The Jacobsen Nation

Our latest addition...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:31:00 +0000

Most of you may think that 4 kids, a dog & a bearded dragon make a pretty full house.....but that didn't stop us from adding just one more Jacobsen to the mix!

Introducing Sally!!!

Sally, named after Sally on Peanuts, came to us a month or so ago & now we can't remember life without her running around our house. She & Lucy are buddies & all the kids love & dote on her daily. We are very thankful for her & her sweetness, as well as her good behavior (minus the box of dots candy, but that is another story).

Welcome Sally!!!

And now...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 23:52:00 +0000

Deep Thoughts, by Melissa Jack.... (in the voice of the Jack Handy guy)......

Me to Melissa: "What do you want for Christmas?"

Melissa: (putting her hand up to her face & whispering like it's a secret) "Um, candy....and um, um, RED shoes."

Melissa: "The sun went down, the 'erff' is spinning."

Melissa with a handful of dog treats & her breath smelling oddly like dog breath, "I keep eating them." (& crumbs on her face too)

Melissa: "Can we go ice skating for my 'birfday?'"

Melissa: "I love you mucho grande!" (riding with too-big helment upside down)

Their First Day....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:07:00 +0000

It's that time of year again. September is here, Labor Day has gone, I'm behind on my summer blogging, and school is starting. Most of you know (& subsequently accuse me of being 'crazy') that I home school. Many days I question, "WHY?!?!" & most other days, I am thankful we still have the freedom in our country to educate our kids the way we think best. Our family makes this decision on a year-to-year basis & this year, once again, we are going to home school.

Other than home school (in the traditional sense of being schooled at home), my kids attend Options every week. Options is a great opportunity for them to get out & be in a "real" classroom with teachers & all (Gasp!!). We have been participating in this program a few years now & it's been such a blessing. They go one day a week for an entire day & have a blast! (& I get caught up on laundry & sometimes blogging!)

Yesterday was their first day of school at Options. It was Hatcher's first day EVER!!! He is such a little stud & wasn't sure at first about going, but when he got home, he was overflowing with chatter telling me all the cool things that happened to him throughout the day. Here is just a sliver of what they are all up to at Options & how they enjoyed their first day.

Bergen is in 5th grade this year! His LAST year of elementary school in Colorado. That is such a CRAZY thought!!! He said his favorite classes this year at Options are Robotics & Electronics, Science & Drama. He is also taking Spanish & Art this year at Options.

Mallory, my sweet girlie, is in 2nd grade this year & this is her first year not being just in one classroom all day. She is going from class to class throughout her day. At first, this made her a bit nervous, but she got it down & had no problems whatsoever. She said her favorite classes this year at Options are Drama & Violin. She is also taking Science, Art, Math Games & Creative Writing.

And then we have Mr. Stud. He walks around with his hands in his pockets & an aura of "cool." He is just like his dad...he looks good & he knows it! Hatcher is in Kindergarten (sniff, sniff). He is in Mrs. Foster's class & aside from normal Kindergarten stuff, he is also doing Spanish at Options. His favorite things after his first day were lunch & recess! ha ha That is my boy!

Yesterday, at the end of their first day, DJ picked them up. They were all talking on & on about all the stuff that happened on their first day....all their new classes, a couple of new teachers, some new friends, etc. Hatch was looking out the window as they drove home just talking away when he suddenly said, "I didn't pick my nose all day! When I get home, I'm going to go to my room & pick my nose!"

So ended their first day of school........

Seen, heard, said & accomplished....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:29:00 +0000

Despite my recent surgery & my house seeming to fall apart around me (ugh the laundry!), life still continues on in the Jacobsen house. Kids still eat & then they grow......milestones happen & even some cute stuff occurs.

First, here is a cute thing.....DJ working on his laptop is joined by another "worker"...& she is concentrating pretty hard too....

Second, we have a milestone....Bergen passes his Hunter's Safety with flying colors, even getting in two "kill shots" as he explained it on the shooting portion of the test. Watch out water fowl! Bergen is coming for you in October! My little boy is growing up......

Third, I can't explain why, but if a cake, or ice cream or anything that contains even the tiniest amount of chocolate comes within 10 feet of Mallory, it suddenly shows up on her face! It never fails. And this isn't something that happens once the sweet is all eaten! It usually happens on the very first bite!! What in the world am I going to do with her?????

And finally, we have Hatcher. Oh dear, sweet Hatcher. There is just no substitution for him. He is my little man. A number of weeks ago, we had gone to church & during the service we had Communion. You poured your own juice from a pitcher & you took a piece of bread from a plate. After the service, people are talking, kids are running around.....basically the norm. Hatcher comes out & says, "Hey guys! They have free samples!" He had a handful of the leftover Communion bread that he found on a plate around where our services are held. That's my boy! Apparently, free samples excite him......

I know the dirty laundry will still be here tomorrow, but I'm reminded my kids are growing fast & these times are fleeting, so I am holding on to them!

MJ & a Harley....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:26:00 +0000

Some of you know that MJ is a little quirky. Actually, "quirky" may be an understatement. Unique? Neurotic? How about different? No matter how you describe it, when it all comes down to it, she is just MelissaJack....meaning, you can't explain anything away, so don't bother trying!!

MelissaJack has a very interesting aversion to vehicles.......especially those that make noise. When she hears a train whistle, she actually puts her feet up so the train can't get her toes (inside the house, mind you.). I try explaining that we don't have train tracks in our house, so the train can't come inside, but she still insists she needs to be afraid & she is vigilant to anything making noise that moves. When we are in a parking lot, she INSISTS on being carried......when she hears a helicopter, she practically takes cover. I have NO clue where this all originated. Sometimes it's cute.....you know, looking at a cute 2 year old with silly notions, knowing you will one day miss the cuteness of it all when they know better......but other times it's just plain annoying!!! (when hands are full & she is FREAKING out because she wants to be held AT THAT MOMENT because something OUTSIDE is making noise!!!)

So, when we met some family at a campground for some hanging out & Uncle Dave had his new Harley there, I wondered what she was going to think about that when he started it up. Harleys are not known for being subtle.....isn't that why we like them? Uncle Dave graciously took all the kids on their own ride around the loop of the campground. I kept asking MJ if she wanted a ride. "No," was her response. Once she realized though, that her ride would be WITH me......she suddenly agreed to try.

As we got going, she says, "This is scary" & her thighs were tight on my legs & her fingers were digging into my arm. As we reached the other side of the loop, she says, "This is fun!" & she waves to everyone who will look at her with a HUGE grin on her face. I think I see a Harley in her future......

Thank you, Uncle Dave!!!

Oh, & before you yell at me for no helmets, Colorado does not have a helmet law & we were in a campground with a very LOW speed limit.......so there.

12 years already???

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:22:00 +0000

(Alert: this post will contain a bit of romantic cheese-whiz......consider yourself warned....)

Today, DJ & I celebrated 12 years of marriage. 12 years??? To those who have been married longer than that, I applaud you & encourage you to continue it on.....to those who have been married less than our 12 years, embrace today, because 12 years will be here before you know it!! & to those of you who aren't married yet.....brace yourself, because your time is coming.....

When I was a little girl, I wondered what kind of man I would marry. The possibilities excited me because it was a future of the unknown & a the expectation of something to look forward to. Sometimes I worried I would never marry!!!

Then I met DJ......I can't imagine my life without him. (I know, cheesy.....) So, I want to take this moment to publicly thank him.....so DJ, if you are reading this, I love you with all my heart. God answered my prayer when He allowed us to meet. You are my best friend, even on my worst day & my life would be empty without you. You are an awesome dad & helpmate & I am SO thankful that we were able to make our little family together. I look forward to MANY more years to come being with you & just as I did 12 years ago, I promise to support you & be with you always.......thank you for lifting me up when I am down, for taking care of me after my surgery & for being the first & only one I asked for when I was waking up in the recovery room. Thank you for being you....I certainly married up....

For those of you who are now gagging & making comments at how silly, romantic, mushy & unrealistic I am......TOUGH! (& as my Dad has always said, just consider the source)

& thank you for putting up with this cheese....it may be smelly, but it's heart-felt....

And then there was Papa Doug....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:40:00 +0000

No words....I am speechless....I am without speech.....

DJ's tries to hurt himself....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:22:00 +0000

That is all I have to say about that....

Dedication...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:10:00 +0000

In our family & in our faith, we don't baptise babies. They don't get sprinkled or dunked. Once they are older, they may choose to be dunked, but that is their personal decision. We have what we call a dedication. Sometimes people refer to them as "Baby Dedications," although I'm not real sure why. You really aren't dedicating the baby to the Lord, but the parents & how they raise that baby to the Lord. I mean , let's face it, we parents need all the help we can get.

So, we do this dedication ceremony......we ask friends & family to come & we gather & pray over the raising of the child & the congregation publicly agrees to stand with DJ & I as we raise our child.

We recently did this with our fourth & final Jacobsen, MelissaJack. Her being the last, really made it emotional for me (that, & I'm a girl). It's at times overwhelming to me the task we have with each one of our kids....trying to be good examples, trying to be true & authentic with them while doing our best to guide them down the right path. It's humbling to say the least & some days I wish I could go back to bed & start all over.

DJ & I are truly blessed with these four beautiful, healthy kids. Never in a million years did I think almost 12 years ago when we exchanged vows that we would now be looking at these four God-given children & making almost all of our decisions, big & little, based on their existence. Of course, even though you may not have attended any one of our dedications, we'd LOVE to know we have friends & family out there praying for DJ & I as we raise these kids to love & follow Christ. We'd love to hear your cheering in the background as we continue this race of parenthood.

Here is the page I made for MJ's dedication. She was absolutely adorable in that white dress (if I may say so myself) & she was very earnest during the dedication prayer. Miss Helen from church joined our family & held MJ's hand & that meant a lot to me. The picture of her on the stairs has the verse DJ & I picked for MelissaJack....& the one of her so cute with her name & age on it was displayed during the ceremony. I could not have asked for a more beautiful & spunky fourth & final child (& VERY ornery).....did I mention that we are BLESSED??

A party for bugs???

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:34:00 +0000

We got invited to a bug party.....yep, a party in honor of bugs. I know....gross. But the kids LOVED it. They got to do bug crafts & touch bugs.....& let butterflies go. It was an experience......

the color of summer...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:47:00 +0000

Summertime......heat. Ugh. I am a self-admitted wimp in the heat. It makes me cranky. BUT, summertime also brings out some beautiful color around here, & I love that part of it. The longer days, awesome sunsets, bachelor buttons, our pink wild roses in the back yard, new tomatoes growing up in the garden, lettuce, the green of the basil, the drops of water on my roses after an afternoon rain, the awesome bing cherries.....all of it, I love. These are just some random pictures I have been taking around here of those colorful things that remind me of summer. I hope you enjoy....

Nothin' like babies...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:56:00 +0000

What is it about babies.....whether human or animal that make us all say, "ahhhhhh?" Don't we remember that those furry, squishy adorable things grow up to make big messes?? A wife will say she wants a baby, not that she wants a 10 year old!

Well, we got to go see all sorts of cute baby animals at Baby Animal Days at Plumb Farm here in Greeley.....& here is my page to remember it......it was fun, even with the babies who have grown up & make lots of messes....

Still finding cottonseed....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:47:00 +0000

My kids, along with a bunch of other kids, got the very cool treat of going out to Desperado Dairy, run by our friends, Mark & Trudy. It was a BLAST!!! The kids not only learned a lot, they had an unforgettable experience as Trudy let them do so much stuff out on the farm.

They got to go to the "Cow Kitchen" & see what the cows eat, they got to ride a tractor, they got to see the cows, up-close & personal, as well as see them being milked, they got ice cream, they got to jump all around in the consumables (that was a blast even for me the mom!) & they even got to see something that was dead (ok, I only mention that because my boys thought it was SO COOL). Oh, & how could I forget the feeding of the calves! What a treat! & did you know you can weigh people on a truck scale?

Here is a picture collage (thank you, Renee, for the info on how to do this) with a TON of pics from our exciting day. & yes, I am still finding cottonseed in my clothes!!!

Butterfly Waltz...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 02:02:00 +0000

June began with the all-anticipated dance recital for Mallory. This girl not only loves to dance, but she LOVES being on stage! The smiles were continual. She was involved in "Butterfly Waltz" & was beautiful & graceful....between Mallory & Melissa, who keeps asking about going to "ballerina dance class," we are going to have many busy Junes to come....

Gotta Love....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Thu, 13 May 2010 20:25:00 +0000

SPRING!!! At least these were some of my tulips before our wacky May snow we just had......

A bit of catch-up....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Tue, 11 May 2010 22:55:00 +0000

Life has been busy (seriously, when is it not?)...& I am a bit behind in my blog posts. Thankfully summer break will be here soon where school is concerned, although the weather has yet to give in to the change. We are looking forward to lots of fun & sun this summer, once again hopefully setting up the pool in the backyard (unless it doesn't get warm!). & maybe we will get the garden planted soon, too. But for now, here is what has been going on.....

Bergen & Mallory both had class plays at their "school" they attend once a week. Both of them did awesome!!

Soccer season for Hatcher has come & gone. Spring soccer can be so iffy.....we only missed a couple games & he had fun. He is looking forward to Fall soccer when he will play with the "big" boys.....

Bergen tries his hand at skateboarding......

& this is Spring in Colorado.....seriously...........

& how could you not love this picture of a yummy cupcake & MJ's "painting nails?"

& on this note, need I say more than this picture? This is MelissaJack.....she is never boring....

DJ gets older....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Tue, 11 May 2010 22:48:00 +0000

Another year has come & gone....& here he is, looking awesome at 42 (if I may say so myself!). It was a fun day shared with Mother's Day & the homemade carrot cake was YUMMY!!! Can't wait until next year to have more....

Bergen the Archer....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:37:00 +0000

Bergen has been taking archery & really loving it. He is turning into quite an archer, hitting targets, balloons & even floating ping pong balls. Soon enough he will be asking for a compound bow of his own!!!

Easter...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:11:00 +0000

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter. It's such a great time of year & such a wonderful celebration!!! Here are some photo highlights of our celebration:

Expensive Ice Cream Cones....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:10:00 +0000

A few weeks back, we drove up to Estes Park, CO, to celebrate the birthdays of DJ's mom & brother. For those of you out of state, Estes Park is a GREAT place to visit. The Rocky Mt. National Park is right there, as well as many other cool things to look at & do. AND, 4 single-scoop, on a plain sugar cone, ice creams will only set you back just under $16!! ha ha Such is Estes! It's all worth it though....& here is some of the stuff we did.....

Here are ALL the Jacobsen grandkids: FL: Melissa Jack, Derek, Brock BL: Hatcher, Bergen, Jake, Mallory & Jessica

Notice the difference in the back of the jeans for the girls & boys.....flowers & skulls.....

MJ has ice cream on her eye lash!!!!

Proof MelissaJack does like "Aunt Jewla"

& this one is my ABSOLUTE favorite picture of the day....It's just so sweet....just like her...

Words...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:13:00 +0000

There are some words that I hear a lot lately...& they are a paradox. Their meaning is not a paradox......the feelings these words invoke in me are the paradox. How can a phrase at times be so stinkin' frustrating & yet at other times, be so endearing they bring tears to this mom's eyes??? I don't get it.....but then, yet I do....because it all centers around a two year old & they are as unpredictable as Colorado weather.

"Want to hold you," MJ says. She says it when she is tired, hurt or scared.....or just being needy. I hear these words & usually my hands are in the middle of something else. So...I have to take a deep breath & remember the important part of my job as a stay-at-home-mom is not just trying to "do stuff" around the house, but to be there for my kids when they need me. That is TOUGH!!! My "young, romantic ideas" on being a "homemaker" were filled with pictures of me doing laundry, making lunches, conducting school.......sure, kissing boo-boos & all that....but I don't think I pictured me dropping everything to hold a child who obviously had nothing wrong with them at the most frustrating moments. But then, my picture didn't include MelissaJack!!

...& here she is, wearing the "Big Smith" overalls that were given to me when I was little...how can you refuse her?? "Want to hold you, Mom."

Peek-A-Boo...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:49:00 +0000

So, do you remember this from the movie, "Willy Wonka??"

[On a bicycle in the Inventing Room]
WONKA (singing):

"In springtime, the only pretty ring time
Birds sing, hey ding
A-ding, a-ding
Sweet lovers love the spring--"

Did you actually know it is from Shakespeare?? I found out a bunch of interesting info from "Willy Wonka" the FIRST & BEST of the movies at http://home.att.net/~tom.brodhead/wonka Go check it out if you feel so inclined.

Ok, now to the point....Spring has been playing peek-a-boo with Colorado....it's driving me crazy!! Just come already!!! NO MORE SNOW! & when Spring comes, I find myself singing the Wonka song from above....

We have had some teases here & there from Spring & one was last week. Bergen was on a field trip, so the other three Jacobsen kids & I met my mom at the park. It was really nice until we tried to leave....that is another story (don't ask me to tell you it around DJ!). So, I'm just sharing some glimpses of one of our sneak peeks of Spring...

How to Pray if you are a Two Year Old Girl...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:46:00 +0000

If you are a very cute, two year old girl, & you must pray to thank Jesus for your food...

...it is a MUST to be dressed properly & be in correct form....

Multicolored fingernail polish & folded hands are required!

Then simply say, "Shank you, Jesus. 'men."

Zoe's...

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:29:00 +0000

If you are in the Greeley area & you have not checked out Zoe's in downtown Greeley, you are missing out!! Zoe's is a coffee shop with good coffee & great atmosphere. There are concerts offered & church services as well. But you don't have to attend our church to go there!! It's a great place to hang out, work on the laptop, crochet & knit, play games.....whatever floats your boat.

We have been there the past two Friday nights for some GREAT music!!! Good friends & good times were had by all.....even Melissa!!!

MJ leaping from the steps at Zoe's....

Melissa & Ayda hanging out....these two are 3 days apart!

A hug for the road...

& finally on our way home...

My love affair with my camera....

noreply@blogger.com (Nelle) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:12:00 +0000

Can I just say how thankful I am that we have digital photography?? Can you imagine paying for all the film processing a photo-junky like me would need just to figure this stuff out??? No thank you!

After much book reading on digital photography (you MUST check out "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby), I have been practicing. Lots of blurred pictures.....time with a tripod & messing with my ISO & white balance settings......& trying to just get a feel for the type of photos I am looking for....well, it's been fun. Here are some of my practice shots of late......obviously mostly of the kids............

If anyone has any other pointers or good resources, please send them my way!!!

I love the curl hanging down....

Same picture as above but with a blue tint....