Cooper Lake June 2009

I regret to say we didn't use our camper much this spring and summer. We just couldn't seem to find the time. We did manage to make a trip out to Cooper Lake. We spent most of the time in the water. They've created a beach on the lake, which is really nice. I got to take some great pictures of my guys. Jack really started to get the hang of his floaties during this trip. Here are some pictures and a video of him swimming. (Notice we hadn't cut off his baby curls yet.)

Apology

I have been a horrible blogger the past five months or so. There really are no good excuses. I got extremely wrapped up in my summer masters courses and then got addicted to FaceBook. I am bound and determined to commit more time to Jack's blog from now on. So here's the plan...I will do some catch-up posts letting everyone know what Jack has been up to since June. I better get started. :)

ABCs

Jack was playing with his magnets tonight. If you pay attention, you'll actually see him get some of the letters right. He even sings his version of the ABC song. I love the little dance he does.

The Sandbox!

After much hard work, Jason finished Jack's sandbox. I think he did an awesome job if I do say so myself. The picture I had in my head was so much plainer than what he actually produced. Jack came outside and said "Oh, sand!" It was so funny. He sat on the edge and buried his feet. Jack is very lucky to have such a handy daddy! Here is a picture of them showing off their new toy.

The Zoo!

Jack's daddy took Friday of this week off of work, so we decided to take Jack to the zoo. We also took his cousin. I think it was national field trip day, but we found a few places that weren't completely chaotic.
Here are the boys at the duck pond looking over the bridge.

Here they are looking at the huge koi fish. Jack kept making his fishy face at them.

They had a really neat playground area that the boys enjoyed. Ian liked climbing all the big rocks. They wouldn't sit in the eggs long enough for me to get a cute picture.

They really loved the gorilla. He was over here at first and then....

I promise I'm not making this up. He noticed the boys in the double stroller and came all the way over to sit by them. He just sat there and looked at them, particularly Ian. Maybe he thought they were baby monkeys. I know they can act like monkeys sometimes. :) I said something about him looking sad and Ian kept asking why he was sad. Oops! They boys loved him so much that we bought them little plastic gorilla figurines at the gift shop. They held them all the way home.

Talk Time

Jack has been talking more and more. I got some video of him the other day. He's not super cooperative, but this will have to do for now.

Art!

Jack has been more and more interested in coloring and painting lately. I bought him some finger paints the other day. He had a lot of fun painting in his high chair. I didn't trust him anywhere else! I didn't realize what a great way this would be to help him learn his colors. He kept saying green, blue, yellow, and red. Then I asked him, "Do you want the green or the red paint?" and he said, "Yes." It was too funny. He had fun making his hand prints. We also used crayons today. He likes for me to write words like Jack, daddy, dog, etc. He's not much on PlayDoh. It weirds him out a little bit.

He's also been singing more lately. His favorite songs are "Wheels On The Bus" and "Mr. Sun". Today we were running errands and I heard him in the back singing, "Sun, sun, sun, shi dow ohn me!"

He's also been talking so much more. The other day he saw a bunny in the backyard. Today he ran outside and started yelling, "Bunby, Bunby." I asked him where the bunny was and he replied, "I duhn know." I'll get video of him talking soon. By the way, he also calls his belly his "belby".

Hoppy Easter!

While we were waiting for my passport photos at Walgreens, Jack and I strolled through the Easter aisle. I haven't decided if I am going to put together a basket for him yet. I found these bunny ears and couldn't resist. The hubby wasn't too thrilled with the idea. I'm sure he was thinking of the Ralphie's horrible pink bunny suit from "A Christmas Story". However, once he saw Jack with them on, he changed his tune. He even tried them on himself. Jack LOVES them. He's been very interested in animals lately. He wants to know what sound they make and mimic them. We have a poor killdeer whose made a nest in the backyard. He enjoys chasing her and shouting "Birdie. Tweet! Tweet!" He likes to grab the ears while hes wearing them and shout "Bunny!" I'm trying to teach him to wiggle his nose like one but he doesn't get it. (He can snort and snuff like a rhino, roar like a dinosaur, and make his version of a fishy face by sticking his tongue in and out really fast.) He also is trying to hop like a bunny (you would all get a kick out of seeing me teach him this) but he just bends his knees up and down really fast. Here are some pics of my guys:

Felt Food and Ikea

We also went to IKEA this week. I've been wanting to get Jack a set of good play pots and pans, and we found them there. When we got home and opened them up, he was thrilled. He likes to pretend to stir things in the pots, and I wanted to give him some pretend food to actually stir. I went on etsy to see what people were making in the pretend food area. I found all this neat stuff for felt food. It's relatively cheap to make, particularly if you use the cheaper felt. You can go all organic with the felt, but my budget won't allow that right now. It also gave me a good reason to keep practicing my sewing techniques. I learned how to blanket stitch and I'm loving it. I found a few free patterns online to get me started. First, I made Jack some felt ravioli to stir in his pot. He actually gets what it is and pretends to eat it. I also made him a sandwich and some chips, but for some reason he doesn't get those yet. I figure if I keep making the food by the time he does get it, he'll have a lot to play with. Next, I'm making cookies, donuts, and bow tie pasta. I've included pics of Jack playing with his new pots and the felt sandwich and chips.

Farmer's Market

We went to the local farmer's market this week. Jack had a good time. He calls every fruit he sees an apple. I let him hold an apple while I shopped and he was thrilled. I really like to look at the flowers, and Jack liked to destroy them! We bought Jack a kiddie leash to give him a little more freedom. He really likes to explore, but he doesn't know a stranger and doesn't mind running far away from me. I don't want him stuck in a stroller until he is five, so this is the best alternative for right now. He doesn't seem to mind it. I just have to get over feeling like I'm treating my child like a dog! He got to see and experience things that wouldn't have happened if he'd been in the stroller the whole time, so that makes me feel better.

The New Park!

The first phase of our new community park opened up a couple of weeks ago. Jack has already been four times! I am so happy to have something like this in our town.

Here's the 2-5 year old side of the playground. The area in the back on the right side is the new water park for the little guys. It should be open this summer. The other side of the playground is for the bigger kids. It has a rock climbing wall and several other cool things. Jack really just likes to run around a scream most of the time.
Jack likes to sit on the benches and watch people go by. They also serve as another climbing toy for him. He likes to flirt with little girls his age and chase after the bigger boys on the basketball court.
This is a really neat music wall on the little kids climber. It's REALLY LOUD! So, of course, Jack loves it.

Jack enjoyed running down this big hill. I think all the beautiful green grass thrilled him. If you've seen my backyard, you understand!

We decided we'd bring Daddy back with us later. Daddy is a whole lot more fun than Mommy at the playground.

Jack isn't much for the swings. I don't think he likes to be still that long.

Here's Jack's cousin climbing up the stairs. He's ten months older and really gets the whole playground equipment thing. My sister and I take the boys there to play, but we end up chasing them in different directions and not visiting much!

Hats!

Jack has decided he likes to wear hats now. I think it's because his daddy starting wearing his baseball cap again when he's working out in the yard. He thinks his daddy's pretty cool. I think he looks so cute with it on. The hat usually ends up backwards so he can see better. He's really been copying us lately. He likes to pretend to cook when I'm making dinner. And he loves to help me clean the house (Go figure!). And, of course, anything daddy does is worth trying out.

I've Got My Dining Room Back!

Here are some pics of Jack and his cousin enjoying the swing set while we had it in the house. Now that Spring has officially sprung I moved the swing set outside. We got so used to it in the house that the dining room looks really weird to us without it. Jack seems to be missing it because I've caught him climbing all over the furniture in the house today. I love the silly face he made for me in this picture. I think he was in the middle of telling me something.

Hair!

The other day I fixed Jack's hair up a bit while he was taking a bath. I can't believe he was nearly bald on his first birthday. Who would know that now?! I thought he looked a little like James Dean in these pics. Pretty soon I'm going to have to cut his hair or he'll have a mullet. I really don't want to. For some reason, I get all sentimental and mushy when it comes to his first hair cut.

The Playground

I've been trying to take Jack to the park more often lately. My goal is twice a week. It's really good for both of us. Today we were sneaky and went to play at a park the belongs to a neighborhood we don't live in. Sssshhh, don't tell anyone. Normally Jack just runs around and doesn't really "get" what the playground equipment is all about. Today something finally clicked and he understood. With my help, he was climbing up the stairs, crossing over the bridge, and sliding down the slide like a champ. Since he requires my constant supervision during these times, I can't really take any pictures. It's a bit frustrating because the whole time I'm thinking, "That would be a great shot. Oh, this would be a great background." I'll try to come back with my hubby so he can supervise, and I can get some pictures.

I've also been giving a lot of thought to what type of backyard equipment we want to invest in this Spring. The hubby has already agreed to build a sandbox. Of course it's Texas so he'll have to have a swimming pool. What else do you guys think every little boy needs in his backyard?

Da Train! Da Train!

With Jack's recent car fascination, his daddy thought it would be fun to get out his train set. He loved it! As you can see, he sat in the middle of the tracks and watched the train go round and round. The fun was short lived however. The train is a bit delicate for a one year old, and Jack kept taking it off the track and flinging it around. I'm thinking about buying him one of those sturdy Fisher-Price toddler trains and tracks for his birthday. We'll try the train again when he's a bit older and less impulsive.

Look What I Made!

I've been going to my mother's most Sunday afternoons to take sewing lessons. It's been awesome spending time with her and learning to sew. Jack has grown out of all his cute hoodie towels, and I've had a hard time finding larger ones that aren't ridiculously expensive. My mother had a pattern for this one, and all it required was some scrap fabric, a bath towel, and a washcloth. He really likes how it covers his whole body and keeps him warm.

What a deal!

If you don't know by now, I'm a Craigslist addict. I check it constantly to see if any good deals are going on in my town. I've been wanting to get Jack a little table and chairs for a while now. I thought it would be a great place for Jack and his cousin to have snacks and color during the day. I found this one for twenty bucks on Craigslist. It's originally from IKEA, and I've really liked it since I saw it in the catalog a while ago. It also came with three little green stools. I think he looks like a munchkin/hobbit when he sits down. :p

Jack's Two Favorite Things

Right now Jack's two favorite things are letters and cars. He points at my SMU sweatshirt and starts saying "a" "e" "i" "q", etc. He always seems to squeeze a "q" in there for some reason. The other day, as we were walking into Wal-Mart, he pointed up at the huge sign on the front of the building and starting yelling out the letters of the alphabet in no particular order. His aunt bought him a magnet set for the refrigerator for his birthday, and he spends a lot of time placing each letter in this main electronic port that tells him the sound that the letter makes. Don't get me wrong; Jack isn't saying his alphabet, and if he does happen to call a letter by it's right name, it's completely by accident. Still, the teacher in me can't help but be proud. Lately he doesn't want me to read to him. He prefers to go off and read to himself. I've gotten him a lot of simple picture books lately that have one picture with the word directly underneath. I really believe he thinks he's reading because he can name the things in the book. It's so cute. I'll try to catch him on video.

Jack is completely obsessed with cars right now, and instead of "honk honk" they all go "choo choo." Most of the day, you can find him with a car in his hand. He really LOVES Hot Wheels. I think it's because they're small enough for him to carry around easily, and they're so realistic looking. Lately, he's starting actually playing with them (a skill he's been picking up from his two year old cousin). He pushes them on the chair, the coffee table, the kitchen counter, his play fort, and anywhere else that amuses him. He's starting to make car noises and line them all up together. It's so fun to actually see him pretending. On the day he turned eighteen months old, I took pictures of him doing his favorite things. While he was completely immersed in his cars, he noticed my flash and turned around and said "CHEESE". I'm so happy to have his wonderful smile on camera that day.

Happy February!

Snack Time with Jack

This video is a little long, but Jack was really hamming it up for me. He just loves to talk. I have no idea where he got that from. ;)

Hamper Boy and Indoor Playground

The first pics are of Jack helping me fold towels. He figured out how to put the hamper on his head and run around the house. He always knows when I need a good laugh.

Today I decided to move Jack's outdoor swing set into the dining room. It's not pretty, but he sure had a blast climbing up and down the slide today. Hopefully, it will help us get through these cold weather months. Jack's having a really hard time staying in the house. To top things off, he's got a cold, so I'm really not letting him outside much lately. Our house will have to be an indoor playground until March or so. I'm seriously thinking of converting our office into a playroom. His toys are taking over!