Here is a list of some of my favorite quotes from Jackson...
"God damn-it, you forgot to brush my teeth!" (and when asked where he learned that from he said, "You!")
"Dad, my penis tickles!" (Yelled loudly on the airplane as we were about to land in Disney World)
"What is your name?" (To my mother from a previous blog post)
"What the...?" (Thanks, Sponge Bob)
"Don't listen to this, Daddy!" (before he's going to tell a secret)
"I can't believe it..." (whenever we see some random building being built or construction site)
"Can you come check me now?" (to check his butt after he wipes - NOT Daddy's favorite job!)
"I'm not even gonna look at you!" (when he's really pissed off and in time out)
"My heart is so big that it goes up to the throat, into my brain, into my arms and legs, out of my butt and back into my penis." (Tonight at the grocery store)
Friday, September 23, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
A day with Peyton!
I thought it would be fun to talk about a typical day with Peyton! I usually get up around 6:30 a.m. to shower and get ready before both boys wake up at 7. Then it's changing diapers, clothes, and eating breakfast before we run out the door to get big brother to school. All I can say is that I would be lost without the carrier I strap to myself to carry Peyton across the skywalk with Jackson to school everyday. Once we get home it's playtime as Peyton tears into all of the toys that Daddy has so neatly put back into place after he went to bed the night before. Yesterday, he crawled up (still not walking just yet) to me and put this box on his head. Isn't he precious?
At lunchtime, I gave him some of the peas I was having with my lunch. At first he was like, "What the heck are these little things?" Didn't take him long though to pick them up and get them into his mouth. LOL
After lunch, we take a two hour nap so Daddy can get some housework done, workout, and make phone calls. The reason I like to make calls while he's napping is because this is what happens...
Totally my bad for leaving the wipes in a place he could get to them, but still! LOL. After nap we have a little snack and then run to pickup big brother from school and then after we get home it's playtime with Jackson until dinner. After dinner we take our baths and get ready for bed.
Next week, I'm going to try taking Peyton to a toddler story time at the library and a playtime gathering for toddlers at a school nearby. More updates on that next week!
At lunchtime, I gave him some of the peas I was having with my lunch. At first he was like, "What the heck are these little things?" Didn't take him long though to pick them up and get them into his mouth. LOL
After lunch, we take a two hour nap so Daddy can get some housework done, workout, and make phone calls. The reason I like to make calls while he's napping is because this is what happens...
Totally my bad for leaving the wipes in a place he could get to them, but still! LOL. After nap we have a little snack and then run to pickup big brother from school and then after we get home it's playtime with Jackson until dinner. After dinner we take our baths and get ready for bed.
Next week, I'm going to try taking Peyton to a toddler story time at the library and a playtime gathering for toddlers at a school nearby. More updates on that next week!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Finally, a good day!
Yesterday was my big day in the recording studio working on some songs for a CD for my friends and family. It was very well. We even had a keyboardist come in and play a few songs that I couldn't find background tracks for! I didn't get everything recorded that I wanted, so we are going back to the studio next week to finish up! So exciting! Peyton did a great job at the studio chillin' while Daddy was in the sound booth. ;-)
In the morning when I dropped Jackson off at school, I mentioned nothing to him about having a better day at school or anything about all the bad things he's been doing (he spit in someones face on Monday). So when I went to pick him up, I was a bit nervous wondering how he did... I was so relieved that he had a good day at school with no check marks and no problems. He even told me that a little girl kicked him when they were lining up to go to Art class and he turned around and was getting ready to kick her when he remember what I had told him. So instead he raised his hand and told the teacher and the little girl got a check mark, but Jackson didn't. I was soooooo proud of him for FINALLY remembering what I told him he should do!
Hopefully today will go just as smoothly, but if not, at least I know he can do it (which I already knew he could but now I have an example to point out to him).
One last Jackson story for today... in the mornings we have trouble getting our 5 tasks done (going potty, washing our hands, brushing teeth, making bed, and getting dressed) in a timely fashion so starting this week I am setting a timer. I've made it into a game for Jackson to try to beat the timer in the morning. Yesterday morning when he came into the kitchen at 7:12 I clapped and yelled, "YEA" when he walked into the kitchen. He was so happy to have beaten the timer. So I kept feeding Peyton and at 7:25 the timer dinged. That was strange because I sent the time at 7:00 for 15 minutes so it should have gone off at 7:15. So I asked Jackson if he touched the timer and he replied, "No, Daddy." So I sat there for a minute and asked again and explained that it should have dinged 10 minutes earlier. He put his hand to his head and said, "That was a lie, Daddy, I did touch the timer and gave myself more time." So we talked about how that was cheating and how it was my job to set the timer, not his. So this morning as I set the timer I asked him if I needed to put it out of his reach or was he going to leave it alone and play the game to which he responded he would not touch the timer and wanted to play the game. So I set the timer for 15 minutes at 7:00. At 7:14 I went to check on him and the timer still had 5 minutes on it. So I asked Jackson if he touched the timer to which he responded, "No, Daddy." So I laughed and said, "Well, it should be dinging now and it has 5 minutes left, I wonder how that happened?" So he took a deep breathe and said, "That was a lie, I added more time because I was worried I would not beat the timer." So we went to time out and talked about the rule again afterward. He'll get it right one of these times! I think what I'm going to start doing is letting him set the timer in the morning so he feels like he's getting to do it. Maybe that will do the trick...
In the morning when I dropped Jackson off at school, I mentioned nothing to him about having a better day at school or anything about all the bad things he's been doing (he spit in someones face on Monday). So when I went to pick him up, I was a bit nervous wondering how he did... I was so relieved that he had a good day at school with no check marks and no problems. He even told me that a little girl kicked him when they were lining up to go to Art class and he turned around and was getting ready to kick her when he remember what I had told him. So instead he raised his hand and told the teacher and the little girl got a check mark, but Jackson didn't. I was soooooo proud of him for FINALLY remembering what I told him he should do!
Hopefully today will go just as smoothly, but if not, at least I know he can do it (which I already knew he could but now I have an example to point out to him).
One last Jackson story for today... in the mornings we have trouble getting our 5 tasks done (going potty, washing our hands, brushing teeth, making bed, and getting dressed) in a timely fashion so starting this week I am setting a timer. I've made it into a game for Jackson to try to beat the timer in the morning. Yesterday morning when he came into the kitchen at 7:12 I clapped and yelled, "YEA" when he walked into the kitchen. He was so happy to have beaten the timer. So I kept feeding Peyton and at 7:25 the timer dinged. That was strange because I sent the time at 7:00 for 15 minutes so it should have gone off at 7:15. So I asked Jackson if he touched the timer and he replied, "No, Daddy." So I sat there for a minute and asked again and explained that it should have dinged 10 minutes earlier. He put his hand to his head and said, "That was a lie, Daddy, I did touch the timer and gave myself more time." So we talked about how that was cheating and how it was my job to set the timer, not his. So this morning as I set the timer I asked him if I needed to put it out of his reach or was he going to leave it alone and play the game to which he responded he would not touch the timer and wanted to play the game. So I set the timer for 15 minutes at 7:00. At 7:14 I went to check on him and the timer still had 5 minutes on it. So I asked Jackson if he touched the timer to which he responded, "No, Daddy." So I laughed and said, "Well, it should be dinging now and it has 5 minutes left, I wonder how that happened?" So he took a deep breathe and said, "That was a lie, I added more time because I was worried I would not beat the timer." So we went to time out and talked about the rule again afterward. He'll get it right one of these times! I think what I'm going to start doing is letting him set the timer in the morning so he feels like he's getting to do it. Maybe that will do the trick...
Saturday, September 17, 2011
And a banner completes the room!
Look at the awesome banner's we got for the boy's bedrooms from our friend, Laura Browning. We love them!!
The Lie That Didn't Stop
Yesterday when I picked up Jackson from school we were standing in the hall talking about his day when I noticed his pants were torn. They were not like that when I dropped him off in the morning. So I asked him what happened. He said, "Well, I was crawling around on the rug and they tore." Here is a picture of the torn pants...
Knowing that I would become Joan Crawford there in the hallway if I didn't let it go, we talked to the teacher about other things and then headed to my mom's house for dinner. I asked him in the car several times about his pants and each time he told me about the rub and crawling around on it and that he knew it was tearing, but didn't stop. When Daniel called that night and Jackson told him about it, Daniel didn't believe the "crawling around on the rug" story either. But Jackson was firm that was the truth and we just left it at that.
Daniel told me that we could salvage the pants and make them into shorts so I got the pants and tore the rest of the leg off and Jackson started to cry. When I asked him what was wrong he said, "The other kids are going to laugh at me if you make me wear those pants like that!" I couldn't help it, but I started laughing and said, "Well, you should have thought about that before your were crawling around making it worse, now put em on!" Here is Jackson modeling his new 'Project Jackson-way' design...
He, of course, was totally pissed off when I took this picture. Afterwards, I told him that Dad is going to cut the other leg off and make them into a pair of shorts for him.
Today, my mom watched the boys for me so I could practice songs for my recording studio gig on Tuesday. While they were with Nana, she questioned Jackson about the pants and told him that she didn't believe his story. So finally he told her that there was a small hole in the knee of his pants and he stuck his finger in there and ripped the pants straight across. When I arrived to pick up the kids my mom pulled me aside and told me. So after we got home and both boys took a short nap, I got them up and asked Jackson again about his pants and what happened giving him the opportunity to tell me the truth. He again told me about crawling around on the rug. So I told him that I talked to Nana while he was napping and that she told me that he told her something else caused the rip. And you know what he said??? He told me that he didn't tell her anything different because the truth was that he was crawling around on the rug and it ripped his pants. OMG! So I picked up the phone and called my mom and gave the phone to Jackson.
Needless to say, we confessed after talking to Nana on the phone by saying, "Well, Daddy the reason that I lied was because it was an accident." LMAO! I thought I was going to fall down laughing.
Anyway, I'm gonna teach this boy that lying is unacceptable even if it kills me!!
Knowing that I would become Joan Crawford there in the hallway if I didn't let it go, we talked to the teacher about other things and then headed to my mom's house for dinner. I asked him in the car several times about his pants and each time he told me about the rub and crawling around on it and that he knew it was tearing, but didn't stop. When Daniel called that night and Jackson told him about it, Daniel didn't believe the "crawling around on the rug" story either. But Jackson was firm that was the truth and we just left it at that.
Daniel told me that we could salvage the pants and make them into shorts so I got the pants and tore the rest of the leg off and Jackson started to cry. When I asked him what was wrong he said, "The other kids are going to laugh at me if you make me wear those pants like that!" I couldn't help it, but I started laughing and said, "Well, you should have thought about that before your were crawling around making it worse, now put em on!" Here is Jackson modeling his new 'Project Jackson-way' design...
He, of course, was totally pissed off when I took this picture. Afterwards, I told him that Dad is going to cut the other leg off and make them into a pair of shorts for him.
Today, my mom watched the boys for me so I could practice songs for my recording studio gig on Tuesday. While they were with Nana, she questioned Jackson about the pants and told him that she didn't believe his story. So finally he told her that there was a small hole in the knee of his pants and he stuck his finger in there and ripped the pants straight across. When I arrived to pick up the kids my mom pulled me aside and told me. So after we got home and both boys took a short nap, I got them up and asked Jackson again about his pants and what happened giving him the opportunity to tell me the truth. He again told me about crawling around on the rug. So I told him that I talked to Nana while he was napping and that she told me that he told her something else caused the rip. And you know what he said??? He told me that he didn't tell her anything different because the truth was that he was crawling around on the rug and it ripped his pants. OMG! So I picked up the phone and called my mom and gave the phone to Jackson.
Needless to say, we confessed after talking to Nana on the phone by saying, "Well, Daddy the reason that I lied was because it was an accident." LMAO! I thought I was going to fall down laughing.
Anyway, I'm gonna teach this boy that lying is unacceptable even if it kills me!!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
What's next?
So I guess the honeymoon is officially over at school for Jackson! Monday he got in trouble on the playground and needed a lot of reminding to play nice with others and not yell and scream at the top of his lungs constantly. He's just a ADHD boy... what can I say? The last two days were much better, but today was crumby again. :-( They have a check system in the classroom and Jackson got 4, yes, FOUR checks today. I hope tomorrow is a better day for him!
Several of our friends know this, but I thought I would share it here as well. When we moved back to Des Moines last October we left our house there in North Carolina still on the market. A year later, it is still on the market! 17 months now to be exact since it was listed prior to our move. Ugh! We have joked that if the house doesn't sell next year that we should consider moving back and making improvements to the house that we always wanted to do. Unfortunately, this week in the North Carolina House and Senate they passed a measure to have the people of North Carolina vote on changing the NC constitution to say marriage is between a man and a woman only and that union would be the only one recognized by the state. NC is right in the middle of the bible belt so the odds are against it, but a recent poll showed that 53% were against a constitutional amendment. Oh, did I meant that this will be voted on next May during the Republican primary in North Carolina? Yea, I fear this measure will pass because how many Democrats are going to go vote in a Republican primary? :-(
On a happier note, I'm going back into the recording studio next week and making another CD. In 2009, I went recorded 15 songs that I had sang at the bars for karaoke or at family gatherings as a gift to my mom. Next week I will return to re-record some songs from the first CD and add a lot more to my catalog. I'm very excited! :-)
Several of our friends know this, but I thought I would share it here as well. When we moved back to Des Moines last October we left our house there in North Carolina still on the market. A year later, it is still on the market! 17 months now to be exact since it was listed prior to our move. Ugh! We have joked that if the house doesn't sell next year that we should consider moving back and making improvements to the house that we always wanted to do. Unfortunately, this week in the North Carolina House and Senate they passed a measure to have the people of North Carolina vote on changing the NC constitution to say marriage is between a man and a woman only and that union would be the only one recognized by the state. NC is right in the middle of the bible belt so the odds are against it, but a recent poll showed that 53% were against a constitutional amendment. Oh, did I meant that this will be voted on next May during the Republican primary in North Carolina? Yea, I fear this measure will pass because how many Democrats are going to go vote in a Republican primary? :-(
On a happier note, I'm going back into the recording studio next week and making another CD. In 2009, I went recorded 15 songs that I had sang at the bars for karaoke or at family gatherings as a gift to my mom. Next week I will return to re-record some songs from the first CD and add a lot more to my catalog. I'm very excited! :-)
Thursday, September 8, 2011
I think I can be a Veterinarian!
Now that Jackson is in school, my days are so scheduled. I get up around 6:30 a.m. to get ready so I can be upstairs when Jackson's alarm goes off at 7:00 a.m. He has five things that he has to do in the morning before he comes to breakfast. I'm proud of him for doing those 5 tasks most of the time because that can be very hard for an ADHD kid. His tasks are:
1) Go potty
2) Wash your hands
3) Brush your teeth
4) Make your bed
5) Get dressed
Sometimes we forget to brush out teeth or make our bed, but as long as he doesn't go back to bed when he turns off the alarm or starts playing with toys, Daddy is pretty happy! After breakfast we rush off to school at 7:55 a.m. to be there before school starts at 8:15 a.m. Then Peyton and I either run some errands or come back home. When we are home, all of my energy is spent on Peyton who is being pretty clingy and gets upset if I go to the restroom or into the kitchen to get something for him. I can't even get on my laptop without him getting ticked off! ;-) When naptime rolls around, Daddy can finally get some things done in the house like dishes, washing clothes, cleaning, and I've been trying to exercise! Then I get Peyton up around 2:15 p.m. for some food and then we rush off to pick up Jackson at 3:00 p.m. I kinda miss our summer days when we didn't have to do much and it wasn't so scheduled! :-(
This afternoon when Peyton and I were waiting outside of Jackson's classroom, I saw that the bulletin board had new pictures covering it. In the middle was a sign that said, "After the Kindergartners read 'The Little Engine That Could' they made these drawings. So I started searching the board to see if Jackson had a drawing on the board.
I'm looking forward to the weekend! Hopefully the weather will be nice so we can either do a bike ride or another picnic (this past Monday for Labor Day we took the boys to Union Park and had a picnic and played on the rocket slide, listened to the carousel, and all took turned playing with my remote control car. It was awesome!)
1) Go potty
2) Wash your hands
3) Brush your teeth
4) Make your bed
5) Get dressed
Sometimes we forget to brush out teeth or make our bed, but as long as he doesn't go back to bed when he turns off the alarm or starts playing with toys, Daddy is pretty happy! After breakfast we rush off to school at 7:55 a.m. to be there before school starts at 8:15 a.m. Then Peyton and I either run some errands or come back home. When we are home, all of my energy is spent on Peyton who is being pretty clingy and gets upset if I go to the restroom or into the kitchen to get something for him. I can't even get on my laptop without him getting ticked off! ;-) When naptime rolls around, Daddy can finally get some things done in the house like dishes, washing clothes, cleaning, and I've been trying to exercise! Then I get Peyton up around 2:15 p.m. for some food and then we rush off to pick up Jackson at 3:00 p.m. I kinda miss our summer days when we didn't have to do much and it wasn't so scheduled! :-(
This afternoon when Peyton and I were waiting outside of Jackson's classroom, I saw that the bulletin board had new pictures covering it. In the middle was a sign that said, "After the Kindergartners read 'The Little Engine That Could' they made these drawings. So I started searching the board to see if Jackson had a drawing on the board.
I couldn't wait to call Daniel and tell him. When class let out, I mentioned the drawing on the board to the teacher and told her that Daniel is a Veterinarian. She said that Jackson is always thinking and such a great helper in class. A friend of mine who works at the school even told me that the teacher talks very positively about Jackson to the other teachers. Gosh, that really makes me feel good especially since I went to Park Avenue when I was a kid and most of the teachers and administration know that! ;-)
Like I said before, Peyton is really keeping my busy during the day. We have stopped using the bottle and have moved completely to sippy cups. YEA! I didn't think I could get him to do it, but it has actually been pretty easy. Today when I was checking on an assignment for my new "Intro to Philosophy" course, he was serenading me with his new musical instruments.
Perhaps tomorrow he will take a few steps on his own?! I'm waiting for him to try it. We keep practicing walking around the room with him holding my hands. I can't wait!!
Jackson had his second dance lesson last night at Betty Hill Dance Studio in Windsor Heights. He is doing tap and jazz. Because Jackson has to change from his tap shoes into his jazz shoes in the middle of class, I was really worried that he wouldn't ask the teacher to help him tie his shoes. I tried to show him earlier in the day but he just didn't get it. Does anyone have suggestions for teaching a child to tie their shoes? Anyway, I grabbed the teacher and ask him if he would make sure someone helped him tie his shoes because he "thinks" he knows how to do it, but he doesn't. He gave me a funny look and said they would be sure to help him. Am I being one of those mom's on Dance Mom's? LOL. I can't help it that I worry about these little trivial things, but my kid is overly confident at times and sometimes that's not a good thing! <Sigh>
On the way to dance class last night, Jackson saw a Mater look-a-like truck (which we have seen several times before) and kept asking me when Cars 2 was coming out of DVD. I told him I didn't know, but that didn't stop him from asking me two more times. LOL. It's coming out November 1 for anyone who wants to know. Anyway, I snapped a quick picture of the Mater truck because it is VERY cute down on the corner of SE 5th and MLK Parkway.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Look What I Made, Daddy!
Jackson has been doing AWESOME at school. Park Avenue has a program where if the kids do something good for another person, follow directions, etc. they get a Panther Pride. It's basically a little slip of paper that says you did a great job today. If they get 25 of them, they can then turn them into the Principal and get a special reward from him! Guess how many Jackson has after 7 days of school???? 5!! Isn't that great?!? Daniel and I are so proud of him. Now only if he'd do this awesome at home with listening and following directions... we'd be all set!!
In Art class one day last week, the teacher asked the kids to do their self portrait. Look at how talented Jackson is...
Our very own Pablo Picasso perhaps? And yes, that is an Angry Bird t-shirt he's wearing. We are OBSESSED with the game now and everywhere we go Jackson now wants Dad or Daddy's phone to play Angry Birds! LOL.
Now that Jackson is in school during the day, Peyton and I have a lot of time to play! Well, I guess it's more he plays and Daddy picks everything up and puts them back in place. If you know me, you know that I don't like things out of place so a messy house drives me CRAZY! Anyway, does anyone know if there is a Kinder Music Class or something good for Toddlers in Des Moines? We need to get out of the house and go do some fun things now that it's just the two of us and Jackson isn't dominating our choice locations.
I snapped this picture of Peyton on Friday. Our current toy of choice is the vacuum. I'm guessing because it's loud and he likes to scream when it's running and he's pushing it around. Whenever Peyton cries or screams our Chihuahua named Gizmo goes insane and starts howling. I swear, it's my own personal hell with all that noise, I can't think!
On a different note...
Have you heard of Extreme Couponing? Last night Daniel and I were flipping through the channels and came to TLC where they were showing a show called "Extreme Couponing" where these people buy groceries valued at $1,500 for $0. It was nuts, but at the same time inspiring! So today Daniel ran out and got a newspaper and we clipped a few coupons and found some online to use. After naps we ran out to the mall, Bed Bath & Beyond, Michael's, and HyVee. I'm happy to say we saved over $30 today using coupons. It's a start at least!
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