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.

Monthly Archives - Jasper Month 22

dear jasper,

holy cow you are 22 months old. you are definitely asserting more and more independence these days. you have certain things you want to do and, much like your sister, you are never more clear with what you want than when we are telling you what you can't do. wow. i think you have some of that fire your sister has. no idea where you guys get this.

i still haven't committed to full-force potty training, but you are doing such a great job of after-sleep and before-bathtime pottying, that i am in no rush to make it all happen right this second. i'm pretty sure you get it, though. it's just my laziness really that is holding that whole thing back. we'll start working on that when you turn 2. it's kind of the one thing you are doing in a timely manner. i only say that because 1.) i only have annie to compare you with and 2.) i read things about development and i often think "hmmmmm, jasper isn't there yet". and i know it doesn't matter because i know everyone develops at a different rate and all that, but it's just so fascinating to me. i think much of it is because you are the baby and we tend to baby you a little. huh. go figure. i think you also know you are the baby and therefore you like and prefer to be babied. you wouldn't have it any other way.

you are still such a linus with your blankie. you carry it all the time. i generally don't let you have it unless it's nap or bed, but when you were sick a couple of weeks ago i let you have it all day every day and for a few days after your sickness you were like "bankie!" and asking for it at like lunchtime and stuff. i did let you take it to the circus because i knew you'd need it. heck, i almost needed it a couple of times. anyway, you love that blankie and i fear that we may have a true "woobie" problem on our hands if we're not careful.

you have added still more words to your vocabulary, though you are still not really interested in forming sentences other than the "i hungry" or "i snack" or "i love you" or things like that. annie knows what you want and are saying so pretty much you just go with that.

you love spiderman and bravestar and blue's clues and diego. you know the words to the bravestar them song and it is HYYYYSTERICAL to watch you sing and dance to it. i'm still trying to get you on video. i must have that for posterity. you must have that.

no change on the food front. you still hate almost everything but you sure do love fruit snacks and gatorade. go figure.

no matter what though, you are my little munchkin and i love you, love you, love you.

love, mommy

The Greatest Show on Earth

we spent the better part of thursday at the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus and, i have to say, it was every bit as fun and magical as i remembered and wanted it to be. there were elephants, tigers, horses, acrobats, human cannons, pyrotechnics, crazy stunts, dancers and more. there was bello the clown who was the headliner of the show named "bellobration!". if you saw the remake of "charlie and the chocolate factory", you could begin to understand the feel of this show: very loud, smiley, trippy, weird, funky and even at one point there were a whole bunch of bellos - all dressed like him with his funky hair - dancing around the three rings like oompa loompas. just plain kooky and fabulous.

i'm sure i know jasper felt like he was trapped in some awful nightmare, he just clung to me like a koala for most of the show. annie was less so, but there were moments when the sudden pop of a firecracker or burst of pyrotechnics scared her. for the most part, though, she loved it. i think the tigers were her favorite part, though she also loved the trapeze and the super high pole thingy. she would say "mommy look! they're so high! loooook!!!"

so the tickets we had were awesome. we were front and center, ringside, in what they call "circus celebrity" seats. what that means is, during the last few minutes of the first act, a bunch of clowns come get us and bring us into the ring and onto these little mini-train-thingies where we spend the next 5 minutes parading around all 3 rings while the ENTIRE cast is marching, singing, dancing, serenading us - complete with the horses, elephants and everything. complete insanity. and so cool. annie was very tentative until she saw the horses right behind our train and then she got all giddy...jasper was like "will someone please wake me when this nightmare is over?" and just went to what we referred to as "his happy place".

i'm not totally sure the kids had more fun than the adults, but i think a good time was had by all. even jasper. gotta love the circus.

You Know You're "Old" When...

...you take your daughter to a birthday party at the gymnastics center and while standing on the balance beam trying to do a pirouette (with your husband laughing at you), the 19-year old "coach" says:

"oh, were you in gymnastics a really long time ago?"

really. long. time. ago.

really.

Monthly Archives - Annie Month 44

dear annie,

we - or i should say you - are learning more and more about your desire for independence, for everything to be your way or the highway and your stubborness. oh boy. you have turned in to quite the precocious little 3 1/2 year old. not that you weren't precocious to begin with, but man, sometimes i think you surprise yourself.

you have all these things you say now that have become a part of your vernacular. you always say "silly mommy" or "silly daddy" when we do something that may or may not be silly. you also do this funny thing where you will say something and it might be wrong like you'll say "mommy, we went to the grocery store laaast year" and i'll correct you and say "yesterday. we went to the grocery store yesterday" to which you will look at me and say "i'm just telling you" usually followed immediately by "silly mommy". poor mommy, doesn't know what tense we live in. i love it though because you say it with this tone or like you mean to say "i'm just saying" only it's "i'm just telling you" (emphasis always on the telling). it's too funny.

ever since we went to get presley and haley's birthday presents you have been talking non stop about your birthday. you think it's next. tomorrow. yesterday. last year. whatever. you think your birthday is like one day away at all times and therefore i should be made fully aware of what you might want for your birthday. you see something on tv? done. i want that for my birthday. you see a catalogue? lord help us you want EVERYTHING on every page. "i want that and that and that and that and that, mommy!" you'll see something soooo lame in the checkout aisle at target or the grocery store...pink batteries or something, and you'll be like "i want that for my birthday!" it's the weirdest thing. the one time i actually responded i said "if you get everything for your birthday there will be nothing left for you to get at christmas" and you said "silly mommy, it's not christmas yet". well played, little one, well played.

though there are many times when i still want to pull all my hair out because you won't listen or do what we say, you are getting much better at helping me out. especially with jasper. you will do anything for him. run upstairs to get his sippy cup, run back upstairs to get his blankie, report to me when he has a "stinky diaper", help me throw out said stinky diaper, read him stories while he sits on his potty chair, the list goes on and on. you have even taken to translating his language to me. he'll grunt and throw a bean on the floor and you'll say "i think japper want to get down". it really is very helpful. you help me fold laundry, you feed ferris his dinner every night, you help sweep the patio...i'm so in to it. i can't wait until you're old enough to handle cleaning products.

i don't know how much you weigh but i think you're about 3 feet tall now. 3 feet! hee hee. you feet seem to be growing at an exponential rate to the rest of you as it seems i'm constantly buying shoes. and your 2T pants are all starting to get too snug...looks like we're going to have to move on up!

you're keeping us busy, but it's so fun to watch. thank you for being you.

i love you, punky,
mommy

First Soccer Game

we won! ...because the other team scored on our goal, but it's still a win, right?! hee hee. who'da thunk annie would actually participate and even hustle for the ball - especially after the fit she threw before the game about wearing "the shirt with the number". what?

here are a few video clips - the first one is blurry because i was in too much of a hurry to focus but you get to see annie on D - which to her is "D for dancing" and then she gets in to it.

girl made her momma so proud. she was even running with the boys to get to the ball first. yeah, girl! you show 'em!

and finally - the soccer dribbling machine:

The Great American Family Vacation - Part 2

our 4th of july was booked with one festivity after another. we tried to start the day off with the Steamboat Elk's Pancake Breakfast, but by the time we got downtown it was already so crazy we just decided to park and find our spot on main street for the parade. the parade was so fun. the girls all had their little cowboy hats to collect candy in and they got all sorts of treets from stickers to popsicles. jasper loved all the horses and annie was just tickled every time she got some candy in her hat. you know, there were some bigger kids around that would muscle there way in in front of her so often, but we had haley to help save the day in those cases. they made out pretty well. annie even gave back to the Steamboat Firefighters...all in a day's work. we saw tiny kids riding horses, unicycles (no addison didn't debut but it's a bid deal in steamboat maybe we should move - hahaha), cyclists, those crazy roller-skis, lots of horses, lots of kids, lots of hot, burning sun...

after the parade, about noon, we wandered a few blocks down to where a band was playing things like "i wish i was in dixie" and other very 4th-of-julyish music. we sat on the lawn and munched on burritos and quesadillas while we listened. once we were sure we were all burned and sapped of our energy, we headed back to the condo for some down time. annie actually took a 3 hour nap that afternoon which is a miracle - just shows you how tired we were. we played some cards and then started preparing for our bbq. we had some burgers and dogs complete with potato salad, home made baked beans and potato chips. doesn't get much more 4th of july than that. mmmmm!

after bbq-in' it was time to head back downtown for the rodeo and then fireworks. (i know, i'm exhausted just recapping it all). the rodeo was packed and we were even early. we didn't have the greatest seats but it was still lots of fun. the kids seemed to enjoy it and haley even went down for the calf scramble! so fun.

we bailed on the rodeo just a little early so we could head to find a piece of grass to call our own for the fireworks show. the kids were inSANE at that point in the day - they were up late, they were bouncing off the walls, they knew fireworks were coming, it was crazy. when the fireworks finally started annie was so excited and commenting on how beautiful they were and how lovely and how much she looooved fireworks. and then. the BIG boomers went off and she took cover under addison's coat and said "i don't like these big fireworks. i want to go home". jasper sort of started to cry almost once but as long as i held him, he just stared at the sky and even clapped a few times. it was really a beautiful display - huge and awesome and so cool and then...it stopped. we found out the next day there was a small fire (!) and a malfunction so the show got cut off right before the big finale. bummer. but oh well. what we saw was pretty enough. haley will probably tell you otherwise, but...

saturday we did some biking in which sarah and i almost had to save a crazed/drunk tuber on the yampa river - very intense for a minute there, some golfing (the guys) and some shopping (the gals). i got an awesome mirror at my favorite furniture store in steamboat the world. i can't wait to get my half-bath decorated so i can RE-hang it. long story...

we had fajita night on saturday night and listened to the guys recap the days golfing events which included addison getting punked in the best way ever. no one can ever get addison, and he was GOT GOOD. hee hee.

sunday we did more fishing, walked through the botanical garden with the girls and made a visit to the rocky mountain chocolate factory and got treats - see what's left here. we got ourselves a babysitter on sunday night and had a really yummy meal and maybe one too many dirty martinis...followed by some vino after dinner at a cool bar where dad got some crazy charlie horses in BOTH of his hamis...what!? i know. it's nonstop excitement, folks. went back to the condo and played catchphrase and music catchphrase until 1am or something crazy (for me) and then called it good.

woke up monday with my usual tummy ache, which i'm pretty sure is hangover related related to my end-of-vacation-heartache, and we went and had breakfast and loaded the car and off we were to head back home. sigh.

i've skipped many, many stories and details, but you get the jist. we'd be here for a week. all in all we had a great trip, lots of good memories and good times.

The Great American Family Vacation - Part 1

we packed up the truck, loaded the kids and headed off to colorado Griswald-style. the drive was long, but the kids were troopers (and so were the adults) and it wasn't too painful. addison and i even stumbled upon some killer pit-beef sandwiches on our way and oh. my. bbq. they were so yummy. pieces of white, mushy fat all ground up in them making them all ooey-gooey and flavorlicious and...yum. we contemplated taking our time and just stopping at every bbq joint across texas, but when you leave town at 5pm, you don't have many business hours left, so we threw that idea out the window. that and we just wanted to get to our destination asap. spent the night in dumas, tx...texas is a huge state, ya'll. holy crap it takes forever to break free of the lone star state. saw some monotonous, bland, pretty countryside through the panhandle of tx and ok but boy there is a whole lotta nothin' for many, many miles. and i mean hardly a gas station. it's crazy. and then finally...

...the mountains. ahhhhh. apologies for the scenery shots taken from inside the car.

the whole family gradually trickled in on wednesday evening and the fun could begin!

on thursday we woke up and drove up to fish creek falls and admired the beauty of the rushing falls. everyone except annie, that is, who was terrified of the loud noise. we continued on for a hike and once we got out of earshot of the falls, annie was totally gung-ho for hiking. she would have stayed there forever, i think. jasper, too. he proved to be quite the little hiker. after a bit, the kids were steered back down the mountain and jay, sarah and i got to continue on a great little hike up to the start-ish of the falls. i have to say, it felt great to be hiking - something i love, love, love to do but don't do much of - but i will say, thank god we didn't go to the big horns this year because though i am in fairly decent shape, i'm certainly not in hiking shape. and there is a big difference. phew! it was beautiful though, and the weather could not have been more perfect.

after the hike, addison took annie fishing because - as you know - she loves to fish. she sure had fun, but once again, no fishies. can you believe in a week in steamboat, co there were NO fish caught?! amazing.

thursday evening we celebrated haley's big birthday #8 and got a cute pic of the cousins:

stay tuned tomorrow for the independence day recap and the rest of the vacation.

I'm A'Livin' in a Box...I'm A'Livin' in a Cardboard Box...PART 2

remember when i had that so-sweet post of the siblings loving on eachother and commenting how nice it was that they could get along so well? well, i have more proof of that here:

...followed immediately by the reality of what life is more the norm:

aren't they so sweet?

have a happy 4th everyone! we're heading for the mountains, so i likely won't be posting until we get back.

Monthly Archives - Jasper Month 21

dear jasper,

you are turning in to such a big boy. you're personality has developed so much in the last month or two and you are exhibiting this goofiness that is just awesome. your daddy and i knew that you and annie had no chance of normalcy with our combined genetics - we're just happy to see you're living up to our expectations. one thing you have taken to doing lately is hitting yourself. you will hit your face and say "doh!" like homer simpson and laugh and laugh and laugh like it's the funniest thing ever. which it kind of is. you generally get lots of laughs from it and that just begs you for more. it would go on for hours.

you have also started to do this thing when you are surprised or shocked where you open your mouth and gasp. it is one of my favorite things you do. you then will just freeze with your mouth open until someone gives you some kind of indication that everything is ok or that, you're right we are all doomed. it's priceless.

you are gradually adding new words to your vocabulary, though you still get an awful lot accomplished by pointing and grunting. "uh oh" is a new favorite. you say it all the time. you even say it when it isn't warranted. you'll look out the window and say "uh oh" or you'll grab a book and say "uh oh". but then you'll drop something and say "uh oh" or you'll trip and say "uh oh" or you'll see ferris and say "uh oh ferris". it's like your own f-word. it has many connotations. and no, you may not use the f-word. ever.

you have mastered annie's name finally, though your own name is some kind of freaky mumbo-jumbo as far as you're concerned. every time i say "say jasper", you go "annie". you think you're so funny, don't you?

you are still the world's pickiest eater and now i'm thoroughly convinced you're just doing it to spite me. the other day you actually picked up a hot dog, put it up to your mouth and then said "no" and threw it. i know you were going to eat that hot dog, jasper. i've got your number. but alas, there is nothing i can do, so i'm over it. you'll eat something different eventually when you grow tired of carrots and cottage cheese every day. we've at least got you drinking milk again, so that makes me feel much better.

you're a daredevil, a gamer, a cuddler, a screamer (occasionally), a giggler, a jokester, a destroyer, a dancer, a swordfighter and a lover. i couldn't possibly love you more, my dirty little boy.

love, mommy

Monthly Archives - Annie Month 43

dear annie,

oops i've done it again. late on the post. the problem is, not that much changes with you from month-to-month anymore like it did, oh, 18 months ago or so. here are some things that we can be sure of each month:

- you will learn more words

- you will ask more questions, usually beginning with "why"

- you will identify more numbers and letters

- you will have memorized another episode of scooby-doo, iron man, or spiderman and his amazing friends

- you will have spent some time in time out for not listening

- you will say "but i'm not tired" at least once a day

- you won't be able to properly wipe your own bum after a poo

among others, these are things i know to be true.

you started soccer this week. i can't believe how much you hated it. you talked for months - months - about how you were "going to play soccer in spring" and every time we drove by a field you'd say "i can't WAIT for soccer!" and then we get you to soccer and...nothing. you cried. you pouted. you sat on the floor. you tried to hold daddy's hand. you said you'd rather wait in the car. anything but soccer. and then, we get in the car on the way home and you say things like "i'm not good at soccer" and "but nobody let me have the ball" and other such defeatest things. ugh. i'm hoping as the weeks progress that you will improve, that you will find more interest and fun in this game because you sure wanted to do it.

in the mean time you can't stop talking about swimming. ok fine, i'm signing you up for swimming again, but what gives? why is swimming acceptable but soccer is not? no comprendo. oh well. maybe you're not a team sport kind of girl. maybe it's swimming, tennis and gymnastics for you. that's fine, too. it's just weird. i know you're only 3, but you can't say you are so excited about something and then completely shun that something when we make it happen for you. or you can. because you're 3. i mean, 43 months.

you are a wonderful big sister to jasper. you try so hard to get him to eat new foods because you know how much it drives me crazy. you'll hand him a hot dog and say "heeeeere, japper. this is yummy! i know you like it!" and i love that about you. you have taught him lots of things that older sibs are supposed to teach the younger: how to maximize the splashing mess in the bathtub, how to climb up on the back of the couch and stand up and jump and (so far) not break your skull open, how to swordfight, and much, much more.

keep it up, peanut. you're the best.

love, mommy