Monthly Archives - Jasper Month 23

japparoo,

right now you are sitting at the table with annie - like such a big boy - eating a blue popsicle. blue. for a while it was the only color you knew, but now you are pointing out specific things that are blue. and green ("ween") and yellow ("yayo") and sometimes purple. always, though, the default is blue.

all the sudden you are no longer a baby. you are beginning to form sentences that are actually understandable. just yesterday when you were sitting in your chair eating yogurt you held up your spoon and said - clear as day - "all done spoon". you didn 't even throw it. not that you don't ever do that anymore, but i was so proud. good job. then you said "i want down" and i said "you want down?" and you said "pweeeeeze". so sweet.

we went over to your school the other night to meet your teachers and it reaffirmed for me how much you need this and how much i think you are going to love this. even though your daddy thinks i'm outsourcing my job...but that is neither here nor there. you and i both know that if you continue hanging out with me 24/7/365 that you'll end up sucking on your blankie until you're 30 and crying whenever someone leaves the room. we don't want that. and you aren't going to cry, either. you could have cared less that daddy and i were even there. as soon as we walked into the room, you launched yourself out of your stroller and proceeded to run around the room and play with all the other toys, talk to the other kids, etc. amazing.

i am excited if for no other reason than to see how this changes your eating habits. your teacher said that anything you don't eat will come back home with you in your lunch box so i will know if you are eating or not. also, everyone gets the same snacks, so while you have previously shunned all things pretzel, gold fish, cereal, etc., i have a feeling that when sitting at the table with your peers, that you will not be able to resist the urge to try what everyone else is putting in their mouths. in fact, yesterday annie gave you a cookie she got when we went to visit her school and you actually ate it. you little turd bucket. you ate it. most people would think that is not at all weird that a toddler would eat a sugary cookie, but anyone who knows you knows that you won't even eat doughnuts, maple syrup, ice cream. you name it, you've shunned it. but yesterday you at a cookie. it's a big deal.

oh, you've also taken to singing lots of "twinkle, twinkle little star" and "e-i-e-i-o". they usually meld into one like "twinkle, twinkle little star, how i e-i-e-i-ooooooo!" you have such a nice voice too - you can sing on key and everything. so far.

next month it's the big 2. sigh. my baby is no longer a baby. when and how did that happen so fast? wow.

i love you, munchkin.

mommy

Stinky Feet

so i'm sitting at the kitchen table putting together my grocery list while annie watches a show and then she says, with sadness in her voice:

"mommy. smell my feet."

"what's that honey?"

"smell my feet."

"i don't want to smell your feet!"

looking oh-so-woebegone. "but they're stinky."

laughing. "everybody's feet are stinky."

still sad. "but i want them to be clean."

"just because they're stinky doesn't necessarily mean they're not clean. ask your daddy. he has real stinky feet."

finally smiling. "do you have stinky feet?"

"yep, even i do"

"does japper?"

"yep, when i put his tennis shoes on without socks he sure does."

BIG smile.

Book Worms

we are a family of book worms. not even addison could deny himself any longer - in fact, he's almost more book-nerdy than the rest of us. if there is one thing i want for our kids - more than being 6 feet tall (which they won't), more than instilling a love for dogs (which they have), more than their health (ok that's a stretch) - i want them to love reading. i want them to love reading as much as addison and i do. not only do i think it's a big help in having focus in school, but oh man the places you can go in a book. it's limitless and awesome. and i can see you all flashing the big "L" on your foreheads at me. and i'm ok with it.

anyway, i came upon this scene while we were in sd. i couldn't find the kiddos and it was eerily quiet (alert!) and then there they were: reading books with papa. i think they're on their way.

A Lesson in Patience

one of annie's favorite things to do when we're at the farm is help papa with whatever project he's working on at the moment. during our most recent stay, the project was building a garden shed for mama. annie would go sit out there with papa and watch, but mostly she wanted to help. finally, mom got her a little pink hammer and dad started a nail for her and for probably, i don't know, 30-45 minutes she sat there and ever-so-gently tap, tap, tapped at that nail until it was completely pounded in.

now that's patience.

To Market To Market...To Buy a Baby Sister

so annie is really in to halloween this year and that is mainly due to the fact that almost every catalogue that comes in the mail is just littered (already) with halloween costumes. one day annie wants to be a witch, one day a fairy, one day little red riding hood (again?!). today she decided she wanted to be the mermaid.

in this particular catalogue there is a mermaid costume and then in the margin there is a little baby mermaid costume. this is the conversation that followed:

"i want to be a merrrrrrmaid"

"you do huh? you keep changing your mind."
"well, i want the mermaid today and japper can be the baby mermaid."

"jasper can't be a mermaid, he's a boy."

"well, that's why we have to buy a baby sister."

"we have to buy one?"

"yes, we have to buy a baby sister and she can be the baby mermaid."

"where do we go to buy a baby sister?"

(laughing)"ohhhh, i don't know but that's why we have to buy one."

i blame this on addison who asked annie the other day if she wanted a baby sister. hmmm...is there something i should be clued in to here?

More of Annie and Patrick

fyi: you can scroll down on the right and pause the music in order to hear the videos.

Monthly Archives - Annie Month 45

dear annie,

your new thing right now is to say "aw mom, you're kidding me!". i'm not kidding. you say it all the time. i have no idea where you got it because i don't think i say it that much...but maybe i do. i don't know. it's pretty funny though, but it makes you sound so much older than a three year old. which you are. you're nearly 4, for crying out loud.

you have gotten very good at understanding jasper's language which is becoming very helpful. most of the time you know what it is he wants or doesn't want. i love that. like, if he's crying in his high chair and shaking his head to a bowl of cottage cheese you'll say "i think japper don't want a college cheese". you are ON IT.

you are a fish. i am absolutely amazed at the progress you've made in swimming. you can actually move yourself through the water without using your wings. it's amazing. and the other night, we were watching swimming on the olympics and you said "mommy! they're doing 'reach and pull'! just like i do at swimming!" i couldn't have been more proud.

speaking of learning, you are very excited to start school again which makes me so happy. i even think you get that you aren't going to have miss susie (sniff) again this year and you're still excited. i love that. yippee!

i have to put these two videos in here because they speak volumes about your personality. things like, "i want to do what i want to do" and "hey! pay attention to what i'm doing!" and your love of reading, etc. it's you and patrick when we were at mama and papa's house for the mini-JUGGS reunion. neither of you knew i was taking this video and i was dying laughing about it all. first at the cuteness. then, at your very distinct personalities. then, at the fact that you could be an old married couple. and on and on. it's too cute. turn up your volume and enjoy!

i love you, peanut. i'm not kidding you.

love, mommy

update: for now we have to leave it at one video, the uploader isn't working so i'll add #2 later.

Back in Business

we're back from our big trip to SD and then we had computer issues so finally we are back on line. don't you just feel like a prisoner when your internet goes out?! i can't deal. i do everything on the computer now and when we have an issue i'm just stuck, stranded on my little island waiting for the coast guard to rescue me. god love the Geek Squad.

anywho. there is so much that happened while we were away and i'm so far behind. if you want a good recap of the mini-JUGGS reunion, allow me to refer you to henry's blog...he did a good job recapping most of the activities of that. i will be doing a few of my own follow0-ups, but i'm not going to repeat it all cause it's right there.

and thank you to all who were thinking good thoughts about my cousin, jess, who gave us quite a scare. he is doing much better now and is up and about and finally out of the icu, which is just wonderful news. the power of prayer, i swear. we're pulling for you, jess. seriously, he should get a gold medal for being as strong as he is.

for today i will leave you with a video of the newest olympic event: toddler vs. old fart (sorry dad) chair racing. event finals.