Jackson really likes Garrett's mobile, so we let him get in Garrett's crib the other morning and the both of them watched the mobile go round and round. Free entertainment....

Story Time - It's funny how Jackson will try to imitate how I read to him.
Poor Rigley - Jackson is trying to catch him so that he can put shorts on him. Rigley never gets a break, but he is so good with both boys. He will let Jackson do whatever he wants to him. Yesterday Garrett grabbed a big chunk of Rigley's hair, and Rigley just laid there. I think he doesn't even notice it anymore.

Does anyone happen to know what the ingredients are in Chili's cinnamon apples? We think Jackson is allergic to something in them. He had some when he was a little over 12 months and after he ate them we noticed his skin turned red around his month. I thought maybe he was allergic to something in them or maybe his "baby" skin was just sensitive to the sauce. The other night we had Chili's and I fed him just a little bit using a fork to avoid getting it all over his face. I guess just from licking his lips afterwards, it was red again. So...I think he is allergic to something in them. He eats apples all the time...so it is not apples. He has had cinnamon toast a few times....so I wouldn't think it is the cinnamon. What else could it be? Does anyone have any ideas?

Pictures and a Video

Garrett is starting to like the Jump-A-Roo more and more....Thank God...the Jump-A-Roo has the potential to allow me to do two handed chores!
Today as I was folding my clothes, Jackson pulled this shirt out of the basket which is one of his absolute favorites! (Yes, my Lawrence friends, that is a Lawrence shirt.) This shirts totally overstimulates him because there are so many types of balls on it. Every time I have it on he wants to point to every single ball....so I thought I would let him wear it for a little bit.
I must say, Jackson likes his sunglasses. These pictures were taken during his afternoon snack after his nap. They crack me up. He loves them.
This video is of Garrett grabbing Jackson's blanket. Jackson is pretty clingy to his blanket when he wakes up. He did not want his "Bubba" to take his blanket or mess with his cheerios. Of course, Garrett didn't have a clue what he was doing. He is still discovering that his hands are attached to him and go everywhere with him....he thinks they are cool toys!

Quick N' Painless

To my "Mommy Friends" -

I wanted to let y'all know that Saturday, July 26th, is Quick N' Painless at Cupcake Photography where I get Jackson and Garrett's pictures taken. This Quick N' Painless is Beach Day which is fun and easy since they already have their bathing suits from the summer. I am planning on taking the boys (Please, Please Jackson do good!!) Quick N' Painless is pretty inexpensive, so it is a cheap and fast way to get a good picture. Here is the link that tells you more about it. It also has sample pictures.

http://photographybycupcake.com/content.cfm?pageID=37

It seems like it has been a busy past few days. [Sorry for the tardiness] Last Tuesday, we finally realized it was 2008 and decided to get DVR. So, in my free time I have been catching up on The View and John & Kate Plus 8....which is a show that makes my home seem very calm.

We spent the weekend at the lake...here are a few pictures -
Milk and Cookies!


Look at this series of pictures of Jackson & Rigley (also known as "Gigley) at the lake. Look at how much he has grown.




Tomorrow I am going to take Jackson to the pool for the first time this summer. Lately he has had new fears, so hopefully he will enjoy it.

Universal Naptime?

This is one of those things that I need to gripe about, but since I no longer have the teacher's lounge to vent to...I will just vent here since my friends read this...

The freaken kids riding their 4 wheelers up and down the street during naptime are driving me nuts!!! I have both boys down for a nap and this is supposed to be my peaceful time of day, but instead every 20 seconds I hear stupid 4 wheelers flying down the street. [might I add that the kids are not wearing helmets and Aaron witnessed one flipping a 4 wheeler a few weeks ago] Last week it was 2 girls riding their golf cart around the street honking at their friend (who lives next door to us) every time they passed her house.

Parents....Naptime is from 1:00 to 3:00...please pass on the memo!

[I can't wait for summer to be over]

Sincerely,
The Mean Neighbor

P.S.
To the lovely neighbor across the street [owner of the 4 wheeler] who I have called the cops on for basing their music at all hours of the night [until 5 am] a few weeks ago [I have sleeping babies people!] ....since when did we start parking our truck in the front yard??? I know your house is not very cute and you might be trying to hide it behind your truck, but can you park your truck in the driveway or garage?

I don't mind, you can stay up all night long and drink beer outside. You can even put your tailgate down to sit on (or just use the lovely lawn chairs you have in your front yard already) but if you could just keep the music down and the truck parked in the drive way I would greatly appreciate it!

(For the record - for those that don't know me, I am kidding!....but they are getting on my nerves today!!:)

Mommy won't be my hero forever....

Every week I get an e-mail from babycenter.com that tells me what Jackson and Garrett should be doing and things to look for. Here is part of what Jackson's said this week:

New this month: More self-assurance

You may notice that your toddler is a little more comfortable being away from you than he used to be. He may be willing to sit with a familiar adult, such as a grandparent, and listen to a story or try to tell one about himself. And his alternating demands for attention and autonomy may be less dramatic. In part, that's because his improving language skills give him a sense of control that he's lacked until now. He's more willing to attempt to master certain tasks on his own and might not need you to help her figure out how everything works, including his toys.

Maybe it just made me sad because I had the David Cook song "Time of My Life" playing in the background as I was reading it.....but this little boy of mine is growing up to darn fast. It seems like just yesterday he was the size Garrett is now....learning how to roll over. Now, he understands everything we say, he repeats everything we say (Red Flag for Aaron)...he wants to be rough and tough like a big boy.

The other day I sat on the floor to join him while he was playing with his blocks, and he just looked at me like "I am fine, Mommy." He enjoyed me playing with him, but it hit me that one day it won't be cool to play with Mommy....and then I got this weekly e-mail from babycenter.com and it just put it in writing that he will not always need me. What the heck!?

The other day, Aaron was playing with the boys while I was getting ready. Jackson said something (Now I can't remember what it was...) But, Aaron was excited about it and came to tell me and I said "Oh, I know, he has been saying that all day." After saying that I felt so bad. Aaron didn't think anything of it, but I felt awful! Aaron does miss things because he is always at work. I should have acted like I had never heard Jackson say that before. I remember going to work and getting upset because I knew I was missing so much. I am so thankful I am able to be home with the boys. Garrett is no longer this little bitty baby. He is growing like a weed. In a few more months, he won't even want me to hold him so he can take a little cat nap. I know how it works. Once he learns to crawl, all that snuggling baby stuff is out the window. He will want to get down and explore. It all goes by so fast.....

Pictures...

Garrett is so ready to play with Jackson!

He watches him play all the time.



This picture cracks me up!

Congrats to my sister! She is engaged! :)

Two Things...

#1. I no longer buy Jackson's clothes from the baby section?!?! I just started buying him 2T and that is in the KID section.... How did this happen!?!?

#2. For the past few days, Jackson and I have had this little battle about playing with Rigley's food and water. Lately, Jackson has been acting like a dog a lot to make us laugh. He crawls around with his tongue out of his mouth, panting like a dog, barking at the back window, messing with Rigley's food and water, etc.

This morning I put Rigley's food and water up on the kitchen counter so Jackson could not mess with it. Of course, that made Jackson mad. So, after lunch Jackson decided to show me who was boss. On his way to putting his plate in the sink(which had left over food), he decided he would stop and put his plate on the floor where Rigley's food dish normally goes. He sat it on the floor and looked at me like "Ha, ha Mom...I won! Look what I did!" He is a mess.

Naptime = The time you can actually sit down and reflect on how crazy your life is!

Both boys are asleep. Garrett is starting to get on a schedule. About a month ago, in my blog I talked about starting sleep training for Garrett. (Putting him down awake...) After talking with my sister in law, who is a pediatrician, I decided to wait until he was 3 months old to start it. She said 3-4 months is the best time for sleep training.

On June 21, Garrett turned 3 months. That night I fed him his bottle (this is when he will normally fall asleep), changed his diaper to wake him up, swaddled him, Aaron and I told him good night, and I laid him down in his crib WIDE awake. We NEVER heard a sound from him. He slept until 7:00!!!!!!!! I knew this was good, but I also knew not to get too excited because the next night could be different. And it was...but it is okay....he is learning how to fall asleep on his own! Even though he is waking up during the night right now hungry, in a few months he will be physically able to sleep through the night without a bottle...which means when he cries in the middle of the night, I can ignore it and he will go back to sleep. He won't need my help.

Three months is when they say habits start forming. This means, no more napping on his play mat, no more napping on the couch, no more napping in the swing, no more napping on mommy (well, maybe a little..:) So, today Jackson ate his lunch and Garrett had his bottle. I changed both diapers. I swaddled Garrett up just like I do at night, told him good night, and put him in his crib. He cried. I tried to ignore it. I read to Jackson, told him good night, and put him to bed. Went back in Garrett's room, patted his belly, told him it was okay, and left the room. I sat in the living room and listened to a few minutes of Jackson singing some type of song and Garrett crying....then it was silent. They were both asleep and both in their cribs.

As Garrett is getting a little older, my days are becoming more normal, but things are still crazy! I was thinking the other day about how different my life is now than it was two years ago. Everything changes. Going to get gas - I keep the car running so the boys have air conditioning....lock the doors, but roll down the passenger window (the side of my gas tank) so I can unlock the door to get back in. Going to the grocery store - this was already hard with one baby....I haven't tried it with two. How would this even work?? Put Garrett's carrier on the top part and Jackson would go where? You know how long the shopping trip would take if I let him walk. I either go when Aaron gets home from work or Aaron goes on his way home from work. Cooking dinner - I have to give Jackson things to help me with and sing and dance to keep Garrett happy. Going to the bathroom - "Yes Jackson, that is Mommy's pee-pee!" Taking a shower - Thank God for the swing. Going out to eat - we need a loud place, Garrett would prefer somewhere with cool lights to look at, we order as soon as we sit down, and ask for the bill as soon as they bring our food out. Going to the mall - uggggh, the workers who want to talk to you forever about their sales drive me nuts! Listen buddy, I have a baby that is going to cry any second and a toddler that will want out of the stroller any minute. I am in a hurry. I know what I need, so leave me alone! However, thanks to the cashiers that hold one end of the receipt so you can sign it while holding a baby on your hip. Y'all really are a big help!

It is wild and crazy...but I love it and I love my boys!!

Garrett is 3 months old!!

First (of many) wrestling match!

No more Tiny Tots for us...

How was Tiny Tots....(from Jackson)

1. Why do I need to jump on the trampoline with my hands on my belly? Can't I just jump a little, fall down, jump some more, fall down, run in a little circle, fall down...that is more fun to me!

2. You want me to run through this long dark tunnel under the bleachers, but all the kids in there are running and screaming. Why would I want to go in there?

3. Good Job Teacher. You can put your arms out to your side like the wings of an airplane...can you please run while you do that? March in place? Can we march around? I have a better idea....turn up that music just a little bit and watch me free style!! From the looks of things, I have some moves you have probably never seen!

4. Swing on a rope and fall into a pit. I am 20 months? Do you really think I can hold on to a rope.

5. "BASEBALL! BASEBALL! BASEBALL!" I see kids playing with balls! I want to play with them...nope that's another class. My mommy is so mean for not letting me play with them!

6. Ruuuuuunnnn down this long trampoline! Hey, I am good at this!!! Oh yeah, cause I can do this in my front yard.

7. Time to play in the pit.....so much fun! There is my friend Walker! I met him before the class started and haven't seen him since. We can play now!! Man! Times up!

So...Tiny Tots was not good. I really hoped it would be, but it's a good thing today was the free trial class. I wanted him to take this so he could have interaction with other kids. He didn't get that at all. It is way too structured for him (and for the age group of the class). So, no more Tiny Tots for us! I told Jackson I would just buy him the little basketball hoop (which he calls baseball) that the kids in the other class were playing with instead of enrolling him in the class. I think a play group of some type would be better for him at this age.

Pottery Barn Kids Towel

I got an e-mail from Pottery Barn Kids today that said these towels were on sale. I wanted to forward the link on to all you other "Toddler Moms." The beach towels with the hoods are my absolute FAVORITE! I bought one for Jackson last year and LOVE IT!! Just thought I would share...
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/shop/sal/salnew/index.cfm?page=all&bnrid=3501551&cm_ven=Email&cm_cat=TowelSale&cm_pla=DTC&cm_ite=dtc_heroimage&cm_em=jordan8082@sbcglobal.net

Why didn't anyone tell me about Ketchup?

Jackson has discovered ketchup (also known as ee-up) and he is now eating meat! He has never been a big meat eater which worried Aaron and I. However, I discovered that putting ketchup on meat makes it yummy!!! For lunch, he ate all of his grilled chicken that had ketchup on top....yesterday he ate tuna with ketchup (I think I just threw up a little!). Now that he knows meat is not so bad, he is eating turkey and cheese roll ups. Thanks to ketchup, Jackson is now a carnivore!

These past few weeks, he has started to figure out rewards. You do this....you get this. He is becoming so much help around the house. However, tonight we kind of felt as if we were treating him like a dog. We bought grapes at the store today which made him really excited! For every "chore" he did tonight, he got a grape. I am considering sneaking grapes into his Tiny Tots class on Monday so he will be on his best behavior. I will have to be sure to wear shorts with pockets!

Garrett is still doing well. He is becoming a wonderful sleeper. He is starting to fall asleep on his own more and more which is a great habit for when he wakes up in the middle of the night. He is laughing and smiling so much!

He is really becoming a "Momma's Boy," which is good and bad. Since I am staying at home, he is so comfortable with me. At this age with Jackson, I was already back at work. He had to get use to other people. Garrett doesn't have to do that. When possible, I try to let others soothe him when he is crying just so he doesn't always have me....but he is still becoming very attached. He is such a little sweetie. He does cry, but normally only when he is hungry, tired, wet, or wants his momma.

A few videos...

These videos were taken a few weekends ago...
Jackson with his Great Grandma Lynn

Jackson and Harleigh being silly!

Tiny Tots!

I think I am going to put Jackson in gymnastics!! I was looking online at a Mommy and Me website and came across a class that is offered called Tiny Tots. It is for toddlers 18-36 months. It says the class begins with an aerobic musical warm-up designed to teach children rhythm, balance, and coordination. For those of you who know Jackson, understand why I am so excited about seeing him working on his rhythm! He LOVES to dance! This is going to be fun! They also teach basic tumbling skills like front and back rolls, handstands, and cartwheels. The thought of this just makes me laugh so hard! I just cannot wait to see him trying to do these things. He thinks he already knows how to do some of these things. He learned how to do "the worm" this weekend from my cousins Nick and Nate....only Jackson's worm looked a little different than theirs did. He tries.
I am going to call in the morning to find out when the class is offered, but I really hope he can do it! I think he will love it! Does anyone want to join us??

Happy 4th Anniversary to Us!

Pictures from our wedding...4 years ago!

Boys Will Be Boys!

Jackson always likes to run around the house naked while I run his bath water. He thinks it is hilarious....(and it kind of is!) Tonight after I had his bath water ready, I walked around the house looking for him and found him in the entry way like this......
A little curious??? And no....he is not looking at his feet!

Baseball Game

Shelly and Justin (Shelly's boyfriend)

Jackson and Justin

Germs at the Jordan's

So.....I now have an ear infection as well. Good times, Good times...it just keeps getting better!! Aaron went to work for the Railroad last night at midnight and went straight to an irrigation job today. He has now been working for 22 hours...still going. Luckily he has tonight off from the railroad, so we will actually get to see him tomorrow. Poor Jackson, he misses his "Dad-tey."

Thanks to my mom! She came over today so I could go to the doctor. She even brought me soup and 7 Up! She stayed here to help me out until I put Jackson to bed. Even though I am a Mommy now, it is still nice to have my Mommy when I am sick. She was a big help and even tucked me in with a blanket before leaving. :)

"Yee-Ha" With Grammy

I don't really want to type this because I am scared it will make it stop happening...but Garrett is sleeping later and later every night. Last night was (drum roll please!) 5:45!!!!! That is big...huge!!!!!!! At 5:45, the news from TODAY is on. It is not the "Previously Recorded" news that I had been watching in the middle of the night. I had in my head that he would/should be sleeping through the night by 12 weeks. He is 11 weeks today, so we are doing good!

Look at Jackson holding his hand! I know, that's how the germs spread. But, how could I tell him not to do that!?

"Ummm, who would you like me to make this check out to?" I swear, he watches everything that I do.

House full of Germs and 2 Pointless Drives

Jackson is getting better, but it is taking forever for all the crud to go away. His nose is constantly running and he is still congested. Now, I have no voice. I never lose my voice, but of course I lost it this time. It is hard to have a toddler and not have a voice. I am exhausted from just trying to talk to him. I think Garrett must have what I have. He doesn't have a temperature, but his cry sounds horse. Luckily, Aaron has been working a lot and isn't around us enough to catch it. Who gets sick in June!?!?

This week I had to make 2 pointless drives to "a school district I worked in this year"...no names. (I am still out on "maternity leave"....for about five years though...) My Principal e-mailed me last week and said I need to make an appointment to go to the administration building to have a meeting about "business details" since I am leaving the district and I needed to call the school to make an appointment to have a meeting with her. (yeah, we have to have appointments to meet with our Principal)
I made an appointment at the administration building for Monday at 2:00, then tried to make my appointment at the school for around the same time so I could get it all done in one day.....considering cost of gas and having my mom come over to watch the boys. But no, one appointment was Monday at 2:00 and then one was Tuesday at 1:30.
So these must be important meetings right?? No! I had to drive all the way to the administration office to sign a paper that said "We do not need to discuss insurance because I don't use the schools insurance" and I need to take an ONLINE exit interview AT HOME. I was seriously there for about two minutes.
Well okay, maybe my Tuesday meeting at the school was going to be the important one. Nope, it was just to turn in my keys and badge. (Yep, gotta turn in your badge. Don't want anyone acting like a teacher and getting a discount at the movie theatre or walking into a school and pretending to be a teacher when your really not????) Could I not have dropped this stuff off on Monday when I was in town? Nope, got to have an appointment to do that! I can't help but laugh. Oh Aimee Lewis, how I miss you!
Oh and I thought maybe I would hear a "YIPEE ON YOUR TAKS SCORES!!! You are one of the teachers with the most 4s in the whole district!" ummmm, no....
The conversation went like this -
(no expression) "Have you seen yours TAKS scores?"
(Big smile on my face) "YES!" :)
(no expression) "They were good."
The end.
Seriously?! Maybe I am just use to seeing Aimee run down the hall congratulating her teachers!