As promised I've got some more videos for your viewing pleasure. The first two are from Thanksgiving in Texas. They're from a goofy night when Jack was on a I'm-up-past-my-bedtime high. He was just soaking up the attention. And I love all of our attempts at impersonating him. I'm just now posting them, though. I'm thinking there will probably be a small group that really find the full humor in them, but for those few (Nana, Papa, and Kels) it'll make their day, week, and month. :) They can be viewed here and here. And then the next two are showing some of Jack's newest words and tricks. They are here and here.
Love ya!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Like Father Like Son
A few nights ago, Jack was being super clingy and grumpy. We were getting ready to leave and I left the room to get his shoes and came back to a totally different kid. He was just laying on the bed totally chill in a trance from Adam's guitar music.
And then later that night Jack got to take a turn on the guitar. With Daddy supervision of course.
I'm currently uploading some good videos, but it's taking a while. So check back soon.
And then later that night Jack got to take a turn on the guitar. With Daddy supervision of course.
I'm currently uploading some good videos, but it's taking a while. So check back soon.
You Gotta Do The Work
As poor college students and now as poor young kids just starting a career, finances are often our number one concern. For years, a fairly regular thing we've been praying for is financial stability. It usually goes something like this, "help us to be smarter with our money/live within our means/be more stable/get rich quick/stop being stupid." Well this past month I've re-learned a lesson about prayer. Just saying it in your prayers isn't enough.
This month we've really taken control of our finances by cutting expenses and sticking to a strict budget. And it's amazing to see all the extra blessings and opportunities that we've received just because we took that first step. We've been using the envelope system and we love it. Most pay periods we're out of money after a week. But this month, the pay period is almost up and we still have a good amount of money set aside for savings, gas, and a washing machine. It's all about living within your means. We used to think we didn't have enough means to live but now we've found that there's plenty to go around if we're just smart.
Now about those blessings I mentioned. They might seem small and trivial to some, but to me they've really been testifying the true power of prayer. We started this new budgeting system and almost immediately after we went on the cruise, which meant absolutely no household expenses like gas, food, and electricity for a whole week. Then after the cruise we really started to see the blessings pouring in. First we got an email from someone on Craigslist who was interested in Adam doing some design work for him on the side. Then we got news of a mini pay increase at work. Then our etsy shop exploded with activity. We've had three good sales and two potential sales all in a week when normally we get one or two sales a month. And then we were featured on somebody's treasury list. (ours is the Beatles subway art at the bottom.) I know that probably doesn't mean anything to you if you don't use etsy. But we think it's a pretty big deal to be recognized like that.
Anyway, my point is this: Prayers are just words without the action part. You gotta do the work. We're finally figuring that out, but I'm sure it's not the last time we'll have to learn this lesson. Here's to not being stupid and to sticking with this new way of thinking.
P.S. Sorry this was so boring. I promise the next post will have some Jack pics.
This month we've really taken control of our finances by cutting expenses and sticking to a strict budget. And it's amazing to see all the extra blessings and opportunities that we've received just because we took that first step. We've been using the envelope system and we love it. Most pay periods we're out of money after a week. But this month, the pay period is almost up and we still have a good amount of money set aside for savings, gas, and a washing machine. It's all about living within your means. We used to think we didn't have enough means to live but now we've found that there's plenty to go around if we're just smart.
Now about those blessings I mentioned. They might seem small and trivial to some, but to me they've really been testifying the true power of prayer. We started this new budgeting system and almost immediately after we went on the cruise, which meant absolutely no household expenses like gas, food, and electricity for a whole week. Then after the cruise we really started to see the blessings pouring in. First we got an email from someone on Craigslist who was interested in Adam doing some design work for him on the side. Then we got news of a mini pay increase at work. Then our etsy shop exploded with activity. We've had three good sales and two potential sales all in a week when normally we get one or two sales a month. And then we were featured on somebody's treasury list. (ours is the Beatles subway art at the bottom.) I know that probably doesn't mean anything to you if you don't use etsy. But we think it's a pretty big deal to be recognized like that.
Anyway, my point is this: Prayers are just words without the action part. You gotta do the work. We're finally figuring that out, but I'm sure it's not the last time we'll have to learn this lesson. Here's to not being stupid and to sticking with this new way of thinking.
P.S. Sorry this was so boring. I promise the next post will have some Jack pics.
Monday, January 23, 2012
I can still hang on to my baby for a little longer...
Here I was thinking Jack was too old and mature to love Sesame Street. I thought he was a big boy now who would only want to fling his pretend webs and drive his Bat-mobile. Once again, Jack corrected me and has thrown me for a loop. Lately all he's been talking about are superheroes, particularly Spiderman and Batman. He calls both of them "man" but knows the difference between them. For Batman he tries to sing the Batman theme song and says, "Man! Naaaa." And for Spiderman he pretends to shoot his web out and says, "Man, ppssshhh."
But on Saturday, we were driving down the road and saw someone dressed as Elmo on the corner of the road. He was holding a sign that said Free Photos. So we pulled over and went up to him. He didn't say anything to us, so we were a little confused and just took a picture on Adam's phone.
We walked away saying, "Well that was lame." Then as we were leaving the parking lot we saw where the real action was going on. A new party planning business was having a grand opening. They had all their characters there dressed up. They had cookies. They had superhero masks and crowns to decorate. And they had a spot set up for taking pictures with your favorite character. As we walked through the door first we spotted a way better Elmo than the one outside, then we spotted Spiderman, and then Batman. No biggie only Jack's three absolute most favorite people in the world. I expected Jack to be all over the super heroes. But instead he was a little hesitant and wouldn't stand in a picture with them all by himself. So Adam didn't hesitate at all in jumping in on that action.
After the picture we let him down to explore a bit and he went right up to Elmo and just wrapped his arms all the way around the sweet girl's legs in the biggest hug I've ever seen him give anyone. We gave her the go ahead to pick him up and he was instantly elated. Soon enough he was snuggled right up on Elmo's shoulder and could have stayed there all day.
Like the mean-hearted villains that we are, we did pry him away from her eventually, though. She had to head back outside to do her job cause, believe it or not, her job isn't cuddling with Jack. Although she wants it to be. She offered to come babysit Jack in the costume. After she had been outside for a bit, Jack started looking around the room peaking behind all the corners with his hands in the air saying, "Emmo?" This was remarkable to us as well. For as long as Jack's loved Elmo and for as good of a talker as he is, he's never actually said Elmo before. He's had this high pitched squeak that always meant Elmo before. But ever since he met the monster in the fur he's started referring to him by his name instead of by the squeaky noise.
The creators of Sesame Street have managed to create a character that a kid as young as Jack instantly trusts and loves whole-heartedly. There's just something about Elmo that all babies love. It's amazing.
So I guess I take back the statement I made the other day on facebook about Jack being totally over the baby-ish stuff. I like to be right about most things, but I'll admit I'm a little glad to say I was wrong about this one. He's still got a bit of baby for me to hang on to. At least for now.
But on Saturday, we were driving down the road and saw someone dressed as Elmo on the corner of the road. He was holding a sign that said Free Photos. So we pulled over and went up to him. He didn't say anything to us, so we were a little confused and just took a picture on Adam's phone.
We walked away saying, "Well that was lame." Then as we were leaving the parking lot we saw where the real action was going on. A new party planning business was having a grand opening. They had all their characters there dressed up. They had cookies. They had superhero masks and crowns to decorate. And they had a spot set up for taking pictures with your favorite character. As we walked through the door first we spotted a way better Elmo than the one outside, then we spotted Spiderman, and then Batman. No biggie only Jack's three absolute most favorite people in the world. I expected Jack to be all over the super heroes. But instead he was a little hesitant and wouldn't stand in a picture with them all by himself. So Adam didn't hesitate at all in jumping in on that action.
After the picture we let him down to explore a bit and he went right up to Elmo and just wrapped his arms all the way around the sweet girl's legs in the biggest hug I've ever seen him give anyone. We gave her the go ahead to pick him up and he was instantly elated. Soon enough he was snuggled right up on Elmo's shoulder and could have stayed there all day.
Like the mean-hearted villains that we are, we did pry him away from her eventually, though. She had to head back outside to do her job cause, believe it or not, her job isn't cuddling with Jack. Although she wants it to be. She offered to come babysit Jack in the costume. After she had been outside for a bit, Jack started looking around the room peaking behind all the corners with his hands in the air saying, "Emmo?" This was remarkable to us as well. For as long as Jack's loved Elmo and for as good of a talker as he is, he's never actually said Elmo before. He's had this high pitched squeak that always meant Elmo before. But ever since he met the monster in the fur he's started referring to him by his name instead of by the squeaky noise.
So I guess I take back the statement I made the other day on facebook about Jack being totally over the baby-ish stuff. I like to be right about most things, but I'll admit I'm a little glad to say I was wrong about this one. He's still got a bit of baby for me to hang on to. At least for now.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Baja Cruise Day 4
Our final day on the cruise was an at-sea day. We played a lot of games with the whole group and we got to see a really good, family-friendly comedian, which was really fun. Also, we finally discovered the "open seating" option for meals where you can go to the fancy dining room and order fancy food instead of going to the buffet-style places on the Lido deck. Between the limitless sushi bar, soft serve ice cream, pizza, and open seating meals, we did a lot of eating this day. We made an impromptu bib for Jack at breakfast. He kind of hated it, but had to deal with it anyway.
Fun times, huh? It'll be a vacation to remember. And Jack got to learn about lots of cool things like boats and birds and sand and blowholes. He's added a lot of new words to his vocabulary because of this trip. Unfortunately, along with the new words and cool experiences he had on the cruise, he also picked up a bad habit somehow. He figured out that you can put food up your nose. Not a good habit. We're trying really hard to avoid an ER visit. Anyone have some advice in respect to that habit? Anyway, overall it was an amazing never-to-be-forgotten trip. We got to know a lot of Adam's coworkers better than we ever would have otherwise. Thanks, Rainbow Sign and Banner, for the amazing trip!
He looks like he's a cowboy from the wild wild west.
Adam was absolutely in love with the water and wanted to be outside all the time. I learned to always have our jackets with me because you never know when he'll get an itch to go smell the ocean.
The sunset on our final day aboard The Inspiration
And our room steward saved the best for last. Jack knew as soon as we walked in the room what this one was and made an elephant noise at it.
The next morning we were off the boat by 8:30 and on the road soon thereafter. Jack did a bit more napping with Brent. I finished The Help. We got back home around four or five and had a sad realization that we had to make ourselves something for dinner. And Jack got to take a bath with his new inflatable cruise ship bath toy. He was glad to get to take a bath again. He had to take showers on the cruise, which he absolutely hated.
Fun times, huh? It'll be a vacation to remember. And Jack got to learn about lots of cool things like boats and birds and sand and blowholes. He's added a lot of new words to his vocabulary because of this trip. Unfortunately, along with the new words and cool experiences he had on the cruise, he also picked up a bad habit somehow. He figured out that you can put food up your nose. Not a good habit. We're trying really hard to avoid an ER visit. Anyone have some advice in respect to that habit? Anyway, overall it was an amazing never-to-be-forgotten trip. We got to know a lot of Adam's coworkers better than we ever would have otherwise. Thanks, Rainbow Sign and Banner, for the amazing trip!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Baja Cruise Day 3
Day 3 was Ensenada, Mexico. Here's what the port looked like that morning. There were lots of seagulls and we took lots of pictures of them. I'll spare you and only make you look at one of them.
All of the Rainbow employees and families got to go on an excursion to go see the famous blowhole or La Buffadora.We rode a bus for about 30 minutes to get to it. Then we had about a .5 mile walk to get down to the blowhole. Most of the walk was Mexican vendors yelling at you to come buy "something you don't need." But just before the blowhole there was a pretty look-out over the ocean.
Then we saw and heard the blowhole and headed in that direction. Basically what happens is the waves send a bunch of water into this cave and when it gets full of water the pressure inside forces the water up high. There are only three blowholes like this on the earth: one in Australia, one in Hawaii, and one in Mexico. Apparently this one is the biggest though and it shoots water most frequently. There are some videos we took of it here and here.
This guy was serenading us.
Jack and I were standing a bit close and got soaked with ocean water. He looks a bit grumpy in the picture, but he didn't cry about it or anything. He was pretty cautious about the blowhole afterward though. Every time the water came up he'd put up his hand to protect himself.
Cool picture with the water droplets, eh?
We got him to look at the camera for the shot with Adam, but he just couldn't focus on anything other than the water in the picture with me.
After the blowhole, we walked back up and did some shopping, which was fun but also stressful. I'm not good at haggling or at saying no. So I just let Adam handle the purchasing process or if he wasn't right by me I'd use him as an excuse to say he had the money. After we haggled the last $12 of the shopping money we'd brought on a set of bongos there was nothing left to do but sit back, play some drums, eat a fish taco, and enjoy the sights.
Little Ricky
Babalooo!
Yeah, he's a world traveler. Totally chill about playing drums in Mexico.
They charged 50 cents to use the bathroom since it costs so much to clean the filthy water they have there.
My guys just chillin' in Mehico.
The biggest Mexican flag I've ever seen.
That night we wandered into the Karaoke room. The DJ got all the guys in the room to do a song together. We don't know any of those other guys and the song was a pretty dumb one that no one knew. I can't even remember what it was that they sang.
And we got a this thing for our towel animal. The night before I thought we had got a bunny, but then we got this one and I was rather confused. I think this one was probably the bunny and the one from the night before was a puppy. Who knows?
Monday, January 16, 2012
Baja Cruise Day 2
Day 2 of our cruise brought lots of fun adventuring in Catalina. We decided to take it pretty chill in Catalina. We did a little window shopping, bought some cotton candy, and played on the beach. The water was way to cold to get in, but the sand was warm enough to get a little toe wiggling in.
Before we could get to the island, though, we had to ride a tender boat from the cruise ship to the dock. The island is super small and doesn't have anywhere big enough to dock such a huge ship. So they just anchored the ship and had us all ride little boats over to the island. Jack loved this part of the day. Even though we'd take him out to see the water while we were on the cruise ship I don't think he grasped the idea that we were really on a boat. I think the tender boats made a lot more sense to him and fit better with his idea of what a boat was.
For us Catalina equals chill...
Before we could get to the island, though, we had to ride a tender boat from the cruise ship to the dock. The island is super small and doesn't have anywhere big enough to dock such a huge ship. So they just anchored the ship and had us all ride little boats over to the island. Jack loved this part of the day. Even though we'd take him out to see the water while we were on the cruise ship I don't think he grasped the idea that we were really on a boat. I think the tender boats made a lot more sense to him and fit better with his idea of what a boat was.
For us Catalina equals chill...
Just testing the water.
Standing by the old casino. It's what Catalina is famous for.
With the boat in the background...
Jack loved the rocks and automatically started chucking all of them into the water.
It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
Part of the island.
The old casino
A pretty flower.
To finish off the day we had our formal dinner... lobster and prime rib...jealous?
And when we got back our great room steward had lined up Jack's toys in his crib. It's like the puppy is lecturing the dinos and cars for being bad.
And we got a bunny/puppy. Not quite sure which it is.
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