Princely Pals

My 14 year old cat, Prince, has taken to Jackson much more than any of our other pets. I think Prince knows that he gets more attention from mommy when he is around Jack because where I go, he goes. In his old age, he is no longer skitish around the jerky unpredictable movements a 3 year old makes, he is no longer worried about the air depriving hugs he gets from the same fiercely loving child...he is just content to be there, to be loved and hugged any which way he can.

Fauxhawk

Jack finally let me get his hair cut today. I was a little sad to see his sweet little curls get lopped off, but it's 108 in the shade these days, so this should be a little cooler and easier to maintain. He was SO excited to get a mohawk, but cried and threw the biggest tantrum after he saw the results. It took 3 organic lollipops to get him to calm down. He told me that he thinks he looks like a "stupid rooster on a hot summer day!" Oh, the things kids say!

Daytrippin'

Jack and I made the very LONG trip out to Glendale last week to see our dear friends, The Rhodes. Vicki just had another beautiful baby girl in May and we needed to get off our butts and make the pilgrimage over yonder to welcome her into the world. Jack was just fascinated with her tiny hands, ears and soft downy hair. She really is beautiful, but I completely forgot to take a picture of her! How you ask? Simple, I was astounded by how much I miss having a baby and was in complete heaven holding her tiny 10 lb body in my arms. To make up for not having pics to show you, I have posted many pics of Vicki's other 3 kids and of course, our Jack! While Vicki fed Katie, I entertained the kids(in 106 degree heat) on the swings, taking pictures and playing Monster. Is there anything more delightful than little children squealing with mock terror over a monster chasing them? I think not!

A Game of Cars Turns Ugly

Father's Day started out with cards, pictures and a beautiful breakfast of Bryan;s favorites: Homemade strawberry cream cheese stuffed French toast and maple carmelized sausage. Next, was a father and son game of cars. As you can see, the boys were having lots of fun and then...THINGS GOT UGLY! Jack apparently didn't like the way daddy played cars, so a head butt was next on the agenda. And of course, I caught it on camera! You can see the look on Jack's face right before the strike and daddy's face right after. Jack spent a significant amount of time on the step while Bryan nursed the goose egg over his eye. Happy Father's Day!

The unpleasant side effects of camping

Here are some pictures of what happens when a tent spike goes through your irrigation system. Sorry honey!

Base Golf

Jackson is showing some serious athletic ability. He is great at hitting his tee ball, is connecting with the ball when Daddy pitches it to him, throws unbelievable spirals with his football(for a 3 year old...Joe Namath is a long way off), but his favorite is his invented game...basegolf. He loves to hit his baseball like a golf ball. We love it because he wears himself out before bed!

Sprinklers and a Tiny Grapefruit

It has been SO SO hot here the last week or so. We have been logging many hours in the backyard running through our beach ball sprinkler, eating popsicles and trying to stay cool. We recently planted a ruby red grapefruit tree is our backyard(both my boys adore them) and a very small grapefruit fell off of it. Jack was quite thrilled as you can see from the pictures.

Little PEEple

Anyone who thinks the terrible two's is over at 3 has another thing coming. We have had a few rough patches lately with our little evil genius. Here is a page from recent events:

Scene: Jack comes in to the loft to talk to me while I am checking email. The front of his pj pants are WET.

Jack: Mommy, I don't know why my pants are wet.

Mommy: What happened? Did you have an accident?(he never has accidents)

Jack: No.

Mommy:(taking Jack by the hand) Show me what happened.

Jack: (walk me to my bedroom near the windows) I peed on your curtains.

Mommy: (trying unsuccessfully to hold it together) Why would do you do something like that??

Jack: Because I am mad at you.

Mommy: (swats a little behind and sends him to his room to think about his behavior)

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS! After much time cooling off, I finally went into his room to talk to him. I asked him why he was angry and there was no answer. So, I explained that while it is ok to be angry, it is NOT ever ok to behave like an animal. I told him that when I am angry at him, I do not pee on his curtains. So, we agreed that it would never happen again.

The lesson I learned in all of this...dry clean only curtains SUCK!

There will be NO pictures with this post.

D-E-licious!

Things I am thankful for #4009...a little boy who appreciates his mama's efforts in the kitchen. Doesn't he look like he is at the corner of Heaven and Nirvana?

To Camp Or Not To Camp...

A couple of weeks ago before the heat hit, I decided to take our family camping in the backyard to give Jack a taste of sleeping under the stars. Bryan put up our tent and made us a comfy bed with sleeping bags, pillows and an airbed. I grilled up hotdogs, broccoli salad and SMORES! Jack had a blast sitting outside eating his "cowboy" food and dancing to the radio. When it was time to go to bed, we all piled into the tent along with our faithful pooch, Libby, and snuggled down for the night. Well, the combination of close quarters, the warm summer night and a horrible case of doggie gas drove the boys inside. I, however, braved the great outdoors alone(with Libby who thankfully got it all out of her system)and had the best night of sleep in 3 years! No sounds of cats pretending our staircase is the circus trapeze, no little voices calling out in the night, no snoring out of the mister...just the blissful sound of crickets and the cool wind coming through my mesh windows. Who's the man now??

Splash Pad Fun

Up the road a pace(can you tell we are getting countrified out here in Queen Creek!), we have a fantastic park with a splash pad that Jack just loves! Here are some pics from our last trip to the park with our friends, Janie and Rhett!