jackie cracks me up

ok, i know i talk a lot of trash, but this little guy has, and always will have, me wrapped around his little finger. he cracks me up on a daily basis with all his new phrases and what he picks up on. you now have to really watch what you say because he will repeat everything. we learned this the hard way, but what a great way to curb a potty mouth.

and speaking of potty... jackie is well on his way to being trained. his first #2 on the potty was during the first week of august. oh my gosh, i haven't seen the kid more excited! "poo poo, bye bye, yaaaaaaay!" all while clapping and waving. when we are at home, he goes #1 on his potty, but we haven't quite mastered it outside of the house. he does it at school, and i think i have peer pressure to thank for that. but running errands around town or visiting with friends, he hasn't quite got to the point of telling me; perhaps he's just too distracted. the things that worked for us are simple: i chose the readiness approach (see toilet training without tears by charles e. schaefer, ph.d.). this is a no-pressure, when-you-are-ready approach. jack's potty had been in his bathroom for months. we even bought a toilet seat that is placed on top of the big toilet, but he has always liked his little potty. anyway, he's played with it, sat on it to read books and always would sit on it before bath time, only to pee in the tub once his feet touched the water, of course. i moved the potty into ben and i's bathroom because there is more room. i also put a little rug underneath it so it looked similar to the big potty. i think the success in all of our tricks was giving him his privacy, as crazy as it sounds. and he still won't potty in front of us; we usually stand at the doorway (where he can't see us) or we turn our backs to him. we've always praised the heck of out him, clapping, hugging and telling him how proud we are. we don't discipline him if he has accidents, only tell him that you'll get it next time. we don't do stickers or candy as a reward but occasionally, i will draw a star on his hand with one of my glitter pens - that really makes him smile.

coloring and stickers. we started coloring before dylan was born. the kid doesn't slow down much but usually after dinner, we can get him to sit at the table and color. i should back up and say that "coloring" usually entails less with crayons and markers and more with placing stickers on a blank page. stickers of trucks and buses, any and all animals, butterflies and bugs, stars, shapes, you name it. the most recent ones i found had peace signs, daisies and even vw vans - just like on the movie cars! his recent funny thing with stickers is smooching the ones he really likes. my little lover.




cars. have you seen disney's cars? jack is obsessed. mater, lightning mcqueen, doc, sally, flo, fillmore, ramone, luigi, guido, sarge, mack... all characters from the movie and he says all their names throughout the day. he has most of the toys, several books, coloring books, stickers... he's fanatical. he only started watching tv/movies in april so it's nice to have him relax and slow down for a minute or 5. and thank goodness it's a good movie - i'm sure i've watched it 50+ times since april.

like i said before, jackie's vocabulary is really expanding. he knows his numbers up to ten, counts groupings of animals, toys, etc., knows about 20 letters of the alphabet and finds these letters and numbers while we are out shopping or while we're driving around. the way he says certain words like snowman or the phrase "aww, snap!" are said with a wrinkled nose. very cute. he talks about being tired and hungry, if he wants a hug or smooch, and if he's crying, he'll stop mid-cry to tell me he's sad. if dylan is crying or he sees a picture of her while she's crying (like i've been known to do!) he remarks "mama - didi, sad..." he's obviously watched and heard me say quiet along with the shhh and a finger to your lips because he's started saying it to me. he talks a lot about trucks, bob the builder and his papa's. he remembers what toys were given to him by different people. he likes to sing ring-around-a-rosy, itsy bitsy spider and dance to most classic rock songs. jackie is an absolute riot.

as his third birthday approaches, i wonder if the terrible twos will be a thing of the past. i see glimmers of my sweet little boy and i just hope we have more and more days of his smiles, laughter and smooches.

hatcher pass

the afternoon could not have been nicer; blue skies, warm breezes, puffy white clouds, adorable kids... life is good.

flanagan's in the ak

papa frank and nana do do (sue) came to visit. after their two-day stay at denali nat'l park, they spent the day with us. we drove up to hatcher pass, played at lake lucille park - just enjoyed every second of our beautifully sunny weather that God has blessed us with for 3 days in a row. like most vacations, their stay was too short, but i'm thankful for the time we get. come back soon!

somethin' new

the hum of the freezer case is settling. the grinding of the coffee beans takes me back to high school when i would hear my mom just starting her morning. no one is talking, but the tables are filled. again, the clicking of the keys makes my mouth turn up at the corners. the aroma of baked goods and coffee hits the spot. i now know why so many people escape to a coffee house to write, read or just zone the heck out; i could get used to this!

the husband is being a dear and giving me some minutes to myself. i don't think my time here is much longer, but i had to share this moment of happiness in my life. i love my husband dearly. my daughter i could eat up with a big spoon and jack, well... we've seen better days. i always tell him (and myself) that tomorrow is a new day. i've said it before, i'll say it again, and likely again thank goodness he's so dang cute.

ooooh, and we've had thunderstorms TWO days in a row, followed by a plethora of rainbows. how glorious. and the fair starts on thursday. and my cousin's welcomed a baby boy today... oh my goodness, could life be any richer?! how blessed we are by the big and small.

love to you all.



...one of my hansa roses

new business?

i'm not sure if this is an ok thing to say or not, but perhaps ben and i should go into the baby making business full time because these two babes are adorable! or maybe it's just because they're mine that i think that... whatever the case, here they are, loving on each other. if you happen to notice the three different outfits dylan is wearing, it's because she is a regular drool monster; 3 outfits in as many hours. jack was being extra sweet and extra attentive to dilly so i had to capture this rare moment. although, the older she gets, the more "involved" he wants to be. he mimics the way ben and i talk to her, using his own version of a baby voice when talking to her. "hiiiiiiii, didi!" it's too much.













and i made sure to save THE best for last...




did you ever see the friends where ross gets baby emma to laugh by singing the 90s classic baby got back? well, i got dylan to laugh by singing something equally inappropriate: tequila. i have to believe it was the combination of the do-do's and the de-de's that made her giggle. and then of course, i kept singing it over and over because how great are baby giggles?!

at dylan's 4 month check up, she weighed in at 15.12 pounds and measured 25 inches tall. she's a grower! (and a mover and shaker!) she now rolls over almost as soon as she's placed on her back. she blows raspberries incessantly, and loves to hold onto both feet. love that!