a special moment

here we have a photo of jack helping to lead a song for the first time in Sunday School opening. yes, Pastor thought he looked so groovy that he asked jack to come up and help him lead the song.

muah ha haaaaaaaa... that also meant that my shy & retiring husband had to go stand in front of the whole church, too. great fun. for me. not him.

if you look closely you can see the cool belt a mexican man gave to dan just because he admired it. you will also notice that jack is not wearing shoes. do not fret, i have remedied the situation. i got him some really cool shoes for $3.24! vive la clearance.

an impromptu church photograph

here is a photo taken at church 2 weeks back. they decided to put photos of the families in our church directory. so, some nice lady with a digital camera had, like, 2 seconds to get our picture taken. this photo is not destined for greatness, but it's not totally horrendous. oh, who am i kidding, it's pretty bad. but, as you can see, jack was wearing his velvet jacket. and not smiling.

nerd

i bought jack a bow tie. it's red. is that nerdy? i mean, it can be, but it can be cool too, right? i think it's cool in an ironic sort of way. jack wore it to church sunday with tan cords, a plaid button-down shirt, and a red sweater vest that had a bear on it. and the tie. the response was good. in fact, there were two women hovering over jack to see what he was wearing when i got to church.:) word has gotten out that he is a dapper chap. he has recently sported a black velvet suit jacket, and a brown cord jacket with a brown and tan striped tie. clip on tie.

this is my mom with jack.

famous jack!

my little dude is famous. my boss called me at home at the end of dec. and asked me to bring in a photo of jack. they used the photo for an ad for a special section in the paper. a sort of "brag section" with full color photos of babies born in '07. the cost to do this was $10. so, jack's in the ad. then, i wasn't even asked... and he's in the special section! nice! then, i visit the newspaper's website and see a slice of my baby's face! i click on it and am sent to a special section where you can buy photos from the newspaper. then, a few days later i am paging through a paper and see a new ad with jack! for the webpage to buy photos from the newspaper. my famous baby. i ripped out the ads for his baby book and scrapbook. how cool is this? it's like jack is a model.:)

knee surgery

no, not for me. not now, anyway. i called my cousin stacy yesterday and said something like this, "so, grandpa is doing fine after the surgery..." "WHAT!!!?", was the response. oh, didn't you know? apparently you move to louisiana and they don't tell you when your grandfather is going to have knee surgery. how un-Christian.:) she didn't even get to pray about it! right? right.

so today is payday. why is there a twinkle in my eye (why is today "rhetorical question" day?)? because i am going to buy SHOES. yes, the objects near and dear to a woman's heart. since the baby was born there is a new dress code at work and all my new work pants are too long and i walk on the hems, or i roll them up until i look like a hillbilly. HUMILIATING. so, now that Christmas is over i am going to go get some shoes with a big-fat-lift-me-off-my-hem heel. WHEE! oh, and today is haircut day, too. i am so nervous. i don't know what kind of a hack job i will be getting. oh for the bygone days of just getting a trim every year or so. but, i do have a coupon. "those are nice to have."

cookies for the birthday boy

more cookies for the boys. if there is one thing that we must have stocked in this house, well, i would say that milk MUST be there, and cookies/ice cream/bread/oj come a close second. heaven forbid we run out!!!:) so, we were out of cookies. thankfully jack took a nap so i could whip out some chocolate chip cookies. augh! we are out of walnuts! that too is a sacriledge. so, i rummage through the cupboards and find peanuts. hope that will placate dan. if not, whoop-de-do!!! payday is friday. ahhhhhh, payday friday feels sooooo good.

oh yes, today is dan's birthday. happy birthday, darling! dan is 36 today. can't believe i am married to such an old dude! old only in number. i am constantly glancing at him and realizing with a shock that he looks like a teenager. i don't know how he does it. and being outside in the elements all the time, too.:)

(grainy wedding photo)

jack update

jack is the best. no, really! he may whine a bit, and poop a bit (or a lot), but mostly i look at him with awe and wonder if i have been sent an angel. here's a list of jack's accomplishments so far: 1. rolls over to his tummy and back 2. can sit for more than an hour on the floor! 3. can lean way over to reach a toy (and make himself vomit. not so nice.) 4. say "mama" 5. say "dada" 6. give High Fives 7. clap 8. splash in the bath 9. flip over in his crib 10. give eskimo and regular kisses 11. wave.

jack smiles and laughs alot. he is ticklish in his rib area. his laugh is like a breathy "huh!". he thinks peek-a-boo is hilarious.

last night in Church jack was singing along with the congregation. everyone loves him. later dan took him down to nursery. when i picked jack up the nursery worker said she and the other worker took turns holding jack because they both wanted him.

i wish you all could meet jack.

le petit brunch

i threw a little party saturday. i had a brunch for my cousin's wife and her 2 children (and 1 on the way). the hardest thing about parties, i think, is getting the guests. i hate the inviting part. it takes forever for me to get up the courage to call. i worry, "do they really want to come and spend time with dumb old me?", "will there be enough to talk about? what if they get bored?", and finally, "will it be awkward when they leave?". am i right? i mean, what if you want them to leave and they linger all day? what if they scram after only an hour? anxieties galor. i can be very neurotic.

i think it went well. my quiche was delicious. the table looked pretty with my blue poinsettia and my swedish table runner. the kids had lots of fun playing with jack's toys. and the conversation did not lapse. halleluia. i think i will do it again.

another fantastic day

i have to say, i am pretty contented with the life i lead. it is, in fact, fantastic. today was another blessed day taking care of jack. he really amused me today by getting excited watching "the price is right". little arms were flapping away with happiness. so, i let him watch a bit. at one point he laughed at the tv. he has such a sense of humor. he laughs all the time.

tonight my husband is out-of-town. my mom & dad took pity on me and invited me out to dinner with my grandparents. we went to applebee's... with the baby. duh-duh-duh-DUM... and he was PERFECT! we put him in the high chair there for the first time. he was content playing with his toys. you just have to keep the utensils and water glasses far away.:) after a bit my dad held him, then my mom, then my gramps. we all were entertained watching him.

when the food came i put him back in his chair. God is so good. somehow when they were plating my cheeseburger, 3 penne pasta noodles fell on my plate. i chopped them finely and fed them to jack while we ate. gramps gave him one of his broccoli. when dessert came jack was not left out. he had his first huge mouthfulls of whipped cream. and then some of my dad's hot fudge. then some of my mom's ice cream. it was so much fun. jack has not met a food substance he doesn't like. he even knawed on my pickle (he liked it) and my lemon slice for my water (he loved it!).

first entry of new year

happy '08! here are the breaking news stories in molly-ville.

jack said his second word 2 days ago. his first word was "mama". his second word was "dada"! what a sweetie. i swear he repeated the word "dirty" after me the other day, but that might have been a fluke. jack has a very deep voice. sort of like my niece enolea.

wednesday my sister called me on her birthday to inform me that she is going to have a fourth child. she is due sept. 8th. and she's trying to go v-back, ladies. that's going to be something. yeah for angie!

my friend from pcc days, marian, got engaged! her ring is very sweet and unique.

my Christian friend at work was told wed. that her position was eliminated. so sad. i am totally bummed. now i am really all alone... the only Christian. the only one working at night. it will be ok. God is in control. my heart goes out to kelly.