Taking the train

Today I, and nine other awesome moms took our kids on a train ride. The morning started out with Jack literally crying his eyes out in the car and telling me "Momma, me having a hard time" I asked him what would make him feel better inside and he told me that a donut would help (HA!). So we made a short detour over to the donut store, and then continued on to the train station much happier for the short stop. (as a side note, am I teaching my kid to find comfort in food? I guess I will work on that one on a day when I am feeling more worthy of the task and less like a chocolate bunny would help me make it through the rest of my day :). For today, the donut really worked miracles). We met our friends at the Sunnyvale station in the morning and rode the train up to Palo Alto. We then walked over to the Creamery for a yummy lunch. Jack loved the train. He was so super excited to be on the train, and even more thrilled by the fact that he was riding backwards on the way home.

The second best thing about the activity, Jack came home and took a nap!!
The absolute best thing about it, Jack and I had a blast spending the day together :)

Happy 28th Birthday to Zack

It's funny the closer we get to 30, the younger 30 seems to sound. :)

Zack took his birthday off and we headed down to Santa Cruz for surfing and fun.



First, Zack and Jack played in the FREEZING cold water. Jack came up to me after a few minutes and informed me that we have to buy him a wet suit like Papa. The boys had a blast in the water. Poor Jack got stripped down to his onesie because I totally spaced and forgot a separate change of close for him. After playing together, Zack went off to surf and the rest of us headed over to the boardwalk for games and rides. Jack loved the carousel and also tried his hand at the race car driving ride. The ride was slow until it whipped us around the corner. Jack got so scared that he put his head in my lap and refused to sit up or open his eyes until the ride was over.

Zack had a great time surfing and after a quick stop for food, and a dentist appointment (Zack's logic: have a dentist appointment on your birthday and it's a sick day off work) we regrouped for dinner at In-n-out and then a two-can cake (think chocolate cake with two cans of frosting).



The cake pan overflowed in the oven, and sunk a bit under the weight off the frosting, but it was so good! Despite having to sing Happy birthday twice, the first time I accidentally sung Happy birthday to Jack (oops) it was a great day!


Happy, happy birthday Zack!

Easter Actvities

We had a fantastic Easter made even better by chocolate bunnies that kept appearing at our door! (thank you Grandma and Grandpa Z - Jack was so excited to get the box, and this time I even let him open it). We took Jack to his first real Easter Egg hunt on Saturday morning over to the park. He was very excited for it, until he saw the basketball hoop and realized he had to wait and look for eggs before he could play basketball. Once he realized that the eggs were filled with chocolate he agreed to postpone basketball, at least temporarily.

Jack and I made a great Easter Egg hunting team and managed to get lots of candy from the hunt. Of course he ate way too much of it (I haven't quite figured out how to tell him no he can't eat all the candy he worked so hard to find).


And finally, the main event...


Later that day we dyed easter eggs. I told Jack we would write his name on one of the eggs and then dye it. Jack then said "j - a - c!" Yes, he forgot the k, but how cool is it that he can mostly spell his name! :)
Happy Easter!!

**Notice the lame blue cord cutting our dinning room in half...I still can't get my computer to acknowledge I have a wireless connection. So sad.**

Why oh Why?

Why oh why won't my kid nap anymore??? This wasn't supposed to happen to me.

So Jack hasn't napped since Friday (it's Wednesday today). We went out this morning to his sports class, during which he preferred to lie face up on his back in the middle of the room instead of participate in anything other then basketball. Then we went to the park with Connor and Addison and Jack had fun as long as he was doing what he wanted, when he wanted. Then to the gas station, where, heaven forbid, I just got gas and didn't go in to buy him a cookie. Jack told me that made him mad inside. Then I had the nerve to go to the store to buy his favorite yogurt drinks and after Jack ran all over the store (despite his promises that he would be good and follow the rules, which he even recited back to me "Stay with momma and papa and don't run away" if I didn't strap him into the shopping cart) and spinning the rack of sunglasses so hard that sunglasses flew EVERYWHERE, I had the gall to pick him up and not let him go until we were back in the car. I wouldn't let him open the bread until we got home (we live less then a mile from the store) and I wouldn't play cars with him while I was driving that mile home. Zack called to check in and see how we were doing.

Me: "I'm praying."
Z: "Oh that bad?"

I then carried a tantruming Jack up three flights of stairs with groceries and saw at the door a box from Godiva full of Easter bunnies from my mom. (An answer to that prayer?) and Jack asked if we could open it. I told him it was Momma's box and no he couldn't open it. I then distracted him, took the box into my room, lay down on my bed and ate a bunny all by myself. (fyi Zack jokes that I spend my days eating chocolate in bed, today I proved him right!)

Why oh why won't he take a nap and wake up less whinny and tantrumy (or at least let me take one so I wake up less whinny and tantrumy) Maybe they don't make naps long enough for that to happen???

The Cheese Sandwich Store

Jack loves cheese sandwiches. To be more specific, Jack loves cheese sandwiches from In-n-Out. He can spot a In-n-Out sign anywhere, anytime. Jack has taken his love of In-n-Out a step further and has a special corner of our apartment that he refers to as the cheese sandwich store. He makes me sit down on one side of the stool and welcome him to the cheese sandwich store. He orders the same thing each time, cheese sandwich, french fries (with ketchup), water (with a straw) and playground stickers (those are the ones with the basketball hoops and balls on them). He then hands me money and tells me to go ahead and order something for myself. He patiently waits for me to call his number, and then unwraps his straw, puts it in the water, dips each pretend french fry into the ketchup and gulps down his cheese sandwich. It's all super adorable.

But what does it say about how often we frequent In-n-Out that he can mimic the experience word for word?

Jack sings the ABC's

And if you just have to see more check out the deleted scene.

Momma, you love it?

"Momma, you love it?" is the question of the month.
Yes Jack, I love cars, trains, your blankee, trees, birds, cookies, salads, broccoli, cars, cars, more cars, even more cars, basketballs, hoops, playing basketballs, drawing basketballs, cars, cars and cars. And most of all I love you.

Let's see how this goes... videos from YouTube

Hi Friends,

This is an old video from way back when of Jack's first steps... if this works out you'll probably see more videos soon.

Have a super day!
-Zack

ps. Please feel free to send in requests, we're always looking for creative inspiration!

Too Young for School

Jack wants to go to school. He is dying to go to school. No, not because he wants to learn to read, write, or add, but because the school in our neighborhood has 10 basketball courts. Jack and I see the kids at school during the week and watch the kids at PE running around and playing on the courts while we play at the park next door. He waits (somewhat patiently) for all the kids to go home for the evening or the weekend and then his only desire is to go to school and shoot hoops.

Zack lifts Jack high above his head and Jack shoots. If he misses he tries and tries again. If he makes it, he moves on to the next basketball hoop.





Zack was a trooper despite an injured back. What great fun!

Foot in Mouth Disease

Ever have one of those days when seriously every time you open your mouth your foot jumps in it? Zack has :).

After a number of seriously did you just say that moments, including kissing me and saying "oh Melanie" (*pronounced Melanie, but spelled melon-y referring to the flavor of my new lip balm, but never the less shocking in the moment) and honestly a very nice calm Saturday we sat down for dinner. Zack looks over at me and says, "man, if this is what your Monday through Friday is like, then your life is awesome." Yes Zack, the 2:1 parent to child ratio, breakfast, lunch and dinner that appear as if out of thin air, the hour you spent in the Nike outlet childless while I roped and wrangled an exhausted 2 day nap-less Jack in the mall, a two and a half hour break/nap when Jack actually did fall asleep, no errands, no time outs, no one watching while you go to the bathroom thinking its funny to run off with the toilet paper, no massive amount of work that you are expected to get done for your job while desperately attempting to be the parent your child deserves. Yes Zack. It's exactly what my Monday through Friday is like.

PS. Despite it all, the only thing Zack is better at then being a father, is being a husband.

A San Francisco Treat

Rachel and Christine came out this weekend for a visit. First of all, they are awesome for taking time out of their busy lives to come and be a part of our busy life. :) Too bad over the course of the weekend Jack: threw up 3 times, got conjunctivitis, a high fever, and an awful cough. He was a trooper though. Friday flew by in a blur of In and Out Cheeseburgers and Cheesecake Factory Fudge cake. Saturday we headed up to the city and after taking a few photo ops with the bridge in back, we walked across the Golden Gate bridge. To make up for the calories we burned, we headed over to Ghiradeli Square for ice cream and chocolate and then home. Here are a few pictures to remember the weekend by...


Jack wrapped in a blanket on our walk

Hand me downs...we love them!

Jack loves hand me downs. Thank you to Sarah who is not only supplying Jack with the shirt on his back but the amazing train for entertainment! He loves both the big boy truck shirt he is now big enough to wear and getting to be a train conductor!
See how happy they make Jack?

Taking it personal

Yesterday Jack climbed up on my chair by the computer. He was click-clacking for maybe 2 minutes and managed to erase my wireless network. It's gone. 1 hour with tech support and they still have no idea what he did and how to fix it. Lame.

Jack looked at me while he was typing and said "Momma, I can't play cars. I doing work."
Lamer.

My worst fears voiced by a 2 year old. All the attention I give him can't erase the 10 minutes I steal for myself or work.
The lamest.

Jack the Movement and Motion Graduate

A few months ago I signed Jack up for a Movement and Motion class through the city. His friend Connor signed up too which made it even more fun. Since Jack walked at 9 months, and didn't crawl until 15 months, there are certain things that young babies are confident doing (ie climbing, crawling through tunnels, climbing steps) that Jack has been cautious with. This class was great and really seemed to give him more confidence in using his body.
Here is a picture of the graduate

They had the kids slide down the slide to receive their "diplomas." Jack's said "Jack Zack" I think they must have run out of room on the role and thought we saddled him with a name like Jack Zack!

Jack climbed up this tall rock wall all on his own!

I was so proud of him conquering the tunnel. Here's our awesome action sequence...
In:

Through:

Out: (this is the one we worked the hardest on.) Not completely graceful, but I was so so so proud!

And finally, a cookie to celebrate!


We are now taking a Tot's Sports class where Jack gets to play Basketball (!!!), soccer (he's not so thrilled and keeps picking up the soccer ball and pretending to shoot baskets), and baseball starts next week. He loved the basketball weeks and kept volunteering to come up and help the teacher demonstrate to the other kids. He honestly volunteered - it was all him!

"Momma me swimming!!"

Last weekend was perfect. It was nearly 70 degrees and the first sunny day in months. We celebrated by meeting friends at their heated pool. We bought Jack a pair of floaties which were AWESOME. He was able to swim around by himself (well a few feet away from a very watchful parent) but he was so proud of himself!!! What a big kid!

Role Reversal

Today, after I got Jack's room all ready for naptime (pulled down the blinds, turned on his fan and music and turned off the lights) he told me to lie down on the futon close my eyes and announced that he was going to go do some work in the other room. :) Hey, whose in charge here? What he doesn't realize is I would love to be shut up in his room taking a nap...

Jack's birthday rewind

For Jack's 2nd birthday, we decided to invite all his friends and parents to the Jungle for a party extravaganza. I was terrified that no one would come, but we ended up having 15 kids and 13 adults!
Happy Birthday Jack!

I promised Jack a Lightning McQueen Cake. It almost didn't happen, but thanks to Zack's construction and my frosting skills it all came together!

More ding dongs were eaten then made into tires...


Jack and his Best Bud Connor

Climbing with Papa



After the kids sang happy birthday to Jack, he grabbed a fork and dug in!

The next night Zack and Jack had fun making and eating a "Sally" cake.


More eating then making cake, as blue tongues testify...

Rain rain go away

It has been raining here for literally the last 2 months straight (okay not really straight but I am bitter). This afternoon was another rainy one and after venturing out in the morning to the library hour we have loved for the last year and learning that our favorite story-time librarian has been replaced with a man who I can only assume failed at his life long dream of playing Hamlet on stage, we decided to stay in and bake. I saw a recipe on cookinglight.com for Cardamon-lime rolls and despite having no idea what Cardamon actually tasted like I decided they looked yummy and that Jack and I would spend our afternoon baking together. Turns out, cardamon is not good, so after taking a bit of liberty on the recipe, Jack and I made them. It was so fun! He helped measure, stir, grate (with help of course), spray, brush, roll and of course taste along the way. Today he learned that flour and powdered sugar are two very different animals and that sugar is yummy in all its forms. The end result? They would have been much yummier without the cardamon and lime - I guess reverting itself back to just plain cinnamon rolls. He was super proud of himself, and after helping me sweep up the sugar that enevitably ends up on the floor he couldn't wait until Zack came home to show him the rolls he made.

He's finally useful!

After two years of only reaping emotional rewards from our relationship with Jack, the other day Zack who has finally got back on board helping out by doing the dishes and emptying the dishwasher decided to have Jack help. He gave him the basket of silverware, set his stool over by the drawer and walked away. He came back to this:

His reply, "Look Ana, he's finally useful!"

Way to go Jack!!! :)

San Jose Car Show

Zack, Jack and I went out a few Saturdays ago to the San Jose Auto show. We have gone every year since we moved up here. It's not the best show according to Zack but we still have a good time. This year Jack was in HEAVEN. When we are out and about Jack is always pointing to cars asking if we can drive them. The answer is always the same, that we only have keys to momma and papa's cars. So when we got to the auto show he was thrilled to find out that we could sit in each car and "drive". By the end of the day he would get into a less expensive car and say, prince in the pea-esque, "no, me no like this one" only to spend forever in the BMW's, Mercedes, and Lexus'. The kid has taste. :)

Jack had stuck a comb in his pocket before leaving the house that day. Little did he know how handy it would be at the car show where he used it to "fix" the cars. :)


**On a side note, we were driving home from the mall the other day and Jack says from the back seat "mom, me want to buy a porsche." Boy, Zack is playing below the belt!

It's the little things

Yesterday Jack came up to me, kissed me and said "I love with you mom"
Life doesn't get much sweeter then that...

Potty time

The other day we bought Jack his first potty. Much to Zack's dismay it is an Elmo potty (and no I dont know where his hatred of all things Elmo came from). We also got him big boy pants with Lightning McQueen on them and Elmo's Potty time dvd which my dear friend Becca said her neice is in love with. So tonight we unpacked the potty, Jack told us where we needed to put it (right next to the big toilet) and we sat down to watch Potty time. Jack LOVED it. He was so excited about the dvd and the potty! Every couple of minutes he would run out of the room and we started to wonder where he was. Turns out he was running in to sit on his potty just like Elmo! I took a few shots (he of course is fully dressed since we are still a ways away from him actually using the potty). But today was a success! He is excited about the potty and it will be there and a part of our everyday lives and hopefully our non-fuss attitude will encourage him to take the plunge when he is ready.



On a side note **YIKES what the heck am I supposed to do when he is a big boy and needs to go to the boys bathroom on his own? Am I really going to be the mother who takes her 10 year old into the womens bathroom just to be safe?????? Today the answer is yes. Poor, poor Jack.

Jack

At 2 years old Jack can
*count to 10
*knows all the colors
*can sing the alphabet
*loves to help me cook
*loves to read
*loves cars
*can jump, run, hike, climb, crawl, spin, and dance
*says 10+ word sentences
*tells me "2 minutes" to everything I ask him to do
*helps set the table
*helps put groceries away
*can slam dunk
*has great form when playing basketball
*loves to draw
*has an awesome imagination
*loves to help me at the store as long as I give him his own list of things to find
*is 35 inches
*29 lbs
*loves Curious George, Dora, Clifford and CARS
*can name all the people who love him (and answers that Momma loves him the most)
*loves Jack Johnson (his favorite song is Breakdown which he sings to)
*snaps along to songs
*loves John Mayer (but not as much as Jack Johnson
*says he's 3 and not 2 (but holds up 4 fingers)
*loves hide and seek, going to the park, and riding his bike
*loves pink donuts with sprinkles
*pretends to steal my nose and then gives it back again
*loves giving and receiving zerberts
*loves cheese sandwiches and yogurt drinks

Happy Happy 2nd Birthday Jack!

My heart is so full. My little boy is 2 years old today. Zack and I wanted for so long to be parents and today marks the 2 year anniversary of the greatest gift we have been given. Jack is amazing. He is so kind, tender, loving, funny, silly, smart, generous, and quirky! He came up to me today and out of no where gave me the biggest hug (and then walked over to Zack and gave him a big hug too)!

More tomorrow on the birthday details, tonight its enough to say that my life has been made by Zack and Jack. Happy, happy birthday Jack!

Jack's new toy

Thanks to Baba - Jack got his very own step stool in the mail the other day. Since then, he has spent countless hours (yes hours) washing his hands in the bathroom, or his giving his cars a bath. The bathroom mirror is perpetually messy, which is taking a lot of self control on my part not to spaz out about since as Zack will attest, I LOVE clean mirror. Clean mirrors are the cherry on top of the clean house sundae. But I digress... The other day I realized that another benefit of the stool was J can help me in the kitchen. He loves to help push the cuisinart button and make veggie purees (thank you Sneaky chef) and tonight he helped me make manicotti! It was so cute! I had visions of him as a world class chef telling the world his love of cooking all started cooking in the kitchen with his mom! :) Other nifty uses for the stool? Ball hider (the top step hides a drawer), couch climber, light turner-on-er, and I'm sure more uses to come.



**On a side note, notice the rash behind J's ear in the first picture. The poor kid broke out in hives a few days ago and we are still trying to treat them/find the culprit.

"My phone dying"

So my cell phone has lost its sometimes well fought battle to live. I am now officially using Z's cell until Dani gets a new phone next week and I can mooch off of her old one. Pretty much I charge my cell all night, I unplug it fully charged and after and hour of inactivity it warns me to end my newly answered call or it will end it for me. I guess once again I don't realize how much J picks up on but I caught him holding my cell phone to his ear having a pretend conversation to which he abruptly adds, "my phone dying. Talk to you later." I just about busted in two!

On a side note I am so bitter about the east coast having MY warm weather. Yes I pay an obscene amount in rent a month, but I do it to live in California and to be able to take long walks to the park all year long. I'm very, very, very unhappy about the perpetual state of rain we have been living in the last few weeks. Very unhappy.
**To all those I love on the east coast. It's not personal. I still love you.

Two minutes! Two minutes!

Alright, after much deliberation and over a year and a half hiatus, we are rejoining the blogging world. I have resisted because I didn't want one more thing on my to do list weighing me down. However, I have proven over and over again my inability to keep a journal and record these sweet moments that are passing way too quickly. Maybe this will be an easier way to help me remember when we are old and gray. :)

I love Supernanny. If I could ask Jo to move in and help us raise J I would offer her up our room and move in with J just to make her even that more comfortable. That being said, I am an avid user of her "speaking clock" method - meaning I inform Jack well in advance when we are going to do something and how long till the change. (For example if it's bath time I tell him "5 more minutes and then we are going to get out, 2 more minutes...etc). I have been doing if for the last few years and I guess I don't realize how much I do it, but the other day I offered J a piece of chocolate while he was playing and he held up his hand and said "two minutes, two minutes" and proceeded to play for a while and then came to find me for his chocolate! Now everything is "two minutes, two minutes!" and it cracks me up to see him bargaining even when it's something he wants, like chocolate or the park. He's growing up so quickly...

A Silver lining in Hicksville, USA?

Today Zack came back for lunch and Baby J and I got a much needed break from the inside of our hotel room. The good news is we upgraded to a much nicer hotel (for only $5 more) and it's about a half mile from Walmart, Target (my nemesis, but none the less a sign of the civilized world) and TONS of restaurants. I had already eaten my infamous power bar but Baby J and I accompanied Zack to Panera Bread to watch him eat and sip on a diet coke (me, not Baby J :) ). Can I just tell you that this place almost made me think twice about my plan to start a petition to have this city expelled from the US? They have AMAZING bread there. It immediately transported me back to being 8 years old at my grandparents house eating Salami and butter sandwiches (yes folks, you read correctly -- on a side note, does this help anyone understand my constant battle with weight?) on the BEST bread. My Grandfather was a stickler for good bread. He would go out most mornings and get a new fresh loaf. It's not something that I think of all that often, but after just one bite, I had a new found respect for my grandparents quest and appreciation of good bread. Could it be that I had underestimated Hicksville and all its goodness? Alas, I'm sorry to say that Panera Bread is a chain and can be found less then 10 minutes from my own home in the Almighty State of California. But maybe Hicksville deserves a little bit of credit for turning me on to this place, maybe I can look beyond the local drivers driving with one leg out the window. Ok, good bread is great and all, but it's not magic people.

Isn't all this enough?

Over the last few days I have had several very important people in my life tell me I need to do more for myself. And you know what? I can't think of anything I would rather be doing then being a mom. When I was a child, I never really talked about wanting to be a mom. It's not like I threw baby dolls on the floor and refused to play with them, but I had other grand ideas about what my future would hold. I was going to be the first woman President, and as I grew up and that dream seemed a little less practical I was going to be a lawyer so I could tell everyone off and argue for a living. I was going to live in the big blue house we passed on the way to school everyday and I was going to pay people to work for me so I didn't have to (the logic of a 5th grader- Gotta love it). But then I married the love of my life, and he supported me and told me I could be anything I wanted to be. Funny thing was, all of the sudden, all I wanted to be was a mom. It took us nearly 2 years from deciding we were ready to the day Baby J blessed our happy home and during those two years, all I did was things for myself. I went where I wanted, did what I wanted, ate what and when I wanted. And I knew I was missing out. So yes, I don't get to see the newest movies the night they come out, or make it through a day without spit up, drool or/and snot on my shirt, And Yes I do eat powerbars for lunch because I can down it in 2 minutes flat, but you know what? There is not a blessed thing I would rather be doing with my "Me- time". Baby J is the best of both Zack and me. He learns more each and everyday, and when I see his latest tricks, I know I helped him learn them. When he smiles one of his cute ham smiles, I know he smiles that particular smile only for his mom. And you know what? That's me.

One more bone to pick before bed

So I went to see "someone" the other day. And to tell you the truth, its someone I struggle with. We just don't seem to really click you know? So I told her that we were going to take Baby J on a trip today and I was worried because it's impossible to predict what a 5 month old is going to do, and do you know what she did? She started telling me how rude it is when babies cry and irritate people on the plane! She continued to relate stories of being happy seeing struggling mother's being told off by other passengers. NOW HEAR THIS! I too get irritated when kids seem to be running wild and parents are just la de da about it, but if the parents are visibly trying to tend to their little ones, then SUCK IT UP WORLD! That mother is trying her best. Why do we insist on tearing her down and validating her fears that everyone hates her and her child at that moment?

PS. If I want to pay money to take my child first class, nobody better give me any grief and tell me to go back to coach. Not unless they wan't to incur the wrath of a momma bear protecting her young.

Does this seem glamorous to you?

Someone mentioned to me the other night that my life was so exciting because we seem to always be going somewhere. Do long plane rides with a 4 month old cutting teeth, and being puked on while standing in the airplane aisle really seem that glamorous to anyone else?

Hicksville, USA

It's Wednesday evening and Baby Jack and I have decided to accompany Zack to Virginia. A few days ago it seemed the best idea (the alternative being to stay home and brave single parenthood on my own for the week). However, two plane rides, one 2 hour drive, a hotel? in Hicksville, USA, a fully fried meal at Dennys (the only restaurant open) later and I am wondering why this seemed like such a fun idea a few days ago! I guess the truth is, if we weren't here I would be lonely at home and tired from getting up four times a night with Mr. J and his blasted teeth that refused to just cut through already.

Hopefully in the light of day tomorrow this will all make more sense.

Zack commented that he never realized how snobby I can be when it comes to hotels. This from the man who took me to Bora Bora and we ended up leaving the hotel in the middle of the night (if you can even call it a hotel) and checking into the ritzy-ist hotel on the island, for those interested, The Hotel Bora Bora, very plush. I mean I don't wear designer clothes, or have a big fancy house or car, but I don't like staying in crap hotels. Call me a snob. Go ahead. I will gladly embrace my snobbiness on this one.

On the plus side, I was super excited to drive through DC. I hope we will have time Friday evening to go and hit a few sites before going home Saturday. Zack suggested Baby Jack and I take on DC on our own tomorrow. Once again, has he been paying attention to me at all over the last 10 years? :)