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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Children's Museum

On Monday, I took Jack to the Saratoga Children's Museum. We met the Duffy's there for some mid-morning fun. Jack and Abby (who is just 5 weeks older than Jack) played together... while Michelle's older girls entertained themselves (oh the joy!). From putting on a play, playing in a giant bubble and working in the "kitchen" it was a lot of fun.

Here is Jack on the firetruck... pretending to be Grandpa Tractor.


Doing an animal puzzle in the school room... this is before he dumped the pieces all over the floor.



Playing "school" with Abby...


Watching the big girls play in the bubble maker.



Here is Jack in his Doctor's coat... pretending to be Pooh.


When the kids are older maybe we'll be able to finish up these kinds of "dates" with a nice lunch. But at this point in the kids' lives, we had to head home for nap time... not lunch time.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Jack has left the crib...

Just went upstairs and Jack was out of the crib! It's official... we're in trouble.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Grandpa Tractor + the Vacuum

Grandpa Tractor gave Jack his first tractor ride this afternoon. I thought bringing him out to the barn and starting up the tractor would make him nervous - wrong! He loved it. When Dad asked if he wanted to go for a ride he did not hesitate answering yes and lunging forward toward the cab of the tractor.




During the tractor ride, Dad took Jack to see his neighbor's cows. That was a crowd pleaser as well. Moo was the first animal noise that Jack mastered. He also had a good time chasing the cats, Buddy and Butch. He'd call them by yelling, "Buuu..." They made a smart decision and didn't go anywhere near Jack.

Jack also got another Christmas gift today. He got the gift of cleanliness from Uncle Ed and Aunt Joanne. They are both big fans of the blog and have noticed Jack's love of vacuums from earlier posts. When they were shopping for Jack's gifts they bypassed Elmos, trucks and other random toys and headed right for this...



Jack knows how to turn it on and off already... and apparently this thing eventually does suck up enough dirt and fur that you have to empty the canister. I can't wait to get a picture of Jack and Stephen vacuuming in tandem...

I have a bike!

and a helmet - for safety of course!


He's good at getting on and off the bike... but he still can't reach the pedals. Fortunately the bike has a pole in the back so we can push him easily and not break our backs.

I'm running him hard... before his nap.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Jack's 2nd Christmas is in the books! It was a great day... lots of good gifts (given and received), good food... and good times.
As my friend Kate reminded me today, Christmas is about giving... so I guess I won't list all the cool gifts Jack has received. Uh... nah I'll do it anyway:
  • Black and Decker tool bench with working tools
  • Radio Flyer tricycle
  • Villebrequin bathing suit (that matches Daddy's!)
  • Cow pillow
  • Mets Baby DVD
  • Winnie the Pooh collection
  • Savings Bonds
  • fleece vest
  • blocks
  • coloring books and crayons (which apparently are tasty)
  • Giants outfits
  • shopping basket with fake groceries
  • Elmo soap!
Here is Pooh trying out Stephen's new golf clubs... with Jack's assistance.

This is Jack hiding from me when I tried to grab him for a diaper change.


This is Jack in front of the "Jack Tree."


Here is Jack enjoying the dancing and singing Santa - Jingle Bell Rock...


Here is Jack with Stephen checking out the train that runs below the Christmas tree...

Tomorrow we head to Dad's in the afternoon for more holiday fun... woo hoo!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Jack plays Santa

Tonight we brought over a few gifts for the Wood family next door. Jack was very excited to go over and visit his buddy Ryan. He was so excited that his hair stood up straight!

(Well, actually they did this to his hair at school)
Ryan was very happy to have a visitor... or at least a camera in his face!

So before the big unwrapping... the boys played on the ATV and the school bus. Crashing each other into walls and doors... and enjoying every minute of it.


We followed that up with a game of peek-a-boo behind the couch cushions... Jack is making this face because he gives you a very emphatic "cheese" when you take the camera out.

And then it was time to sing... from Itsy Bitsy Spider to Twinkle Twinkle... they're all big hits with the toddler-set in Foxboro.


The boys are really starting to enjoy playing with each other... which makes for a nice diversion for both Sarah and me (we're both Sarah's).
By the way - Jack was given about 50 different Giants outfits - Stephen was very pleased with the choice.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Getting Ready for Snow


We're bracing for a storm here in Boston... so I'm going to embrace it instead of fight it. Jack loves playing outside so it could be a really fun day for him. I'm going to pick him up at noon at school (before the snow starts to fall), put him down for a nap - and when he wakes up... voila! Snow! Maybe I'll be able to keep a pair of mittens on him...

Really? Christmas is just 1 week away?

As you know trying to get a good picture of a toddler is near impossible. Here are some shots from our "photo shoot."





I can't believe that Christmas is just one week away and we don't have our tree yet! Just kidding... we decided to forgo the tree this year. We both had visions of Jack scaling the tree, knocking it over and hurting himself (and our ornaments). We figured he would see plenty of trees at other people's houses. But the thing is, we didn't even put out decorations, hang our lights... nothing. You'd think it was January by looking at the house. I must confess we have been a bit preoccupied with other things lately. Mainly the kitchen, Jack, Stephen's surgery, Jack, taking care of Chatiemac... and of course Jack.

Last night he tried busting out of his crib... twice. I caught him with one leg swung over the rails both times. This could be the beginning "the wandering toddler" that I've heard about. Next thing you know he'll make it out and walk into our room and wake us up. Does this mean we have to put him in a toddler bed so that he doesn't hurt himself trying to flip himself out of the crib? Fortunately the crib we have turns into a toddler bed - so we just need to get the conversion kit from Pottery Barn.

Here is Jack during one of his jaunts last night... he wanted to wear his rain coat and go outside. Umm... it was 3am.

Stephen's elbow is healing pretty well. I think the pain was worse than he had imagined. At least he didn't have nausea when he came out of surgery, like he did for the last bazillion surgeries on his knee.

Finished addressing the Christmas cards today, now I just have to get them to the post office tomorrow before the big snow storm!!!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Finally...

We finally got a usable picture of Jack for our Christmas card. I didn't realize how quickly Christmas is going to be here and I started to get really nervous since I couldn't get a good picture of Jack. Finally I called Stephen (and his digital slr) in to help out. After many, many, many pictures we finally think we have "the one." Now I just need to get the cards here, addressed and out before the 25th!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Gift?

If you sent Jack a little red motorcycle for Christmas, please let me know. One arrived today without a note...

Thanks,
Sarah

Update:
It's Uncle Artie...

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Terrible 2s?

Is it possible to be in your "Terrible 2's" even before you hit 2? If so, then I think we're there. On a handful of occasions lately, Jack has gotten very upset that he can't do what he wants to do. Whether it's stand on the coffee table or get in his pajamas - he wants to do what he wants to do and that's it. Now he gets mad and cries and runs away from me. But the comical thing is that while he's in the middle of his fit... he will peek at me to make sure I'm watching him cry (which I am) he then goes back to crying. Eventually he stops, looks at me and runs to me for a hug. I guess this is just part of growing up.

Hey, but he did go poo poo on the Elmo potty again... woo hoo!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

We're 80% there...

So in my estimation... the kitchen is about 80% done.
  • cabinets sanded and painted - check
  • wallpaper stripped - check
  • granite installed - check
  • sink replaced - check
  • faucet installed - check
  • garbage disposal installed - check
  • walls primed and painted - check
  • new bar area installed - check
Left on our list:
  • install wine fridge (arriving Monday)
  • finish crown moulding
  • finish wainscoting and chair rail
  • pick out and install tile back splash
Not too much on the list, Stephen tried valiantly to get it all done today, but alas we will have to survive a few more days without these 3 things... not a big deal at all. The kitchen just looks great... here are some pictures:


Here are the guys from Stone Innovations installing our granite countertop on Friday


This is Stephen hooking up our sink and garbage disposal so we could actually have water!


This is the almost finished bar area - the space on the right is for the wine fridge.


Here is the kitchen after being painted today... looks nice, huh? These 2 pictures are with the "romantic lighting" on... not the full-fledged lights... but it helps differentiate the yellow (above) to the untiled (below).



We should have an "Open Kitchen" when it's all done...


Snow!

When Jack awoke this morning he found snow covering his sky lights... and the ground... and the cars... and the street! It made him very happy. He is definitely an "outside boy." While he enjoyed his first MaMa of the day, he sat in his little gingham chair near the back door to enjoy the falling snow.


Then we headed outside while Stephen worked on the kitchen some more (and more and more and more - separate post coming about kitchen). It wasn't too chilly outside and we were pretty well bundled up... that was until Jack decided he is anti-mitten.


Then our neighbor Ryan decided to get in on the fun and his father, Tom, brought out the sled! First he just dragged the boys around the neighborhood and then we hit Howie's Hill (he lives across the street). Poor Tom must have dragged the boys up and down the hill 50 times today, but they loved it...


First we tried having both boys sit, but what ended up happening is that the boy in front would lean back almost pushing the one behind... off the sled. So we changed to both lying down... Jack on the bottom (he outweighs Ryan by a good 5lbs!).

After the sledding extravaganza was over... it was nap time for both. I know Jack slept for almost 3 hours... and Ryan had a healthy nap as well. A little good clean living here in Foxboro!


Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Ride 'em cowboy!

Jack is loving his rocking horse... he usually rides it bare back but tonight (for the sake of you our audience) we left the diaper on! We have named the horse "Nice Nice."


And here is Jack pre-ride... trying to hide from me in his new favorite spot: under the crib.

No accidents at school today. Right now Jack is in his crib having a serious conversation with all of his stuffed animal friends. I'm not sure what they're talking about but I think the animals are in trouble.

Jack & Ryan

My neighbor Sarah sent me a cute, cute, cute picture of our 2 boys... sitting in the window sill sharing a little "pirate booty." The boys are really starting to play with each other which is nice. They often take turns pushing each other on Ryan's bus... usually ends when they hit a wall or a door. Steering is not their forte.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Whoops!

So today I called the Y to check on Jack like I always do (yes, I know I'm crazy) and they told me he had a "little" accident. Turns out he backed up right into the toilet!


Despite his worried face, I'm told he was just fine. And yes, they did have to change his clothes...

Saturday, November 29, 2008

The Thanksgiving Weekend...

Thanksgiving this year is a 4 day weekend... with a little bit of work sprinkled in between. We started out with a nice traditional turkey dinner at the Francomano's and ended with a meal with the Kerr's (Hillary's parents).

We decided our best option for travel was to leave on Thanksgiving morning as to avoid all the traffic on the previous night... wrong. We got stuck in 10 mile back-up on the Mass Pike. All those people heading south on 84 ruined it for everyone else continuing west bound. Finally we made it upstate for dinner with Jack sleeping for just 45 minutes of the 3 and half hour ride. That's a lot of Backyardigans and Barney. After dinner Jack went right to bed and slept pretty well. As you know sometimes when kids get overtired their sleep is not as sound... but he made it through just fine.

Then on Friday, after I worked a bit in the morning on Best Buy stuff, we headed to Grandma Sheep's house for a nice Black Friday lunch. Except we started out behind the 8 ball because Jack decided this would be the day he takes a 3 hour nap! But we never wake a sleeping baby, so we just waited it out. Jack played outside for a while, visited the chickens and ran around the green house. Here is a picture of Mom and Jack having a nice restful "ma ma." Apparently my mother still thinks Jack is a baby!

Then we went up to my Grandmother's place for dinner with Grandpa Tractor, Grandma Rose, Uncle Eddie, Aunt Joanne and my brother Karl... of course I forgot my camera in the car. Karl took a lot of pictures, but I'm sure we'll never see them! If he does send some I will post the pictures on the blog. (does guilt work with you Karl?) Instead of eating Jack decided he was going to play with some half deflated balloons and run up and down the hall yelling. Whatever floats your boat kid. Jack fell asleep in the car on the way home and didn't even open an eye when I unbuckled him from the car seat and placed him in the crib. Ahh... to sleep like a baby again.

Tonight we went over to the Kerr's for a nice little dinner of lasagna and salad. Very nice... and very nice company. Prior to dinner, Jack took a liking to Uncle Bobby and was feeding him crackers... by the mouthful!


Jack was doing great until everyone sat down for dinner and he decided he needed to hold a wine glass - not just sip from one - but actually hold one. Since I didn't let that happen - the next thing I knew Jack had tears streaming down his face. Hence Stephen and I took turns entertaining him while the other ate. Eventually his cousin Olivia took over and pretended to be a train conductor and carried him all over the house. Then Ava (another cousin) played cars with him on the coffee table and ran the cars all over the remaining cheese from the appetizers. This photo is of Ava with Jack (and yes, that's a large cheese knife in his hand).

We left around 8:45, so you can imagine how tired Baby Man was... he's sleeping right now and I anticipate maybe staying that way 'til 7???

Back home tomorrow... gotta keep working on the kitchen.

A mom's blog about her two little boys...