This is the first time that the carrots I've thinned have been big enough to eat.
Granted this isn't all we've gotten from the garden, just yesterday. But it has been a pretty meager harvest. The garden has had a rough go this first year between planting late, figuring out soil, figuring out seasons, surprise frosts, and animals. I've learned a lot though. The herb garden continues to do great (cilantro, dill, sage, oregano, lavender) along with potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, and radishes. We'll continue to enjoy a few things until it gets too hot around these parts (which is coming way too soon in my opinion!)
Sawyer and Jack started swim lessons this past Wednesday. It is with a lady that is a certified Infant Swimming Resource Instructor. We heard great things about their program and from reading and watching videos about them online, decided to go this route. The boys are are both doing great and Misty (their instructor) had them go under water on their first day. Their lessons are every weekday for ten minutes and last for 6 weeks. So far there have been lots of tears, but they already know to stop crying and hold their breath before going under the water. I think Sawyer is torn about whether he likes swimming lessons or not. After his second day (and screaming the entire lesson) we loaded up in the van and he said, "I love swimming!" We're so excited to watch their progress, and hope they both really love swimming by the end!
Geez can their cuteness be contained? I think not.
Jack screaming as Sawyer looks on awaiting his turn.
They get a snack after their lesson - best part in the boys' opinion!
Jack swimming towards the stairs.
I wish I would have kept recording Sawyer, because after this she started having him swim towards the stairs. He was crying/screaming, but he kept asking to do it again because he wanted a chance at the stairs so he could escape out of the pool.
One of my most favorite things as a mom is to find my boys reading on their own, without my urging. Jack is starting to do that now. He was proper a couple days ago and actually got in a chair to read.
So let's talk about Mr. Jack:
His favorite time of day - brushing his teeth! He cries every time I take the toothbrush away. I hope it stays this way - fend off the cavities!
He's 'bashful' maybe? Whenever I'm holding him and someone says hi to him or smiles at him, he quickly buries his head in my shoulder, and will peak out at them with a smile and quickly hide his head again.
He loves hair! When I pick him up, one of the first things he does is grab for my hair. He just loves to have it between those chunky fingers (and pull it out of a pony tail). Sometimes he'll decide chewing on it is a good idea too. He also holds onto George's goatee or my hair as a 'handle' when we carry him. So if you see me, now you know why my hair isn't 'done'. Haha, like I did anything with it before Jack, but now you know why it's not worth even trying to 'do'.
He is climbing champion of the world...or at least of his world. I have to be careful around here or he'll be standing on the counter or table if given the opportunity. Chair = opportunity. When we play at the big kid park - he climbs up the steps and though the tunnel all the way to the top and goes down the big slides. He turns around and will slide down on his belly, feet first.
He's a sweet little boy and is definitely a 'mama's boy'. He frequently gives me actual hugs where he wraps his little arms around my neck and squeezes tight - melts my heart ♥ He definitely loves his papa too and his face lights up when he gets home from work, and expects to be scooped up so he can give proper greetings to his papa.
Last Saturday I was in charge of a funeral luncheon for a family in our church. That meant George had the boys for the afternoon. This is the scene I walked in to when I got home. It made me laugh. Jack is passed out on George's back and the place was a wreck, but George is smiling and both boys were napping, and that's the important part!
Jack likes to play before his breakfast time. I remember Sawyer was ready to eat the second he got up. But he is like Sawyer when it comes to his independent eating. He will not stand to have any one else feed him. He's also an independent walker, although is occasionally willing to hold hands.
He loves when any of us act silly.
He's moved on from kitchen cupboards to the pantry since he can now open and close those doors.
It seems like I was just putting away Sawyer's 18-month-old clothing (sniff, sniff), and now I've had to get them back out for Jack (even some 24-months items). Time is flying by and our boys are growing fast!
He has a pretty calm demeanor. And he continues to love to throw...do those cancel each other out? :)
He likes to be held - and enjoys company. Prefers social interaction over toys. He's not very coherent verbally yet. More of a loud mouth instead of syllables of gibberish. He's been walking in small circles lately. Oh the thrills of twirling!
If he falls asleep in the car, he'll wake up the second the engine turns off. No sleep transfers for this kid.
Jack loves his big brother Sawyer, He is very entertained by him. When Sawyer is napping Jack will try to sneak into his room to wake him up. If I keep the door shut, he'll go bang on it. I'm pretty sure they would fight if Jack wasn't so even tempered. I feel like I'm playing referee and Sawyer is always on the verge of fouling out. I'm so glad that even with all the bonks and bruises he receives from his brother, that he still loves Sawyer. The latest bruise - a bite, full set of teeth marks (tops and bottoms) on poor Jack's back. I saw it happen - they were playing so well and all of a sudden Sawyer decides to bite him. I mean, I know the chubs is cute, but really?! Sawyer got in big trouble for that.
Jack provides us with lots of great smiles and giggles. He loves to be tickled and thrown in the air.
We love Jack so much and hope that he keeps flashing that adorable smile all the time. He's a blessing to our family.
Our neighbors have so many amaryllises blooming right now! Grandma Lewis was sure to point them out to Sawyer and Jack every time we walked by, and now they point them out to me every time we pass :) Sawyer doesn't just call them flowers, he uses the word amaryllis. He also is particular when it comes to birds and uses ibes and anhingas by their proper names. It's quite adorable.
Our littlest man turned 1-year-old yesterday! He's growing up into such a happy, handsome little boy. He is so sweet and I love being his mom. Honestly I was a little sad to reach this milestone because it means he's more of a little boy than my little baby. At least he still likes to snuggle me before bed :)
Cowboy in training - his big score this birthday
flying stuffed animals + tent = party
George is under there somewhere :)
Party Wagon!
'J' is for JACK
He hardly touched dessert. He ate a good dinner though, so I should be proud. But it made me wonder if we share DNA, since the chocolate went mostly untouched. We are all fighting off a little bug right now so I think that was the main problem.
Happy 1st Birthday Jackers. We're so happy you are part of our family. We love you SO much!
We had a fun and relaxed Easter weekend. On Saturday morning we headed to our church where they put on an Easter egg hunt for the primary kids. Once Sawyer figured out there was candy inside the eggs, he urgently turned to me and said, "Mom, we need to find more eggs!" And off he ran...
Realizing there is candy inside of these plastic eggs...yessss!
On Saturday afternoon (during Jack's nap - sorry baby, but there is always next year) we dyed a dozen eggs.
"My Eggs!"
On Sunday morning, the boys came out of their rooms to find that the Easter bunny had hidden some eggs for them around the house...
The boys continue to find eggs hidden around the house - evidence on Jack's face this morning that was smeared with chocolate...at least Sawyer is sharing his finding with his little brother, right? George and I also had our own little advanced Easter egg hunt...each hiding three eggs from each other. It was fun and we're a pretty even match :)
On Sunday we listened to a couple fantastic talks about Jesus Christ's Atonement and Resurrection. It is so easy to be distracted with everything in the world, and even in our family, that we forget what really matters. I was thankful to celebrate this Easter keeping in mind the miracle and wonder of the resurrection of our Savior. He lives. And that is amazing.
For my birthday, George shipped me and our little cowboys off to Texas for a week. My dear motra, Elaine, lives in Dallas, and my other dear moter, Eliza, drove down from Oklahoma. I haven't seen Elaine and Eliza for almost three years, and that was for just a few minutes at Elaine's wedding, so it felt like even longer. It was so fun we were able to make this happen. I love friends that you can pick up exactly where you left without keeping in touch. They are the best!
This photo is random, but the only one I have on my computer from back in the day with all three of us. Here we are dressed up for Halloween in 2006 - really 7 years ago?! Time flies!
We celebrated Flake's (pronounced flaw-kay, haha) birthday while we were there! We went out for Greek food to celebrate...watch out flaming cheese! I was sooo good. My favorite for sure. I'm determined to find the best Greek restaurant in Orlando now.
Check out that yummy cake Liza made...te lumshin duart.
Dallas is a big, clean city with lots of big trees, restaurants, and shopping...not one cowboy though! Elaine showed us the sites (including the exact spot where Kennedy was assassinated), and treated us to so much yummy food! And of course in good Albanian fashion we enjoyed fanta eksotik, biskrem, and caj mali. Clinton was a sport and let us take over their apartment.
Ella teaching Jack how to dance to "Elmo's Got the Moves". Every time that music video came on tv, Ella would drop everything, run over and start dancing. It was so cute!
If you have a toddler, play this music video for them. They'll love it! Be warned, the song is a little too catchy!
Five kids - 3 and under in a two bedroom apartment. Party!
My babies: Sawyer 2.5, Jack 1-almost, Eliza's babies: Holland 9 months, Hazel 3.5, & Elaine's baby: Ella 15 months. They played so well together and were really good for us.
Out on the town at the farmer's market.
Sawyer and Hazel really wanted this picture...and Liza too, haha!
Hanging out with the famous Texas Longhorns.
Sawyer had the biggest meltdown to date shortly after this photo was taken. That boy's got some lungs!
Group shot - it was so fun to be all together...it went by way too fast.
We got in some shopping. I bought skinny jeans...didn't think I'd ever see the day. Weird.
My motiz and their bebes.
Aunt Elaine treated these two to a ride on the carousel.
Ella is a firecracker with the cutest smile!
What is TX without BBQ? George's dream meal - a tray of meat.
We needed a break and sent the kids out on the town. We found them eating authentic italian pizza. They have good taste!
Elaine taught us the secret to perfect home-made bread.
On Monday we hit up the brand new Children's Science Museum downtown. There were SO many people there, but we had fun exploring the different levels. I found out that Jack hates elevators. He cried every time we rode on one and would stop crying the second we got off.
This dino makes T-rex look mini.
Sawyer and I experiencing a simulated earthquake (meanwhile George, back in FL, was experiencing a real tornado.)
Oh geez - I can only imagine 14 years from now in a real truck...
They had a great kids area for ages 5 and under. The water table was a big hit...look how serious they all are. Playing is hard work!
It's really fulfilling to see your friends happy, and healthy...making good decisions and being fantastic mothers and wives. It was such a fun trip and am so thankful it happened. Lot of fond memories.
Side Note: So a 3 hour plane ride with two young kids by myself...went better than expected. I over-prepared with snacks and entertainment. The flight there was a little rough since we departed right at bedtime. Jack had a crying spell of about 20 minutes before he finally fell asleep. Sawyer was wide awake the whole flight and pretty cheery since he'd pretty much rather do anything than go to sleep. Even after we got to Elaine's (around 1 a.m. our time) the boys were wide awake and playing like it was the middle of the day. What the? Why don't my children like to sleep? Flight home was perfect. Jack fell asleep in my arms as we took off. We had a big tail wind so we landed 30 minutes early.
Future reference entertainment ideas: stickers, mini play dough with a couple tools, crayons/paper, lacing fruit loops and pasta (ziti), ipod for movies, pill container filled with m&m's, raisins, fruit -snacks, pom-poms, etc. They love opening and closing all the little lids and finding treasures! Also sticky notes to write on and hang all over the walls/windows/seats. There is no relaxing really, but I'm ok with that as long as there is minimal crying/screaming. Some lady called me her hero as she passed me juggling the boys and our gear onto the airplane.
We skyped with papa before bed every night :)
I came home to a spotless house! We're talking spring cleaning, move the furniture scrub the floors, type of spotless house. That was such a great gift from George. What a hard-working man I married! We missed him so much while we were away. It's so nice to be back together as a family. Sawyer seemed especially happy to be back home with papa.
