For the Love of Cats

I think my love of cats, especially orange ones, has been genetically passed down to my son. He loves to pet them, hold them and yes, antagonize them by chasing them with firetruck, roaring in their faces like a dinosaur and occasionally loving them too fiercely. While the other cats usually scatter when Master Jack(Professor Tough Love)comes too close, my beloved 14 year old cat, Prince, seems resigned to his fate. Jack loves to carry him and boss him around...I guess that is what 3 year olds who don't have siblings do...they transfer that control to the poor unsuspecting animals. Here are a couple pics of Jack and Prince palling around in the backyard.

Ice Cream

I don't know that anyone on Earth can enjoy an icecream cone the way a 3 year old does. Jack bites, licks and nibbles on his cone all the while the chocolate ice cream drips on his fingers, the patio, his clothing. His face is covered it in, yet he continues to gobble it up and every so often mumbles an mmmm or an ahhhh in appreciation of its creamy goodness....no worries about getting the laundry done, what to cook for dinner, or paying the bills...just eating ice cream and enjoying every last bite.

The Great Outdoors

Our backyard has been getting alot of use lately. Jack has been enjoying playing the role of artist, making huge bubbles with daddy and playing in the sprinklers. Isn't my family adorable?(That was a rhetorical question!)

Cowboy Cutie

Someone asked me recently what my favorite part of motherhood is. It's the small stuff. The mini moments in life that add up to a lifetime of love and memories. It's when you put your child to bed at night and he says, "I love you Princess Charming." It's when he busts out with a huge belly laugh as a lizard squirms in his little fingers. It's when he tells you a story that can't possibly be true, but you listen, engaged, like it's the most important part of your day and he swells with pride and self confidence....I am a lucky woman because that is my everyday reality. Being with Jack makes me a better person. He makes me take the time to enjoy an icecream cone, giggle while running through the sprinkler and realize how precious human touch can be. For him, I am thankful.

Say Cheese!

More pics from the day!

Egg Hunt

The Easter Bunny hid 34 eggs in the backyard for Jack to find. Watching him run about with his little basket excitedly oohing and ahhing over each egg made me recall Easters past since Jack was born. His first Easter, I dressed him up in a fuzzy frog jacket and made him pose for pictures surrounded by little Easter eggs(a 9 week olds version of an egg hunt!) The next year, we hid a few eggs in the courtyard and a 14 month old Jack picked up each egg and dropped it again and we pointed them out for him. Last year, he gathered up the eggs in the backyard this time, but by the time all the eggs had been found, he was ready for it to be over...But this year was different. Lately, moments present themselves showing me that my baby is growing up and this was one of them. He needed very little help(we were kind of tricky with a few of the eggs)and became more and more excited with each find. After he had collected all the eggs(squealing and laughing all the way), he kept looking around the yard to see if he missed any. Genuine disappointment crossed his face when he realized it was over...I was disappointed too because this is the last Easter he will be who he is today. Next year, an entirely different kid will be on the hunt.

Favorites

Here are some of my favorite shots from Easter Day. We were so lucky to be able to share it with our family.

A tisket a tasket, there's Jack's Easter basket!

Jack woke up early(6am!) in anticipation of the Easter basket we promised the Easter Bunny would leave for him. We did the best we could to delay the hunt for it while Aunt April was sleeping, but in the end, we sent Jack up at 7:30 to wake her so he could find his treasure. Sorry April! We hid it in Jack's playhouse(we had rain the night before) and it was the first place Jack looked...kid is smart! He was SO excited to find it and began to go through its contents like a tornado through the Midwest! I think his favorite item was the pair of binoculars to "bird watch" with in our backyard. As he dragged his loot into the house, he discovered a chocolate Easter Bunny and promptly bit his head off leaving a decapitated body for me to find later. By the way, I think I will rethink the bunny grass next year....I have been finding it everywhere!

Do Bunnies Lay Eggs??

Aunt April, Jack and I decided to dye Easter eggs the night before the big day. We had tons of fun experimenting with all of the little cups of food coloring and vinegar, but the best part was watching Jack dump his egg unceremoniously into the cups without care for the fragility of the egg. Miraculously, they didn't crack and we produced a dozen lovely eggs to contribute to our backyard hunt the next day.

Metamorphysis

For Jack's birthday, his favorite Aunt(I know April, you are his ONLY Aunt, but even if there were more, you would still be tops!)bought him a butterfly farm. We sent away for the caterpillars and watched them grow and grow AND GROW! Then we watched as they formed their chrysallis and hid away from sight.

TODAY, WE WITNESS ONE OF NATURES MIRACLES! Our caterpillars were reborn into beautiful butterflies! What a sight! We watched as they eased their heads out first, followed by their bodies and finally those wings. As they flapped their crumpled, wet wings, they began to stretch out right before our eyes. Jackson was mesmerized and has talked non-stop about monarch butterflies all morning. The best part, Aunt April will be here tomorrow morning and will get to see our new friends. I think we will let them go on Easter as a nod to the rebirth of Jesus.

I am in awe.

*these pictures are from the internet because our butterfly house is made of mesh and doesn't photograph well. Stay tuned for photos of the release!