The Amazing Jason

Our little baby is now 14 months old and leaving the world of babydom behind him, entering the land of exciting toddlerdom. I've got to jot down some of his language growth here, before I forget what cute stuff he's doing:

-I discovered the other day that when I ask Jason for "kisses," he interprets that to mean, bumping your forehead onto the other person's head. So that when I say, "give me kisses," he drops his head onto mine for a few seconds. A-dor-able, sigh.

-He's discovered that shoes=going outside and having fun. So he brings me his and mine shoes, so as to persuade me to take him out. He carried his shoes thru the house the other day and left them behind in big brother's room. I said, "go get your shoes" (totally not expecting any kind of response), and he looked at me, cocked his head, and then turned around and went back into brother's room and picked up his shoes! So smart.

-I have to be careful saying the word "milk" out loud, for it leads to Jason walking to the fridge, banging on the door and crying for his milk.

-Yesterday, Jason had picked up a napkin that fell off the table onto the floor. He brought it to me, and I said "go put it in the trash." He gave me a look of comprehension and consideration, and then turned around and walked into the kitchen and threw it in the trash.

-On several occasions, admist a room full of toys, when asked to get his "truck," "bear," and "blanket," he deliberately picked up each object when asked. He loves his stuffed animals and blankets, and always smiles when picking them up, even sprawling out across his blanket and pulling it up over his face.

-He loves the Downy fabric softener commercials, featuring the big teddy bear. He always smiles and coos when it comes on, and even tries to hold the bear by touching the tv screen. One time, when the commercial ended he started whining for the bear to come back.

And, our newfound toddler is also embracing the physical side of toddlerhood. He totally impressed me yesterday while at the park. He walked up the stairs and slid down the slide all by himself. And he repeated this loop over and over again, until time to go.

Splash-tastic!

A few weeks ago my mom and I took the boys to a nearby water park. It was awesome! It's completely kid-friendly with so much to do.

 

This is one of the main hubs of the park, called Splashtown. It's a multi-level maze filled with water slides, stairs, rope climbs, and a giant water-filled bucket poised to dump water on you at any moment. It is SO cool. I can only imagine how cool it seemed thru the eyes of my 4 and 1 year olds. 
 

This is another of the kids' areas, specifically for toddlers

The park also caters to big people, featuring lots of slides, a wave pool, and a lazy river.

Jack had a blast. He never feared going down these slides, all by himself. What a big boy.

Jason was a little more cautious about the slides. But he surprised me, going off on his own, venturing up the stairs into Splashtown.

Note the water behind Jason here- it's basically a geyser that shoots up periodically, as Jason discovered after standing in the exact spot when there wasn't water going, and then- SURprise!- the water splashed up and Jason was trapped between the 3 fountains. He actually thought it was fun.

More fountains to play with...

Jack wrangled a gator!

Mimi with Jason (see that baby in the background drinking from his sippy? Yeah, Jason might have stolen that sippy a few times and had a drink or two. Shh, don't tell)

Me with Jack

This was an obstacle course with lily pads and logs that you jump on to cross the pool. Watch the video below to see footage of the fearless Jack leaping across the perilous lily pads! He's such a little man.

 

What a fun place! My boys were in water heaven. In addition to the slides above, we floated down the lazy river a few times and played in the wave pool. Jack and I also went down one of the adult slides together. It's one of those where you share an inner-tube. He is fearLESS. He wanted to do it again and again. 

We are definitely going back!

Romantic San Antonio

Jon and I dropped the kids off at my parents' house last weekend, and escaped to romantic San Antonio! We spent the weekend feeling as if we had wondered off into another world- an older one with touches of Mexico in it. It was fabulous!

We spent our first night there exploring the famed River Walk, miles of walkways curving along the river beneath the streets of downtown San Antonio.

There are restaurants and shops lining the river. We ate Mexican on our first night; my enchiladas were the best I've ever had, and Jon really enjoyed his fajitas. During our meal, we enjoyed the sounds of live mariachi music.

I made Jon pose next to this "grotto" (as the sign said)

One of the most unexpected pleasures of this trip was us happening upon the "Fiesta Noche Riviera." It was a live music and dance show, on a stage on the river. They performed various dances from Spain, Argentina, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Texas.

Jon and I both really enjoyed watching the Flamenco and the Tango!

As the show came to an end, Mariachi was performed across the bridge.

Me posing between a couple of the dancers. They were amazing. (It's too bad it came out blurry)

The next day, we walked across downtown and saw some beautiful architecture and history. Below is a sculpture of San Antonio's namesake, San (Saint) Antonio De Padua.

Then we ran into this awe-inspiring cathedral. Isn't it gorgeous? The inside was filled with stained glass windows, archways, and ornate art.

Also located inside are the remains of the men who died defending the Alamo, according to the plaque in the below picture.

I told Jon we need a front door like this one-

And speaking of the Alamo, this is part of the courtyard leading up to it. Beautiful, no? (No picture of the front of the Alamo this time around, because I took one a few years ago, kind of kicking myself now)

Jon and I in the Alamo's courtyard. It truly felt as if we'd been transported back in time here. You can feel the history and sacred atmosphere of the grounds here.

We also made a bit of a hike to Market Square- a Mexican themed area filled with shops, restaurants, and a museum. While there, we window-shopped and admired Mexican pottery while grooving to live music. We bought a few souvenirs too.

This sculpture was right outside our hotel and is called "The Torch of Friendship," supposedly welcoming all to San Antonio.

On our second night we splurged and ate at Fogo De Chao, a scrumptious Brazilian steakhouse. They brought countless cuts of meat to our table to choose from, plus- mashed potatoes, fried bananas, and an endless salad bar. I WAS stuffed.

Aren't we the handsome couple? As a bonus for choosing to eat there on Father's Day weekend, they gave us a gift card for a free meal there anytime this summer! Score.

This is the view from our 17th floor balcony. Plenty to see. Truthfully, the balcony was only about 4 feet deep, so I didn't spend too much time out there. Jon thought I was silly.

A view of the river, lined with river tour boats, from our balcony. Also, while at our hotel, we spent part of the afternoon at the pool, which was scenically located outdoors on the 5th floor deck. We had a fun game of "hit the beach ball around the pool" with some fellow poolgoers.

And sadly, the day for our departure back to reality reared its head. But, to comfort ourselves we stopped by the San Marcus outlets on our way home to walk and shop. It just may be the largest outlet mall I've ever seen. And I happened upon this enticing bag which I snagged at 70% off for a steal! (That may have secretly been my favorite part of the trip- don't tell Jon)

Jon and I loved every minute of our trip. We played games like 20 questions and actually talked to each other, during our 4-5 hour car ride (a luxury not typical when little boys are in the backseat). We loved our hotel room, the River Walk, the restaurants, shopping, sightseeing, and in general, just the relaxed feel of the weekend. After asking Jon what his favorite part was, his answer summed it up well as he said "It was all my favorite part!" I couldn't agree more.

A hilarious surprise-

The other afternoon, I was in my bedroom doing something while Jack was in the living room watching tv. Imagine my surprise when I walk into the kitchen and find him here-

He even outfitted himself with Jason's bib. He could hardly contain his excitement and laughed so hard, while saying "Jack baby!" (as in, 'Jack is a baby!'). I busted out laughing, it was so funny. I mean, it was seriously impressive that he maneuvered himself into that chair. He's got quite the sense of humor.

What they're sayin'

The boys have been saying some pretty cute things lately, and I just have to get some of them recorded before I forget!

Jack:

-One night I checked on Jack when he was asleep in bed and heard him singing the lyrics to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"

-That same night, while still asleep, he exlaimed "No Jason! Don't touch that!"

-Which reminds me, one morning when awakened for school and still drowsy, his first words were, "No, Jason, don't!" (FYI, Jason is not in the room. Apparently, Jack is quite worried about his baby brother getting into his things)

-singing "Itsy, Bitsy Spider", "Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes", and the theme song to the Nick Jr. show "Bubble Guppies"

-during his nightly prayer- "bless my tummy no owie" (after getting over a stomach bug, he kept including this line in his prayers)

-"Bye, bye Mommy. I love you." (after putting him in bed for the night)

-"It's time for Bubble Guppies!" (announcing to me it was time for him to watch his fav show)

-As we sat down for dinner, he said, "Time for lunch", so I corrected him and explained how it was time for dinner.  The next morning as he sat down for breakfast he proudly exclaimed, "Time for dinner!"

-when he wants to be picked up and carried he says "Carry you!" (he gets "you" and "me" mixed up alot)

-"Babies are so cute!"

-When his cousin and grandparents visited one day, he excitedly said "It's a birthday party!" (because if your family comes to visit, you must be having a birthday)

Jason:

-"Dah!" (while pointing at the object he wants)

-"Dada" (for Daddy)

-"Mama" (for Mommy)

-"Moh" (for "more" food)

-while waving, he says "Nigh, nigh" (for "night, night" when going to bed)

-in addition to saying new words, he's understanding a ton more. Some examples include: dog, ball, cat, come here, no.... I'm sure there are many, many more but I can't remember them all; but I can definitely tell he's learning more and more. He even impressed me while we read the other day as he pointed to the picture of the dog in the book when I asked him where the dog was. Another time when I told him to go play with the ball, he immediately walked across the room and picked up the ball.

This is one of those posts where I could go on forever and praise their cuteness, but I'll cut it off here. I'll have to do this type of post again in a few months, when they've had more time to come up with adorable phrases. 'Til then.



Let me paint you a picture...

...of how my grocery trips have been lately.

I arrive at the store, unload my boys from the car and walk inside to get a shopping cart. Jason sits in the front of the cart, while Jack sits in the big basket portion of it. All starts out well, but 5 minutes into the trip, and as the cart begins to fill up with food, Jason maneuvers himself around to face the food (even though I tighten the buckle as tight as I can possibly get it) and claws at all the food. Yes, claws. Jack never fails to be amused by this and laughs and enjoys toying with Jason's desire to get the food and teases him with different packages of cheese and cereal and such. This would be a minor annoyance, except for the fact that the more I shop, the more food that piles into the cart, piling higher and higher for young Jason to finally reach it.

Now, about half-way through my trip, I'm fighting a losing battle trying to keep the food from Jason while focusing on what type of cereal to buy. You may wonder why I care that Jason holds any of the packages. It's because, and there really is no other way to put this, my baby is a goat. He literally eats the cardboard off the nutrigrain bar boxes, and tears thru plastic packaging. Nothing is safe. And then Jack steals the coveted food item from Jason's hands, leaving Jason in tears and Jack in giggles and Mommy in exasperated sighs.

Now remember, Jack is in the basket portion of the cart, so as the food gets piled in, Jack gets piled under. Yes, under the food. One trip about 2 weeks ago, I was on my last aisle of the trip before I realized only his shoulders and head were above the food. But honestly, Jack getting piled under the food is the least of my worries. Two days ago, while close to the finish of the shopping trip, I threw a package of egg noodles into the basket. Jason picked it up and threw it right back out. I picked it up from the floor and placed it in the back of the cart, farther away from the goat-baby's hands. Jason stood up and reached, grabbing the pasta and again throwing it to the floor. Now, you'll probably think me a simpleton this time around, but I again put the pasta package in the back of the cart, only for Jason to grab it again and try to eat it....and then throw it out of the cart. For some reason, he had it out for that bag of pasta! This time I put the pasta in care of Jack and distracted Jason with a nilla wafer.

It's at this point that I hurry as fast as I can to the check-out line, after all, it's extremely tiring trying to shop and double-check that all the food stays in the basket and isn't chewed up by the goat Jason.  I start checking out, loading the food onto the conveyer belt. With a sense of relief, I grab the bag of pasta that Jason had it in for...only for pasta noodles to fall all over the floor. Yes, Jason the goat won that round. He chewed thru the packaging, making my attempts to save the pasta futile. Luckily, the staff was willing to run and grab another bag of pasta for me, much to the disdain of Jason I'm sure. And that's about it- I'm walking out to the car relieved and happy that the mini-nightmare is over. And as I open the car's trunk to load the groceries, I see the big double stroller sitting in there. Ever try to wedge a package of diapers in the crevices of a folded stroller? Can't wait 'til next week!

Jack is 4!

Jack turned the big 4 earlier this month, and we sure had fun at his birthday party! It was his first "big boy" party where he had lots of friends come and play with him.

He got quite the haul...

Here are some of the party guests eating grub. Note that all of the pint-sized partygoers must be hiding behind the photographer, haha.

 Daddy and Jason showcasing the event's big attraction and the boys' combined birthday present--the new trampoline!!

 The party also featured a sandpit for your digging pleasure...and a make-shift bean bag toss

 A collage of photos of Jack on his b'day from years 0-4, it's amazing to see him grow from newborn to 4 year old. I think the most dramatic change was between years 1 and 2.

 Here they are- I told you we had children at this party! Jack and his friends/cousins enjoying pizza and Caprisun- is there anything better?

                                   
                            Jump, jump, jump...                                                      ...and fall down

 this beach ball was the best $1.50 I ever spent-

Jack was very lucky in his presents this year and really enjoyed opening them, it helps that he's old enough now to get what's going on.

He got toys ranging from the ever popular cars and monster trucks, to a 150 pc puzzle, to an eerily life-like rubber snake and alligator, to a suped-up bubble gun, to a superhero cape and mask! He loves every one of his gifts, and we had to add extra storage to his bedroom to accomodate all the great new toys.

 He got a really cool train station/turn table for his train collection, courtesy of his Mimi and Pappaw

 ...and an Imaginext dragon and accessories

And of course, we had yummy b-day cake! I love this picture of Jack, it portrays his spunk and energy perfectly. I never have to get him to pose for pictures, he is always a willing participant. (I also love how his friend John is ignoring the festivities, totally focused on that cake.) This year's cake featured red velvet/cream cheese frosting for the big partygoers, and vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting for the mini partygoers. My favorite was the red velvet, yum.

Video footage of everyone singing "Happy B'day" to an excited Jack. If you're still with me and reading this post, note that at the end of the video Jack needs a little help blowing out the candles. Instead of blowing out air, he just makes the whistling sound that accompanies blowing. Not sure what's up with that, but it's a signature Jack move.

Jack loved his party this year, and kept saying "happy birthday Jack!" He got really into it, and wouldn't stop talking about his presents and party for days afterward. I know this sounds cliche, but I can't believe my kid is 4 years old! It really does seem like yesterday that he was born.