So this is a boy....

Wow - boys are a lot of energy and mischief! Kennedy as a toddler did not even come close to preparing us for Cooper "Rampage" Henselmann... Since he has started walking, he has discovered a whole new world of activities. His favorite game is to grab the paper towels - and run!

YUMMMM!

Kennedy prepares for a future in reality game shows as she eats a cricket lollipop... Apparently the kid is hard up for candy! See the video for a closer look! YUMMY!

Walkin'

Cooper is on the move! He's been taking a step here and there for a few weeks now, but has finally figured out how to string them together. This video was taken over the weekend & he's already gotten better - last night he walked across Leah & Patrick's kitchen. Look out world, here he comes!

All About Da Da

Cooper is starting to be a little talking machine - but in the beginning, it was all about da da. Leah & I decided to give the little guy some lessons in how to say "Ma ma"....

Kennedy's 5th Birthday Party

Kennedy had her 5th birthday at Pump it Up - a giant warehouse full of bounce houses & inflatible slides. She had a mixture of family friends, preschool friends and kindergarten classmates come to the party - all the kids and parents had a fantastic time. The bonus - no clean up for mom & dad!! :)

Kennedy & Tegan


Jessica, Kennedy & Cooper Jammin'


Sam Haulin'


Cooper Cruisin'

First Day of Kindergarten!

I can't believe it, we're the parents of a kindergartner! Kennedy is loving it so far... she has made friends, has already learned how to write a few words: me, mom, no. (Funny story - a few weeks ago in Tahoe, she protested going to the lake by writing NO NO NO NO NO all the way up and down her legs. Needless to say, once she got there, she had a fantastic time having Uncle Conrad swing her around in the water and didn't want to get out!) She is also taking a Spanish immersion class in the after school program and comes home signing all sorts of new songs... Looks like mommy needs to learn spanish to help her - and to understand her!

First day pics: She was a little bit nervous at first, but she quickly got over it & made a new friend (Rachelle)!

Little Mister Busy Boy

Cooper is starting to find his voice - he says da da da da da da da all day long... with an occasional ma ma ma ma thrown in for good measure. Just babbling, but it's pretty cute. He really loves the camera - here is a video of him laughing and trying his best to get it out of my hands & into his mouth....

Camping in the Redwoods

We spent a few days camping by the Eel River in Humboldt County with CJ & Sarah, Lara & Dave. The weather was perfect, our campsite was amazing - surrounded by giant redwoods and overlooking the river, and everyone had a fantastic time. Kennedy made some new friends, Madeline (4) and Gavin (2) and Cooper had a blast crawling around the tent at a breakneck pace and attempting to get loose on the ground and eat dirt. It was nice for all of us to spend some time relaxing and playing with friends!

What they're up to....

Kennedy Chloe Princess Ballerina
Kennedy is enjoying her preschool summer program, which focuses on the solar system. She sings about all the planets (an interesting note, Pluto has already been yanked out of the line up. "Mommy, Pluto is a star, not a planet.") and frequently has daddy pretend to be the sun ("Daddy, stop moving! The sun doesn't move!") while she orbits around him.... It's fun for Sam - for the first 5 minutes. :) Kindergarten starts August 29th (seriously. I seriously have a kindergartner? wow.) and she is really looking forward to starting school and learning how to read. She is now protesting her "Bug" nickname and insists on being called Kennedy, although certain people have been given permission to call her Bug, depending on the mood they catch her in. I have yet to be given permission. Which of course, means that I'm always coming up with new nicknames for her. Most often = Mugsy.

Cooper Jackson
Weighing in at 17 pounds 1 ounce, the little mister is growing - and is on the move! He's been crawling slowly for about a month, but has recently learned to get the lead out. He is also pulling himself up on to his feet - he is really anxious to be walking! While he can crawl, he prefers to have someone walk him around the house. He thinks his sister is the funniest person on the planet. We experimented - Kennedy sat in front of him and said, "The sky is blue." - Cooper laughed and laughed and laughed. Yup, he just adores her. While I was in NY recently, Cooper went on strike and wouldn't eat for Sam. Luckily, he would take anything from big sister - and thankfully she loves to help, so her job was to feed Little CJ. He also loves cats. Any cats. Yesterday saw him stalking Kyle and Jen's Charlie - all day.

All in all, we are busy - and having such a good time! The kids are great, the house is coming along slowly but surely... & we're off this weekend to go camping with CJ & Sarah, Lara & Dave! Life is good....

Lots of love,
Jessica & Sam