Big Boy Bed

Jack is currently napping in his brand new big boy bed! We set it up today and expected to have it useless in the room while he got used to it for a week or two. We really planned to ease him into the big bed. He had other plans.

Jack was thrilled when we set up his bed and even though it was only 10:30 in the morning he kept laying on the bed and saying, "I bed. Nigh' nigh'." We ran a few errands, got lunch and Jack fell asleep in the car on the way home. He woke up a little when we brought him in from the car and then settled right into his big bed where he's been sound asleep for an hour and a half.

A picture so you can get some perspective on how low the bed is. We put the mattress directly on the bedrails.


We need to finish setting up the room (and the guard rail!), but we'll post pictures of his big boy room when it's completed.

"I Rip"

Jack was feeling particularly destructive yesterday and decided it would be fun to rip a Diego diaper mailing to shreads. (Perhaps it was the stoplight project from last week that gave him the idea? Oops.)

In the past couple days we've realized Jack has been saying a noticeable increase of two and three word phrases. While he was playing the rip game, he repeatedly said, "I rip. I rip," And, in the second video it really sounds like he says, "I wanna rip." His most common two word phrase involves the word "I" or "mine" as he claims his toys, but he also says, "I do" which is pretty cute. It's a pretty cool milestone and it's lots of fun for us as he gets better at expressing himself.

He had to resort to using his teeth.

Jack with his finished product.

Thank You, Sasa

Jack woke from his nap today to find a package from his Sasa. I said, "Jack there's a present for you." His reply before he opened it? "Cars!" Clearly he gets a lot of Cars-related gifts. He wasn't disappointed. He opened the package to find a Cars book with stickers and a Berenstain Bears book about welcoming a baby.

Reading his new books.

Thank you, Sasa!

Kevin's Home

Kevin is home after nearly a month in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Woo hoo! We are all very happy he's back. Here are a few pictures from Monday afternoon when we met him at the jet. (Jack wouldn't wear earplugs so we didn't go out of the van to meet Kevin until all the planes had shut down and as a result I didn't get as many good photos as I'd hoped.)

Walking to the jet.



Kevin had a surprise for Jack in the travel pod!Looking up at his dada.Now, if the weather cooperates we'll get to hang out with Kevin in town for a few weeks and enjoy a fun visit from Memere and Papa Lou this weekend. Go away, Gustav!

I Lied

I said I wasn't going to do this, but I'm sorry, I'm proud of my latest sewing accomplishments. This dress pattern was a challenge for me and I'm really pleased I managed to make two without tearing my hair out. I warn you now, do not look closely - the necks and armholes were torture and it shows.
Front:Back:
I made this version second and it turned out better than the first. (You can imagine how bad that one looks up close.)

I made matching bloomers, too!

Dirty Boy

Jack and I went for a walk last night and he found some dirt. He was very happy to show me his dirty hands.
He's such a boy, don't you think?

Tropical Storm Weekend

During the past week or two we've been watching more Weather Channel than one should while obsessively tracking Tropical Storm Fay. It's been a totally wacky storm and has done exactly what no one predicted right down to totally missing our area of the Panhandle completely. Of course, before we knew we were going to get lucky I prepared for our big weekend inside by getting together some activities to keep Jack occupied.


On Saturday the weather wasn't great and we really couldn't do anything outside, but it was nothing like I anticipated. It drizzled (I seriously wouldn't even call it rain) on and off throughout the morning and early afternoon. It was slightly windy in the morning, but I'm pretty sure Jack blows harder when he's trying to cool his food.


Anyway, I was afraid the storm was going to hit at any moment, so we got to work on our inside projects. Jack colored in his new Winnie the Pooh and Friends coloring book. He thought it was fun to color with more than one crayon at a time.

A friend recently directed me to this awesome blog full of activities to do with toddlers. I got together supplies to make a stoplight and help Jack learn his colors. Here he is working hard.



Finished project (now displayed proudly on the fridge).

Jack worked on learning shapes with his new shape sorter. You can tell he's concentrating because he's sticking his tongue out slightly. So cute.

Last, but not least, Jack played with his crazy musical truck!

Sunday, the day the forecasts said we would get the most rain, turned out to be a beautiful day. Sunny, some big pretty clouds in the sky and about 10 degrees cooler than it had been lately. We went for a walk (at the outlet mall, but that's not really the point, now is it?).

Heather and Sterling!

Heather, a friend of mine from Mount Holyoke called the other day to say she and her boyfriend, Sterling, were in Pensacola for the week. Today they made the trip to Destin and we met up for coffee, a snack and some play time.

Jack showing off his climbing skills.

Playing "Row, row" with Sterling. He was a good sport and got in the little boat every time Jack asked him to."Riding" the shark.

It's always nice to catch up with friends so I am really happy we got to spend a little time with Heather and Sterling today.

School Orientation

This morning Jack and I attended "Wee School" Orientation. Beginning next week, he will attend school two days a week at First Baptist Church of Niceville. The program is really the best offered in the area for a kid his age and we've heard nothing but great things about the school. (Jack attended once a week for a few months last school year, but he'll now be a different classroom room.)

When I told Jack we were going to school, he got his "pakpak" (backpack) and ran to the door so I think he's ready for the school year to begin. Here's Jack walking to the school building.There are three teachers in the classroom and 12 kids. The "soft play" time is the best - it's in a room where the floor is covered in gym mats and there is a ball pool and other things to develop "large motor" skills. I'm sure Jack will show off his front rolls on the gym mats!

After a brief introduction from the teachers and some information about the school program, Jack and the other kids had fun getting acquainted with the toys in the room.

We're both looking forward to the first day of school next week!

Congratulations Wilsons and Winslows!

John and Cheyenne Wilson welcomed baby boy Riley Asher Monday morning. When I say welcomed, I mean John literally welcomed the baby as he delivered him in their car on the way to the hospital!

In a crazy turn of events, the very next day Cheyenne's brother, Travis, and his wife Pam had their very own baby boy. We're sure Riley and cousin baby boy Winslow will be great friends.

Kevin, John and Travis were all in F-16 training together in Ohio. It's crazy to go from meeting and knowing them when we were dating and hanging out to married couples having children. I think we're definitely going to plan a Springfield reunion so we can meet all these cute new babies!

Jack's Friends

Jack loves his stuffed friends. Here he is cuddling with Bear, Baby and Elmo.

He even cuddles with his friends when he sleeps.

Budding Photographer

Jack got a fabulous new camera the other day and it has (temporarily, I'm sure) replaced his single-minded obsession with Cars. Although, if I'm being honest, this morning he used his camera to take pictures of his toy cars. The photographer at work. Nevermind that he's "taking pictures" of his eye.

Say "cheese!"

In case you're intested, the camera is Parents brand, which is only available at Target. Jack has several toys from this line and they have all been a big hit. If you're looking for an inexpensive gift for a infant / toddler I highly recommend this stuff.

Cruising Around the 'Hood

Tonight we went for a short walk around the neighborhood. Well, I walked and Jack rode his bike. He got very excited when I suggested a ride and ran to the garage to show me where to find his bike.

Riding is serious business. I kid you not, when I got out the camera to take this picture, Jack stopped, said "cheese" and gave me a big ol' grin.Getting started in the driveway.

Cruising down the street with the little man in charge.

Sewing Project #2

I promise not to post every time I complete something, as I will surely become a prolific seamstress, but I'm proud of this one because it's the first project I did all by myself. It's the same pattern as the dress and bloomers I did with my mom made with different fabric.

The dress is reversible and this is the other fabric. There is a set of bloomers in each fabric.

Jack's Dinner Date

Tuesday night Jack had a play and dinner date with his sweet friend Claire. Claire's mom, Lara, and I chaperoned. We went to the Destin Commons Mall to hang out on the play area and then to Panera for dinner.

Jack and Claire shared some time on a slide.

They climbed.
They shared a drink before dinner.
They followed dinner with a game of peek-a-boo.
The ladies' man. We had a nice night and look forward to a second date.