The Past Week in Pictures

Take out food bag was a full evening's worth of fun.

. . . and Jack is never shy to pose for the camera (while in the bag)

Jack and neighbor, Niko, playing hard in the playroom closet where older toys are kept.

Serious independent playing

Happy meal toy in hand, wooden spoon in mouth (kept there during entire video), all while holding daddy's hand. Too cute.

Mother's Day Reminiscing

The very day I found out I was going to be a mother. . . eleven months in the making.

23 weeks pregnant. I'm being nice to myself - not showing the picture of my whale-self the day before leaving for the hospital.

21 hours of laboring and it still ended in a c-section. . . out comes beautiful Jack, plump red lips and all.

Oh, I just don't know if I can even remember him being this little.

Sweet baby

Happy baby

When I took the pregnancy test, I already knew I was pregnant. I could feel it in my stomach. It wasn't morning sickness or that I was already growing, but a tickle of excitement. I had had numerous disappointments with negative tests and I just knew this was the day. I had turned the test over so that I couldn't see it while it was "processing". After three minutes I went in and turned it over, saw two lines and went to my knees laughing and crying at the same time. I was alone in the house and I just walked around aimlessly, my mind racing about how to tell Sam the news. So creatively, when he came home for lunch that day, I handed him the pregnancy test and said, "here".

I thank God every day for Jack. He made me wait but it was worth it. Of course what I didn't realize that day was how much my life was going to change.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Jack is ready for Summer!

Jack is super ready for summer. Each time we pull into the neighborhood, he mentions swimming in the pool this Summer. Yesterday, it was cool and raining on and off so we improvised by exerting energy playing in the garage and taking short walks. Despite the weather, he was stuck on swimming and Summer.


This is his pool from last summer. While in the garage, he spotted the floating "noodles" we used at the neighborhood pool last summer.





Jack wants to take the "noodles" on a walk and says he's going swimming.

And this is the disappointed look when my neighbor, Amy and I are trying to tell him that the pool isn't opened, nor is it Summer. The pool is still closed.

and. . .the blue "sunglasses" are back!

And this is what else we did to exert energy yesterday. . . jumping! It literally looks as though he is bouncing off the walls. Obviously he's really proud of his jumping skills. This is especially funny to watch just before bathtime when he's in his birthday suit.

We stay-at-home Mom's don't get paid. . . or do we?

With Mother's Day approaching, I thought it was fitting that I was lying in bed, completely wide-awake and thinking about being a mom. I was so wide-awake that I came down to the computer to write. I've had a rough few weeks - really a month. Since he was sick in early April, we've struggled with the ever-popular strong will of Jack (I mean it should have it's own room in our house), and some behavior problems too. It's been challenging for me as Sam works long hours (not his fault). I feel like my days are sometimes endless.

This is my job. I run the house. I'm a wife and mother, I cook, clean, child-rear, grocery shop, do the laundry (which is a bottomless basket), night-time crying usually goes to me, I rotate the toys, I talk to the teachers, do the routine and acute Dr. appointments, pay the bills, keep up the checkbook (sometimes not so well), etc. The list is really endless, but who really wants to read it all? "It's the hardest job in the world" some have said - and I believe them. I'm living it and I don't get paid. . . or do I?

As I was lying awake thinking about Jack and what it means to be his mother, I came up with this:

• I get to wake him in the morning and hear the first thing on his mind (he's very chatty in the a.m.)
• I get to watch him eat his "moggle" (waffle) that he so thoroughly enjoys for breakfast. Then he says in the throws of his enjoyment, "are you going to sit with me, mommy?"
• "mommy toys?" is his way of asking me to play with him. (I wish you could hear the intonation)
• I get to have discussions about Cheerios while he eats them dry on his place mat. The excitement of finding a "sad Cheerio" (thin and dark), he kisses it and then eats it. Major excitement over doubles and triples (two or three Cheerios stuck together), and moons (which are half Cheerios). The things they get excited over cracks me up.
• I get a hug or kiss any time that I request it, sometimes unsolicited.
• I'm who he wants if he's hurt or feeling bad.
• He is always seeking my smile of approval or praise when he does something good or independent, (which might mean he recognizes that I'm the boss of this job, he's just not ready to accept it).
• Sam reads books to him each night, but he always comes to give me a kiss before he goes to bed (even though I kissed him before I left the room), and he wants to discuss with me the books they read.
• He says, "I love you, mommy" without me asking.
• He asks, "Are you happy, mommy?" I say "yes, are you happy, Jack?", he thinks about my question for a second and says, "yes, I'm happy mommy".
• He says, "I want to snuggle with you on the couch."
• He asks, "Am I your buddy?" (I'm always telling him he's my little buddy)
• He says funny things and he has the best belly laugh when he is laughing really hard.
• He prays (and if Sam and I forget to pray at a meal, he reminds us).
• He gets excited about reading his toddler bible and learning the stories.

I feel so completely and unconditionally loved. I can look or be at my worst and Jack loves me the same. He just wants to be with me. He loves me so much. This is exceedingly better than direct deposit, better than any 401K retirement plan or other benefits. I'm paid in full.

(I will be prepared with a 'why the toddler stage drives me crazy' narrative for when all this comes back to haunt me)

Miscellaneous Pictures

These are some pictures taken from my film camera (am I the only one that uses one of those anymore?). I bought a CD when I got the photos developed and thought these were worth sharing.


Couch time. This was during the double ear infection last week. He doesn't look sick to me.

Obviously talking during this one

Playroom (he doesn't seem happy in this one, likely he's sick of me taking pictures)

Some ABC puzzle excitement

The Day of the Balloon

Well, it should really be called, "The evening of the balloon". It felt like an entire day; the balloon was such a HUGE hit. We love eating a Chevy's. Not only is the food great but Jack loves it becuase he gets a balloon and ice-cream comes with every kids meal. It keeps him entertained throughout the entire dining out event. Happy toddler = Happy momma.


Jack would NOT let go of the balloon. As you will see through these pictures, nothing was more important than keeping one hand on the balloon.

On the ride home

Taking a walk after dinner

Video of Jack (with his balloon) and Jack the dog playing fetch (I loathe my voice on video).

Jack is an Australian Shepherd that we met in the neighborhood while walking one evening. He is 9-years-old (I believe) and he LOVES playing with children. His owner, Penny, says he'll play with kids all day. He is so sweet and gentle. He approaches very slowly and gently lays his frisbee down at Jack's feet. He then waits sooooo patiently for Jack to throw it. It's so much fun to watch this precious, sweet dog. He is truly a special dog.

Jack the dog setting down the Frisbee in front of Jack.

Throwing to Jack (the dog), still hangin' on to that balloon.

After our walk, playing at the sand and water table.

. . . and in his chair during wind-down time, watching "Thomas the Train".

And bless his heart, he tried really hard to keep the balloon with him in his room tonight. Had we allowed that, it would have ended up in his bed with him no doubt.

Speaking of things in the bed. Here is a list of the new items we've found in bed with Jack just in the last few days:

• a complete stack of diapers (all unfolded)
• his new sandals
• his basket full of toiletry items like diaper cream, nail clippers, nose suction thingy, etc.
• books and more books
• his happy meal toys he's collected
• nerf football
• dirty clothes taken from his laundry basket
• chapstick (that had been hidden from him in his top drawer)

Jack's "Girlfriend"

Makenzie is a little girl we met at the YMCA. She is the cutest little thing and Jack just loves playing with her. Saturday she came over for a little while to play. Jack constantly talks about "Kenzie"; wanting to dance with her and play (when she's nowhere around). We took her to the gym with us, so she rode in our van with us. The car seat is still in the van and he will look over at it and say, "is that Kenzie's chair, Mommy?".

Taking turns with the stacking cups.

Some independent time (yes, Jack is in his PJ's)

Jack's takin' a break

What we've been up to

Since moving Jack to a big-boy-bed, he will get up and put whatever he can find in his bed. As you read before, he put his lawn mower in bed and slept with it. He often has 5 to 7 books at times in there with him. Today, when I got him up from nap, he had a photo album, a picture frame and a plaque in bed with him. And . . . a "made in the Philippines" sticker on his forehead, obviously taken from one of those items. He was just talking to me like there was nothing on his head. He is sooooo his father.

A closer look

Sam and Jack played with Play-doh for the first time. They made letters and peas and carrots.

Jack is showing Cubby his duck that they made.

Sam made the observation a while back that when he is "wallowing" on the floor with Jack, he feels like they are like Lions. He said, "you know, when you see the lions and their cubs; the cubs are always wallowin' all over the mom and dad, climbing on them". This particular night, Jack was climbing on Sam and he looked at me and said, "see, we're lions." I just thought that was a hilarious analogy of their rough-housing.

Cubby's tongue is bothering me in this picture.

Cute Playdate Pictures

If it's not obvious from the picture below, Jack was extremely excited to have Reece come over to play. Reece is 2 and we met him at the YMCA. Jack and Reece had a picnic lunch outside and played hard. Jack napped so well after Reece left. Here are some cute pictures from their day.

Standing on the slide cube

Takin' a break from chasing each other.

They both consider green their favorite color.

Juice Break!

Neighborhood Fun!

Niko was the first friend Jack met when we moved to Belleville last June. Jack and Niko are one month apart in age and love playing together. I think this is such a great picture of the two of them. Today they played in Niko's yard.



Jack's turn on the slide. Turn-taking is always a hard lesson when playing outside
with other kids.

Niko taking a turn on the slide while guarding the ball.

Jack's new friend, Brendan with Niko and Jack playing trucks.

Our Weekend. . . it's finally warm!

I regret to say that I did not get a picture of Jack with the lawn mower in his bed (except for on my phone). Let me explain to those who did not see the phone picture: The morning after the Illinois earthquake, I went in to get Jack up for the day. I was shocked that he was still sleeping (my first thought upon entering). Then I realized that his lawn mower was in the bed with him. He had taken the lawn mower in his room after bath the night before. Evidently, sometime after lights out, he got up and put the mower in bed with him to sleep. My heart was smiling for several days.


Jack is such a boy. Sam was mowing last night and Jack could hardly stand the excitement. He was watching out the back door for a while, then said, "I'm going to get my lawn mower!". I thought this was such a boy thing - such fascination with machinery. Here are some shots of him watching with lawn mower in tow.

I also included this picture because you can see Sam mowing in the background. I had to put this on here because most people know that Sam is not a yard-work kind of guy.

He stole my hat, not-so-surprising is that it fits his head perfectly.

My guys playing in the water. (It's fuzzy because I took it through the screen door).