Copycat

jonah swing
This swing was given to us for Joshua’s first birthday. It has served us well. 8 years and counting!

Jonah had a great week last week. We finally had two really warm days where we could play outside (and then it got cold and rainy for two days, of course) and being able to play outdoors made him light up like a candle. Now he goes to the front door each morning and says “outside” and it’s adorable! He’s a persistent little booger, too. On the cold and rainy days he asked me one millllion times (approximately). Fortunately, the facility where he goes for his toddler development class has a fabulous gym that we can use anytime we want during the weekdays!! So Friday we headed over there so he could get some energy out, and we had the whole place to ourselves. We had a great time!

jonah gym

The really wonderful, amazing thing that happened last week is that Jonah finally started repeating words after us. On command. He doesn’t do it every time, but before he pretty much would NEVER say what we asked him to say, and now he will. As a result, his vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds and so have his two-word phrases, because some of the things we have asked him to say, he is now saying on his own.  He is finally saying the word “want” and phrases I’ve been trying to get him to say forever like “want grapes”, “want down” – stuff like that. YAY! It’s been very good progress and we’re excited about it.  Also, it’s kind of fun to get him to say stuff like “Mommy’s awesome” and “I tooted”.

Mostly, I’m excited that he seems to want to communicate a little better (not that he always wants to cooperate, but more than before for sure) and he really loves it when we clap for him and praise him. I’m hoping this means he is one step closer to being bribed to work with me at home on the iPad. He loves to play his apps and books but he also loves to be in control and not so much go along with what I’m trying to get him to achieve. I’m hoping a good M&M or Skittles bribe will help with that now that he seems more open to learning (don’t be jealous of my parenting skills! He rarely ever gets candy, I swear.)

I can’t wait to see what this next week brings! What do you have planned this week?

 

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Remember this.

Life is crazy right now. Andy’s (16th and final) tennis season has started, both the kids have birthdays this month, Sam’s playing t-ball and Kate is swimming. It seems we’re always moving, going, doing.

Last night, though, I sat at the kitchen table alone. The kids had already eaten at Grandma’s and Andy was eating with the tennis boys. I was eating leftovers and playing Candy Crush, not paying too much attention to either one.

Before long, I looked down and saw this.

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Sam picked a spot on the kitchen floor, right beside me, to play with his action figures. He didn’t say anything to me, and we didn’t talk, but we were close to each other, and that was enough.

A couple minutes later, someone else joined our party.

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Kate came out to discuss her costume for her upcoming school play.

As I sat there with the two of them, with nothing special, nothing in particular going on, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for those two amazing kids. Gratitude for the simple moments, for that moment in time. For kairos.

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Things I do not enjoy

nice one

I am getting a little sick of the internet. And, there is no way I can write this post without making myself look like a jerk. LUCKILY, I foresaw this months ago and created the “Jenny is a jerk” category – just so we’re clear. I’m a very nice person who can also be a real jerk when she thinks she is right and you are wrong, and well…

Here’s what’s got my knickers in a twist.

People who hashtag their kids’ names on Instagram

PEOPLE OF INSTAGRAM: You don’t need to hashtag every picture of your kid with their full name. Hashtags are basically for either searchability (original purpose) or comedy and NO ONE is going to search for #joshuakenneth #sophiadiane or #jonahlaton which is why I don’t HASHTAG MY KIDS NAMES ON PICTURES ON INSTAGRAM AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU.

People who use a gazillion hashtags on every photo on Instagram

AND ALSO: Listen. You don’t 12 hashtags on the picture of your #adorable #new #red #shoes #pumps #heels #brandname #footwear #storewhereyouboughtthem #fashion #trend #springshoes

#WEGETIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bloggers who post on Facebook or Twitter about all the fabulous stuff they get invited to but can’t attend.  So that we all know they are totally IN DEMAND.

I’m sorry your life is so busy and fabulous, but those of us who get invited to like, one event a year would like to maintain a shred of dignity SO STOP IT. Gah.

(Totally switching gears here).

Fully-grown adults who have long engagements.

I recently posted on Facebook about how this irritates me and a bunch of people got defensive. Look, if you’re over 30 and have a job, there is no reason for you to be engaged more than a year. Unless your fiance is DEPLOYED. When I was a child bride of 22 with a fresh college diploma and no job, an 11-month engagement seemed like an eternity. WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? To me, nothing says “plenty of time to back out” like two 31-year-olds with an 18-month engagement.

People who come into my yard when I’m playing with the kids trying to sell me something. 

I’m pretty sure it says in the Bible to love your neighbor as yourself until he or she preys on you when you’re trying to make sure your two-year-old doesn’t fall off the slide. Security system-man is lucky the husband was out with the kids when he ambled up to put a damper on a lovely evening, because the husband is MUCH nicer than I am and I would’ve said “get the H off my fishing lawn before I call the cops, sharkface!” When I did come outside and the salesman tried to latch on to me I calmly texted a friend and asked her to call me therefore saving myself from committing many, many mortal sins against the Honeywell man. Oh my gosh that made me MURDEROUSLY angry. And also? I’m not stupid! I know you’re not here to give me something for FREE, you fishing INTRUDER! GRRRAARRRRGH!

And lastly:

Recipes that include the word “skinny”

Look, it’s not like I stuff  my face with brownies and cookies all day long (especially now that I have to eat gluten-free, waah-waah) so when I make a dessert recipe, LET IT BE FULL OF FAT AND SUGAR so I can ACTUALLY ENJOY IT!

And yes, I WILL be washing it down with a glass of Mountain Dew, TWO if you push me. I might even dump a box of NERDS in there just to make it sweeter!

In the totally paraphrased words of Erin Brockovich, “As long as I have one @$$ instead of two, I’ll eat whatever I want!”

(She said “wear” rather than “eat”. But I’m not about to start dressing like a prostitute. My kids might get kicked out of Christian school.)

So anyway, those are things that I do not enjoy. Feel free to judge me…silently.

What’s the burr in your bonnet these days?

 

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