Rare Footage Caught on Film

 

Peaceful coexistence. It' doesn’t happen often, folks. But I’ll take anything I can get!

Mid-Week Chuckle

I have renamed Jacob's armpits his "tickle buttons" for obvious reasons. And as I reached in to "push" them, Jacob looked at me with a straight face and said: Mommy my tickle buttons are broken. They need new batteries.
Just the laugh I needed!

I'm desperate.

Desperate enough to drop 30 bucks on an Elf on the Shelf as a pathetic attempt to get Jacob to listen to us. And, I'll be darned, so far it's working. Cole (the Elf) arrived this morning under our Christmas tree, and has been perched on our speaker stand for the day. He came with a book that Jacob has requested us to read several times. He seems very interested (almost fascinated) with the whole idea, and his behavior showed marked improvement. Big sigh! Jacob even said good night to Cole, wished him a safe trip to the North Pole, and asked him to say hello to Santa. If this whole gimmick works it will be a Christmas miracle!

Men at Work

Clark and Russ are at it again.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

*Photo credits: Jacob.

Today I am thankful.

So so VERY thankful that the lumpy bump I had surgically yanked (surprisingly not as painful as it sounds) from my boob on Monday is benign. A huge (1/2 centimeter, actually) weight has been lifted off my chest. And the inch-long scar I'm left with? It will be a constant reminder to always make it a point to check for things that shouldn't be there.

Best Buds?

Could this be the beginning of actually playing together? Fingers crossed. And I love the wide range of faces Jacob was able to make in a span of five seconds. Ham!

Shame on me?

Jacob's teacher requested that Jacob dress warmer for school. "They do go outside every day, you know," she said. I know this, and thought he was totally weather appropriate in the mittens, hat, hooded sweatshirt and down vest that he wears to school every day (in addition to the long sleeves and cozy pants that I dress him in). I guess we will be unpacking the winter wear this weekend.


*Photo is typical Jacob wear. Picture this with a hoodie, mittens, and hat. Looks warm to me!

MSI. Revisited.

My mom and I took the boys on a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry where we caught some pretty cool exhibits: The first day of the Christmas trees from around the world (and the official lighting of the big tree),the last day of Month at the Museum, and the Dr. Seuss exhibit (lots of drawings, a quick Oobleck experiment, and Things everywhere—though none as cute as my Things). It was a great day to have membership privileges (thanks, Mom for letting us use you!)

[Jacob is absolutely fascinated with trains. While “driving” one train, he exclaimed “full steam ahead!” Funny.] 

[Who knew that tractor tires were this big? Not this suburbanite.]

   

[Not the best picture in the world, but you walked through steam to get into one of the exhibits. Jacob LOVED it. This would make a perfect Christmas idea if you are interested.]

[Mason was there, too. And really enjoyed opening and shutting this gate. Several times.]

Question of the Day

If you could plan a trip to Aruba, Barbados, or Cayman Islands where would you go? Have you been to and loved any of these? The cold weather (yes, I consider 45 degrees cold) has me thinking a vacation is in order. Input, please!

Unofficially Official

Mason's first real word is "up." (Aside from "tickle, tickle, tickle" and "I did it," which he has been randomly mumbling for several months for no apparent reason.) He's been saying "up" for the past several days and has finally mastered saying it when he actually wants "up"! In no time flat he will have enough words under his belt to talk back at me like a certain defiant blondie I know...

Cut it Out!

Jacob's teacher can't tell me enough times just how much Jacob loves to use scissors (and the great job he does with them). So it shouldn't surprise me that he has now made confetti out of three shirts and a pair of pants while at school. I'm not happy about this, and I am sure it will just be a matter of time before a classmate's pony tail gets the ax.

Call me immature...

But this billboard makes me laugh every single time I drive by. And, in case you don't know, the last word is pronounced boh-nuh. Happy Weekend!

Thursdays with Freddie

Now that my Grandpa has moved to a new apartment with a pool, the boys and I are trying to visit more often. It gives me a chance to see Gramps, Jacob a chance to swim in the pool, and it’s a nice break from our usual solitary confinement in our house. Plus, the rickety ladies in the building (or as my Gramps calls them “old bags”)love to ogle and poke at my cuties. Today I successfully managed both boys at once by myself in the pool (Yes, I’m a supermom. Just can’t wear my cape in the pool, it’s dry clean only!)

And look at the treasure Jacob nabbed from Gramps. Before you judge, let me explain: it’s actually a music box disguised as a beer can (why, I don’t know). So, knowing that, does Jacob holding it in the back of our car seem a little less wrong?

Ocky.

Snow? No, thank you.

*Since taking that picture the sun has come out, the grass is still green, and the flaky residue has melted. I’m OK now.

Yes, please.

Did you catch Eric Church on the CMAs tonight? I don't know if it was the aviators, the hat, or the scruff, but I'll take one of him!

Must have been the shirt.

Today Jacob told me I look like a zebra. Guess it’s better than a dragon!

Jacob and I took these pictures during Mason’s nap time. And by nap time I mean the hour each afternoon where I plop Mason in his crib where he wrestles with his stuffed animals, tosses everything onto the floor, and then poops his pants. That kid is an awful napper.

Our rainy day cabin fever prompted this photo shoot. It occupied a solid twenty minutes of our time, and it wasn’t until I was scrolling through the pictures later on that I realized Mr. Camera Ham quickly went from sweet smiles to total goof ball. I will spare the photos of him with his finger in his nose…

Real smooth, Mom.

My parents put down their dog, Logan, a few months back, and today Jacob asked the question we have all been waiting for: Mimi, where's Logan?
And her answer: He had to go away, Jacob. It's getting too cold here.
What? Completely nonsensical, Sally. And now I am going to have to explain to Jacob why our dog isn't going away as winter approaches. Geesh!

After Hours Play Time

Jacob accumulated a few accessories between going to bed and falling asleep. Full house!

Yes, those are supposed to be utters.

This is how suburban kids learn to milk cows. Jacob came home from school with this surgical glove filled with white colored water. Creative, yes, but I think we will leave all future milking for the farm. This activity quickly got out of hand (pun intended).

We have company!

A gift to greet our out-of-town guests. I hope they like it!

Hmmm...

Jacob told me I look like the dragon in Shrek. I'm still not sure how to take that one.

And, as always…

Mason was there, too. Though he was more interested in flirting with the poison ivy in my parent’s yard than playing in the leaves…

 

Typical Fall Fun

A 60 degree November 1 prompted us to throw an unplanned leaf party. It went something like this:

[Jacob raked the leaves.]

[Then he walked through the leaves. And hid in them.]

 

[And then he kicked them. Which led to…]

   

[An hour long leaf shower. I’m pretty sure the pile of leaves was crushed to mulch by the time Jacob was through. And blonde hair does nothing to hide the millions of leaf flecks stuck to a scalp. Even post bath.]

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for allowing us to borrow your leaves. No, we don’t need a bag to take home with us :)