Calling the Horses

Jack loves the next door neighbor (the Campbell's) horses...one of this 1st words (after cow, of course) was "Hershey, the horsey"...now he can also call Tracker. Paco is a harder one, so we're working on that one. Kjersti taught Jack to click his tongue off the roof of his mouth--the universal way to communicate with a horse.

Now, back to my day...over the last few days, Jack has learned to go through the fence...even when there is a "weak" electric wire above his head...that he carefully avoids. So today, Jack decided that when the horses wouldn't come to him, he would start going toward them. Don't worry...just after the photos, he did come back to me before I had to go out & rescue him.

We're having fun!

Family Fun

Zackery, the Scarecrow...Big Boy Jack, Sweet Grace, Close-up of Tarheel88 & her special Mother, Beautiful Emmalee, April & Lance

The house is quiet because Jack is asleep. I can hear myself breathing. Usually, I run to bed in anticipation of gaining the energy that I know I'll need for tomorrow. There's so many great pictures & stories

about our vacation. Since I don't know where to begin, here's a few.

Love Fills the Air

When I see my family, it's like I'm inside a time machine. The kind of time machine that transports you back to the wonderfully familiar sights, sounds, & feelings of a happy time long-ago...complete with the people & places you love. Now, we're all grown up (at least chronilogically) and we all have our own families. Jack loved visiting NC, SC, the beach, his cousins, aunts/uncles, grandparents but we missed Da-Da, who had to stay home & work. Love filled the air!

Busy Jack Days

Jack loves the computer and especially Facebook! Meet up with his Mommy & Daddy & see even more pictures of him!

Blogging has taken a back seat to our busy days with Jack. He is lots of fun and lots of work. There are many opportunities a day to be a good parent. I read that if you do the right thing 70% of the time, you will succeed. I think I'm better than 7 out of 10, so I'm smiling.

Jack's last bottle was 5/5. It was by accident...he wanted to go to bed earlier than normal and he was holding his cup, so I rocked him to sleep without the bottle. I didn't cry like I thought I would...but it was a little sad when I came out of the room and told myself...my baby isn't such a baby anymore...he's a toddler! There's no time for sadness, b/c the next stages are just as fun.

Now Jack is learning new words daily. He climbs & dumps things out. He likes the computer & water. Poor Tucker...his water is hiding in the bathroom. He likes to feed our next door horses & call them in in the evening. He likes to sit in the back of the adult trike while Mommy rides him around. He can even name 6 body parts and many more pictures.

He's the best!

On the Road Again

Fun with Aunt Joan & Lola

Aunt Joan, Chris, & Jack...& Lola the dog

Mommy & Jack

We took a 2 night road trip to the eastern side of the state to visit Aunt Joan & family...we had lots of fun and Jack was great in the car seat for the long trip.

Jack Loves School

Bellevue Community College Baby Class 2009
We are standing, 3rd from the right. Here are the names: Grayson, Brook, Evan, Nate, Jack, Hannah, Ella (standing); Lucy, Terry, Izzy, Nico, Sarah, Kira (seated)

Tasting the crayon & drawing (aka scribbling)

Jack took over the boat!

Jack helps lead the class in music....he has this shaker at home and we play the game...shake, shake, shake, & we shake and we STOP. He actually gets the stop part.

Jack Does HI, Again

More pictures from HI...Jack smiles after his shoe fell off the 3rd floor balcony....Jack may be a future discus thrower...we'll be able to prove that he got his start with volcanic rocks!

Aloha...and Mahalo for Being Patient

Jack likes to climb now...a new trick...opening the oven door and climbing up to get some Cheerios.....

Jack loved swimming & jumping into the pool...we went to a black sand beach...Jack now loves rocks and wanted to stand beside a big one for a picture. His new love...picking up rocks, collecting rocks, and throwing rocks (we're working on that)...

So you can probably tell...we went to the Big Island again and had such a great vacation. I won't use the word relaxing & toddler in the same sentence but I did come back rested. I figure we'll have easier vacations when Jack is older. I love this stage anyway.

New words: fish, NO, good, hello, plane, bird...but if you ask Jack what something is and he doesn't know....he says...COW! His favorite word is cow and he likes to give hay to the cows when we visit them in the Big Red Barn. By the way, both Chris & I can recite the Big Red Barn book and we can even sing the words by heart!

Jack is getting the other 3 molars...ouch! He will be able to eat his favorite grilled chicken dipped in ketchup easier!

Jack & His Broom

Jack gravitates toward brooms...he even likes a Swiffer...what does this mean..a future helpful husband?

We bought a new broom, in honor of Grandpa Myers *the original sweeper*...

He even likes to sweep in the rain...but of course, a true Northwesterner must like to do everything in the rain!

Happy Easter 2009

Mommy & Jack

Our rainy Easter went off without a hitch...Kjersti taught Jack how to look for eggs under couch cushions and there wasn't even one piece of chocolate brought into the house! Jack's too young for candy & Tarheel88 doesn't even like chocolate. We used last year's basketball basket again with the fake "blue grass" that Jack loved to string around the house. We had some empty plastic eggs that even a 16 month old could open/close.

In his basket, I added 1st crayons for coloring, Pooh bubbles, & one of his school favorites...a Doodle Pro! He can already erase his "doodles" and start again. I couldn't find a good Easter coloring book, so Jack's first coloring book (the white pages above) was printed off the internet for *FREE*!

I added an old favorite for decoration..."Pat" the bunny! Then we all went out to dinner at the Rainer and had a great evening. He said a new word today..."turtle"! I know it sounds like a hard one for a 16 month old to say but it's very similar to Tucker, so it was easy for Jack to say. I've been working on pig for a week & he has yet to say it...but I'm patiently waiting!

Like Father, Like Son

Jack has lots of new clothes--size 24 months for our 29 lb boy with a "generous" waist! Grandma California went shopping & sent the best, most comfortable clothes! Thank you!

Nannie made a Bob the Builder, special pillow, for Jack and he sleeps on it every night. He loves his grandparents....but wishes he could see them more often....we'll have to make the best of all the special days that we'll have together...!

More Joy....

Jack loves to see himself on the digital screen of the camera. This makes him laugh alot. I love to hear him laugh---it warms my heart! I was trying to teach Jack to take a picture...& guess what....he did...he officially pushed the button (he loves to push buttons) & took the picture of me above. It's even better than some of the ones that I take. Photography may be in his future.

Tomorrow is the UNC vs Gonzaga game---the Sweet 16! Go Tarheels!

Sick Jack

Jack still loves bathtime and it's easier to get a nice picture of him because he can't run away. That boy is busy! Today, we were off to the "urgent care"...Jack's had congestion & coughing and today, he started wheezing. His official diagnosis is "bronchiolitis"...he was negative for RSV (YIPPEE)! He's been a little irritable, but overall, he's a trooper! Antibiotics & nebulizers to the rescue!

Climbing Jack

Jack likes to climb now...at first, I laughed and thought it was cute. Now, I see a curious boy, who has no idea the danger involved. He especially likes the frig, as you can see in the picture.

I love to see him laughing!

Brushing Those Pearly Whites

Jack is now 15 months old, weighs 29 lbs, & is 34 inches tall. He now stands on a stool at the bathroom sink to wash his hands & brush his 8 teeth! We are still waiting on those 1st molars.

He had his 2nd bout of being sick this week...vomiting & diarrhea...& Mommy was at work for the worst of it. Thanks to Daddy & Kjersti..Jack was well cared for! He's feeling better & loves that the Tarheels are back to #1!

March Madness is in the air!

PS: Safety experts...Jack can get up & down on his 2 step stool but we're never far away!

Long time...No Blog

Jack enjoying some "spilled" Cheerios off of the floor...Tucker enjoys Cheerios too!

Mommy & Jack...happy together. Jack making his beginning "muscle man" pose!

Sorry to all my lurkers...one day passes into the next & posting on the blog is low on my priority list. Jack is one happy boy and usually only cries if he's hungry or tired. Well..of course, he cries for his "Mommy" when she's gone to work...not really. Daddy & Kjersti take such great care of him!

New words...cow, Mommy (instead of MaMa), moo/boo (a guess which one is which) and the beginning of ball (no L sound yet)...He can twirl around, bounce up & down (the beginning of dancing & he does have rhythm), and stomp his feet. Now, why did I try to teach him to stomp?

Life at home is good!