Cold Day Fun

I think Frosty is the only one loving this cold weather!

Jackson, my dad and I spent some of our time during the Polar Vortex making peanut butter birdseed pine cones. Jackson loves watching the birds outside at my dad's house. We get some birds by us, but in effort to see more we thought we would feed them.   

After putting some string on the pine cones we spread lots of peanut butter on them and then coated them in birdseed. Jackson contributed a lot to one of the four pine cones but then was very concerned about the mess on the floor, his sticky fingers, and our dog crying from the other room for her share of the peanut butter. 

He enjoyed watching them being hung on Frosty's arms and screams out at them with excitement when he spots them again later. 

Thankful for extra hours during the week, I spent most the rest of the day completing our Shutterfly Christmas album. I can't wait for the bright orange package to arrive!

Potato Stamps

Martin Luther King day called for some Valentine's Day crafts! 

I needed help with watching Jackson this morning so my parents came out. All Jackson wanted to do while I was gone was color and build Legos. So in hopes for some afternoon fun we continued to feed his creative side with some potato stamp painting!

I cut the big potatoes in half and the shorter ones 3/4. Then carved out a heart, arrow, X and O. Once J had his nice clothes off and the floor was covered, he went to work!

My mom and I had to show him "down, up" with the stamp a few times. He really had fun making stamps, picking up a new one and then adding more paint! 

After several pieces of paper, lots of red paint, and a now red and white clothed Jackson we put his artwork up to dry. Such a fun way to spend an afternoon off!

Not Just Legos

He sits patiently, picking out a Lego that will fit. Carefully positioning it in his hands to steady it and stack the Legos together. It doesn't always fit right. He turns it, angles it, moves it over and tries again. And again. Until he gets it.

I watch him from my spot on the floor by the other Legos. I feel my arms raise up on impulse on several occasions as he struggles. I fight the urge to stack the Lego for him.

Legos are his go to toy currently. His attention span and imaginative structures always seem to impress me. He will watch you at times and be sparked by a new idea but mostly he sits and builds and takes down, builds and takes down.

Sometimes he will ask for help, but most always after several failed attempts. Usually he is calm, clear, but the sense of urgency is heard. Sometimes I am able to coax him or redirect him to accomplish the task with out me actually doing it. Do I help too often though?

When in a hurry before school or in a rush to clean or cook I catch myself not fighting the urge to help and just doing a task for him out of sake for time or wanting to avoid a melt down. But what is that teaching?

I want Jackson to persevere through problems. I want him to have comfortable with the idea that things do not always click into place nicely. I want him to be able to think rationally to arrive at a solution. I want him to be creative and confident to problem solve.

Those behaviors won't just appear when he is a teenager. It is my goal to teach him. I have realized my need to let Jackson struggle a little more, help less.

They are so much more than Legos.

Jackson - 21 Months

It is hard to believe my silly, sweet Jackson is 21 months old. 

His vocabulary has grown sooo much in the last month. He will repeat (or try to) almost anything you say. He surprises you by saying new words or up to four word sentences. 

Favorite words/sayings:

"Sit here," "Read this," "Play this," "Papa soon," "Mess" (imagine hand(s) flapping at the mess for this one), "Sweep," "Baby sad," "Yummy, yummy, yummy" (with head swaying and mouth chewing food), "Home," "Need help," "Buzz Lightyear...and Woody," "Mick-me" (Mickey Mouse), "Hi/bye Mommy/Daddy," "Moo" (Milk), "Wa-wa" (Water), "All done," "outside," "Snow," "Here you go," "_____ with" (which he says whenever one of his prized possessions will be joining us)

Current favorite foods:

Applesauce, eggs, pizza, broccoli, bananas, oranges, graham crackers

Monthly Chalkboard

Favorite activities:

Jackson loves to build blocks (Legos, Mega blocks, magnetic blocks) and loves to read books. He will play with his Little People and Disney Characters, race cars, color, or run up and down the hall.

A day in his life:

Jackson has three types of schedules right now; work day for Mom & Dad when he goes to "school," a work day for Mom & Dad when Grandpa comes to take care of him, and a day at home with Mom & Dad. Wake up time is anywhere from 6:00am to 8:00am. Bedtime is anywhere between 7:00pm and 8:00pm (unless it's a weekend and I am being selfish with my Jackson time, stretching bedtime later). He has his milk first thing in the morning followed by breakfast usually within 30 minutes from then. If I am the one waking him up on a school day I always bring him his milk and some sort of breakfast item to eat as I get him ready. He will play all morning with a usual afternoon nap. Weekends he can nap before lunch, at school he goes to his cot right after lunch, and with Grandpa sometimes he gets a nap in the car ride home after an adventure. Playtimes will almost always involve some cleaning, something to feed his artistic side, and then on some days a movie (Toy Story is the current favorite). At least once in the day he will yell at the dog, tell her to go in her bed or tell her to eat. He will attempt to turn on the TV on his own at least once. And you can guarantee a good laugh at some point (if not every hour). His routine is obviously flexible, it always has been, but it works. 

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When did he learn that?

Toddlers are little sponges. They absorb new words, skills, and expressions so quickly. As parents, we try to teach them positive words, productive skills, and feelings that foster independence and compassion. Jackson takes in most all of what we try to teach him, but he also constantly shows us something randomly amazing that he has learned. Sometimes it makes us question when we have done that and how we act. Other times we want to give him a pat on the back for problem solving or drawing conclusions on his own. And many times I feel a small bit of pride followed by sadness, sadness that these are all signs my little boy is growing up. Any way though, the older he gets the more I find myself asking "where did he learn that?"

On New Year's Eve we were out for an early New Years Eve dinner. We were waiting around for the check and Jackson was getting antsy. He had his toy train with him so we let him down to walk around the table. He spent a few minutes going up to each of us and saying hi then pushing his train. Although there was no one in any of the tables next to us, Jackson wanted to start going across the isle. I stood in front of him, trying to be a blockade. My stance was wide, my arms were down to seem even bigger. I side stepped left, right, left a few times to get in his way, when all of a sudden...he kneeled to the ground and CRAWLED UNDER MY LEGS! His determination and ability to assess the situation absolutely stunned me! I about died laughing and had to give him some credit.

We were sitting on the family room floor trying to match colored heart cards (we are still struggling with colors). I asked to find a purple heart. His reaction...."ummm....ummm" while calmly looking side to side as if in deep thought. His head tilted slightly and his eyes looked off to the side. He was deep in thought on this complex question I had just posed. He truly seemed to be considering the question and look at the  cards...for a bit. But when he started to notice I was smiling at him in extreme wonder he exaggerated it a bit. He knew exactly what he was doing! When he finally picked a card it was a purple one, were still working on colors.

It was one of those dinner nights where you have a little bit of everything, whatever is in the fridge. One of the foods was broccoli. He finished a helping and surprised us by very clearly stating "more broccoli." I had no idea that word was in his vocabulary! And how amazing that he wanted more of it!

Trying to complete a long winter break list of cleaning/organizing, I was tackling our overwhelming tupperware/bowl/storage containers/baking pans cabinet. Jackson noticed I was sorting and putting objects away and proceeded to organize some containers on the floor himself. When I called my husband in to give him tour of the new cabinet I opened with "Soooo." Well Jackson, right in stride next to me and immediately repeated this. "Sooo, soooo" as he went to the cabinet, took a few things out and put others back in. He would sit on the ground, stand back up and go back and forth to the cabinet all the while repeating "soooo."

Jackson was playing with his Legos when he accidentally ripped the idea sheet. He insisted I fix it then, saying mess and uh oh. I went to the kitchen to get tape, leaving the drawer open while I stood there to fix it. All of a sudden Jackson had pink Post-it's in his hand. How'd he get them? He had to of reached up and over the side of the open drawer and grabbed in it. I asked him to put them back, sure enough he did it with ease. Now it was Mom's turn to say uh oh!! He has since been able to put his cup up on the counter and try to take items he spots within reach. When did our little boy grow to reach the counter?

Caught him putting the water on the counter

We were at my Grandmas house and Jackson was going through all the books in the basket. He had it emptied and proceeded to put his Disney characters in it. When they were all cozy inside, Jackson picked up the basket, put the handle over his arm and said "bye" to my Grandma and I. When we asked where he was going..."shopping, bye."

Love List

My current love list. Quite the variety on this one...

1.  A Life That's Good
A good song grabs your attention through all distractions. It clears your head, focuses your thought, and brings you to a positive place. Its one that can be replayed, and replayed. Check this one out. Sort of a current theme song.

Two arms around me

Heaven to ground me

and a family that always calls me home

Four wheels to get there. 

Enough love to share and a

sweet, sweet, sweet song.

At the end of the day, Lord I pray

I have a life that's good.

Sometimes I'm hard on me, when dreams don't come easy

I wanna look back and say I did all that I could.

At the end of the day, Lord I pray

I have a life that's good.

2.  "Quack-er." 
This is how Jackson refers to ducks. He has always loved ducks. For a long time he would notice them outside before we did and point at them. He would say "quack, quack" in imitation of them. I still claim it was his first word. As his vocabulary has grown though, duck has not been added. Now whenever he sees a picture of a duck it is not just quack but Quack-er. My favorite is that he does this for Donald Duck too. All his Disney characters he calls by name, except Donald, he is "Quack-er."

3.  Munchkin Click Lock Sippy Cup

It is hard to find a good sippy cup for you and your toddler. This one is my current favorite. It has a soft lid so Jackson doesn't grind it with his teeth, its easy for him to hold, easy for me to close, and doesn't leak. Now that we have multiple of them, I love to mix and match the tops and cup! 

4.  Fossil Sydney Zip Wallet
This wallet fits not only money and cards but also my phone! It's cute, small and I love how simple it makes busy days. On a given winter work week I can use up to four different bags. Between work, coaching, and traveling with Jackson having something with all the essentials that I can throw into any one of these is a huge help!

5.  Dreaming Tree - Crush
Favorite wine that can be found at Target for much cheaper than this site advertises. Yum!

Bye 2013, Hello 2014!

Hope. Wonder. Excitement. 

As 2013 has passed, I reflect on a few things I have learned....

Patience. Lots of patience from learning to be a mom to Jackson that has bettered many other areas of life.

Multi-tasking. From January when Jackson still wasn't crawling to December of a busy, inquisitive toddler. Trying to do all the necessary family and home tasks has taught me to be creative, quick, and flexible to get everything done, often at the same time. 

Appreciation. For our family and all their support. For my father for not just watching Jackson during the work week but for his creativity, willingness to explore, and incredible patience. For the little things in a busy working mom day; being able to tuck Jackson into bed, hear him yell "Hi Daddy" when Matt comes home, and feel him wrap his arms around my legs in a big hug.

A few little moments that stand out in big ways...

Walking into Jackson's room singing happy birthday on the morning of his first birthday. The year had flown, now he is no longer a baby. He looked at me with a sweet smile.

A little over a month past Jackson's first birthday we were at the park and he was trying to walk from one little circle step to the next. He got brave and LET GO taking 2-3 steps on his own to the next one. He lit up when he arrived, clapping for himself and smiling. Me, I cheered as if he just made a game winning shot.

Over the summer my mom and I took Jackson to a park district beach/pool. Jackson spent quite a while taking his sand pale to a water spout, trying to fill it up and then carry it back to us in the sand. As he unsteadily walked, the water would splash out till it was empty. Jackson would notice, and turn right around to try again. He was so determined, focused and absolutely adorably hilarious!

On my 30th birthday, we were sitting in the kitchen floor talking. All of a sudden Jackson crawled up on my lap, started climbing up to my face, and with his big bold blue eyes staring directly into mine said "mommy."

This list could go on and on...

To do better in 2014...

Take photos with the DSLR camera, spontaneous moments with the iPhone. Jackson sees my phone ("mama's phone") and immediately brings it to me with concern that I need it in my hands. In 2014 I aim to take more mental snapshots more and worry about the phone less. 

Picture organization. Since April 6, 2012 my picture storage on the camera, my phone and on the computer have exploded. Ive been working to organize them better, but going forward I will organize as I take them. 

Recognize more of the precious little moments in everyday life. Being a mom is an amazing experience. It is also a busy, worry-filled, stressed out experience. I want to be sure to recognize and enjoy all the wonderful moments and not be so wrapped up in the negative.

2014 is entering with so much love and promise. Three weddings I'm blessed to be a part of. Big boy transitions for our soon to be two year old. Growing families. Cherished time with those that mean the most. 

Thank you 2013 for a blessed year. We can not wait for all that 2014 has in store!

Our blurry New Years picture that I am still obsessed with!