Maybe it will paint my toes?

You may remember a couple weekends ago I shared that Josh's aunt had come to visit along with his parents. She brought along a pretty cool little gadget that made Jack an instant friend of Aunt Pat. I was hoping he'd eventually forget all about it, but not so fast...

(in the car yesterday)
J: Mom, when it is my birthday next time, I want one of those things like Mrs. Pat has.
(before I can say anything he adds,) Not Mrs. Pat from my school. Nathan's Mrs. Pat. (Nathan is Patsy's grandson and Jack's cousin). You know a iPed.

Me: An iPed?

J: Yes, a iPed!

Naptime Should Not be Optional

When you are 3 years old, naptime should not be optional. It's just one of those things I believe in. Unfortunately, these days Jack doesn't seem to agree. Maybe it has something to do with taking a break from preschool and a regular schedule. I feel like I'm doing everything I can to make sure he gets worn out in the mornings, but I guess I'll have to work harder. It's not that I even manage to get much done during naptime these days, but without that much needed nap, that sweet preschooler turns into a terror by dinnertime.

We pulled up to our first day of swim lessons at 6 pm tonight at which point he says, "I'm sooo tired." He hadn't even gotten out of the car yet! Or what about his full-on meltdown when it was time to get out of the pool an hour later and leave. Or the fit he pitched when we couldn't stay and play at a sweet friend's house as I stopped for a quick errand on the way home. I was so exhausted by the time I put them to bed, I immediately drew a bath. Something I rarely do, but it was the closest I was getting to a vacation tonight.

Also this week, we've learned that Sam is a fan of Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers from Wendy's. He'll actually sit still for a minute if he thinks he's about to get a bite.

Little Things

Today I was thankful for a few of the little things.

• Ingles in Cornelia now has the 2-seater carts. This may seem silly, but I've driven to the Ingles in Clarkesville on a number of occasions just for those carts. Now, I can go wherever is closer with no cart differences!
• One of my favorite shows is back! Hoarders premieres tonight. Josh thinks I like it because it makes me feel better about my pack rat tendencies, but I feel the opposite. After watching it, I often want to throw things away knowing that these folks must have lived normally at some point. It's encouragement to get rid of things!
• Fun countdowns! Cars 2 premieres in just 3 days. I've got a sitter lined up for baby brother, and we're headed to the movies Friday night! Super Wal-Mart opens in just over a week. Talk about exciting!!

Father

F is for friend, because he's always there when you need him. My dad always has been. Maybe because we have a similar personality, a laid-back attitude or a similar love of writing, but my dad and I just "get" each other. It brings such joy to see my boys with their best buddy...daddy!

A is for awesome. Dads are just the best. The cat's pajamas. As far as Jack & Sam are concerned Josh is #1; he's their best buddy.

T is for teacher, because there is no one's instruction that means quite as much as a father's. I'm grateful for the guidance and direction my dad has always provided. Dad probably remembers he's the one who taught me to ride my bike, but he's also where I learned how to keep your chin up and trust God when life deals you a bad hand.

H is for happiness, because fathers bring so much to those around them. It's often exhausting to care for two small children daily, but their faces aren't the only ones that light up when daddy gets home. His arrival signifies that I've survived another day, and now it's time for the real fun to begin. I can still remember the smell of my own father's shoulder as I greeted him with hugs. He was (and still is) a newspaper man, and the smell of the ink and presses often permeated his sweaters and coats. When did I grow too old for that sweet greeting? Here's hoping my boys will give their dad the same exciting greeting for many, many years to come.

E is for excellent. Along the same lines of awesome, dads are just incredible. They draw pictures and jokes on your sack lunches. Drawings that gain such acclaim that your classmates gather at the lunch table eager to see what your dad drew today. They sacrifice space and cool points sporting a carseat in the backseat of their truck because riding with daddy is always cooler.

R is for respect, because our fathers deserve so much of ours. Not just because of how much he gives to our family, but because Josh is our guardian and protector. What a huge responsibility. I respect him so much for the role he plays in spiritually guiding our family.

Hope the special dads in my life know how much they are appreciated today and every day!

Just Pat

While we were off taking in the baseball game, Josh's mom & dad and his aunt Patsy were in route to the hills of Habersham to spend Father's day weekend with us. Grandmommy & Grandaddy get to visit every few weeks or so, but we were excited to have them bring aunt Pat along this time too!

When the boys woke up Saturday morning they were greeted by the presence of fun visitors. Jack trotted down the stairs to find aunt Pat hanging out. Later when Josh joined them, Jack introduced her saying "and this is just Pat." We enjoyed a leisurely morning then ventured to downtown Clarkesville for brunch/lunch on the square and a little walking. After we all felt like we'd need a second shower from the profuse sweating we headed home for naps.

In search of fresh trout, our evening outing was to Helen for dinner and a stroll. Another rain storm had cooled things down a good bit, and we all enjoyed some tasty ice cream. Aunt Pat showed Jack how "the claw" is done and managed to win both boys very cool bouncy balls. Another highlight to the outing were balloon animals and shapes. Jack was over the moon for his motorcycle! But more than that, Jack loved the cool gadget that aunt Pat brought along...her iPad. Saturday night he asked if he could have one for his birthday.

Our father's day was nice and relaxing. It began at church, where Josh sang a solo with the choir, which was a treat for his family (and everyone else) to hear. After lunch we lounged around, exchanged cards, gifts and tried to enjoy an evening free of other obligations. A true treat indeed!

Friday Night Fun

Our weekend got off to a fun start at the Gwinnett Braves game Friday night. We drove through a rain storm and wondered if the game might be delayed or even cancelled, but the skies cleared. We were glad to have some of Jack's favorite pals there, Gracie & Andrew. Lucky for mommy, sweet Gracie loves Sam and helped keep him corralled.

Jack was in heaven as the cotton candy and Sprite was free flowing as we again had the opportunity to enjoy the game in the greatest of comfort. Here's a few of the highlights:

Cotton Candy & Soda Pop...what more could you ask for?

Sam savoring a sucker

A big squeeze from Chopper

Sam gets a closer look with some help from Gracie

Confessions of a Terrible Housekeeper

Here's a tip: the satelitte remote probably will not operate properly if you put it through the wash cycle with your bed sheets.

After today, I'm thinking of making 'Confessions' a regular here on the blog...because believe me there will be more.

In other news, project 365 has finally been updated!

Vacay at Cissy's

Josh took a short overnight with some old friends this weekend. So, the little boys and I took the opportunity to go visit some sweet friends who live in South Carolina. We left Thursday afternoon and made the Todd's house our first stop. Chandler & Josh were co-chief residents and we were neighbors for three years in Greenwood. Sara and I were pregnant with our first children at the same time, and their oldest, Noah, is about 6 weeks older than Jack. We don't get to see each other often because schedules are so hectic and both families have since added their second children. But, it's so great to be able to pick up where we left off and catch right back up. Jack and Noah acted like old friends, even though it's been almost a year since they last saw each other. I guess they had a lot in common, Lightning McQueen, Thomas, etc.

Later that evening we headed to my friend Kristie's, who is affectionately called Cissy, by all the kiddos. As always, she rolled out the red carpet. Picking up some of Jack's favorite toys (to add to the enormous permanent collection she has at her house) and cute matching pjs for the boys. Sam even got his very own Lightning McQueen car. Cissy knows how much brothers like to share their new toys, a.k.a. don't like to share. Jack could hardly wait to jump in the pool, but we convinced him to settle for watching one of the hundreds of movies in Cissy's collection and saving our swim for Friday.

Kristie and I enjoyed catching up, and I know she enjoys having me visit...but it seems like she probably just puts up with me so she can have the boys there. Cissy is her name and spoiling is her game. She wants to make sure the kids enjoy their time at her house...and boy do they! Movies, swimming, fun lunches by the pool, playground, power wheels and trips for ice cream...what's not to love. Mission accomplished, Cissy! Jack has already started planning his return trip, "can we go to Cissy's house in 6 days?"

Out like a light...

a little bit of ice cream goes a long way

think he's comfortable??

spidey-boy

everything is fun at Cissy's...even hiding under a stool!

just add animals & ice cream

A sweet long-time friend of mine and Josh's (who happens to be a fellow blogger) lives in New York City with her family. Lucky for us, her in-laws just retired to Ellijay and they decided to visit. So, we took the opportunity to meet up. The last time we had seen them was at a baby shower for the first child that was held in Atlanta. Dilan is now 3 years old.

Since we're both bloggers, I don't feel like it's been that long. I feel like I knew this sweet and funny 3 y/o, from the pictures, stories and letters shared on Kajal's blog even though I'd never seen her in person. And she felt the same about our two boys. I was still interested to see how the kids would interact around each other.

We met up at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve, outside Dahlonega. It was ridiculously hot, but we made the best of it and enjoyed catching up while strolling among some semi-exotic animals. In fact, we shut the place down! Nevermind, they close at 4 p.m. My favorite part of the reunion was the impromptu decision to journey into Dahlonega and enjoy some ice cream from Connie's in downtown. Of course, we enjoyed catching up and hearing about preparations for their second child set to arrive at the end of the summer. But, I'm pretty sure the kids had fun too. Jack insisted Dilan sit beside him at ice cream, and she didn't object. So, maybe it was the animals or perhaps the ice cream, but either way, we look forward to the prospect of more reunions now that Grandma & Grandpa are a short drive away.

fifteen

 Sam hit the fifteen month mark during our sick week. At his 15-month check-up he was in the 25th percentile for weight and 85th for height. With the way he seems to eat, wonder if he'll be able to keep up the tall and skinny profile?

Over the last month Sam has really started flexing his vocabulary. When he's not savoring his paci, he talks non-stop. He will repeat a lot of things, including "good grief," which I learned after Sam overheard me saying it to Jack. Josh just taught him to say "love you." I think I love the way he says please the best. It comes out more like, "pweea," and always seems to sound so desperate!

He also a non-stop mover these days. He rarely sits still, although amazingly a "bup" (aka "book") held his attention for about 15 straight minutes yesterday. He loves to tackle, chase and run laps with Jack. I didn't realize how quickly they would turn into rough and tumble brothers. The next 15 or so years ought to be entertaining around here.