Interactive Alphabet App

As you know the iPad is very popular with Mr. Jack. I am always looking for new apps that will be both fun and educational! He's been learning the alphabet, so our latest addition has been a hit! It's called: Interactive Alphabet. And the icon looks like this:

 It's a bit more pricey than other apps we've purchased - $2.99…but I think I may be able to use it in my classroom with my kindergartners, so that's a bonus!

There are a few options to navigating the app. A child can click on individual letters - which go to an interactive letter card. Or they can do the alphabet song. There is also a "baby mode" that will take the child through all of the letter cards in order. Jack likes to click his way through on his own….and completely out of order. Each letter card is also read out loud, which is awesome! Jack's vocabulary has hit a "growth spurt" lately and I have heard him use words he has learned with this app! Squid? We definitely haven't been talking about squid around the house...

The Volcano card is one of Jack's favorites! Mainly because when you touch the screen the lava builds up and then explodes out of the top. What little boy doesn't love a great explosion?

Hope some of our tot friends get a chance to play this!

A Laid Back Weekend

Our weekend started off with a visit to the Carsten house. Jack, Maddox, & Jace enjoyed some Super Hero popsicles…that I must now find & buy. Jack was eating a Spiderman popsicle - to match his Spiderman outfit, of course!

Saturday morning Jack had some business to take care of… He is very animated on the phone. If you call us and you hear someone speaking a foreign dialect - it's just Jack. He loves to chat.

It was HOT and there was a lot of this going on! Remember when I was cursing my pool? Well, not so much this weekend.

Josie enjoyed a lot of extra attention from all four of her grandparents and her Uncle Joe & Aunt Gina.

She even wore Grandpa Jerry's golf hat so all of us could have a good laugh! She's such a good sport!

Molly is in Denmark. But if you haven't checked out her BLOG lately - head over there for a VERY exciting announcement! {we are SO excited!!!}

What we've been doing...

Aside from getting a J-O-B…we've been busy around these parts.

Nuala is in town visiting her Grandma (Aunt Sally) this week. So she and Jack enjoyed some playing & lunching in the park. Toddlers are hilarious.

 Josie lounged poolside in her tankini. I think the squishy rolls are showcased quite nicely!

I am learning to pick my battles with Jack. I've concluded a) he's two b) he's stubborn and c) I don't want to be in a power struggle 24/7. So today when I said we were leaving and he walked to the car in his rain boots & knight helmet - I said "Great. You look excellent. Let's go." And then I snapped this picture at Target. (yes, his boots are on the wrong feet) As my grandma would say, "he's a character."

And finally - we had a chance to see Miss Margaret Elizabeth (aka: Greta) this morning on her FIRST birthday! She is amazingly cute and showed off her newly acquired walking skills. Enjoy the cake, Greta!

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Good news!

I received a call today and I've been recommended for a teaching position in Southwest Allen County Schools! I have a final "interview" with HR, but my references have been checked. I will be teaching all day Kindergarten! So - friends with K experience, be ready for my phone calls!

I'm very excited to have my own classroom again! Jack & Josie are less excited about this news!

Teething

Teething has turned my sweet, happy girl into a miserable, drooling, poopy mess. {Fact: poop is affected when babies get teeth}

It's very sad {and tired} around these parts. Josie would like to wave her white flag and opt out of a full set of teeth. She's heard they're doing amazing things with dentures these days… Hook her up, Dr. McQuinn!

More interviews for me today…send some positive vibes my way...

Things I say...

A few weeks ago I started noticing some of the ridiculous things I say during the day. My main reason for focusing on this was that while dealing with a toddler all day - I have come to realize that the things that come out of my mouth are completely inappropriate for a normal work place. If Tyson said these things at work…he would surely be fired.

Case in point:

"Come over here please. I am not going to chase you." {Normal Workplace: Chasing someone? You are a liability. Fired.}

"Did you just kick her in the head?" {Normal Workplace: That's assault, brother. Somebody is getting: Fired.}

"Where did your pants go?" {Normal Workplace: Granted, I haven't worked in an office for a while now…but I'm pretty certain a person walking around pant-less is still frowned upon. Fired.}

"Stop picking your nose. Go get a kleenex." {Normal Workplace: Actually, I feel like this one should be said more often in the workplace. Sadly, though, it's usually just ignored. Fired: for being gross.}

"No…Get off! We DO NOT sit on the dogs." {Normal Workplace: I doubt that many offices have dogs, but if they do - I doubt people would need to be reminded that they shouldn't sit on the dog. Fired: for animal cruelty.}

"Do you have poop in your pants?" {Normal Workplace: While one may think this of their co-workers from time to time - it is probably not a good idea to question someone about it. Fired: for being inappropriate and nosey.}

More on this later.

Chaos

Life with a two year old and a six month old….plus two large dogs - if often pure chaos. They definitely keep me busy. And I definitely look forward to nap time each & every day.

 This is how Jack decided to "eat" his Cheerios this morning. And then when he saw Tucker eating them off the floor - he ate them off the floor, too…until I stopped him. Seriously, kid…??

Jack still uses his "Pass" when he sleeps and his "nigh nigh" is also important during bedtime routines. Sadly, he had been without both of them for a few nights, since we accidentally left them at the lake. He was reunited with them today and it was like he was whole again.

Sometimes when I'm feeding Josie - Jack sneaks off and gets into trouble. Today I found him jumping in Josie's crib. Other times he is shoving clothes/blankets/toys down our vents…or "painting" in my craft room. You can imagine the mess I found that time.

And sometimes - Josephine has to hang out like this…until I can corral her brother and get her dressed. She doesn't seem to mind though. I've actually found that when she gets naked - she gets happy. Great when she's 6 months, not so great when she's 20.

Drumroll….please.

Thanks for your votes in helping me decide on a new store name for my Etsy Shop! When it was time to make a decision…I decided I didn't want my name {Kady} in the title. And while I loved "15 Oh Two" - I thought it could get confusing for people. {see what I mean about over-thinking things!?!}

So - I consulted with a branding expert…(ha!) and settled on "the printed poppy."  I'm super excited about it!

Hopefully I will be able to open my store soon! Right now I'm doing a little project for my college roommate (Tory) and her family - which is FUN! And I'm working on a special birthday surprise for Greta Norton!

Thanks, again, for your help!

Trains in Fremont

We spent the weekend at the lake, despite the not-so-great weather. Saturday morning Tyson & Devin went golfing, so Nancy, Kristin, and I took the kids to a train store in the outlets. Basically, it is a store filled with old men who love to show off their train sets. Jack was in heaven.

 They had a few train tables set up - which he LOVED!

Here is one of the trains that we saw. I liked the Campbell Soup Train, but I didn't get a picture of it.

Not an easy concept for a two year old to understand… I'm pretty sure Nancy, Kristin, and I said "Don't Touch, Jack" one hundred times.

Josie was slightly interested. She didn't complain. But she was definitely more excited to go shopping.

Showing Aunt Kristin how to play with trains.

And before we left Jack had to take a ride in a boat. Surprisingly, (for the first time ever) he didn't cry when the ride started moving.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Singin' in the Rain

Jack enjoyed the past couple of rainy days. He also enjoyed walking around in mommy's interview shoes. Josie just enjoyed some extra love and attention from Devin & Kristin.