Waffles and Sunshine

We have had the craziest weather this week.  Sunday night it was hailing with snow flurries, Wednesday and Thursday had near record highs in the upper 70's, and there was a tornado warning on Friday!

Our family definitely took advantage of the sunshine by having breakfast night outside.  The weather was perfect.  I look forward to eating outside regularly when the weather is consistently warmer (before it gets too terribly hot and humid).

Jackson is able to take bites off his food now.  He was happy as could be chowing down on his waffle and eggs. 

The best part of eating on the deck is our outside cats took care of all the food Jackson dropped.  It's too bad Cowbell and Nibbles won't clean up Jackson's mess indoors.

A Man I Used to Know

I wrote this poem when I was twelve years old (November 1998):

A Man I Used to Know

A man I used to know died a year ago.
To me he was a hero; a hero that you'll never know.

He'll never go over your homework with you, or teach you right from wrong.
You'll never hear his scratchy voice sing along to Hank Williams songs.

Never again will he say prayers before bed with you each night.
He'll never show you the north star or explain why it shines so bright.

Never again will you laugh at his jokes, 'cause he's not here to tell them.
Never again will he send my mom flowers.  Never again will she smell them.

You'll never hear his stories from when he was in the Navy.
The only think you'll see are the pictures that he gave me.

The man I used to know who died a year ago,
was a man no other than my father--my father, my hero.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fourteen years later this poem is still true.  Daddy will always be my hero, though he is a fading memory of a man I used to know...

Lent Q&A

I found these questions to help guide me in what I should give up/add to during the Lenten season:

What habits do I engage in that are destructive to my spiritual health?

·         Gluttony
·         Self-centered prayer
·         Hoarding money

To what material things am I too attached?

·         Internet/computer
·         Sweets

What areas in my life are unbalanced?

·         Financial
·         Prayer life/reading scripture
·         Diet

To what do I devote too much or not enough time?
·         Too much mindless time on computer/TV
·         Too much time eating junk
·         Not enough time with Jesse (no TV/computer/Jackson)
·         Not enough time in prayer/reading scripture

Based on my responses, I will make every effort to:

·         Abstain from sweets (Monday—Saturday)
·         Write a prayer for 2-3 people per day and send it to them through Facebook/e-mail
       (That’s 100+ personalized prayers during the Lenten season to express gratitude and concern for loved ones.)
·         Follow daily scripture reading/study before bed
·         Make monthly financial commitment to the church (set-up automatic online deposits)

Pulling Up

For many months, you could put Jackson on the couch, bed, floor, etc and he would simply lie there.  Then he finally started rolling and he rolled everywhere.  Then he finally learned to sit up.  And for many weeks, you could put Jackson anywhere on the floor and he would simply sit there in one place.  It took just over nine months for Jack to finally master crawling, and he now crawls everywhere.  Now he has learned how to pull up, and you can put him anywhere and he will simply stand there.  He doesn't seem to fully realize that he can hold onto an object and move his feet at the same time.  I know it's just a matter of time, though.  To be utterly clear, I am in no rush for this walking stage to begin!

Here are my attempts at catching Jackson in the act: 

Diaper changes have literally become a wrestling match!

Time for a baby gate!

Park: Take Two

I couldn't resist taking Jackson to the park in this near 70 degree weather.  When Jesse and I lived on the opposite side of town, we used to take my nieces and nephews to this amazing park.  I happened to be in that area, so I took Jackson after work on Saturday.  Even though he just went to the park three weeks ago, this experience was rather different.  Now that he's mastered crawling and pulling up, he was all over the place.  He still loves swinging and spent half of his time in the swing.

This park had those tunnels that you crawl through.  Jackson was hesitant at first, but was amused when I crawled in on the opposite side.  He enjoyed exploring the equipment.

If you recall, Jackson was unimpressed by the slide last time.  He was still content going down the slide (with me holding him).  However, the real fun began when he figured out he could climb up the slide.  Of course he kept sliding back down after a certain point, but that didn't stop his persistence.

I wish I had thought ahead and brought a picnic lunch to have in the field.  We stayed over an hour before returning home for lunch.  Jackson must have played hard because he was knocked out before leaving the parking lot!

Weekends in Review

I have been a total slacker when it comes to updating the blog about miscellaneous outings and events.  I rarely ever actually blog on the weekdays, though I write multiple posts on the weekends and just publish them throughout the week. Lately, my weekends have been so busy that blogging has fallen down on the priority list.  I've managed to leave out lots of random trips.  Here are my Top 10 highlights from the past few weekends:

1. My brother's birthday party. 

I texted him ahead of time and asked if I could make him a German chocolate cake.  He was so sweet and seemed genuinely appreciative that I remembered it was his favorite.  (It doesn't take a lot to make him happy, though.)  My kitchen smelled just like my Granny's kitchen while making the frosting on the stove.

2. Bringing food to a former church member who had surgery. 

This guy is quite a character.  He's a slightly unstable Vietnam veteran with a heart of gold.  I baked him a huge lasagna and coconut cream pie before heading over to his "house".  It turns out he lives in this green trailer right beside the railroad tracks.  He has a key to the warehouse behind him that serves as his only access to the restroom/shower.  I seriously felt like I was in an earthquake when the train went by, as his whole trailer shook.  He told entertaining stories and enjoyed his food. 

3. Levi's birthday party. 

Apparently I like to take pictures of cake.  Unfortunately, I didn't actually get any pictures of Levi or Jackson, but everyone had a good time.  It was quite the packed house between the enormous amounts of food, crowds of people, bubbles, toys, and balloons. 

4. Superbowl

Jesse and I gorged on an entire family size bag of tortilla chips with a crockpot full of queso.  I graded over ten sets of papers while watching the game.  Neither one of us particularly cared about the teams playing, but we watched the entire game.  Despite losing 18 lbs (as of today), I haven't tracked anything on SparkPeople since the Superbowl and am slowly going back to poor eating habits.

5. Reviewing fire safety

Strange, I know.  We have five students who are participating in a Fire Safety Bowl in March.  They basically have to memorize a 17 chapter manual that teaches everything you would ever want to know about fire safety.  The fifth grade teachers provide transportation and breakfast for the kids during our two hour  Saturday review sessions.  Jackson stays in his high chair for half the time, then roams the classroom. 

6. Irwin Reunion

There were at least 30 former staff members that gathered together at a friend's new house the other Saturday evening.  It was so very nice to be in an environment where everyone truly respects one another professionally and actually enjoys their company.  We exchanged stories and gossip about our new schools and snacked on an unlimited supply of food.  Last school year, six of us were pregnant (one with twins), so there were lots of babies to pass around as well.

7. K&W

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but the K&W is not only one of my favorite places to eat; it's also one of my favorite places to take Jack.  Why?  Because old people cannot get enough of him!  Every elderly couple that passes by stops to talk to Jackson.  They always admire how handsome he is and what a good eater he is.  I don't care much for comments from people anywhere else.  Of course, Jackson eats it up and just smiles and flirts with whoever talks to him.  There's just something about the K&W and older people's sincerity and genuine happiness.  Plus, Jackson can easily eat everything they serve.

8. International Market

Jackson and I ventured to my favorite international market.  It's like a WalMart but each aisle has specific nationalities.  The produce and meat sections have all kinds of exotic finds.  I've never even bought anything there, but I love browsing.  I could seriously people watch in this store for hours.  Jackson was intrigued, but no more than he is at Aldi or any other store.  I guess everything looks bright and shiny with foreign writing to him.

9. Park

The warm, sunny weather has been incredible!  I took Jackson to the park for the second time and he was way more adventurous and curious this time.  I won't post pictures since I'm working on an entire post for that.  I love taking him places where he can explore and interact with other children.

10. Niece's Dance Recital

I was skeptical about how much I would enjoy the dance recital while entertaining a 10 month old.  Luckily, my sister, brother-in-law, and I passed him around to keep things interesting.  I was quite proud of my niece for rocking her clogging solo. I obviously didn't get to talk to my family very much, but it was still nice to be around them.  Jackson and I left shortly after her last dance because Jackson was getting cranky.  

Here Comes Trouble

Holy cow, now that Jackson has finally mastered crawling, he is wasting no time at all on pulling up and taking steps.  He is definitely not ready to walk.  While Jackson has great balance standing and holding onto things, he leans forward too much while trying to take steps. 

I was sitting on the living room floor calling for Jackson, who was in the dining room slapping the back door.  Even though it was close to bedtime and Jackson was getting tired, he was still all over the place!  I took the sequence of photos below within five minutes.


"Mommy!  I'm coming.  Hold on..."

"Hmm, what's this?  You know I love shoes."

 

"Why did you put the phone up there?  Is Daddy going to call us?"



"Ugh.  I'll just get it myself."