobra. 

5. He's already in size 2 diaps. 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! So far it's been a very enjoyable Halloween season. We went to the pumpkin patch, Nash had his preschool parade, we carved pumpkins for the first time and trick or treating! Nash and Isaac were Mavrick and Iceman from Top Gun. Nash was a very appropriate, no nonsense, Iceman. Isaac is always a bit of Maverick. Lia went simple this year since she's just a few days away from having Baby Boy #2! 

Cole is One Month Old

Time really does fly when you're having fun. Or not getting any sleep. 

We have had our sweet Cole for a whole month now and I feel like we are just beginning to adjust. We all love him to pieces and Nash, especially, loves his baby. 

Here are a few tid bits from the first month as a family of 4.

1. The nicknames have arrived! Coler Bear (like polar bear) Cole Baby, Darth Vader (Nash still clings to this name for him), Coley Cole Cole (also Nash's) 

2. The first comment every single person makes about him "look at that hair!" Every. Single. Time. 

3. He started smiling at 3 weeks new! 

4. He wears 3-6 month clothes and they fit like a glove. 

5. He toots like a man.

6. Cuddling is priority number one. 

Nash Starts Preschool!

We are so behind on blogging. I just commented to Isaac that out last blog post was in January and was titled "New year, new commitment to blogging." Pathetic. Anyway, we will probably go back and add posts so the time line matches up. In the mean time; Nash started preschool! 

We are so excited for Nash to be in preschool because his excitement for learning is uncontainable. His teacher is Mrs. Harman and he is in class with his best friend Savi. 

He loves to learn the new letters and Mrs. Harman says that he is a delight to have in class. Here is to a life long learning adventure! 

New year, new commitment to blogging

I'm starting off the year fulfilling one of my many goals for the new year by posting more to our blog. To kick things off, i'm posting our newsletter that didn't get printed in time to get sent out with our Christmas pictures of Nash, mostly meaning that I don't want to pay the exorbitant amount they are charging for color copies these days to have our newsletter printed... but hey! here is the newsletter, reflecting a little on what this year brought us. Enjoy, and look for MANY MORE posts to Jar of Gerkes this year. 


The (Utah) Gerke Family End of Year Newsletter, 2013 Edition.


Hey everyone, it's that time of year! The time to sit and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, the time to build snowmen, but more importantly- the time to catch up on what the Gerkes of Utah have been up to. It has been a real roller coaster of a year, we've each seen a sibling married this year and traveled to be a part of both weddings, we've both changed jobs, celebrated 8 years of marriage and have watched our son grow into quite the interesting character.



Isaac 

Disc golfed until the snow hit the ground, and in 3 different states this year- always taking the opportunity to seek out a local course wherever we were. Isaac picked up cycling and got a nice bike of his own, and is hoping to ride to work on nice days in the coming year. Started the year still working for InfuseMed, designing iPad apps for the medical device industry. Changed jobs in November to explore a new career in User Experience (UX) and Interaction Design for Xactware, a software company based in Orem. Xactware is finishing a large, brand new building in Lehi, (about 10 minutes from our house) and the company will be moving in February 2014. Isaac is loving the new job, really digging into the UX field, and already making a good impression.


Lia

Nothing slows this girl down. Not a two year old wrapped around her leg, or juggling her several work-related commitments with taking care of the boys in her life. Lia continues to help people buy and sell their homes, and design them on the inside. She is currently the Design Center Coordinator at Gough Homes, a local custom home builder. Partly through this year, Lia left Gough to explore an opportunity selling new production homes again- but after leaving, got another offer to come back to Gough under even better terms than before. They love her over there. She is also doing real estate and interior design on the side, as well as being a fantastic mom.. Lia picked up running this year, and has completed three 5k runs! Her goal next year is to conquer the 10k, and start cycling with Isaac too.


Nash

This little guy surprises us every day by how sharp, incredible, and hilarious he is. Well into his "terrible twos", he isn't living up to the stigma at all. Currently he is mastering potty training, and already wears underwear all day, and will get up from naps or sleep to go on his own. He has his own style and for now likes to sit backward when he goes, but hey- whatever works, right? Nash spends 2-3 days a week with a his friend Savannah (Savi), whose mom runs a small daycare out of her home. Nash has a great time over there, which is a great relief to Mom and Dad while they work, that he's in good hands. He has lots of time to play, learn things, do crafts, and sing songs and play games but is always excited to go home too. Nash is very well spoken and will talk your ear off about just about any subject you get him going on, and sometimes surprises people with his little responses and stories. His imagination is growing by leaps and bounds and it has been fun to see him start to pretend, and play more independently. He has loved being introduced to disc golf, and played with Daddy all year. He has his own full-size bag and likes to carry his own gear and some of Dad's from hole to hole, and will play a full 9-hole course no problem. He has a practice target at home, and loves to even watch YouTube videos about disc golf but would much rather be out with Dad, smashing the chains! In fact, Nash pretty much loves anything his dad is into, and loves to rock out and is already asking when he can snowboard.


edit: decided to embed the actual newsletter, if you wanted to see what it would have looked like.

Nash counts

What a crazy weekend this was! We laid some new sod in the front yard, went camping and Nash counted to15 all on his own. 

He is so smart and regularly surprised us with his genius. While we were camping, he and I went on a little scavenger hunt. He was collecting rocks and counted all the way to 15 with his rocks. I couldn't believe my ears as I know I haven't been working with him that much on his numbers! He's just brilliant and we are so proud. 

Nash's First Movie

Monster's University came out this weekend and we decided that would be a perfect film for Nash's first movie in the REAL theater.

Uncle Isaiah was in town, Jess had a day pass from the hospital and it was Sunday so Mimi, and Uncle Nic came with us as well.

Some of you may know, I have adopted a new philosophy to life: No Expectations.  The more I realized that I was putting expectations on everything in my life, the more frustrated and sad I became that nothing and no one was able to live up to my ideas of how it should go in my mind.  Therefore, the new philosophy was born! 

As it relates to this story; I had no expectations of how Nash would react to something that Isaac and I enjoy so much: Movies! I figured, there is a chance that he will like it for ten minutes and then want to wander outside the theater or roam around and see how everyone else was enjoying the movie.  As luck would have it, he absolutely loved the entire experience!  As soon as the film started playing he was completely transfixed on the massive screen.  Of course, we had movie popcorn and he delightfully ate a piece of popcorn every few moments throughout the entire movie. (He's his dad's son)  He would dig his little fist in the bucket and munch as he smiled and laughed at all the great scenes.  I hardly remember any of the movie myself because I was so wrapped up in how much he was enjoying his two year old self.  I dare say one of the best things about being a parent is watching your children experience the things that you loved or still love. 

All in all it was a great first experience and I can't wait to make it a regular family event.

Painting day

I love Thursdays and Tuesdays because I'm home with Nash. We had so much fun today! Santa had put some paints in Nash's stocking so we decided to try them out today. Boy did he create some masterpieces. He was naming all the colors and going full throttle with two paint brushes. After he had released all the creativity for the day, Nash picked up one of the papers and said "bibbit!" And I asked if it was a frog he painted and he replied "yep." Since it was the best painted frog ever, we displayed it on our wall. Nash was so proud and clapped as we hung it up. Love my little artist.

Nash and Santa 2012

We took Nash to visit Santa again this year and here are some of the results from the encounter.

Nash is 17 months

I know, I really must be better at blogging more frequently!
Our little man is growing up so fast. He has definitely started to have a mind of his own, he is talking like crazy, he wants to do everything himself and is even showing signs of an (GASP) attitude............he get's it from his Dad. ;)

I figured it was time that I post some of the delightful Nasherisms that he has been saying lately.  Sometimes, I wish I had a decoder to break some of the language barriers.  Here is a good list:

CooCoo = cookie, also cookie monster
Nana = Banana
Caca = Cracker
Mimi = Grammy (we have tried so hard, but Mimi is so cute so it's sticking)
Bob-o = Grampy (also have tried to get this to change but it's sticking)
Bapes = Grapes
Cheesh = Cheese
Owl = an owl puppet that is almost as fabulous as Hoot Hoot but not for night night
Ni Ni = Night Night
Go! = Bye Bye
Ouside = Outside

Actually, as I am writing this list, I am reminded of how well he is speaking. He has just a few euphemisms that are hilarious.  What can I say? He is a genius.

First Family Vacation 9/15/12

It took us a little over year, but we finally went on our first family vacation!

We decided it would be fun to 1. Visit the beach 2. Visit family 3. See our newest cousin, sweet Ella Jane.  To Thousand Oaks, CA we went for a few days of fun and relaxation.  

When we were looking at plane tickets, there was a great fare to fly into Long Beach, which is only about 40 miles from our cousin's home. Seems like a fairly good option, right? NO! It took two hours to drive to their home in crazy California traffic. Note to self: Never do this again! But it was a funny CA experience. (Thanks so much to Janelle for driving us the whole way to and from!)

Day 1: We played at a new Disc Golf course, at which Isaac did AWESOME, Nash loved to watch Dad throw the disc, and I enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air with my guys.

Day 2: Beach Day! We took the day and headed to Malibu and Zuma beach to enjoy the waves and sun. Nash was a little apprehensive about the gigantic sand box and very loud, cold bath tub, but as long as Dad was close by he enjoyed it.  After, a few hours he started running towards the water and wanting Isaac to dip him in as the waves rolled in. It was great introducing him to something that I have always loved: the ocean. 

Day 3: Church Picnic day. Mark and Janelle's church was hosting church in the park, with lots of food and fun after the service. They had a lot of great activities set up for the kids and Nash loved the water stuff and the bubble pool.  Also, I think just running around other kids made him very happy.

Day 4: Beach Day again! This time we headed to Santa Barbara for more beach time and to enjoy the quaint downtown. What a darling little place this is and if I made multi-millions, I would totally live there. We had lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon building sand castles and splashing in the surf.

Day 5: Another two hours back to Long Beach to head home.

We were so grateful to our cousins Mark and Janelle for putting us up and toting us around all the great places in CA.  It was a great time and good memories made.

Nash is now 15 months!

Ok, I know, I suck at blogging regularly. It's just that finding the delicate balance of being a fantastic mom, incredible wife and a good employee is down right exhausting and my blog has taken the trunk spot.

What a summer it has been and we aren't done yet! Nash is 15 months old now and is growing in leaps and bounds.

This summer he went on his first plane ride (to IA), went camping (LOVES camping), was in his Aunt MaryAlice's wedding as a ring bearer (looked adorable in a tux) and will be visiting the beach this week.  All in all, it's been a great summer.

He is still a little skinny guys, but he is tall and smart. Today, our pediatrician, Dr. Blackburn said that he is in the 18-24 month stage for development as he is saying two word phrases, feeds himself and is running and climbing over everything.

Some of the words he is saying these days are:
Mama, Dada, Nana (means Banana), Mammy (Grammy), Bob (Grampy and no idea why?), Bye bye, Hi!, Ya, No, mmmmmmmmm (for all the delicious food he eats at home), All done, Thank you, Shoes, Bath tub, Diaper, Hoo-Hoo (hoot hoot), Outside, Milk, Nash, Baby, Dog. He is adding new words each week.

He LOVES to be outside. Every day he wants to go play in the grass, sandbox and with his disc golf target. He loves the park and wagon rides. He loved camping and we have gone to the mountains a few times for dutch oven dinners and he cries when we leave. We have taken him to the splash pad where he just giggles and laughs, even though the water is -5 degrees.

We have been watching Sesame Street in the mornings and he can't get enough of the Bruno Mars song Don't Give Up that he performed on Sesame Street. He requests it every day by shaking his head and singing ooooohhhh eee ohhhhhh.  He also sings, lalalalalalala Nash's song (it's really Elmo's song but we changed the lyrics)

Reading is his favorite thing to do. He will bring you book after book after book! He just loves to sit in his reading corner and flip through books and be read to. I couldn't be more proud of this habit.

Parenthood really is the biggest blessing and just so much fun! We are enjoying every moment and look forward to each new phase.

Nash turned 1!!!

Ok, so we are a little behind on the monthly post.

Nash turned 1 on May 25! Wow, it's amazing how quickly a year has gone by.  So exciting to see this little man grow and all of the great things he can do now.  He is such a joy and blessing in our lives and we love him more every day.  Here is the month's list of loves:

1. He just LOVES to snuggle........still
2. Officially was done crawling the week of his birthday
3. We have a gate at the bottom of the stairs and he helps to tidy the main floor by throwing everything that is left out over the gate.  Apparently he inherited a tidy gene, not sure from where though.
4. If there is a soft cuddly blanket left out he will run over and throw his body down and rub his face all over the cuddle blanket.
5. He eats like a champ!  Pretty much anything put in front of him he will eat. With refined tastes of course. No regular milk for this kid, oh no! It's Almond Milk only.
6. He just jabbers and talks way, with a few legible words thrown in there like Mom, Daddy, nana (banana), ni ni (night night), Bob (Grampy), ba ba (bye bye)
7. He really is into EVERYTHING but we love it. He has a curious mind and he is just so dang smart!
8. I think much to Isaac's chagrin, this little guy could be a sports fan. He loves to throw balls, kick balls  and watch the big kids play basketball.
9. He is a sharing guy. If he has any type of food he will offer you a bite, very sweet boy.
10. He sleeps ALL NIGHT LONG!!!

 

Nash is 11 Months Old!

This is it. The month before he is the big 1 year old! I can't believe this is happening already as it just seems like yesterday we were anticipating his arrival. He really does just get better and better and we are enjoying every minute of it. Here is this month's list of favorites:

1. He can now open and close doors, drawers, cabinets etc
2. He is walking!  It was such a proud moment for us and he is always so proud of himself
3. When we leave he responds with big waves and "Ba Ba Da Da or MaMa"
4. Copy cat, he is starting to copy many of our habits. Sweet and Scary
5. 6 teeth in total now!! Little chomper
6. The attitude is definitely showing through, such as back talking-oh my we are in trouble
7. Talking and more talking.
8. If there is a blanket on the floor he will rush over to it and roll his face all over the softy and smile.
9. Dirty dirt, this little boy loves the dirt

First Time in the Sand

Today, Nash and I went to visit my BFF Shante' and Ben.  Ben is 5 and is so great to hang out and make silly faces at Nash. They have a huge sandbox in their backyard that is so soft and fun to play in. We thought it would be great for Nash to sink his toes in the sand (preferably this would take place on a beach in 85 degree weather, but we take what we can get with 60 degrees and a sandbox)
He loved to feel the silky sand in his toes and fingers. He was especially good at finding things that didn't belong in the sandbox and throwing them out of it, after thoroughly inspecting all objects in his mouth first. (hoping this phase passes soon)
Most of all, some darling photos came from it. Enjoy!

Nash is 10 Months Old!

I really need to get better about blogging more than once a month.
Well, it seems hard to believe that this little man is already 10 months old. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was still pregnant, but also seems strange that we even had a life before him.  10 months has definitely been the best thus far! Absolutely my fav age will be 6 months plus. It's not that I don't love the newborn phase, because I did tremendously, but I much rather be able to chase Nash around and hear his giggle all the way across the house.  Here is this month's favorites:

1. We play hide and seek all the time. He will find me and I yell "Boo!" then he cracks up and takes off crawling in the other direction so I can go after him.
2. This kid will eat anything and everything, he is such a good little eater.
3. He is cruising with anything that he can pull himself up on. The favorite is his motorcycle (see video) from his GiGi. He is pushing that thing all over the house.
4. Clap, clap, clap his hands. Yes, he got this new trick down and has never been more proud of himself.
5. He is now waving bye-bye
6. He talks and talks and talks
7. It's music time! He loves to dance to the music-especially Daddy's loud horn music (ska)
8. I don't think it comes as any surprise that this precious little boy is a bit mischievous and is having fun discovering things he shouldn't be getting into, touching or eating and promptly doing as he shouldn't.
9.  The two top teeth are making an appearance! We discovered the top left one popping through the gum a few days ago.
10. He is still such a snuggle bug, which I hope he always is.
11. When he gets really excited he snorts. Well, he actually snorts when he laughs, cries, and get's excited. It's pretty awesome.
12. When you point a phone or camera his way and tell him to "Say Cheese!" he gives a big cheesey grin worth a thousand bucks!
12. Those beautiful blue eyes and long lashes will melt anyone's heart

Nash is 9 Months Old!

It has happened. This little handsome boy is been out of the womb as long as he is was in it.  I honestly didn't think it would come this quickly. But time flies when you are having fun and, boy, are we having fun. I think this month has been my favorite so far. (I know I say this every month) He is learning so much, growing so fast and his personality is emerging more each day.  Who needs reality TV when you have a baby around to keep you entertained? Here is this month's lists of favorites:
1. He now says Dada, Mama, Nana (we think this is for Grammy, he only says it when she is here) and Baba (we think this is for pup pup)
2. Sometimes he gets so excited he snorts
3. He's crawling all over the world, standing up on anything with a ledge, and getting more daring with stepping out holding on with only one hand.
4. This kid will eat anything (except broccoli) and has a more refined taste in food. Food with much flavor and spice is the preference.
5. Pup pup is his favorite play mate.
6. Brushing his teeth is a favorite game full of giggles.
7. He sleeps with his little bum in the air.
8. The tupperware cabinet has become a favorite.
9. His name is Nash and he likes to dance
10. He knows that when the camera is on him he needs to smile
11. Honestly, there is no cuter kid out there.

Nash's Daddy-powered motorcycle

Watch Nash take a ride on his motorcycle! His GG got it for him, and he's finally big enough to ride it. He loves it!