Water Drills...

This week we are heading up to Bob's Aunt Barb's house in Michigan. Its right on this great little lake, and we always have a blast. Since Jack is bigger this year, we're hoping he'll get to swim in the lake with us. And, in case we take a brief stroll out on the lake in the boat, we wanted to be play it safe and get Jack a life jacket (last year he couldn't exactly escape from us....this year that won't be the case). We, of course, had to try it on, and after the initial dislike (its a GREAT--i.e. tight--fit) he thought it was pretty funny.

Speech

Jack's vocabulary continues to grow everyday. Here is a current list of what he says these days:

• da-g = dog (first word, it gets used A LOT)
• duk = duck (his current favorite animal)
• Daa-ey = Daddy (brat)
• dat = that (frequently used while pointing to 'dat')
• heer = here (when he hands you something)
• Maaa = what he calls me (usually when screaming)
• Dee-id = see it (i think we say this to him a lot while reading, so now he says it too)
• down = down (that was a tough one right, he's just starting to pick this one up)
• yaaay = yeah (he says this while he claps his hands)
• baaa = ball (not used frequently, but occasionally mimicks me when I say it)
• mmmm = cow (ha ha, he does this a lot when looking at a cow because it goes MOOOOooo)
• ugh, unhh, grrrr, uhhhhh, ssssss = who knows, its kind of like caveman talk

I know there are more, but I still can't quite figure the out yet. He's also picked up this little baby voice. Most people comment on how deep his voice is. Now, he also has this little whispery, higher pitched voice that he reserves for when he's holding his ducky or when he's being shy. Its really cute most of the time--other times it comes across as a bit of a whine.

Pretty soon, I should have some new pictures to post....

E-L-M-O

A long time ago, Jack showed a spark of interest in Elmo and we've sort of fostered this interest a tad. Elmo's cute, cuddly, and red--and thus far, we don't find him annoying. We seem to be acquiring quite the little Elmo collection these days. I'm always finding new things that have Elmo on them (even his organic food features Elmo--not why we chose it). Why we seem to have an entire family of Elmos in varying sizes...I'm not sure! But, one thing is for certain, Jack loves his Elmo!

Picture Catch Up....

Just a reminder...

Hug your children extra tight. Kiss their sweet cheeks as often as you can. Play with them. Hold them. Treasure every moment you get to spend with them. Make as many memories as you can. Protect them. Watch over them. Tell them how much you love them every chance you get.

Its so easy to take for granted the precious gift of life our children are. Its so easy to get caught up in our day to day lives and forget how important all those little things really are. But.....some parents would give anything just to be able to hold their child one more time. To see them smile. To tuck them into bed at night. To hear their first words. Or simply just to see them grow up.

Sometimes...its easy to forget how great we really have it!

Adjectives

What Jack does at daycare and how he behaves/plays pretty much remain a mystery to me. I would love to watch him someday around all the different kids. However, today, I picked Jack up from daycare (a rare occurence due to my schedule) and had a chance to talk to the sitter for a few minutes before leaving.

Here is what I learned:

• Jack is the life of the party
• Jack is not 'cliquey'...unlike most, he will play with ANYONE who's willing
• In the morning (when all the other kids are still tired), Jack is going strong, and will repeatedly bring toys to the other kids to encourage them to get up and play with him
• Jack is the most active child they take care of (this has been pointed out a few times now)

Um...wonderful! I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that.

I recently read the Happiest Toddler on the Block (a book on raising a toddler... that, after reading, I wouldn't recommend--I hardly find it effective, at least for MY toddler). In it, it lists labels that you shouldn't use for your child...instead use more positive descriptions to describe their behavior. So rather than saying we have a defiant, bossy, hyperactive, stubborn, picky eater.....we should say that we have a brave, spirited, tenacious, discerning leader on our hands. Yeah, okay! Let's just hope Jack uses his powers for good rather than evil.

Grilling out with the family...

This past Sunday, Bob's dad and stepmom (Roy and Teresa) and brother and sister-in-law (Jace and Laura) came over to spend the afternoon. We had a great time with everyone and can't wait to see them again.

Greta tried out Jack's old exersaucer--Jack kept trying to point out all the fun stuff. Needless to say, I think Greta enjoyed it much more after Jack left the room (he's a LOT of extra stimulation).

Uncle Jace and Jack--he LOVES the ball.

Papa Roy trying to put back on Jack's hat for the 800th time. This little pasty guy is going to have to learn to keep his head covered.

Greta hanging out in her Bumbo seat.

Uncle Jace saving Jack from one of many tumbles down the hill.

Trying to occupy the crazy man in his highchair (after he enjoyed some cheesy potatoes from Aunt Laura and a special treat-- gooey cake that Grandma Teresa made).

Gotta start 'em young around here! Jack loved to toss the bean bags in the hole and then dig them out.

Ha! I caught her smiling! So stinkin' cute!

I didn't get a picture, but poor neglected Jake made a new friend in Grandma Teresa. He got a great brushing out (afterwards, though, it looked like a small animal had been massacred in our backyard--that dog sheds like a maniac) and he loved the attention. Thank you, Teresa!!!!