Sunday, April 27, 2008

Jacks 4th Birthday Party



GOTTA LOVE snow in April. And in particular, in April on the exact day that we invited 20 three and four-year-olds over. These poor kids where packed in my tree house (what I call my home because it is so small), all bunched up on the floor eating hot dogs and popcorn. They were so cute!! Our outside carnival party was a bust, but I think the kids had a good time. The crane game was the favorite. I tried for 20 minutes to get a damn piece of candy out of the thing and couldn't do it, but these kids were getting handfuls of it. I was so impressed!
 
My three sons had a blast. James was in heaven having all of the kids to run around and play with, and it goes without saying that Jack had fun. Not only was there unlimited food and a MOUNTAIN of gifts, but the love of his life was here (his teacher...giggle), and he just adores her (SORRY MRS. BENTS!!). I think she must still be blushing over how he wanted to introduce her to everyone at the party. Jack has also become enamored with his Uncle Dave since seeing him at Christmas, and was thrilled to see him and his cousin Cam! Joey was a little angel through the whole thing. Kids running around, people laughing and being loud, very little nap time and being completely off schedule didn't even phase him. Between Grandma Darlene, Aunt Dawn, Aunt Robin and his favorite preschool mom, Nancy, all paying attention to him, he was happy as a clam!



Jack is quite annoyed at the fact that there is not a HINT of his birthday cake left. Every time he sees a picture of it he walks away grumbling about not having enough of his carnival cake filled with blueberries. I have comforted him by telling him he can have a Dora cake next time. You know how he feels about Dora! He did got the one present he had been asking for since Christmas. Yes, you guessed it...a real vacuum cleaner. I know, I got that one wrong too. Never would have thought that he would want one, but he sat on Santa's lap and asked for a yellow vacuum cleaner. I have bought the boy every conceivable play vacuum, to no avail. The poor thing thinks Santa forgot about him, because, of course, Santa should have KNOWN what he wanted. Huge thanks to Aunt Robin for that one! Jack had to call her last night to thank her for the best present EVER, and of course, at 7 am this morning, he had to try it out.



There is just something about a kid who hugs a vacuum cleaner that makes me smile.

Monday, April 21, 2008

The Race Is ON!

So I am sure that I won't be able to post much for the next week, with Jack's party and all, but I thought I would just write a little bit about what the boys have been up to.
 
 
JOSEPH

Joey is now eating table food!! AND SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!! I don't know what it is about that 9 month mark, but all 3 boys waited until then to gift us with a full night's sleep. We celebrated by having steak...smile. I am kidding. But he did eat a grilled cheese sandwich, mashed potatoes and chicken, carrots, peaches, bananas...WOOHOO! The days of $10-a-bottle formula is on it's way OUT!

JACK
 
Jacky has been very excited for his birthday. One of the things we decided to do this year is buy another play set for the backyard, and I wanted it built before the 30 four-year-olds come over. Jack has been helping with building it and shopping for all of his party stuff AND he is over the moon that his teacher, Mrs. Bents, and her 2 girls are coming!

JAMES

James lost ANOTHER tooth! I think he loves the golden dollars that the Tooth Fairy brings him so much that he decided to just go ahead and extract all of his teeth himself. On a SERIOUSLY DISGUSTING (and potential psychiatric-episode inducing) note, James...my lovely James, has surpassed all of my germ-a-phobe fears. As we were taking a potty break at the grocery store on Saturday, James decided to see what the handle on the bathroom door TASTED LIKE!! Hang on...I have to calm the screaming in my head. Seriously, someone get me a Prozac. He just licked it like a popsicle. I'm not positive, but I think the people in the back of the store heard me scream. Wait....that might have been in my head too. He is fine. I need to go lay down.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

The Tooth Has Left The Building!

 
James has lost his first tooth! Or I guess I should say "James was bribed with a video game to yank out his first tooth because his mom is one of the most impatient people on the planet and she couldn't stand waiting for it anymore!", or "James was bribed because his tooth is barely hanging on and his mom has an irrational fear that he would swallow it, requiring us to dig through poop to find it!". Either way, the tooth has been successfully extracted from his head, and all necessary imaginary childhood characters were alerted.

He looks like such a little man now.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Happy Birthday Jack!

At our house, birthdays are kinda a huge deal. Mostly because I make them a big deal, but still. We have over-the-top parties....and if I could do more, I would! I think each of my 3 sons should not only feel, but see the joy in celebrating a milestone like a birthday.

It is also a day for me to commemorate bringing an amazing little life into the world. In most of the blog entries I write we concentrate on the funny things that happen around here, but it is important to me to document how special I think each of them are, and nothing reminds me of that more than their birthday.
Jack came into the world the same way he enters a room today...with a lot of commotion. He was perfect...and had the most amazing blue eyes. I remember thinking while his eyes were closed that they were the exact size and shape as an almond. He had red, pouty lips and a ring of hair around his head like an old man. He had, and still does, an intense way of looking at you. On more than one occasion, people (including his pediatrician) have said to me that it's as if he can see what they are thinking!
My little Jacky wants what he wants when he wants it. He potty trained himself at 2 because he "didn't like the smell" of his diapers, and could ride a bike 2 years earlier than James....so he could "ride a bike like his brother". If you give him the right tools, he can dismantle everything in the room in 5 minutes flat. It can sometimes be a challenge (!!!) trying to reason with a 3 year-old who has more personality than most adults, but I wouldn't change a thing about him. He has an opinion about EVERYTHING, but at the same time you get a sense that he is trying to soak up everything around him. He is extremely intense sometimes....but conversely, he "feels" and loves strongly too. He can't stand not having his family around, and there have been some nights when he won't go to sleep until everyone is home. He is forever thinking of his big brother.... whenever Jack gets something, GOD FORBID if there isn't another one for James.
 
I am so proud and honored to have been chosen to be his mom. I can't wait to see who he decides to become! I love you Smoochy Face!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

My Son. The Naturalist.

 
Not much else to say, other than this is how I found Jack outside.
 
This was after telling him that yes, he could go out, but he needed to have boots and a hat on.

Silly Mommy! Pants aren't for kids

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

APRIL FOOLS! 2008

 
My Three Sons (at least 2 of them, anyway) were THRILLED to learn that tonight for dinner we were having cupcakes and for dessert, we were having hamburgers and french fries. I told them at breakfast that because April Fools Day is a silly day, we should celebrate by eating our dinner in a silly way. You could have heard a pin drop. Confusion could be seen as the impossible was being absorbed. "You mean we can have a cupcake for dinner?!"
 

You can see by the pictures above that if you try really hard, you can make meatloaf and mashed potatoes look like a cupcake, apple sticks look like french fries and a hamburger bun and a cookie look like a hamburger. The look on their face when they tasted the "frosting" on the cupcake was priceless! Jack had the funniest reaction. He looked up at us, and said HEY! THIS ISN'T A CUPCAKE!

I love being a mom