New playing ideas?

Lately I have felt like Jack and I are in a playing rut. We play with puzzles, cars, blocks, and books, it doesn't vary a whole lot day in and day out. These are his favorites, why ruin a good thing? So I decided to try something new. This morning I got out the colander and some angel hair pasta, turned the colander upside down, and showed Jack how to put the pasta through the holes. Then I got out some tupperware and put rice, sushi and white, in them along with a small cup so he could scoop. We had a pretty good time. I realized I have failed him on the scooping front because he had no idea how to scoop. He decided to forgo the cup and use his hands. This then turned into just dumping the containers upside down and putting a few handfuls back in the tupperware containers. He also tried putting the rice on top of the colander. I showed him how to put the rice in the colander along with the pasta, the colander being right side up, and this was fun, but not as fun as dumping it on his head and then doing it again!

Here are a few pictures to show you what Jack has been up to this week.

Jack has discovered lotion-- he wants to put some on all the time.


He also discovered my eye patch and decided to become a pirate-arrr!

Finally, Jack has become obsessed with the vacuum cleaner, swiffers, and the broom. Here is Jack helping to clean up our mess.

Forts, Pumpkins, and Fun Times

Life around here is always a ton of fun. We are truly blessed- we enjoy each other's company so much. Here is a taste of our fun. Jack LOVES to hide. He loves to hide his stuff, himself, and us. So Pete started building him forts made out of sofa cushions,then I decided to build a fort the way I remember building them when I was younger. So the first two pictures are Jack hanging out in the fort. He loved it because he could walk around, play with toys, read books, and the whole family fit-even Tigran.


Where's Jack?



This week for playgroup we went to a place called Millennium Farms. We had originally planned on going on a hayride, but those are only offered on the weekend-Friday didn't count as a weekend. We still had fun. We went to the petting zoo and Jack was very brave from far away, but when we got inside the barn Jack broke down and demanded to be held. When we posed the kids for pictures Jack was screaming and crying. He was better as soon as we left the barn. They had this little trough filled with corn kernnels and all sorts of shovels, trucks, and other toys--this is the area that Jack enjoyed the most. They have pumpkins you can buy, and as you can see Jack thought he could pick his pumpkin up all by himself. There were other things to do and we had a great time.

Labor Day

We spent our weekend in Morehead, and Jack had the best time he has ever had there thanks in large part because of the geen tuck or mamowah or for those of you not schooled in Jack talk- the green lawnmower. Oh yes many many hours were logged on the various riding lawnmowers by Jack and those who have not learned how to say no when he looks up at you and says- peese, outside peese.

Sean, Cassie, Pete, Danny, and I went kayaking at Cave Run Lake. We stopped by the Bike Shop to pick up our kayaks and off we went. It was a great day to be out on the lake- it was so pretty. Pete and I shared a double as did Cassie and Sean, Danny was all by his lonesome. I did better this time than I did the first time-- that was not so fun. There were tons of people camping right on the lake, so we were able to get someone to take a group shot after we were done with our afternoon fun.

There were other fun activities going on as well- Pete took Jack on his first bike ride. However, Pete did not factor in the oppressive heat and humidty so it wasn't a very long bike ride, but I think they both had fun. We played ladder golf, and while Sean was ladder golf champ, Cassie was the champion at knocking balls off-especially Sean's winning point balls. There was also a ping pong tournament that Pete dominated in, and a softball game that caused Pappy's knee to swell and fill with fluid of some sort-- we are still waiting to hear. We hope he is feeling a little better at least.

Jack started calling Danny- Daniel or Un Daniel. He really loved saying Cassie and Sean. He still isn't saying Granny but would also take to calling Granny- Daniel. He said Mimi in a very high-pitched voice followed by Poppa in a lower voice. We had a great time and were glad to see everyone.