Planning

There is nothing I like to do more than plan Jack's birthday party.  Sure I love celebrating many other holidays and occasions, but Jack's birthday party is something special.  It is the celebration of the day he physically entered our world - the world - and how awesome that day was.  So, every year, I go down memory lane, remembering and thinking about every little detail about that day.   

His parties are my little way of going through details again, and preparing again, and being anxious again, about something so major, so real, and so memorable.

Now, my boy gets just as excited, and interested, and ready for the big day as I do.  He has hopes and dreams and expectations.

Jack cares about who is part of the celebration, to be there with him on such an amazing day.  He gives it careful and thorough thought.

Though the moment will come and go, the joy and the overwhelming feelings and memories will last forever.

I have loved Jack's wishes and plans when it comes to his big day.  He knows what he wants and he is going to get it.  He smiles when things arrive from the UPS man, he likes to search for things - especially to see if we can get them on sale on the internet! 

We don't know what the big day is going to bring with weather or attendees or anything, really.  We will be as prepared and ready as we can and go with it.

What I do know is it is special, the celebration of this boy's birth into my world, our world, the world, and I want Jack to feel it as much as I did nearly SIX years ago.

A forward from a friend

from Jenny Isenman.Humor columnist, Jen X'pert, Jenny from the Blog at TheSuburbanJungle.com



Moms of Boys Are Jealous Shrews, So Here's a Contract for Your Son's Future Wife

The moment you bring a baby boy into the world, you start to wonder when he's going to leave you. That's right. You know that one day he'll leave you for another woman -- even though he'll propose to you all through toddlerhood and tell you that you are the only girl for him.

Liar.

You're already quite certain that the woman he marries will probably resent you for being so awesomely cool. And you're betting she'll do whatever she can to break the strong bond you have with your sweet prince. Women say it's good to marry mama's boys, but they don't really want to deal with the mama part.

Wenches!


My husband has told me time and time again to cut the cord... no f*****g way! I'm waiting until that thing rots and falls off. I mean, for how much longer is he going to say "I love you" when he walks out the door, or hug me in front of his friends, or ask me to lie with him at night? Frankly, I don't know, but I won't be the one to stop it.


If he's 40 and wants me to lie with him and scratch his arm, I'll be all "Move over, Megan," or whatever his unappreciative, son-stealing wife's name is.


Let's be honest: he may be 5 now, but before we know it, he'll be shaving, and driving, and then he'll leave us to go to college somewhere cold. Then he'll get married and move to be near her mother, because that's what girls make boys do: move near their mothers! Then he'll be a father, and then one fine holiday he'll have "wifey" call us to cancel our plans. Then he'll try to make up for it by sending one of those Harry & David gift baskets filled with pears, because he'll remember that we love pears, but they'll be bruised -- like our hearts.

No, we can't go down that road. We have to take a stand against son stealing right now.

We'll make those Jezebels pay... no, sign! Yes, a contract for us to make them sign, besides the pre-nup. That's right, like using WiFi in Starbucks, they'll have to agree to our terms.


This is a MIL-nup, and it goes like this:


•I will compliment my mother-in-law's (MIL's) cooking, her decorating, and, most importantly, the incredible way she raised her son, my husband.


•I will marvel at my MIL's beauty and miraculously never-aging skin every time I see her.


•I will acknowledge that my MIL's son is on loan to me so that we can make grandbabies, which will probably look like her and have her wonderful traits, which I will mention in conversation frequently and with great fervor.


•I will remind my husband to call my MIL daily, saying, "Have you told your mother you love her today? You should, she rocks." Plus, I will throw in phrases like this:


•"That amazing woman raised you! You should call and thank her... again."

•"You can truly never thank her enough."


•"Let's go over and thank her in person."

•"We should bring her a gift when we go."


•"She's so deserving of gifts."


•"Let's take her on vacation with us."


•"And get her another gift."


•"Maybe a beautiful locket with pictures of you and our children."

•"No, I don't need to be in the pictures; she didn't raise me... unfortunately."


•I will tell other women that their mothers-in-law are not as fabulous as mine, and I shall be willing to throw down in the event that said women disagree.


•I will take my MIL to her weekly hair salon appointment and shopping at Loehmann's, when it is deemed necessary by age.

•I will spend all holidays with my husband's family, because they are so awesome and gracious, and I realize how much mine sucks by comparison.


And lastly:


•I will move to be near my MIL, whether she has retired to Century Village in Florida, decides to live in a nudist colony in Arizona, or goes bat-s**t crazy and moves to Alaska for the fresh sushi. She is so wise and wonderful that I'm sure her choice of habitat will suit me and my husband perfectly!


Oh, and:


•My MIL can so live with me and my husband when she's old and can't remember who I am.


There. You can print this to be signed when the inevitable happens. I just saved you from losing your sweet, sweet boy. You're welcome.

Baseball Game 1 with the Yankees

Check out what one of our coaches is doing - so cute!!

The Yankees beat the Pirates in shootout, 15-9



Fans were treated to a high-scoring affair Tuesday as the Yankees outscored the Pirates 15-9 in four innings.


There were 37 hits, including four extra base hits in the game.


The Yankees blew out the Pirates thanks to 22 hits, including four extra base hits. The Yankees scored five runs in the fourth on an RBI single by Elliott, an RBI single by Jack Myers, an RBI single by Hilliards, and a two-run triple by Maddux.


Maddux racked up three RBIs on three hits for the Yankees.


Steele racked up two RBIs on two hits for the Pirates. Steele singled in the first and third innings.


The lead stayed with the Yankees after the first, when they scored five runs on an RBI double by Myers and 4s.


The Yankees increased their lead with four runs in the third. Maddux's double got things going, scoring Myers. That was followed up by a single by Moore’s that scored Woods.


Five of the Pirates runs crossed the plate in the bottom half of the third, making the score 10-9. , , an RBI single by Steele, an RBI single by Jack, and an RBI single by Reed sparked the Pirates' rally. Noah struck out to end the Pirates threat.


It then goes on to show:

I love that my boy has stats!

Late

At 7:44 this morning, a friend called the house.

And she woke our family up.

Thankfully so!

Jack was supposed to be at school within 16 minutes.

I am suffering from allergies, Jason doesn't sleep, and Jack doesn't sleep in and there we all were - sound asleep.

Jason swears he heard the alarm.  I didn't. 

But I got Jack up, I started putting away his clean clothes that were piled up.  He just sucked away at that thumb and rubbed those sweet sweet feet together.

By the time Jason got up and dressed, Jack had barely gotten out of bed - the boy and his mother are NOT morning people.  We have to ease into a day.  Jack had used the restroom and was ready to wash his hands and face and as Jason was assisting him, Jack snipped at him about something or other. 

Jason said, You weren't kidding!

Jack and I take mornings slowly, quietly, and easily.  There is no rushing, there is no bright lighting.  There is coffee and orange juice, PBS Kids and the Internet.  The two of us do things the same way every day.  It is our thing. 

Fortunately, Jack got ready, he ate breakfast in the car, and he came home to watch Wild Kratts on the iPad after school.  He made it to school by 8:30. 

Not too shabby.

I did ask him if they wondered why he was late.  He simply said, I am just running late.   

And that is all they needed to know!

Memory Lane

You have it right!  That's my Jack sitting in front of doll stuff.  I went to storage, got my 'Pleasant Company' (now American Girl) stuff.  I have a friend here in the neighborhood I wanted to share it with when she came over!

When I sent this picture to my mom she put it perfectly, it looked like Christmas morning...just with a boy and not Stephie.  That is what I would do - set everything up.  It still was fun to do it again. 

Jack loved seeing everything, mostly because he has known how much of my kid stuff I do have in storage and we brought some home.  There is so much that goes to the Samantha collection - little pieces - and setting it all up was something he had never done before.  He liked the stroller for the 'New Baby.'  He carried one of the dolls around, the one that feels real.  Jack is going to be such a great daddy one day.

Barbies will not come out - not until Jack gives me a baby girl.  Those were my absolute favorite.  I can only imagine how special it will be to share them when I am Grannie!

Yankee

That's him!

That's our Yankee - Myers 4!

And I think he is absolutely precious.  He would prefer to be known as cool.

This was our first game of the Spring 2012 season.

Jack is so excited to be back out on the field, too.

And in all honesty, this is how Jack spends most of his time.  Waiting for someone to throw the ball to him.  When they do, however, he spends most of his time chasing it.  We joked at the beginning of practices that his goal will be to not let it get to the fence past him there at first.  It is no longer a joke.  BUT, after our third game, we now have hope!  Jack was able to make three outs at first...one of which was picture perfect.

And, he is still 5 (though not for too much longer) and running the bases after a game and getting a special snack is a big part of the fun!

Flip

We snuck off Friday afternoon to the Aquarium - two days after our season passes expired, but oh well!

There were a few things we had to see - the dolphins, sharks, orca whales (I do think Jack meant the belugas), sting rays (so Jack could touch them), and the gift shop so he could pick out something special.

First up were the dolphins.

There were two on display.  One just circled and circled and circled.  We were a little early for the show, so we went and checked out the section next door.  Guess what we saw?!

They sure don't have these white 'gators' down on the Bayou.  We love us some 'Swamp People!'  When we were checking out the bazillion little fish just below the water line, we spotted another HUGE one hiding in the corner.  This exhibit was thrilling!

Then we were seated for Dolphin Tales.  Oh my goodness, was it TERRIBLE!  There was singing and all kinds of scary things going on.  Jason and I just kept looking at each other...  The dolphins and their trainers had awesome tricks, but the theatrical aspect of the show was over the top.

We checked out the moving sidewalk and all the sharks.  That is a favorite of the little man.

The orcas (belugas) were next.  We went clear upstairs for our view this trip.  Come to find out, one the whales is going to have a baby in the Spring!  Neat!

The stingrays Jack was hoping to touch were taken off of exhibit due to parasites.  Hm.  There were about seven sharks left to 'pet.'  Jack was ready.  The lady told everyone to stick two fingers in the water, gently, right at the top and the sharks would come...  What I love about the next picture is Jason waiting.  He HATES getting dirty and this is beyond disgusting to him...

 

Here came the shark...whoop... up went both their hands!

Then Daddy went for it!  The shark kept going back and forth back and forth right in front of them and Jack would not get his hand in there.  I secretly love his caution.  And for the record, Jason described the feeling of the shark as a slippery snake.

Needless to say, Jack loved it just the way he did it and that is all that matters!

Finally, we were off to the gift shop to get a new baby.

Jack was very thorough in his choice.  He didn't want it too small.  He would have liked it really big, but once his mind was set, there was NO changing it. 

And the boy was beyond thrilled.

Flip has been Tale/Tail, Aquarium, Flip, and is currently referred to as Splash.  Never ever, has one of his babies had such an identity crisis!

DUCK

Friday night was intense.

We had our typical Friday Fallout - all of us crashing in our room, however, the two boys were out and I had the Weather Channel on.  And the warnings were getting closer and closer.  I headed downstairs, Baby Niki right behind me to get our closet ready.  I heard it was going to be quite a night.

I went back up, tried to relax, and heard the weather man say it is time for the people close to Stilesboro and Due West to get in their safe spot.  I woke Jason up, told him what was going on, he got the boy and we headed downstairs.

Jack cuddled right up on the floor and fell right asleep. 

All I heard the reporter say over and over and over was to DUCK:

Get down stairs - can't do it, don't have one.
Get under something - not sure what we could - we are under the jackets in our closet?!
Get in a center room - hm.  Don't have one of those, either.  The 'closet' we go to is acutally on an exterior wall.
Keep away from windows - okay, our closet doesn't have windows.

Fortunately we were safe.  Very safe, as a matter of fact and were able to return to bed, thankfully so.  Fortunately everyone we knew was safe, too, and having a phone to call and text certain someones is quite awesome in situations like that.

Sleeping

Man, I love finding pictures on my phone. 

Jack has been 'cat napping' a few times lately and I love to catch him in the act...

It isn't pretty, however, when he catches me...

We have love

The day AFTER Valentine's Day in our house showed love was there.

Jack officially was awarded the ball for being the MVP of our hearts!  HA!

He was surprised with that, a jumbo pack of pink gum, and a stuffed white tailed deer.  We have accepted him in our family, and night time routine, and call him Watch Deer.  Watch Deer also comes down now every morning, with Nosey, the baby cheetah, for breakfast and Wild Kratts.

Jack carefully and excitedly went through each of his valentines from his classmates.  He just beamed with happiness when he read the name of each friend.

Jason and I loved getting our little valentine this year....and yes, you will notice now DADDY is being listed first on our cards. 

My man surprised me with some Happy Valentine's Day (one for each word) flowers for my desk.

I surprised him with some chocolate.  Clearly here they were enjoyed with some TV.  Nothing better to that guy!

The three of us do have love, easy love, deep love, and fun love, and we share it all with one another.  Our little family of three is special and close.  We had happy heart day for sure!

The General

Jack and I went on a field trip today.  We had the lovely responsibility of picking up baseball shirts for tomorrow's opening game day. With all the traveling time the boys and I had in the car, it led us to some further party planning ideas for the big SIXTH birthday, which took our car through Kennesaw. 

I remember Max telling us a while back that "Big Jack's" picture was in the new area of downtown, so while we were going through, I pulled into a parking spot and Jack and I were off for a look.

There is now a tunnel going under the train tracks and a bit of a history walk with paintings and information boards.  Jack, by far, loved this carving.  The General.

Wouldn't you know as we get to the top The General came through, and Jack nearly panicked.  He STILL does not like loud noises.  And Jack STILL reacts to them when he was just a baby!  I was so glad to have my camera ready!

There was a firm decision made, however, made by Mr. Jack to NOT go through that tunnel when the train was going over.  NO WAY.

Right above Jack's head in this following shot is the picture of "Big Jack" in front of the fire truck presenting awards to young men.  Neat, huh??

Being a Mother

There is just something about being a mother.

You have a gift.

The gift encompasses so much - caring, loving, guiding, making holidays special, doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, going to the grocery store, buying new clothes and shoes that don't have any holes or stains. 

I was reminded of my gift in the wee hours of this morning.  1:16 to be exact. 

I heard my baby puking.

Typically, he will scream and fight it and this one caught him totally off guard. 

I jumped out of bed, ran down the hall, and found him in his bed, doing his thing.

My baby.

So, together, we wiped, blew, rinsed, gargled, changed, cleaned, and remade a bed.  The closet light was left on, so he could find his bowl if needed. Jack and I then settled in for the rest of the night.  He, fortunately, fell soundly back asleep, let out the same noise, just higher pitched, as his Daddy does when he finally gives into rest, and I just layed there looking at him. 

There is just something about Jack being sick that hurts. 

I am sure it is part of that gift. 

That gift is what honestly becomes our sixth sense.  I can touch, taste, hear, smell, see, and be a mother.