So Sweet!

Working

Somehow my son likes to work. He always wants to do projects, fix things, help in the yard...and the list can go on and on. One such instance was labor day weekend when my nieces and nephew were up visiting and they were all playing the leaves. Well, Jack didn't think they should mess up the leaves and play, he thought they needed to be taken to the burn pile. We seriously had to tell him to play and we will work later. I just love what a hard little worker he is. When we were working on trimming down bushes this summer and splitting plants, Jack would have his little john deere with the wagon hooked up and made trip after trip to take weeds and trimmings to the burn pile.

A couple of nights we were out in the garage getting ready to paint his last picture for his room and he was playing on the workbench. I was trying to get a picture of him with his tools and asked him to please smile for me. His response, "Can't smile mommy, too busy working!"





Pictures mommy and Jack painted


Picture Jack painted all by himself! (and a little from daddy)

Short-Term Memory

Pretty simple life. Wake up. Go to work. Come home. See Family. A lot happens in bewtween but you get the point. The best part is every night when I get home I hear "HEY DADDY!"
I remember one of my favorite snl hosts of all time (Tom Hanks) had a character called Mr. Short Term Memory Guy. Playing on a game show they would introduce him first. He would say hello and look to his left. He realized he was standing next to a TV Star and he would say "WOW! Aren't you..."(so and so)? The the host moves on to introduce the TV Star and when he says his name, Tom Hanks freaks out again and says "WOW! It's..."(so and so)! This continues throughout the skit. Take my word for it. Very funny.
It doesn't matter if its been 2 hours or a whole day, when you walk in the door Jack gives a greeting to you as though it has been weeks and he has waited...impatiently...to see you again. Nothing makes you feel more loved/accepted/right and like a GOOD parent than that greeting.

Unsolicited Wake Up Call

While trying to find my things and get out of the house this morning I hear a little voice; "Daaaaaaaaaddy......Daaaaaaddy." Jack is up. 4:55 in the morning my Son is ready to start his day. I rush upstairs and have it in my head that I will get him back to sleep so my wife can stay in bed for a while longer before starting her day. My eyes have already adjusted to the light so when I open his door I cannot see a thing. I begin my approach to the bed, arms out in front as not to start my day with a stubbed toe or knee. As I near the bed I hear a little voice whisper: "I got out of my bed Daddy. I got out of my bed." It is coming form the head of the bed but on the floor. There my Son sits on his knees ready to start his day.

In my head I feel that I will be successful using logic to explain to Jack why it is still bed time. I pick him up (noticing he is wet through his jammies) and proceed to take him over to the window. I open it up and show him that it is still dark outside. With the moonlight shining, the ground was glowing white. This gets Jack even more excited as he tells me "It's snowing Daddy! It's snowing!" He did not go back to bed. I got him even more excited to stay up.

On my way to work I reflect on the day before but this morning I thought about Jack and our encounter. What a zest for life he has. Sleep means nothing to him because there is so much to experience. I think there is a lesson there. I don't like waking up at 4:55 on Saturday but my Son is creating more time for us to spend together. What could be better than that?

The Moon

Jack's favorite book when he was younger was Goodnight Moon. Every night this summer Chris would take him outside to see the moon before he went to bed, and when we are driving at night it's always a game to see who can find the moon. So this morning at5:30 when I saw that Chris left his shirt at home, Jack and I hopped into the van and headed to meet him. The moon was still so bright and high in the sky, and Jack pointed that out. As we were pulling back into the subdivision, Jack said "Look mommy, the moon followed us home. Moons gonna sleep in the grass soon." It was so cute! I just love how big little things are to him.

Big Boy

Loving the bumbo


and...ready to eat!

Cole sat in his bumbo seat for the first time on Saturday. He did so well in it. I can't believe he is already big enough to sit in that chair. Seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. He has changed so much in 10 weeks.
Some things I want to remember about Cole at 2 months are:
*how he smiles after every feeding
*how he watches Jack intently when he is dancing around and being goofy
*how sweet he looks when sleeping in his swing by dining room windows, and that he loves to look out those windows and watch what's going on outside. (I think he will be an outdoors boy just like his brother)
*how well he sleeps at night(all night long)!!!
*how he tries to suck on his fist now and every once in a while gets his thumb
*how he likes to be cradled in the crook of my left arm with his pacifier and blankie

Trick or Treat

I have to say Halloween wasn't what I quite expected this year. We bought our costumes about a month ago...for Jack a cowboy riding a horse, and for Cole a pumpkin. Cole pretty much outgrew his little pumpkin by this weekend. But you forget how much more difficult it is to get out with a 2 month old baby when it's freezing and it's their nap time. We took all the kids down to my grandparent's house to trick or treat around their neighborhood. However, once we got there, Cole was sleeping, and Jack just wasted to play with all of grandpa's tractors. Needless to say, he didn't go to any other houses! Probably a good thing not to have all that candy around, cause I certainly don't need to be munching on it. I look forward to next year when the boys can be walking together and both enjoying the day. Here are some pics of the day.

Jack walking up to Great Grandma Marge and Great Grandpa Ronnie's house





Tessa, Cole, and Even enjoying the day better without their costumes on!