Round Two & Christmas Day

Our second round of family has come and gone and with them, so has Christmas Day. However, this will be a Christmas we will never forget. (Between the zillions of pictures and hours of video footage, how could we?) But, even without all that, I don't think I could ever forget Jack's true Christmas joy. He actually got it--the whole giving, receiving (especially the receiving), opening gifts, playing with new things, trying to say thank you, and all of the excitement that comes with Christmas morning. We are still working on him "getting" the real meaning of Christmas, but that will come in time. There is only so much a 20 month old attention span can comprehend. However, I must note his favorite character in our nativity scene is "babee sesus" . And unfortunately, this season "May-ee" is already missing a hand. I think I'm going to have look into one of those Little People Nativity scenes for our curious toddler next season. But, for now, he is happy with all of the goodies Santa and family brought him this year.

Jack's Christmas morning followed a rigid sequence, that looked a little something like this...1) choose a gift from under the tree (Jack's were relatively easy to find in the bright Sesame Street wrapping paper) 2) find a family member's lap to take it to 3) tear into the wrapping paper 4) take each piece of torn wrapping paper across the room to "Jack's trash pile" one at a time 4) find the gift inside and smile 5) sit down and read or play with it for about 2 minutes 6) place the gift in Jacks' present pile with assistance 7) head back to the tree and start all over again. He's got a little of Mommy's Type A personality in there...Merry Christmas to me! ( I think).

After all of the gift exchange was complete we headed down to the playroom where Jack's BIG gift awaited him. Oh, and did I mention Mommy and Daddy got a beautiful new umbrella for the deck from Grammy and Grampa? Love it and can't wait for warm weather so we can enjoy it! But, anyway on to Jack. So, Christmas Eve night Daddy and Grampa assembled Jack's new and very cool train table. This included putting together some VERY confusing train track pieces, along with the table itself. But, low and behold before bed time Jack's new table was complete with tracks, trains, tunnels, stations and ready for Christmas morning. When Jack was released into the playroom, he sprinted across the room to his new table, grabbed a couple of trains, climbed on the table, squealed with glee, and....had the tracks and trains unassembled in about 3 minutes. Kind of what we figured, but not really expecting it to happen that fast! But even with pieces here and pieces there, Jack played his little heart out with his new train table and the many pieces that adorned it.

Merry Christmas little buddy, you sure do give Christmas a new meaning! And we LOVE you for it! Now we wait for Round 3 of Christmas company to arrive on Sunday!

The new train table, still partly assembled! Jack figured it was much easier to reach the pieces if you just sit on them.

What is Christmas without Elmo and the gang? I'm pretty sure he is chanting Elmo's name here.

Grammy was the lap of choice for this present. Notice the video camera in his face at all times.

This is what I mean by each piece of wrapping paper that went to Jack's designated trash pile--none too big or too small.

The train table BEFORE Jack decided to sit on it.

"Is all this really for me? I love Christmas!"

Jack got 12 books for Christmas, have I ever mentioned he LOVES to read?




"Hmmm...now, I know there are more of those Sesame Street presents in here somewhere."

Our second Christmas family photo. This was taken on Christmas Eve right before we went to 4:30 Mass. He looks thrilled, doesn't he? That was followed by Jack's first fine dining experience. How did it go? Let's just say, Jack won't be attending anymore restaurants above 2 stars until he's about 16.

Round One Complete

Our first set of company has come and gone. First round complete! The highlight of the stay was picking up Joel from the airport. Grandma had U.S. flags ready for us to wave. I must admit, I was a bit disappointed when Joel arrived without uniform. I was hoping to see him dressed in his pressed khaki's. His explanation had something to do with being, "on a special project and we don't do things like that"--whatever that means. I pressed no further and enjoyed his big hugs. However, I did question that glowing tan he was sporting and again I got a vague response that sounded something like this, "I've been living outside for the past 2 months in a tent". Makes sense, I suppose. Just a wee bit jealous on this end--feeling a bit pasty this winter season.

However, we thoroughly enjoyed Joel's stay, his cooking (yes, he is a certified chef too), and hearing stories of his distant duties. Jack was fascinated with his deep voice and loved showing off his playroom to his Uncle Joel. As for Joel, he was pretty easy company. All he needed was a "real" bed and Chick-fil-a...we can handle that. He even complimented us on our new cottage and comfy mattress. It doesn't take much to please someone who has been roughing it for 2 years.

The great news is Grandma and Joel will be returning in just a few short days. It looks like they will be arriving with part of the other crew on Saturday the 27th. Until then, Jack, Clay, Cosby, and I are waiting patiently for round 2 to pull into the driveway--Grammy and Grampa!

The Revolving Door

This holiday season our house is a Revolving Door and WE LOVE IT!! You see once Jack was born, Clay and I decided that Christmas would from now on be a holiday spent at home. Before we know it, Jack will have this whole Santa thing down and we want be home to start traditions and memories here. However, we always promised to leave our door open to anyone who wanted to come visit. Because what's Christmas without family? Originally, we thought this year was going to be spent with just the three of us. Nobody could seem to get their plans together (mainly my family, okay it was all my family). Don't ask me where I got my organizational gene from, I'm still wondering that myself ? But somehow, in the 12th hour, it all came together and this is how the following two weeks look...

Tomorrow, December 19th, GG (my Grandma) arrives from Kentucky. We will hit the airport on Saturday to pick up my cousin, Joel. I haven't seen him in TWO years! He has been serving in Iraq, so you can imagine the excitement we are all feeling. And even greater than seeing him for the holidays is that he is back for good! We are so proud of him and thrilled to have him home. Being an only child, I grew up extremely close to my cousins, so to me this is like having a brother return home. This will also be the first time he and Jack meet--the anticipation is killing me! Grandma and Joel will be staying with us until the 23rd, where they will then return to KY to celebrate Christmas day and Christmas eve with the rest of my family.

But, don't fret, we won't be alone on the big day(s). The Cibulas, Grammy and Grampa, will be pulling in the driveway just as GG and Joel are pulling out. Yes, they will arrive on Christmas Eve Eve. We will be graced with Grammy and Grampa's presence until the 26th. And I must note here, that they have been such troopers while my family got their plans figured out. The Cibula's flexibility has been quite the Christmas present. Thanks Grammy and Grampa!

And then believe it or not, we will be expecting my family again on the next day, Saturday the 27th. The first arrivals will be Joel, GG, Uncle Jim, and Jon (my other cousin/feels like a brother). Followed by my Aunt Scrub on the 30th (the reason for her name is a WHOLE other blog in itself, but it's what I've called her since I was a tot), then my Mom (Grandma) on the 31st. And the last guest will be leaving somewhere around the 6th of January. Whew! That's a busy Christmas cottage.

In preparation for all of these wonderful house guests, I have been grocery shopping, washing and changing sheets, cleaning house, wrapping presents like a mad woman, and waiting patiently for my basement bathroom remodel to be complete. As we speak, my wonderful contractor is downstairs working overtime...we are close, but not quite there. It is starting to look like a bathroom though. Can it be completed by tomorrow afternoon?--well, that remains to be seen. If not, GG and Joel may be sharing a bathroom with Jack.

And through all this preparation, my sweet Jack has been patiently waiting by the front door for our first Christmas guests to arrive. I finally had to pull him inside at dinner time and try to explain the concept of "tomorrow". I'm sure he is off dreaming about family members tonight and their anticipated arrival through our "revolving door".

Wishing you and your family a just as busy and very Merry Christmas!

Not Sure How To Take This?

I picked Jack up from school today, just as I do every Friday at 12:30. And this was the brief conversation that took place with his teachers...

Me: good afternoon!

Teacher 1: hi!, (looking towards Jack) Jack come on over, Mommy's here!

Teacher 1: (now looking at me) Does he just pass out when you put him to bed?

Me: (with a puzzled brow) yes, he usually does, he loves his sleep

Teacher 1: We figured (looking at teacher 2 and smiling ever so kindly), we were just discussing that before you got here

Me: (thinking, but wanting to say it out loud) What does that mean? Is he really that hyper or does he just look like a great sleeper?

Luckily, Jack arrived to the door at that moment and I no longer had to worry about trying to bite my tongue. Hmmm...the joy of a boy, I think?

Christmas Spirit

In an effort to get into the Christmas spirit, this is how we spent our first weekend in December...

First, we went to visit Santa Claus. And I wouldn't have expected anything but this...

Then we gave a reindeer a try. Jack was thinking "better, but not great".

And last we enjoyed our "oh so troublsome tree". And this time Jack was thinking, "this is more like it!".

The Christmas Tree Debacle

I wish I could sit down and write some sentimental post about our Christmas tree traditions this year, but I just can't. You see, it's been more or less of a debacle. Not terrible, just not easy.

It started last night when we went to get the tree. We picked out a beautiful 7 foot tree. When the Riverwood baseball player, (their team was sponsoring the lot), held it up, I said "Clay are you sure that's not too big?". And Clay said, "no it will be fine". And so we bought the tree. We got it home and you guessed it...too big. Not necessarily too tall, just way too wide. So I took Jack up for bedtime duty and Daddy stayed down in the family room to wrestle with the tree. And by the way, Jack was not at all puzzled as to why we had a tree in our home...hmm?? I thought he would at least raise an eyebrow. Upon returning to the family room after getting Jack down, I came into a forest of tree trimmings. Yes, wonderful Daddy had taken the initiative to trim the 'oh so big tree'. And boy, was our tree trimmed!...to about half of it's original size. A little uneven and lopsided, but it was in the designated Christmas tree spot. We turned the tree to the left, and then to the right, and then back to the left, and NOTHING we did made our tree look straight. Oh well, at least we have a tree and at least it fits, right? I think Clay was more bothered than me..and yes, that is possible!

Okay, so day two. Daddy had to go out of town overnight for business, so Jack and I were going to decorate the tree together. I couldn't wait any longer...this tree needed ornaments and fast! J and I started at 5 pm with the lights. At 5:15 pm and a third of the way up the tree, we realized we don't have enough lights. I'm telling you this tree is fat. So, shoes and jackets on and we are off to Target for more lights. Oops!...it's rush hour! Joy, joy, joy! Jack decides to throw "Lovey" in the way back of the car after about 6 minutes. The following 23 minute drive to Target involved my toddler screaming at the top of his lungs, "LOVEY, LOVEY". I tried to explain "that's why we don't throw Lovey". Do you think that mattered to him? So combine rush hour traffic with an irate 19 month old, and you guessed it...my blood pressure was sky high. We finally arrived to Target, opened the back door of the car, found Lovey, and Jack was all smiles again. We were in and out of Target in no time flat with two strings of lights.

Then it was dinner time. No time to cook, so Jack and I stopped at Moe's where he devoured a black bean and cheese quesadilla. I think I mentioned to him more than once to slow it down--did he listen? Of course not. We returned to the car just in time for Jack to throw up. Not a huge one, just a very stinky one!

Home and time for our bed time routine. It looks like I'm decorating the tree alone tonight.

Once Jack was safe and snug in his bed, I started on the tree. First the lights. Two strands later I was ready for the ornaments. Did I mention, the lights took me about 45 minutes and I was COVERED in tree sap at the completion? Apparently, doing a hack job on a Christmas tree causes it to secrete A LOT of sap. Yuck! I washed my fingers, hands and arms about 5 times (surgeon style at that). Okay, so now time for the ornaments. I was sooo over this tree at this point that there was very little joy in the ornaments, which is usually my favorite part.

Needless to say, there is no warm, touching story about choosing our Christmas tree and decorating it. No sentimental pictures of Jack, Clay, and I in front of the tree the night it got picked out, trimmed, and decorated. No just a picture of the "Cibula Christmas Tree" all by itself while Jack snoozes, Daddy is away, and Mommy's covered in tree sap.

I have decided though, that tomorrow will be the day we start enjoying our tree together and making new Christmas memories. And maybe we will even get a few pictures with it.

Thanksgiving Thankfuls

Just a few things Jack was thankful for on our wonderful Thanksgiving vacation in Florida...

Ice Cream...on a CONE!

Footballs and Daddy

Pint sized family members to play with.

Hoping your Thanksgiving left you with a list of "thankfuls"!

Playdate At The Cottage

Playdate at the Cottage

"Welcome to the Cottage!" we said with a cheer,

as Jack and I saw our friends gathering near.

We greeted them with hellos, hugs,and grins,

and then it was time for the fun to begin!

Down to the new playroom which is a bit small,

but that didn't stop the fun that would be had by all.

Between balls and cars and books and toys,

we knew the kids were happy from all their noise.

With Patterson, Sophia, Meg, Miller, Ansley, and Caroline too,

there was no way host Jack would be turning blue.

We dined on pizza, fruit, and apple juice,

and then it was back to the playroom to turn the tots loose.

Two hours later and one gigantic mess,

it was time for the little ones to take an afternoon rest.

We walked our friends to the door and waved our goodbyes,

while Jack headed upstairs for ZZZZZZ's and lullabies.

Happy Birthday Wesley Kate

We celebrated Wesley Kate's First Birthday on Saturday! The birthday girl hosted an adorable Mad Hatters Tea Party. Karen had the place decorated just darling with hats and tea pots all around in a very lively color palette. Although Jack didn't seem to notice the sweet theme, he did notice all of the toys and his many friends. He played so hard all afternoon that he actually crashed in the car on the way home...so unlike J to sleep in the car (not even on road trips!). Thank you to the Harris' and to precious Wesley Kate for letting us celebrate with you. Have fun being one...Jack says, 'you're gonna love it!'.




Messy faced Wesley Kate loved her strawberry smash cake and the pink balloon that hung from the back of her high chair!

The whole "Mad Hatting" family. Wesley Kate took her hat off right before I got the picture--too bad.
Karen made the hats...aren't they cute?

Patterson and Jack debate over which hat to wear during the party.
J eventually chose green only to leave it on for about 2 seconds.

Just Jack and the girls in his favorite spot--the BALL PIT!

Fall Leaves

HAPPY FALL TO ALL!
love, Jack

Gym Junkie

Jack gives a new meaning to the word "monkey" every Thursday. About a month ago we started his Little Explorers class at Suzuki Village with his favorite friend Sophia. His teacher, Ms. Marsha, who's voice is about one octave above Mickey Mouse, is fabulous. (and I'm not kidding--about the voice that is) All she has to do is give directions for the daily obstacle courses in her animated tone and Jack is riddled with giggles. Besides his fascination with the teacher, he is in love with the gym and all of the equipment it holds...balance beams, trampolines, a rock climbing wall, slides, foam blocks, and so much more. An active toddler's paradise! We have gotten so much out of this class already. I don't know if it's due to his age and his ability to execute more skills or if it's actually the class itself. For example, at the start of class Jack couldn't even take 2 steps on the balance beam without falling off. After only 3 weeks, he used his "airplane arms", put one foot in front of the other and crossed the balance beam without so much as a slip. And now, 6 weeks later, he flies across it. Now before you get too impressed, I must note he is still holding on to my pinky fingers while doing it. But progress, none the less. He has also mastered the forward somersault (with me spotting, of course) and is working on his backwards roll. Although, I don't foresee us mastering that one by class end. During free play, my little monkey gravitates towards the trampoline. He thinks he is jumping, I haven't let him on to the fact that he's not actually getting any air, but who knows, it could happen any day. The only stumbling block we've encountered is "magic carpet" time. This happens both at the start and finish of class. First problem...he is suppose to sit--ha! Yea right, with so much else to do in that gym--who has time for that? Second problem, he is suppose to do his warm up and cool down stretches, which I must say are very age appropriate and fun. The real issue here is an 18 month old BOY. My boy wants to be on the go, so needless to say "magic carpet" time is a challenge. However, he is making progress and I've been able to coerce him into participating for at least half of the time. Progress is progress. Meanwhile, I get to look over at sweet Sophia sitting perfectly on her colored square while I'm wrestling with Jack. I have to say the boy--girl stereotype is NOT a stereotype at all. By the close of class, I must admit, I am exhausted with a capital 'E'. It is so worth it though, Jack is loving this class and my little ball of energy takes a fabulous nap on Thursdays. Sophia, Cristina, Jack and I always follow class with lunch together in the same shopping center. We alternate between the only two restaurants available. The toddlers enjoy dining along side one another and Jack is picking up on some great table manners via Sophia. Maybe one day he'll pick up on "magic carpet" etiquette from her too! Until then, we will continue to enjoy monkeying around on Thursdays and the amazing nap that follows!

Halloween Week

We had a treat of a week celebrating Halloween this year. I know I've said it before and I'll probably say it again, but Jack sure does change the holidays and all for the better. I consider this year to be "the best Halloween ever", (as far as I can remember, that is). Here is a week in review with our little rowdy cowboy...


On Monday, we were pleasantly surprised with a spooky package from Grandma. Inside was Jack's most beloved treat--books! We got Biscuit's First Halloween, Jack's Halloween and Five Little Monkeys complete with a Monkey Mitt. Jack also found a plush Frankenstein in there. Naturally Jack's favorite was the one with his name in the title until he opened to the last page. Frankenstein starred Jack right back in the face with big googly eyes and gave a spooky growl. Yikes! Once Daddy and I were able to show him it was just pretend and actually really funny, Jack was soon joining in the giggling. Afterwards, he opened the book to that page about 15 times and would peel into laughter. That was followed by turning to every page and repeating "eyes" as he pointed to each of the characters giant googly eyes. "Yes Jack, those are eyes" was the phrase of the day.

The excitement didn't stop there. On Wednesday, we were invited to a Halloween play date hosted by Heather, mother of Meg and Kate. Don't ask me how she did it. With a two year old and a 4 month old, I would have been lucky to get Jack in his costume, much less host a party. But, she pulled it off and it was fabulous. We arrived with our hands full of a diaper bag, cowboy hat (that Jack refused to put on his head), and a gruesome snack of cheese fingers complete with finger nails. In between bouts of play, Jack spent most of his time eating. His full course lunch included 2 slices of pizza, 2 spider cookies, and 2 string cheese fingers . I got 2 very dirty diapers out of the deal in less than 2 hours. Lucky Mama! Heather, the hostess, had an adorable art project for us too. It involved Jack getting his foot painted black and then pressing it on a tile. Add two googly eyes and a ribbon and it was a ghostly trivet. Heather even took time from her own toddler to decorate it with his name and the year for me...thanks wonder Mom! The busy Moms tried to catch up and get pictures of the little ones. Neither task was very successful. After trying to get a group shot of the dressed up kiddos, Heather said it best..."it gets to a point that it's not even worth it". You'll see what I mean from the group shot below. The most important thing was accomplished though, fun was had by all. I took a a very tired cowboy home with me for an afternoon nap. Droopy eyes weren't my only clue he was exhausted. Oh no, Jack ranted "off, off,off, off" the entire ride home as he pulled off his boots, then his socks, and finally his scarf. When we arrived home, I was surprised that I didn't have a naked cowboy in the back seat. Ahhh...the joys of toddlerhood.




And the day of all days finally arrived--Friday October 31st--Halloween! Jack started his morning with school where he had a party and carved a pumpkin. Unfortunately, no Mommies allowed at this age in an effort to avoid sobbing and wanting to go home. So, I had to hear all of the gory details from Jack and his teacher. When I picked J up, he immediately showed me his class pumpkin. Miss Angela told me how he giggled during the entire carve, but refused to have any pulp on his hand. And boy do I believe it, my cowboy hates dirty hands. I'm assuming this is a phase? After nap time, we suited back up in his Halloween costume for the 3rd time and prepared to hit the streets. Since before we even moved in, all I have heard about is how our new neighborhood is Halloween crazy. I was starting to get the picture when on October 1st 80% of the houses on our street were already decorated. But, nothing could have prepared me for the chaos to come. We arrived a couple houses down the street for the Pre-Halloween party around 5:00ish. Jack sat at the kiddie table and enjoyed a light dinner of chicken nuggets, grapes, and cheese. He was actually too mesmerized by the costumed kids to clear his plate. Most of the kids completed their meals and were running through the yard and our Lone Cowboy watched in awe from a distance. By the look on his face, I really thought "he's not going to get it yet", you know the whole Trick or Treating thing? I was imagining hitting about 3 houses and then calling it a night. Well, promptly at 6:00 the house to house hunt began. We loaded hatless Jack in the wagon, grabbed Cosby from the house, and we were off. Our first stop was to one of the corner hot dog and beer stands that adorn the neighborhood. And guess who decided they were hungry now? Yes, our wide eyed cowboy. Hot dog in hand, we were really off this time. It only took two trick or treat stops and I couldn't believe it, but Jack "got it"! And he loved it! All he had to do was walk up to the house, stand on the door step, flash his shiny badge, and someone would put a big bowl of candy right in front of his face, too easy! As sweet as could be, he would so carefully choose 1 piece of candy each time, look at me, and then put it in his bag. As if to say "am I doing this right?". Oh, how I wish I had brought the video camera. So our 3 house expectation turned into the entire street. Each time we left a house, Jack would jabber on and on and on in excitement until we reached the next door. He then would fall silent and follow his pattern of choosing, looking at me, and then putting his candy of choice in the bag. Watching him each time was priceless. However, my best memory of the night was seeing J at his favorite house. It had a green cackling witch on the front door and he was in pure amazement! Since then, when we pass the house he says "witsh, witsh" and I picture his sweet face standing at that front door. Oh, it could make a Mommy's heart melt. But, of course, everything wasn't perfect, close, but not completely. Somewhere in the night we lost Daddy, which means we lost the wagon somehow, and Daddy lost Cosby. Luckily, Jack and I eventually found all three back at the house about an hour later. At that point, Daddy and I tag teamed--he took J out for a few more houses and I passed out candy. Carrying a 28lb cowboy up and down the street is not easy on the feet. As much as I enjoyed it, I had to take a break. Remind me to wear tennis shoes next year or better yet, how about Daddy doesn't get "lost" with the wagon again. My little Halloweiner, Cosby complete with a Halloween collar, helped me greet the last trick or treaters until Jack and Daddy returned. A few scary barks didn't deter those kids! We actually went through 10 large bags of candy. We were all exhausted shortly after night fall. Jack got a super quick scrub down and hit the crib. Clay and I followed close behind with all the lights out at the Cibula house by 9:30. I think that is a first for us. The last thing that I said before going to bed was, "that was the BEST Halloween ever" with images of little J in my head. And thanks to my friend Amy, who pointed out that there are never pics of Jack and I together, I made sure to get one of the two of us on Halloween night. I'm sure it will make me smile for many years to come. Happy Halloween to all and I hope yours was the best ever too!