A Few Pictures and Random Thoughts

John, Jack, and I have been enjoying the spring. John has spent many hours mowing the lawn on the "tractor". I'm not sure he knew what he was getting into when he decided to move us out to the country. He may just spend every free moment mowing the lawn this summer. Jack got his first ride on the "tractor" and loved it. When it was time to get off, a temper tantrum was thrown by one 15 month old I know. Jack and I have plenty of time to enjoy playing in the yard. It's fun to watch Jack explore. His interest in wildlife is pretty intense. He knows what doggies, kitties, and cows say. We visited Minnesota, and now he's interested in horses too. He laughs every time I mimic Uncle Kevin's horses and then he gives it a try, but that's a hard noise for the little guy to make. Not to worry, his Aunt Kathy can't do it either (ha!). He points at every bird that passes and loves it when the turkeys visit the yard. 

On Saturday, I will be finished with the first trimester of Baby #2's pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Jack, all I wanted to eat was pasta. With this baby, I've wanted fried chicken and pizza. Ha! Having been on Weight Watchers for the last year or so, it's hard for me to allow myself to satisfy those cravings.  

My Grandpa Chuck passed away yesterday. It saddens me that I won't be able to attend the funeral since he was so important to my dad and my family. My favorite memory of Grandpa Chuck was when my dad brought him out to Virginia to visit me while John was deployed. The contractors were building the house next door and you can imagine how the pace of a house going up nowadays stunned Chuck. He spent countless hours outside watching the progress. When it came time for the roof to be shingled I went outside and saw Chuck yelling up at the roofers. He was telling them that they were doing it all wrong, that those shingles needed to be overlapped. Unfortunately, not one of the roofers spoke a lick of English. It was hysterical! He was a good man and will be missed by many. 

Jack's had enough of me being on the computer. He says it's time for us to take our nap, so I better run. More later! 

A Jack Fix

I got a text message today that said, "You are going on almost a whole month without a blog post. I need a Jack fix." Sadly, it's true, but I do have an excuse. John and I found out that we are expecting another baby. The baby is due November 12th, which makes me eleven weeks pregnant. I've found this pregnancy to be much more tolerable than my first. I haven't experienced the nausea that plagued me in my first trimester with Jack. I have been very tired, but napping while Jack naps has helped. And, I am so lucky that my little man likes to be helpful. See?

And that, my friends, is your Jack fix. 

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.