The Pea Coat

Before Kevin rushed off to work, I was able to get a picture of him and Jack in their matching pea coats. I caught them a little off guard, so we'll have to try for another sometime. The other one is of Jack watching Kevin leave for work. He cries every time until he is sure Kevin can't hear them. Then he stops and plays. He loves making us feel terrible when we leave, and he's very good at it.

Happy Birthday, Pops!

Today is Kevin's birthday and he is 27 years old. Jack got him teriyaki beef jerky for his birthday. Wasn't that thoughtful of him? And then we both got him a new pea coat so he can match Jack. The two boys look so adorable! Jack's pea coat is black with red lining, Kevin's is grey with black and turquoise lining, and mine is pink, purple, and black plaid/twead with pink lining. Seriously, we should enter some sort of cute family contest.

Happy Birthday, Pops! We love you oodles!

Christmas Morning

Well, Christmas is finally over. It took me quite a while to narrow down the pictures to my top 12 favorites. Jack had so much fun and despite my lack of holiday cheer, I'm so glad he had a wonderful Christmas.

We started the morning off with Kona coffee and opening gifts. Jack became a little upset after a while because he would start to play with a present and when we would try to get him interested in the next gift, he got highly irritated. After we got through about 70% of the gifts, we took a break and Jack watched Monsters Inc. Afterwards, he was ready to open the other gifts. Who knew one day could be so exhausting for a child?

After gifts, the three of us got all bundled up. We went outside for about 20 minutes. Jack was miserable after about 10 though. He got snow down his diaper and that would ruin anyone's fun. After our time in the snow, we came back in and while Jack napped, I got to clean! Around 3pm, I whipped up a spiral ham with a honey glaze, green bean casserole, real mashed potatoes, and rolls. Kevin gave the dinner a 9.75 out of 10, as my potatoes were a bit lumpy. The ham though, well, even I was tempted. No worries! I didn't stray. We have so much left overs though. Anyone need some ham?

Jack is now quietly playing with his new blocks, while Kevin and I are enjoying our first day off together in a month. That is, he's downstairs playing World of Warcraft and I'm upstairs blogging.

I can't wait to take down all of the Christmas decorations! I don't know why, but they irritate me beyond belief! The only decoration I plan to keep up all year round is the Pirate Nutcracker Lisa got Jack. It is unbelievably rad! Most people have candles or flowers for a center piece. Us? We have pirate memorabilia. Then again, when have we ever been conventional though?

A Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek of Jack's Christmas. We had a wonderful time in the snow! I am holding an icicle in the last picture. That's how we do it in Oregon.

Merry Christmas!

I have 118 photos I need to sort through from Jack opening presents this morning. How will I be able to narrow it down? GrAuntie Miche & Cindy's gifts haven't even arrived yet, and my dad & sister informed me they have more presents for Jack as well. I'm not joking, he received more presents then baby Suri. I think I am going to have to turn the spare bedroom into a play room for Jack! Anyway, I hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas. We have about 15 inches of snow and it is quite cold, so we are going to bundle that boy up and play in the snow this afternoon.

Merry Christmas!

Baby in a Box

Before I start today's blog, does any one have the phone number to Santa because I have a boy to add to his naughty list! Jack's two lower canines are coming in so he is exceptionally grouchy with me. They just broke skin, so I can understand him being a bit unhappy. But punching me, pulling my hair and then becoming a limp noodle (it's when I go to pick him up and he drops all of his weight and becomes almost impossible for me to pick him up) is not how good boys get Christmas presents! Oh man, if that kid knew who Santa was, I would totally do what my parents used to and call up Santa giving a report of a naughty child. I love Jack but today has become one of those days where you want to send your dumpling to Grandma.

Ok, on to the blog I was originally writing:

Kevin and I discovered a new game to play with Jack and he loves it! It's called "Baby in a Box". You take a box that is just barely bigger then your baby. The box must have a waxy finish to it for easy gliding, so we recommend Mirror Pond Ale boxes. You get 24 delicious beers and a great box for your baby! Give the box to the baby to climb into (watching Jack get into the box was the funniest thing we ever saw!). Next, you will need two adults. Put one adult in one corner of a room, and the other adult in the other corner. Then, with all your strength, push the baby in the box across the room and watch them glide like they were on ice! We played it forever until our arms were sore. Kevin is getting some rope to loop in the box so I can drag Jack around when he's not home to play Baby in a Box with me.

The Grinch

Remember the time I had a baby and I didn't want to push so I had a complete melt down at the hospital? That was basically me at Walmart today (the melt down part, not the baby out of the hoo-ha part. That would have just been awkward on so many levels.). I decided a long time ago that holidays just weren't for me. However, this year I went all out with the tree, lights, gifts, all so Jack could have a real Christmas. Next year, I'm sending him to Grandma. I don't care which one, but this holiday madness is ridiculous. I didn't even go to Walmart for holiday stuff. I finished all of that 2 weeks ago. I just wanted some tooth paste and conditioner.

So, we went to the post office which was a breeze (being that I was there 7 minutes before they opened and 3rd in line). Jack gave the stink eye to some lady who was playing with him. Nice to see he has that holiday spirit just like his mom. We are going to run a few more errands today and then I am officially not leaving the house until Friday (after Christmas sales here I come!).

I bought a spiraled ham for Christmas dinner. I will be making my famous green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, the ham, and dinner roles (I'm doing Pillsbury rolls, I don't have time for that make-it-from-scratch stuff). I've never roasted a ham before, so we'll see how this old vegetarian does. Luckily Kevin will be there to supervise. He really is a much better cook then me.

I gave up on my new book, The Host, to re-read Twilight. I know that has nothing to do with Jack, but my Twilighters out there will appreciate it. =)

Babycakes is napping right now. I'll try to get another picture of him with Soldier the cat today or tomorrow. Those two are stuck like glue. Ohh! I hope the cat isn't asleep on him! Yikes!

Be Our Guest

For the next couple of days, my friend Antoinette, will be staying with us. She currently lives with Amy and while Amy and her family are out of town for 10 days, we invited her to stay with us. Last night was her first night here and I think she really liked having a hot shower for once! Usually she is competing with 4 other people for one, whereas today she actually had one and didn't freeze. She brought along her cat, Soldier, who we absolutely love! He is the nicest kitty I've met in a long time. Jack follows him everywhere and points at him saying "dog dog dog dog dog dog." Well, what do you expect? He hasn't had many cats in his life!

This morning was quite interesting. Jack and I took our shower as usual. Once I get out of the shower, I let Jack run around our room naked until I finish my hair, makeup, etc. Then we get him ready. So, as I'm blow drying my hair, I smell something awful. Yeah, you guessed it, he had diarrhea all over the bathroom floor. Luckily it's tile so it was easy to clean up. But still, stinky gross!

Oh, and last night my poor baby woke up in tears. We brought him into our room at midnight. He kicked us all night in his sleep and slept horizontal again. I love it though. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Booties!

Today's blog was inspired by my friend Summer's blog, who makes note that having family who can do crafty things is fantastic! Gotta give credit where credit is due!

I absolutely love Jack's booties! GrAuntie Michele made them for him when he was born. She made three different sizes, and his feet are finally big enough for the third pair (we can still fit his fat feet into the other ones, too, though!). He wore them out and about yesterday and people complimented his adorable feet left and right. They all asked if I made them. I was tempted to take credit and look like one of those moms who can do anything, but I knew lying was a sure fire way for bad karma, so I told them his GrAuntie Miche made them. He was quite the popular boy!

Hello, Santa!

Last night was Kevin's company Christmas party. We arrived around 6pm which gave us a half an hour of schmoozing with his co-workers. Jack was not in the mood to be held, and since there were tons of kids there, I decided to set him down. It was like magic... the moment his toes touched that floor he was gone! Kevin and I chased him through this big ballroom around chairs, under chairs, around the CEO of his company... that kid can move! And every time he passed someone who was born before 1955, they would rub his head. (Back in the "the day" people would rub a little boy's head if he was blond because it meant good luck.) Finally, he stops as soon as he gets to the Christmas tree. But it wasn't the tree that caught his attention, no, it was the two 6 month old baby girls sitting next to it that caught his eye. One was this beautiful petite Asian baby dressed in a cherry dress and red stockings. The other was a little white baby (the two baby girls I later found out were only 2 weeks apart and 10 pounds difference. One was really small and the other was really big!). That little beauty was in this fabulous retroesque dress that I would kill to have in my size. Anyway, Jack stops where they are, and starts to creep closer. Kevin and I go into panic mode because we knew what he was thinking. All the other parents thought Jack was slowly creeping up to them because he was in love... but we knew better. He was hunting them. Ready to pounce and hit them! Just then, Jack grabs a toy! It was like slow motion. The little girl's father says, "Oh how cute! Jack wants to play with them" and Jack swings his arm back like a major league pitcher, aims for the two girls, and throws it. In slow motion, Kevin goes, "Noooooooooooooooo!" and jumps in front of it saving to the two precious angels. One of the little girl's dad goes, "Oh my gosh! I didn't even see that coming." Obviously a new dad. He has no sense of danger when it's coming. Jack sees Kevin and I looking quite unhappy with him and he is off again getting lost under tables.

After dinner, the man in red shows up. I was a little hesitant to let Jack sit on his lap as he reminded me of a whino I once saw on the mean streets of downtown Reno. But, he was a free Santa, and as a Reese, I can't say no to free. Santa had a big bag of gifts for all of the children (actually, all of the parents wrapped up their own gift, put their kid and Santa's name on it, and gave it to Santa's elf prior to the party). Santa pulls out Jack's gift, "Ho! Ho! Ho! Where is little Jack?" Kevin brings Jack up there and leans over to set him down, and then the water works begin. Jack is holding onto Kevin like a spider monkey pleading with him through his tears to not set him down. Yes, even my 16 month old could sense the old whino behind the beard. Kevin takes the present, thanks him kindly, and heads back to our table.

Once we get home, babycakes crashes, and I am in bed (or should I say passed out in front of the fire place) by 8:30pm. We just saw Kevin off to work now, so we are going to work on laundry and possibly make a new batch of brownies, as the other ones we baked too long and were hard as rocks. Yum, I love broken teeth.

Snow Storm

I am getting cabin fever with this snow storm! Luckily it let up a little yesterday so Jack and I had a nice breakfast at Victorian Cafe with Aunt Laura, Pip, Will, and Aunt Jessica. We had the blueberry pancakes and an egg. Jack had a new record with throwing silverware on the floor: 5 spoons! Of course every time one landed on the floor, people would just stare and smile because there is nothing cuter then a little boy misbehaving. He also was able to set off the car alarm when playing with my keys. As we were leaving, he wanted to walk on his own but ended up making friends with a lovely older couple. Great thing about Bend is everyone is so friendly and nice that it didn't bother them.

The storm has hit again hard today. My kitchen has never looked so clean. Tonight we have Kevin's company Christmas party. Everyone is supposed to bring their kids as Santa will be there. Thank goodness he's making his way to the party because I am not in the mood to go to the mall and pay $5 for Jack to sit on Santa's lap. And by mall, I mean 4 outdoor stores that are the size of peas. That's one thing about Reno I miss is descent shopping. Just glad we have .coms to shop from.

Well, Babycakes is waking up from his nap. I'm off to play Jungle Lion Mama and Eats-The-Feets with him!

Birthday Calendar

So, this really has nothing to do with Jack. Two years ago I made a calendar that had everyone's birthday on it. Sadly, I lost it on the move to Bend from Reno. Can you please let me know what your birthday is (year not needed.)? Heck, if you have kids/husband/wife/pets, etc, add them, too, please! I want everyone that is in my address book to have a birthday next to it, so whether you are a Reese, Trapp, Barnum, Lynch, Harrington, and everything in between from A to Z, I must have your birthday! Just post it in the comment section. Since I moderate all of the comments, I won't post them, I just need them for my new birthday calendar. Thanks a bundle!

Taste Tester

Since the snow storm has yet to let up, we decided to bake today... a lot! I started out with Puppy Chow, which is Chex cereal with melted chocolate, butter, and peanut butter, coated in powdered sugar. I like to pretend it is healthy since it has peanut butter, but seriously people, who are we trying to fool? After that, we moved on to brownies! Now, when I was a little girl, my mom told me she couldn't make cookies/brownies/baked goodies unless she had a taste tester. Thank goodness she had me as I was the best taste tester in all of Reno! Now that I'm a mom, I have found I can not make baked goods without a taste tester. How else will I know it tastes as good as I think it does? Lucky for me, I made a baby 16 months ago just for this task! As you can see, my brownies are the best in Bend (next to Laura's of course!).

After cleaning up Jack from our baking adventures, we decided to watch Cars. What a fantastic movie! I forgot how exciting it was. It has an awesome soundtrack so throughout the first hour, we danced and danced. We had so much energy from our brownie/sugar rush. Then after an hour of jumping around and singing, we both collapsed. Jack went down for a 3 hour nap. Is that all it takes for a good nap? Brownie mix and an hour of dancing? Call Parenting Magazine, I have big news for next month's issue which will change the lives of mothers everywhere! My article will be called, "Brownies and Dancing: The Cure for a Longer Nap". I love it.

I got a ton of birthday cards and presents in the mail today! Check out the oranges from my friend, Barbara! She had them sent to me all the way from California. I won't lie, we have already ate a large portion of them, and we just got them today! Best mandarins ever! I also got a National Geographic from December of 1982 from my friend Cole. How cool is that?

Tuesday will consist of going to Barnes & Nobel, the post office, the bank, The Hallmark Store, and Walmart, followed by a quick nap and then we are off to Laura's for a play-date. Hopefully the snow won't set us back. If it does, I guess we'll just have to make cookies.

Snow!

Here are some pictures of Jack from yesterday at the Pancake House. And below are some of the snow storm that just hit. Yippy!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, today is my birthday and I am 26. I woke up to my two boys singing me Happy Birthday. Well, one was singing, the other was trying to eat a shoe. I'll let you guess which one was doing what! After we got ready, we went to my favorite breakfast place here in Bend: The Pancake House. No, not IHOP, The Pancake House. It's a lovely little restaurant that makes the most incredible eggs and crepes I've ever had. Someone, however, decided to throw spoons, napkins, my phone, and his bottle on the floor. Oh Jack, what an angel you are in public! He started to throw a tantrum so I took him outside where it was snowing a blizzard. Did Jack care? Of course not. He just wanted to walk around in the cold. As we were going back inside, a very beautiful woman walks past us going the opposite direction as us and I am not joking when I say this: Jack stops, turns his head, drops his mouth and checks her out. I was like, "What are you doing!" Yeah, he was gawking at her. We get inside and our waitress brings us our food. He ate half an egg and an entire pancake. Once he had some food in his Buddha, he was a much more pleasant boy. That is, until another gorgeous girl walks by us. Jack is now watching this waitress's every move. He sees her coming our way, grabs a spoon, and drops it and gives her his notorious look of "Oops. Did I do that?". Now, I don't know if he was trying to get her to bend over to pick it up, but I can guarantee you he dropped it for her attention. I'm going to say what Lisa told me 3 years ago: You better not make me a Grandma before 40!

So, Kevin and Jack got me my favorite perfume as I was out. And since Clinique is so fabulous, they through in a bunch of extra gifts which made my day! I love free samples! The boys also bought me a new Coach purse and matching Coach wallet for my Christmas/birthday gift which they gave me 2 weeks ago. Ok, actually, I went on ebay, picked out what I wanted, ordered it on Kevin's credit card, and told him afterwards what I had done. He didn't mind, it just meant he didn't have to go shopping for me. Win-Win situation.

I get to work on my birthday today. I don't mind too much as Sundays I get differential pay and night pay, so I make a few extra bucks an hour. Tonight we will watch a movie & drink hot chocolate. Maybe I'll buy myself some flowers and write a note from Prince William on the card. Why not? It's my birthday.

You're killin' Smalls, you're killin' me!

I am going to ask Santa for a kid leash and for two nanny's to help me watch Jack. This morning we are watching Word World and I am laying on the couch with Jack. He was leaning over the side where the Christmas tree is because he likes to look at the lights on it. Next thing I know, I hear "CRACK! CRACK!" and I shoot up like a rocket. I had no idea I had reflexes so fast! I grab Jack and look at him. He holds out his hand and inside is an ornament that he shattered in his fist! The ornament was old so I'm sure it was more fragile then many of the others, making it easy for him to break it. Luckily, he didn't get even a scratch on him. I carefully removed what felt like hundreds of pieces from his hand. Probably more like 50 though. He is unharmed and happy as a clam. Still, gave me the shock of the year.