Trip to the Zoo!

Such a busy week we have had here...Monday night I had picked up an on-call shift at work from 3-11. So on Tuesday morning I thought my feet were going to fall off from how busy I had been, but we already had plans to go to the zoo with some friends. We had a total of 4 adults and 7 kids in our zoo group! It was me and my two babies, Julie, Arin and Henry, Rebecca, Tyler and Samantha, and Jamie and Brady. Of course, as moms, we tried to get a picture of all our kids together...yeah, not so much. As you can see above, there was little cooperation from the kids!

Despite the heat, we all had sooooo much fun! Tyler and Arin walked through the zoo holding hands like a little pair of lovebirds. The coolest part of seeing them walk together was that I remember so well when Julie and Rebecca were pregnant with the two of them at the same time! And now they are 3 years old and such good little friends! I tried to get Jack to hold hands with them, as well, but he wanted to hold my hand! Go figure. Jack never wants to hold my hand, but, of course, when I am pushing a double stroller in 85 degree heat, then he wants to hold my hand.

We saw lots of neat animals at the zoo. It was extra fun this time because Jack's vocabulary has grown so much since the last time we went and he had soooo much to say. I love that I can have a conversation with him now, and it really makes sense most of the time.

After we made the long trek back to the car, Jack was rubbing his eyes and yawning and I said "you tired, honey?" and he said " I not tired, honey!" He always calls me whatever I call him. Anyway, he tried to convince me that he was not tired, but by the time I had Emma back in her carseat (a whole 30 seconds later) Jack was passed out cold! Emma had been sleeping in the stroller, and she fell right back asleep once she was in the car, too. I absolutely love, love, love driving the car, glancing in my rearview mirror and seeing two precious sleeping angels in the backseat. I think when you watch your children sleep, you simply forget that they can sometimes be so rotten. You completely forget all about how they whine and scream, color on your table and poop in your bathtub. When they are asleep, they are perfection.

So we came home, had some dinner and told Joel all about our zoo adventures. What was funny was that when Joel asked Jack what animals he saw at the zoo, Jack told him that we saw pigs, cows and a camel. We did not see any of those at the zoo. We did see elephants, lions, tigers, turtles, snakes, penguins and flamingos, to name a few. But as far as I remember, there were no pigs, cows or camels! Oh, sweet imagination!

Funny poop story.

As a nurse and a mother, I probably see more poop than a toilet. Such a glamorous life, I know. Well, tonight was no exception. I was giving Jack and Emma a bath, and Joel was downstairs watching some TV. After I had the kids clean, I called Joel upstairs to help me finish up. He held Emma up in the air so I could wash her butt and legs. As my soapy hand went under her butt, I felt a lovely surprise in my hand. I yelled, "she's pooping!" and Joel was like "what do I do?" and I said "put her on the potty!" So as Jack stands in the tub looking confused, Joel whirls a wet, naked Emma over to the potty...but not before a turd leaves her butt, smacks Joel on the leg, and lands on the floor I had just cleaned! Emma finished her big poop in the potty like a big girl...though she did not like it! I had put a hooded towel around her so she wouldn't get cold. So if you can just imagine that tiny little thing on the toilet! I wish I would've had the camera! Sometimes I think I should just keep it in my pocket all the time to catch unexpected funnies!

So once the pooping had ceased, I finished washing her and then she and Jack got all lotioned up and in their jammies. We asked Jack if he was proud of Emma and he said yes. So maybe seeing his baby sister use the potty will inspire him to do the same!

As gross as it sounds, it was funny...and one less diaper to change!

My Big Girl!

Check her out! Emma has only been crawling for about a month, and just like that, she has learned to pull herself to stand and cruise along the furniture! I think she will be walking soon! She is such a fast, mighty little crawler already...exploring...and eating everything in her path. Joel found her exploring around the front door the other day with a bug in her mouth. It about made me gag, but little Emma was just happy as can be!

I got this little video of her standing against the ottoman, and as you can hear, she also had a lot to say. She loves the sound of her own voice! I have no idea where she got that from. :) When Jack realized that I was making a little video of Emma, he jumped in to start making her laugh. I don't know when he figured out that growling and roaring at her would make her laugh, but that is what he does, and she just loves it!

Jack's 1st Movie!

Jack went to see his first movie in a theater this past Sunday morning! Joel and I took him to see "Kung Fu Panda". It was such a cute movie...Joel and I loved it! We were a bit nervous about how Jack would do in the theater...he did great!!! He was a little scared at first because it was dark and so loud in there. But he sat on Joel's lap the whole time, totally engrossed in the movie! We got him popcorn and candy so he could have the complete theater experience. He sat on Joel's lap and occasionally he would reach over and rub my arm, just to make sure I was there, too, I think. He even held my hand for a few minutes! It was such a fun experience! Emma hung out with Aunt Melissa and Grammy Kim. We'll take her when she is older, too. I think Jack also really enjoyed having Joel and I all to himself. When we walked back to the car from the theater we each held one of hands and let him "fly" through the parking lot. He thinks we are so cool. Of course I had to take the camera and get some pictures since this was a first for Jack. I really wanted to take pictures of his little face while he was watching the movie, but I don't think the other movie-goers would have appreciated my camera flash in there!

Not only did we have a great time at the movie, but we had a great weekend all together. On Saturday Grammy Linda, Aunt Janey, Gabe and Katie came over and we had such a nice visit! Katie is the best cuddler, and Gabe is so well-spoken and smart! It was so fun to see them all together in one place. I really wanted to get a picture of all 4 kids together, but that was merely a wishful thought that did not happen! Jack and Gabe colored a picture together while Katie and Emma decided to reorganize the toilet paper rolls in the bathroom! They're always up to something!

Later on that night, Jack and I ran to CVS and he was such a good little boy. He got to pick out some stickers for being so good. He picked stickers of M&M characters playing musical instruments. Very cool on their own, but even cooler plastered on his shirt. He wore them to the movie on Sunday.

I had to work last night, but it was not a bad night at all. My favorite thing about work is coming home to see my little sweeties in the morning! My mom was here this morning to watch them because Joel had to work early, and Jack had us rolling with laughter. I was hanging out with them for a little bit before I went to bed and Jack was reading me a book. Well, there was a picture of a cow in the book and you could see it's pink udder, and Jack pointed to it and said very simply "cow take a big poot." He thought the udder was a big turd!! It was sooooo funny! I corrected him and told him that is actually where a cow makes milk and that poop comes out your butt. So now he will point at my butt and say "you poot out your butt?" I hope he doesn't ask any strangers that out in public!

My favorite hug yet.

Yesterday I got an idea for Jack and I to do something special since Joel had to work late. Joel had to be downtown to cover red, white trash, and boom, so he wouldn't be home until around 2 am. So I told Jack early in the day that after we put Emma to bed, he and I could watch the fireworks on TV in the big bed (our bed). And he talked about it all day! I'm not sure if he really even knew what fireworks were then. I think he was just excited that we had plans together. So all day I got him to behave by saying "only good boys get to watch fireworks in the big bed" and he was a perfect angel. So we put Emma to bed around 9:30 and then Jack got ready for bed. We crawled into the big bed to watch fireworks at 10. Jack was more interested in reading his little books, though. I watched the fireworks and I kept saying "oooooo, look at that one!" He was not impressed. So I was a little bummed that I had got him so excited all day and then he seemed ho-hum. After the fireworks, we watched an Elmo video in my bed, and I figured he would fall asleep. No. He kept looking over at me and smiling. Such an onry, yet adorable little smile. I told him he could sleep there with me since Daddy wasn't home yet. But Jack said, "no, I go to Jack's bed." So I took him to his room once Elmo was over.

Now, usually at bedtime I have to ask for a hug and a kiss, and when I say "I love you", Jack says, "ok". It is funny, but I so badly always want to hear him say those words back! Well, last night, as I stood by Jack's bed holding him for the last time that day, he put his little arms aroung my neck and squeezed me so tight! I never wanted him to let go! And when I said "I love you", he smiled real big and said "I love yooooooooou." My heart about exploded. I remember when I was pregnant with Jack and I bought the book "Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul". I love all those books. But anyway, I would read from that book just about every night and just cry...at the thought of being a mother...at the thought of having a child that I would love more than anything in this world. There was one story called "The Hug", and it was about a mom who had a very trying day with her daughter. One of those days where nothing makes them happy, they throw a fit about everything, and you feel like the worst mom ever because you get so impatient with them. So this mom in the story was so exhausted that she went to put her little girl to bed early and when she stood her on the changing table to get her in her jammies, the little girl initiated her first hug ever! And the mom felt so lucky that despite her hard day, she had earned that little girl's first hug! So I read that story over and over and I just cried and cried every time. And I remember thinking then that I couldn't wait to know what that was like...to have your little child hold you in their arms. And now I do. Of course, I've probably hugged Jack thousands of times...but it was different last night. It was like Jack was saying "thanks for making a special memory for just me and you tonight, mommy." He is such a sweet little guy.

So that was my favorite hug yet, and I know there will be lots more to come! It's moments like that that I try to remember on those challenging days of parenthood, and remind myself how lucky I am. This picture is Jack and I on the day we brought him home from the hospital. It is one of my favorite pictures of all time...in fact, I have it framed right here by the computer so I can look at it at least once a day! As he grows up and I have more and more pictures of him, I think I will always keep this one on display where I can see it every day. Ok, now that I am going on and on about my little man, I have to go look at him sleeping...so cute.

Sticker-mania...the movie.

Here is a little peek at a typical conversation with Jack. He is still obsessed with those alphabet stickers! He wears them everyday! I really do think that they are helping him learn letters, though, so if he wants to wear stickers in his hair or up his nose, so be it...I just hope I don't find any in his poop. That will put an end to the sticker fun.

Sticker-mania

I got these alphabet stickers free in the mail from some new magazine that wants me to buy a subscription. I gave them to Jack because he looooooves stickers! Everytime I go the store, I buy him some cool stickers and he puts them all over his toys and playroom. Well, these alphabet stickers seemed more appropriate to wear, I guess. I was at work and Joel called me to say that he went upstairs to put Emma to bed and when he came back down he found Jack covered in stickers! I said, please tell me you got the camera! And, good little hubby that he is, had grabbed the camera and got some cute pics! I was so glad...I hate when I miss cute things! This picture is my favorite...Jack's like "What? You've never seen a 2 year-old wear stickers before?"