OMSI

Did I mention one or two times how excited Jack and I have been that Aunite Moo is back in town???? We took some time to go explore the little kiddo part of OMSI the other day. Most of the stuff was a little too "big kid" for Jack, but he had a ball anyways!! He loves watching other kids and then jumps right into the activity. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon so we sat by the river for awhile and did one of Jack's favorite things...eat Veggie Booty! Meg has become a real fan of the stuff too.

Nest Building

Jack and my mom have been watching a robin build her nest right outside the window at my parents' house. It is quite a process to watch. The bird brings one stick or piece of something at a time and then uses its body to hollow out the center of the nest. Jack loves watching this, and hopefully soon he will get to see some eggs and then baby birds! Every time we hear or see a bird he gets excited.

A Visit with the Muilenburgs!

Brady and Jack had not seen each other since New Years, so it was quite a reunion. Brady can now walk, run, talk, and is still his adorable self. Jack can now crawl, stand, cruise, and screech when things don't go his way. They were pretty dang funny together...I wouldn't exactly say they were sharing toys and balls...it was more like I am going to take it out of your hands, then I will take it back! We definitely have 2 boys boys on our hands, possibly a point guard in Jack and a center in Brady. It was so great to hang out with the fam...Jack showed some major love for Ali...it must be her motherly loves!!

We love jammies

Jack loves to spend a couple of hours each morning playing in his pj's! Wouldn't it be nice if we could all do this?? We had a great weekend despite everyone getting over horrible colds. We continued to celebrate Meg with a graduation party out at my parents. We are so happy to have her home for the summer before she leaves to travel to New Zeland for the year.

Jack vs. Mom....Jack wins

What Jack has taught me so far, and continues to teach me everyday is to be flexible and have no expectations. It was so easy before I had a child to judge and talk about what I would do and how I would feel when I had my own kids. For example, before I had Jack I wanted to be a "chill" mom and just let my child explore to his every desire to learn about the world through sensory experiences. Now that I have a baby boy, I want him to stay fairly clean, not throw food all around, not pull the plants down, not eat dirt, not play in the water of Sophie's dog bowl, etc.. etc.. Today was an exercise in letting go for me.....Jack did a speedy crawl to the kitchen before I could catch him, picked up Sophie's full water bowl, dumped it out on himself and all over the floor and then splashed around in it. I remained calm, took him outside and let him add some dirt to the wet mix. He was happy as can be, and in the end, I just had some wet, dirty clothes and diaper and a happy boy. I hosed him off and let him dry in the warm summer-like air. My husband and his mom would be so happy..............

Congratulations Meg!

We traveled up to Spokane this past weekend to watch our "baby" sister graduate from college....the last of five kids and 15 years of college tuition for my parents! It was a great weekend filled with parties, family time, and of course watching Meg get her diploma. Jack did great for all the running around and being thrown off his schedule.





Tyee, Jack, and I took a side trip and visited Coer de Lene (spelling??). It wasn't the best weather but Jack had fun putting his toes in the water.

Happy Mother's Day!!

I just wanted to wish my mom and my mother-in-law a happy day! I am so lucky to have my mom and her wisdom and she is the most amazing and loving grandma to Jack. He adores her so much, and we could never survive without her. She takes care of Jack at least 20 hours a week and he LOVES his time with her. They have formed such a special and unbreakable bond. Thank you so much for all you do for Jack, mom!




My mother-in-law Deb has also been such a wonderful second mom and great friend to me. We talk almost every day and I could not have asked for a better momma in law. Even though she lives far away, she has been such a huge and important part of Jack's life also. She comes up to visit him about every six weeks and pours so much love and energy into him! He adores her to no end and wants her to move to Portland as soon as possible! Thank you Deb.

Book Babies

Jack and I attended our usual Thursday morning "Book Babies" group and had the pleasure of Steph and Ethan coming too! The 20 or so one-ish year olds couldn't wake Ethan up though! As you can see from the photo, Jack was enjoying being the CENTER of attention, literally. Jack has been in such a great mood all week and is so darn cute. I am leaving my boys for the first time ever tommorrow as I drive up to Spokane with my parents for Aunite Moo's college graduation. Tyee and Jack are going to spend the night together (alone :>:>) and then fly up to Spokane to meet us. Wish them luck....although they won't need it. We are so pround of Meg as the last of five kids to graduate from college!

Jack the Stud

As you can see, my poor little guy has been dealing with a horrible rash/excema bout on his cheeks. We took him into the doctor for a check and got some medicine. Amazingly, Jack has been in a great mood, hanging with his Grandpa John, hiking through the forest, and smiling and laughing lots. We love him so much.