Well...We Tried

He had that paper torn up the SECOND I put it in his hand. I felt defeated....

Luckily I had Avery take some pictures holding the sign on her own so we could get something usable. It is official: I am smarter than a (almost) 2 year old.

So we hope you have a very great day, Aunt Julie. Even if we aren't capable of getting anything in the mail on time. (We mailed it, though! It's on the way! Just....you know....late.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNT JULIE! We love you!

For Their Valentines

Avery signed her own cards with the letter A. She was very proud of herself when she was done. I was, too, so I took a picture to put in her baby book. Earlier in the week she had written "AVY" on a card she made. She is great at spelling her name but not quite there when it comes to writing it. She isn't sure how to make the E or R yet so she just leaves it out. Makes sense to me.
Avery and Jack have the greatest teachers/caregivers. We are so lucky to have them--they make a real difference in my kids' lives. And it makes life so much easier for me and Matt to know that our kids are being loved and cared for while we are at work every day. I can't imagine having it any other way.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dance Fever

You'll have to forgive the picture heavy posts this week. My mom is out of town on a business trip so I am trying to keep her posted on what the kids are up to. I think she would prefer that nothing happen at all while she is away, something I completely understand. BUT, if we had to keep the kids inside with no new activities I think I might go crazy--especially since we don't get our normal Saturday night break from the kids while she is away. Our mission this weekend is to keep them as busy as possible. Since there is no cooking class this week for Avery, we enrolled both of the kids in dance classes at our city Rec Center this morning. The schedule won't work for Avery because it is at the same time as her cooking classes are but she has been asking to go to dance class for almost a year now and so we finally decided to give her a second chance and see if she would actually participate this time.

For Jack, this is the first time we have enrolled him in ANY class or activity. He gets a lot of interaction with Avery at home and his friends at daycare so we didn't feel like we needed to enroll him in Gymboree like we did with Avery. But now that he is almost 2, he really does need some kind of activity on the weekend to get his energy out and build his motor skills. Jack's friend Conrad is in the class and his mom really likes it so we decided to give it a try. Here are the pictures from Kindertots and Kinderdance today.


At first Jack stood around with his thumb in his mouth. He stood up when the teacher told everyone to and he sat when everyone sat (always on the little mat he chose at the start of class, which I thought was cute--and also a sign that he has been programmed to always sit in his "spot") but he didn't really participate much at first.
The teacher gave him these scarves to use as part of a dance. As you can see from the look on his face, he isn't quite sure about this.
But then he realized that he got to run around the room with the scarves and he perked right up. Poppa was there to watch and I think Jack considered Poppa to be "base" because he would almost always run over to Poppa after any activity. Run around the room and wave scarves. Run to Poppa. Jump on little mats like a frog. Run to Poppa. Sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Run to Poppa. Hopefully he'll catch on that you don't actually have to tell Poppa what you just did every time because HE CAN SEE YOU from where he is sitting.
He really did start to enjoy class and the various movements they were making as a group. Large elephant steps and then baby mouse steps. Running on tip toes and then walking very slowly and quietly. Jumping up and down and jumping side to side. When he was catching on to what he was suppose to do, he was quite happy with the experience.

"Look! I'm jumping! Like a frog!"

This was a song about being a big apple, I think. It was toward the end of class so he had figured out that he could just watch the teacher and know what kinds of motions he needed to make to go along with the song.
He really liked being able to jump around in circles and raise his hands over his head. I think that's because of all of the Yo Gabba Gabba shows he watches. Dancing like a fool is not foreign to this kid.
But this! THIS was the best part of class by far for Jack. He perked right up when the teacher told the class that it was time to play catch. Jack would watch the others get a turn and after each one he would say, "My turn! My turn!" with such a cute smile on his face.

He was thrilled when it was his turn and he got to catch the ball and then roll it back to the teacher. He clapped for himself every time.

Oh Lucky day! He got to STAND and CATCH, too! And he did. The teacher threw the ball and he caught it with no problem. Whenever a child missed Jack would run after the ball and say, "My do it! My do it!" (which is Jack's way of saying he'll get the ball).
I was worried that once he got the ball he would choose to keep it and run around the room like a fool while everyone chased after him to get the ball. I was pleasantly surprised when he threw the ball right back to the teacher after he caught it.
He jumped up and down when he realized that he got to catch and throw the ball MORE THAN ONE TIME! OMGTHEBESTDAYEVER!

We're definitely going to sign him up for the weekly classes. He liked the songs, being with his friend Conrad and running around the room like a crazy man. Plus, the nap he took this afternoon was fantastic. :-)

Next was Avery's class. I'll start this story by reminding you of our former President, George W. Bush, and a famous saying that he shared with the world one time: "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." I think what he meant to say is, "fool me twice, shame on ME" which is exactly how Matt and I felt after Avery's ballet class today.

After months of requests from Avery to go to ballet class again, we finally agreed to take her. As I said earlier, today was the perfect day. Luckily this was just a "try and see class" so we didn't have to pay anything.

Things started out very promising. She went right over to the teacher and participated in the exercises with no tears at all. She even turned around and yelled over to me several times to see if I had noticed that she was "listening to the teacher." She was doing so well, in fact, that I felt comfortable leaving the room to let Jack run around on the track. After about 20 minutes I came back in the room to get Matt to take over with Jack so I could watch Avery. Once she saw me come in the room she turned around and gave me a really pitiful look. I was afraid it was one of those "I have to go to the restroom and I have tights and a leotard on" looks so I motioned her over. She whined that she was ready to go home and she didn't want to do ballet anymore. The teacher told her that some fun dances were coming up along with tap and gymnastics but Avery was firm in her decision to leave. sigh.

I told her that we weren't going to come back again if we left as she started to put her pants and shoes on. She clearly didn't care.

So that's it. We tried twice and we failed twice. The kid likes the idea of ballet class but not the act of participating in the class. We won't be fooled again.

Probably.
The only ballet picture of her that we have from this time. Definitely an improvement from the tearful photo we have from her last attempt when she was 2. Same outcome, though. Same outcome.

Jack's First Haircut

OHDEARLORD. I succumbed to the pressure Matt was putting on me. I caved. I gave in.

I am a fool.

So. Today was the day. We got Jack's first haircut and I knew it was a mistake before we even did it. I loved his little blond curls in the back and now they are gone.

Forever.

(Sure, maybe I am being a little dramatic. But take a look for yourself. Jack went from being a baby to being a little boy in only 15 minutes!)

Waiting with Poppa for his turn in the chair of doom. Poor kid doesn't even know what's about to happen to him. Life is so cruel.

Here is the last picture of his sweet little curls before they met an untimely death. I saved them, of course, but having them in an envelope in his baby book is not the same as on his sweet head.
Here he is as Vilma was making her first cuts. He wasn't really sure what in the world was happening to him. I was starting to feel sick to my stomach.
Here he is looking at her as if to say, "Please make sure I am still cute after this!"

And there they go. My delicious little curls. I was feeling like I could actually vomit. I was trying to figure out how I let Matt talk me into this. What in the world was I thinking? I blame global warming.

I think he was contemplating how much his life will be different now that he looks older. Could he get more chicks? Get into a PG movie? Get on carnival rides? Oh...the possibilities.
He was so sweet during the whole experience. He never cried or jerked around. He just sat patiently and quietly while Vilma did her thing.

And when it was all said and done....

...this is what he looked like. Not a sweet baby boy anymore.
Here's the back. No sweet curls. No floppy top. Just plain ol' short and straight hair.

Just like a big boy.

I think I will keep him in footie pajamas until he leaves for college.

My Little Valentines

Is it too much to ask that they take ONE PICTURE where they are both looking at the camera and smiling at the same time? :-)



ahem...Mom, you can click on the picture to make it bigger.

SUPER Party

So if you were like us, you were one of the 106 million Americans to watch the Super Bowl last night. We hosted a Super Bowl party with Josh. It was such a good time because we had lots of kids there, which was a first for a party at Josh's house. Generally we are there to celebrate an upcoming wedding or baby so it was neat to be in the house where we have had baby showers for so many of the kids that were playing in the living room. Of course, the kids did pose an interesting challenge when it came to WATCHING THE GAME, but it was totally worth it.

By half time it was almost every child's bedtime so most of the crowd cleared out and only about 6 of us were left to watch the second half of the game. The neat thing about that was that 2 of them were huge New Orleans fans and the rest of us were pulling for the Saints so when they won it was a lot of fun to bask in the celebration they were showing on TV.

Josh wasn't too interested in watching the celebration though, and he definitely isn't a fan of big messes so he started the vacuum cleaner the MINUTE the game was over. In fact, we had to tell him to shut it off during the trophy ceremony because we couldn't hear. It sort of reminded me of a time that I was on a really great date and we were having so much fun talking and laughing at a restaurant that we didn't realize what time it was until we heard the waiter vacuuming the floors. We got the hint and left...I hope that isn't what Josh was trying to tell us last night because we definitely stayed around to watch the whole ceremony.

Anyway, it was a great crowd and we had a good mix of old friends and new there so I am glad we were able to all get together--even if some of us enjoyed each other's company rather than getting to watch the game.

Josh hates it when the kids play with this tea set but he didn't put it away so the kids took over and played with it all night. Baby Denali enjoyed watching the older kids play with all the nice toys. (we had a shower for baby Denali last May. Hard to believe she is 7 months old now.)
This is Annabelle and she is definitely her mother's daughter. Every time I took her picture she would ask to see the camera and then tell me if she thought it was a good picture or not. That cracks me up. Her mom is my little sister in our sorority and one of the girls we threw a shower for in this house when she was expecting Annabelle.
I had a hard time getting Jack to stop eating long enough for me to take this picture. But I do think it was a big victory that I managed to keep Jack away from the brownies, burgers, chicken wings, etc. He was totally satisfied with Chex Mix. VICTORY! Anyway, this is Annabelle, Jack and Conrad. Would you believe that Jack is the youngest in this picture? Conrad lives on our street and goes to the same school as Jack does so they get along very well with each other. I didn't have my camera in my hands the whole time (shut up. I didn't), which is too bad because I missed Jack and Conrad sharing Chex Mix with each other. For such rowdy boys they can certainly be super sweet.
This is Reagan. She will be 6 in May and as you can see, Avery is taller than she is. Jack probably weighs more than she does. Was it something in the water when I was pregnant? Perhaps all of those baked potatoes I ate caused me to spawn huge children? Or is it that Micha (Reagan's mom) just doesn't feed her that often and puts her in a bed that restricts her growth like some kind of ancient African tribe might do? Which scenario seems more likely?
Reagan was telling Avery some knock-knock jokes. Avery laughed every time even though sometimes it was clear that she had no idea what Reagan was talking about. Then Reagan asked Avery why the chicken crossed the road and Avery's response was, "KNOCK KNOCK!" I pray to baby Jesus that she will not end up with her Grammie's sense of humor.

This is Maddie and she clearly didn't want me to take her picture. I tried and tried to get her to look at the camera or stand with Avery but she just absolutely refused. She is such a little sweetie and she is usually very happy to let me take her picture but she got to the house after the party was already in full swing and I think she was a little overwhelmed by all of the activity in Josh's living room. I had to take her picture anyway because that is the cutest outfit! Check out her sparkly zebra stripe shoes.
Look how engaged Avery and Reagan are in the big game! They are total sports fans! I couldn't be more proud!! (um, really they were watching Beauty and the Beast. But a mother can dream, can't she?!)
Thank goodness for baby gates because Jack just couldn't seem to stay away from the stairs. And we all know how coordinated this boy is.
This is my former co-worker's son, Sawyer. He is 4 years old but I still remember the last time we were together at Josh's house for a party. He was learning to walk then and it was my baby shower when I was expecting Avery.

Time!

It flies!

Anyway, he is teaching Jack all about making silly faces during pictures. This isn't exactly a trick I was hoping Jack would pick up. It's hard enough to get him to stop eating long enough to take a picture and now I have to worry about him making silly faces every time. I might never get a real picture of my boy at this rate. Needless to say, the next few pictures in my camera are of Jack and Sawyer making funny faces together. sigh.

Then the wrestling began. Having boys is completely different than having girls. Poor Reagan is NOT participating in the wrestling match. She is trying to get up from her comfortable spot on the floor watching a movie. The boys totally took over.
Uh-Oh. Here comes trouble. Just when I had Jack changed into his PJs and ready to go home to go to bed he discovered his undying love for Maddie. I think I have 5 pictures of Jack just staring at her. Sometimes he was on this side of her and sometimes he moved to the other side but he never took his eyes off of her. Maddie, on the other hand, didn't have the time of day for him. She was very busy arranging magnets and could not be bothered by this baby who was falling in love. She is going to be 4, after all, so why would she want to be seen with a boy who isn't even 2 yet? She probably has to deal with this sort of thing all the time. A girl with shoes as cute as the ones Maddie wears has plenty of options.
He couldn't help himself and had to get closer to her. They arranged magnets together for a few minutes before she got bored with him and walked away. A sassy fashionista like her does not need to humor a baby like Jack. I mean, he was wearing footie pajamas, for Heaven's sake! I'm afraid he is in love, though. The look on his little face when she walked away was priceless.

But wait a minute....

Just like a typical man! Jack moved on quickly to a new girl after Maddie gave him the cold shoulder. Annabelle had her PJs on, too, and was more than willing to snuggle up with him. Jack was more than willing to let her. Girls are such suckers for boys with broken hearts. And Jack is a sucker for a cute girl. Somehow I think I am going to need to keep a very close eye on this boy.

I'm so glad we had such a good turnout to the party and the kids all played together so well. There were no meltdowns and no blood was shed, which I consider to be a major victory every time!

There's No Place Like Home

Whew. That was a long time to go without blogging. And there were so many times I wanted to comment on some of my observations (like how no one washed their hands after using the restroom)...but I was on a business trip in Asia and I didn't want to blog on my work computer. (see: Dooce File under: Lessons Learned)

I am so happy to be back home and with the kiddos again. They met me at the airport and the little smiles on their faces were priceless. Of course, we were only 20 minutes into the ride home when Jack started pulling Avery's hair. She just screamed and then there was lots of hitting and crying and I started wondering if maybe I could get back on the airplane.

I kid! My poor tailbone was way too sore from the 24 hours of travel back home to get back on a plane. I pretty much only wanted to stand or lay. In fact, I felt like maybe I would never sit again. Plus, I had been awake for almost 48 hours because of the time differences and the long flights home so I didn't have enough energy to really let the kids get to me.

I had a great time with the people I work with in Manila. I'm really glad that I had the chance to spend a lot of time with them because my last trip there was right when they had a terrible flood and most people were at home cleaning up what was left of their homes so I didn't get to see them much. This trip was much more pleasant for everyone and we had lots of good laughs. We even got a little work done while I was there.

I have so many things to get caught up on so I am going to post this picture of Jack and promise more posts very soon.

This is Jack's new trick. Whenever I get the camera out--even if it is to take Avery's picture--he makes this face. I was lucky to catch it before he quickly turned back to a smile. I think he has the cutest little facial expressions. And the best part about it is that he can't maintain this look for long and he usually cracks himself up just trying to look sad.

Perfecting the pout at an early age.

And here he is 30 seconds later. Dancing around the house "getting his sillies out" with the Yo Gabba Gabba gang. He really gets into the dances and always claps for himself when he is done.

so good to be home!