Making Lemonade

Short post cause I don't want to be a big downer. Our cruise to the Bahamas turned into a road trip to Nashville. Stupid weather and whatever else caused our flight to get cancelled and no other flights to be available. But we've decided to make lemonade out of the lemons we've been handed and we're going for a good time together in Nashville...and together is what really matters.

Christmas Past

Another Christmas has come and gone. I'd say this one was quite a fun one. Jack really got into things and did a pretty good job opening his presents up. However, he would get so excited about what he just opened that he wouldn't want to open any more. So he took a lot of breaks. Open, play for a bit, open another one. And of course he and his cousins always were interested in what the other one got. We had a lot of practice sharing which is really hard for a one year old who just got a brand new toy. Some of Jack's favorite gifts were his Dyson vacuum and his two new tractors. He got a lot of toys and I'm pretty sure once all of them come out of their packages he'll be even more overwhelmed because I know that he will really enjoy all of them. Jack's cousin Kyle also got a Dyson for Christmas so all day yesterday they ran around Grandma and Grandpa's vacuuming and screaming for joy. They were loud and got a little rambunctious at times but they had so much fun. Jack won't even let go of his vacuum to play with other toys. He just kneels down and holds it with one hand while he plays with his other toys with the other hand. It's pretty funny. Besides the presents it was wonderful to see so much family and spend time together. I love seeing Jack interact with his cousins and second cousins. On Christmas Eve after all the presents where open Jack had so much fun playing with Lexi and Kaden. They were pretending to be bears. There was all sorts of growling and laughter those things make me smile. And last night Jack got to play with Hailey and Micah. They played piano and chase and had fun playing with each others new toys. So another Christmas has come and gone and I'd say this one was a pretty good one based on the hugs and laughter and squeals of delight that came from the kids.

Christmas Eve's Eve

It's the eve of Christmas Eve. Lots of fun filled action coming our way in the couple days. Tomorrow we head down to Buckley to spend the afternoon with my mom's family and the evening with my dad's family. Friday will be spent in Morton with Paul's family and then my family in the evening. It's a lot in a day in a half especially for Jack but I think he'll do pretty well this year. We've been telling him daddy's all done with work for the year and he'll get to see both grandmas and papas soon and that all makes him very excited. He doesn't really understand the gifts but I have no doubt once they are open he will be thrilled. Saturday is a little bit more laid back. We have Kevin's 30th birthday party that evening and then Sunday afternoon we're off for Miami. That'll be Jack's first airplane ride. Saying my prayers that all goes well with that. I'm hoping he'll think it's all very exciting and I'm guessing he'll be saying a lot of his favorite phrase..."look at" and maybe a couple "whoas". Monday we get on the big boat for a week of fun in the sun. Paul showed Jack pictures of planes and our cruise ship tonight trying to help him understand what's going on next week. He seemed pretty excited about them though I'm certain he has no clue what's coming. Surprisingly, it's only 8:15 in the evening and I'm not scrambling to get laundry done or suitcases packed. That's not to say I'm completely done but since we don't leave until noon tomorrow I can do what's left in the morning. Have a Merry Christmas! Might not see me back on here until next year.

Mechanic in Training

We're having a very nice Sunday evening in the Friend house. Dinner is done and Jack's just playing a little bit before bed. He was driving his tractor around the kitchen floor on his hands and knees which I think is so cute. Then he decided to play with his big red car. He pushed it into the living room and found his hammer and went to work. He likes banging on things with his hammer trying to "fix" them. So he banged on his car all over and then walked over to the couch, set his hammer down and went back to his car. He got in looked out the window at the side where he had really been working, then got back out and went to grab his hammer. Back to work he went. He must not have got it fixed right the first time. And then he continued this little routine several more times. Hammer, get in and test it out, hammer some more. It's so cute and as I sit and watch him I think how great life is right now. Jack is a fun and friendly little kid and we're all home enjoying a pleasant evening together. I know as the years go by and Jack gets older nights like this won't be as common place so I suppose I tell you this simple story in an effort to recognize the little things in life and keep them as memories for years to come.

Sledding!

I was so excited this morning when we woke up and our roads weren't plowed and the temperature was pretty nice and we had no plans and no one was sick! That meant we could go sledding! We got all dressed and put Jack in his snow pants and boots and coat. I finally got him to agree to put gloves on and out we went to play in some snow. Jack wasn't too fond of it at first. I don't think he really knows what to do in the snow and he hates gloves because he can't use his hands when he's wearing them. So we got out his sled and plopped him in it. He looked a little concerned and a little upset with us for putting him through this. But turns out his facial expression had nothing to do with his enjoyment level. He loved being pulled around in the snow. Every time we stopped he would say "more?". So we took a few laps around the block and up and down the very small hill on our road. We spun him around and took him over bumps and he had a great time. Finally toward the end he started smiling and laughing, but before that his face was all serious. He also helped Paul do the shoveling which he enjoys. 

Baker's Initiation (Licking the Batter)

Using the stool he got from his grandparents for Christmas, Jack is now able to help me out a little better in the kitchen. Last Tuesday evening Jack helped me make a batch of cookie dough truffles. He did a really good job though he didn't quite understand about dumping ingredients in. He just put the whole bowl of chocolate chips in the batter, instead of just the chips themselves. He helped me dump ingredients and he helped me mix them too. He really liked holding on to the mixer with me. Then after we were done he got to lick his first beater. He absolutely loved it and licked off as much as he could. 

Santa Picture

I've been kind of a downer lately with all the sickness that has taken up residence in our home. Jack is finally better but Paul got sick with some sort of stomach virus yesterday. Praying that whatever he has stays far away from Jack and I.
On the bright side everyone was healthy on Saturday so we got to hang out together and Paul and I got a fun date night. We had dinner and then saw The Blind Side which was very good. We went over to Cabela's to return something we had purchased last weekend and they had a complimentary santa there. The line was quite short and since it was in our price range we decided to go for it. The picture isn't the greatest and Jack wouldn't crack a smile but I guess that makes it qualify as a typical Santa picture. (the flash is from me taking a picture of the picture)

Two other cute pictures to share with you. Goes back to last week and Jack's newfound love of his farmer boots. Jack wore his jammies and boots all day on Friday and it was so cute I took some more picture to share with you.

Still Sick

Long week. Jack's been sick since Sunday with his temperature peaking at 105.2 on Tuesday evening. Thursday he was fine, no temp, good mood. Then of course this morning he is puking his guts out. My theory is that he's not actually sick but that the mucus drainage from his cold is ending up in his stomach since he doesn't know how to blow and the sucker isn't really doing much. Then I think that's making his stomach upset. But still....I'm ready for a healthy family.

I Love My Boots

Jack's boot love continued today. Pretty much as soon as he saw them this morning he wanted them on...once again over feetie pajamas. I ended up taking him to the doctor this morning and indeed he went just like that, jammies and cowboy boots. Very stylish. While I did change him out of jammies, the boots have remained all day today, even through his nap. Every so often he just stops and points at them like he's so excited to be wearing them.

Sick Day

Sadly my baby is sick right now. He woke up with a stuffy nose yesterday morning and by the afternoon was running a temperature and acting as though he felt very poorly. Unfortunately, things didn't improve much today. His temperature has continued to rise today reaching a high 103.8 this evening. After speaking with a nurse I gave him a dose of Motrin which he promptly threw up in the following ten minutes. Awesome. Immediately after puking he saw the mac 'n cheese I had made for dinner and got super excited to eat some. I know I don't usually feel like eating right after I puke, but he sure went through his small portion quickly. We had to lie to him about there being more so he wouldn't eat too much too quick. Along with this sickness he has a slight cough. The other night I was showing him how to cough into his elbow to try and cut down on the germ spreading. He thought I said Elmo though, so know he thinks his elbows are Elmo's, or something like that. The picture below is from this morning. Jack found his boots in his room and brought them to me to put on. I told him that was silly since he had on feetie pajamas. But he insisted, so I obliged. He wore those boots around for a good hour or two before he asked to switch to his slippers...once again, over his feetie pajamas. So I guess if this is a sign of things to come Jack will be one of those kids who dresses super bizarrely because I let him pick out his own clothes. 

A New Friend

Last Friday Tanya brought Mikayla over for the first time for a few hours. Jack wasn't overly interested in her for a while but then Tanya laid her on the ground and Jack got brave. He knelt down near her and reached out like he really wanted to touch her but he was nervous. And then he laid down on his belly and reached out to touch her hand. It was the sweetest, cutest thing. He was so gentle with her and so interested in her. Every time he would just touch her hand he would pull back real quick and sit up like he was really excited but he wasn't sure if it was ok that he just did that. Tanya and I kept encouraging him and he held her hand several times for very short periods. He also waved to her and blew her kisses. Of course this very sweet, gentle side of Jack didn't last terribly long, before we knew it he was throwing his tractor around and Tanya and I were fearing for Mikayla's safety!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now and I just keep forgetting. As many of you know, Jack adores his daddy. For the past couple of weeks Jack has been making us laugh at dinner. Paul tends to not sit still very well, he's always tapping his fingers or something like that. Jack has picked up on this and now when we're all at the table together Jack has started copying almost everything Paul does. If Paul swats at a fly, Jack swats at a "fly". If Paul drums his fingers on the table, Jack drums his fingers. If Paul takes a drink, Jack takes a drink. If Paul taps on his glass, Jack taps on his glass (and wonders why it doesn't make the same sound). If Paul scratches his head....well you get the point. It cracks me up and it has really made Paul aware of all his little movements that I don't think he realized he did before. 

These pictures below really have nothing to do with the post above, but I took them recently and they make me smile so I'm sharing them with you. In the first one Jack just starting grabbing his face on day. Over and over he would do this as though there was really something wrong. The second picture of of Jack getting ready to jump. He has become a pretty good jumper lately and there are times that that's all he does is jump around as high as he can. He bends real low and shoots up. It has been observed that he possibly has a higher vertical jump than me. I'm sad to say.

O Christmas Tree Part 2

We finally got the tree decorated this evening! We've had the lights on for a few days and Jack knows how to turn them on, so every morning when we come downstairs he goes over to turn them on. But I don't really think they need to be on all day so we made turning the lights on a special event. Every evening when daddy comes hom Daddy and Jack go and turn all the lights on. It's a big deal and Jack gets a kick out of it. Jack wasn't the biggest help with the ornaments but we tried to make the evening very festiv and he definitly caught on to that. We had Christmas music playing and we tried to make everything seem very exciting. He loved the music and would get worried every time a song ended and we had to wait for the next song to start. He did "help" put up a few ornaments. The first one being a new Elmo one I bought him.

Not sure if we'll do the new ornament every year for him, but I saw this one and thought he would enjoy it. We hung it at his favorite spot to look at the tree and then we hung all the soft, non-breakable ornaments around the rest of the bottom. He helped select a few spots for those. And after running off to do a little dancing he came back and gave his Elmo ornament a hug followed by a few hugs for some nearby ornaments. Too funny. So the tree is done and the stockings are hung and to top off the night we enjoyed some milk and cookies and Jack got a bath which he loved. It was such a fun evening as a family and I found myself almost tearing up as I watched Jack enjoy his bath and thought about how much fun he'd had today and how much fun it was to get ready for Christmas as a family and how much I love that little squirt. Ahhh, emotional mommies. I don't think that will every change.

O Christmas Tree

Last night after Paul got home from work we went off in search of our Christmas tree. This is actually Jack's first Christmas tree as last year we did without due to traveling and a crawling baby. The few years before that we had gone to a tree farm and cut down our Christmas tree. But this year we traded in the "experience" for the convenience. Thankfully I don't think Jack will care and we are glad to have a tree now rather than later. So we packed up in the car and headed to the Jewel parking lot. We walked up and down the row of trees a few times and picked our tree. Jack was excited about the idea of it all and really liked to touch the trees.

We brought the tree home and set it up int he dinning room. Jack helped daddy put on the lights since he loves lights so much. 

Funny thing is after we put the lights up we didn't really like them because they were so stark white. We tried the LED bulbs and found we really missed the soft yellow glow of traditional white lights. So after dinner we went to Target and picked out different lights. Unfortunately, Jack had to go to bed before we replaced the lights so he didn't get to help with round two. And no ornaments have been put on yet because we just ran out of time. So hopefully tonight we can finish up the decorating. I think Jack will enjoy it. Every time he comes in the house or down the stairs he goes up to the tree, says his version of Christmas tree, and touches the branches and the lights. 

Say Cheese

So I think it was Saturday night perhaps that Jack and I were eating dinner at the Lyons house. Darby, Elena and Jack were all sitting at the little table eating dinner and it was really cute so Chanda got out the camera. As most people do, Chanda asked the kids to say cheese for the camera each time she took a picture, which was many times since getting three kids to look at a camera and smile is quite challenging. Jack has really never been asked to say "cheese" for the camera before but he does know the word cheese and he obliged. I didn't think much of it until tonight when once again we were at the Lyons' for dinner. Jack was playing and he found a toy camera. He picked it up, held it up to his face, pretended to push the button and said "cheese". He did it over and over again, so apparently he knows how to say cheese for the camera now. Guess we'll have to see just how cheesy he gets.

Our Weekend

So Paul's out of town again. He left for Baltimore yesterday morning and gets back Tuesday afternoon if everything goes well. We miss him and Jack is very aware of his absence. Jack went looking for Paul at church today after I picked him up from the nursery. I set him down and he took off running and yelling "Daaaad". He went right to the place where we normally meet with friends after church. It was both very sweet and sad. (Sorry honey. I know how hard it is for you to be away. He won't remember this and he knows you love him!) I choose to focus on how adorable it is that Jack loves his daddy so much. And I tell him every day that Paul is gone how much his daddy loves him and misses him. 
Yesterday we had lunch with some good friends and Jack got to spend some time with his friends as well. He and Caleb had a lot of fun chasing each other in circles around the house. They love when there is room to run. The kids finished eating lunch before the adults....big surprise and Caleb and Jack went into the other room to play. It was fairly quiet so I poked my head in expecting to see them getting in trouble but instead it was the cutest sight. Caleb was playing quietly in a corner and Jack had crawled up in the rocking chair and was just sitting quietly rocking away with his hands in his lap. It totally cracked me up for some reason. Cute kids.
This evening I'm babysitting for the Lyons. Chanda surprised Matt with tickets to the Bears game...lucky ducks. So anyway, while I was preparing dinner the girls were upstairs playing and Jack was watching a show in the living room by the kitchen. He crawled up right by their dog, Lexi, and was all snuggled with her. He had his arm resting on her back just watching TV. They were so cute. I tried to get a picture but by the time I found the camera he had gotten up, probably to figure out what I was doing in the other room.He really likes Lexi, which is funny because if I was Jack's size I don't think I would like Lexi. She's an energetic boxer who is always getting up in Jack's face and licking him and sometimes knocking him over. But whatever, Jack loves Lexi.
So that's our weekend. We're looking forward to Paul coming home and Thanksgiving this week.

Christmas Lights

Last night Paul and Jack hung up a few Christmas lights outside. Every year while it's still fairly nice out Paul says he should put up the lights outside. And every year he doesn't and then they either don't go up or it's snowy and freezing when they go up. But not this year! Paul and Jack actually put them up last night. Jack enjoyed holding the lights and watching his hands and fingers glow. And he did a great job putting the lights on the bushes. Apparently he didn't think they were enough though because he started decorating the bushes with leaves. Don't worry though, we won't turn them on until after Thanksgiving.

Putting leaves on the bushes.

Mommy's Little Helper

So in keeping with my proud mom theme from yesterday I thought I should mention some of the things Jack has been learning lately. I'm not sure when this first started but probably within the past month or two  I realized that Jack had the ability to follow simple directions. So we've been working really hard on obeying and being a little helper. He puts his hat, coat and shoes away. He's still quite particular about this too. They all just go in a bin in the closet, but if he misses and something lands on the floor near the bin he absolutely feels the need to get it right. I'm guessing it won't last but how great if it does. He also is my laundry helper. He helps me sort the clothes by following my directions for which pile an item goes in. Yes, he does often make a bigger mess of things than if he didn't help, but it's so cute to see him try and it's good practice. He also helps me load the dryer by pushing the wet clothes in after I put them on the door. This weekend he helped me unload the dishwasher by handing me the silverware and putting the measuring spoons in the drawer I pointed to. He also loves throwing things away, especially his diapers. And yesterday Paul taught him what the recycling bin is so now he will put recycling away when asked. We've also been working on picking up toys, especially when he makes a big mess with blocks or balls. Sometimes he puts up a fight, but usually he just picks up when I ask him to. Perhaps if we start now and stay consistent he will be better at these things than his mommy!


Oh yeah....and he also likes to take his plate from the table to the kitchen after dinner. This evening he got down from dinner went off for a minute and then came running back like he really wanted something. Paul put him back on his chair and he grabbed his plate then wanted down so he could bring it to me in the kitchen. It's so cute.

Proud Mama, Blessed Wife

Jack made his first Sunday School art project today. He colored a picture. Doesn't seem like much but it made me so proud and excited. Though it makes him seem like more of a toddler. Of course I hung it on the fridge as soon as we got home. Then this evening while Jack was playing he went to get into his car. Often when he gets in his car he waves and says bye bye. Tonight was no different except in one major way. He said "bye bye dad". He put two words together! I was so excited. I've been trying to get him to put two words together for a couple of weeks and he finally did it. What a smart kid we've got :-) On top of those two proud moments Paul stayed home with Jack all day doing laundry and starting dinner while I went out with Chanda running errands, Christmas shopping and making returns. It was a lovely time out with a friend and no kids and so kind and wonderful of Paul to take over for the day. I'm very blessed to have such a thoughtful husband.

Mikayla Roth

It was a pretty mundane week as far as weeks go until yesterday when our friend Tanya went into labor. At 2:21 this morning the Roth's welcomed little Mikayla Nicole into the world. She is 6 pounds 13 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Paul and I had the opportunity to visit the newly expanded Roth family this afternoon at the hospital. Mikayla is a beautiful baby with a headful of dark hair. I personally liked her hat which Nate picked out, orange so she's a little pumpkin. I also really enjoyed holding her. It's wonderful to hold your own new baby but that comes with so many more emotions and so much more responsability, not to mention the exhaustion of just delivering. Holding other people's new babies is just fun and they feel so good in my arms.

Catching Up

Last night was my Shutterfly House Party. I thought it went really well and I had a great time hanging out with my sisters and friends. We had good food and good conversation and it never hurts to leave a party with free stuff. I didn't work on my book at all because of course I was more interested in talking, but I am looking forward to making a book of our honeymoon. It's one of the only trips Paul and I have gone on together since getting married that I don't have a photo book of. So last night was a lot of fun and my sisters and nephew spent the night which was fun too. We stayed up entirely too late talking. Didn't go to bed until 2. But it's worth it to spend some quality time with family. In other exciting news, Paul got home this morning (he landed at 7:30, yuck)! We hadn't seen each other since October 23rd. Jack and I missed him very much and were very excited for his return. Of course we were all tired from our late nights and early mornings so we had a pretty low key day which is nice. Hopefully he'll be home for a while now. I should go to bed, cause like I said we are all tired. But I read Goers' blog and I saw that she was putting me to shame, so I'm trying to catch up on my blogging.

Yummy Soup

So I'm taking a page from my friend Megan's blog and posting a recipe. I always enjoy trying new recipes and occasionally I come across one that is good enough to make it into my "go to" recipe collection. This recipe is one of them and I have Amanda to thank for introducing it to me. I've had it several times this week and served it at my party last night with great success. So here it is. Enjoy!

Mandi's Cheesy Potato Soup


By: Mandi Foreman


"A hearty soup that is very creamy and delicious. Warms you up on a cold winter day. Easily doubles or triples to make extra servings and tastes even better after it's been reheated. Best of all, it's easy to make!"


Ingredients

5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons steak seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups shredded four-cheese blend  

Directions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine potatoes, carrot, celery, water and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Once tender, stir in milk.
2. In a small bowl, combine melted margarine, flour, steak seasoning and pepper. Stir into soup, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Blowing off Steam

We started a new toddler tumbling class at the Y today. I was really excited about it and thought Jack would really like it, but once again my high expectations were my downfall. Jack loved parts of it and hated other parts. He threw several tantrums and the "teacher" just seemed to make things worse. She kept asking me if he was teething or if he missed his nap or what is making him so upset. Look lady, my kid doesn't like being told what to do, especially when it means he has to stop doing what he's having so much fun doing. He doesn't like a roomful of wild strangers and he doesn't like strangers getting up in his face when he's trying to throw a tantrum. He's 1. Isn't this all fairly normal? And no coming to class early will not help him be more comfortable. As much as I would prefer to just never go back I know that's not the answer. I know that if we keep going he will get used to the routine of the class and he won't get so upset. But I needed to vent.

Happy Birthday Micah!

Today we went down to Morris to celebrate Micah's 1st birthday. Hard to believe he turned one last Tuesday.

The kids had a blast playing together. Amanda let them play with Micah's new water table in the kitchen so they all stripped down to diapers and splashed away. No surprise here, Jack made the biggest mess but had a blast splashing and pushing buttons and trying drink the water. He also spent a great deal of the day running from the water table in the kitchen to the living room and back again. Not totally sure of the point of his little game or what made it so interesting but he seemed to enjoy touching the water and then running a lot.

Micah got a lot of great gifts for his birthday. The kids had a great time playing with them all afternoon. Here he is sitting in the middle of the wrapping paper mess with on eof his toys, his new dump truck.

The whole party was finished off with a finale of cake and ice cream. Micah was sorta interested in his cake, but he hardly ate any of it. Guess he's not much of a cake person. Grandpa made his signature ice cream which Micah seemed to enjoy along with most everyone else. Jack usually isn't interested in cake and ice cream, but he said he wanted some so we tried. He took a few bites of cake and actually ate the ice cream I have him.

Stinkin' Cute Skunk

Yes, we did dress Jack up for Halloween this year and take him trick or treating. Sadly, Paul is in Virginia so he had to miss the festivities. Our neighbors gave us a costume a few months ago and since it fit him and it was free I decided that we could go out trick or treating this year. However, I sorta thought it seemed silly for just Jack and I to go so we went with our friends in their neighborhood and it turned out to be a nice time. Jack was a skunk, Darby was June, and Elena was Annie both from the Little Einsteins. Chanda made their costumes and they were really cute. Unfortunately it was quite chilly when we went out so coats covered up a lot of their costumes. As far as my son....oh my....he knew that he made an stinkin' cute skunk. I taught him how to wave his hand in front of his nose when asked what a skunk says, cause I really wasn't sure what a skunk says. He drew looks and comments everywhere he went. And he loved to go running wildly down the sidewalk. He did a good job collecting candy and really had a lot of fun with the whole thing. After trick or treating we all donned tin foil and went for a free dinner at Chipotle. For dinner at Chipotle on Halloween if you are wearing at least some tin foil on yourself you can get free dinner. The funniest thing was when we walked in the restraunt after a minute or two of standing in line all the sudden nearly every eye was on us looking at Jack. He drew attention everywhere he went in his costume and he totally ate up the attention and put on the charm. The kid definitly knows how to work it.

Look How Cute I Am

He was so excited, I'm really not sure why.

Chasing after Darby...I mean June.

Trick or Treat!

Skunk Down!

Enjoying the fruits of his labor-M&Ms.

Side Notes from the Last Few Days

A few more pictures from our time in Morton this past week. We were fortunate to get to spend quite a bit of time with Kyle and Nicole. Kyle and Jack are incredibly exhausting when their together, but they play together pretty well and seem to enjoy each others company. They are sorta like monkeys, one does something good or bad and the other decides they must do it too. They enjoyed some time watching Curious George together, bouncing on the classic bouncy horse, vaccuming, ironing, pushing trucks around, playing in curtains, trying on adult sized shoes and so much more.

Another fun/cute thing that is recent is Jack's phone skills. With Paul being gone Jack has had several phone conversations with his Daddy. And surprisingly he actually seems to be having a conversation. Paul will ask what a doggy says and Jack will tell him. Paul says something funny and Jack laughs. Paul asks a question and Jack says yup. And then at the end Jack says bye bye and blows kisses. It is so cute. The first picture here Jack was talking to his Grandma and the second picture he was talking to his Daddy.

Leaf Party with Grandpa

Sunday after church Jack and I had a wonderful time playing outdoors at my parents house. The weather was beautiful and the fall leaves were abundant to say the least. Dad was working on raking to try and keep the leaves out of the pond so Jack and I pitched in to help out. It ended up being a fabulous time of hanging out with a wonderful Dad and Grandpa. Jack had a great time helping put the leaves in the wheelborrow, running through the piles we worked so hard to rake, and taking wheelborrow rides. He also tried to feed the neighbor horses some leaves and did a little exploring around my parents house. It felt good to be out in the fresh air working hard and spending time with Dad. Perhaps we can do things like this more often and Dad's hard work ethic will rub off on Jack!

P.S. It was a little sad that the next morning so many more leaves had fallen that you could hardly telll we'd raked 75 wheelborrows full of leaves.