Thursday, May 31, 2012

Dating at 4? NOOOOOO!!!!

As I dropped J off at school this morning, J blindsided me.

Totally stumped me.

"Did you know Jo Jo was Michael's girlfriend?  Yep.  They are dating"

At 4?

"Um, No.  That's nice.  Let's go..."  I changed the topic and redirected so quickly, that I didn't have to address the fact a classmate had a girlfriend. 

I'm just not ready for this... Seriously not ready.

Sigh.

In a fun, but semi-serious tone, I emailed J's teacher to see if this was (as Miss Cheryl would ask) a *real* or *fake* story of my imaginative little boy, who slays alligators by punching them in the face.

Sadly she did not respond that it was all fake, instead she queried my knowledge of J's own fling.

A picture of the happy couple.

Thankfully, dating at 4 = being buddies and wanting to sit, play & eat together.  Oh, and hugs.  Lots & lots of hugs.

Note to self:  Reiterate repeatedly - no kissing any girls, but Mommy, Miss Cheryl & Grandma's until you are 30. 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Last week of School...

How did this week arrive so quickly?  I'm quite dumbfounded.

Nevertheless, J is LOVIN' it!  He had crazy hair / PJ Monday...
Spiderman (Super Hero / Princess) Tuesday...

Sports Thursday...

And with that, Friday is the last day.  I cannot believe how much J has grown this past year.  It has just flown so quick, and with that, we are ready for summer.

Last weekend, we tried roller skating outside.  OhMyGoodness my poor ankles.   The fun & laughter, some how wiped away the pain.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Memorial Day Weekend

9 years ago I married my best friend & the love of my life.  Crazy how I recall that day like it was yesterday.  The excitement and anticipation for our future having zero idea how exciting and fulfilling it would become. 

Unfortunately Matt has to work this weekend, so J and I are on our own. 

J did school today.  Only 1 week left until summer fun starts!  He's so looking forward to summer school & not having to wear a uniform.

I on the other hand, kicked off my Holiday Weekend early with staying home to meet the pool guys to replace our liner & get our pool set for the summer.  Then we are headed to Michigan to spend the weekend with my Dad.

This is what we did last Saturday after dinner.  They even caught 2 small mouth bass.  (1 8 inch & 1 10 inch)  We threw them both back, but J was so proud of himself.  Dad & I were impressed at how confident he was.  He had no fear of the fish like last year.


Boating, Fishing, Family...  The keys to a great summer weekend!



Thursday, May 24, 2012

And the case of wonky email has been resolved...

Lately I've been having email issues on my phone, and it's been making me a bit nutty.  Seriously feeling like I'm losing my mind.  I'd know emails were there, but I'd go to find them and they'd be gone.  Vanished.

I knew I needed to figure it out, but that would entail actually stopping to take time to figure it out, and I just wasn't that inclined yet.

Yesterday I asked J to please grab my phone on our way out to the kitchen for breakfast & he loves to play music so when I saw him pushing buttons it did not phase me.

See where this is going?

J shows me an email from his tball game line up & position rotation and said, "This is done.  Trash."  He looked up so proud.

WAIT!!!! 

Sure enough, the emails I'd been 'losing' were all in my trash bin.

Sigh.

Glad my email issues have been resolved...

Such a little helper my Monkey.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Mother's Day

Whether you are a mom, have a mom, or just know a mom, I hope you had a delightful Mother's Day.  It was beautiful here in Chicago.

We celebrated Mother's Day a little different this year, as Matt's brother and future sister-in-law wanted us to celebrate together with both immediate families.  The neutral location chosen was a White Sox game.  With our connections, the couple reserved a box for us, that allowed the kiddos to have some room to move & play.  It allowed (encouraged even) us all to breathe & mingle in a way the stands would never have permitted.

J will be the ring bearer, in addition to the bride's niece & nephew.  This will be his second wedding this summer, but definately the one with a more serious tone, as my best friend from high school's will be in her dad's back yard...

Exciting times, and it was such a pleasure to spend the day getting to know them.  The kids had a blast, which is always delightful.

Knowing how crazy Sunday would be, Matt had my flowers sent on Saturday.  Such a lovely surprise. 
Although, J was rather distressed that they were mine, and the balloon was mine.  He was quite certain they were his.  He may have even screamed suggested "Mommy, you have to share!!!!"
These pictures were taken today, if that tells you how beautiful they were a week ago.

I'm many things, a daughter, wife, mother, employee, etc, etc, but the title I love most, the one I take the most pride in is "Mommy".

Thank you Matt for making me a mom & Jacob for being such a wonderful child.  You are so special, we only needed one to be complete.  We are so blessed.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Boys Day!

As crazy as my schedule can be, I'm blessed that for the most part - I get a good amount of time off with J.  Matt's crazy work schedule does not allow for dinners or lazy Saturdays.  His lazy day is Wednesday, which is a school day.

Well, usually.

This week, J played hooky from school to have a boys' day.  I was bummed when I learned J did in fact miss performing for the school & teachers, but knowing how crucial these stolen boys' moments are, I'm letting go of my neurotic tendencies.  Instead I'm celebrating the memories for them.

And really, who can disagree with a day that ends with a little boy who just wants to snuggle his mommy after dinner & ends up like this before bed time?

Thursday, May 17, 2012

If I'm not odd, then I'm the mean mom

Tonight, as J & I enjoyed a taco dinner, I sat amazed by some of my neighbors. A complete 180 from Tuesday night's appreciation of another neighbor.

The kids next door are in middle school, super well behaved & simply great with J. They are helpful & community focused. Goals to follow, as I mother Jacob.

Tonight, however, the kiddos around J's age were all out & they all congregated at our neighbors swing set. Only, our neighbor was not apart of the mix. I.was.shocked.

Maybe it is because J is my only, or maybe because I grew up in the boonies, but I cannot imagine just turning my kid loose on the neighborhood. He is a great kid, but he is only 4. He still thinks playing in the street is the best thing since sliced bread because we tell him no. He would bee line for those swings as well, but instead Miss Cheryl, Matt & I all reiterate how inappropriate it is for him to play on the swing set when Skye is not hosting us, even though Miss Wendy has invited us to do so...

I'm not sure if I'm odd, or if I'm just setting myself up for being the mom all the kids love to hate because I know what needs to be known & J will get away with very little.

I don't want to be controlling, but involved with the goal of teaching him respect of himself, our property, and that other people deserve the same if not more respectful actions & I want for it to come naturally to him by the time he is in middle school. If I do it right, J will think I'm odd, but if not then he'll know right from wrong & believe I'm the meanest mom ever!

Sigh.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

How do you make a Working Mom's heart soar?

I've been really bummed, as last week was super busy & I missed bedtime a few nights.  One of those nights was J's tball game.  This bothered me a lot.  I mean, tears, angry words, painful hating the fact I carry our insurance, a must have in today's world with my psoriasis kind of week.

The only bright spot was I was able to come late to work on Friday & enjoy Muffins with Mom at J's school.

Which was very delightful & fun, and I would not miss that for the world, but that is not how my heart was sent soaring last night.  Being last night was Tuesday, and Muffins with Mom was Friday.  Small point, I get it.

No, you make a working mom's heart soar when you approach her at tball practice to inquire if the person with J on Tuesday was in fact his after school nanny.  After learning, it was in fact Miss Cheryl, you proceed to RAVE about her.  Rave at how awesome she was with Jacob.  Rave on how well she related to him.  How well he related to her.  How well she fit in a seamless transition to my being there.  How she redirected him similarly to if I was at the game.  Being right there after the game to congratulate him.

I cannot say enough how thankful I am to have found Miss Cheryl last Spring to join our family this past fall. 

After practice, I was looking at the flower arrangement J & Matt sent me for Mother's Day and recalling the last flower arrangement Matt sent me was the day we interviewed each other for this role she would accept to play in our lives.  Our wedding anniversary is May 25th, and Matt had sent a beautiful arrangement in celebration of that date.  It arrived while J & I were at a birthday party for a friend of his, and was a delightful surprise opening to our interview.

Our lives have all changed since that Spring day last year, and I know without a doubt, I would not have emotionally survived these changes if it were not for the complete confidence I have in Cheryl.  Thank you for all you do!!!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Gulf Time...

Last year we spent a lot of time building sand castles, but not a lot of time in the actual water.

This time, we spent time on the beach & in the pool.  J played t-ball, built sand castles, and boogie boarded it in addition to swimming in the pool.  The mild winter provided a warm Gulf for J to play in this trip.

Oh the fun he had...
 Grandpa joined J in the fun...
 Laughter & Smiles is all I heard...
 I had to try really hard not to bust out laughing on this one... J took off running towards me & fell face first into the little puddle of high tide captured water left to warm in the sun.

He looked like he was going to freak out, so I quickly snapped the picture making him pose & smile, as opposed to feel embarrassed & moody.
When Mommy was ready to go lay in the sun, J even stayed back with Grandpa for another trip on the boogie board...

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

A visit to the Everglades...

My Dad & I took J to the Everglades while were visiting them in Marco this year.  It was so much fun! 

I've become so fascinated with nature & how to share it with Jacob, that I really loved being out in the Everglades with him.  Our air boat Captain was a native Everglades resident, and shared many stories about the wildlife.  One being, he has to help his mom close up her boat launch every June, or alligators take it over as their sun deck.  We were blessed to be the only ones on the boat, so he really gave us a fabulous tour.

Before we went out, the Captain cut into a watermelon for snack, but it wasn't any good, so he shared it with the gators who were circling the area for food.  J was so excited when he shared his watermelon with J, so he could feed the alligators too.



Interesting facts we learned:
*Gators are fresh water animals.  As the Everglades become more fed by the Gulf, and less by rain water, the gators begin to actively seek fresh water sources.  As soon as it rains, they venture back in the Everglades, as more food is available there.

*Gators can climb 6ft chain linked fences

*Gators can jump half their height from a stand still

*Gators can run up to 30mph

*Gators hatch around 200 babies in each liter, but only 1 makes it to adult hood on average

*Big frogs (think frog legs you dine upon) eat baby gators



Also, we learned a lot about the Burmese Python problem they are currently fighting in the Everglades. Our Captain was friends with the guy who ultimately terminated this snake in this article:  http://staugustine.com/news/2011-11-01


***Warning:  The snakes last dinner is shown in a picture contained in the article***




Monday, May 7, 2012

And just like that we are back...

After a hectic couple of weeks, J & I ducked out to Marco Island for a few days of relaxation before Grandma & Grandpa P come home.
This picture really says it all... It was marvelous!