Happy 2.5 years, Jack!

Beautiful Child, right from the moment you were born,
you opened up my heart, my soul, you're beautiful.
Tender and sweet, both in your crying and your sleep,
you radiate a sense of hope, you're beautiful.
Sara Groves

Has it already been 30 months?! Really?? Two and a half years, seriously? That's staggering to me, but then I look at my passionate, energetic, silly, talkative (yes, really! after all our speech challenges), and fearless son and realize that it feels like he's been a part of this family forever.


His favorite activity for the last six months has been "pay wun-in-in-in-in" (playing running) and it basically involves yelling "SET! DOH!" and taking off with a grin and both little wings curled up & swinging side to side. Today, he wanted to play running-in-in outside in the beautiful warm sunshine, and shouted: "Mama, CHASE me! GET me!"


Jack adores the water and regularly asks "Pay Wah-wer, piece!" And it's not really "playing water" until he's soaked to the skin and covered in suds...


He *loves* his food, would be thrilled to eat 10 meals a day of "nolalolurt" (granola & yogurt), and regularly downs 12 peanut butter crackers to and from Brooks's preschool. Here he guards his applesauce bowl like it's the loot of Fort Knox...


He loves "Lon-Den" and "Sooes" (knee/nursery rhymes "Trot Trot to London" and Banberry Cross), especially with Aunt Sissy - who has a very spunky horse.


All little boy, this fellow can turn anything into a sword, and LOVES the pirate and knight dress-up costumes best of all...


(This next shot makes me feel like we've already fast-forwarded a decade)... Everything sports related is - to Jack - playing "Auh-bun" and football is still a favorite. Jack is still whipping his arm around and throwing a ball better than some much bigger kids.


Jack loved playing in the snow last month with Daddy & Brooks.


He spends hours every day chasing Brooks


And he loves to make Baby "Shishish" laugh in her bouncey seat or on her playmat...


Momma loves to tickle him, because he laughs hysterically, always screams "Stop" and then shouts "more"!!!


We play hard and sleep hard around here... and this one almost always starts and ends nap-time with books. It's a regular routine to find Jack sacked on in this chair outside his room at the top of the stairs where he's fallen asleep after sneaking out of bed for one more story...


I still can't seem to part with his curls, despite the occasional jokes about raising Samson. I just LOVE them and this sweet profile...


and I just love Jack, all 36.4 pounds, 37.75 inches of him.

Jack, you bring more joy and laughter and thunderous noise to our house than I ever thought possible. I can't wait to see you grow into the man that God wants you to be.

Overheard

After swim lessons last night, Daddy tucked Brooks into bed and this Momma grabbed a shower. When I got out, there was still chatter up in the attic, so I tiptoed up the stairs to see if I could figure out who was keeping his brother awake. This is what I heard:

Brooks: .... and thank you, God...
Jack: tank oo.
B: God.
J: Dod
B: for the whole world
J: woude
B: In Jesus Name. (pause) In Jesus Name.
J: Ee-us Name.
B: A
J: A
B: Men!
J: Men! More peas!
B: No more bedtime prayers tonight, Jack... Do you know why?
J: No. Why?
B: Because, toMORrow, we have to go to Pump it up!
J: Oh, YAY!
B: Well, we don't HAVE to go to Pump it up. Do you WANT to go?
J: YES!! (pause) Jammies!
B: Well, Jack, I'm actually not SURE if it's a jammies party or not...
J: Oh.
B: It COULD be, but I don't KNOW. Cause I'm not the HOSTess.
J: Oh.
B: Go to sleep now, ok, Jack?
J. Ok. Love ou. Love ou. Love ou.

(long pause).

J. Home. Mommy home.
B: Yes, Mommy's home, Jack, she's just in the shower.
J. Oh, ok. Mommy home.

I think my heart melted in my chest. Love them.

Make-shift Pacifier

Fourteen week old Lucy Kate thinks that her (newly discovered!) fingers make a great comfort item when she's just too tired to figure out how to get the paci back to her mouth.

Manic Monday

Found, just outside the boys' bedroom when I went to put Brooks down for his rest... a very tired little Jack-Attack had apparently decided to come out to the "Reading Chair" for one more book before his own nap. I wonder how far into the story he got...

Jack, our little artist...

Jack is currently obsessed with art. He has been for several months now. His second birthday was all about color books and paints - from us and both sets of grandparents. It's quite fun to see him matching colors and practicing how to say the words blue and yellow and green... It's also fun to watch him create something from start to finish. I had the camera out recently, the day that he did his work entitled "Purple Marker"... Here is a progression, with a few observation notes from the artist's mother:

First you choose your marker, and you put the cap on the end... just like this. You can't draw unless it's just. like. this.


Then you put the marker on the page and create something lovely.


No no, Mama. It's not finished yet. No pictures while I'm working!


See there is so much more I need to add... Now, doesn't that look better?


When you're done it's very important to put the cap back on...


When you're ready to show your art, you have to take it off the easel...


And turn it so everyone can see it... "What do you think, Momma?"


Or just put it next to Daddy's placemat, so he'll be sure to see it when he gets home!


Voila! THIS is how great art is made!

Halloween 2011

Costumes have always had an important place in our house, so I really can't believe this is the first year we've done the whole Trick or Treat thing. I mean there have been October costume parties and fall fest events each year, but last year we were in London over Halloween, and the year before that we had just been in our new house a month and had a newborn, and wandering around the new neighborhood in the cold with a three year old who wouldn't have missed it anyway, well... it just wasn't going to happen.

This was the year, though, and I LOVED explaining Trick or Treating to Brooks. He was enthralled with the idea that on one night of the year, he could pick his favorite "dress-up" to wear outside the house, ring random doorbells, and be given free candy just by saying a few magical words. It was like I had given him a million dollars. Though you can't tell it from this photo, they were both having a blast...


We met up with the Ha's and Westrom's, two families from our church and covered about two blocks in our 'hood in just under an hour. It was a dry, crisp and cool fall night, perfectly lovely weather for strolling around with friends and such fun to see the neighbors welcoming all these kiddos.

The "big kids" couldn't figure out what to make of some of our neighbors' decorations. The cackling skeltons and moaning ghosts got some very confused stares... So glad that no one completely freaked out while we were out there.


We had with us an Astronaut (who could have done this all night)


A Cowboy (getting a bit tuckered out by this point)...


And a Green Apple (who had completely lost the battle, and caved to sleep a half hour before)


We were accompanied by three lovely fairy princesses and a sweet puppy dog.


And I am already dreaming of the sequins and tulle and wings that we will need in future years!

Trick or Treat!

Pictures of Month-Old Babies

Recently, I have heard just about every possible combination of comparison - of my children with each other and of them with each of their parents. Ie, "wow, Jack looks just you!" "Wow, Jack looks JUST like Eric!" "Don't the kids look exactly alike?!" "Ok, she doesn't look like either of her brothers?!" etc, etc, etc.

I love these conversations even with complete strangers, because I love trying to figure it out myself. They seem to change almost constantly, especially in those first newborn months. But I thought I'd search through the digital family archives for the boys' newborn pictures for actual evidence...

Brooks, in December 2006


Jack, in September 2009


Lucy Kate, in October 2011


So, okay. I now have my opinions here...

What do *you* think?

Day 1 of my new SAHM normal... this time with THREE!

Today, Lucy Kate is 19 days old, and today is my first day at home with all three kids by myself. It's 5:00pm and I'm still alive.

During weeks 1 and 2 after her birth, we were happy to have both my mom and Eric at home with us to keep everyone fed and entertained, make sure the house ran smoothly, and force me to nap occasionally. This past week Eric returned to work, and his parents came out to help out for several days. It's been amazing to have such great support and service from our families during this happy and busy transition time. I've been very fortunate.

But today? Well, today's been amazing. I woke up at 5:30am, said goodbye to my husband and mother-in-law as they left together, and made myself a cup of tea. My mom and sister and in-laws all swear that the early morning is lovely, but I really had not seen it often enough to say. This morning, I started some laundry, got dressed and started feeding Lucy Kate, all before the boys announced the end of their night of sleep at 6:06am. In total, the day looks like this:

• Washed & dried 7 (yep, seven!) loads of laundry, and most is folded and put away already.
• Baked homemade blueberry muffins with Jack, & ate them together on the kitchen floor, picnic-style.
• Lucy Kate, Jack & I went to Target & The Container Store where Jack charmed everyone with his happy hellos, & LK won hearts with her sleepy pink cuteness.
• Brooks was on-time for his preschool pick-up & we were on-time to pick him up. Miracle.
• I only asked someone to hurry maybe 5 or 6 times.
• Lucy Kate didn't miss a feeding.
• All three kids slept for about 45 minutes simultaneously. (WHY was I not asleep, too?!)
  
• No screaming or yelling from the Mama. Yep, none. (granted, the day is not over yet...)

This was a GREAT day. But I can hear the boys waking up, and LK is getting hungry. Signing off to go enjoy the rest of this happy day.