Kidbits: Our Life in a Series of Face Book Updates... Part 16

Earlier this evening, Jason came in and said he made a trebuchet. We could not for the life of us figure out what he was talking about even though he pronounced it several times for his dense parents. Thanks to google for telling us it's a catapult! And thanks to Mike the Knight for teaching him French.

May 29, 2012

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"There was a farmer who had a dog...named Underpants!" then they'd both start laughing hysterically. This joke's been around for a few days now. It hasn't lost its humor yet. Sigh.

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Shawn told me the other night that the best part of the whole day was having Mac and Cheese for dinner.

Really? That's the best part of your day? Not snuggling with momma? Or playing with your brother? I guess I need to make things more exciting around these parts. lol

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Shawn likes the song "We are young" by Fun. There is something so wrong (but funny to me) about my kid singing about "the bar close(ing) and you feel like falling down, I'll carry you home...tonight."

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Shawn now asks questions and tells me how I'm supposed to respond. "Momma, can I go outside? Please?"

Before I can answer, he adds, "Say yes, okay?"

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Seems my little Shawnie has an eclectic taste in music. He's totally rocking out to Prince, Def Leppard, and some Beastie Boys.

May 28, 2012

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And the other one is totally rocking out to Vanilla Ice! Lol. We've got all the *cough* classics covered. :-)

May 28, 2012

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May have traumatized my child (Jason) while explaining what an eclipse is. He keeps yelling, "I don't want the moon to block the sun! Make it stop!"

Oopsie.

May 20, 2012

(Jason told me just tonight that his big ole noggin was eclipsing my view of the television. When he learns a term, he LEARNS a term!"

14 Months Old

14 months old

Weight: Jack weighs 24.5 ish pounds

Length: I'm going to say a solid 33 inches long

Wearing: size 4 Huggies diapers (with the overnight diapers at bedtime), 18 month clothes. He is able to comfortably wear size 24 sleepers.

Feedings: Jack drinks 25 ounces of milk a day. We continue to work on transitioning him to table food. Things are getting better. He has managed to eat a few meals all on his own without baby food. Yea! Waffles are a big plus in his book.

Favorites: Jack still loves to play chase. He laughs hysterically and tries his hardest to get away as fast as possible. lol. He loves to go into the big boys' room and play on their beds. He also is climbing all over everything. A new fun thing for him is to steal his brother's juice cups. Oh boy does he get mad when you take them away from him!

Least Favorites: Not getting his way.

Issues: Other than the eternally teething, he seems to be doing just fine.

Personality: Jack has has developed a 'tude and has definite opinions as to what he should and should not be doing. lol

Areas to work on: Jack is still mastering the fine art of walking. He hasn't yet taken the plunge and gone on his own. I am MORE than okay with him not walking. Jeez, I cringe at the thought of him being busier than he already is!

New Things: This month has brought the discovery of food. So far, fruits, waffles, and quesadillas are the big hits.

Randomness: Jack now has all of his teeth except his upper canines. Those teeth will likely be in within the next week. I cannot wait until this poor guy is done with teething. It has been a brutal month for him as far as teeth are concerned.

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Some things Jack is expected to do: (milestones for fourteen months)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)

• Eats with fingers - Yes
• Empties containers of contents -Yes. Are we sure we really like them to do this? Sigh.
• Imitates others - Yes.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)

• Toddles well - No.
• Initiates games - Yes.
• Points to one body part when asked - No. I admit to not really working with him on that. Um, probably should get on that.
• Responds to instructions (e.g., "give me a kiss") - Yes, when he wants to.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)

• Uses a spoon or fork - Nope, unless this means uses them to play with...
• Matches lids with appropriate containers - Hm. I don't know. I haven't really given him the opportunity to try this skill.
• Pushes and pulls toys while walking - No. Not walking, so there goes that. lol

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Jack's two month stats are here.
Jack's three month stats are here.
Jack's four month stats are here.
Jack's five month stats are here.
Jack's six month stats are here.
Jack's seventh month stats are here.
Jack's eighth month stats are here.
Jack's nine month stats are here.
Jack's ten month stats are here.
Jack's eleven month stats are here.
Jack's birthday celebration is here.
Jack's twelve month stats are here.
Jack's thirteen month stats are here.

  

No Expectations

The zoo was a lot of fun.
In order to capitalize on the fun, I've learned that the best way to enjoy an outing is to go into it without any expectations as to how the day will go. Sure, I plan some aspects of the trip, but the boys are their own people with their own likes and dislikes, which shocking as it may be, may not be the same likes and dislikes as their parents. And as you know, the likes and dislikes of the toddler set are a constantly changing force in themselves. You never know if what they liked last time will be the same as what they'll like this time. If I got all worked up about what I thought we should be doing/experiencing at every single moment, none of us would have any fun.

So I try not to get worked up any more. (While I am not always successful, I am getting better.) Anyway, we direct the boys to things we'd like them to see, but we do allow them the chance to do what they want to do also.

Take for instance, what each boy enjoyed from yesterday's adventure:

For Shawn, he enjoyed playing in their grass the most. That was what he wanted to do the moment we strolled through the gates until the moment we left. He wanted down so he could explore, and to him that meant being on the grass. He also discovered a gopher hole, which was very fascinating. (We tried really hard to not think about how expensive him visiting grass was yesterday.)

For Jason, I think one of his best moment was learning that bathrooms can be called restrooms. That has carried over into today, as I have told him every single name I can think of to call a bathroom. He also enjoyed trying to stand on one leg like the flamingos, eating the hot dogs & fries he had for lunch (which were gross!), and examining all the "wild" rocks! and "jungle" stairs! he saw along the path.

Sigh. People, I can't make this stuff up.

It was Jack's first time at the zoo, and he is only one. Imagine our surprise that he enjoyed pulling on my hair and taking off his hat. He watched the people, laughed at the kids, and occasionally glanced in the general direction of an animal I was trying to make him see.

So much for animal watching, right? lol

Wait...

Shawn did enjoy the animals. I almost forgot! Of course those animals were of the cookie kind, but still.

That is something!

What we do may not always be the picture perfect experience, but it is our experience. That's what makes it fun.

In the end, I think we still had a well rounded zoo adventure. :-)

A Day at the Zoo!

Just a quick post because Blogger took forever and a day to load these photos and now I am tired. lol.

Today we went to the zoo. It's the first time Jack has been, and the first time we've gone as a family of five. I have to say that this whole being outnumbered thing can get tricky when everyone wants something. right. this. minute. and you are outmanned. But, we prevailed and everyone had a fun time. :-)

The highlights in pictures... (again, blame Blogger for the lack of captions)

We can't wait to go back!

Sandbox

The big boys got to play with their new sandbox today. Jason had a great time making sandballs (the California version of a snowball) while Shawn tried to make the whole patio a sandbox. Isaac tried to show them the fine art of building a sandcastle to no avail. Ahem. To each his own, I suppose.

Anywho, I do think they enjoyed it, and this will be another fun thing to do when mommy sends the boys outside to play this summer. It's a score for all of us! lol

Digging in.

Smashing daddy's sand sculptures.

Sandball #1!

Look at that evil grin. He was told to stop throwing sand
on to the concrete. You can guess by his look as to whether or not
he did. :-)

Trying to bury his hand in the sand.
The beach is going to blow his mind. (No we haven't
been to the beach yet. Don't judge!)

Say cheese, daddy!

This is sooooo fun!

Everyone's hard at work.

So as to not leave out Jack, here's a cute one of him from yesterday...

The happy boy (at the moment) drinking his water. :-)

Cute Baby (and Daddy) Saturday

Daddy and his mini me...

Five for Friday

Five things I want to remember from the week...

1. The new knock, knock joke: Knock, knock. Who's there? Ready. Ready who? Ready, set, blast off! (again with the laughter) I love watching how excited they are when they've finished telling a joke. They could have told the joke a hundred times, but that excitement never leaves. I wish I could capture that emotion for them and pull it out whenever I need.
2. The boys have started a new series of exercises to work their glutes. It is too cute to see them do their reps of donkey kicks and clam exercises. We have found that we have to be a bit creative to keep their interest/desire to do the work. Tonight, Shawn was motivated by my iPhone while Jay wanted to read his new magazine with daddy. Hey. Whatever it takes, right? :-)
3. Jack has a runny nose again. Boo. The poor guy just can't seem to catch a break. I'm trying to take the "glass is half full" mentality by savoring the extra snuggles I'm getting. I do love me some snuggles!
4. The boys got a new sandbox today. I can't wait until the weather improves (it's very windy right now) and we get to try it out. We now have an inflatable pool and a sandbox. I'm even contemplating getting a swing set for them. These boys are going to be set for summer vacation! Thankfully, that vacation starts only 13 work days from now.
5. Jack has decided that he should no longer have to use his own hands when we play patty cake. Instead, he now prefers to grab my hands and make my hands clap. Personally, I think this new way is more work for him, but he thinks it's funny. It cracks me up, too!

Throwback to Yesteryear

I once again spent the night looking back over the pictures I've taken. Oh man it blows my mind to see how much these boys have changed!

Tonight I bring you pictures from this same day in 2008. The boys were not quite 7 months old actual (4 months adjusted). :-)

Shawnie snoozing on his mini boppy pillow.

Jason chewing on his toy. From what I saw in the pictures,
Jason had just sprouted his two bottom teeth 4 years ago this week.

A picture of Jack at roughly the same age.

I can see glimpses of Jack in both of his older brothers. Somehow these three boys managed to look just like themselves yet like each other. Genetics is a fascinating thing, I tell you!

Mostly Wordless Wednesday - Mmm, Mmm Good

Jason cooked spaghetti.* It was delicious!

I made it for you, mommy. You should try it.
It's mmm, mmm good!

If only he'd eat the real thing. Sigh.

*And by spaghetti I mean lint and a melted ice cube. The ice cube was his sauce. :-)

Tuesday Three

Random shots of my three guys doing what they do.

Shawn on the shelf.
Why? I'm not sure. He wanted to be up there. lol

Joe cool.

Play hard. Sleep hard.

Oh, and bonus one of the big boys and I...

on a skateboard! We just crashed into the table. :)

Monday Moments - More Hanging in the Backyard

Here's a few pictures from the weekend...

Jason's working on his green thumb. I think this may be
the first time that poor lemon tree has been watered since in rained!

Shawn was having a great time grouping leaves.

A little artwork :-)

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Today marks a full year of posting every single day! Not too shabby for a silly 30 day challenge, if I do say so myself.

Solar Eclipse

The excitement for today was a solar eclipse.

We started the adventure with a description of what was happening to the sun; however, I may have traumatized one of my children while I was explaining. It took quite a while before he stopped yelling, "I don't want the moon to block the sun! Make it stop!"

He even made an appeal for Siri's help.

Oopsie.

Anyway, once everyone understood that the world was not going to end when the moon blocked some of the sun, we had some fun.

We held out our hands to look at the crescent shaped shadows on the brick wall.

As we were taking pictures of my hands, I glanced to the left and saw the sun shining through the leaves created the same crescent shaped shadows.

A whole bunch of mini eclipses right on my wall. :-)

The crescents continued to change as it progressed.
I'm such a geek when it comes to this kind of thing.

The last shot before it was over.

It was very cool!

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(Maybe I explained the whole "eclipse" concept too well? lol. You be the judge.)

Solar Eclipse of another kind, as told by Jason after helping Daddy change Jack's diaper...

Jason: "Hey mommy, I think I just saw an eclipse."
Mommy: "You did?"
Jason: "Yeah, daddy said Jack just eclipsed his moons!"
He then broke into hysterical laughter.
Mommy: "Um..."

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While daddy was trying to read something on his phone.

Jason: "Hey dad, I'm gonna eclipse your phone with my head."

I'm sure we're going to be hearing about the eclipse for a long time to come. :-)

March for Babies 2012

Today was our March for Babies walk, and I have to say we couldn't have asked for a better day.

The weather was beautiful--bright, sunny, and happy.

We were there with people we love.

We were surrounded by others who truly "get it" and understand what our family experienced because they went through it, too. As I watched these families touched by prematurity, it was clear there was strength in them. Resilience. Determination. Fight. And such love.

We were there to celebrate the miracles here with us or here no longer.

But most importantly, we were there, united together, to prevent other families from having to experience prematurity.

For me, it was a pretty powerful day. I am so glad we did it!

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Your generous support helped 3 for Team Lopez meet and surpass our $1000 fundraising goal. Really, I am just blown away. At last count, our team had raised $1295! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all you have done. To those of you who donated and walked with us today, we are forever grateful for your love and support!

If you would still like to donate to the March of Dimes, it's not too late!

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Registration for today's walk started at 7 am. For those of you who know me, you know that I am not a morning person. Frankly, my boys are not morning people either. lol.

We decided to divide the boys up to hopefully make things go a bit smoother. I took Jack and the rest of the walkers early to get us registered. My hope was that Jack would be the most likely to go back to sleep in the car once we got on the road. (I thought wrong! Too many ladies with whom to flirt!)

Here we are just after registering while we waited for Isaac
and the big boys to get there.

Isaac and the big boys came later. We hoped that the extra sleep would help prevent the "you got me up too early" cranks. While they weren't thrilled to be up and about, they were generally in a good mood today. :-)

Just starting the walk!

The whole team! (well, minus me)

The walk was three miles long. It started in Rancho Tapo Park in Simi Valley. We walked around the park, then through some neighborhood streets, and wound our way back to the park.

Hope, Yvette, and Martha

Laura, Martha, and Mona

Waving at the honking cars

The team (minus Isaac)

We finished the walk and took our group photo. We don't look too shabby for just having walked 3 miles!

Group photo! The whole team: Isaac, me, Hope, Yvette
Mona, Laura, Martha, Shawn, Jason, and Jack

Kisses for Tia Martha
Shawnie has a way with the ladies...

Daddy and Jay chillaxin on the stroller

Shawnie playing in the grass

The corporate sponsors of the event provided food and water for everyone.

We were all starving afterward. Yea for food!

They also had a t-shirt contest. Clifford the Big Red Dog was the judge.

Isaac and Jason are on the stage showing off our shirt.

Waiting to hear who won.

We didn't win, but we did have pretty cool shirts, if I do say so myself. :-)

While we ate, daddy took the boys to the play area. Jason loved the rocks.

Jason swears this is a lucky rock.

Once we got home, I had to take a picture of our MVPs with their daddy.

Look at how handsome they are!