More Jack Speak

More fun talk from Jack:

• I have no time to go to sleep.
• When I asked Jack if he was in trouble, he responded, Sorry...I am trouble.
• Oh! Poor cotton ball! Cotton ball got hurt... I didn't know what to make of this one until I realized he had fished a cotton ball out of my trash that had pink nail polish on it. He thought the cotton ball was bleeding.
• You angry me. Stop angry.
• While Jack was throwing a fit at Walmart, I kept whispering to him to stop. His reply, Stop stopping me!
• Me: Do good boys get presents? Jack: No. Jack gets presents.
• I don't like tomorrow. I want to put tomorrow in the garbage.
• While applying my deodorant to his body, he stood in front of the mirror and said, Put it on my nipples...make them nice and shiny.
• If Jack hears me get frustrated, he always tells me: You angry mom? Here, I make you happy.

There are so many more that I forget to write down...

Guess What We Made?

We made a gingerbread house, or as Jack calls it, a "candy house." Jack really just liked the frosting, or as he refers to it, "glue." He insisted on doing it himself, which really meant putting one drop on the house and then squeezing the rest of it directly into his mouth. Not surprising, he didn't eat any lunch after this.

Yummy Blood

Saturday, Jack cut his lip. He either bit it or banged it against my head when he threw a tantrum as we were leaving the park...just another embarrassing moment for mom that was made worse by the fact that my son was bleeding by the time I got him to the car.

Although I cleaned up the blood in the car, it was bleeding enough that it pooled onto his finger when we got home. He took one look at it and announced that it was juice, not blood. I told him, no, it was blood. He argued with me, so I told him to taste it. Bad idea.

A Visit with Santa

For the past week, each morning when Jack wakes up, he immediately asks if Santa brought him a silver Ironman for Christmas. I then spend 5 minutes trying to explain that it isn't Christmas yet. Today, we took a trip to the mall to see Santa. I thought if I went early on a Monday there would be less kids there for Jack to hold up while I convinced him to sit on Santa's lap. (He refused last year.) Of course, he was excited the whole drive over, and ran through the mall to find him. Once we got close, however, Jack hid behind me and kept his hands up by his face in his cute shy pose. I have to say, the Santa at PV mall was awesome. He took his time and got Jack to sit next to him and even got his hands away from his face long enough for a quick picture. I did have to tell Santa what Jack wanted for Christmas since he wouldn't speak to him. By the end, Jack did feel comfortable enough to lean in close to Santa...although he never smiled. Jack did tell him thank you before we left. It turned out much better than I expected.

A Day at the Zoo

Tuesday, Jack and I spent the morning at the zoo. I try to keep him extra busy while Stuart is away so that he is distracted and not focused as much on his dad being gone.

He was so excited, he even agreed to ride in his stroller...well some of the time.

We rode a camel. (Yes, I spoiled him a little since he kept asking for his dad to join us.)

He loved riding the tractors.

The kiddie area was fun for awhile, but he really preferred seeing all the animals.

Sadly, this was his FAVORITE part of the zoo. He looked for these everywhere.

I love hanging out with my little man and showing him new things.

Early Thanksgiving

A little late, but I am finally posting Thanksgiving stuff. We had our Thanksgiving dinner a week ago. My mom likes to have it early so her kids don't feel like they have to choose who they are spending the holiday with...that worked out great for us since Stuart is spending the actual holiday in China for work. My mom is in the process of moving, so we offered to host it at our house this year. This was our first time hosting and, unfortunately, with how busy I was, I didn't take many pictures.

Jack was so eager to help get everything ready. He kept telling me I made a "beautiful party." He was so excited he even agreed to wear a tie for the occasion. (This was taken before the chaos ensued.)


Despite all the good food, none of the kids really ate. Caitlin was mad that she had to sit at the kids table, so she pouted on the couch. Jack wouldn't sit down without her and kept following her around. I think he ate one bite of a roll, but he did drink 4 glasses of sparkling cider.

I did get a rare opportunity to see this cute girl...although she clearly preferred Grandma to anyone else in the room. Jack kept kissing her and trying to help teach her to walk.



This is the closest we got to a family picture. I know it's blurry and not flattering, but none of them are good and I just love Ryan getting in the shot.


Jack really misses out not having his cousins close enough to see more often. He definitely wears out his welcome with the older kids...he can't help himself...he is just so excited when he gets to see them. I made the mistake of telling Jack way too early that everyone was coming over for Thanksgiving and Jack spent days asking when Ryan was coming. And, the entire day before the event, anytime Jack heard a noise, he would scream, "Caitlin's here!" Poor kid.

So Thankful

I am very thankful for my little boy today. Stuart is in China for 9 days, so Jack and I spent a quiet Thanksgiving alone. At the end of the evening, I was feeling frustrated after 3 consecutive time outs for Jack because of his behavior. We were calming down and sitting together on the couch, when Jack turned to me and said, "Come laugh with me. Wanna laugh?" I love this kid so much. In a second he can make up for all the trouble he causes.

And as much as we missed Stuart today, I am thankful that he has work that allows him to provide for his family, even if it sometimes takes him away from us.

Christmas Decorations

Last week we did most of our Christmas decorating. I know it's early. I normally wait until the day after Thanksgiving, but Stuart was going to be out of town and that meant doing it early or late...and I couldn't wait. Jack helped a ton this year...it was so fun. He would pick the spots he liked on the tree and then put all the ornaments in the same spot; it was very cute.

Such a ham...I kept trying to get a picture of his clustered up ornaments, but Jack kept insisting on getting in the shot.

After trying to climb into his giant stocking, Jack decided he had to put his Halloween candy in his. (Thanks mom for making extra big ones for everyone...I'm sure Santa appreciates having that much more space to fill.)

My favorite moment was when Jack feed the sparkly reindeer a sparkly leaf ornament. He is such a sweet boy.

We are all anxious for Christmas this year!

Hurry Christmas

Jack is so excited about Christmas.

He can't wait for it to get here.

He talks about it ALL THE TIME.

I love it!

Dressed to Impress

As you all know, keeping Jack dressed is a daily challenge. The second we get in the door, he strips his clothes off...it's not worth the hassle of fighting him on it. Last Friday, we convinced him he should dress nicely for his baby sitter, Chloe. I thought it would be a nice change if, just once, he was wearing something other than just underpants when she arrived. He liked that idea. This is what he selected, slippers and all.

Yes, technically, he still isn't wearing pants, but it is an improvement.

Family Photo Struggles

Last weekend we attempted to do some pics for our Christmas cards. It was frustrating to say the least. It's hard to keep a 3 year old still long enough to do any picture, much less one that requires our tripod and a timer. Jack actually looked great in all the pics. But, Stuart hated himself in every picture and I just looked old. I think most of the frustration is born out of the fact that it is family picture missing 2 important members. The girls are getting older and coming home less often. And, when they do come home, it isn't usually at the same time. This is creating some stress around our Christmas cards and what to do. We have a few creative ideas involving photo shop, but they seem cheesy. Maybe we will just do a Jack card. You'll have to wait and see.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

What? You don't trim your tree naked? You are missing out on a timeless Christmas tradition...

It's a Good Thing He's Cute

We had a playdate at the park Friday. It went pretty well, until the end. One of the older girls came up and informed me that Jackson was peeing. What?! I run over and he is NAKED from the waist down. He had removed his shorts and underwear and peed...all over...THE SIDEWALK! I honestly wouldn't have minded if he had gone in the bushes or something like that, but he had to strip down and pee ON THE SIDEWALK! That wasn't enough. The minute he saw me coming, he jumped on his friend's bike to ride away...still naked! The other mother was horrified. We immediately left because Jack was in trouble. How embarrassing.

Music to My Ears

Isn't that the best sound in the world?

Thankless Job

I've noticed a bit of a trend when Jackson says his prayers each night. When he thanks God for the people in his life, this is the hierarchy he seems to follow:

• He always mentions his dad...twice. Dad is first and last every time.
• He always mentions his cousin Bremen.
• He sometimes mentions his sisters, Heather and Karen.
• He occasionally mentions his Papa.
• He occasionally mentions his uncle Kevin.
• He never mentions his mom. Not even once.

I try not to prod him and let him do it himself, and this is what I get. Nice. Of course, when he has a nightmare at 4am, he only wants his mom. It's a good thing I am not in this for the glory.

P.S. I should mention he always asks to have "no bad dreams." In fact, he tells me he has to say that part extra loud. I guess he wants to make sure God hears him.

P.P.S. Jack asked me to take this picture when I put him down for his nap today. He wanted a picture of himself sleeping.

It's All New to Jack

On a recent visit, my brother Kevin mentioned that one of the best things about being a parent was the opportunity to experience everything again for the first time...this time, through the eyes of your child. I really love that too. Jack is so curious about everything and is eager to always experience more. Last week, we were watching the stars in the sky. (I know I look awful in this picture, but I love the look on Jack's face.) Jack then got out his net and tried to catch the stars. I need to follow his example and slow down more often to enjoy the world around me.

He's Still Too Little

Recently, when checking on Jack after he went to sleep, I noticed he had outgrown his bed. Poor kid sleeps with his arms over his head and his hands and feet touch both ends of the bed. (I should have realized this last month when Jack kicked his dogs out of his bed because he didn't like that they got in the way of his feet while he slept.) Luckily, we bought him a convertible crib. The final conversion stage is to turn it into a full size bed. Jack and I have been discussing this for weeks as I prepared him to move into a new bed. He was so excited about it. He helped me buy new sheets for his big bed. He didn't want red any longer and insisted on blue. Yesterday, we made the change.

HOLY COW! It really is a high bed. I was more than a little worried, but Jack loves it! He is so proud of his big bed. He slept great during his nap yesterday. At bedtime, however, he had some trouble falling asleep...nothing new...and played in his bed for a long time before going to sleep. After awhile, I heard the thud on the monitor and my heart dropped. I ran to his room to find him on his back on the floor. He whimpered a bit and told me he fell out of his bed. No crying and no bruises; I'm so relieved. He went back to bed and soon was asleep. I wanted to immediately switch him back to his smaller bed, but Stuart kept reminding me Jack didn't roll out of bed, he was just playing when it happened and next time he should be more careful when he plays. I'm giving in for now, but I am still worried.

My boy is growing up, I know, but looking at him in that big bed, he just looks so little. I just want to lay next to him and protect him a little longer.

Gargage Sale Finds

Saturday morning we were making our weekly run to Lowe's for supplies for a couple of the many house and garden projects we have going on over here, when Stuart suggested we stop and check out some of the garage sales we passed along the way. We do this a LOT. We bought a foreclosed home that was unfinished and, a year later, we still have much to do. Because we are cheap and refuse to go into debt for this, it is taking us awhile. So, we are always looking for bargains to help the process along. We didn't find anything we needed, but Jack made out like a bandit!

I know I said he doesn't get anything new until Christmas, but it's hard to pass up cheap toys. And, he was so irresistibly cute, asking in his sweetest voice if he could take the items home with us. I'm a sucker for this kid. Stuart was grumbling about this when we packed up the car, but I reminded him it was his idea to stop. Come on, a $2 fire truck? What a steal! Besides, recycling used toys is environmentally responsible. Jack loved the truck so much he slept with it during his nap yesterday. That is priceless.

BUGS

Jack loves bugs...most of the time. He is so gentle with them. When we go to the park, he will put his arm in front of ants until they climb on him; he then walks around, showing his ants to other kids. We actually found a centipede in the house last week and Jack freaked out when Stuart said he was going to kill it. It was comical watching Stuart try to capture it alive so we could release it into the wild. However, when we find crickets (dead or alive) in the house, Jack won't go near them and instead makes us dispose of them.

This was taken in our backyard yesterday evening. Jack played for a long time with the ladybugs he found. Yes, Jack is wearing his life vest because he decided to go swimming. It was a little cold in the water, but that didn't stop him. Gotta love November in Arizona! I have great video of him with the bugs, but can't show it because he is naked from the waist down...what else is new?!

Hello Christmas

Jack is very excited about Christmas this year. I think he only tolerated Halloween because I told him Christmas came after it. One of his favorite things is our "Christmas Calendar" or our Advent Calendar. The day after Halloween he begged me to bring it into the house so he could play with it. He broke the Santa off it last year, but that only makes it more fun to play with.

Since this is the first year that Jack is really old enough to anticipate the coming holidays, I am extra excited. Plus, I just LOVE that I can put off his requests for everything with the response, "Well, maybe you can get it for Christmas, we'll have to wait and see." An even bigger bonus is the whole "Santa Claus Threat" discipline technique. All Stuart has to do is threaten to call Santa to report on Jack's behavior and he straightens right up for us. (We are awful, aren't we?)

Yes, I know Thanksgiving is the next holiday, but we just can't wait over here!

Bye Bye Halloween

Yesterday, we put away the Halloween decorations. It was sad. Jack suddenly became very attached to our mummy. I walked into the room to find him hugging the mummy. He looked at me and said, "Look mom, I hugging him. He loves me." He carried him around in a blanket the rest of the morning.

I had to wait until Jack's nap to put the decorations away.

My Little Ghost

Last month, Jack decided he wanted to be Spiderman for Halloween, but I refused to spend $20 on a costume when there was no guarantee he would actually wear it. So, first we took a family trip to go try on costumes. Jack refused to try it on for us, so we didn't buy anything. A couple of weeks ago, however, he announced he wanted to be a ghost. He has been running around the house with blankets over his head telling us he is a ghost. Since I know my boy doesn't like wigs or masks, the costume process was cheap. I bought a $4 package of cheese cloth at Walmart and cut holes in the center to put over his head. We still figured it was highly unlikely that he would be willing to wear the costume. So, Stuart and I got dressed up first to inspire Jack. Even with that, it took a bribe of 2 pieces of chocolate to get him in costume.

He was a little nervous about it, until our neighbors knocked on our door. Their twins are in kindergarten and of course, Jack wants to do whatever the older kids do. It was like someone flipped a switch and he changed in an instant from a toddler into a kid. He took off down the street with the kids, leaving us parents scrambling to keep up with them. He did not hesitate at any of the houses we visited. He wasn't remotely shy. He was ALWAYS the leader of the pack!

And, let me tell you, our neighbors got into the spirit of things in a BIG way. One couple had a tea party set up outside and dressed as the mad hatter and the queen of hearts. It was awesome. Another had a gruesome chainsaw scene being acted out in their courtyard. Jack wasn't scared. We were stunned at his behavior. It's like he grew up in an instant.

I should point out that we really don't have any pictures of the evening, which is a shame. As the night wore on, his costume got frayed and only looked better. Note to self: do NOT put Stuart in charge of picture taking again. We do have a couple of short videos, but nothing exciting.

Tell me how our son ended up with the most candy of all the kids?! He filled this up before we were done so we took it away and give him the bag for the 20 month old that was with us. Jack filled it up for him.

We ended the evening with some bounce house play at another neighbors house. It was so fun! Every time Jack came down the slide, he would stop and ask our permission to go again...so cute...but he was filthy at the end of the night.

He did great with the candy. He only had one sucker during the night that he never finished. He would have Stuart hold it while he played. He would return and ask for it, take one lick, and give it back to his dad to hold. Too cute!

Have I mentioned how much I love our neighborhood?! Oh, and in his excitement he skipped his nap on Halloween and after all that running around, he slept in until I finally woke him up at 8am this morning! Awesome!