Puddle Jumping

Do you think the rain can keep us inside? Not a chance! After 3 days of rain, rain, rain, Jack and I decided it was time to get outside for some afternoon play. The clouds broke just long enough for us to do a little puddle jumping among other things. Jack got the chance to break in his new dino rain boots. Although, he alternates between calling them "algadoors" (alligators) and "rinohs". I think the horns on the top really throw him off. Enjoy the pictures of our wet afternoon...

Jack was on a mission to find puddles.

Not a puddle, but definitely something interesting that the rain washed in....such a boy!

Off to the backyard to "feeeed da birs". Jack put one seed at a time into the top of the bird feeder. He even test tasted to make sure the feed was fresh. What can I say, our boy loves food!

Jack heard some birds in the bushes behind the fence. So why not feed them through the fence?

So proud of his bird feeding duties!

A boy, his dog, and the creek. Jack decided the "feesh" were hungry too. (too bad I've never even seen a fish in there)

One last puddle before dinner time.

Guess What's Back On?

Yes, it's Dancing With The Stars--Season 8. One of my few late night T.V. addictions. Don't judge...so, I may be one of the only people my age who watch it (so my friends say), but it's my feel good reality show fix.

So far this season, I'm loving Julianne Hough and her boyfriend Chuck Wicks. Julianne is always my favorite professional dancer. Pair that with her country singer boyfriend and oh, are they adorable. Not to mention, country singers are my weakness.

I'm also really liking ex-bachelorette, (my other reality show addiction), Melissa Rycroft. I can't help but feel sorry for that poor girl. Although, she seems to have bounced back nicely.

And my final top celebrity is Ty Murray, Jewel's rodeo husband. Okay, so maybe he's not the best dancer, but he has the most innocent personality that it is absolutely precious. Maybe it's that country thing again.

However, it's still way too soon to pick my ultimate fave. I like to do that about mid-season.

Needless to say, there won't be much blogging going on Monday and Tuesday nights for the rest of the season. I'm sure all of you DWTS closet fans will understand. Gotta run...14 minutes till showtime.

Are You Kidding Me?

This is just a short rant from a frustrated Mommy. I don't need any comments on how uptight, overly organized, or how schedule bound I am. I CAN be flexible just not 5 days in a row. Without further ado, here is my rant...

Nap time has been AWFUL around here for 5 days straight. And if you know my Jack, naps are rarely a problem. If there is a problem, it's too much sleep. But, the past 5 days have been anything but that. I put him down between 1:30 and 2:00 after a very active morning and a good lunch. He takes Lovey and we part ways. Normally, he would be crashed out, oh, in about 15 min. After a book or two on his own, he would be in snoozeville. However, this week it has been a full out play session up there. He sings...loud, he flips, rolls, and jumps, he dances his Lovey along the crib rail, he pulls the letters of his name off the wall, and he talks...a lot! I've tried to ignore him. Normally, I would just say "oh well, he misses a nap today", and go on with my household duties. But, today...day #5 mind you, I am so frustrated!! I have gone in there one time everyday and in a very stern and serious voice reminded him that "it is nap time". "Our crib is for sleeping, not for playing". Do you think he cares? Not a bit. He gives me that precious Jack grin and without a hesitation starts up a very enthusiastic conversation with me. I don't give in, I don't even smile. I simply say "night, night" and close the door. He talks to me until I'm down the hall. It doesn't seem to be working.

My other strategy--remove all books and stuffed guys from his bed. No distractions, right? Ha! That's the day he pulled the letters off the wall. He's going to find something to entertain himself whether I provide it or not. I really don't think that is the issue though. Those things in his crib never caused a nap issue before, why should they now?

Now, if you think that is the best part, you are sorely mistaken. Oh no, it gets better. I make him stay in his crib until 4:00. I figure that is fair because on a normal nap day he would be sleeping until 4:30-5:00 anyway. Besides, he's having a great time up there. However, the best part is...four of the five days, he has crashed right at 3:50. 'Are you kidding me?' is all I can think. No lie, I've watched my video monitor and it's true. So then, I go to plan B--he gets until 4:30ish. Yes, what once was a two to three hour nap is now 45 glorious minutes. What a waste of 3 hours...ugh!

Finally today, I pulled out my sleep bible. I haven't looked at that book since J was dropping his A.M. nap about 7 months ago. The only advice I got was make sure bedtime is appropriate--check--and wake time is sufficient that the child recieved enough sleep--check again. And then it gave a solid reminder that the average kiddo doesn't drop their P.M. nap until at least age 3. I knew that and we ARE NOT dropping a nap. So, where to go from here? I guess just ride this out and chalk it up to another stage.

We've gone through this before. However, it was only a day or two at a time. Not 5 days straight. Has this ever happened to anyone else? And if so, what did you do? (and don't tell me to relax and be flexible--this does not call for flexibility)

Note: these pictures were taken post 45 minute nap...a 45 minute nap does not equal a happy toddler in my house:) or a happy Mommy for that matter

Breakfast of Champions

What is Jack's newest hobby you may ask? The answer is...stuffed characters. He now enjoys a new "character of the day" to eat breakfast with him, play with him, nap with him, go outside with him, and even call it a day with him. Depending on his mood and the activity, his character of choice varies. And many times, as noted above, it is significantly more than one. You can almost always guarantee one of the Sesame Street buddies are going to be on the top of his request list. (I'm beginning to think he might have an unhealthy obsession with Sesame Street;) Out of no where, Jack will just belt out a random request for one of his stuffed friends and he doesn't give up until we have found it and it is right next to us. Oh, but don't even think for a second that this new crew has replaced Lovey... no,no, no this is all in addition to. Jack has always got his hands full these days--literally! Hey, whatever keeps him happy...for this week, anyway!

p.s. Lovey, Grover, Baa Baa (his sheep), and the green Monkey accompanied Jack to bed tonight. That's 4 for those of you counting.

Nothing Better

No kidding, last weekend we were building a snowman in the front yard and this weekend we were having fun in the sun. And let me tell you, there is NOTHING BETTER than being outside with our wild child. He was born to be outdoors. We kicked off our weekend on Friday afternoon with a little outdoor play and it didn't stop until dinner time on Sunday evening. Gotta love Spring! (even if it is only a tease)

Friday: We pulled out all of our "old trusties". These are the toys that entertained us last fall and through the winter. This includes Jack's plastic animals, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and his push school bus riding toy. His favorite thing to do is line up all of his animals in a row while naming them and saying their corresponding sounds. He is very particular about how they are lined up...imagine that! And upon completion, he gives the animals and himself a huge round of applause. $10 bucks at Target has never been so entertaining. We followed that with "numers" and "yetters" . This is a frequent request during outdoor play. I write the alphabet and numbers 1-10 down the driveway with sidewalk chalk and Jack jumps down the row naming the letters and numbers he lands on. This entertainment only cost me a buck at the Dollar Store...not bad! Oh, and have I mentioned Lovey always joins us.

Saturday: It was a gorgeous day...low 70's and lots of sunshine. It didn't start out that way, but by 11:00ish it was perfect. In the A.M. Jack and I met Sophia and Cristina for a little park play. It warmed up quickly after we arrived and J and I were shedding layers. Jack, who is newly cautious of the slide, preferred the swings most of the time. Pair that with Sophia flying next to him and he was in heaven. By Saturday P.M., after lunch and nap, we were outdoors again. This time we pulled out the new outside gear. Clay purchased Jack a basketball goal and a tee ball set and this was the perfect weekend to test them outside. Lord help us, if Jack isn't an athlete. As Clay would say, "It's never too early to put a ball in his hand". Luckily, Jack showed some interest and Daddy was happy. I was just happy to have something to do besides line up animals in the driveway!

Sunday: This was the day of all days. You see, I bought Jack this tree swing, oh about 2 months ago. And for about 2 months Clay has "been going to hang it" for us. With the sunshine and blue skies, I decided today was going to be the day--no excuses. So while Daddy headed to Home Depot to get the necessary equipment, Jack and I started our outside adventures. Lots of balls--baseballs, footballs, basketballs, bouncy balls, wiffle balls--they all adorned our driveway. Jack would fill the blue ball bucket and dump the blue ball bucket. This was all between an occasional kick or throw of a ball. After a little ball play and a well deserved nap, Jack's swing was ready to go. One of the neighborhood kids had to give it a trial run before Jack would show any interest. And then for the rest of the late afternoon it was "Jack's sing". He held on tight and rode like a champ! Ahhh...what a weekend! Like I said, there is Nothing Better than being outside with Jack.

I Need A Project

Shortly after the dreaded "M" word, I traipsed into Clay's office one evening and declared "I need a project". I needed something to get my mind off of all the thoughts and feelings that were swirling around in my head. Clay grimaced because he knew this could only mean one thing...more construction which=more money. He reluctantly looked at me and asked, "what kind of project?". I thought, then looked around and said "this will do". "This" being his horrid office.

I've hated that office since the day we moved in. However, it was never on my priority list. I hate the horrible built in shelving, the solid door right in our entry way to greet our guests, and the mess. I haven't even taken the time to decorate it like I have the rest of the house. It was the last room we hung pictures in and when that didn't help, well, I kind of gave up on it. I decided about 5 weeks ago...'it's time to revisit this project'. So, being the wonderful husband he is, Clay agreed. Well, agreed might be a bit of a stretch, but let's just put it this way--he didn't tell me no. Which in our marital language is a 'yes'.

So on Monday February 9th our designer and contractor met at the cottage to discuss the plans. I sat back and listened to the ideas, the possible challenges, and what this little "project" of mine might entail. And it looks like it's going to go something like this--the door way widened with two french doors put in place, the shelving torn out, an outlet put in the closet to house all of the horrible cords,the hardwoods refinished, and some painting. To ensure Clay's privacy, (after all this is where he works), we are having custom curtains made for the doors, locks to keep Jack out, and a raised entry at the door to block outside noise.

The project is predicted to take about 2 weeks and we are set to start the last week of March. Not bad, except, once again this is where Clay works. So, in the mean time we will have to move him elsewhere. I suggested the basement, he suggested Panera Bread. And...that is where it gets a bit sticky. You see Clay may be calm right now, but I can already foresee some heated frustration on his part when he has to go without a work space for an entire 2 weeks. I'm going to have to be extra nice during this construction to soften the blow. But, in the end it will be so worth it--one less room I hate. And one less room that I hate has cut my list in half. The only one remaning is the master bath which will be a giant undertaking. (and Clay if you are reading this, I promise to spare you my "I need a project" comment for a while...at least until spring 2011...wink, wink)

The Snowy Day

Just when I thought Spring was right around the corner we have...The Snowy Day. When we went into church this morning it was cold and rainy and when we came out-- well, it is was still cold, but snowy. March is so unpredictable. Last year at this time, I think we were outside playing in shorts. As a matter of fact, I know we were, I have the pictures to prove it. Regardless, I do think we deserved this snow considering how terribly cold it has been this winter--there has got to be some joy in these temperatures, right?.

Anyway, it was absolutely beautiful with huge white flakes falling all around us. Jack was in awe and chanted "sno, sno, sno". And then he proceeded to narrate to us everywhere it landed, "sno cah" (car), "sno tee (tree)", "sno umbella". I was tempted to take Jack home right then and there, bypass lunch, and let him play in the white flakes. But after thinking it through, I reminded myself my boy does not play well on an empty stomach. So Clay and I went ahead and took him to get a quick bite to eat as we always do after Mass on Sundays . Our quick bite turned into an hour lunch. For some reason everyone was out in the snow getting lunch. Ugh...lunch time was slowly turning into nap time. I must have checked my watch every 2 minutes.

We arrived home 20 minutes after the usual start of nap and from there decided not to look at the clock anymore. These snowy days don't come around too often in these parts--might as well enjoy it while we can! Jacket on, mittens on, hat on, and we were off. We played for a fabulous hour and a half in the snow and even managed to build a good sized snowman too. After some frigid fun, I felt like it really was time for J to get some rest. I was finally able to coax him away from his snowman after offering him some snowman books to take to bed with him. Three books and one tired snow bunny later, Jack was snoozing away almost 2 whole hours after his regular nap time. I suppose that's what snowy days are for!

Jack hit the snow running!

Jack did not know what to think about snow on his shoes.

Oh no, get it off Mommy!

Daddy and Jack got rollin' on the snowman right away. Notice Jack chose to stand where the snow would not get on his shoes.

Look Mommy, our snowman has arms! Jack must have chanted "snowman aums" at least 15 times before we actually found the sticks. This was quite a crisis for him.

Jack and the finished project! Our snowman has grape eyes, a carrot nose, and an apple slice mouth. Jack snacked on a few of the apple slices during production.

Jack, Daddy, and Mr. Snowman Cibula.

Jack, Mommy, and Mr. Snowman Cibula.

"Nigh, Nigh Snowman, I'm reluctantly off to my nap."


And one more, just because he is so darn cute!