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).

Outing to Lowes

What do you do when your child is sick and everyone is homebound? You can't go to the gym, can't go to school, church or anywhere with other kids. You go to Lowes and sit on tractors (lawn mowers, but he thinks they're tractors). He literally sat on every single one. That took all of 8 minutes and then he was ready to come back home to the germ-infested house.

This one has a cover!

Feeling Better. . . finally

We've been obsessed with pouring water in anything out back. Today it was the dump truck and the empty flower pot.

Momma rolled up my jeans.

Now we're dumping the water out of the dump truck.

Concentrating and just looking really cute.

Videos of our outdoor adventures

I thought both of these videos deserved air-time. (Oh, the weeds all over the yard are just an illusion I created)

"Cool"

So much work to do - so busy.

Is anyone ever too sick to dance?

Jack had his first fever in 16 months this weekend (kudos to his immune system). Despite the high fever and coughing, he managed to cut-a-rug while the Tylenol was effective. When Sam and I would converse about him being sick, he would protest, "I am not sick". We watched alot of TV this weekend.

Prior to trapping Cubby in the corner, you can hear him say, "this is fun". (He obviously inherited Sam's rhythm.) He just recently started liking The Wiggles.

Pictures from our "sick weekend"

Gettin' sugars from daddy.

Charging the camera.

Havin' fun with my "thinking chair".

I think I might need to get a life (or a job?)

I had to tell on myself and what a dork I am.

Last night, basketball is on, I'm watching it, but something is nagging me. I have always thought that the voice of Click, the camera on "Go, Diego, Go!" sounded like Rosie Perez, so I decided to google it and find out. Sure enough, I was right. No, I don't stop there. I have also thought that the voice of Louise on "Max and Ruby" sounded like the voice of Michael on "The Little People" videos. So, I decided that I was going to investigate that as well. That was a little harder as the People aren't as easy to find. However, I did find out the name of Louise's character. I will just have to watch the end-credits when we watch "The Little People" next to find out if Michael is indeed Louise.

Now, lets remember that these are Jack's shows. This is no "Grey's Anatomy" or "Lost" characters that has consumed my curiousity. When Sam asked me what I was doing, I told him the truth, embarassed. I said, "I need a life, don't I?" He said, "You have a great life." He is right. I do.

Just Jack

I had to take this picture. I found these tractors "tipped". If anyone has seen the movie, Cars, they know that Lightning McQueen goes tractor tipping. Jack often plays out that scene of the movie.

Surveying the grounds in the back yard.

I just thought this was a precious picture.

Sam and Jack watching basketball. Regional semi-finals.

Do these Glasses fit?

Jack got these blue glasses in a "medical kit" he received for Christmas. They have always been a source of frustration because they don't fit his head. Today he somehow got them to stay on for a while. Bless his heart.

The Simple Life

I haven't posted anything new in a few days. I pulled out some pictures that I thought were cute that I've taken through the week.

The empty Easter basket has been a huge hit. We're putting everything in it; eggs, cars, sippy cups, books.

These are different clothes - a different day, but we're still all about the Easter basket.

What a great idea! Putting the lawn mower in the dump truck. (I love the eyes cutting over at me.)

Going from one end of the yard to the other.

Jack was an off-the-charts good boy today. He kills me.

Kentucky is Home

We're back and it seems that each time I'm planning this trip to Lexington, some hormonal force causes my brain to forget how hard it is to travel five hours one way, stay a week, pack and load and head five hours home. . . with a toddler (and a chihuahua). I'm tired.

Thankfully, Jack was a wonderful boy while we were in Lexington. I couldn't have asked for a better child (in terms of the child that is Jack). Although the trip was not relaxing due to the numerous children we have accumulated, it was so great to see my family. Jack had a wonderful time with Madison, Lauren, Nicholas and Nathaniel, and of course, memom, papaw, aunt Jen, aunt Neen and (kunkle) Casey.

Madison and Lauren are such great cousins; genuinely caring about the boys and genuinely wanting to play with them. Nicholas and Jack picked up their game of head nudging (I keep telling Janeen, Jack will always win that game). Mom cooked for everyone and provided her home for many of our "get-together-and-take-care-of-our-kids" gatherings. If it wasn't for the illnesses, (Jack had the runs a couple of days, Casey was sick, the boys had just gotten over the flu and still had coughs and runny noses, Lauren got a stomach thing, Don had what was likely the flu, I got a cold), who knows what else we would have done. But as Memom put it, "if we all got together and we were all healthy, we just better not get in the car and drive anywhere". Amen.

Kentucky Spring break...no Spring about it.

I love the eagerness.

Nathaniel turned 2-years-old while we were there. We had a Go, Diego, Go! birthday party. It's hard to believe he's a big boy now. He's got the melt your heart eye-lashes and award winning smile. That boy.



Jack is thinking, "yeah, I've got one of these garages fella's; I'll show you how it works later." (It was difficult for him to not think that every toy was his).

Can't you just see what Nathaniel is thinking...'hello, this is my party and my presents - back off.'

It's amazing that we got them all in one picture. Jack, Lauren, Nathaniel, Madison and Nicholas.

More of our Kentucky Trip

The weather was down right depressing most of the week. One day it was sunny (and very muddy), but we managed to be outside for a little while. Nathaniel spear-headed playing in the leaves.

Here Nicholas and Nathaniel are busy taking the pile of leaves from one area to another. Hard work that had to be done!

Poor Lauren was sick most of the week.

There is nothing more fun about having this many in the van all at once.

Madison, Jack, Nathaniel and Nicholas. On our way to Jigi's house from Ci-Ci's.

We're Off to Kentucky!

We're off to Kentucky for a visit. Jennifer, Madison and Lauren are on spring break so we're going home. Nathaniel is turning 2 and we have some partying to do as well. We'll be back next weekend. GO CATS!!

Home from School

Jack made a Leprechaun hat at school and got a four-leaf-clover beaded necklace (neck-a-ness as Jack pronounces it). He wore them all the way home and I was lucky to get this shot as he was running around like a wild man. He was ready for his chocolate cake reward for being good. He held the American flag during group time today.

Jack earned a chocolate Little Debbie cake with sprinkles on it. He shoved the second half completely in his mouth. Here he is trying to figure out how to get all the chocolate and icing off his fingers.

Still working. . .

All finished..mmmm-mm-good.