A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.
A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.
A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail...
- Author Unknown
We hope you all had a wonderful day today, celebrating all of the special Fathers, Dads, Daddies, Dadas, Papas, Grandpa's, Uncle's, etc. in your lives. We certainly did. Brian's parents, along with his Aunt and Uncle were able to join us for a yummy late lunch/early dinner to celebrate all of the Dads. It was a lot of fun, the food was delish and the company even better. Jackson and Maggie absolutely love having Nana & Papa here, and the icing on top is when Aunt Karin and Uncle Bruce come too! :)
After we ate, which included an AMAZING dessert of strawberry shortcake, Jack and Maggie showed off their bike riding skills, and then we went all went for a nice walk. It was absolutely GORGEOUS here today. I'm hoping and praying that this is summer, and it's here to stay!!!! It's so hard to have a few gorgeous/warm days, and then 4 days of nothing but pouring rain/monsoon like weather... but, I guess that's what the Pacific Northwest is all about!
May was such a busy month for us... and now, I cannot believe we're already hitting mid-June! I have a feeling summer is going to fly by! We have already been busy busy bees around here! Jackson, Maggie and I had made a Summer 2012 "bucket list" (of sorts... just fun things we want to do this summer. Some things are fairly easy and small (going to the park), others take a bit more effort and planning (going to Sunriver) !!!). However, I am surprised at how many different things we've already checked off! Mostly LOTS of park time, already! Which, is fairly easy with the park being across the street. :)
Here's a peak at what we've been up to ALREADY during the month of June!
(ok, a bit of a fib... this first photo was taken May 31st. Jackson's official last day of his first year of preschool!)Jackson "graduating" from the 3's class at Preschool! We are so proud of him, and the HUGE progress he has made from last September (2011) to his last day on May 31st! He'll go back to his same Preschool next year, and be in the "4's" class... (since he has a November birthday, he just misses the cut-off for entering Kindergarten this year, and honestly, I think Brian & I much prefer he do another year of Preschool, so he'll be EXTRA ready for Kindergarten)!
Not only have his social skills improved significantly, his writing, math, love for science, geography and so many other areas have grown from either not much interest at all, or maybe a little interest, to finding things he really enjoys, has learned so much about and in turn taught me, Brian and Maggie about!!! (I still can't believe that I can spell a word for him, and he can write it!!!!).
Yes, I'm a very proud Mama!!!
Jackson with his 2 AMAZING & so LOVING Teachers. Teacher Valerie (left of J) and Teacher Patty (right of J). They truly are amazing women, who show each individual child in their classroom how much they mean to them. Jackson has been able to build such strong bonds with both of them. I feel so blessed to have found such a GREAT Preschool, but also teachers who really understand BOYS (and the many many many differences between boys and girls!), as well as finding each and every best quality in Jackson, and making sure he knows they are aware of all of his great traits! His "trait" or quality for the year (as they gave each munchkin their own special "quality" that they admired in each individual child) was "Tender Hearted", as he is always making sure others are feeling ok, and if not, he is sure to be there to give a hug when needed or even just saying some nice words. Yes, this is a BEYOND a PROUD Mama! Love our Tender Hearted guy!!!!
J & M on Jackson's 1st day of Preschool!
(AMAZING how much they've both GROWN!!!)
Maggie will be joining Jackson next year at Preschool! (I know, I cannot believe it!!!)! She'll be in the "3's" class, so this Mama will be at Preschool everyday. Jackson will go to school M/W/F, and Maggie, T/Th. I think we'll all enjoy having some fun one on one time together... something neither of them could ever get enough of (although, if one of them is not with us, the entire time the other is asking "where is jack?", "where is maggie"... "i miss him/her", "can we go get him/her"... so apparently one on one time is more valuable to Mama (at times...).
Another Birthday shot... one of my favorites! I know it's gonna be a fun summer with these two monkeys in tow!
Being silly, but oh so cute at the same time!!!! Even on Mother's Day!
(ok, yet another FIB, as this photo was taken in May, not June)
But, we are loving the warmer weather, and remembering what dresses, shorts and sandals all feel like!
PARK TIME! 'nuff said!!!!
Jackson on the slide... the first time we had been to this cool new park. We ventured there with some MOPS friends ... you wouldn't know from the picture, but moments later it began sprinkling, then raining, then a COMPLETE DOWNPOUR and monsoon-like. We were soaked when we finally got to the car!!!! But, it was actually pretty fun, and the kids (even though cold, as Maggie said "mama, my body is an ice cube... a big girl ice cube", and soaking wet) had fun splashing all around!
More park fun... this time at a friend's 3rd Birthday Party, at the "Pirate Park"! So.Much.Fun.!!!
Maggie still has nothing but LOVE for the swings... her favorite chill out zone at the park. She loved looking up at the airplanes flying by while swinging! (I just was getting a bit nervous, in repeatedly reminding her to remember to hold on!)
As I mentioned earlier, although the months say it is summer, not all days have looked exactly like summer... so we get a little creative around here. Like in making mini puppet theaters... We made this one out of an old cereal box, coloring the "stage", and making little puppet animals (finding and printing out clipart animals, coloring them, and then gluing them to skewers). Jack puts on one GREAT puppet show, let me tell you!
FINALLY!!!! A big boy bike! (yes, we may win "worse parents of the world" award, as we just recently got J a "big boy" bike... as in he is no longer riding his tiny trike that if he attempted to pedal he would hit his knees, shouting "ouch, ouch, ouch", yet repeatedly do it again... all for the love of riding a "bike" (ie. trike). :(
No more of that! Now, he's a master of the Buzz & Woody Bike! And... to say he LOVES it, is a complete understatement. The kid could ride his bike for days in circles around our culdesac, and still not be done riding...
Maggie was just as excited as Jack about the big boy bike, as it meant she finally, once and for all could call the trike.. HERS! No more just pushing around on her little rocket (even though she still occassionally takes it for a spin), she now is the proud owner of a super cool trike and 2nd coolest part, a super girly princess HELMET! (that she not only wears bike riding, but pretty much any time we are home & outside... apparently lots to care for in that noggin of hers, and she's taking zero risks!).
Jackson is hoping by the end of summer (or maybe even before!) he can start working on his bike riding sans training wheels!!!!
NEXT WEEK... Jackson starts swimming lessons (2 evenings p/week), and Miss Maggie will become the very next Angelina Ballerina... as she'll begin "Tiny Tutus" (ie. beginning ballet) every Saturday morning (for almost the entire summer... intense sounding, yes. But, I'm hoping she loves it as much as she loves being a ballerina at home!).
She has tried on all of her ballerina gear more times than one can count, and is READY TO GO!!!!
(we'll keep you updated on when she'll be touring...)
As noted above, it hasn't been all sunshine skies and warm days around here... up until yesterday!
NOT complaining at all... LOVE LOVE LOVE this weather, and praying it's here to STAY!
But, when there were more grey skies and raindrops monsoons...
we once again, dabbled in some art...
Painting...
First of all, I must have been desperate for an activity, or they must have been begging for something different, other than the usual crayons or washable markers, as I set them up at the dining room table. (I did use an old "wipe down" type tablecloth), yet we have a "shag-like" cream (or it used to be cream) colored rug under the table...
Why a cream colored, shag type rug underneath a dining room table? I have ABSOLUTELY.NO.IDEA! I apparently have mush for brains, as it is still there... even after the "paint incident".
All smiles, Amazing Art being made...
Deep and Memorable Conversation being had...
All to be interrupted by Jackson's somewhat nervous voice stating, "Mommy, Maggie spilled some paint. Mommy, Maggie spilled some paint on the floor. Actually on the vaccuum. Actually on the rug. Actually on....
EVERYWHERE! Our house looked like a blood bath, because of not just the gigantic blob of RED paint spilled on the floor, rug, herself... but ON.THE.DOG.!!!! Who then proceeded to try to "shake" it off... not such a good idea Buster, especially when covered in RED globs of paint!!!!
Hence the blood... paint splatters EVERYWHERE! (I'm not kidding, I'm still finding them!)
After getting the victim, Buster outside... I knew the worse was still to come. He goes BANANAS (like crazy bananas when the hose is turned on), to the point of almost biting me, trying to "catch" the water coming out of the hose. The kids were watching me out of the dining room sliding door, albeit laughing hysterically (ok, I know they were, as I could hear them, even with the hose on, dog barking, me shreiking...), as I attempted to hose off Buster's behind, that was full o' paint.
I left him outside while I tried to clean up the war zone, paint splatters EVERYWHERE inside.
I then simply handed Jackson a towel and said, "I'm letting Buster in.
He's your dog, so you need to dry him off".
Jack looked at me, as if I'd gone BANANAS! But, bless his sweet TENDER HEARTED sole, did the best he could with our insane dog Buster and the insane task of attempting to towel dry him off.
Have we painted again? No.
Will we? Maybe. Outside only.
Buster is NOT ALLOWED!
... and I saved the VERY BEST for last!!!!
This past week, I had an appointment with my Endocrinologist, who's office is at St. V Hospital. They have an amazing, childcare for kiddos to hang out in (with amazing staff, toys, etc.... I could go on and on about them...but, will save your eyesight from reading this already lengthy novel), called My Little Waiting Room.
After my appointment, I went to get the munchkins out of My Little Waiting Room, and I had noticed that there was a little children's type of fair going on nearby in the hospital. It had a lot of little booths set up from different businesses, pediatrician offices, pediatric dentists, toy stores, Multnomah County Police Dept., etc. The kiddos LOVED it... ok, well Jackson did.
Maggie's fun was ruined about 30 seconds into the fair, when "BINGO" (ie. a super creepy clown, named BINGO, who of course, Jackson loved and Maggie was hysterically shrieking and shaking out of fear to the high heavens) came by to say hello. Children's Fair from that moment on was completely destroyed for Maggie. She didn't want anything to do with it. NOTHING! Not even all of the cool stickers they were giving out like candy, ok, not even candy ... the poor girl was traumatized!
But... again, Jack was having the time of his life... to the point of getting, not 1, but 2 "baseball type" cards of BINGO. (first off, why the heck is a clown giving out his photo? and, he didn't just have one ... he had several headshots... all of which he handed to Jack, and of course, J willingly took. No doubt he had plans for them later...).
So, after visiting each and every booth... nope, Maggie's hysterical sobs were no distraction for J, who was on a mission to see each and every booth, and to win/earn each and every prize. Maggie had a death grip on me the entire time, while always having one eye on wherever it was BINGO may/could be lurking...
After finally coaxing Jack out of the "fair", or so we thought... the very last booth... was a face painter. Jack was in Heaven! Not only did he get to shake hands with Bingo the Clown (aka: Bingo the creepiest clown who Maggie will have nightmares of for who knows how long...), meeting a real policeman and his canine (who Jack proceeded to tell everyone had a gun - police officer, not canine... however, I saw no gun in sight. He swears to it... maybe there was a gun... this was directly after Maggie's encounter with BINGO, so honestly my memory is a bit fuzzy from the potential hearing and brain cell loss I endured. Yet, he still will NOT stop talking about the gun... and how the policeman (who he did sweetly tell "I want to grow up and be a police man just like you, and catch all the bad guys") had his own police dog, and a REALLY REALLY BIG GUN!
We also saw lots of other "cool" things, but again...my memory is not serving me well of the entirety of this event.
EXCEPT, the face painter. Oh the face painter. She was such a sweet young gal. There was a kiddo, who was about 7, in the chair as we waited. He was getting painted to look like a skeleton... this of course, gave J so many ideas of scary, creepy, Maggie inducing screams; ideas of what he could be painted up like. However, I quickly referred back to my Love and Logic Parenting Curriculum, and gave the kiddo two (yep, only 2! out of the huge board of 183 different choices) choices. A pirate (which, was actually really boring, and only used one color... black) or a Tiger. I secretly was hoping for the Pirate, even though boring, it would have been quicker, and we could have gotten Miss Hysterical outta there lickity split.
Nope, no chance. Tiger. Jackson became a Tiger.
You would have thought we took the boy to Disneyland. He was beyond a Tiger, he acted the role to a T. As soon as she was done.. he ran to the nearest mirror (not too far away), and got into full role.
He was growling, showing his "scary paws" (aka: sweet still dimpled chunky hands) to the mirror, roaring, and all the things that Tigers do...
All things besides repeatedly asking me and Maggie for the REST of the ENTIRE day, if he looked like a real Tiger. We both learned it best to just simply reply "yes". And, for him to then explain in full detail that he wasn't a REAL Tiger, but he was still just a boy. A boy who was painted to look like a Tiger. Or for me, he was still my son, he just had paint on his face to look like a Tiger. And, to Maggie.. he was still her favorite brother (compared to ????) but had paint on his face to look like a real Tiger.
Yes, it was the day of the Tiger. He kept the Tiger paint on ALL DAY, refusing to take it off, until Brian came home... from a late dinner meeting. By then, most of the paint had faded, and J was a bit upset, but he continued to play the role, until sadly, a shower came... Tiger face was gone.
He knew it was bound to happen, as when we got in the car to go home (from the fair, with the Tiger paint all fresh, shiny and new) and he asked if he "could keep the Tiger paint on until he died", in which I replied, "nope. but, until you take a shower tonight". It was sad to see Tiger face go, but, I have no doubt that we'll have more face painting in the future... however it will NEVER EVER look anywhere near Bingo's "look".
Oh, did Maggie get the adorable butterfly face paint that Jackson so desperately wanted her to get?
Answer: Heck, No!
The girl was still clawing into me, leaving marks, as to make sure I wouldn't let go of her... and still keeping one eye on BINGO. You never know what a clown at a Children's Fair at a local hospital is capable of... nor does Maggie EVER want to find out!
... drumroll please...
presenting... "TIGER JACKSON"... aka: it's really just Jackson with a Tiger face painted on him, no need to be terrified.
Hope you all had a great weekend!
xoxo,
The Weeks Team + a little Tiger friend for a day.
(ps. this is what happens when I don't post for a while... NOVEL!!!)
