My "Jack of all Trades"

Weekend Wrap Up

Jack had visitors this weekend! Friday night he waited patiently for friends to arrive... Blake, Sarah, and Floyd (the Basset) came up from Cincinnati and Aaron came up from Fort Wayne.

"Are they here yet?"

He enjoyed his time with Sarah.

And he hung out with the "big boys" on the couch.

He also got to spend quality time with Floyd. Despite stealing a few of Jack's toys (baby toys & dog toys look too similar) Floyd was SUCH a good boy with a toddling toddler. And he kept Tucker entertained too. He is welcome back anytime!

He even helped keep Jack's face clean...lots of wet puppy kisses!

You can see Sarah's blog HERE. She has great craft ideas, recipes, and plenty of love for her adorable Basset Boy, too!

Sick boy...AGAIN

Poor Jack has another ear infection! Tyson stayed home with him today and I am thinking it will be my turn tomorrow. Not fun. He is miserable and so sad. We aren't sure what is causing the ear infections. They aren't caused by milk...he doesn't drink it. And YES (Mr. Stranger) he does war a hat. I've heard it could be teeth?!?!

Needless to say, with a sick baby, report cards due, and out-of-town guests coming for the weekend - blogging has not been a priority. I will try to be better!

Night Night, Jack

Walking must wear Jack out. Add daycare to the mix and he is BEAT! He has been sleeping through the night EVERY night (thank you, Jesus) and tonight he was in bed at 7:15! Now if only I could get myself to bed at a decent time...

Shot of Jack

"Uhhhhh, a little help here!?!?!"

Pitcher/Walker Extraordinaire

And now...a rare video created by my talented husband.

Lucas is (almost) ONE!

We celebrated Lucas' birthday today. He doesn't turn one until January 28th, but he was celebrating with his Detroit friends, so he can head to Canada to celebrate with Christina's family. His party was a snowman theme...and we all wore our hats & scarves. Very cute!

Jack and Molly "borrowed" Lucas' new birthday gifts! So fun!

Lucas didn't care because he was playing with his new cell phone.

Final Bell

My mom got to "Ring the Final Bell" on Cancer today!! It was her last radiation treatment and EVERYONE - especially HER - is excited! We hope 2011 brings nothing but GOOD news!

Little Lion Man

Happy Friday!!

Bless the single parents of the world!

Tyson has been traveling for work for a couple days and I have been experiencing life as a "single", working mom. Let it be known that it is TOUGH work and I have a lot of admiration for parents who raise children on their own!

This morning I tackled getting myself ready, feeding the dogs, taking out the trash, getting Jack ready, dropping him off at daycare, and getting myself to work for a 7:45am Staff Meeting...oh, AND I enjoyed a coffee along the way. Fortunately, we all survived the day (and the night) and Karley even told me (via Skype) that my hair looks good. I'll take it.

Tyson is battling his way home right now...through a snow storm that covers most of Indiana. Jack and I will both be happy to have him home! (Coop & Tuck - not so much...they enjoy sleeping with their mama when Tyson's away)

Happy Birthday...in heaven

Today would have been my Grandma Walker's 83rd birthday. Happy Birthday, in heaven! You are loved and missed.

Brave

Jack is getting more brave as a new "walker." Last night he took about 10 steps...stopped, bent down, stood back up...and walked again. He still prefers crawling to walking...and he still hasn't displayed his new talents at daycare. He'll break it out once he's learned how to RUN!

Jack's Hair

In the words of my cousin, Justin...

Jack's hairstyle is...

Infant in the front

Toddler in the back.

Personally, I love his locks. So he won't get a haircut anytime soon.

Shot of Jack

Grandma Nancy tucked Jack's socks into his pants. It's a good look for the little man! Payne Stewart would be proud!

Thanks for coming to visit, Grandma & Grandpa Becker! We enjoyed having you!

29th Birthday

Today is my 29th birthday. I can't believe I am ONE year away from 30! Not that I think 30 is old...

Yesterday I treated myself to a massage thanks to a Groupon I purchased in August. It seemed like the perfect time to get away for an hour and be pampered. My "therapist," Janet, really worked on my back, neck, & shoulders. She told me I have some "inflammation" in my shoulders (did you hear that? it's 30 calling...). She worked REALLY hard to "repair" that area by applying pressure to some pressure points and working out the kinks. Ahhhh. I walked out with a back that could pass for a 25 year old's back. Seriously...nice work, Janet!

Today we have already enjoyed Starbucks, a trip to Somerset Mall, and we have plans for dinner at one of my favorite places! Plus, I get to enjoy being home with Tyson & Jack - which is the best present of all!

Thank you MLK (and Ronald Reagan...) for this day to celebrate my birthday and MLK's birthday!

Shot of Jack

Grandma Nancy lets Jack peek out the window to see the snow!

Birthday with the Buddies

Brooke gives "Jack" a birthday smooch. Molly isn't happy about it.


The Jozefiak twins get passed around!

Nuala & her Daddy. It was a very "baby friendly" event!

Jack had his birthday celebration with his buddies today! There were walkers, crawlers, and semi-sitters in attendance. Jack's 2nd cousin Nuala made the trip from Ann Arbor, his neighbor Sydney walked over, Molly, Lucas, and the twins: Henry & Clara were all here to celebrate with him. Grandma Nancy & Grandpa Denny got in on the fun, too! And Jack's Great-Aunt Debbie was able to Skype in for the birthday song & cupcake smashing. What a great day! Jack hopes he gets to have three birthday celebrations EVERY year.

Shot of Jack

His new favorite way to crawl. Bear crawl. He thinks it is his "big boy" crawl.

Baby Steps

We have a walker. Okay, so it was "baby steps." But Jack took 3-4 steps on his own, a few different times tonight. Tyson and I were both able to see it and we were SO excited! Jack was pretty proud of himself. Look out, world!

(Yes, that is a dirty clothes hamper in the background...I desperately need a cleaning lady.)

Shot of Jack

The closer we get to bedtime (7:30pm) the more "manic" he gets. This is a perfect example of Jack's infamous laugh/cry. He laughs and cries at the same time, because he can't decide which emotion he wants to express. Now THAT is the epitome of tired!

1 vs 21

I recently realized that turning ONE is very similar to turning twenty-ONE!

1. You get to drink things your weren't allowed/supposed to drink before...

ONE - Milk

Twenty-ONE - Alcohol

2. You get privileges you didn't have before...

ONE - facing forward in a car seat, eating nuts & eggs

Twenty-ONE - you can go into bars, buy alcohol, and have an official bachelor/bachelorette party ;)

3. It's a milestone birthday...that you enjoy...

ONE - it's your FIRST birthday, people celebrate and you enjoy the attention

Twenty-ONE - it's really your last milestone birthday worth celebrating, people buy you drinks

Jack has twenty more birthdays to go...

Break out the PINK!

I just found out my good friend Carrie & her husband Dave are expecting a BABY GIRL in June! I am so excited to shop for girlie gifts! Congrats!!

Parenting a Parent

I feel compelled to write this post to WARN my pregnant friends/future parents, to allow others who share my frustrations to vent, and to educate the "already parents/grandparents/great-grandparents" that frequent this blog...

Today while leaving the grocery store with Jack, a nice man (I thought he was nice) walked up to me as I was strapping Jack into his car seat. (sidenote: I was kissing Jack and talking to him leading up to this)

Man: Excuse me...

Kady: Yes?

Man: Where is his HAT? (very annoyed look on his face)

Kady: He ISN'T wearing one TODAY. (stink eye)

Man: (raises eyebrows and shakes his head in disgust)

Kady: Mind your own business. (as he is walking away)

Cue: MOM RAGE.

Are you kidding me? I am strapping my son INTO his car seat. I am talking to him and kissing him. I am not a bad mother. Do not make me feel guilty. Was my child's life in danger? NO. Was I hurting him? NO. Does he need a hat? Probably... But is it your place, Mr. Stranger, to parent ME? NO!

Mr. Stranger...Do you yell at mothers who smoke with their children in the car? What about parents who feed their kids McDonalds every day? Or parents who take zero interest in their child's education? Please direct your "parenting of parents" at someone in need of advice.

And be warned...next time I will not be polite. I have an arsenal of snide remarks for the next "Mr. Stranger."

Damn you, Colts...

Apparently they didn't get the memo...Jack expected a victory on his birthday! Was that too much to ask??? The Jets? You should be ashamed.

Now go get healthy, because we won't tolerate this next year.

Jack-tivity #3

Our third and final Jack-tivity was a delicious lasagna dinner at the Jakobsen's! Jack and Molly both love lasagna...and the evidence was all over their faces!

Jack found some traces of sauce on Molly's hand. Yummm.

Molly wasn't amused by Jack's attempt to get fresh with her...even if it was his birthday!

Brooke made Jack a GIANT chocolate chip cookie cake!

And she had a treat for me, too! Hobnobs from London! They were my go-to cookie when I studied abroad there...since England doesn't have Oreos. Mikkel tasted a Hobnob tonight and thinks they are BETTER than Oreos. Impossible! He's just never dipped an Oreo in water...

That being said...I am still hiding my new Hobnob stash!! Thank you, Jakobsens!

That concludes Jack's First Birthday celebration! We had fun and we are looking forward to SO many more birthdays with our special Little Man!

Jack-tivity #2:

Our second Jack-tivity was a trip to the mall to Build-A-Bear. But really, we built a Tiger! Jack hit every stuffed animal we picked up...except the Tiger. He kissed the Tiger and that was that.

He waited in line to stuff his new friend.

He was amazed watching the stuffing go into the Tiger. Jack picked out a heart...gave it a kiss (or shoved it in his mouth) and put it inside his Tiger - before the nice Bear Builder sewed it up.

Meeting his new friend.

Looking at the Tiger in his new "condo."

Meet Uno! Uno was born on Jack's birthday - it says so on his birth certificate.

As we were leaving, we saw Jack's buddy Lucas with his mom & dad! Jack and Lucas shared some smiles. Lucas wished Jack a "Happy Birthday" and we were on our way... When naptime "calls" it is TIME TO GO!