Summer!

Jackson turned 6! And about a million other things have happened since I last blogged, but I'm not going to think about that. Kindergarten is over, and my baby is not a baby anymore. Cole loves to tell anyone who will listen that he is 2. On Jackson's last day of kindergarten, I met him when he got off the school bus with a clothes basket full of water balloons. We had a water balloon fight in the driveway. I thought it was a pretty fitting way to Start the Summer. Since then, he has been doing summer school-basically recess, golf camp, we went on family vacation to Omaha( that is far as TJ and I were willing to be in a car with Cole), and almost daily trips to the pool. Both of the boys love to swim, so our trips to the pool are going to be quite frequent this summer. Jax Is very proficient, and loves to be in the deep end-going off the board and down the slide. And Cole has started jumping off the side to me, and going underwater. On family vacation, we went to the Omaha zoo, and to the children's museum in Omaha. The kids were great! And everyone had a wonderful time. We stayed at a ramada inn with a cocoKey water resort, and it was wonderful! Jax favorite thing to do was go down the big water slides( he must have gone down the three of them 50 times each). Cole loved playing with anything that shot water out, and going down the smaller slides. We could hardly get them to leave come bedtime. Cole has started saying "daddy's teasing" or "you're just teasing". It is pretty funny that our two year old already understands sarcasm. He has also taken to kissing people's owie's and then telling them "it's all better now" Cole's absolute favorite thing to do so far this summer is play with the hose. He would stand in the front yard and spray things from sun up to sundown if we would let him. I don't think I would be able to afford the water bill. To prevent the inevitable(Jackson forgetting everything he learned in KG) I wanted to get him a summer bridge workbook. They were out of the kindergarten ones, so we got the bridge 1st -2nd grade book. I thought, oh well if I have to teach him a few new skills, it will be good for him. Well, I am not having to teach him anything, but it is torture getting him to sit down long enough to do his one page per day. We are also having him read to us every night. This week, I asked each of the boys a set of questions. I originally started with 20 questions, but then I found some more good ones online, and so my list expanded to 38 questions. So, now I have this list of 38! Questions I intend to ask the boys every year around the time of their birthday. I am hoping to keep them with their baby books, and maybe compile them into a book around their 18th birthday. The answers to round 1 are pretty amusing. While Jackson's answers were all fairly predictable, I am excited to see how they change over the years. And cole's answers were just funny. When asked how old mommy is, his response"1". And when asked what does dad say to you all the time, his response "calm down!" love it! This is so true. Cole was not able to answer all of the questions, like what do you want to be when you grow up, so I answered a few for him. Looking forward to many more years of answers.

When I grow up...

I'm sure as a child, I had many grand ideas about what I wanted to be when I grew up. I am also pretty sure they included wife, mom, and princess. Well, 2 out of 3 isn't too bad! As far as career choices go, I cannot imagine doing anything other than being a pharmacist. I decided at a young age that I wanted to go into healthcare. I knew I wanted to help people, but I did not know in what capacity. I considered nursing school ( too many bodily fluids), and medical school(too much time at work, not enough time with my family) , then after volunteering in nearly every department at Heartland Hospital, I found pharmacy. Wow! This is something I could get up and do every day, I thought.
Now, I am watching Jackson start to ponder what he wants to be when he grows up. Big question for a five-year-old, right? Nope, not him. He is so confident of what he wants to be, and I support him wholeheartedly. His kindergarten teacher asks all the kids what they want to be when they grow up. At parent-teacher conferences, she shared his response along with a picture he had drawn of this choice. He wants to be a "Dad", and he drew a great picture of a Dad with his kids. Talk about breaking my heart! Sweetest thing ever. I thought TJ was going to cry during the meeting with Mrs. Houser. I hope this means we are doing an ok job.
 I am pretty confident that if Cole could choose his career right now, he would be a farmer. I do not think he would ever tire of riding around in a tractor. His Second choice would be a pilot of some sort, because right now his obsession with airplanes ranks right behind his extreme obsession with tractors.
Yesterday, our family grew by one. Elijah Thomas Harper was born at 759 am, weighing in at 9 lb, 8.7 oz. 22 inches long. Big Boy! Proud parents Ryan and Jeana are doing great. We couldn't be happier for them.

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do"- Steve Jobs

Easter and others

Why do I go so long without blogging when I think about it nearly every day? Since my last entry, cole has had his toddler screening. Everything is perfect! During the screening, they wanted him to stack 7 blocks, but he couldn't get past 5 because he kept wanting to knock them over. Easter weekend we went to Kirksville and stayed with Matt and Amanda. We nada great time catching up, and the kids had so much fun playing. Before we went out there, a little neighborhood girl had a killer garage sale and I spent over $60 on clothing for brynley! Amanda loved it, and now I Am allowed to garage sale shop for Brynley if I so choose. This could be lots of fun! Saturday morning, Amanda and I ran a 5k in KV, and then my fam headed to Aunt Pam and Uncle Jeff's house for Saturday Easter dinner. So fun to see all of our family. Sunday Easter lunch was at Moila with Pattersons and Moores , then for dinner we went out to my parents house, and after dinner we made s'mores over a fire in the driveway. Jackson thought this was absolutely genius! He couldn't get enough of playing in the fire. Cute things the boys are doing right now.... Cole does not like for me to stop at stop lights. He says "go!!!" he does not care if there are other cars in front of us. Cole is obsessed with tractors and airplanes. He wants to go to grandma and grandpa's every day so he can ride tractors with Papa. Grandma and Papa got him a tractor book for Easter, and we have been reading it about 10 times a day since. Then. TJ and I were counting to cole the other day, and we stopped at three, and cole said "4,5,6". We were so surprised! I sing the alphabet to him every day at nap time and bedtime, and we count to 10 a few times at each, but I had no idea he paying attention or catching on. Now he has started to try to sing the alphabet with me. Jackson is getting really good at riding his scooter, and has given us the ok to take the training wheels off his bike when he turns 6! He is really enjoying his soccer season, and scored 2 goals in his game today!

Time flies!

What a true expression! Life is pretty fantastic. My sweet little ornery boys make every day interesting. We had parent teacher conferences again. I think the highest form of praise a kindergarten teacher can give a child (or his parents) is to say that if she had a little boy ( she has two teenage girls), she would want her little boy to be exactly like jackson! And much to our disappointment (devastation), she is retiring after this year. Jackson will be in her last KG class! Cole's birthday was a few weeks ago. We had a fun little family party here at the house with a Dr. Seuss theme. Aunt Kerry helped with decorations and everything turned out great. His favorite parts were eating cupcakes and opening presents. Shocking, I know!! Matt and Amanda missed the party but were able to come up and stay Saturday night, so the kids got to play and we got to hang out with some of our best friends. Not too long after that, I got a text from amanda on one of her days off, saying how she wished we lived in the same town so our kids could play together all the time. I second that motion!! Bummer of the month. MU lost their first game in the NCAA championship tournament. But we won the Big 12 Tournament. And TJ won his alumni tournament at mid-Buchanan. Always looking on the bright side. Cole is getting very interested in potty-training and does not really like going in his diaper anymore. I have my fingers crossed, but am not holding my breath. The weather has been fantastic, And we have been outside every opportunity we get. Jax would play basketball every waking minute if we would let him. Cole's speech is stellar! He was speaking in 3 and 4 word sentences by his second birthday. Looking forward to an amazing summer at the pool and park with my boys. I am typing this blog on my NEW iPad, which I love, but haven't completely figured out yet. "today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you!" Dr. Seuss

So many things to tell

Oh, my beautiful life!
I have so much to write about!
1st-Jackson had his first snow day last week! he was so excited.  He got to go to Cousin Alexandra's house for the day.  They had a great time.  TJ picked him up around noon, and then he shoveled some snow (by choice).

2nd-Jackson had his first school Valentine's party. Also very fun.  Nana Connie got to attend.

3rd-Jackson had his first basketball game.  He loves it. As I have mentioned before, Jax loves to play basketball.  He can not make it a day without it.  Inside, Outside, it doesn't really matter.

4th-Cole and Jackson collided one evening this week, and Cole would not walk afterward!  TJ called me at work, concerned because everytime he would set Cole down, he would not put any weight on his legs.  I freaked out, of course, worried he may have hurt his back, or broken a bone in his lower leg.  TJ bribed Cole into walking a little ways, and then gave him ibuprofen, and put him to bed.  The next morning, he had a nasty bruise on his inner thigh close to his knee.

5th-Cole does not like to stop at stoplights.  The minute we stop, he says, "Go!"  He does not want to wait. The same goes for stop signs, and anytime you have to stop behind another vehicle.  A patient one, he is!

6th-Cole has started giving the most adorable kisses. he used to just kiss you, but now he says a big loud "MMMAAA" when he kisses. SO adorable.

7th-Cole and Jackson love to give each other hugs at bedtime.  Cole will not go to bed without first hugging Jackson.  They may fight sometimes, but I love to see how they are becoming such great playmates, and how much they like to be around each other.  Cole thinks Jax hung the moon, and Jax is always surprising me by doing something sweet for Cole or comforting him when he is hurt or upset.

8th-Cole has had a few playdates recently.  It is a lot of fun (for him and me). He gets to play with kids his age, and I get to sit and chat with the Moms while the little people play.  We will definitely be planning more of these.

9th-Friday was Family Day at Jackson's school.  Grandma and Grandpa Harper met him for lunch, and then got to go back to see his classroom.  I recently found out Jackson's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Houser, will be retiring after this year.  I am devastated, absolutely heartbroken that Cole will not get to have her as a kindergarten teacher, also.

Crazy, busy, scarring FUN!

We are just chugging along in life. The last week or so has been filled with busy fun.  Last week, we had pictures scheduled on Thursday, so Jackson decided to fall UP a set of concrete steps at Ireland's house and skin up his face. CANCEL!  Those pictures are rescheuled for this Thursday.  Jackson is still loving basketball practice and has his first game this coming Saturday. 

Last weekend, TJ and I went to Columbia with Denny and Connie and Coby and Kerry to watch the Mizzou vs. Kansas game.  The boys stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. Well, tickets ended up being about $300 each, so we decided to watch the game from Shiloh's, a bar in Columbia.  It turned out great, we had great seats, and the Tigers WON! And to top the evening off, the basketball players came in after the game, and were talking to everybody and getting their pictures taken.  Jackson and TJ play basketball in the basement nearly every day, and they are alwys playing like they are Kim English and Michael Dixon (2 Mizzou players).  Well, I walked up to English and asked if he would take his picture with me and, of course, he obliged.  Jackson was so excited the next day when I showed him a picture of me and his favorite basketball player.  I also talked to Michael Dixon, who went to high school with my cousin Collin Artinger.  The only thing that could have made the evening better would have been if I had anything for them to sign for Jax. 

While we were gone, the boys played at the grandparents and went to the dog show.  I think their favorite thing to do at Grandma and Grandpa's is ride the various four-wheelers, tractors, lawnmowers, etc. 

Sunday night was the Super Bowl, and we went over to Denny and Connie's for a little while, then came back home-school the next day, you know. 

Our big news for the week is that Cole went pee in the potty last night-YEAH, Cole!  He was naked after his bath, and wanted to sit up there, but nothing was happening, then all of a sudden he peed.  Then he kept climbing onto the toilet and squirting a little more out.  I mean, I am not getting my hopes up, but I am praying this is a sign of good things to come.  Two early potty-trained little boys.  What mother could be so lucky?

At the end of the day, I have only one thing to say about all this craziness, busyness, and fun. 

I LOVE my life!!

Talking and Reading

This last couple of weeks has been a whirlwind. 
Cole is talking a ton. I used to sing to him every night at bedtime, now I can hardly get a word in edgewise.  He talks constantly until I lay him down, and usually some after that, too! He is very worried about whether everyone else is going to bed, too.  Jackson, Nana, Papa (Poppys-he calls him). Right now, he is using the terms Nana and Papa for both sets of grandparents.  He is putting two words together alot, and has really expanded his vocabulary. 

Jax is doing great in his Reading Counts club, and loving it.  He is reading at the end of first grade level, and I am so proud of him.  He is also loving Basketball. So far he has only had practices, but games are coming up soon, and Dad is helping Coach.  He calls Saturday his Fun Day, because he has basketball practice in the morning, no school, and he usually gets to see at least one set of grandparents. 

Yesterday, I went to KC and met Amanda and Jana at Independence Center and did some shopping.
Then, we headed back to Jana's house.  Jana and David, Lincoln and Emery, and Matt and Amanda, and Benson were going to Sesame Street Live and I was staying home wth Brynley. We had lots of fun. She is such a sweet-tempered baby.  Did not cry once.  If Cole had been anything like her, I could probably have talked TJ into more children.  Jackson was like that, always happy, always smiling, nothing could get him down.  But Cole, he was a very demanding Baby.  I always say that if I believed in colic, I would have said he was the perfect example of a colicky baby.  But, I really think it comes down to temperament, and Cole is probably going to be a little more demanding his whole life.  Hopefully, he will be the CEO of something, where demanding will be considered a good thing.

Cole is doing this adorable hing right now where he will be talking to you, but if he is unsure whether he has your complete, devoted attention, he will get right up in your face and repeat whatever he is saying, with wide eyes.  He has the most beautiful eyes.

The boys both got haircuts this morning.  It absolutely broke my heart to cut Cole's because we finally got to the point where we had to cut off all the blonde natural highlights.  I was devastated, but they both look very handsome.

The Sweetest Sound

Last night, when I put Cole to bed, I told him "I Love You" like I do every night.  There was only one difference.  He said it back!!! He said "I Love You", except it was more like "Wuv You".  But, it was the sweetest 2 little words I have ever heard.  I remember when Jax said it for the first time, and it was just as amazing then.  What a Wonderful World!

Cole has a few new words.  Not that the words are so new to him, just the way he is using them.  They are "No!" and "Mine!". Oh, Joy!  The next few months of our lives should be really interesting.  "Me, Too" is another of his favorites.  If anyone is going anywhere or doing anything that he thinks he should be included in he says, "Me, Too!" while pointing to himself. 

We have been looking for a basketball goal for Jackson, but have not found anything TJ likes.  This spring, I think we are going to have a concrete basketball court put in the backyard, so Jax and Dad can play basketball. They play all the time in the basment, but Jax is quickly outgrowing that.  

What a Wonderful World!
 

I see trees of green, red roses too, I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, What a wonderful world!

 

I see skies of blue and clouds of white, Bright sunny days, dark sacred nights
And I think to myself, What a wonderful world!

 

The colors of the rainbow are so pretty in the skies, Are also on the faces of people walking by
I see friends shaking hands saying, How do you do?
They're really saying, I love you

 

I see babies cry, I watch them grow, They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, What a wonderful world!

The little things

Jackson's first real basketball practice was today.  He had a good time and is looking forward to playing "real games".  Somehow, he never tires of playing basketball and football in the basement. TJ is worn out!

Cole has started galloping.  And just today, he started walking on his knees.  He thinks this is so funny, because this is how Daddy walks when he is playing football with Jackson. 

Jackson is like a little teacher to Cole.  When he speaks directly to Cole, he changes his tone of voice.  He speaks in a little bit highr voice. It is really sweet.

TJ and I and Coby and Kerry took Nana and Papa to dinner and a movie last night for Nana's 60th birthday, which was Wednesday, January 11.

Sometimes it's the little things in Life that make the biggest difference.

Reading Club

Some Days, I wonder if I am doing this parenting thing right.
Last week, after Jackson's first day back at school from Christmas Break, he came home with a note from his teacher asking him to come to school early for a reading group.  I panicked! How could this have happened? How could he be so far behind his class in reading that he needs extra help? We read every day. Frantic, I emailed Mrs Houser, asking her about tutoring, any recommendations she might have, anything....I knew he could read books to me, we read every night, and I make him read at least some. I thought he was doing OK.
The next morning, she emailed me back. Apparently, I had been a bit hasty in my conclusion of his remedial reading skills.  Mrs Houser apologized for the confusion and said the before school reading program is for first-graders. When they have a couple of extra openings, they invite kindergarteners who are able to read to join. Jackson and one other child from his class were invited.  So, much to my elation, he is actually ahead of his class in reading. 
So, then there are those days when I am sure I am at least doing little parts of this parenting thing 100% right! 

Cole has been starting to put more words together.  He is still sometimes hard to understand, but I am hoping this means we are moving forward. Everytime he hears the word "Go", he gets excited and starts pointing to himself, saying "Too, Too!"  His "cold" Face is adorable, all surprised and scrunched-up, and if you tell him you are going to take a picture of him or ask him to say "Cheese", he blinks and bats his eyelashes.  And now, when I sing to him at bedtime, he is singing with me.  Of course, he is unintelligible, but it is still the cutest thingI have ever heard.

Last weekend, we went to David and Jana's on Saturday evening, played and ate dinner, then put the kids to bed. We always have such a great time there, as do the children.  On Sunday morning, we had breakfast and did a little more playing, then headed over to Aunt Jan's for Round Family Christmas.  This is always a little crazy.  About 25-30 people in one house, lots of food, and lots of presents. 

I chose to make a photo book of last year's pictures instead of printing them and putting them in albums.  It turned out so big, I had to split it into 6-month increments.  SO, I have two 2011 photo books.  I intend to do this every year. Much more organized without me having to spend all that time scrapbooking!

Out with the Old, In With the New Year!

Well, a New Year!
I suppose first I should recap the end of the Old Year.  We had a great 2011, and expect nothing less for 2012.
I had the whole week off last week and we enjoyed every bit of it.  TJ and Jax went to two movies in the afternoons, then Jackson, Ireland and I went to Monkey Cove at Ramada Inn one afternoon.  TJ  brought Cole out a little later and we all had lots of fun. 
The boys have been playing with their new toys, and Andrea Wenzel came over on Monday to help me determine if Cole needs speech therapy.  She said to wait it out, that he does not seem behind.
For New Years' Eve, Jackson and Cole went out to Grandma and Grandpa Harper's for the night, and Mommy and Daddy went over to Robertson's.  It was really fun, and we did not get home until about 2 am.
We had a great time this week before Jax went back to school, and on his last day before school started back up, Jax and TJ went to KC and played at Dave and Buster's.  And TJ got a new laptop at Nebraska Furniture Mart, which I am typing this blog on right now.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and right now, I could not agree more. I gave my cleaning lady a couple weeks off over the holidays(paid, of course), and I am missing her like crazy.  My house is starting to collect dustballs.  I may even have to vacuum. Oh, the horror!  What was I thinking??
New Years Resolutions.  I am not a big proponent of them. I believe too many people make them just to end up forgetting about them only a couple of weeks into the year.  I already work out and eat fairly healthy.  Sure, I could stand to tone up some, but I do not think that making a New Years resolution is going to make that happen.  So, I make all year, every year resolutions.  They are always the same.  Eat more fruits and vegetables, workout to stay healthy and present the image of a strong, healthy woman to my children.  This past few months, I added, get down on the floor more with the kids to play. 

I did not do too bad for my first year blogging, with over 75 posts. 
I also made our first annual PhotoBook. I ended having to do two 6-month books, because I could not remove enough pictures and the year-long book was going to be almost 80 pages. 

We are going to Kansas City Saturday night to stay with David and Jana and celebrate Christmas with them, then on to Aunt Jan and Uncle Karl Artinger's on Sunday for Round Christmas.  Jackson has his first basketball practice Saturday morning, and then TJ and I have lunch at the Hi-Ho with my Investment Club.  Busy weekend.

But First, I have to get this thing printed (twice), and put with each of your baby books.