He's a Keeper!

Jack does wonders for Mommy's self esteem! Every time Mommy pulls into the garage with Jack in the car, he cheers and yells "Yay Mommy! You did it!!" Maybe he's just happy to have made it home safely ;)

There is nothing that makes a mommy feel better than receiving a compliment from her sweet baby. A few days ago I walked downstairs after getting dressed for the day and Jack turned to me and said, "Beautiful, mommy, beautiful." Seriously, melt me people. I wish I could keep him in my pocket until the end of time.

Didn't His Mother Every Tell Him Not to Play with Matches?

Apparently not! Jack was super quiet for 5 minutes the other day (which NEVER happens and ALWAYS means something bad) and when Mommy walked into the living room, Jack was sitting in the chair with his new "toys". Thank goodness he didn't know what to do with them!!!

It Really Gets to Me

Today we took Jack to his friend Ava's first birthday party (more to come on that later) and on the way there we saw something that was truly disturbing and I felt so helpless. As we were driving to the party we stopped at a stoplight and a car pulled up next to us on my side of the car. I looked over and saw the following:

4 small children and an adult crammed into the backseat of the car. 3 of them were not in car seats and the 4th was a small infant who was in a car seat, forward facing, that was not secured on a base or with a seat belt. In the front, on the passenger side, was an adult reclined in his/her seat with a small child (less than 2 years old) standing on the floor in front of the seat. The child was STANDING in front of the adult, facing the rear of the car playing with a Leap Frog!!!

As tears welled up in my eyes, I so badly wanted to jump out of the car and scream and yell at the adults in the other car. Don't they know that a simple rear-ending would severely injure, if not kill, all the kids in their car?? Didn't they care? I asked Chris if we should call the police or do something but he said that there was really nothing we could do. As we drove off I said a prayer that those kids would be protected.

I can't really stop thinking about that situation. Before I had Jack this would have bothered me but now things like this deeply affect me. I wish that everyone understood that each and every child is such a blessing.

Thanks Beth!

Jack's babysitter Beth knitted him this adorable scarf for Christmas, complete with a stitched "J". He LOVES it and often gets quite upset if we forget to put it on him :)

Eww!

There are so many great things about being a parent but there are a few things that completely gross me out. Jack is a really good eater and loves things that most 2 year olds refuse to eat but also really likes to mix his food. I HATE to mix my food! Thanksgiving is somewhat of a nightmare for me because I really can't stand for my food to touch and I wouldn't dream of mixing 2 different foods together. Jack, however, does not share the same hatred. He recently decided to eat his peas by dipping them in ketchup, mustard, AND ranch dressing. That is quite a combination!

How Do We Keep Ourselves Busy When Its 40 Below Zero Outside??!!!

The weather here has been unbearable (unless you consider windchills of 40 below zero bearable) so we have been trying to find ways to keep ourselves occupied. Honestly, trying to keep a very active, outdoors-loving 2 1/2 year old entertained when you can't leave the house is not an easy task and we have all been suffering from cabin fever. Just to get from our house to our detached garage we have to dress like this:Therefore, we don't leave that often!

So what do you do? Create window art, of course!
Don't worry! They are markers meant for windows and glass!
When you can't take it any longer and you have to let the energy out you have no choice but to dump out all the dvd's and swim around in them...

We're just trying to hold out until we can do this again...

Let's Hope Its Just a Phase!

Its been 5 days since our sweet little son has taken a nap! He is so tired but the second I leave his room, the party begins. We're talking singing, dancing, head stands, downward facing dogs, blowing raspberries, etc. He has even resorted to pulling up his sheet and mattress pad and wrapping himself in it like a Jack Burrito! We've tried everything to resolve this--taking his blankies away, offering lollipops if he goes to sleep, moving his nap time later but nothing seems to work. He is so tired by early evening that he has started falling asleep in the car (which he NEVER does!) and we are forced to put him to bed at 6:30pm!!!

Mommy can relax or get anything done during "nap time" because she is too worried about him going to sleep or rescuing him from the disaster he has created in his crib. This is just a phase, right? RIGHT??!!!

Not a good start to my day...

See if you can figure out this little picture puzzle:



That's right! My adorable, sweet, MISCHIEVOUS son decided to drop some dog food in my coffee this morning just as I was finally able to sit down on the couch and enjoy the long awaited cup of joe. This was on top of my adorable, sweet, MISCHIEVOUS puppy burying herself in a foot a snow and then running through my house at lightning speed. Unfortunately for me, this was my loving and adoring husband's day to sleep in (that's right, once you have kids you trade off sleep-in days!) which resulted in the longest, most insane hour of my life! And its only 8:30am!!!!

Our Little Guitar Hero

Was it Daddy's favorite Christmas present or Jack's?

"Wow! My presents!"

Christmas morning was so magical in our house. There really is nothing like Christmas through the eyes of a 2 year old. While he was excited about the presents, they definitely were not the most important thing to Jack. He was so amazed by all the lights, wonder and excitement of the season that the presents really didn't seem to matter. In fact, he was more excited to hand out the presents and help everyone else open theirs than opening his own.That said, he did love the presents he did get. He is turning into he Papa, a true electronics junkie!

Happy Christmas Family!

A quick family picture before heading out to church on Christmas Eve!