More Cottage Fun!

This Cottage stuff is hard work. We have to play all day and I get so much attention. Today we went to the cottage to play with my cousin Zach. He was in town from AnnArbor. We had lots of fun as you can see from the pictures. Enjoy. Before we left, I really didn't want to get ready. I was giving mom a hard time, but I sure am cute.
Oops and this was from the other day. I was hanging with my great-grandma. She liked the shirt.

Ok - here is Zach and I. He is 2 weeks older than me, but a bit bigger. He can also army crawl, so I was left in his dust.
I am teething right now, so I suck on everything, even his face and ear.

Grandpa caught us a fish. It was slimy, but fun.


I like Ice Cream too. It was my uncle Chris' birthday.
I love the sun and fun.

I have party tomorrow with my Grandpa Malda's family. I am so excited to see them. I have not met all of them yet, so it will be fun.

More pictures soon.

Hugs & Kisses,

Jakob

Mom & Dad too.

Eating is Bubbling Fun!

Jakob is eating very well. However he has his moments. He discovered he can blow bubbles when we are playing around. He now trys to blow bubbles while eating.
Check it out, we caught it on tape. After dinner we have to clean the walls, floors and all.

Lots of Love,

Mandi, Rick & Jakob

Cottage Weekend Day 2 & 3 ~ Happy Memorial Day

To all my friends & family ~ Happy Memorial Day!
So today wrapped up my 1st cottage weekend. Wow am I tired. On Sunday we had a big lunch and took naps in the afternoon. My daddy went sailing went papa. My mom said it was too cold yet for me to go. I really think it was too cold for her and she didn't want to get cold. :-) So we napped at the cottage. Later in the day we went to my papa's house for dinner. A Sunday night tradition.

It was a beautiful night. We had dinner on the deck. We went home late and went to bed.
We woke up this morning to a Pancake Breakfast. This is my first taste of pancakes. It was quite good. I like sharing my breakfast with Ginger too.
Then we went for a ride in the golf cart. Mom is teaching me how to drive. We drove to see the neighbors.
I hung on the steering wheel the whole way. I even tried to eat it.
Eventhough the water was a bit chilly, daddy took me in for a bit. I love the water. I can't wait for it get warm. I just splash and splash.

I finally get to model my new summer clothes and hat.
I just play and play. Mom put a blanket in the grass for me, because the grass is still prickly.

I was very spoiled this weekend. My great grandma and grandma held me all the time. I really like the cottage and can't wait to go back. Daddy says a SeaDo ride next time, it was too cold this weekend.

Happy Memorial Day!

All my love,

Jakob

Cottage Weekend Day #1

Day 1 of our cottage weekend has been a blast. We had a birthday party for my uncle Ryan today. Well we all put the docks, lifts & boats in the water and then grilled out with cake. Sounds like a party, doesn't it? We are almost all ready for summer. Just a few more things to finish on Monday. I was able to spend some time with 2 of my great grandmas today.
Today was nice and sunny, but definately a chill in the air. My mom worked this morning, so I spent some time with my dad. We really had fun. I love him. I even took a 2 1/2 hour nap for him. I never do that for mom.
I don't have my highchair here, but my new chair will definately do. When I bang on the tray it makes just as much noise. The food taste the same, I still don't like peas.
I rode my new toy tonight. Well I held on while mom pushed me around. I am not quite big enough yet, but it made for fun pictures.

I am sitting up very well and love playing with all my new toys. I am learning how to drive with my car toy. Dad says if I keep practicing I can drive the truck soon. He also says I drive like mom. I don't think that is a compliment.
Here is bath time at the cottage. We are conservative with our water here, since our plumbing is a holding tank. The lake water is too cold for a bath, so this is the next best thing. I had fun just like in the sink, the whole dining area was full of water. 4 bath towels later and we had it dried up. I have been here just over 24 hours and had 2 baths. The second was outside due to poop everywhere. It was a good one.
Playing outside is so fun. It is so nice I can sit up and play with more toys.
My mom really likes that part. My Ginger was not to happy today. She tried to follow mom and I out on the dock and fell in the water. She was a little cold, but is doing fine.
I can roll over every direction now. I can even get from sitting up to laying on my stomach. I am starting to really get around. Should be crawling soon.

Another busy day today, so off to bed.

Lots of Love,

Jakob, Mom & Dad

A Night on the Town!

Yesterday (Monday) my mom and papa were in Chicago all day. I got to spend the day with my nana. Daddy came to pick nana and I up and we went to Phil's in Saugatuck. It is my papa & nana's favorite resturant. We met mom and papa and some carwash guys there and my uncle Ryan. They talked business, while I played. I was very active last night. I made lots of noise, so it was a good thing it was a noisy resturant. My papa was very distracted from the business talk and played with me. Don't worry I didn't poop on him this time. Maybe a little applesauce, but nothing major.
No highchairs here, so I got to sit on papa's lap to eat.

It is good, because I am really picky about my highchair.

So far I only like the one I have at home. It is really comfy and cozy.

My daddy makes me laugh alot. He is so fun. I really love him.

I love my nana's glasses. I try to steal them all the time. Some day I will grow out of it, but for now~ Thanks nana for letting me steal your glasses. I love to suck on them and slime them up.

Today I went with my grandma to the cottage. It was the 1st time that I was at the cottage. Mom didn't pack me the camera, so I have no pictures. However I heard we are going back for 3 days this weekend. I can't wait. I get to spend lots of time with Great Grandma, Grandma & Grandpa Bob! I am so excited. Maybe I can swim if it gets HOT!. Can wait to post new pictures.

Off to bed!

Hugs to you all!

Jakob, Mom & Dad

Baptism ~ May 18, 2008

Today Jakob was Baptized at Faith Reformed Church. He did really well during the service.
Thank You to everyone who helped organize the service, it was beautiful.



Thank you to all of our friends and family that came to the service. There were so many people there it was just awesome. We truely appreciate all the love and support that you have shown over the past months.


Here are some pictures of the morning.

Pastor Jonathon performed the baptism.

Jakob didn't even cry.

4 Generations - My Grandma Essenburg, My dad, myself & Jakob.

4 of the 5 Great Grandmas - Jakob loves them all.

Thanks Sara for making another beautiful cake.

It was a beautiful Day. Thanks everyone who helped make it great.

We have a busy week again this week. Sounds like I say that every Sunday. Jakob will be going to the cottage for the 1st time this week. Yea. Should make for some fun pictures. Hope the weather is warm. My guess is we won't be swimming yet. The water is probably a bit cold. Maybe a Sea Doo ride will be in order!! :-)

All our love,

Rick, Mandi & Jakob

Having Fun!

We have been very busy having lots of fun. I am completely sitting up by myself now. I fall over once & a while. I am getting very strong.

I love it when my dog gives me kisses. I try to kiss her back. I just open my mouth.
I like to smile alot.
I am eating vegetables now. I like the sweet potatoes & carrots, but beans are yucky.
My Ethiopian hat is a bit big yet, but hopefully it will fit soon. It sure is fun trying it on. Thanks Travis for playing with me.
Today we worked a garage sale. I like to eat the money, so mom put me in the grass. I really like it now that I can sit up. There is so much more to do. I don't have to look at the sky anymore.

Don't forget Baptism tomorrow morning - Sunday @ 11:00 Faith Reformed Church in Zeeland. Call my mom if you need directions.

I am sure we will have more fun pictures tomorrow in my baptism outfit. My mom says I will look very handsome.

Hugs & Kisses,

Jakob, Mandi & Rick

Health Update!

We went to the Health Department on Wednesday morning. It was very rainy out and cold too.
We met with the TB doctor. He was very nice. He reconfirmed that Jakob is not contagious!!
He said that it is possible that Jakob does not even have TB, however at one point he was exposed to it. If he is not treated it could become serious TB when he is 2 or 3 and would then be contagious. So he is on a new prescription. They are pills that we have to give him EVERY morning for 9 MONTHS! We only have 8 Months & 29 days to go!! He really doesn't like the pill, even in applesauce. We will survive. It could be much worse. This little pill is nothing compared to what he could have come home with.

Jakob also now weighs 19 lbs and 5 oz. He has now gained about 5 lbs since we picked him up.
They say he looks great. We have to go back to the Health Department again in 30 days.

Today Jakob went for his 2nd set of shots. He did much better than the 1st time. He still cried, but not for near as long. We go back in 4 weeks for his 9 month check up. They also said he is looking great.

Considering what he has been through, he is very healthy.

He is sitting up on his own to now! Yea!!

I better run, he is sleeping, so I should be too.
Have a great night.
Thanks for all the prayers for Jakob's heath.
Lots of Love,
Mandi, Rick & Jakob

1st Family Pictures!

A few weeks ago we wrote about having our church pictures taken. After just a few weeks we received out package. I thought I would share them with you. They turned out pretty good, for our 1st family pictures.


Please do not print these pictures as they are copy written by Life Touch. We can reorder any pictures within the next couple of months, so if you would like to order one, please let me know.

We are headed to the health department tomorrow for an update on the TB. We will find out more about the medication and possible vaccination. We will post tomorrow night to fill you in. Then it is back to the doctor for shots on Thursday. What a fun week!!!

Hugs & Kisses,

Rick, Mandi & Jakob

A Mother's Day (Weekend) Recap!

Mother's Day Weekend was filled with fun events. Saturday night it all started over at the Brower's. A celebration with family in honor of mother's day. Fresh Burgers on the grill, Yum. Sunday noon we went to Wild Chef. We love that place. Jakob loved to watch the chef cook in front of us. The fire was intriguing and he loved watching us try and catch the rice in our mouth. Anyway we had a great time with my mom & family. Sorry don't have pictures of Wild Chef. My camera was left at home. We even had time for a little nap on Sunday afternoon. Then we headed out to my dad's. To our surprise we had a sit down meal fancy dishes and all.

Wine & Candles were an added touch.
The guys did all the cooking. Pork Tenderloin, Salad, Soup & even Mashed Potatoes.
Jakob of course just got to sit with the girls. He loved the mashed potatoes. It was fun weekend for all. Of course very tiring, but we made it.

Thanks to everyone for making a great 1st Mother's Day.

Lots of Love,

Rick, Mandi & Jakob

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there reading this blog.

What a week! I thought I would be able to post each day, but time flies. We had a great time in the parades this week. Jakob stayed awake the entire parade on Sat. he was so tired last night, but he enjoyed waving to all of the people. There were LOTS of people. It was so fun seeing all of you that we knew. Here are a few pictures.

Jakob had a great 1st Tulip Time. We left work on Friday for a short time to get a taste of the junk food. Jakob loved the powdered sugar from my funnal cake.

We can't wait till next year.

Happy Mother's Day!

All our love,

Rick, Mandi & Jakob