Mia plays piano

We were lucky enough to pick up a free (!) piano! My thinking was that Mia could take lessons in a couple years when she's old enough to pay attention and practice. I'm not sure what I would happen until then, but it turns out Mia loves banging on it all the time. So loud. So, so loud.

Brushing

When you help your mama to brush her hair, you can use a hair brush ...


... or a toothbrush. Whatevs.

Grey Snow Eagle House

We had the amazing opportunity to somewhere pretty incredible today. We visited the Iowa Tribe's Grey Snow Eagle House, a refuge for injured and helpless eagles from across the country. It's just amazing. We went as a surprise for our friend Kelli's birthday. We hauled the kids out to Perkins and had a big ol' time.

It's a small place that gives free tours to anybody who wants to come check it out. They even brought out one of the education birds and let us see it up close. Incredible!

Rubber band as fashion accessory

A job change for Carrie

I have been given a new beat at work. I'm pretty excited to be the new education reporter.

My pal Megan was the education reporter, but she's been given her dream beat as an investigative reporter at the state capitol.

I'm really pumped to start this new beat and cover Oklahoma City Public Schools. Just for some perspective, there are 43,000 students in the district. That's about four times the size of Mountain Home when I was in high school.

Pressure? Yes.

I still get to keep my column one day a week, so I'm grateful for that. It should be fun!

Is she old enough for a license?

Aussie love

As a South African, Leigh was born and raised to dislike Australia. This is what happens when you're from a family of rugby fans. But our good friend Ursula is trying to change that. She's an Aussie who Leigh met through LOYAL. For Christmas, she gave Mia the most hilarious pair of pajamas, specially modified. The back reads AUSSIES ARE MY FRIENDZ. Hopefully Leigh will come around.

The face of shock

I obviously disgust Mia so much that she doesn't know what to say.

Theif

Who the heck ate all the ice cream? Guilty!

Mia's new books

My mom got us a Kindle Fire for Christmas, and we've been using it like crazy. It's one of those things we wouldn't have ever bought for ourselves but now we can't imagine living without. What's been a surprise, though, is how we can use it with Mia. There are lots of free children's books she can scroll through and a ton of really neat apps. The one she's playing with here is a piano.

It's great to keep in my purse and get out in a flash without having to carry a million books around. She can play games, draw pictures and read. It's pretty fantastic. And it makes her look uber hip.

Practing the alphabet

Yes, we are practicing the alphabet while potty training.

Hug time

Mia and I cuddled up on the couch (with Dora the Explorer) to watch the Thunder dominate. She's already practicing, "Thunder up!"

The wardrobe

Because our house was built in 1949 and is the size of a mailbox, there is absolutely no storage for clothing. We've been looking for something to substitute as a closet for Mia. We dropped by a resale shop down the block from our house and - BAM! We found this adorable wardrobe from the 1950s. We took the draws out when we moved it into the house from the car, and before we could even put the drawers in, Mia was entertaining herself.

Go Hogs!

We watched the Hogs beat up on Kansas State with our favorite Razorback friends - John and Alison Estus! Mia had the chance to wear her cheerleader outfit for one last time this season, so we had to get a photo of a past pom girl with a future one!

The wind and the swing

Come on, Oklahoma.

Crashing the deli

We crashed a supper with our pals the Kelleys and the Dupuys. I'm pretty sure Mia and Noah and Izzy (Michelle's children) are in love with each other. I mean seriously. Look at the cuteness.


Mia had so much fun, she confiscated our camera and took pictures herself.

Free? Please!

This family has pretty strong feelings about free things. We love them. As you can imagine, we were so, so, so excited to go eat at the soft opening of the new location of S&B Burger Joint because everything was free! S&B is delicious any time, but this was even better. This is how Mia felt about getting a tasty supper for free:

Another big night out

As a follow-up to our super-exciting trip to Whole Foods, the Jacobs family continued their streak of craziness by driving on the newly-opened Interstate 40 eastbound lanes to see the new (beautiful!) pedestrian bridge. The Jacobs Family: living in the fast lane.

An update about Vilakazi

I just wanted to give everybody a little update about Vilakazi. Our end-of-the-year email campaign went well, and we raised more than $500!

We started the new year with two new board members - Megan Elliott and Jackie Mania. They're both so smart and have so much experience with nonprofits. We're really glad they've joined us.

We are so excited about our trip in August. We are still working toward our goal of providing 22 schools with first aid kits and sports equipment and handing out 350 supply backpacks to children in need. We're inching closer and closer every day. Thanks to everybody who's donated and supprted us. It means so much. :)

A big Saturday night

After you have a child, your expectations for an exciting weekend sort of change a bit. The Jacobs family finally made it out to Whole Foods. Date night! It was fun and we sampled fancy cheese. We enjoyed using their teeny-tiny carts, perfect for Mia-sized people.


Mia enjoyed eating her free-range pizza.

Mia owns the wagon

We went to the zoo and Mia was very clear about who would be in charge of the wagon.

Mocksmas!

This year we celebrated yet another Christmas, even in January. We celebrated Mocksmas - a term invited by Kelli Dupuy and her family. We celebrated with them and Michelle Kelley and their kiddos. It even included a visit from Santa Claus! We traded presents and had the best time. Everyone teamed up to buy Mia a wagon. I might or might not have cried. When they rolled it out into the living room, it was game on for Mia, Noah and Izzy. Kids were climbing in and out of that wagon every which way. It was hilarious. And you better believe Mia was pulling those two bigger kids around.

Lessons learned at home

I was home sick, and I learned a lot about myself. Mostly from daytime television. I learned that I need to own the following things:

• A LifeAlert bracelet in case I fall and can't get up.
• Welding training so I can provide for my family.
• A scooter to regain my mobility.
• Nursing school so I can get a real job.
• Bras that cut out back fat.
• SeaBond denture adhesive so I don't have to worry about all that goo any more.
• A new set of cooking pans.

Mia the Wookie?

Remain calm everybody. The car wasn't movie and Mia wasn't buckled up yet. I just tried to get a video of her hilarious growl, but we are not driving. ha

New Year's Eve

We celebrated New Year's Eve this year with so many wonderful friends. First we went to the Marks' house for a kind of kid-friendly pajama party. We put Mia in her PJs and let her run around with all the other kids. Our friends randomly snatched her up to snap some photos with her.

Then Jill was nice enough to let Mia stay the night so we could go out for a grown-up party! It was so fun. We danced and saw all of our friends we hadn't seen in a long time. It was such a great New Year's.