A Picture a Day

So, have you ever heard of Project 365? I really don't know anything about it. (if there is more to know than, "take a picture every day"). But my sister mentioned it and I thought "why not?" After all, I did get a new camera for my birthday/Christmas present. It's a very small, very cheap point-and-shoot camera. So I thought it might be kind of fun. I did manage to remember to take a picture every day this month, which is the most obvious hurdle to the project. Although you will see several, "oh, no, it's midnight and I never took a picture" pictures. And I also managed to learn a few things this month:

1. When you take a picture with a very cheap point and shoot camera it looks as if you took a picture with a very cheap point and shoot camera.

2. I have been spoiled by Matt's good photography skills, which led to a warped idea that any picture should look good.

3. We are really, really boring around here.

4. I never do Jane's hair unless we leave the house.

5. We never leave the house.

Without further ado, 31 pictures that I would not blame anyone for not wanting to see:

1. "Oh no, I'm almost asleep, but I know there was something I needed to do today! Matt, hurry, put on your snuggie."

2. Jack d'oeuvres.

3. Jane is a Sunbeam! She did great. She would never stay for nursery but I think she likes feeling like a big kid.

4. Our playdough was getting old and needed to be replaced. So I let Jane mix them all together. She had a blast.

5. "Uh-oh, almost midnight. What can I take a picture of? Awww, Matt did the dishes even though it was my turn! What a sweetie."

6. Jack likes to crawl under his chair.

7. Our snow was so old and hard and crunchy that when Jane laid down to make a snow angel she didn't even make a dent in the snow!

8. "Shoot! It's midnight again!"

9. Jack and Jane enjoying a good laugh.

10. Jack plays with Jane's Dora car while waiting for the rest of us to get ready for church.

11. Jane and Jack enjoy playing with the toy Jack got from his Grandma and Grandpa J.

12. We got a new vacuum! $35. New. Worked astonishingly better than what we had been using.

13. A fantastic solution to Jack not being quite steady enough to sit on his own in the bathtub! Sorry I grabbed the hot pink one, Jack. Next time I'll use the green crate.

14. Jane takes her nap on my bed. She grabs only the essential stuffed animals for naptime.

15. Jack and Jane play under his crib. Why do we have 2x4's under there?

16. "Matt? I'm too tired to get out of bed. Can you grab my camera and take a picture of something?"

17. Jane models the cutest scarf ever. Buy one here!

18. Jack found his heaven behind the TV.

19. Pumpkin pancakes.
20. Jack likes to use the old-school Little People as a stand-in pacifier.
21. I wanted to take a picture of the birds eating from our bird feeders. I'm embarrassed that I ever thought it would be possible.

22. Jane wanted all of her duckies to have scarves.
23. What? I left the house? We went to the shorts program at the LDS Film Festival. I loved our friend's Cameron's film!

24. I told Jane to make a funny face. Is this seriously all I got for today?

25. After holding Jack for 5 minutes I realized he had something in his hand. This. He ripped up the internet corded tacked down along the wall.
26. "Geez, It's pitch black in here! I hope I'm aiming this at Jack!"

27. Jane was so terrified when her friend James played the "I'm going to get you game" that she climbed onto the kitchen table and kept running. She took a header off the table and cried forever. I ended up giving her Tylenol AND Ibuprofen to get her to go to bed.

28. Jane and her friend Agnes played ice-skating with wax paper around their feet.
29. After putting Jane's hair up into a ponytail with big-girl bangs in front she said, "It's like Abby" a little friend from church who does in fact have bangs like that.
30. Jane congratulates Aunt Julie on her "29th" birthday.

31. Me and my buster bar.

My Dirty Little Secrets

Well, Matt and I thought it would be fun to join our kids in the monthly updates department. So the idea was that Matt would entertain us with his own writing on the 18th of every month. As you can see that didn't happen, but it will. That's just Matt. And then you get to hear from me (yet again), on the 22nd. I'll just write about whatever I can come up with, I guess. Sounds fun, right? Right? Please say yes, because in all actuality I can't imagine that anyone would want to read the stuff I will come up with every 22nd.

But this month I've decided to give you a little treat. If you're like me, and read a few "real" blogs to get ideas on activities to do with kids, crafts, cooking, etc. you might also be like me and get a little frustrated at times with their "perfectness." I will start to feel guilty that I'm not making nightly gourmet meals, sewing all my clothes by hand, and doing at least 5 educational and artsy projects with my children each day. So, if you ever get a case of mommy guilt, I want you to come on over to this post and read until you feel all better and can say, "Well, at least I don't do THAT!"

*Jane looked down at my pajama pants and said, "Do you love those pants? You wear them all the time." Yes, blog-world I wear my pajama pants all the time at home. If I'm feeling especially ambitious I will put on a solid colored pair of exercise pants. I think they look nice. I would never wear jeans at home. They are so uncomfortable. And when Jane runs out of comfy pants for her to wear I always feel so cruel when I make her wear jeans around the house. They're torturous.

*I HATE cleaning. There are some people who like it. I HATE it. I don't find it fun at all. Thankfully I do like "picking up." It gives me a great sense of accomplishment when I can see everything back in it's place. I pick up the house several times a day. But cleaning is another story. I only clean things once a week. Yes, that means I only vacuum once a week. And yes, I only sweep and mop once a week. Ok, I'll sweep in between if I HAVE to. Like when Jane walked through the kitchen and frustratedly shouted "there's so much stuff!" talking about the crumbs collecting on the bottom of her feet. That was a moment of HAVE to. And please don't fear coming over to my house. If I know you're coming I'll probably run through my cleaning chores just for you. But I won't be happy about it.

*A long time ago Jane started having this fear of going to bed with her door shut. She really, really needs it to be open. If it closes she will be terrified and scream hysterically. And like the great mom that I am, I use that little piece of knowledge to my full advantage. Like if she's goofing around before bedtime, "Jane if you don't get over here right now I will shut your door!" Works every time.

*I try to do art stuff and preschool type projects with Jane. Sometimes I like it. Sometimes I do it because I feel like I have to. But I'm not the best at letting her express herself through art. Like when we made our family of snowmen. "You really want to put two different colored eyes? Are you sure? People don't have two different colored eyes."

*Somedays I dream of getting up in the morning and driving to work. I haven't thought through what that work would be but I know it wouldn't involve anyone under the age of 18.

*Days and days can pass and Jane and Jack (or I) won't get so much as a breath of outside air. Admittedly this is only a winter problem, and I was much better pre-herniated disc, but still.

*I only just started brushing Jane's teeth twice a day. It was a new year's resolution. You know what else was a new year's resolution? Getting Jane out of her nighttime diaper and into her panties BEFORE she announces she needs to use the bathroom at noon.

*Before bedtime I will read one book to Jane and she will read one book to me. I want her to enjoy reading and I want it to be fun for her. So why, on occasion, when it takes her a full five minutes to get through a page am I biting my knuckle to keep from screaming the rest of the sentence out so we can move on already! And why in the world are there times when she wants to talk on and on about what's happening in the pictures do I point at the first word and say, "If you don't start reading right now we're done." That doesn't make any sense, does it?

*I'm a BCABA (board certified associate behavior analyst). Ok, I've let that lapse, I think, but trust me I know more than I care to about the importance of follow-through, about behaviors and consequences and antecedents. So, why oh why do I tell Jane she can't do something, only to give in as soon as the irritating whine begins?

*Sometimes Jack sleeps in later than Jane. For that reason I am desperately trying to teach Jane to get out of her bed, quietly go into the family room and turn on the TV that I have all cued up for Nick, channel 27 on volume level 7... if she will only hit that one little power button.

See Jane? Sometimes mommies need to go on time-out too.


Well, there you have it, blog-world. I hope you'll still be my friend. In my defense, I really, really, really love Jane, Jack and Matt. Surely that counts for something.

Now, come on, Matt, we need your post! Oh, and remember how Christmas was a month ago? We still need to post that too.

Jack

Hey, Google Reader users, click on over to our blog. Why? No reason, except that when I told you to do that last time you actually commented! We nearly got as many comments as when we announced the pregnancy of our second child!


So, my little boy is 7 months old today! Woohoo! I love it. Things are starting to get really fun around here! I just love it when their personality starts to emerge. Jack is generally a very content and happy baby. He hardly fusses and actual crying is quite rare. We just love him to bits.

What do you need to know about 7 month old Jack?

*Well, his vitals, as of 1 week ago were: weight=15 lb 2 oz; 5th percentile. height=26 inches; 19%. head=17 inches; 22%
He's small okay?

*He can army crawl. Well, I'm not sure if it can be called an army crawl or not. I don't think there's any movement of the legs, but he can pull himself around with his arms to wherever he wants to go. He'll stay in one room though. It's funny to watch him get on all fours and try to crawl. He rocks his bum forward and backward, sometimes even making crawling motions with his legs and then just does a desperate belly flop forward. I wonder when he'll learn he needs to move his arms at the same time.

*He spends most of his time making his way around the floor in the family room, sleeping in his crib, or sitting in his high chair.



*He is sill toothless. But I think I feel a bump down there getting ready to poke through. And then there's the constant drool, shoving everything into his mouth, and the more than usual fussiness.

*He's a good little sleeper. He goes to bed around 7 or 7:30, wakes up to eat anytime between 5 or 6 and then goes back to bed until 7:30 or 8. Thank you, Jack.

*He LOVES his mama. He just lights right up when I come into the room. Sometimes I'll catch him just staring at me like he has a school-boy crush. And when he is fussy or upset about something and someone else is holding him he'll lean out of their arms towards me. And then he'll usually be as content as can be. But look, he loves his Daddy too.


*Do you remember when Jack was just a month old that he loved being on his side? Well, it's still true. He likes to prop himself up on his side to play. I've never seen a baby do that. It's adorable.

*Jack is getting a little better at eating. That or I've already given up the higher ideals I had set. And I'm realizing that store bought baby food has advantages all it's own. Primarily that I don't care nearly as much when he won't eat store bought peas as I do when he won't eat my homemade ones. He doesn't seem to like runny foods. He really likes Cheerios. I've tried to use that to my advantage. For example, I make him "Jack d'oeuvres" consisting of mashed sweet potato rolled into a ball placed on top of a cheerio. Or there's the spin off of chips and guacamole using Cheerios and avocado. And I've even had success with just coarsely crushing up Cheerios and putting it in store bought baby food purees. And life is really looking up now that he can manage to get Cheerios, and even avocado pieces, into his mouth by himself.

*And Jack still enjoys a good spit up. And did you know that when babies spit up after they've started eating solids, it is no longer spit up? It's PUKE.

*Despite that unfortunate habit, we just adore our little guy! And I'm really looking forward to seeing more and more of his personality these next few months! He is such a happy little guy.

Super Size Me

So, we're finally jumping on board and putting up bigger pictures. And Google Reader fans, we've changed the look of our blog, so click on over and tell us what you think!

But this post is actually about Jane. How many of you knew that? It is the fifth after all. How many? I'm guessing just one: my dad. Thanks dad, you've always been my biggest fan.


Well, I am ashamed to say I did not write down a SINGLE THING that Jane said this month. I have had other things on my mind if you will. Or perhaps I was laying down and couldn't muster the energy to go get a pen and paper. Luckily Matt pulled through and did some jotting of his own. Here's what we came up with:

After coloring at her art table Matt asked Jane if she needed to wash her hands. She said, "My hands are not markery."

On my birthday Jane was having her own sort of issues. Matt said to her, "You need to be nice. It's mommy's birthday." She said, "But I am nice. I'm pretending to be mean."

Jane's favorite Christmas song this year was "The Holly and the Ivy" by Bing Crosby. Actually, it's a medley. It starts with What Child is This, which she admits is pretty, but she LOVES when it switches to The Holly and the Ivy, which she calls "her song." Matt would play the song and then explain, "This will become your song." Later while listening to another Christmas song Jane said, "This is a pretty song too. All pretty songs become my song."


Now when we help Jane out with wiping she likes to lecture us. One day she was especially stern with Matt: "Don't waste toilet paper. Only use one or you will waste it. Don't waste toilet paper! You hear me? Don't waste toilet paper." But neither Matt nor I can ever remember telling her not to waste toilet paper. Grandma? Grandpa? Was this your doing in Missouri?


Poor, emotional Jane. She has given us some insight into her world. Matt was trying to calm her down once when she was crying and she explained, "Kids have to cry a lot." Another time she was freaking out that her magnetic dressing doll's hat was not perfectly placed. Matt asked her what was wrong and she said, "Kids have to be frustrated."

Jane bumped her elbow. Matt asked, "Is that your funny bone?" While crying she said, "No it's my hurt bone?"

Jane likes to dote on Jack. We thought it was cute when she said in her high, nurturing voice, "I love my cute little brother."

Matt asked her, "Jane, do you like Jack or John more?" She surprised us with, "I like Hansen. His name is also Hansen."

In an odd non sequitur, Matt had the following conversation with Jane:
Jane: I'm just having a great time.
Matt: Oh, good.
Jane: But sometimes people have tummies in their belly.

Jane started primary at church this week. I was so proud of her that she stayed the whole time! Although I'm really not sure what she was taught in there! Sunday while playing with two chopsticks and banging them together she said, "Caught! Caught! Caught the Lord Jesus!"


When Jane put these glasses on at Candis' house she immediately took on a new persona. She said, "I'm a mean girl" and acted mean with her eyebrows furrowed until Candis finally had to tell her "mean girl" was becoming too real!

Lately Jane demands her privacy. If we try to change her diaper in the morning, she has to do it in the bathroom--"I need my privacy." In the family restroom at church, she ordered Matt to leave, so he wouldn't see her "bum bum." He assured her he's seen it tons of times already. Still she insisted, "I need my privacy." But here's the catch: she'll call for us to come into the bathroom and help her, and when we open the door she'll be standing there shaking her "bum bum," grinning huge, and singing, "Naked! Naked!"

Jane has started telling us she loves us (in the all-too familiar, high, sing-songy, "nurturing" voice already mentioned). But half the time it goes exactly like this. "I LOVE you" (voice + drawn out love). "No, I don't love you. I love you AND Daddy." Another time she explained to Matt as nap time was approaching, "Hey Dad, I love you so much. When you put me to bed I don't love you so much."

Jane saw some of the movie Madagascar in Missouri so she had been singing "I like to move it, move it." A week or so later she was standing in the bathroom shaking her bum and singing, "I know how to not do it." It took me awhile to place the tune and movement but I finally asked her if she meant, "I like to move it, move it." We all laughed but Matt reassured her that we all sing the wrong lyrics every once in awhile.

Wait, I did write one down! When my mom drove us to the airport we ate at Panera. Mom must have had a little food in her teeth because while helping Jane into her car seat Jane shockingly declared, "You have poo poo on your teeth!"

And just yesterday we were making some snowman crafts and I was helping Jane put on the orange triangular noses made out of construction paper. She asked, "The snowman needs a beak?" I really need to make a real snowman with her!!

Well, there you have it! Until next month...