Say Cheese!

There are things as a parent that you have to do for your child but you really don't want to do. For both daddy and I, one of those things is hosting a birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese. We can't stand to do it and we dread the year that our child will be old enough to want and desire a party at this place. So this year was the year for Parsons......thanks to the encouragement and hype from her big bro. Don't get us wrong or think badly upon us...sure we want to hear our children scream when they hit the ticket jackpot or laugh when they win in skee-ball or smile when Chuck-E comes around to say hi...its just that this place gets way out of control after noon. It no longer becomes a restaurant but a zoo where every animal has been let out of its cage! So knowing this little tidbit and having seen it in action a time or two, daddy and I always agree and schedule there birthday parties way early in the day. Let's just say we make pizza cool for breakfast.

So with all of her very special friends and family in attendance, our Chuck E. Cheese experience began with token fun and a birthday show from Chuck E. honoring our Princess P.  Then Jackson got to go into the Ticket Blaster Machine with P and grab about 2,000 tickets...which he shared with most of our party guests. Parsons wasn't to happy to see ole Chuck E though...something about the creepy cheese smile on his face scared her. Anyway, she had a blast riding the big truck with her best school pal Paris and her favorite neighbor Sean. She also liked riding the pony which she spent most of her tokens on. And she had fun in the jungle gym with her two favorite guys Zaney (my nephew) and Summit.  So with even all of our dread, we did have a lot of fun and more importantly Parsons had a very magical day.

And then it happened

And then it happened....before my eyes...I looked up and you were 3!  The past 3 years are like a blur of white light. Where did they go and how do I get them back?

The sleepless nights as a newborn are but distant memories. The days of trying new foods and weening you from the bottle seem so long ago. The fights and battles over your pacifier seem so frivolous now. And your favorite things of ago have been traded for prized possessions of today...Elmo slippers exchanged for princess dress up shoes, Barney for Barbie, Dora for Belle, stroller rides for scooter rides, footed sleepers for satin nightgowns.

Now all I see is this beautiful little girl standing in front of me...not the baby or toddler that I thought I saw just yesterday. Now all I see is a little girl who wants to do everything on her own. A little girl who wants to grow up just as fast as her big brother. I wish I could slow down the hands of time and you could be 3 forever!

Happy Birthday My Princess Pea!! I love you!

Spring is in the air!

We are itching to get outside....to play with friends and enjoy good company! It's been a long winter!  So it is on days like this that we take full advantage of good friends and the sunshine!  This is what spring looks like!

Good Sport

If there is one thing that I know about my little man is that Jack Jack is not a competitive person. He doesn't strive to be the winner all the time and he doesn't get upset when he loses. It is just not in his nature. Something that I think he honestly gets from me! Both he and I enjoy the experience of the game and the fun of it. We look at it as an opportunity to be with our friends and just be in the moment.

But over the years, we have tried Jackson in a number of sports in hopes of him finding one that he would take too or find his niche. Also, its hard not to feel the pressure of friends and neighbors pushing their kids into sports. And I can honestly admit I have felt that over the years. So we tried soccer at the age of 3. And yes we said later he was a little too young since all he did was pick daisies and watch the trains go by. We tried baseball at the age of 5, which turned out to be his least favorite. We had games two nights a week and it became very demanding for a school week. Even for me and daddy, it was too much to ask of a 5 year old to put on his game face every Tuesdays and Thursdays for 3 months straight. Eventually his favorite part about baseball was dancing in the outfield and making everyone laugh.

So this year, we tried flag football. We felt like he was old enough to understand the plays and safer than real tackle football (which mommy felt he was not ready for!). Also secretly his daddy was elated that he was playing his favorite sport! Martin even signed up to be the assistant coach and was excited and eager to take him to every practice and game despite our recent wacky weather. Ironically, we were the Steelers and Jack Jack was mighty number 62. Our season lasted 2 months and ended this past Saturday with a pizza party and trophies. AND we can now officially say that this time around Jackson really enjoyed himself. I am not saying that he turned out to be a C.J Spiller or Eli Manning but he held is own and grew into his own little player and teammate. There were trial and tribulations at first. At the beginning of the season, you could tell that this had the potential of being another soccer or baseball experience. The first practice he came home in tears because "it was confusing and hard to run straight with boys still coming at you" and "daddy didn't like the way he ran." So we had to practice for a couple of weeks on how to run and stay straight. But as practices and games went on he became better...even almost scoring twice. He found his favorite position was center. He liked hiking the ball and being able to block the other team's players from the quarterback. And most of all he enjoyed being with his friends and making new ones. He liked getting out on the field and just running. He also enjoyed watching his teammates score and make good plays.

Like I said earlier I didn't have hopes this season of him winning the Heisman but what I wanted for Jackson was to have a good time, learn how to be a good teammate and sport, and to find something that he enjoyed. As we were riding home yesterday, he asked eagerly could we sign him up again and when did the next season start...this made his mommy and daddy smile!

Game Time!

This year's Super Bowl flew under the radar considering mommy was recovering from one of her girls' weekends and daddy's favorite team, the NY Giants, weren't in it. So needless to say we weren't real passionate about either team and the thought of having to host something big was out of the question. So we played it low key and made homemade pizzas instead. Daddy made the dough in our bread maker that we pull out once a year and Jack Jack and P picked out their favorite ingredients: cheese, cheese, and more cheese. I got to make my favorite artichoke, calamata olives, and goat cheese pizza. Jack Jack liked spreading the tomato sauce and adding the pepperonis. P like sprinkling the cheese and watching the dough rise in the oven. And daddy liked tossing the dough in the air....he is a natural! And mommy liked eating it!

Pretty Terrific

Since the day he was born, I knew Jack Jack was pretty terrific. A terrific boy with a great sense of humor and adventure. A terrific boy with an amazing zest for life and a sense of curiosity that constantly keeps you on your toes. A terrific boy who at times is very emotional about his family and his friends. And on most days a terrific boy that is very helpful especially with his little sister.

This week his teacher recognized him as being pretty terrific too. He was chosen to receive the Terrific Kid Award for this month for his 1st grade class. To celebrate his achievement, he had to bring in three of his favorite things to share with the class, have a parent come eat lunch with him, and for another parent to come and read to the class. He was also asked to bring in his favorite music but we both agreed that Guns-n-Roses' "Paradise City" was inappropriate for a first grade classroom. So in lieu of the music, we sent in his favorite snack of Pirate Booty and Toy Story gummies. Well today he sent in his three favorite things.....his life-sized Froggy who he has had since birth (Thanks Aunt Linda!), his favorite drawing of a space alien, and a picture of his favorite place, Washington, DC. Last night when he was collecting his three things, I asked him, "Why these three things?" He replied, "Froggy because he is my best friend and he keeps me safe and he will go to college with me (I will remember to remind him of this when he is 18!), the drawing because I did my best on it, and the picture of our family in front of the Washington Monument because it was the best trip ever!"

Tomorrow, Martin gets the easy part by enjoying a delicious lunch of Sloppy Joes and pizza with 18 first graders (13 boys and 5 girls!). And I will be reading to his class on Friday, which I am looking forward to since I don't get to go into his class very often because of the JOB! I asked him today what did he want me to read? He said, "Skippyjon Jones because it is funny." Now I have the hard part! Have any of you ever read a Skippyjon Jones book? I am not arguing with him about the funny part, it is definitely funny but the language and Spanish accents throughout the book are insane. Enough to turn your brain into guacamole! Wish me luck! I can't complain though....it is all for a pretty terrific boy!