Beach Bound

We're beach bound on Saturday, and we can hardly wait. Jack has been talking about it for weeks (thanks, mema!) "I go beach," he says at some point almost every day. All last week we would tell him that we are going next Saturday. A couple of days ago Josh said, "we are going to the beach next week." Jack practically yelled, "No, next week! Saturday!"

So needless to say, we are all excited about being away for a week. I always look forward to vacation, but for some reason I've really been looking forward to this one. I guess things have just been super busy for Josh and the thought of leaving town and obligations for one week seems blissful for the whole family. With his partner out of town this week, Josh is swamped. Maybe we'll all appreciate this getaway a little more than previous ones? Either way, I don't think we'll have any internet access so I'm thinking I'll be unplugged from everything for a week. I'll try to take some notes throughout the week and fill you in on the highlights!

I've been spending the last few days making lists and getting things together. I'm turning our dining room into a staging area for items that will be packed up into the car in a couple of days. Hopefully, the car ride will go smoothly with our two little ones. Either way, I'm thinking it will be worth it! This time next week, we'll have our toes in the sand and crashing waves as the soundtrack for our dreams.

A Day at the Movies!

Saturday we all took in Toy Story 3, and not a one was disappointed. It was Jack's first real trip to the movies. I'm pretty sure we took him with us to see Juno in the theatre when he was a couple of months old. Sam was a champ sleeping through almost the entire show!

Jack was captivated by the really big tv, and didn't waste anytime asking for popcorn and candy! He was on the edge of his seat, and Buzz and Woody have definitely endeared themselves to his little heart. He eventually grew a little restless, but my stash of snacks and drinks seemed to keep him occupied. A definite success for his first trip to the movies!

By the way...the movie was great and is a must-see!

Celebrating Sweet Friends

Two of the highlights of last week were a pair of celebrations for two very dear friends. The first was a much-needed girls night out to celebrate Shannon's birthday! We really gave her a hard time and reminded her how old she is! Mostly, because no one would ever know by looking at her or being around her. I've really only known Shannon for a couple of years (my first born and her second were born just weeks apart), but I've had the wonderful pleasure to really get to know her the last several months. Her friendship is such a blessing. Full of life and wonderful laughter, she is so much fun to be around. Soooo glad we could celebrate your big day (albiet a couple of weeks late!)

The second was a sweet baby shower for my dear friend Erin. I met Erin through MOPS, but am so thankful that we've had the opportunity to grow closer the last year or so. Erin has two boys, Gus & Mack, that frequently make appearances here on the blog. Not only because they are as cute as pie, but because they are such sweet friends of Jack & Sam. Despite being a whole year older, Gus has been such a great little playmate for Jack and always bring cool toys to share at the playground. And, Mack well let's face it, Erin, he's going to make sure we all stay on our toes with his adventurous spirit and lack of fear! Well, what could make this group anymore fun? Try adding a sweet little girl into the mix!! We had such fun showering Erin with a few little sweet treats for her sweet gal on the way. We look forward to meeting this adorable addition, who is sure to be well taken care of by those great big brothers!!

The Men Who Stare At Goats

We took a fun field trip to Goats on the Roof over in Tiger this morning with our buddies, Gus, Mack & Erin. We tried to arrive early in hopes of beating some of the heat. We might have succeeded, if there is a big difference between 85 degrees and 90 degrees. Regardless, the kids had a blast. We're already planning a return trip that will include a taste test of the ice cream! You can see more pictures here.

Slump

Did I update you too soon? To continue with the baseball analogy, it looks like our slugger as hit a slump. Despite the progress I thought I'd seen, we're 0 for our last 2...including a 1 a.m. wakeup call for mom. Yep, resulting in a 1 a.m. bath for a kid who had just gotten out of a bathtub a few hours earlier. Oh, I know these are just part of the growing pains, but had to whine to someone...thanks for reading. Tomorrow, today will be better!

Pretty Good Average

I've had this post about half composed in my head for the better part of a week thinking that I owed you all at least a short update on our potty training adventures. Things have been going pretty great. We're certainly not accident-free by any means, but it has become part of the routine and less of a big deal. Although I still remind him from time to time, I'm not incessantly asking if he is staying dry.

Pooping was the final hurdle, which I think we've cleared, but I'm still not sure we've crossed the finish line. After that first incident, I would say he was about 3 for 10 on achieving potty pooping success. Which if you ask any baseball fan, they'd probably agree .333 ain't a bad average. But, if you ask a mom, that's still 7 too many pairs of unclean underpants. The last week or so it has gotten a lot better. He's still holding it in and always waits until the last possible moment to reluctantly sit down on the potty, but the average is probably closer to 6 or 7 for his last 10.

He hasn't pooped in any potty outside our home and pretty much sits only on the big potty now for all business, which is good but means he needs help climbing aboard. Anyway, I hope he won't have a big issue in a couple of weeks when we go to the beach for a week. I know all our housemates are hoping the same!

I Go Cayafornia!

So, we got new neighbors a few months ago right before Sam was born. We're delighted to have a friendly family with two kids next door. The youngest of the two kids is about 9 years old. He's very sweet to Jack, and Jack loves to play with "E-man-yule." A few weeks ago we were playing outside and Emmanuel told me he was excited about school ending and that he was getting ready to leave for the summer. I learned he'd be gone all summer to visit family in California.

A couple of weeks ago, Jack started asking, "Where E-man-yule?" When I told him he was in California, Jack decided he'd like to go to, "I go Caya-fornia! I go Caya-fornia with E-man-yule."