The Pool!

We enrolled in the Y swim class again this Spring and are having a ball, once again. The first week, Jack was a little apprehensive, but got in the pool after just a few minutes. The second week, he was ready to go and had a lot of fun but needed us both right there with him. This week, I hopped out of the pool pretty early to take a few pictures and Jack never seemed to care - he was having way too much fun!



We have the same teacher that we did last year, Miss Joan, and she is wonderful with the kids and parents! We always start with some songs and games to get everyone warmed up and acclimated to the water. Sometimes we even get to sing "The Wheels on the Bus," Jack's FAVORITE song.



See the little guy waving on the left side of the picture? His name is Jonah. On the first day, Kenny and I both thought his parents looked so familiar. After much debate, we figured out they sat next to us in our childbirth classes we took at St. Mary's! It's such a small world. Turns out Jonah was born on March 1, just 2 days before Jack.





After a few games and songs, it's time to get to work on our skills. This class doesn't teach them how to swim, but does introduce them to the skills they need to do so and a little bit of safety.





Jack's not sold on the back float just yet...



But he's all about swimming to get his toy!



Miss Joan teaches them how to get out of the pool safely and how to wait for instructions to get back in rather than just jumping before someone is ready to catch them.







There's always time for a few more games at the end and then it's time to go. The class flies by and we always leave, counting down until we get to come back next week!

Picasso

The Carpenter Family gave Jack a bunch of great bath toys for his birthday. Drums and a xylophone and some flutes and...some crayons you can write on the bathtub walls with that wipe right off!



Jack's been in love with the crayons since he got them and has used them every night this week. One night, he kept saying "bebow," which is rainbow in Jack-speak, and Kenny and I kept kind of nodding yes, not really knowing why he was saying it. Then, we peered over the edge of the tub and saw this...



Clearly, a rainbow! It's the first time he's drawn something other than a scribble or a circle! He has also taken to drawing the letter 'Y' and snakes, which look a lot like bebows but usually have a few humps or curves.

Big News!

On Sunday Jack shared with the rest of the world that he's going to be a big brother! We are all very excited and looking forward to meeting the littlest lion cub in September! So far the pregnancy is going well. I've been a little bit sicker and a lot more tired than I was with Jack, but I think that is mostly due to having a toddler to run after this time around. I can't complain though, things are going great! Jack of course doesn't really understand. He was much more excited about the lion on his shirt than the big brother. Kenny and I are so very excited about adding to our family and so look forward to all the fun this one will bring!



It was a glorious day outside and we all love being at Maymont so much! We got to see one of the bears, which is what Jack's sitting in front of above. Then he spotted the bear sculpture and might have been more excited by it than the real bear!



We saw the fox and he got to ride on Aunt Audrey's hip for a very long time. Sunshine, animals and Audrey, what more could Jack ever want??



Then his Daddy showed him the jumping rocks and I wasn't sure we'd ever get to go home. He had such a ball jumping and throwing sticks in the water.



It was a wonderful day and renewed my faith that winter might not last forever!

Birthday celebrations

Jack had a big week, full of birthday fun! On Monday, a package arrived from our dear former neighbors, the Dunhams. We miss them so much and felt so loved seeing a little something from them in the mail. Jack wasted no time ripping into it and found a tub of coloring fun that kept him occupied for quite some time!





On Tuesday he got another package in the mail that wasn't for his birthday, but contained BOOKS which surely made him happy! When he enjoyed those, Kenny and I were making monkey cupcakes for his friends at school the next day. They weren't that hard, but it was definitely a team effort and I think Kenny's attention to detail really was helpful...





Wednesday was the BIG day! We spent the first part of the morning all snuggled up in our bed just talking about what a big day it was. He got to open one present that morning and I think after that, he knew it was to be an exciting day!





Then it was off to school! Tuckaway has a neat tradition where on your birthday, you donate one of your favorite books to the class. Jack took "How Loud is a Lion" which has been one of our favorites since he was born. He was greeted at the door at school with big HAPPY BIRTHDAYS and as I hear it, got a little bashful! He got to share monkey cupcakes with all of his friends that afternoon and when he got home, all he could talk about was monkeys, monkeys, monkeys!

After school, he got to have another monkey cupcake...he only really likes icing apparently.



Grandma stopped by with a BIG balloon for the birthday boy and then it was time for more presents!







Thursday night Grams and Gramps picked Jack up from school while Daddy had class and Momma got to go meet up with some of her old coworkers that she has really been missing. And Friday night, Granny came to town so we went back to Grams and Gramps' for pizza!

Saturday morning we started swim class again! We took this class last year and all really enjoyed it. Jack started off really timid but by the end of the course, was loving it. This year started off much the same way but instead of it taking him weeks to warm up, it just took about half a class. Progress! We're excited to have the same teacher, Miss Joan, who is really wonderful with the kids.

After naptime, it was PARTY TIME! Jack was SO excited about everything. It was so cute and made all the preparations so worthwhile. I know things won't always be so new and exciting to him, but it was really wonderful to watch this year. After his friends and family arrived, we played outside for a little bit. It was a little chilly but not too bad for a few minutes. Sidewalk chalk and bubbles were a big hit!














Then it was time for presents! Jack was SO excited about each and every present...well...ok, maybe not the clothes, but most every present! Especially "puzzoos" and books!





And no party would be complete without cake! Isn't it SO cute? And it tasted just as good as it looked. No, I didn't make it, one of Dianne's friends did, and she really did a fantastic job!





Fun with balls and party hats and blow outs and bounces on Gramps' knee ensued! I just sat back and tried to take it all in. As a parent, there's nothing more wonderful than seeing your child, surrounded by people he loves and that love him, having an absolute ball!







Thanks to everyone who helped make his birthday special...we love you all!

PS I have a few little videos that I hope to post in the coming days. Right now the sound isn't working on this computer, so I can't edit them and they are a bit long to upload. So check back...

TWO!

It's really here. Jack's really TWO!



There's been so much to love in the last year...and right now might really top it all.

I love hearing his words and how every time he says them they get a little clearer.

I love how he knows exactly what he wants now and most of the time, can even tell you all about it.

I love how he likes to snuggle while he brushes his teeth.

I love how he and Kenny do a little dance in the mornings when it's time to go to "school, school, school!"

I love how, in the past few weeks as I started to get emotional about him turning two, he started to let me rock him a little bit just before bedtime.

I love how no matter how frustrated he gets with a new puzzle, he doesn't want to stop playing with it until he figures it out.

I love how he squeals and runs to find his shoes and jacket if you mention going to see Grams and Gramps.

I love how he is always dying to go to the "barn" but is scared to death of the peacock when we get there.

I love how in the mornings he wants to sit on the couch with his blanket and lion and wake up a little bit before breakfast.

I love how excited he gets when he sees Grandma walking up the sidewalk.

I love watching him play for a few seconds when I get to school in the afternoon before he sees me.

I love listening to him sing in the car.

I love how he thinks all presents are books.

I love how of all the bath toys he has, he really only wants a couple of cups to play with.

I love how he puts his jacket and hat away each night after school.

I love how he loves to clean up - and not just his toys, he's into dusting and sweeping too!

I love how excited he gets to go for a walk in the neighborhood.

I loved hearing him squeal as he and his Daddy walked through the big aisles at Lowe's last weekend.

I love how excited he gets about knocking over a tower of blocks.

I love how he wants to jump in the mud puddles in the alley behind school every single day. And how some moms scoff at me for letting him do so.

I love how when he colors, he makes circles.

I love how sometimes, when he catches you smiling at him, he giggles and gets a little bashful, but is clearly eating it all up.

I love hearing him say the word ketchup.

I love being his mom and watching him grow and change and learn right before my eyes.



Happy birthday baby, happy birthday!

Silly Goose

Jack's really been making us laugh lately! Kenny and I usually give Jack a bath together at night and afterwards were getting him dressed in his pajamas one night last week. It's been really cold here, so we put socks on him at night too and Kenny pulled his socks all the way up this knees to make him look like a basketball player. The next night, Kenny had class, so I dressed Jack after his bath and put his socks on just like I normally do. Then I sat him on the floor to look at some books while I cleaned up the bathroom and stuff and when I came back, he had his socks pulled up to his knees just like Kenny had done the night before. And now, a week later, he wants them that way at all times!



Another night last week it was time for dinner and I put Jack's plate on the table. He wanted to eat in the living room though and threw a fit about getting in his chair. So I pushed his plate closer to the middle of the table, so he couldn't reach it, and then let him down from his chair. He wasn't going to eat if I forced him into his chair screaming so I thought I'd just let him go get it out of his system and when he calmed down we'd try again. Meanwhile, Kenny was opening the mail and we started talking about that. All of a sudden, it got quiet and I looked over to see Jack with his plate, marching into the living room, looking back, wondering when someone might notice. I have no idea how he reached the plate, but he did and was taking charge of the situation.

This past weekend he got to spend Saturday morning with Grams and Gramps! Gramps put on these silly glasses and Jack immediately started yelling ABBY!



For those that don't know Grams and Gramps, they have 2 schnauzers, Lacy and Abby, who have long beards and eyebrows. Lacy is salt and pepper in color and Abby is black...



You must admit the similarity is uncanny, right? I think it's pretty smart actually...

23 Months

We are officially one month away from TWO! Actually, a few days less than a month. I don't suppose I'll ever get over being surprised at how fast the time flies!



Jack really started putting words together this month. He will tell you "I fall" or "I did it!" or ask for "more yogurt please." It's quite helpful actually and really makes him seem a lot older.

He fell in love with oatmeal this month despite my attempts to introduce it several times before and his complete unwillingness to try it. Maybe it's just that he needed it to be cold outside!? Speaking of which, this has been the month of snow. Too much in my opinion. I'm ready for warm walks to the playground and time spent at the lake not all bundled up. Jack enjoyed the snow but I know he too misses the playground. All things considered, he's been pretty cooperative, perhaps more so than I have!

He had a pretty big appetite in general this month, though yogurt is still his main staple and he still does not like to try new things at all. All that eating finally moved him into the 18-24m clothes I bought at the beach this summer!

He's fallen in love with Barney and the Madagascar movie. "Watch Barney" or "watch lions" he says all the time. Clearly, we need nicer weather... He also fell in love with the Eric Carle book "Head to Toe" this month. And when I say fell in love, I guess I really mean that he became obsessed with it. He couldn't move without it in his hand. He carried it to bed with him and left it sitting just outside the bathtub at bath time. Luckily, they have a copy at school too so we could switch ours out for theirs once we got there since he's not allowed to bring his own books. It's a great book and I love that he loves it so much, but it did pose a few problems when he would insist on taking it to school in the morning with Kenny and then Kenny would have class after work. I will admit that Kenny and I arranged to meet on the corner one day between our offices just to exchange the book and ensure my night wasn't filled with tears and screams of "rilla!?"

He is really into music at the moment too. We listen to some of his little singing songs on the way to and from school every day and he sings along and makes the hand motions and is quite entertaining. He'll even ask for the song he wants..."duck," also known as "6 Little Ducks", or "bus," "The Wheels on the Bus."

He loves throwing the ball with his Daddy. He will immediately start looking for "the ball, the ball" as soon as Kenny gets in the door at night. And I love hearing their giggles in the other room while I'm cooking dinner. Kenny also always "ribbits" Jack up the steps like a frog. Jack giggles and says "ribbit" on every step.

He got a little sneaky this month too. A few times he would pretend to be asleep in the car but after a few seconds he'd pop his little eyes wide open and have a grin on from ear to ear! It wasn't always quite so innocent though. We heard at school that one day he hid his favorite books in the play kitchen's oven and then watched from across the room as someone discovered them. He immediately started screaming "MY BOOKS, MY BOOKS!" Another day, his friend Hugo turned two and as tradition has it, donated a copy of his favorite book to the class. Jack apparently liked the book a lot and so at naptime, he snagged it from the bookshelf when he thought no one was watching and slid it under his blanket since they aren't allowed to have books at naptime. Sneaky Jack.



He keeps us busy and at times, when screaming because his milk is in the wrong cup or he didn't get the plate he wanted for dinner, he can be exhausting. But his little personality, his ability to stop crying and immediately start laughing, his big blue eyes, big grin, and his funny little actions make every day a whole lot sweeter. I love you Doodlebug!

Snow 2.0

It rarely ever snows in Richmond. This winter, however, we've had TWO snows, and both have been over a foot!

Jack was pretty excited about it this time. When he woke up Saturday morning and I opened the blinds in his room, he exclaimed "SNOW!" and wanted to look out every window. It was bitterly cold and really snowy and windy on Saturday, so we just played inside... on the "mats." They bring out the mats at school when the weather isn't cooperative so now when he can't go outside on the weekend he wants the "mats" also known as the air mattress.






By Sunday, the sun came out and we were all itching to get outside! We went up to the park and had a lot of fun, along with everyone else!



Don't worry, we obeyed the signs and stayed off the hills with the little trees growing...



Jack took it all in for a little while and watched Daddy come down the hill once on his own...and then plopped right down in the sled on his tummy, just like Daddy and was ready for his turn!









He loved it!





There's MORE snow in the forecast for Tuesday AND Saturday...I'm SO ready for Spring!!

I. love. yoooouuuuu!