Daddy's Favorite Son

I always joke that Jack is lucky. He gets to be his daddy's favorite son, while his sisters have to fight for position as favorite daughter.

Of course, favorite kid is still up for grabs!

Celebrations

March has been a month of celebrations in our house. We celebrated our wedding anniversary and a few days later, Stuart's birthday. We had a great gourmet dinner and dessert for our anniversary, but for Stuart's birthday, we had cupcakes. You might think the Spiderman cupcakes were Jack's choice, but you would be wrong. Karen and her friend picked them out for the occasion. Although, I think Karen was a little grossed out by her little brother.

Jack loves birthdays. He really doesn't care whose birthday it is...as long as there is cake and wrapping paper, he is happy. He insists on helping wrap and unwrap presents. And he loves frosting...not cake, but frosting.

Big Sisters

Jack loved having his big sisters here for spring break. When they first arrived, he ran to them and wouldn't let them go. It was great to see. It was challenging because they were not here at the same time. The whole visit with Heather, Jack was continually asking about Karen; he just couldn't understand why they weren't both here.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of him with Heather (she was sick most of the time she was here.) But, we did get a good one with Karen. She is really getting very good at entertaining him. She taught him lots of fun things. Like putting his hands up in the air when we drive over bumps in the car...as if he were on a roller coaster. She also taught him to blow bubbles in his milk...not quite as cute. The hardest part of having the girls here is that Jack wants to be with them all the time. It is difficult for him to be separated from them, even for a few minutes.

Thanks Papa

One of Jack's favorite things to do in the backyard is ride his tractor. It was a gift from one of his favorite people: his papa. It's pretty durable as it survived his older cousins who used it before him. I just love that even though he knows how to steer, he instead loves to drive until he crashes into something, climb off it, and physically reposition the tractor in the direction he wants. Crazy kid.

BUSY

I know I haven't posted much lately. It's especially frustrating because I have so much to report on right now, but we have been very busy. Both of the girls were here for spring break, but since Heather is now in college, they no longer have spring break at the same time. In late February, early March, we had Heather, her girlfriend, and our niece all in town. 3 days after they left, Karen and her friend were here for close to 2 weeks. Then, within 24 hours of Karen heading back to Canada, Stuart's parents arrived in town. So, I'm sure you can imagine the whirlwind of activity that has been going on over at our house. Anyway, I am going to try to catch up on the latest Jack news, but until then, please admire this adorable picture.

Jack's New Yard

YEA! Our yard is now 90% complete. We are so excited. The pool, deck, trees, and rock are all done. We are doing the plants ourselves to save money, so that is why it looks a little bare right now, but overall we are thrilled with the results.

Jack LOVES it. He asks constantly to go outside to play. He loves running on the grass. (This was filmed before the rock was put in the yard...)

So, Jack would like to extend an open invitation for friends and family to come visit his new yard. We know we live far away from everyone, but we do have the room for overnight and extended stay visitors. We would love to have you anytime!

Pretend

Jack loves to play pretend. His favorite role is the turtle. He is always crawling around the house telling me, "Look mommy! Turtle!"

His penguin moves, however, look very similar to his robot moves.

SICK

Jack is very ill. He has a bad case of "sticker face." Symptoms include big smiles, lots of giggles, and an adorable face you can't help but love.

Too Soon

Yesterday I had to make a trip to the store to buy Jack some new underwear. It seems he has outgrown the toddler sizes. I had to buy little boy sizes instead. He is just 2 and a half! I am so sad. I wasn't ready for that to happen so soon.

Jack Quote

Yesterday, when I left the room to put some clothes away, Jack decided to strip naked. Nothing new. I asked him what happened to his pants. He looked at me so sweetly and said, "they fell off."

This pic is from last weekend...before the rain flooded the yard. Jack is always naked in our backyard. Every time he got mud on his hands, he wiped them on his butt. So funny!

Weird and Wacky Jack Fact #5

One of Jack's favorite things is his pink screwdriver. It was part of a set that I got as a gift years ago. It's a novelty that doesn't work well, so I never use it. Jack, however, really likes it. He used it often at the old house. Since we moved, however, we had been unable to find it. Jack asked for it at least 4 times a week. A few days ago, Stuart found it. Jack couldn't be happier.

Surprise

Bedtime Delays

Jack is becoming a pro at his attempts to delay bedtime. These are a few of my favorite tactics:

• When we tell him it is time for bed, he will try his best to convince us he should sleep in our bed, climbing in, pulling up the covers and looking so dang cute I almost want to say yes.
• When I put him in his bed, he will ask, "see Daddy?" When I tell him daddy is going to sleep too, he then asks, "see Grammie/Pappa?" (They are apparently one person now.) When I tell them no, he then asks, "see Bremen?" For some reason, these are the only people he asks for at bedtime.
• He now tells me he is "scared." When I remind him that he isn't scared, he will then tell me "snakey scared." (He often sleeps with his rubber snake.)
• He always needs one last drink.
• He always wants me to "rock you" or "cuddle face" or sing to him. Currently, the song of choice is Silent Night. (I know it is now March, but he doesn't want to let go of this particular Christmas song.) He even knows when I begin the last verse and begs me to sing it again. I always have to warn him when it is the last time, which usually works.
• Then there is the whole bee issue. This one is weird. Jack is obsessed with bees. He isn't exactly scared of them, but he is highly concerned. He keeps telling me he sees a bee. So, I have to do a room check to assure him there is no bee. If he sees a little piece of fuzz or lint on his bedding, he will be convinced it is a bee. The other day he thought a small hole in his sheet was a bee. We often hear him on the monitor saying, "BEE, BEE! A bee Mommy, a bee!" This can go on for a long time. I should say, the bee thing is not limited to bedtime. Bizarre.

Gotta love it. He just wants to stay up with us!