Jack: I Did It!

Jack's first word was Dad... followed shortly by Daddy.  I definitely think there is an attachment with the word and the person even though "Dad-EE" is said often throughout the day.

I also think Jack has a version of "up" ... like "uh"... 

He has a hilarious mimic of my "Oooooh" - but alas it was lost on the lost laptop.  

AND he seems to have a word for his own name, "Yachk"

I know, I know, this is all very subjective.

But SERIOUSLY he has a new phrase now people.

"I did it!!"

And the only way it sounds different from a person who actually knows what words are is that its all run together, "Ididit!!"

NO I don't think he understands he's saying a sentence.  I'm sure he's mimicking me even though I usually say "You did it!"  so, what do I know, maybe he is a genius.

Either way it's a triumphant sort of phrase and it is freaking adorable.

Oh, and I know you all think I'm crazy - as has everyone I have told about this - and then they stick around for five minutes and he says it.  And I am no longer considered crazy for this particular thing.

I'll get video of it somehow.

Jack: Peekaboo

My boy likes his games

Abby's 5th Birthday Party

Samantha ordered the balloons though she was AWOL (ok, not without leave)

Abby chose her own outfit of course.
We got the coolest simplest party favors ever super duper clearance at Target
Noni and Becky came all the way up from San Diego
There was pool chaos, as always.

And cake got everyone OUT of the pool.
The Ariel and the sprinkles just screamed "Abby" (Zoozy got the Ariel topper - it twirled and made music... oh yeah.)

The princess theme was a tad catching:
We hired a storyboard artist from Spongebob to do chalk drawings. We paid him in churros.


It wasn't easy saying goodbye to such fun and frolicking...

Jack The Explorer

crawling through the jungle searching for danger:

He loves to eat dirt, have I mentioned that yet?

He waves like a champion

And he does this all the time - it's the funniest thing. It's some sort of victory/war cry. He does it when he's particularly into a game of "gimme those keys" or when he's upset... or really happy. I'm thinking Steve must do this a lot:


I don't care if you all think its nurture and not nature for boys to be boys - I am certainly notices differences in gender. This boy of mine is so flippin' cute. Yes, it's true. But he is so hilariously baby-aggressive. He cannot keep still. He just adores all sorts of drumming. He continues to crawl under the coffee table if it is the shortest distance to what he wants despite the fact that he bumps his head periodically as he passes under the table AND when he gets out and two times out of five gets stuck unable to maneuver the final foot's distance through his annoyance at the head-butting he receives from the table.

I have jokingly been calling him a hunter "roar" but my dad has decided Jack is much more an explorer. Fair enough... I can see that now that I'm watching for it - but trust me, as he explores, he'll be bringing a spear.

Right now the "new thing" around here is that he's finally figured out he can use the scooter thing Zoozy gave him to walk around. He spontaneously did this by himself I just saw him strolling by tonight. Cute? Yeah, sure.






The problem? He is bitterly disappointed when he steers himself into an obstacle.

Jack: Gosh Darn It, People Like me

you're gorgeous, baby, gorgeous!

Abby: Thank you Babystyle

Whelp - they are finally too small. I bought countless number of these babystyle comfy pants for Abby when she started pre-school two years ago. They've weathered it all - these were the last and they are off to goodwill...

Abby & Me

Abby Is FIVE

She did it. She turned five. Abby is such a good five year old already.

We had a very nice party - all family and (a very few) friends... that's all I can handle at this point in my life. Maybe when Jack is five I'll be ready for a more all encompassing party.

Abby made out like a bandit - got everything she'd ever wanted. She had a great time (once I found her watershoes). She got an awesome cake. And mommy didn't force her into TOO many pictures (it was HER birthday after all).

After a long day of partying, she spent the rest of the night in her room - her dolls and she participating in a very serious, very intense scene of make believe.

Abby & Jack - Summer Lovin'

Abby: Cleaning Out the Closet

Everyone should know by now that Abby has the memory of an Elephant. A special memory talented elephant.

Well, just in the last few days she's been saying some VERY interesting things.

Tuesday, on the way home from some event or another Abby said:

Mom?
When you were in the hospital, having Jack?
I didn't want you to sent me to Gramma's house.
I wanted to be with you.
I wanted to be part of the family.

Wow. That was deep, I think. I tell her, I'm sorry, I explain a little about hospitals and kids, but otherwise I let it go. I figure, obviously, if she is as emotionally awesome as to recognize all this and be able to articulate it - then nothing I say is going to advance her any further.

Then, today, when she was alone with Steve she says,

"you know it wasn't my idea to go in the pool, it was the little girl's idea"

Steve had no idea what she was talking about. He asked questions to figure it out and finally realized she was talking about when she'd gotten in trouble at our Small Group BBQ... in July. Robert's niece (older than Abby) got in the pool before we were there and Abby followed her in... and got in trouble for not waiting for an adult. Steve nicely replied that he agreed that it hadn't been her idea and that he'd known it even then. BUT it still wasn't ok to go in the pool without her adult present.

Just fascinating.

Abby & Jack - reunions

When Abby went to Coronado LAST week (we're here again now) - this was the reunion between she and Jack.