The Mississippi Agriculture Museum in Jackson

No, we are not in Fulton. James had to sit his exam at the MS Ag Museum (in Sparkman Auditorium). After shopping during the morning test, Jake and I decided to walk around the outside exhibits during the last two hours of the afternoon test. It is strange, because after being sent as a chaperone on that fieldtrip to Parchmen (The State Prison) with our 7th grade trouble male trouble makers in Cleveland, I was struck by the similarities. The Ag Museum is like a small version of "the Farm." They even had prisoners working there. It was very creepy.

My old high school. You can even see some of my old teachers glaring out the windows. I think the one on the bottom looks just like Judith Franks (for all you IAHS alums).

Jake says, "YAWN! So, whats the big deal. I can eat paper and climb things too. My sunglasses are more interesting than this!"

Above, old fashioned air conditioning. Below, the state's first Wal-Mart.

Above, what Mississippians did before cows were invented. Below, isn't it funny how they have to label the vegetables so that Mississippians know what they are. I didn't see any labels on the pigs, or chickens.

Jake was so disinterested. He just chewed on his bib or sunglasses the whole time. I tried to get him to look at the animals, but he could care less. However, he loved Target (he gets that from me). He even wanted to sit in the buggy (normally he will only sit for 5 minutes and then I have to carry him and push the buggy). I think it was because the buggy was red.

Braille signs always crack me up. How do the blind people know where the signs are? This first sign, you could argue, they could find by holding on to the rail on the nature board walk. However, most of the signs were not on the rail. Most of them were like this second example... ...several feet away from the board walk and down in a ravine. A blind person would have to have very long arms to reach the signs, if they could tell where they were in the first place.

I think this was a monument to indoor plumbing, or something to that effect.

Jake was so glad to get out of there!

The Bedtime Blues...

Mama, Why are you always dressing me and undressing me and then dressing me again.

Why do I have to wear pajamas anyway? I am not going to bed! I am going to climb Daddy!

Daddy plays with me. He is fun. He doesn't understand why people have to wear clothes to bed either. (James managed to take this picture of all three of us, I guess that is one advantage to being tall and having long arms)

I will just climb and play with Daddy all night long.

Hold on a minute!

Why can't babies have hot chocolate? I went on the walk in the cold weather too!

Just a little bit. Come on I won't tell Mama!

Please Daddy! I don't think the pediatrician will care! I am a big baby, caffeine won't hurt me.

Oh, I can't believe you drank it all without sharing it with me! How could you? I thought we were friends?

Well, what else do we have to drink around here?

I guess I will take my bottle, BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN I AM GOING TO BED!

END NOTES: I apologize for the mess in the background. We had just gotten back from a walk. We don't get a chance to straighten up until Jake actually goes to bed. I don't think it looks this bad when people come over, so don't be afraid to come visit me based on these pictures. One day National Geographic is going to come do a story on a unique phenomenom that happens at our house called toy migration. No matter how many times I put Jake's toys in his toy box in his room, within seconds they creep back out and spread across the confines of our house. Occasionally they even spill over into my car. Those silly toys!

Block Party at Church

Jake was very excited about going to the Block Party. The weather was great, and he got to play on the grass while James and I helped set up for the party.

After a while, Jake decided he wanted to help us.

Jake said he thinks it was the best Block Party ever. Of course it is the only block party he has been to yet, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it as well.

Choo Choo Train!

On our way back home from a walk, we stop to watch a train crossing near where we live. Jake was watching the train, while wearing his train cardigan (knitted by my Mom) with train engine buttons on it! Unfortunately, in these pictures you can only see the lights from the train, as it is a good distance away from where we are standing.

What daddies are for!

James and Jake have some after bath time/before bedtime fun with a helium balloon and the ceiling fan.

"Can I have a turn?"

"Where did it go?"

Jake at Carrie's Coffee House

Jake loves music, so James introduces him to the drums.

After watching his Daddy, Jake thinks he is ready to give it a try.

Jake loves the drums! In the background you can see my Mom taking a picture (in case you wondered where I get the habit of taking pictures from).

Jake is also fascinated by the disco ball.

Off with its head!

Poor Dinosaur!

Around the house.

Jake 'reads' a book. He quickly bores of such easy reading and moves on to something more his level.

When James was studying for his engineering exam he didn't have as much time to play with Jake as he used to so Jake decided to help him study!

Even though the baby gate no longer bars Jake from entering the kitchen, he still enjoys trying to climb it. He likes to push his larger toys up to what ever he wants to climb... the couch, the chair, the baby gate... and use them as ladders. He is so smart and so strong. I think some of the things he moves around our living room weigh as much as he does. When we moved to Tupelo we 'baby proofed' our living room. We bought these soft ottomans that double as storage containers. They contain things that we don't leave out around Jake, like phone books, picture albums, playing cards, etc. Even though they are heavy (I weighed one a few minutes ago--it was 18 lbs) he can lift and turn them over and push them across the carpet.

Out and about with Baby Jake.

These pictures are from the beginning of October, when it was still warm. In the first one Jake is picking at some candle wax on a table on the front porch/balcony.

You can see how easily Jake can get around. He loves staring at my flowers and we have to keep a careful eye on him to make sure he doesn't eat any.

Here we are going for one of our many walks! These pictures were taken in front of our church, which only two blocks from out home.

We stop to swing at the Church Street Elementary School playground which adjoins the Robins Noble walking track.

Here Jake is trying out his hood, as the weather was cooler this night. This was right before one of our walks. He loved the hood, but when we first put it on him he would crawl around bumping into things as he could't see out from under it. He has gotten use to it now, and he has grown into it more (he was sort of between sizes at the beginning of the month).

Sir Jake and the Dragon

This is Jake typing over his "Drop and Roar Dinosaur" or "The Dragon". He thinks it is funny to knock it over.

This is Jake giving the dragon mouth to mouth resucitation or just chewing on the dragons bottom lip, we aren't sure which.

This is Jake doing surgey on the dragon. Jake tries to take EVERYTHING apart!

This is James teaching Jake how to feed the dragon. James put a zebra from Jake's animal train set in the dragon's mouth. Jake thought this was hilarious.

After lots of good laughs with his Daddy, Jake came crawling over to me looking for his bottle. Then he took a bath and went to bed. And we all lived happily ever after.