Cars!

Jack love his toy cars that Grandma Lisa bought him. He takes them in the bath, when we go out, when he watches TV, everywhere! When he runs out of room with carrying them in his hands, he improvises. Here are a few shots of the hambone.

I'm Like Pudding In Jack's Hands...

Deschutes Public Library

... Ok, so the saying really is "I'm like PUTTY in Jack's hands", but pudding just sounded so much tastier! Really though, that boy knows how to work me over.

Example 1: Grandma Lisa bought Jack a candy machine full of M&M's. Jack is to only get an M&M when he does something good like put away his dishes, or read a book with me without shutting it and throwing it. Well, instead, Jack grabs my finger, opens his big brown eyes as wide as he can, and takes me to the fridge where I store it. It is so hard to tell him no! He starts to frown and a tear forms and falls down his cheek. I crack. I know, I know, I can't be cracking, but I do!

Example 2: I have a "no cell phone or laptop" policy for Jack as he often times will change a setting on something. Of course, the moment he wants to play with it, he trembles his lower lip, looks at me, and then does it anyway. When I tell him no and take it away, he says, "no no no no no no! Nooooo!" in the sweetest and saddest voice you have ever heard.

Example 3: We were at the pool yesterday and Jack was running. I said in my sternest (haha) voice, "JACK! You do not run. It is not safe. You need to walk." He comes over to me, sad, because he knew he wasn't allowed to run, hugs me, and gives me a kiss... then runs like Hell! This one I don't cave on because of safety, but still, it's very sweet when he tries to win me over with love.

So yeah, I'm nothing more then coconut pudding to that kid.

In other news, we went to the library today which was amazing! We met up with Laura and the offspring, along with my mama. The story teller was wonderful and the kids really enjoyed her. She told three stories, sang songs, danced, and even had a puppet. Jack was PERFECT. I know, I thought an alien invaded my son again. He paid attention, did as he was told, participated, but most of all, he had fun! Afterwards we went and picked out a few books to borrow from the library. Then we headed to Starbucks and a short play date with his cousins. All and all, he had a fantastic day! I'm in love. <3

Water Slide!

Juniper Pool... the yellow slide was Jack's favorite!

Today my mama and I took Jack to Juniper Pool. We got there at 10:30am and with half off admission, it came to $7 for the three of us! What a bargain! Jack wasted no time getting in the water. We went to the outdoor pool as it was a beautiful day today. They had a small water slide (and I mean small!) that Jack went down about 30-40 times. Seriously, you can ask my mom, I'm not making that up. Then Jack saw the big water slide. And trust me, this slide is enormous! Jack wanted to go down it so he grabbed my finger and we climbed to the very top. We had to go down together since he's just a tot, and boy did he love it! My heart just about popped out of my chest from the rush, but Jack was all about the big slide. I went down it a few times with him, and then he made Grandma Tutu go with him. After 3 hours at the pool, we were all exhausted. Not more then 1 minute of Jack being in the car and he was out. Even walking to the car he looked like he had too much rum in him with all of the staggering from being so tired!

My mom watched Jack for several hours for me after that so I could run errands. Do you know how many places I can get to when I don't have my sweet angel pie with me? Six places in 3 hours. A miracle! If I had Jack with me, it'd be two places in 1 hour and then a tantrum and we'd have to go home.

While I was out, I found my new bikini for the big cruise! It's from Target, and I look fantastic! Before Jack I was a size extra-small, and now that I'm a mama, I'm a medium! I couldn't believe it! No matter how hard I tried to squeeze my butt into an extra-small, it just wasn't happening. But, I found a really nice and colorful one that flatters my body and doesn't make me look like a hippo. I also found two really pretty sun dresses for the cruise, but I think I'm going to return one because Kevin said I look like an old Grandma. At 26, I do not want to look like an old Grandma!

So, tomorrow I am going to try to take Jack to the library. I have to run a few more errands so hopefully I can get dear sweet Tutu to watch Jack again (hint-hint!).

Bring on the Lethal Injection!

If I was on death row and had to have my final meal, it would be what Lisa made us last night. OMG! That woman can cook! And I didn't even eat the steak strips marinated in worcestershire sauce with green onions, lemon zest, rock salt, and pepper. She also made roasted potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and sage, followed by sauteed asparagus in butter with salt and pepper with shredded gouda (haha) cheese on top. (By the way, I basically just plagiarized the recipe list from Lisa's blog, so don't think I actually know what I am talking about.)

We had Grandma Tutu, Nick, Laura, Pip, Will, Oliver, Kevin, me, Jack, Lisa, and Stevi here at the house. Kevin barbequed the meat while Lisa did most of the cooking. My mom made a killer salad... which was actually premade from Costco, but it was so good! Her and Lisa also talked about "going comando" and I have been permanently scarred for life.

Lisa brought her ice cream maker. She had Jack and Pippa help her make the ice cream. It was peanut butter ice cream and then we had our choice of toppings which were chocolate chips, bananas, chocolate sauce, etc. We also had waffle bowls, chocolate covered cones, the works to choose from! We all agreed, especially Pippa, that is was the best ice cream we'd ever had. At one point, I though I heard angels sing as I was enjoying my ice cream.

Jack got to open a few of his birthday gifts early. Grandma GG (aka great grandma, Lisa's mama) bought Jack the Mac Truck from the Disney movie Cars. It's so cool! It opens up and you can store little cars in it. Which brings me to Lisa, Jay, and Stevi's gifts! The first thing they got him were the cars from Cars that go into the Mac Truck. Jack is nuts for them and is having a hard time sharing. He also got a Cars coloring book, a Cars cup, sunglasses, and a candy dispenser full of M&M's. It was funny, before he got his presents, he was being shy with Lisa and Stevi, but the moment he got his gifts, he's now all hugs and kisses with them. That boy knows how to get what he wants!

Lisa and Stevi will be here one more night. I have thoroughly enjoyed their visit, and not just because Lisa cleaned my house and spoiled me with taking me out to breakfast and bringing me coffee. Although, I do love being spoiled! Did I mention she bought me some adorable new shoes? I feel like such a princess! =) Who knew all I had to do was give the woman a grand baby! Tonight Lisa will watch Jack so Kevin and I can have a date night. We have no idea what people do on dates anymore. Maybe a movie? Dancing? I don't know!

All of these pictures are from Lisa's camera, so you can give her all of the photographic credit. =)

Sugar Cookies and Cleaning... What a Combo!

Grandma Lisa and Aunt Stevi are coming for a visit today from Reno! I am busy cleaning up the house and doing laundry. I went grocery shopping before Kevin left for work so we'd have some food in the house. It's been weeks since I went shopping and we ran out of bread, milk, basically all the essentials this morning after breakfast. I've decided to whip up a batch of Laura's famous sugar cookies. Although they never come out like hers, they are still pretty darn delicious.

James is here for the entire day today, which is wonderful because he and Jack really entertain each other! Right now Jack is turning the lights on and off throughout the house, and James is playing in the pirate tent with the blocks. No tears as of yet, which is always an accomplishment with toddlers.

Oh my gosh, Jack would not go to sleep last night. I got home around 10pm from my CPR class (which I scored the highest in the class only missing one question. However, I am only certified for children and infants, so don't try to die around me because you would be so out of luck). Jack was crying because he didn't want to go to sleep. We tried letting him cry it out, but 45 minutes later we couldn't take it any longer. I thought maybe he was sick or injured, but as soon as I opened the door, he laughed and ran out straight for the TV saying "EV! EV!" When we told him no TV, he cried. We played with him, gave him some grapes, and tried to put him down again. It was hopeless though. He was happy as long as he didn't have to be in his room. We put a nightlight in there but it didn't help. Finally at like, almost midnight, Kevin laid down in Jack's bed and pretended to go to sleep, and that's how we got Jack to fall asleep. Talk about baby drama! Then we were up at 6am cleaning and grocery shopping. Sigh.... Come Sunday I am taking a long nap.

Well, I have a surprise for me in someone's diaper. Not sure if it is James or Jack, but either way, it's not going to be pretty. If you asked me 4 years ago if I would ever be talking about poo online, I'd say you were crazy. Now look at me. Wow...

Jack's new fish! Below you can see the sucker fish on the pirate ship. The yellow fish he's had for over a year.

Teddy Cat and His Side Kick, Mew Mew!

Every day at around 8pm, Kevin and I take Jack for a walk around the neighborhood for half an hour in his little red wagon. And by little red wagon, I mean all-terrain and totally awesomeness wagon. About half way through every walk, Jack likes to get out and walk on his own so he can explore rocks, bugs, and other boy related things.

The other day on one of our walks, we came across a beautiful calico (although she has nothing on our kitty cousin, Sweetie!). She was a very tame and sweet girl. She had a collar but no tag so Jack named her Mew Mew. That's right, Mew Mew. He knows how to meow and when he saw her he meowed at her, which means he associated cat with meow, and that basically means my child is a prodigy. He then got down real slow and petted her gently (as gentle as a 2 year old boy can). She was a very tolerant kitty and her place in heaven is assured.

One thing about Mew Mew is we got to teach Jack something about wild animals. We told him he couldn't pet her unless her owner told him he could. Since her owner was no where to be found, I inspected Mew Mew to make sure she was a healthy and nice kitty before giving Jack permission to touch her. He actually understood not to touch her unless he was told it was ok.

Ok, so you are probably thinking, "Yeah right. Like a not-even-2-year-old would understand that." BAM! That is where you are wrong, my friend! Last night on our walk we ended up at the park. After some super fun swinging and sliding, we started walking back home. A few yards away we saw a lovely brown kitty walking towards us. We got down so we wouldn't scare him, and I inspected the kitty. His tags said his name was Teddy Cat. Jack looked at me about to burst out of his diaper wanting to touch him but resisting. I told him it was ok so he petted him a whole bunch. Kevin and I started to walk again and Kevin said, "Ok Jack-Jack, say good bye to the kitty." Jack gave him a few more good pets, and then looked at him and said, "Buh-bye!" He ran to us, turned around, gave Teddy Cat one more sweet look of love, waved, and told him buh-bye again. Then he walked home. O.M.G. I thought I was going to melt right there on the sidewalk! It was the sweetest thing ever!

Cause Everyone Was Kung-Fu Fighting... HAI YAH! Those Cats Were Fast As Lightning!

Jack loves wearing my hair bands. Sounds kinda girly, right? Not when he wears them so he can play Kung Fu Panda with his mom and dad! Jack loves to karate chop, scissor kick, and basically emulate radness. Don't be jealous. Actually, yes, you should be jealous.

HAI YA!

Deschuttes Dash! (and some updates)

Jack & Kevin rocking out in the new wagon.

The Love of My Life!

I'm going to start today's blog entry off with some updates. Grandma Tutu is here and we are having a blast with her! Jack loves her so much, and not just because she bought him a new red wagon to rock out in. Grandma Lisa & Aunt Stevi will be here on Thursday to visit Jack for an early birthday. The weather is perfect right now, so I'm sure they'll have tons of fun outdoor things they can take him to. Museums, parks, the river... loads of fun is to be had!

I decided to take on a few kids every week to make some extra money. It is not a daycare, but then again, it sort of is. Well, our first kid is James, who is 14 months old and he'll be here twice a week (Thursdays and Fridays, sometimes on Tuesdays.) for a few hours. Friday was our try-out day, to see how the boys liked it. They had a ball together! James' mom is a nurse and his dad travels a lot for business, and their current daycare can only do it a few times a week, so after meeting with them we decided it would be a good fit to have James over a few times a week. The second boy we'll be having who will be on weekends and sometimes weekdays is Gadge, who is also 14 months old. Our practice day was today to see how he adjusts and if it will be a good fit for us as well. Jack and Gadge were crazy boys and played so much that Jack fell asleep on the floor. Looks like this will pan out well. I don't want to overlap Gadge and James as that would be too much for me to handle, so I think it will work well having them on separate days and on a part-time basis. Who knows how it will go. I'll keep you posted. I have my 1st aide/cpr classes this Wednesday and Thursday. I already got my OR food handlers card and background check, so I am well on my way.

Jack & Gadge dancing.

Jack would do Baby Yoga, and Gadge would knock him over. They did this for an hour laughing. Boys!

Ok, Saturday was the Deschuttes Dash! Nicholas and Jess have been training hard for this triathlon, and it shows! They were amazing! I have no idea how they do it. Swimming, biking, then running. I drive to the mailbox, so I can't imagine how hard it must be to do what they do. No, seriously, you can ask Kevin... I really drive to the mailbox. Hmmm, perhaps that is why the kids call me Aunt Lazy. They also call me Aunt Likes to Hike A Lot, but that's a whole nother story. Anyhoo, I slept through my alarm, but luckily my BFF texted me at 7am to work on her virtual farm with her so I woke up. Jack and I got there just in time for the swim, but I couldn't figure out which person was Jess and which was Nick. Afterwards we walked a million miles (seriously) and watched them bike, followed by all of that running. The kids screamed and played together. At one point, I traded my screaming toddler for a less loud one. I love Pippa and her flexibility. She ate Jack's entire Costco muffin within seconds. She's amazing!

I have tons of pics of everything. Laura and Valerie (her husband was in the tri as well) took pictures, too, so some of them are theirs. Enjoy!

Before & after of Jack and Will during the day.

Jess hanging out Wyatt and Ginger, Jack's new friends.

Apparently I was voted out of the Reese family and replaced by Rob. But I'm not bitter. Wait, yes I am!