Jack has been super sweet the past couple weeks. He is usually pretty sweet, but he has said/done a couple super sweet things that stand out in my mind so I thought I would share.

1. Pete's phone wasn't charged so I didn't know what time he would be home and there was no way to find out. That afternoon I was starting to get all antsy. When would Pete be home? Jack said, " Mommy, I love daddy too, but I can wait. Here- have some of my patience." He then tossed some patience my way.

2.If I don't eat regularly I have blood sugar issues. I get dizzy, my jaw clenches, my heart feels like it is racing, and I become mean. I try to avoid people when I am like this and find food asap. I decided to make popcorn (we make it on the stove) and Jack saw what I was doing. He really wanted to help. I told him no that I was feeling sick and it would be best if I could just do it alone and real fast. He kept asking and again I said no because I was sick. Halfway through my making it he said, "Mom, if you are sick I can help you. I know how."

I was looking for pictures of Jack to post but in like 90% he is in just his underwear. I didn't feel real comfortable putting those on here, so I had to look back over the past month to find some that include clothes. I found these and remembered how handsome he looked. His smile is still a scrunched up face that isn't really a smile at all and does not involve seeing his eyes. Pete decided to teach him how to make a handsome face instead of a smiley face for the camera. The pictures below are Jack's handsome face pictures.



This picture is just because it is precious to see your kids asleep. I always love it. Plus, it shows how sweet our dog is even after Jack chases him around all day with swords and light sabers.

The next two pictures are to show the contrast in Jack's camera face and Luke's. Luke loves the camera and knows exactly what to do. If he sees the camera pointed in his direction he starts out with a small smile that then turns into what you see below. He holds the smile until the flash goes off. He knows what he is doing.

Some stuff Luke likes to do

I did laundry the other day and when I walked past the washing machine I noticed this:



Yeah, it is a granola bar. Jack is the one that usually eats bars so it must be his. Though, I suppose I should have checked pockets before I put clothes in the washing machine. Plus, I just left it in there. Bonus, it disintegrated. Lazy!! I have a lot on my mind this week, and I don't see the next couple weeks getting any better.

Luke is starting to take things out/off of drawers and shelves. He has loads of fun with it.




Luke is still bopping his head to the music. He loves to dance, bang on the piano, and sing. It is pretty cute. In an attempt to rectify the lack of reading we have been going all out. He is starting to enjoy reading and will pay attention to a few favorites. He really seems to like Sandra Boynton books the best. We give him options and he always picks - What's Wrong Little Pookie. This is followed by whatever Sandra Boynton book we have available.

He loves to hang out with Pete and Jack. He watches them play in Jack's room and then tries to mimic what they are doing. It is adorable, but I don't get to see much of it because when I am around he mostly cries. As soon as I leave he is the world's best baby, but I enter the room and it is all tears and hold me. Kids like to save their best side for mom.


So a couple more Luke pictures from this week just to round out what he has been up to. In the picture below he is eating dog food. I am not 100% sure that he has actually eaten and swallowed a whole piece yet, but he does put it in his mouth for a bit.

He has started to pull up on the push/ride toy. He isn't overly interested in trying to walk with it. He mostly likes to spin the the red/blue roller at the top.

It's different the second time

I have spent the last hour or so putting pictures back on our blog; I deleted the ones from 2008-March 2009. I am currently in July of 2008- I fear it will be a long task since I don't really remember what pictures I used, plus I already know I messed up once, but at this point I don't reeeaally care. I am doing it, though, so I can make Pete's birthday present. Since it will probably take me until April to sort out all the pictures I am not really doing it ahead of time.

Looking through the Jan. -March 2008 blogs I am learning that things are different the second time around-- with kids that is. At this age (Luke's current age) Jack already loved to read and have story time in bed. He would pull out favorite books, he would flip through books on his own and try to imitate the growl noises from stories with animals. He was beginning to sign in order to communicate with us. I am not comparing Luke and Jack-- I am comparing me to me. Did I get lazy? Did I stop trying? Is it just easier to put Luke on the floor and say-- there, go bang stuff? Of course it is easier, but is it better? Can I just say it is their personalities and they are just different? That may be partially true, but I am sure I put more effort into making sure that Jack was reading, signing, starting to do basic puzzles, I am sure I was somehow organizing his banging time more constructively, and probably so much more. Oh Luke-- I am sorry.

Though being second has advantages- I mean you get an older brother. Every time Luke sees Jack he just smiles so so big. This will probably mean that in the future he will do better with wrestling, meeting new people, and trying new things. Maybe I am just trying to make myself feel better. Maybe that is ok. Still, I intentionally read 3 books to Luke today. He tried to eat the first two and crawl on my face, but I think he sort of listened to the third one.

Speaking of dear Luke I want you to know that you forget things about this age like-- the child wants to be held constantly!!!!! If I am cleaning-held, if I am getting dressed- held, if I am sitting down-held, if I am doing anything at all- held. I put him on the floor and he just cries. He follows me around until he gets to my feet and then he touches them (this is how he says up please). If I am busy and walk over him then I have just committed the worst atrocity of all time and he breaks down even more. I fear someone will walk by our house, hear crying, and see a mother stepping over her child, ignoring him, and call child services. I do have to get things done so sometimes this is the only way. I sometimes I can get out of it by sticking him in his high chair and giving him food, but then the person out the window would see a baby alone in the kitchen eating with the mother hidden from sight-- probably folding laundry.

Learning to stand up has many advantages, but one disadvantage (for mom and dad ) is the I can now stand up in bed if I don't really want to be in here right now, and I can't get down by myself yet stage. Our perfect new baby has decided sleep is for the birds, add I can stand up in bed now and this equals a baby that doesn't sleep and parents who are grumpy.

He has also added to his list of tricks throwing blankie overboard. This is a good one. The last few days we have noticed that when he wakes up from a nap crying (if you can call it a nap) his blankie has been thrown out of the crib. It leads us to the question which came first? Did you want to get out of bed so you threw your blanket over because you knew if you cried and we saw it there we would get you out? Were you already awake and playing with it when it happened to fall out of your hand causing you great distress thus leading to the crying? Hmm.... Baby?

If you couldn't tell that nap time is a struggle for us let me just bluntly say-- it is a real pain in the arse. Today for example. He was crying when I held him, he was crying when I put him down, he acted like he wanted to nurse, he didn't really want to nurse, so I said naps! I lay him down and minutes later he is crying. This is what I walk in to see.



Fine, Jack already made his way in so we just let them hang out in Luke's bed for a bit.




As you can plainly see-- Luke is obviously exhausted. Look at his eyes! We try again.



Jack takes his nap and Luke just starts a wailing. I ignore this for a quite sometime because he HAS to go to sleep. It isn't stopping, it is not getting better, it has been like 40 minutes, so I go in there and he is just standing up screaming and the blanket has gone overboard. I pick him up bring him in my room, let him crawl for about 10 minutes then he wants to be held. I hold him and he just starts rubbing his eyes like crazy. We try again. As soon as he sees where I am headed he just starts screaming. He is mad. Too bad baby-- you HAVE to take a nap. He cries for a few minutes then silence. Awww-- nice that only took 2 hours. Guess how long he sleeps? 45-50 minutes. GRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ringing in the New Year

We were at my dad's for the New Year. We didn't do a ton and it was pretty laid back, but I still think Jack had a good time. We ordered pizza for dinner, watched Dragon Tales with Aunt Jamie, Uncle Will came home early so we played Uno, Chutes and Ladders, War, and a variation of Crazy Eights with him, then Jack became a witch and battled the 2011 monster (me) and this was all before 9:30/9:45 pm. Since Jack was getting sleepy but refused to go to bed until he rang in the New Year we fibbed a bit and told him it was already midnight so we could bang pots and pans right then. I am not sure he truly believed us, but he went with it. Pete found some pots and pans and outside we went to loudly say goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011. Jack thought it was amazing and couldn't believe he was allowed to do this. Once inside we told him we could get ready for bed, but he said no we were supposed to stay up all night. He thought this meant no sleep at all. We then decided to set up the couch for him, turn down the lights, and watch How to Train your Dragon. It was about 45 minutes later that both Jack and I were asleep. We woke up at the end of the movie and moved into the bedroom.

Since Baby Luke was not out and about for the evening festivities I dressed him up in our New Year's gear the next morning so he could celebrate his first New Year holiday.

So...

Hello 2011~

We have no big plans for you, no real expectations, no resolutions, no big goals to achieve; still we say hi, and I hope it is a good year.

A glimpse into Christmas

Here is a picture snapshot into our Christmas holiday.


Jack and Luke can't sleep in the same room-- Luke is such a light sleeper-- so Jack moved into the office during our stay with Granny and Pappy. Here is a picture of Luke just visiting Jack right after naps.

Jack spent well over 80% of his awake hours on the pool table playing with trucks, pool balls, and mostly dragons!!! He wanted people to go in there all the time, but it was so cold over there that I opted to stay near the fire, but look he is not bothered by the cold at all.

Pete and I tried to get a picture of just the two of us, but Jack kept sneaking in so we went for the family shot.


This was Luke's favorite present. It is cute to see him smile real big when he sees it, but the thing annoys me so much!! It is so sensitive to the touch and is so loud-- a mother's nightmare.

Jack getting a dragon from Santa.

Baby Luke getting his doggy toy.

Jack getting a dragon toy from Danny. Jack racked up the dragon toys.

Pete and Luke before Christmas Mass.

Luke began pulling up regularly and climbing up the stairs while we gone for Christmas break.


Things just wouldn't be right without a few Jackisms.
- Jack, why aren't you wearing pants?
Because I am a hobbit.

- Pete saying to Jack: You have 3 options...
Jack ticking off on his fingers: 1. stink 2. stank 3. stunk

-Jack, can I pass?
You shall not pass!!! Then slamming ping pong paddles on the ground.

-Jack to Cassie: I like you
Cassie: You don't like me?
Jack: That is not what I said. Girls just never listen to boys.

Exploding Baby Jesus

I wasn't really planning on writing anytime super soon. I mean , I just wrote on here the other day. I thought of posting a few things to my facebook status, but well, then my status would be really long, and I always wonder why people make such super long status updates, so that idea went out the window. So it boiled down to why not just do a quick little blog about it.

So the following are things that happened today.

-This one is just quick and cute. Luke thieved my pretzel today. Jack and I bought a pretzel at the mall, to share, and I guess Luke took that to mean thieve from his mom and brother. When we sat down to eat the pretzel a big bite was gone. Where did it go? Surely they don't sell pre-eaten pretzels. Then I saw it-- baby Luke's mouth was bursting with pretzel. Listen baby Luke-in the words of Dora the Explorer, "Swiper, no swiping!"

-Last year Jack received a Little People's Nativity set. We put it up in his room this year. It is cute and kids can play with it-- which is sort of a catch isn't it? I mean, yes, it is kid friendly so it can't get broken. A plus for sure. This year I had to super glue the shepard's head back on (from my nativity set), and no kids were involved in his beheading. So plastic = great idea. However, the thing is, they can play with it. Do you want your kids playing with the manager scene? Now really? I am not talking about those rare children that will act out the whole Christmas story, but kids who will take the pieces and actually play with them the way kids play. Let that sink in. Ponder it even. Ok. Now my son explodes things, not for real--yet, he explodes me, the cashier, Tigran, Luke, his friends, and etc.; I hope you are getting the point. Today Baby Jesus and either a dinosaur or a transformer were exploding people and things all over the house. Toys were being thrown across the room, into the tree, at the ceiling, bad guys and good guys alike were being killed- all at the hand of baby Jesus.

-We were invited to a Christmas party at our friend's church. Now many people who read this may have been at said party and may not have noticed these things, and to you I say--- Great! However, the following events are real and did take place. During dinner Jack was told he had to eat 10 bites or else we would not stay to see Santa. I give him 10 of the smallest bites of cheese and noodles(things that he loves) at bite number 10 he opens his mouth, make a face and noise like he is going to vomit and then begins to cough up and out the food in his mouth. Yes, people saw this-it was gross. I had a napkin handy so I was able to at least put it over his mouth. We decide to let him play. There is a portable coat rack thing in the gym, boys are climbing all over it, and Jack starts moving all the boys across the gym while they are dangling from coat rack. No, that isn't so bad-- a boys will be boys thing-- still it was my boy. Next it is time for the reading of the Christmas Story from Luke with a few carols thrown in. Jack is in the back with a few other kids running around. I figure it is better if he stay back there then forcing him to sit with us and listen because that wouldn't have happened. He gets a large broom and begins to chase kids with it while roaring at them. He is a loud roarer, so if you were in attendance at said program and heard growls, that was my kid. Then my friend gestures to where my son is, and he has managed to take the plastic part off the fire alarm and is about to reach up and finish the job. Now really, that may have been fun--right? Finally, while people are still reading and singing, he begins to turn off the lights in the gym. We left after that. Santa was coming so we had to get out of there before he saw how bad we were. I think we just missed him, so he probably has no clue what happened.

Tree decoration night

Tree decoration time!!! Not sure if LED lights hate my camera,or I am just a horrible photographer, but our pictures did not turn out well. Boo.

This night was supposed to go smoothly because I had it all planned out. I guess that means it was destined to go wrong. I wanted to string the lights this afternoon so that it would be one less thing to do this evening, but we were a strand short. I started making dinner this morning, using the crockpot so I should have been on top of things, but the lights and dinner both combined at go hour to about do me in. We had to pick Pete up later than usual, we had to go to Wal-Mart to pick up those lights, and then we were going to go home and kick off tree decoration night. Luke was immediately tired and hungry the moment we had to pick up Pete. Pete had a huge headache-massive. We get home, stick Luke in his highchair, put water on to boil( for the noodles- we had cincinnati chili), and then decide to finish stringing the lights. Pete is sitting on the couch with an icepack to his head(watching the Simpsons) while I finish up the lights when the tree begins to fall. It just fell. I grabbed it, and well you know, it was eventful. Luke was in his highchair, I was holding the tree up, Pete and Jack got out tools to help get the tree in and out of the stand, and the water was boiling/the noodles were overcooking the whole time. This is not how I envisioned the evening. They finally get the tree in the stand but it is a bit crooked. I call timeout on the tree because I do want to finish dinner with it still being edible, and Luke really needs to go to bed. It actually didn't turn out too bad, and I stuck some cookie dough in the oven while we ate. Pete decided I was in need of my Chianti, so a big glass was poured. Pete was probably in need of his Old Style, but he had to go study, so it wasn't in the cards for him. After dinner it was time for me to get the cookies on a plate and hot chocolate with marshmallows going for Jack. Earlier in the day the idea of music flitted through my brain, and I meant to do something about it, but I never really got around to it. We have tons of Christmas cds, but the thing is we have no way to play them. We don't have a small portable cd player and neither of our computers have disc drives that work. We do have iTunes but not loaded with our Christmas music. Pete started downloading Mannheim Steamroller to put on his iPod, but you see this wasn't part of the plan. I finish stringing the lights only to find out I did it wrong. The plug part was absent at the end, it was hidden in the tree, the socket part was ready, but that doesn't really work when all you have is another socket-- they don't fit, do they? I had to take all the lights off and start all over. Jack was putting ornaments on the tree, and was actually very excited and totally pumped because this was the first time he was actually able to really help. He didn't even seem overly upset when I kept knocking them off with all my light issues. Finally, we get the lights on the tree, the music is going, the hot chocolate and cookies are out, and we are doing it-yay! The thing is, and they really don't tell you this, but Jack kept breaking our ornaments. It's ok we have plenty, so we just tell him he has to move on to the nonbreakable ornaments. He is fine with this, but many of the nonbreakable ones are heavy and keep falling off the tree when he puts them on because he puts them on the very tip of the branches. I offer to help and suggest a place to put one with penguins, this seems innocent enough but apparently isn't, he gets upset and starts to cry. I say to him," I thought you wanted to help because you like Christmas." He looks at me and says, " I thought YOU liked Christmas!" Then runs into his room and closes the door. He came out a bit later and was ready to go again. He and Pete started doing something called Ornament Ornament to Mannheim Steamroller- it was some type of punch dance move with the ornaments. Most of the time I am on the outside looking in on their games. In the end though it all ended up ok-- great even. The tree is up and looks great, Jack got to help and loves the lights, plus now he has a new Christmas dance move to show off at family gatherings.