Friday, July 29, 2011

My Little Karate Kid

Jackson started karate at the YMCA a few weeks ago and he is loving it. He has class every Tuesday night for 30 minutes, and he is doing great. So far he has learned some self defense moves included blocks and some kicks, practiced his karate form, and learned how to get away from a stranger in a dangerous situation.

I’ve been very pleasantly surprised at how just a few weeks of class has really built up Jackson’s confidence. He has really found his voice, literally, when he is practicing which is a nice change from the time not too long ago when Jackson wouldn’t talk to anyone in public.

Right now Jackson is a white belt and he has earned 3 stripes for demonstrating his new moves. In a few weeks he will test for his next belt.

Here are some pictures of my cute karate kid. I know I’m biased, but I think he’s just about the cutest thing ever in that uniform!

Have a great day!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

I Avoided The Mouse Trap for 1,809 Days

Despite my efforts otherwise, Jackson has discovered  that Chuck E. Cheese’s exists, and that there is one practically in our backyard. I have the DisneyXD channel to thank for bringing the animatronic mouse to life for my little boy.  For almost 5 years I have intentionally left him in the dark about this little kid treasure trove. There are several reasons for this:

1. The location near us is not in the best neighborhood. It’s downright in the ghetto, and there is no way that I would EVER venture there at night or by myself.

2. It’s expensive. I’m about to drop $30 on pizza and oriental trading plastic toys won playing cheesy arcade games. I’m betting that not a single prize will survive the car ride home.

3. It’s germy. Thank goodness for Germ-X especially where kids, food and play sets are included.

Despite my reservations, I’m spending one of my final days of maternity leave taking Jackson to Chuck E. Cheezits (that’s what he keeps calling it) because I’m head over heels for that kiddo of mine. I think my sacrifice deserves some kind of trophy or medal or something. Jackson even roped my Mom into going with us, so at least I don’t have to suffer alone!

I’m sure Jackson will have the time of his life, and that alone makes surviving the mouse trap worth it. Almost.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Adventures In Brotherhood Have Begun

Jeremy and I were getting ready for church this past Sunday morning and we left Anderson sitting in his bouncer seat in the living room with Jackson. Jackson was watching TV, so we put him “in charge” of watching A while Jeremy and I were brushing our teeth. We hadn’t been gone from the room for more than 2 minutes when I walked back in to discover that Jackson had gotten bored with watching TV and decided to play with A instead. This is what I found….

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That would be A with a lizard on his head.

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And the guilty party was grinning like a Cheshire cat behind him!

These boys are gonna have so much fun together, I just better hang on for the ride of my life!!!

Monday, July 25, 2011

An Agenda Of Sorts

One week from today I start work again. I've had a great time on maternity leave, and although it's going to be hard to leave the little guy I know he's going to be in good hands. There are a few things that I have on my agenda to do before I go back to work.

  • Finish my thank you notes. I only have about 10 more to do, but it seems as though as soon as I get the stuff out to do the notes, A needs me. It's like he has thank you note radar. You might be asking yourself, "Why doesn't she just finish the notes instead of blogging?" That would be a very good question to which I don't have a logical answer. My only excuse is that I'm a master at procrastination.


  • Get Anderson's 6 week footprint done, despite the fact that he's now almost 7 weeks. Ssshhh..this will be our little secret.


  • Get control on the ever mounting laundry situation. It doesn't matter how much I wash/dry and fold clothes; there are ALWAYS clean clothes in our laundry basket that don't seem to get put away.


  • Take lots of naps. 'Nuff said.


  • Get Jackson's birthday party stuff squared away. We're having a pool party for him over at my Mom and Dad's house on August 13th. I bought the invitations last night, but I need to fill them out and address them. I figure I need to finish the thank you notes first before I start working on something else!


  • Get Jackson's kindergarten stuff squared away. We're missing just a couple of school supplies and he will be ready to go. He picked out a Batman backpack and Superman lunch box this weekend. My boy is growing up way too fast!


  • Watch Jackson at his karate class tomorrow night. I'll post pics soon. He is so stinking cute in his uniform!


  • Find a new dress for Anderson's baby dedication. We are having his dedication on August 14th which is Jackson's 5th birthday and I have nothing to wear. We figured it would make things easy on family that will be coming in for the party to go ahead and do both at the same time.


  • Attend a paint class this Thursday night at my friend Kasey's art studio.


  • Try to see Harry Potter one more time.


  • And most importantly, spend lots and lots of time with my two boys. I'm keeping Jackson out of school most, if not all, of this week. I'm hoping Jeremy can take off on Friday and we can enjoy one last family day together before I go back to work and Jackson starts school in a few weeks. These days are precious, and I'm going to soak it up as much as I can!


I'll catch up with y'all later!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

We Survived. Barely.

Jeremy got home last night and I promptly thanked the good Lord above, handed Anderson over to him, and I went to bed! I have never been that tired in my entire life. It wasn’t that the week was bad, because it wasn’t. It was more of the fact that my right hand man was gone, and I was having to do both of our jobs by myself day and night, coupled with the fact that all 3 of us came down with a bad cold while Jeremy was gone.

I wasn’t completely on my own while he was gone. We had dinner over at my parents house on Monday and I took the kids to a museum with a friend on Tuesday, so we did get out some. Mom’s dinner was amazing (fresh cooked veggies), and the kids had a blast at the museum, so both of those were a lot of fun. Jackson had karate class on Tuesday night and then Mom and Dad watched the boys while I went to girls night out with friends from church for a couple of hours.

By late Tuesday night we had all come down with a pretty good summer cold that had us all sniffling, sneezing and congested. Jackson got some cold medication that helped him, but because I was home alone I didn’t feel comfortable taking anything that would make me pass out. I took 1 cold pill, and it didn’t do much. All I can use with Anderson is saline solution, a bulb aspirator and a cool mist humidifier, none of which did much to help him during the middle of the night. I think on Tuesday I might have gotten 4ish hours of sleep just because I was listening to every little sound he was making. I would get up and check on him and he would be sound asleep, just making awful noise. 

Wednesday was, simply put, the longest.day.ever. Jackson stayed home with me and drove me bonkers. It was raining all morning and all he wanted to do was go outside and play baseball or have me play karate or football with him in the living room, never mind the fact that we all  have colds, I had 4ish hours of sleep, and I’m watching 2 kids. I love that child more than life itself, but he drove me nuts yesterday morning.

Then yesterday afternoon Mom watched Jackson while I took Anderson to his first sick baby visit to the doctor. My nephew Luke was diagnosed with strep yesterday and he had been around A and J on Monday night. His exposure, plus his bad cold, made me want to get the little guy checked out. It turned out that he was fine, just a summer cold, and he’s up to 11 pounds, 5 ounces.

Jeremy got a late start home from his meeting in GA, and they ended up not leaving until 5:00 our time. I took both boys to church, taught GA’s, and then went home where I camped out on the couch until Jeremy got home at 9. I let him get settled in for about 10 minutes and then I handed the boys off to him, took some cold medication and went to bed. It was hands down the best sleep I’ve had in weeks! 

I’m still exhausted, but I think overall I did pretty good. The clothes got washed, the bottles clean, the house is still standing, and both kids are still kicking, even if I’m not! At least I have a couple of weeks before I have to face this when Jeremy goes on a church conference this time! After that, I’ll probably check into a hotel and sleep for 2 straight days!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Solo Parenting

I'm on my own for the next few days because Jeremy has to go out of town for work. Fun times, I tell ya! Needless to say I'm very apprehensive about this because, hello, this means that I get all day and all night on.my.own. Jeremy got Jackson to school today, but I'm already calling defeat on even attempting it by myself tomorrow and I decided to just keep Jackson home. We're going to go to a local museum that has a kids area with some friends to let the kids play. I can face that thought much easier than trying to get myself out the door with Jackson and Anderson alone before 8:00 in the morning.

I know that my parents are going to help out while Jeremy is gone, but it's still nerve racking. That being said, I'm going to be hit or miss in the blogging department for the next few days.

I'll catch up with y'all soon. Wish me luck!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Harry Potter…The End Of The Story

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Jeremy and I are going to see Harry Potter tonight, and I’m sitting here with mixed feelings. I’m so excited about seeing the last movie, but I’m so sad that the series is about to be over. I’ve been  HP fan since 2001, and a big part of me just can’t believe that this is the end of the road for Harry and Hogwarts. I own all the books and have read them all repeatedly, and we own all the movies. 10 years is a long time to have followed something, and I know that I’m going to cry tonight when we are sitting in the theater, even if it embarrasses Jeremy!

In case you are wondering, I also cried when the Cosby Show, Friends, and ER ended. Apparently I attach to fictional storylines very easily!

So I’ll let you know what I think about the movie after we see it. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

My Guilty Pleasures Of Maternity Leave

  • Taking naps...I may not be sleeping in much these days, but occasionally dozing off with the little guy is wonderful. We have a system; I prop Anderson up on Jeremy's pillow (where he can't move around) and then I snuggle up to him and we both fall asleep. It's simply heaven, especially when it is storming outside.

  • Daytime television...And no, I'm not talking about "soaps" as my Nanny would say. I'm just hooked on lots of shows right now. First thing in the morning I watch I Love Lucy reruns on Hallmark, then I switch to Golden Girls, and then sometime mid-morning I start watching some of the baby shows on TLC intermixed with episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker. If I'm feeling particulary wild and crazy I might throw in some Today show, The Price Is Right or Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

  • Oreos and Ice Cream...I love the reduced fat oreos and any of the sorbets from Bruster's. I've lost my baby weight, and then some, so I do like to have them for occasional treats. They are so delicious and are worth every single calorie!

  • Internet when I get the chance...The little guy gets most of my attention during the day, but it's nice to get online every few hours and see what the rest of the world is up to outside the walls of my house.

  • Unlimited air conditioning...Our heat index is going to be 110 today. I'm thrilled that I don't have to get out until it is time to pick Jackson up from school. Our air conditioning is getting worked overtime with me being here all day, but it feels like Heaven inside, and it's totally worth it. Remind me of that when we have to pay our power bill in a few days.

  • Spending time with my two favorite little guys...I'm with Anderson just about all day, every day, but I'm also spending several days a week with Jackson. With him starting school in a few weeks, and me going back to work in less than 3 weeks, I'm just savoring my time with my boys. Without a doubt, they are the best part of being home on maternity leave!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I'm Tired Just Listening To Him

Jeremy and I have noticed that lately Jackson has been talking nonstop. It's like his mind doesn't shut down. Ever. And the best part? He won't let our minds shut down either! He pretty much speaks in one long run on sentence that just never ends. For example, this is Jackson's dream from last night, in his words. He is sitting here beside me as I'm typing, so honest to goodness, this is what life is like around here right now.

"I had a dream that me and my friends went skating and there was this big dinosaur slide that you slide on the water and then you go on some ice and then snow and then uhhhh you go on some tables and then uhhhhh we went to play on dinosaur city and there were real dinosaurs with two slides on each side, one on the right and one on the left, and then we we went zooooommmmmm down the slide and then I went on ummmmm the other slide and went zoooommmmmm down it and then we went to go outside and we went snow tubing and then we left and we only got to do it 20 times and then we went to leave and we went on another field trip and then guess what...we went to 20 places and we didn't even take a nap! But then we took a nap in the school van because it took a long time for Mrs. Angie to drive us to Disney World and then we spent the night at the mountains in Tennessee and then we went to 100,000 places and then we went to the movie theater and saw Harry Potter and then we went back to daycare."

See what I mean? I'm exhausted just listening to him! Maybe he should handle the 2:00 bottle for Anderson since he's obviously got more energy than Jeremy and I do!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Jacksonisms

It's been awhile since I've shared some of the hilarious things that Jackson has said lately. So here goes...

After seeing a baby at Walmart: "You see that baby over there? That kid has the hugest arms I've ever seen. We're talking fat!"

After taking several family pictures for our church directory: "I've got a secret to tell you Daddy! If we take any more family pictures, I'M NOT!"

After listening to me sing Kung Fu Fighting to him one too many times: "So why was everybody kung fu fighting?"

After getting stung by a bee/wasp/fly thing on Saturday when he was playing outside: "I need you to go to facebook and tell everyone that I got stung by a bee or a wasp or a fly."

After figuring out Anderson doesn't know how to do much these days: "So pretty much all Anderson does is eat, sleep and poop?"

After seeing Anderson peeing in the bathtub: "When Daddy comes in here you should point Anderson at him!"

After realizing that I'm not nursing anymore, he pointed to my chest and said, "If you're not nursing anymore, why are those things still so fat?"

How I love that kiddo of mine!

Thursday, July 07, 2011

One Month Ago Today...

One month ago today we welcomed sweet Anderson into our family.

One month ago today I became a mother of boys.

One month ago today I learned first hand that you really do love your second child as much as your first.

One month ago today a little boy stole my heart just like his big brother did.

One month ago today I realized that motherhood is easier with the second child.

One month ago today my life was made a little sweeter, and I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Everybody Was Kung Fu Crying

Jackson has decided that he's interested in taking karate lessons. We found out that the YMCA offers lessons, and better yet, they even let you try a few classes out before you sign up and invest money into the uniform. So I arranged for Jackson to try karate out last night. We talked before hand about him not being shy and just having a good time. The class we are thinking about enrolling him in is the Tiny Tiger class for 3, 4 and 5 year olds. When we got there he was the only kid probably because of the 4th of July holiday.

So Jackson went up to the teacher and she started showing him all the "stuff" that he would need to know before getting into the actual karate kicks, like bowing when you enter the arena, and shaking hands with your opponent. She waited for a few minutes and when it appeared that no other kids were going to show up she started the exercises with him. He did push ups, jumping jacks and sit ups and then she had him do a running exercise from one wall of the room to the other wall of the room. She warned him to keep his hands out when he got near the wall because for some reason, some kids like to stop with their heads instead of with their feet.

So Jackson takes off running, and listening to her advice, he runs full force with his arms stretched out across the entire room. He got to the wall, and just like she said, he kept his arms out. Except Jackson wasn't accounting for the rebound he would have off the wall, and just after his hands touched the wall, the force of centrifugal motion got him and his head slammed against the concrete cinder block wall. It was like it was happening in slow motion and even though I knew what was about to happen even before it occurred, there was nothing I could do.

We watched him hit the wall and in typical kid fashion there was the 3 second delay before the tears started. We made it to him in seconds and already there was a quarter sized goose egg starting to come up. The teacher got him an ice pack and about that time a couple more kids showed up for class. Now I was afraid that Jackson would be embarrassed for crying in front of them, and that there would be no way that he would finish the class, but after a couple of minutes he was ready to go back out and give it another shot.

Of course, I might have helped his desire to go back out on the floor by promising a trip to Walmart for a new toy, but hey, a Mama's got to do whatever it takes, right? Right?

So anyways, Jackson is trying another class on Thursday. I'll report back on his progress!

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Just A Few Things On My Plate

Anderson is 4 weeks old today, and the little guy is still doing great. He was a trooper yesterday during the 4th of July parade we went too, and even more of a trooper when he was stuck on land with his KK and Uncle Jason when the rest of us were paddling our way back in to shore after the boat we were in ran out of gas during a venture out. I'll tell you all about that story when I get the pictures. It's priceless!

The biggest thing on my plate right now, besides taking care of a 4 week old, is that I just realized that Jackson's birthday is a mere 5ish weeks away. Normally I'm just about done planning his party by now, but I've been slightly distracted for the past few months. I can't imagine why...

So now I'm busy researching themes and I've already ruled out Spider man and Batman. I just can't handle the thought of sending kids home after they have eaten cake covered in red, blue or black icing and all the clothing that could potentially be ruined by the butter cream deliciousness.

So Jackson and I settled on a theme that we both agree on, and we're going to attempt a pool party since it will be in the middle of August. It should be fun and I think Jackson will really enjoy himself.

I guess that's all for today. I must return to the little kiddo now. He's calling my name!

Friday, July 01, 2011

Anderson's Magic Tricks

I got word a little while ago that Jackson is on his way back from Mississippi. It's been so weird not having him here, but I know he's had such a good time at Papa and Gigi's. I haven't quite known what to do without having him around, but it was interesting only having to take care of one child again! I just know that I miss my big boy and can't wait to see him again!

In other news, it seems like Anderson is rotating his arsenal of magic tricks around. On Wednesday he managed to assist me with dumping (pun totally intended) poop in my car, then yesterday he peed on three outfits, his changing table, the wall, me and himself in the course of just a few diaper changes, and then today he completely hosed me down with spitup. It was quite impressive if I do say so myself. He had some sort of hiccup/cough/sneeze/burp just after he finished drinking his bottle, and then he erupted like Old Faithful. I had to call Jeremy in for backup because I was just covered in spitup. There's nothing quite like handling the 5:00 bottle and then being covered in spitup to completely wake you up!

So now it's my turn to pull a Houdini and disappear during the next diaper change. Jeremy owes me big time!
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