Little Joys of Little Boys

Being a mom is fantastic...I never even realized how great it could be and I was completely terrified about the whole thing until I was pregnant. Then I was just a teensy bit terrified about labor. Heh. Then, while IN labor, I was VERY terrified that labor would not end! Now, I can work myself up into a state of terror if I try to imagine having TWO boys climbing all over the house and disobeying me. (shiver)

It is amazing to me that I really am learning and growing just as much as baby Jack is each day. While I am well aware that I am NOT an expert on anything, I forget that I will still be learning and growing too! Jack teaches me so much...mostly patience, patience, patience and self-control.

Yesterday we bought him two toys at Walmart. One was a cheap ($1) inflated ball with Winnie the Pooh and Piglet on it. It's the kind you played with as kids until someone kicked it just hard enough to cave it in so it stuck to the toe of your shoe when you'd kick it. Anyway (I'm having a hard time focusing today.), he LOVED it. He hugged it to his chest on the drive from Walmart to Trader Joe's and again all the way home. Just happy as can be. For a dollar. Praise God. Conversely, we also bought him a Mickey Tick-Tock Clock Activity Choo Choo Train (wow, quite the mouthful!)
I couldn't find a picture of it, so here's the Pooh version:
Now THIS cost us about $40. Not as economical but he won't stop playing with it! There's lots of buttons and whirly-gigs and all kinds of stuff for him to push and turn. He had to be dragged, kicking and whining, to the high chair to eat breakfast because he was still enthralled! Even now he's pushing the same button over and over and over! (No volume adjustment, sorry, parents!)
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It's been about two weeks since I started this post and, darn it, I'm going to finish it! Quickly, these are things I'm reflecting on today, or what's left of today:
*God is so good that He OFTEN shows us how much we really can live without. And how we should never, ever put anything on credit EVER AGAIN!
*God blessed us with good business for the month of August so we can pay all our bills with John's commission check!
*God blessed us with three bonds, two little and one HUGE, that were posted yesterday and today that will grant us some commission for the sloooooooooooooooooow month of September.
*Jack loves to say "bird" (more like "BUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...") whenever he hears birds sing, sees one in real life or in a book.
*I love my crockpot. It's like having a second woman in the kitchen. Put the food in and, magically, it comes out wonderful! And Reynold's Slow Cooker Liners clean for me too! It's like a personal kitchen miracle!
*When I am rich I will hire someone to unpack the car and our luggage whenever I return from vacation. I hate that. I don't mind packing and I love long or faraway trips but I HATE unloading, sorting and putting stuff away like you'd hate to have your toenail snag on shag carpeting. Exactly.
*Everyone's pregnant but me now! That makes me feel left out but at the same time, I'm happy that this is an area of our life that we can't just "do" to fit in or whatever. But pregnancy appears to be contagious, so I guess I shouldn't speak too soon...
*Today was cool at some times and COLD at others--time to get out that heavier comforter and dress my adorable son in warmer clothes! How refreshing the appearance of fall is to the body and spirit! At least, once your body adjusts to the complete absence of moisture and you stop feeling crappy.
*Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas/birthdays are coming! I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!
*I have no idea how we will have a Christmas tree while continuing to reside with my stubborn/selectively deaf/sneaky/destructive son. My parents used to put the tree in the playpen when my sisters were little. But Jack's reach is so far...

a Magical birthday

This past weekend sure was a workout! I had a great time, but lugging a child around with me made me quite tired! Friday, the 28th, we went to Disneyland since Liz got in for free! But it wasn't just an ordinary trip to Disneyland...Mom and Dad came too!!! They hadn't been to Disneyland since they took me when I was FIVE YEARS OLD!!! That's twenty-two years!

So, it was John, me, Jack, Dad, Mom, Liz, Theresa and Gabe. I slept like crap the night before...I think, honestly, I was too excited! I finally fell asleep around 2 a.m., but we got up at 5 a.m. and left at 6:15 a.m. Yaaaaaaawn.

It was so incredibly hot that day...hot and muggy. You know when you go on a water ride and get completely soaked and have to put up with wet, clingy, abrasive pants all day? Yes, well we all went on Splash Mountain and got soaked...and we all dried. Well, with the exception of Liz. She actually got 100% soaked, so it probably took longer for her. It was oppressively hot before we ever entered the park! I was worried my mom would lose her drive for fun in the heat, but she stayed until dusk! I am SO PROUD OF MY MOM!!! She went on nearly everything we did, with the exception of some of the rougher rides like the Matterhorn and Space Mountain.

We were able to do just about all the "big" attractions. Space Mountain, It's a Small World, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, Tarzan's Treehouse, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, (Jack and I went on) Winnie the Pooh, Big Thunder Railroad and probably others I can't remember.

We had a fantastic lunch at the Blue Bayou. Chef Moises and Chef Jonathan were so awesome at working with mom's restrictive diet to create a custom salad, even going so far as to hunt down veggies they don't carry in their kitchen! Thank you, Blue Bayou, for making my mom's day so much easier!

Mom did hit her wall around dusk, which was totally understandable! Honestly, if it wasn't Liz's birthday, I would have been okay with going home then too! Mom and Dad left and then we kind of split up to do what we wanted to do. Liz, Gabe and Theresa went on Space Mountain again. John and I walked Mom and Dad out, then waited for the fireworks to start. The fireworks show was amazing...I teared up a little bit. Which figures. I tear up at everything though. Liz makes fun of me, but she said she cried too, so HA!

Then we walked through Downtown Disney and got Liz her first shot! I'm glad it was with us and I'm glad it was just a taste and not a horrible experience for her. Often a 21st birthday is a terrible excuse for someone to take someone out to get absolutely drunk...and anyone who has been drunk can tell you why it's not memorable in a positive way by the next morning! I also thought it was kind of cool that the entire day was spent celebrating all the magic of childhood before focusing on how old she is and whatever society has deemed appropriate for her to do now. And, again, I'm glad it ended well too.

We ate at the Jazz Kitchen, which was fantastic, then finally, finally, FINALLY went home! I had soooo much fun, but it was a long day and my feet were killing me. Everyone was tired and headache-y and sore. John got called in to work on the way home and didn't get back home til 6:30 a.m. (have I mentioned how much I LOVE my man?) and Liz spent the night at my house in preparation for a great weekend up in Santa Ynez/Solvang! The next post will be all about that!