Jasonisms

So this morning I was cleaning up from breakfast and noticed Jason doing something I would prefer he not do. Me: "Jason, what are you doing?" And he replied, "Picking my nose" very matter of factly. Then, I had to go farther. "Why are you doing that? It's yucky", I said. He quickly responded, "There are buggies up there and they are yucky too."

Getting dressed in the morning we sometimes sit on the dryer while I put on his socks and shoes. After we are done, he wants to jump off into my arms. He calls it the "big dump".

Meals are still fun with Jason insisting on "big ones" or "top on" or "I want lots of them". We are now dealing with the fact that he screams orders at me instead of asking for things politely. I'll let you know when that starts working out in my favor.

Picking Jason up from preschool is one of the highlights of the day. You can't be glum when a child sees you from across the school or playground and drops everything to come running while yelling "Mommy!" and arms are outstretched so he can jump into yours.

Tonight I was putting him to bed and we laid together for a bit talking and cuddling. "Hold me tight, Mommy", he says. Then he wanted butterfly kisses on both cheekbones, right below his eyes. He smiles so brightly and makes me do both sides, just like Ethan used to. He tries to do it back to me as well and then puckers for kisses. He begs me to lay to hold his hand and I tell him I love him to the moon and back.

Then, it was time to leave and put him in his toddler bed/crib. I put some Christmas music on for them (classics for JT and the Chipmunks for Ethan) and leave. A few minutes later, Jason was hysterical. I run back up the stairs and ask him what's wrong. "Dinosaurs" he gulps out in between sobs. "Did you see some?" I ask. "You don't SEE them, Mommy...you hear them. And I heard their footsteps." Okay, so now I am somehow the idiot who didn't know you can't see dinosaurs? Or is it even worse and I ate too many brownies this evening and now my footsteps sound like a dinosaur?

I did my part and pretended to usher our the dinosaurs since the previous night when he awaoe, I tried the "there are no such things as dinosaurs" approach which went over like a ton of bricks. Tonight, I chastized them for making too much noise under Jason's bed and told them that they needed to go outside and play. I did cave in and told them all that they could sleep in the garage. I'm such a softie.

Family Portraits for Thanksgiving

Having all three boys, I called in every favor and bribe I know of, and got them all together for a family pic. The little ones insisted on having one taken with their "babies" and then we did some of the 3 boys and the entire family. They got us in and out of there in 20 minutes which REALLY helped and even Jason smiled and warmed up. He is so shy and Ethan is normally a big ham with funny poses. They even did a little collage with some of the holiday shots for us.

Thanksgiving in Indiana

For this year, we went to Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit with Jeff's Mom and step father. We stayed in this great B&B (La Salle) that really catered to the kids. They had a cute little suite with it's own entrance and we went up each morning for breakfast with the proprietors. They made crepes, and French casseroles, fruit and nut parfaits, cooked apple and spices, ham croissants, pastries and more. They constantly bought the kids special little snacks and left candy canes under their pillows. They put a little tree up for us in the suite and I highly recommend them. Our suite was decorated with an African theme since the owner, Rose-Aimee spent a lot of her childhood in Africa and Madagascar. The personal touches were amazing.

We visited with family all day and did some fun trips to the playground, local museums (Science Central), walked the down town area, and the Crazy Pins arcade. The kids had a great time and we stayed in Charleston each way to break up the drive. I made Mom's stuffing and gravy for the first time by myself and it actually came out pretty well. The kids didn't each much but I managed to get a disk thanks to Ed's babysitting prowess.

The night before Thanksgiving we were all tired from prepping all day so we went to Red Lobster and the waiter took out a lobster to show the kids. We had come crab legs and then walked down town to see the Christmas lights and find Santa. Of course, my sweet and shy Jason was having no part of Santa and it was cold so we didn't stay long.

October Itinerary

Wow...this month has been busy and stressful but a nice mix of good and bad going on. Bad: we lost one of our horses and I had to go away for business. Good: We had a lot of really fun activities and some quality time before and after the epic trip.

Oct 3rd: We did a Home Depot craft
Oct 10th: Attended a 5k run and IBM appreciation day
Oct 11th: I left for 2 weeks on business to India and China.

Upon my return on the 23rd, we went to the pumpkin patch, decorated pumpkins, hit the fair on the 25th, did a Halloween party at IBM on October 30th and then our usual trick or treating extravaganza at Uncle Mikey's on the 31st. I'm tired just thinking about all that!

We went big on decorations at the Homestead this season too. I spent an entire Saturday putting up decorations...mostly to assay my guilt for leaving and also to ensure they had fun with the season. Jeff loves this holiday and we always really enjoy going all out.
















I brought back some great outfits from India and China for the boys to try and educate them on the life in the countries I was on. A friend in India sent me home with the most gorgeous outfits and I bought these Chinese silk ones at the Pearl Market in Beijing. Ethan actually wore one to a party in Michael's neighborhood on the 25th.

Good night my angels

I want to remember every second of the boys lives and all the special times and am so fearful the memories and feelings will escape me somehow. Thus I blog. Tonight started the same as every night and it was somewhere around the middle when I realized how much I treasured the routine. Bath time with the boys..splashing in the tub, playing with their finger puppets. Then we do some play time or watch a short on TV. Then it is "night night" time and if we are not early enough for him, Jason will come get my hand and tell me it is night night time. He loves his sleep.

After we gather our babies (lovies, stuffed animals, whatever), we head upstairs and pick our reading material and brush our teeth. We all gather in Jason's room for story time and we read 3 - 4 books depending on size. Then we set the rooms up...constellation night lights, music (classical for JT, Dixie Chicks for E), white noise generators, and more. Jason does inventory of his passys and Ethan counts every single baby (and there are a lot of them). He piles them all up underneath him and lays on them. Believe it or not, he will miss even one of the brood. Try washing these things....story for another time that will detail my CIA ops skills. Jason grabs all 3 passys and keeps alternating the one he is using as the mood strikes him. It is always a challenge finding all of them since he throws them across the room in the morning as he awaits his crib rescue team.

Then we divide and conquer. Tonight I took Jason first. We lay on the bed in his room and cuddle....eskimo kisses, butterfly kisses, hugs with big strong arms and good grunting noises. I ask if he played outside and he says "ahh ya" and if he liked school today and he says "ahh ya". Great conversationalist. We snuggle for a bit more and then I tell him it is time to go in the crib. I pick him up (along with all passys and Neigh - his horse) and head to the crib. After depositing the loot, I take him for a spin around the room to his music. We hum along and do spins and dips. He giggles and says "more dip" or "turn more" as we stop spinning. If I stop singing he says "more song". I then dip once more and put him in his crib. We have it made like a toddler bed now that he is older and I tuck him under the covers with Neigh, Teddy and Dog and....don't forget...the 3 passys...one in each fist and one in the mouth. Then I reach in for "mo hugs" or "mo kisses" and try to sneak out. Some nights, like tonight, he puts his hands through the crib slats points at the floor and says "sit." When I comply, he says "hand" and proceeds to take my hand in his and cuddle. I remember stories my Mom told me of how they did this for me when I was a baby. It strikes me as so funny.

Then, I make my escape....usually with a few whimpers and an explanation of how tired I am and how I am going to go to bed too...ahh right. A few more hugs as he lays there (reaching into the crib qualifies as gymnastics at this point since he finally laying down), one more tuck and head for the door.

At this point, we pull the swap. Jeff heads in to say good night to Jason if he is still up (at times we get lucky), and I head into Ethan's room where he tries to convince me to "lay with me" and Jeff gets up from the bed and I take his place. Then, a serious look on his face he asks me, "And how was your day Mommy? Was it stressful?" and we banter back and forth on our happenings. Most nights we make a tent with the covers and I steal a baby or two to see if he notices. He always does. "Stole more Mommy, " he says when he wants me to hide another one for him to find. Getting out of his room is much harder and I know he will be up 4 - 6 times after I leave. He rubs my hair, we hold hands, we sing and every night when I go to leave, he begs me to stay. Tonight he also infomed his Daddy that he was not to leave town. Daddy is due to go away for one night and E is having none of that. I thoght is was cute but of course, I find most things cute. Except screaming and temper tantrums...still not over those. :-)

Daycare party

It was a beautiful day and we got to play hookie today. Since Jason's birthday was yesterday (Sunday), we did his daycare party today with his little friends. We left work early to get there for their regular snack time and took Ethan out of his class to come join us in the toddler room. We had a big chocolate chip cookie and some fruit and crackers. The best part was that they made him a card and sung to him and he was so overwhelmed being the center of attention, that he grabbed his Daddy's hand during the song. He ate all his fruit but as usual, steyed away from the sweets. His little friends and brother were not as picky. When I asked him if he had a nice birthday he said, "ah ya." He also said "happy." He is talking more and more and Ms Namita says he asks why to everything and no other child in the class has started that one yet. He seems to understand the reasons I give when he asks me but is still not talking in sentences. His words are getting so much clearer though and he says Grandma and Grandpa, Legos, backhoe, bike, truck, Ready Set Go, and more.





We left school around 4:30 and went home and played outside for almost two hours. the kids played some more t-ball and Jason worked on throwing a Frisbee and playing some golf. Jeff and I had the jazz music playing and laid on lounge chairs and watched. It was such a good afternoon. After dinner we played with Legos, had some baths and storytime and went to bed. I wish I was 2 again...cool presents, lots of parties on multiple days and a chance to just play and be innocent to everything going on in the world. To dream and to know you are always safe in your parent's arms.

Jason's 2nd Birthday

Jason had the entire week long bday experience. It started on Friday when Mom and Dad took he and Ethan to see Elmo Friday morning and they got to miss school and go out to breakfast. They spent the day with their grandparents and we went over to have dinner with them and the kids couldn't stop talking about the day. They took home balloons the size of a small child and they played with them all night. When we got back home, we built a house in blocks, played Wii and tore apart the living room. I keep asking Jason who's birthday it is this weekend and all he says is "Not me."





Saturday we went and did our weekly shopping and then the boys and I were off to Trey and Becca's for a cookout while Jeff entertained his boys. It was so fun and the kids were great...playing soccer, crochet, Frisbee, horseshoes and more. They wore themselves out but stayed awake the entire ride home. I think that was only due to the fact that they took their shoes and socks off and the Jeep smelled like REALLY bad feet! Who could sleep through that? We had a great time, the food was great, and we got to spend some quality time with my girls. I miss them all so much and am so glad they are part of my son's lives.

Our Sunday (his actual day) started out with breakfast with Aunt Susan. Jeff made apple struesel pancakes and they all had a great time running around outside and having snack on the patio while Mommy filled the wading pool, washed the porches, fed animals, etc and Daddy mowed. The funniest part was when he opened his beautifully wrapped gift from his aunt. Every piece of paper he pulled off of it resulted in a trip to the kitchen trash to throw it out. It took forever to open.

After that, we took baths and relaxed for a bit. And since it was a touch and go decision about me being home for so long, I didn't plan anything big for today. Jeff's family is coming in between the boys b-days so we can actually spend some quality time without a variety of screaming kids. So what we did for today was simply get a tray of pasta, a Bob the Builder cake with matching napkins and plates and just had a quiet day at home with my Godson, Jason's Godfather and my family. It was nice and Jason seemed to do better without being the center of attention at some big event. I got some Bob balloons for him and some cute tool party favors for the 3 kids and called it done. Ethan was a little stressed over not getting presents so the favors really helped.






The guilt you feel all the time as a parent is overwhelming. Guilt at being away, guilt at being home and not planning something big, doubting if he had fun, worried that I didn't have enough friends for him, have enough presents, take enough pictures. And let me tell you, he didn't really care about any of my guilt but loved playing with his brother and eating pasta and eggplant. As usual, he snubbed the cake. :-)