Sand and Water Table

Every year at Williamson Medical Center, where Grandma Jane works, she gets to use attendance reward points to "buy" something from a catalog full of great stuff. The year that I was pregnant with Jack, Jane used her points to get this cool sand and water table. Until yesterday it was in the garage waiting for Jack to get big enough to use. 

The last couple of weeks, the weather has been getting nicer so Jack and I have been playing outside. It became obvious that Jack's favorite thing to do was to dig in the mud, so I decided it was definitely time to get out the sand and water table.

Jack dove right in and had a great time playing in the sand. I didn't fill up the water side yesterday because it was only 70 degrees. By the end of the week, it's supposed to be 80, so we'll give it a try then. Jack had such a good time that we went to Target to buy some more sand toys. Now he has trucks and other fun stuff to play with. It's apparent that this is going to be one of Jack's favorite summer toys. 

The Simple Life

We live such a simple life that sometimes it's difficult to find things to blog about. Jack and I spend our days napping, playing in the playroom, and playing outdoors if the weather permits. Add meals and snacks and I've described our typical day. Some would probably be bored to tears by the lack of action in our days, but I find peace in Jack's delight over watching the dogs through the kitchen window or building structures out of Duplos for Jack to gleefully destroy. 

The weekends are exceptionally fun because Daddy stays home to play with us. Jack and Daddy love to sneak up behind me and yell BOO to see my reaction. Usually I hear Daddy whispering to try to keep Jack quiet on the way, so I get to test my acting skills. Jack thinks that objects flying out of my hands when he scares me are absolutely hysterical. The kitchen towels are wonderful props in this game for the three of us. 

This life that the three of us have made together is nothing less than perfect in my eyes. Playing with my giggly boy and anxiously waiting for my hardworking husband to come home is how I get to spend my days. Life cannot possibly get any better than this. 

Irrational Tears

Why do I get such a kick out of pictures like these? I guess the irrationality of toddlerhood cracks me up. These tears were because I refused to open the door to the laundry room and let Jack get the clothes out of the dryer. What a mean mommy! Explaining that we already did that chore and that the clothes that were in the dryer now needed to dry was useless. I guess it's fortunate that I find humor in these tantrums because I'm betting there will be lots of tears in the years ahead.

He's Absolutely Perfect

I had a check-up today with the doctor that delivered Jack. She asked me to tell her about Jack, and all I could say was, "He's absolutely perfect." And he is. From his chubby cheeks to his crossed ankles, Jack is perfect. And I'm not just saying that because I'm his mother.

Walking

Being the receiver and the photographer is not easy, so this is the best shot I have gotten of Jack walking so far. Each day Jack is walking a little more. He giggles every time he tries it, probably due to my reaction to his efforts. He can walk 7 or 8 steps from John to me, and he is letting go of furniture and walking 4 or 5 steps before stumbling. He has a lot more confidence if he knows I am going to catch him before he falls. This evening he stood for the first time without pulling up on anything. I expect that he'll be walking pretty well by the time we make our trek north in April.

I Think He's Been Watching His Mommy...

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He's Obviously Not Having Any Fun...

... riding his John Deere ATV. 

Daddy Made Jack Very Happy This Weekend

See?

We had a great weekend. We hung out together and got a lot done around the house. We figured that we may as well get is done now instead of waiting until the weather is so nice that we don't want to do it. Our big news from the weekend is that on Saturday Jack took his first steps. He walked from the ottoman to the crib in the nursery, probably four or five steps. Jack's been standing unassisted for the last week or so and walking between me and Daddy, but this was his idea. No one was dangling a carrot cell phone to entice him to walk. Big news!