Totally random post...

Here's a totally random post...

1) Hunter is back in school from winter break. I'm so glad to be back into our routine! We had fun, but I like having things back to normal.

2) Jack loves it when he gets a chance to sit in Hunter's new chair...such a cutie pie!

3) I'm officially starting to freak out about leaving for FL in 7 days. I need to start making lists, packing, etc. This weekend is going to be busy too. Nick is going to a retreat at our church all day Saturday. Saturday night we are going to a Mardi Gras party at church with the kids, my parents, and hopefully my grandma. Sunday Hoppy and Mimi are coming over to hang out. I am having a new babysitter that I found out about from church come Saturday to watch the kids so I can pack. Otherwise, it will never get done....plus it's a good way for her to be with the kids while I'm home for the first time. We are going to hire her to hopefully commit to a few days a month so we can go on consistent dates--yippee!!

4) Who doesn't love a sweatervest on little boys?!?! He wore it with jeans to church school on Sunday--I know eventually he's start refusing, but I'm doing it now while I can. He was too busy watching a movie to pose for me!

5) This is how my kitchen looks come Saturday afternoons...thank goodness for this big island b/c it gets messy very quickly on the weekends!

6) It's March 1st. I have to look at this every morning when I let the dog out. They still put their Christmas lights on EVERY NIGHT. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Free at last!!

We've crated Chopper ever since we rescued him. We gave him a few chances early on and he tore the house up (seriously did like $400 in damage in 10 minutes one time). I haven't wanted to give him a chance in our new house b/c I have been afraid of what he might do. However, Nick has been leaving him out without my knowledge on occasion. I gave in and we left him out a lot this weekend for hours on end and he did GREAT. So, no more crate for Chopper!! I'm happy that he can protect the house for us and sleep on the couch instead of his crate when we're gone :) We still have to put him in there when certain people come over b/c he's super protective, but it will be nice for him not to have to be in there when we're gone for periods of time. At 7 years old, it's about time!

Can you believe this??

Last night around 7:30pm Hunter was running around being his goofy self. He ran up to the window in the family room and banged his head on it (not the first time I might add)...and look what happened!!!!! He shattered the window. His head is fine--I couldn't even see a mark from where he did it. He must have hit it at just the right angle.

As you might imagine, Nick and I were FURIOUS. Not only could he have gotten hurt, but it's going to cost us hundreds to get it fixed! It's double insulated, so we don't have a draft coming through, but there were small pieces of glass on the ledge and floor.

After the kids were in bed, we taped it up so no one could get hurt and then put something in front of it to keep them away. We put Hunter in time out and he was crying (I think he was scared at how mad we were and that he broke it). He wanted to go up to bed he said, so he was in bed by 7:45pm last night...Not good!!!

Everyone tells me it gets easier when they turn 4 so I'm counting the days...

Have a good weekend!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

His new favorite thing to do in the car...take his shoes and socks off...and put his feet in his mouth.
Caught!

Do you like this alfalfa hair???

Lemons, Asparagus and a mess!

My parents have told me a story before about how on their first date they both reached for a lemon to eat (I guess they knew it was love at first "reach for the lemon"??) I like eating them too.... Anyway, both of my kids like lemons as well--Hunter has since he was a baby. Jack is hit and miss, but often he will lick one and want more. We are weird, but must get it from my parents!

I gave Jack a lick and you can see he was making the "sour face".


I was eating some fish and asparagus for lunch and handed Jack a piece of asparagus. I figured he eats almost anything, I'll give it a try. He actually liked it which was surprising. Hunter won't even try a bite...I love having a not-so-fussy eater!! The funniest part is that if you eat asparagus you know it makes your pee smell funny. Well, his next diaper totally smelled like asparagus pee. At first I thought something was wrong until it dawned on me b/c it smelled so bad.
I love how he's inspecting it...like "should I really try this?"
This child is a mess. PB&J, goldfish, strawberries, and asparagus for lunch. He doesn't even eat the goldfish...he just likes to smash them on his tray and make a big mess. Nick and I argue about who will even pick him up out of his seat when he's done eating b/c he's so gross. You have to wipe him down completely after mealtime!
I still love that smile--messy face and all!!

Wagon walk and countdown to Disneyworld

Late last week it really warmed up (well high 40's), so we took the opportunity to get outdoors for a bit. Thursday afternoon I bundled up the kids and we went for a walk in the wagon. We went down to the cul-de-sac and Hunter was playing with the rocks. We had fun and it was so awesome to get some fresh air in mid-February!

Hunter was putting rocks in the wagon and Jack was throwing them out...it kept them entertained for a good 20 minutes :)

Here is our countdown to Disneyworld poster. It's nothing fancy b/c I have no artistic abilities, but it does the trick...we are getting really excited and I thought it would be fun to let Hunter cross off the days until we leave. His teacher told me at the conference a few weeks ago that everyday at circle time he tells everyone, "I'm going to Disneyworld in March. I'm going on roller coasters, trains, and going to meet Buzz and Mickey. And I'm going to scream my head off". We are just so excited to see the look on both of their faces when we finally get there! Now I just need to start making lists and get organized!

Hunter's New Chair

We got some furniture delivered yesterday for the basement and they gave us this kid's recliner for free. When we went to the store to look at the furniture Hunter wanted this chair badly, but we didn't want to spend $100 on it. When Nick called back to place the order over the phone he asked for the chair for free and the guy said yes! I had basically forgotten about it until it showed up yesterday. It's his new favorite thing :) Can you just see him in another 40 years sitting in a full sized one watching football? For now we'll stick with Toy Story.

Now I need to find a spot for it instead of 10 feet away from the tv in the middle of the room!

New Found Fun

We just thought of this about two weeks ago...and we started letting Hunter go play in the snow on the deck. We brought up some shovels and buckets from the sandbox. He'll spend anywhere from 20-40 minutes out there by himself playing. It's awesome b/c he can't go anywhere and I lock him out and just tell him to knock when he wants to come in (so I can help him get his stuff off before ruining my kitchen floor!) It's a great way to be able to make dinner in peace...plus, thanks to his pre-school he can get himself completely dressed and undressed to go outdoors by himself!

When he knocks to come in we'll say "Don't you want to go fill up that bucket with snow again?" It usually works once or twice before he wants to come in for real.

Jack stands and watches him at the window...poor baby!

Too bad all the snow has melted on the deck yesterday and today, but I won't be complaining about the milder weather one bit!

Jungle Java

We took the kids to Jungle Java in Canton over the weekend. I don't think I'll ever go again on a Sunday during the winter b/c it was SO busy. I was a bit paranoid and didn't like that Hunter would disappear into the huge structure for long periods of time. I'm paranoid, I know. Everything went fine though and he had a blast. Our nanny takes the kids usually once a week and they have so much fun, but she said it's not crowded at all when they go during the week.

That is Hunter in the read sweater way up in the tree thing.
They have a toddler area, so we took turns taking Jack in there to play.

The kids were both up from naps super early on Sunday, so it was nice to get out of the house for a bit. I was in a bit of a bad mood b/c Nick was letting Jack be super loud and it woke up Hunter who was then super crabby...long story, but Nick was to blame and I was not a happy mommy.

Go Blue!

Nick took Hunter to his second U of M b-ball game last week. He got four tickets but it was too late for Jack to stay up, so he invited his friend John and Johns' son, Dean. They had a lot of fun and I think Hunter was ready to leave after his finished his popcorn. Either way, I was thrilled to have one-on-one time with Jack and I think it's great the guys got to go have fun together too. Hunter stayed up till 9:15pm on a school night (way past bedtime) and sure enough, wide awake at 6:15am the next day--I can't catch a break!

Hunter practiced yelling "Go Blue" all afternoon :)

I don't really follow U of M b-ball, but I do know they've actually been pretty good recently!

John, Dean, and Hunter

U of M did win this game (against PSU I think??)...Go Blue!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Have a great Valentine's Day! Nick is coming to eat lunch with me which is really nice of him :)

As you can see both kids were not in the mood to have pictures taken of their cute tee-shirts. I'm hoping I'll get a few of them together later today!

~Jennifer

Bring your parents to school night

Last night at Hunter's school they had a "bring your parent to school" event. They only wanted one parent to come b/c the room gets too crowded, so I went with Hunter. It worked out well b/c he had gone to the U of M b-ball game the night before Nick, so I was happy to spend some one-on-one time with him. I have to admit, I was a little nervous b/c he was so disruptive when we came for his birthday celebration (but he'd only been in school for two weeks at that point). I was wrong...I was so thrilled with how grown up he was acting and how proud he was to show me his "work". I am happy with every dollar we've spent on this school after seeing him last night. He got to choose three "lessons" to show me and he chose: making bubbles, painting, and red rods.

He had to carry this big tray over to the water table, fill up a pitcher with water, pour soup in the bowl, and then use the mixer to make bubbles. I wanted to help him carry it and the teacher said "you don't need to help. he does this on his own all the time". He did such a good job and cleaned everything up perfectly like he's supposed to.

Then we moved on to painting...he put the smock on all by himself, clipped the paper, and got his paint out.

He would go to the sink to wash his brush off each time before switching colors.

It was so cute b/c this girl Sophia came up to him and said "Hunter, remember how I taught you that blue and yellow makes green?" He was like "I know!" They have this whole philosophy where the kindergartners in the class room are the leaders and help the pre-schoolers.

Here he had to get his rug out, unroll it, and then set up the rods in the right order from longest to shortest. He was being very careful to do it just right and not step on any of the other rugs that kids had out when he went back and forth to get the rods. I was so proud of him...he was just so serious and trying so hard to do it right. When he was done he said "Ok, now I have to put my work away and roll my mat up".

I just wish Nick could have been there too b/c it just made me see how different he is at school than at home...he was very well behaved and I can really see how he's learning to focus on things, learning confidence, and just wanting to do things right. Oh, and he's actually capable of picking up after himself...who would have thought?!?!?