Randomness...

_Sigh_ It's another one of those days...curtains back, blinds open, windows up. I love this prefall weather...Its prefect for playing outside all day...laying on a blanket with the bebe and watching Jackson roll around with the dogs...and sipping on tea in the evenings. The only thing I have to complain about it is... mine and Jackson's sinus' are taking a toll. But I am so grateful that we have been healthy and sickness free for a long while. Avie is showing no signs of a stuffy nose and I accredit that to nursing. She must have hit a growth spurt these last few days because I feel that my nights are spent nursing every 3 hours again...its about time for homemade baby food! I did try her on some rice cereal but she acts like its the worst thing shes ever put in her mouth. In fact I've tried it several times, and every time she flails back in her bumbo seat...if she was able to physically get out...she would! I did give her some mashed carrots I made last night and she didn't seem to mind that much...they are a little more sweeter too.

Well I don't have a follow up on Jackson and Wee Rock, because he didn't go this Sunday. He fell asleep 10 minutes before I had to leave and I wasn't about to wake him up...or I would have had a repeat of last week for certain. I do think he is starting to like Avie a bit more...his new thing is he likes to wrestler her...and no I really don't let him wrestler her...I just let him think he is (now that I write this...maybe that's not a good idea). He lays down on his back and I fly her over him, and she grabs his hair...he thinks its hilarious and so does she! Then she lands on his belly and Jack thinks she is trying to tickle him...then he tries to push her off. So we are experiencing "some" brotherly/sisterly love! Avie is just so in love with her brother...she smiles and laughs at him more than she does me....and he doesn't even try. All he has to do is look at her!

Lately I have been finding random objects placed in random places...and I'm not talking toys here and there. The other day I pulled open the drawer in my kitchen to get a dishrag and I find a half eaten granola bar instead...Another morning I go to turn the toaster oven on and there is a DD battery inside (I wonder if that could be dangerous)...and last night, I open the oven to put some cookies in and find a bell....like a ding ding ding bell! I would like to think that I watch him closely enough, that I would notice him pulling up a chair to the toaster oven, notice a DD battery in his hand and see him putting it in the toaster...all I can think is...must have happened when daddy was "watching" him. Which reminds me of last night, when daddy was in charge of watching Jack while I bathed Avie. I was headed towards Avie's room to put on her diaper and p.j.'s when I notice the door is closed. Great!... I think to myself...wonder who's in there. I open the door to a room filled cloud of white dust!...he found the powder! "What do YOU think you are doing," I asked..."I cleanin up," he joyfully responds with dust pan and broom in hand! There are puddles of powder all over the carpet, and he is trying to "sweep" them up... hence the cloud of white dust! I think he realizes that he is not having much luck with this method and tells me that we need to use the vacuum! Man this kid keeps me busy!

Avie - 4 months

Jackson 2 months

She loves to sleep with a blanket over her face

This is how Avie feels about rice cereal!

Chocolate Face!

Wait...is that really My child????

I recently started teaching "Wee Rock" at our church on Sunday evenings. Its a childrens program based on music and bible verses. I've kinda had to tweak the program for the two year old class...obviously they are not at the level of memorizing bible verses on a short term basis. Anyhoo...I had a very interesting first day! My dear son is also in my class...something I've been looking forward to...something that him and I could do together...something important that I could instill in him. Trying to be the prepared and organized person that I am, I arrived early to set up my classroom and prepare for the lesson. I had my husband drop my son off closer to start time. I got to meet my two wonderful helpers...both of them excited to be part of my class and privileged of my child development background. I have a lot to show up to! I met Brandon for the trade off and Jackson seemed so excited about Wee Rock! The arriving activity is Play Doe...and Jack is the first to play. Everything is going well until the eight other two year olds arrive...and my son turns into an undomesticated child....literally! In his two years, 3 months of his life he has forgotten everything I have taught him! By the end of the class I really wanted to beat him....I spent more time...correcting him...breaking up brawls with him and other kids...retrieving craft materials from him...returning paper hearts that he had stolen from other kids....removing him from the tops of tables...turning off the water in the sink (why they have a sink at a childs level I will never know)...and trying to coax him to sit with the rest of the group. I was tired, exhausted, and most of all embarrassed...and no, I have never before observed this kind of behavior in him. I pretty much got Jack and ran out of there once all the other kids were gone. I got in the car and took a much needed deep breath. There were so many things that I wanted to say and do to him. But I began by asking him if he liked Wee Rock, he responded with "uh huh"....then I asked him what his favorite part was, he said "da wee rock". Although his behavior was completely unacceptable I tried to think of why he behaved the way he did...maybe he was jealous of the attention I showed the other children...maybe he doesn't know how to "play" with other children...maybe he needs to get out more often. I started telling him things that he did that were inappropriate...not listening, taking toys, pushing and hitting friends...and let him know that I was very upset with him, he responded..."I sorry mommy"...at least he was remorseful. Then I told him the things that I liked seeing him do. I had to think hard..."the heart you colored was so pretty,"....."and I am so proud that you tee teed on the potty."

So for now we will start out fresh...a new day...let's just hope that it's a better day....and let me just say that no amount of education and classes can prepare you for parenthood!

Just when we think they got it

Well we are back from vacation. We took a trip with my family to Perdido Key and had a wonderful time...although I am still recouping. I always seem to get in this down and out mood after vacations...I think because we are constantly doing things to keep busy on vacation and when I get home its back to the norm. Jackson loved the beach...he really could have stayed playing in the sand and pool the whole time. Avie on the other had didn't care much for the beach. I think the wind bothered her...but she did like the pool when it was warm. My mom and Joel taught her how to stick out her tongue...and now she does it all the time, and expects me to make a bunch of "hoora" when she does it:) Another new thing she has started doing is smacking her lips...she likes the sound it makes...drives me nuts. She also has good control of grasping things and putting them strait into her mouth. She can actually play with a few toys now.

Let's move on to Jackson now, since he has been my headache for the past few weeks. I guess I am starting to experience what they call the "terrible twos" although I never imagined it would be a teenager shoved in a two year old body. He has started back talking me lately...which has turned his rear into a permanent shade of pink! I feel like all I do is spank all day. We were also doing so good with the potty training, but I made the mistake of putting pull ups on him while we were on vacation. I new we would be traveling for long periods of time and it would be hard to stop so many times. Soooo we have been retraining for the past few days and I feel like I am back at day 1. After the second day and numerous accidents I finally decided to let him run naked for the rest of the day not to mention I had no clean underwear for him. He is usually great with poohing on the potty and always tells me when he has to go....well not this day. I observed him straining in the middle of the floor and looked at him with a stern eye and told him he better go get on the potty if he needed to pooh. He did run to the potty only to tell me that "it's not ready yet mommy", so I made sure to tell him to come get on the potty when he was ready. Mean while the door bell rang and it was some young lady doing a survey. Trying to hide my naked child that was crawling under my legs to take a look...I apologized...there was no hiding this child....told her we were potty training...she gave me some weird looks and continued quickly with her 4 question survey about air pollution. Upon completion of the survey I go to pick Jack up and notice that I have brown streaks on the couch and pillows. Disgusted I carry him to the bathroom while trying to dodge turds on the floor. I sit Jack on the toilet and tell him not to move while I go clean up the mess. I can hear him rehearsing his lines..."I not going get a spanking mommy"..."Oh yes you are" I yell to him. "But momma you my best friend" he says. Its hard to believe that they can come up with "excuses" at this age! Or maybe its just because he's a male!

Brandon finally makes it home....late...but home. He notices that I am exhausted and had a rough day. We both sit on the couch while he eats dinner and he gets up to put down the blinds that are up. He pauses then looks at me and says..."do you have any idea how a turd got on the window ceil?" I just busted out laughing! "I guess I missed one," I said. Then I got to thinking about the surveyor that came by earlier that day...a mental picture popped in my head of Jack's bare butt in front of the window and a turd...that lady was probably thinking...potty training...lady you have a long way to go!

Jackson and Avie with their Nana & PeePaw

Daddy & Jack in a big hole they dug

Momma & Avie in the pool

Miss Avie

Jackson in the sand