Jax's new favorite word? NEVER. Delivered with a firm hand gesture and his best scowl, of course.
Camcorder has never been returned, so this was taken with my camera's video setting. I'm actually pretty pleased with the quality! Do I miss my HD? Heck-to-the-yes. Am I thankful to have videos at all? Even more heck-to-the-yes.
One more Jax story. You know the song "So this is Love" that Cinderella and the Prince dance and sing to during the ballroom scene? Well, a few days ago, Jax came downstairs from his nap, holding his bwoo bwankie. I picked him up and started doing a slow dance hug to help him wake up. He put his head on my shoulder and said, "So dis is yub." I almost melted in a puddle of yub right then and there.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
War on the Shrubbery
It has literally been World War III in my back yard for about two weeks, and this weekend, I prevailed. This is a picture of our back yard last fall before we moved in.
Notice the row of shrubs on the right side of the back porch. These shrubs have prevented me from getting a clear view of the kids playing in the back yard while I'm in the kitchen, so I decided we should probably remove them. My first thought was to have Daddy do it, but the last thing I wanted was to put that on his to-do list for a weekend. There's almost nothing worse to me than Daddy home on the weekend with a project keeping him from playing with his kids. So the next thought was to hire someone to pull them out. As I thought more and more about that money going to someone rather than new rugs for our house, I decided I was going to pull these suckers out myself.
Soooo, for the past two weeks, I have gone out every other day or so and gotten to know our shovel on a very personal and meaningful level. These ridiculous shrubs have roots in all shapes and sizes, the largest being 3-4 inches in diameter. I have a feeling the original homeowners planted them, so they're probably close to 10 years old. Some of them only took about 20 minutes to pull. A couple took upwards of an hour each. That's an hour of sweaty, frustrating, near-cursing labor intertwined with keeping the kids out of harm's way in the backyard and Hayden happy in her papasan chair.
Daddy was in Green Bay training his new team up there for three days last week. When he got back, I only had three shrubs left, so on Saturday he came out back and played with the kids while I finished up. Pa-Pa and MeMaw stopped by to play with the kids for a while, so Daddy and Pa-Pa sat on the porch as I gave a play-by-play of my shrubbery massacre. I was on my next-to-last victim when I so cleverly decided to lean all my weight against it, thinking I could just break loose the last root. The only problem was I leaned in butt-first, and that was a huge mistake. Literally.
It was like the parting of the Red Sea as I toppled backwards, through the shrub, onto my back on the ground. As I was falling, I started laughing, but it was one of those silent laughs that takes over your entire body and renders you completely immobile and without cognitive function. I think I was down for a good 2 or 3 seconds before Pa-Pa saw me. He yelled my name and came running over to lift me up, but I was laughing so hard, I couldn't get control of myself to give him my hands. All I needed was a couple of seconds to gain all muscle control, but the hilarity of the situation was preventing any of that from happening. I finally stopped laughing long enough to be helped to my feet, and Jason had a great time explaining how funny it was to look over and see nothing but the bottom of my shoes peeking over the shrub. Hardy har!
I had the last laugh, however, as I pulled that final shrub from the ground. Muuaaa haaa haaaa!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Recital
Oh my, what a weekend it was. Emerson's first year-end dance recital was Saturday morning. The fun began Friday afternoon with her dress rehearsal. I brought her home early from school so she would get a full nap under her belt, then I had to wake her up to put on her makeup and do her hair. That was mistake #1. The girl doesn't enjoy being awakened from a deep sleep... who does, I guess. She stood pretty still for makeup and hair, then got really excited to put her costume on. Daddy came home with Jax and kept him and Baby Hane here while the Ballet Queen and I went to dress rehearsal.
Things were going fine until I dropped her off in the classroom with her fellow ballet friends. For some reason, she panicked and didn't want me to leave. This is from the girl who has literally never, EVER cried when I have left her. Not even at that 18-month clingy, separation anxiety-ridden phase. She just doesn't. So the fact that she decides to cry on the day she wears mascara is HILARIOUS. (Insert appropriate amount of sarcasm.) It became a spectacle of me not knowing whether to just walk out and let her calm down or stay and try to get the black streaks off her face before she went on stage. Of course staying just made her cling worse, so I finally just reassured her I would be back and walked out.
I sat next to my friend Leslie, and we laughed until we almost wet our pants as we shared our stress-laden stories of hair and makeup and feeling like "Toddlers and Tiaras" mothers. Finally it was Emerson's turn on stage for her ballet routine. She had stopped crying, but she was NOT about to dance. She stood and pouted and at one point even turned her back to the audience. It was classic! All I could do was hope and pray that she would actually dance during tap so I could get a video of it. Which is now a moot point, of course. She came out happy and danced her little heart out. I was a proud momma!
When we were in the car on the way home, I asked her about how it all went, and this is what came out of her mouth, verbatim. (I actually grabbed a pen & paper so I wouldn't forget any of it).
"Mommy, I was a yittle confused about bow-yea (ballet) because I wasn't sure about it. I just forgotted to sing about dancing. I thought and I thought and just got a yittle confused. And that's all, o-KAY?" (Last part spoken in a tone as if to say, 'Back off, mom.') She followed it up with, "But I didn't even get confused about tap. I just tapped and tapped all around that tap floor."
On Saturday at the actual recital, with Daddy, Mommy, Jax, Hayden, Uncle Trav, GiGi, and SueSue sitting proudly in the audience, she came out on stage for tap. I quickly noticed she had been crying again, even after she bragged about how she wasn't going to cry again, and when the music started, she couldn't find her X to stand on. Instead of just going ahead and dancing, she proceeded to look toward her teacher hiding in the wings and tell her she couldn't find her spot. When she realized her teacher wasn't going to find it for her, she just stared out into the crowd with a frustrated expression and would NOT dance. Finally, about halfway through the song, she found her little X and you could see that everything was right in her brain, and she danced away. She likes her systems, that one. Not at ALL like her Daddy. :)
Here are some pictures of Emerson, 3 going on 16. It was really quite terrifying to see her looking so grown-up. Daddy's jaw dropped when he drove up while we were taking these pictures in the front yard. I don't think he knew what to think.
Things were going fine until I dropped her off in the classroom with her fellow ballet friends. For some reason, she panicked and didn't want me to leave. This is from the girl who has literally never, EVER cried when I have left her. Not even at that 18-month clingy, separation anxiety-ridden phase. She just doesn't. So the fact that she decides to cry on the day she wears mascara is HILARIOUS. (Insert appropriate amount of sarcasm.) It became a spectacle of me not knowing whether to just walk out and let her calm down or stay and try to get the black streaks off her face before she went on stage. Of course staying just made her cling worse, so I finally just reassured her I would be back and walked out.
I sat next to my friend Leslie, and we laughed until we almost wet our pants as we shared our stress-laden stories of hair and makeup and feeling like "Toddlers and Tiaras" mothers. Finally it was Emerson's turn on stage for her ballet routine. She had stopped crying, but she was NOT about to dance. She stood and pouted and at one point even turned her back to the audience. It was classic! All I could do was hope and pray that she would actually dance during tap so I could get a video of it. Which is now a moot point, of course. She came out happy and danced her little heart out. I was a proud momma!
When we were in the car on the way home, I asked her about how it all went, and this is what came out of her mouth, verbatim. (I actually grabbed a pen & paper so I wouldn't forget any of it).
"Mommy, I was a yittle confused about bow-yea (ballet) because I wasn't sure about it. I just forgotted to sing about dancing. I thought and I thought and just got a yittle confused. And that's all, o-KAY?" (Last part spoken in a tone as if to say, 'Back off, mom.') She followed it up with, "But I didn't even get confused about tap. I just tapped and tapped all around that tap floor."
On Saturday at the actual recital, with Daddy, Mommy, Jax, Hayden, Uncle Trav, GiGi, and SueSue sitting proudly in the audience, she came out on stage for tap. I quickly noticed she had been crying again, even after she bragged about how she wasn't going to cry again, and when the music started, she couldn't find her X to stand on. Instead of just going ahead and dancing, she proceeded to look toward her teacher hiding in the wings and tell her she couldn't find her spot. When she realized her teacher wasn't going to find it for her, she just stared out into the crowd with a frustrated expression and would NOT dance. Finally, about halfway through the song, she found her little X and you could see that everything was right in her brain, and she danced away. She likes her systems, that one. Not at ALL like her Daddy. :)
Here are some pictures of Emerson, 3 going on 16. It was really quite terrifying to see her looking so grown-up. Daddy's jaw dropped when he drove up while we were taking these pictures in the front yard. I don't think he knew what to think.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Heartbreak
I can't find my Canon Camcorder anywhere. The last place I had it was on Friday night at Emerson's dance recital dress rehearsal, and I literally didn't even think about it again until this morning. My guess is that I left it in the Jenks PAC auditorium, and between the three recitals they held on Saturday, the seniors' baccalaureate on Sunday, and all-day movies shown today, I'm so afraid it's long gone. I know all of the events held there because I spent most of the day today on the phone trying to track it down. I even had GiGi and SueSue come over while the kids were napping so I could go search the auditorium myself. Just to know for sure it wasn't in there. I was literally on my face on the floor looking under the rows of seats. You may be wondering why I am so distraught over all of this... WELL, I had about 80 videos on there that I hadn't downloaded to Vimeo yet. These videos date back to January. Yep, my baby's birth is on there, Jax and Emerson meeting Hayden for the first time, Jax's 2nd birthday... the heartbreaking list goes on and on. There have been many tears today. I'm trying not to think about it, just in case someone picked it up and just hasn't had a chance to turn it in to the school or to the dance studio. It was such an incredible (and incredibly expensive) gift from my husband two Christmases ago, and I've treasured it each time I've used it. Jason surprised us by coming home early tonight and meeting me at the door with a long, long hug. All the while two little munchkins were tugging at his pantlegs trying to get in on the action, but he didn't let go and I felt good for the first time all day.
I had plans to post about Emerson's dance recital, but it'll be a few days. I'm gonna do my best not to think about the fact that I have no videos of my baby girl. No, I take that back. I have the one of her giggling for the first time that I posted here. I guess one is better than none! I'm going to keep hoping for the best, but I think my heart has already accepted the worst.
I had plans to post about Emerson's dance recital, but it'll be a few days. I'm gonna do my best not to think about the fact that I have no videos of my baby girl. No, I take that back. I have the one of her giggling for the first time that I posted here. I guess one is better than none! I'm going to keep hoping for the best, but I think my heart has already accepted the worst.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
3-month comparisons
Hayden turned 3 months the day before we went on vacation. Some of my favorite things she does right now:
Speaking of Daddy, he brought home the cutest surprises two days ago. Take a look at these crayon smocks... a friend of one of his agents makes them, and he even picked out the fabric for each of them (ballerinas for her, cars for him). Best surprises ever!
We got home from preschool today, and Emerson immediately found hers hanging on the chalk/marker easel, put it on, dramatically walked to the couch, and proceeded to take her little notepad out of the pocket and begin drawing. All while cutting condescending glances at me out of the corner of her eye. No idea what all of that meant, but it was hilarious nonetheless.
Jax's new pastime? Conversing in full sentences and carrying on normal adult conversations. It's funny how when you live with a little person every day, you don't notice the progression, but being away from him for a week opened our eyes. Ah, the boy loves questions. He likes to fill any quiet time with them, especially when we are in the car. The car used to be somewhat of an escape from home when I needed to just 'get away,' but now that he's completely verbal, it can best be described as a torture wagon. The boy literally doesn't stop talking. "Mommy, where are we going?" "Mommy, what are we haffing for lunch?" "Mommy, Baby Hane's so cuuuuuute!" "Mommy, Sissy's so sil-wee." "Mommy, preschool's so fun with Miss Ah-ma & Miss Yessie." Jeesh, after a while my eyes glaze over. Also, his 2nd set of molars are finishing coming in, and that's made him more whiny than usual. Yea for me!
- grunt laughing when tickled under her neck, then instantly getting the hiccups
- craning her neck at an almost-180-degree turn to see the T.V. if she's on your lap facing you
- doing baby crunches if she's in a semi-reclined position... the girl does NOT like to be unable to see what's going on
- waking up as happy as a clam and giving me the best smiles/coos when I sneak up on her
- stopping literally in the middle of nursing to unlatch and smile at me because we've made eye contact
Speaking of Daddy, he brought home the cutest surprises two days ago. Take a look at these crayon smocks... a friend of one of his agents makes them, and he even picked out the fabric for each of them (ballerinas for her, cars for him). Best surprises ever!
We got home from preschool today, and Emerson immediately found hers hanging on the chalk/marker easel, put it on, dramatically walked to the couch, and proceeded to take her little notepad out of the pocket and begin drawing. All while cutting condescending glances at me out of the corner of her eye. No idea what all of that meant, but it was hilarious nonetheless.
Jax's new pastime? Conversing in full sentences and carrying on normal adult conversations. It's funny how when you live with a little person every day, you don't notice the progression, but being away from him for a week opened our eyes. Ah, the boy loves questions. He likes to fill any quiet time with them, especially when we are in the car. The car used to be somewhat of an escape from home when I needed to just 'get away,' but now that he's completely verbal, it can best be described as a torture wagon. The boy literally doesn't stop talking. "Mommy, where are we going?" "Mommy, what are we haffing for lunch?" "Mommy, Baby Hane's so cuuuuuute!" "Mommy, Sissy's so sil-wee." "Mommy, preschool's so fun with Miss Ah-ma & Miss Yessie." Jeesh, after a while my eyes glaze over. Also, his 2nd set of molars are finishing coming in, and that's made him more whiny than usual. Yea for me!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Beach & a Baby
We're back! Puerto Vallarta was fabulous, Hayden was an angel (save for the hour-long fit on the flight back from Salt Lake to Tulsa), and we got caught up on sleep. What more could two tired, stressed-out, parents of three ask for? The beach-front resort was amazing... we never left for all five days. Granted, we had to take time to do payroll for the company, but when you're listening to the sound of the waves through your open balcony door, payroll seems like a welcome task! It was mid 80s during the day and low 70s at night, and the humidity was pretty intense. I must say my skin loved it, although my hair would instantly frizz the minute we left the room. I felt like I was resurrecting my grade-school perm! It was incredible to spend so much uninterrupted time with my husband and our sweet Hayden. I told Jason I feel like I really got to know her this week by not having to divide my time between three. Here are a few pictures:
Hayden the Chubby caught a cat nap on our first flight
Alas, today is Mother's Day and I am taking care of a sick girl. Jax had a yucky cough and fever earlier in the week, and he gave it to Emerson and Pa-Pa while we were gone. Speaking of Pa-Pa, he and MeMaw deserve the Medal of Honor/Valor/Bravery for taking care of our two. He did preschool drop-off and pick-up all by himself, and even took them to Incredible Pizza and the zoo. Alone. Unbelievable! They had a great time and didn't want to leave every time we called home.
Jason brought me breakfast in bed plus reading material, and I lounged for a couple of hours this morning before getting up. Talk about pampering! It was so sweet of him.
Hayden the Chubby caught a cat nap on our first flight
Views from our balcony and a couple more of the resort... a lush, tropical paradise!
Hayden and Mommy getting silly on the bed
Daddy and his girl on the way to dinner one night.
The day after we arrived, I got a text message from my brother-in-law Eric saying my sister was 7 centimeters and progressing quickly! I was shocked because she was only 37 weeks. Baby Hudson Allen was born May 3rd, and big sister Avery seems pretty impressed! I can't wait to get my hands on that beautiful boy. Here are pictures of the family of four:
Alas, today is Mother's Day and I am taking care of a sick girl. Jax had a yucky cough and fever earlier in the week, and he gave it to Emerson and Pa-Pa while we were gone. Speaking of Pa-Pa, he and MeMaw deserve the Medal of Honor/Valor/Bravery for taking care of our two. He did preschool drop-off and pick-up all by himself, and even took them to Incredible Pizza and the zoo. Alone. Unbelievable! They had a great time and didn't want to leave every time we called home.
Jason brought me breakfast in bed plus reading material, and I lounged for a couple of hours this morning before getting up. Talk about pampering! It was so sweet of him.
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