year in review

2010 was just the beginning of odd utterances, i'm sure. not just saying the things my own parent's said to me, but things that i never thought would cross my own lips. here are just a few of the most memorable, most repeated, in no particular order.

to jack:

get your sister's fingers out of your nose

do not bite her toes/hands/fingers/ears

it's not nice to squeeze her head

please don't touch her eyeballs

we do not touch other's privates, we only touch our own

please do not blow in her mouth

GET OFF OF HER! (i distinctly remember yelling that when she was a mere 2 weeks old)

please do not jump over your sister

no, you cannot ride dilly

you cannot suck her thumb

please stop pushing on her belly

take off your sister's pants, they do not fit you, and they're pink

dada's not going to like dylan's clip in your hair

no boobie for you

please stop dragging her by the arm/leg

no, you cannot have gummies/goldfish/a sandwich for breakfast

and an assortment of ways to say be careful

jack to us:

can i bite/scratch/pinch/push/kick didi?

i'm shy.

dada home soon? i wanna watch for work truck.

(while yawning) i'm tiiiiiiiired.

not nice, mama.

i'm smart, i'm cute, i'm proud, i'm nice.

no, stooooooop it!

night, mama. jack loves.

(singing voice) have patience, have patience

no thanks, please mama.

good job, jack! good job, mama!

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiyeeeeee, didi!

(reading the first page of perfect piggies) ba-doo-ba doink doink, chattanooga piggy piggy

watch me, i pee pee on potty!

poo poo ick, jack shtinks.

big boy undies, yes please mama.

i wanna sammich, chee(t)os, apples and a lunch box. shanks, mama.

jack's dangerous. careful, jack.

toy-ee sory-ee (toy story) upstairs with andy? now please, mama?

i really could go on and on. in just 6 months, his vocabulary has expanded, and he will now repeat any and everything you say. before, he was not doing this at all. he would look at you, as to process what you were saying, but choose to not repeat. what a milestone this has been and truly fun to hear him put all these new words together into sentences. just another example that all kids learn at different rates and eventually all catch up.

jack has always been a creature of routine, even at the earliest weeks of life. i see ways about him that are so similar to me. he doesn't like surprises - he prefers to be prepped for what's to come. at bedtime, we talk about what we'll be doing the next day and often times in the morning, he'll ask if we're still doing _______. he pays attention to more than i think he could possibly be aware of; always surprising me with his vast memory. and even with all the talking, i still see him processing internally. he'll look up, as if searching for the correct words, and come up with something rather silly yet simple. it's so hard not to giggle when he's so serious and determined. he's so much fun.

when i think of my son, i think of passion. he really cares about so many things in his little life. he is very passionate about his blankies (3) and his stuffed animals. for whatever reason, this holiday season was the year of the rodents. jack received a little grey mouse wearing blue overalls from the if you give a mouse a cookie series. dylan received a different mouse book accompanied by another grey mouse wearing a black vest and red scarf, but jackie quickly snatched that up as his own. from ben and i, he received a mickey mouse stuffed animal with an unusually large head and ears but quite cute nonetheless. most mornings, he comes shuffling out of his room with all three blankies and all three mice in tow. he's just too much.

his other obsessions include, but are not limited to,

his best friend maddy, although he likes to call her mimi

books: the very hungry caterpillar and the grouchy ladybug

bouncing bears

tumbling class

suckers from our regular coffee hut

sid the science kid

apples

mickey mouse clubhouse, preferably daisy

his cars hat and tow mater hat

cars movie

mater movie

cheese

his fleece slippers

school buses and ambulances

tools

and all his friends at school

i can hardly believe it's a new year. i was still reeling in all the christmas cheer, when before i knew it, we were counting down the minutes to midnight. just doesn't seem fair. i would like these holidays to be a month apart, like thanksgiving and christmas. give me some time to pack up the red and green and maybe get in a few naps before even thinking about being pressured to stay up until 12 am.

ben and i's new years was fairly quiet and uneventful - just the way i like my days. well, not necessarily uneventful, but nothing wild and crazy. that's ben. he likes loud. he likes chaos, strives for the more the merrier theme. it's no wonder i ended up with two loud tikes. maybe the next one will be quiet like me. we spent the early afternoon in willow at the flanagan's cabin. jack, cousin callie, uncle bob and benji went out for a snowmachine jaunt while aunt sarah, dylan and i stayed warm and cozy inside. we left around 5, in hopes of the kiddos getting a quick snooze in, but unfortunately (or fortunately) they didn't - but that just meant early bedtimes. ben and i were able to retreat to the bonus room for a marathon of wii gaming. we bought some games for christmas and have been acting like teenagers for the past few weeks; staying up way to late, swearing at the tv, passing levels while jumping up to our feet in excitement. nerd alert! but i will say, i don't think we've laughed this hard in quite some time. i guess it's good to mix it up every once in a while. so at a quarter to midnight, we sadly turned off our (saved) game, tiptoed downstairs to sneak in our routine bowls of cereal, smooched at midnight and fell asleep shortly after. 2010 was an incredible year, but we're so looking forward to the months ahead. so many fun adventures and vacations are in store.