22 months of Jonesy

I love this guy.  He was covered in dirt from the playground and dinner but we still took his picture (for some reason they look blurry in real life they aren't?) 

Dear Jonesy -

You are 22 months and so full of Joy.

Everything is exciting.  

The day I took these photos you woke up from your nap and requested "party".

"Yes" I said we decided to go to the park and out to dinner for "party".  

At the park you climbed the big kid ladder like a boss.  Holy cow you are getting so brave.

You still love ball especially "hoop ball", but you are so into soccer too you ask me every day about soccer.  

You have a new found interest in noises outside birds, rain, wind etc.  

You love going to feed the ducks.

You speak in sentences. 

I am slowly breaking you of wanting to watch Elmo by replacing it with other fun activities.  

You still like to call someone everyday.  You usually associate them to their relation to cats aka "meows".

You learned to open doors recently and opened your bedroom door and the fridge door (lookout).

You love it when I pick out a shirt with a ball on it.

We read Old McDonald had a Farm and Wheels on the bus in heavy rotation. (You like to sing along with them).

You love to use glue sticks, eyeballs, and scissors in craft projects.

You also throughly enjoy live music and are thrilled when we go someplace where there's a band.

You try and negotiate with me on things like snacks or goodies requesting 2 marshmallows not one or two stickers not one.

You sign please rather than say it.

And you continue to call auntie Kathleen more daddy although you have learned to say "KATHY" instead of Kathleen.  

You love Nana and Lita like crazy and often cry for them to come back when they leave.

You call Uncle JJ Deedee or DayDay and uncle Rob You call Row.  You have also started requesting to call them on the phone when nana or Lita aren't answering.  

Oh what fun you are.

Love you lots.

Mommy

#100yeses

I have been thinking more and more about the "theme" or "one little word" of the year it's number 50 on my 2016 list.  And I decided a while back after reading the "Year of Yes" that I liked that idea however theme wasn't going to be Yes.  I ended up deciding on "Here & Now".  Basically I want to be more present, live more in the moment and just be content to be right "here" in this space right "now".  

Be here in our tiny bungalow right now.

Be here with my toddler playing right now. 

Be here with my infant nursing right now. 

Be here fixing a less than gourmet lunch of spinach and pasta with my husband right now.

Be here in the mess of giant piles of laundry and toys strung out everywhere now.

Be here out in the yard now not annoyed or Bothered that my grass is unevenly cut or that I missed a whole big section. 

Just Here & Now.  

Part of this sponed my #100yeses project which started on 4/19.  For the next 100 days I am planning to say yes at least 100 times, even if I want to say no.  I especially want to do this with Jones I find myself saying "no don't step in that puddle", "no don't get in that drawer", "no don't open that". Lots of no's so I started saying "Yes".

so far I said...

1.Yes let's pretend cook in the kitchen and yes food coloring is essential.

2. Yes to painting and even mixing colors on the paints. 

3. Yes let's eat ice cream and watch horses.

4. Yes stare at the fish tank as long as you want.

5. Yes to being a ridiculous unicorn at a party. 

It's actually been fun.

Oh and on a side note my blog this space is now 10 years old.  Never saw that one coming.  

Thea 2 months

Look she's not screaming not in the SLR photos either!  

Dear Theaburf - 

We've arrived at 2 months magically.  We got here and you seem to have found some contentment in sitting by yourself for longer periods of time.  Here's a list of things about you: 

- You sleep around 9-10 hours straight thru like a champ. 

- You nurse like a pro although you have been spitting up lately.  

- Your level of patience with jones is so good.  If he wants to give you a pacifier you take it, if he wants to hold you you let him, if he wants to patty cake your feet no big deal, you will even hold a marker and color with him.  so good.

- You starting swatting at things.

- You are attempting to roll over too when angry.

- You are growing eyebrows and eye lashes and I think your hair will be red.

- You finally stopped screaming at every diaper change and now only scream 75% of them.

- We take you out in public often and you normally are super calm when out.  

- People always comment on how small you are when I tell them your age - I guess they think you should be 12 lbs.

- we met another baby at church who is just a few days older than you.  

- we haven't been in for your two month checkup yet but I would guess you weigh close to 9 lbs.  

- mommy thinks you look like daddy.

- mommy loves how perfect your little fingers are. 

- mommy likes when you reach around for my finger when nursing so we can hold hands.

Love you bunches! 

Mommy

30 - Make and Eat Salad 1:10 Spinach Twist

So I put this on the list to experiment a little my salads are usually boring lettuce + carrots and Italian or vinegar dressing.  But I like salad.  So this is going to be experimenting with things I have on hand or bought for something else to make salad.  

Anyhow salad 1 is kind of a twist on a regular spinach salad.  

Ingredients:

Spinach

Chopped Onion 

Chopped green pepper 

Shredded cheese 

Crushed almond for crunch

Dried cranberries.

Fried egg yolks runny

I tossed everything into a bowl.  I used the yolk as dressing.

It was pretty good I wished for more crunch since my spinach was starting to wilt and my peppers and onions we softer since they were leftovers. But overall it was tasty. I liked the yolk as dressing it was pretty tasty paired with the spinach and cranberry.  

Family photos March

I remembered a few times about family photos it's hard to intergrate adding in the baby.  And Jonesy can be moody or confused.  But we're still trying.  This first one is from Dustin birthday hotel stay.  Jonesy was struggling with sleeping.

This next one is from a trip to the park.  Jones was angry about leaving the basketball court. 

Egg dying.  This was fun.

There's a whole bunch from Easter lots from our egg hunt at the farm.  And then some from our picnic in the park.

25 - A class for Jones Soccer

One of the things I wanted to do this year was sign jones up for a class.  When I found out they offered both baseball and soccer for kids 18-24 months - I was pumped especially after discovering that baby gym was $200 for 10 sessions and they started at 5.  So I signed him up for soccer since I was a little concerned he might be dangerous with a bat.  

Anyhow his first class was Saturday.   He kept thinking he was going to "shoot ball" class despite what we explained.  

Dustin was on the field with him while I was watching Thea.  They have the kids do about 8 - 5 to 7 minute activities.  They worked on stretching and running and kicking.  Stomping bubbles. Building cone towers. And parachute.  Jones kept wanting to throw the ball but he started to get it.  

Jones loved every minute of the it.  He was smiling and excited the whole time.  He especially liked the parachute and threw a fit when parachute was over he wanted "more".  It was so cute to watch until he melted down.

The whole ride home actually he kept asking to go back to soccer.  I explained that we only go on Saturdays and we had to wait until next week.  He's been asking me several times a day if it's soccer day or kick ball day.  It's so cute anyhow how I think it was a win and I look forward to taking him next week.

23 - 529 Plan for Thea

So I was looking at my list http://katajone.blogspot.com/2016/01/2016-52-goals.html?m=1 the other day thinking I should do something on it.  And  I did an easy one.  I opened Baby Thea a 529 plan.  It took all of ten minutes but it makes you feel so grown up.  Anyhow it was good to cross something off I have a lot of things in the works or that stretc all year. 

Jones 21 months

We took your 21 month pictures a little late, at a mural in fountain square.  You were actually really excited but not that the sun was in your eyes.  Many of the photos you had your back to me or were squinting and as a result but that's real life so I just embraced it.

Dear Jonesy -

It's such a joy to be your parent.  You are all personality even when you are cranky or telling me no no no.  Things of note this month -

You talk up a storm, most of the time I understand you but sometime it sounds like jibberish.

Some of my favorite sayings of yours - 

- Ducks eat French Fries

- Play hoop ball.

- Yaa. Um yaa.

- Pictures mama. cheeeese. pictures. 

You love going outside and riding your bike and have the best time if we walk to the park.

You are shy around people you don't know well but eventually you warm up to them especially when mommy or daddy are around.

You practice your basketball everyday and can hit many shots.

You even have been catching rebounds.

You learned how to jump this month and it's so priceless when you take a jump shot.

You are very independent and want to walk by yourself in the parking lot we usually get you to stay with us by asking you to March.

When you are tired you look for a quilt (no blankets) and will often curl up on the floor.  

Sometimes you pretend to be the baby and will climb in Thea's car seat or rocker.  We try not to make a big deal of it so you are not jealous.

You can count to ten now but you don't really know how many ten is.

You know several books and can read along with me like Monkeys Jumping on the bed, Goodnight Moon, Bubbles Bubbles.

You also know new songs - Wheels on the Bus, Alphabet Song, and Twinkle Twinkle.

We made you busy bags for when mommy is feeding Thea and daddy is at work - and you loooove the glue stick one and the eyeballs.

You've been eating better favorites are still eggs and beans, but you also enjoy cookies, lunchmeat, popcorn, pretzels, watermelon, yogurt, bananas, apples and oranges. And you will eat adult portions of chili and taco fixings (no shells)

You started watching Elmo at some point and we can't stand it - mostly because you are obbessed but he doesn't teach you much.

We have resorted to using Elmo as a reward.

When we leave you like to say goodbye to everything and sometimes you include "I ove you" with it like "bye slide I ove you", "bye daddy I ove you".

You love going to the museum and get so excited before we even get inside.

We've been struggling with bedtime and issues with listening lately but we are getting into a balance and we actually have only had a few timeouts this month.

You are getting so grownup little guy.  

Love you so much.

Mommy