Easter Fun

Jack has had fun enjoying all the activities he was too young for last spring like an Easter egg hunt & dying eggs!

Tyler began his 2 week vacation (halleluja), however, we are going to miss out on some fun Easter things next weekend!  We've been celebrating a bit early.

The weather around here has been crazy!  A beautiful spring day one day & today it's freezing and we've had a few snow flurries.  This past weekend it was cold and overcast.

 

Since this was Jack's first Easter egg hunt, I tried to prepare him beforehand and show him eggs & his basket at home. Luckily, he was on the "little kid" side & there weren't too many kids so it was a very slow pace....thankfully for Jack. He would pick up an egg, open it to see what was inside & either put it directly in the basket or put its contents in the basket & drop the egg on the ground. Too funny.

 

He made sure that he wasn't done until every egg was empty or had been picked up.  He had a full basket & enjoyed admiring his finds (mainly marshmallows, Lucky Charms cereal, & a few peices of candy).

 

 

Sunday afternoon we decided to decorate and dye a few eggs.  I have not done this in years but it was made easy with the cups & dye tabs.  I did most of the dirty work but Jack loved looking at the eggs in the dye & pointing to all the different colors.  I let him pick colors and put a few eggs in.

 

We gave him his Easter basket early so he could enjoy its contents this week while we are away (& so the basket does not have to go with us).  He saw it sitting on the counter & immediately wanted to play with everything that was inside.  He also got some special presents from family that he LOVES!

 

 

Of course the most important thing about Easter is not the egg hunts, egg dyeing, or Easter bunny, but teaching Jack what it meant for God to send his only Son to die on the cross for our sins and that He has risen! We look forward to teaching him these lessons this year and for many years to come.

It's true....I turned 30.

While Jack was turning 22 months, I was busy entering another decade & turned 30!

I had a wonderful birthday weekend full of love, good food, family, & pampering.
Thank you for all the texts, calls, & Facebook messages...it sure does make a girl feel special!

My parents came into town to celebrate with us & to help do some work around the house, too.  Tyler worked most of the weekend so it was great to have family in town and to make me feel special & spoiled.

Saturday morning we headed to the Franklin Farmer's Market. Being winter there weren't too many fruits & veggies, but it's always fun & was a beautiful day.  We grabbed lunch in downtown Franklin at Puckett's Boathouse and were able to enjoy the warm weather & sunshine outside.  

After Jack's nap & a quick change, Jack & I headed to Lucas' 3rd birthday party where he was in heaven playing with the train table at Shipwrecked.  He could play at that thing for hours.

We had wonderful family birthday dinner Saturday night & Tyler was able to be there.  Jack was pretty much well behaved in a nice setting so there was not much more I could ask for.

Sunday was the big 3-0 birthday and we celebrated with church, brunch, & I was able to get pampered with a pedicure & solo trip to Target while Jack napped.  We spent some more time outside and I really couldn't have pictured a better birthday night as we relaxed at home with a glamarous dinner of pizza and salad.

Monday, Jack went to MDO, while my dad started on his major project (in addition to lots of little ones) which was to paint our master bedroom. It was the only room that hadn't been painted & we were ready for a change.  (note: my dad has now painted every room in our house, except the dining room, living room, & kitchen which we had professionally done...thank you, dad!)  My mom and I were able to run around and do some shopping & exchanges sans Jack, which is so much easier.

My parents also babysat Monday night so Tyler & I could have a date night at CityHouse with a stop at the mall afterwards to finalize my birthday present. 

Did I mention how great my parents are?  Not only do they come into town & help work on the house, but they love to babysit & I was also able to get my hair done Tuesday, which was much needed.  I pretty much feel like a new person in her 30's with a pretty pedicure & new hair. :) 

Jack loves to help grandad when he's working on projects.  We kept the door closed most of the time so he wasn't tempted, but when my dad would let him in he'd go straight for the stools & peek out the window.  My dad tried to get him to sit on a stool & watch, but that lasted about 30 seconds. 

I'm so excited about what this next year of life will bring and know it will be one of the best yet.

The big 2-2 months

 

 

Is he really only 2 months away from turning 2? 

 

He is such a little boy and changing more and more everyday. 

 

Tyler & I laugh when we trip over the tractors & dump trucks & buses daily.  He is all boy & loves his toys & playing & making all kinds of choo choo & truck noises.

 

He is still a little boy of few discernible words.  He is constantly talking to us...we just don't know what he's saying.  Even though he can't always tell us what he's thinking, I love that he now understands what we say & can communicate with him in that way.  He will sign to me & he has become my little helper now that I can tell him to bring me things, move things, & put things away.

 

I love his fun & stubborn personality.  He does not like change.  He has started crying when I put any shoes on him except his tennis shoes & is perplexed at why his arms or legs aren't covered when I put short sleeves or shorts on him.  He has definitely become more possessive over the last couple of months so we are working hard at learning to share & understanding that we don't own everything we see. 

 

I love that he's a momma's boy, but it makes it very hard to discipline him.  He just cries so much harder & wants me to hold him if I tell him "no no" (which is often).

 

 

It's very hard to have any type of photo shoot because he will not sit still or look at the camera.  So I'll let the recent phone pictures show what he's been up to at 22 months & his silly personality. 

 

Loves hanging with his bubba

Refusing to sit down in his carseat & laughing at me

Sticks his tongue out when he's concentrating

Carrying his dinner to the table

Loves coloring

Eating snacks & holding Jake's ball hostage

He bumped his nose a couple of weeks ago & his nose bled.  Then he woke up this morning with another small & messy nose bleed.  He has the Marshall gene.



Woke up from his nap undressed

This is the first time I've put shorts on him since last fall...he saw that his legs were showing & tried to pull the shorts down to cover them.

Jack's Room

 When we moved into our Nashville house, Jack's room was the first to be put together.  He has a much larger room than in San Antonio which is excellent for all his toys & books.  I've had these pictures on my camera since the summer so some changes have been made and it is now covered in toys, but I wanted to make sure I documented it.

 

It is very similar to his nursery, but I tried to update it more towards a "big boy" room and in the direction I know I want his room to go when the crib & rocker eventually leave (tear).  We painted it and I pulled in more dark blues/slate, a new rug, and cubbies with books & storage so he can go & pull books & toys whenever he pleases (which he loves).

 

 

 

His room has two closets which are excellent for clothes & to stash all the baby gear.  The previous owners made one of the closets a desk for their little girl & it is painted in purple chalk paint, which I love.  Eventually, I'd love to revamp it again and let it be Jack's little reading/writing area when he's ready for it.   

 

We have our baby/toddler pictures above Jack's changer & he loves to point at the pictures while we tell them who they are.  Now that he's older they are fun to look at and see who he is resembling most.  What do you think?