Happy 4th Birthday to my Favorite Son!

Because I never blog anymore, ever I tried uploading this to Facebook but they got angry at me because of the music I added and deleted it. So...I am trying here. And can't make any promises that I will be back soon! BUT I do miss you blog!

Happy Birthday Jacob!

The Best Way To Spread Christmas Cheer...

3, as in years old

You know what is coming next as I have realized I am pretty predictable when it comes to JD and his birthday's. Turn up the volume people, its not the same without the music. You will all be excited to know that this year's picture montage has some new features AND is shorter. :)


Happy 3rd Birthday JD! He woke up just about the time he was born three years ago this morning (and so of course I had a moment...sniff, sniff) and had the birthday tradition of a doughnut for breakfast! Birthday party post coming soon!

Morning Coffee

Coffee has been necessary lately as we are battling the 2 year old vs. the big boy bed. Let me tell you folks, the big boy bed isn't all its cracked up to be. The crib on the other hand...well I heart the crib. I miss the crib and its cage like features that kept my baby safe and sound.

Anyway, I clearly need to save all of that for another blog.

Today (after the worlds worst night of sleep, thanks to said big boy bed) I woke up "refreshed" and enjoyed my morning coffee outside with Mr. JD. We chatted, err, had some "coffee talk" and I captured a bit on camera as I never want to forget this cuteness.

Branding

So we are deep into the Madness of March, highlighters in toe and have completely out-bracketed ourselves (if that all makes sense). If you aren't in the know, our Alma Mater played yesterday and are headed to the SWEET SIXTEEN BABY!! GO BULLDOGS!!

Side note: I don't think I have EVER done this poorly on my bracket picks. Thank you Kansas and Villanova. Although the Kansas game was unbelievable to watch. I do love upsets, I just wish I had picked them! :)

Yes, the Butler Men's Basketball squad (I like that word) has done a great job with branding themselves as a team to watch out for (Brad Stevens for President!) in the last decade...but that isn't where I am going to go with the whole branding bit.

Needless to say, JD shocked his momma the other day in the department of words...him saying words that is. He grabbed one of the (way too many) receipts out of my purse and said "Walmart mommy." And low and behold, it was a Walmart receipt. He can't read. He JUST started talking in 4 word sentences and even those sometimes don't make a whole lot of sense. I at that point hugged him and then looked at him as if he had 5 heads, and then told him he was brilliant. I mean I already thought the brilliant thing (don't all mothers?) but really? Logos?

So I tested him and put Target, Kroger, and Walmart receipts in front of him. He name them ALL! Just went one by one and named them. Again, he CAN'T READ! So hats off to these stores because I would have never thunk it. Apparently they brain washed me too (especially Target) with their mad branding skills because I don't think Walmart's is especially smart...but smart enough for a 2 year old to recognize it. So smarter than I thought. Due to my obsession with Target I am thinking that these three stores will probably have patron for life! :)

No Shower Sunday

So in college we (as in me and my oh so cool friends) declared most Sundays as "No Shower Sunday." Gross. Yet at the time it wasn't so much. Don't mind the fact that we probably also ate McDonald's twice in that same Sunday. It was also "no bra day", and a sweat pants only zone. Oh yeah...those were the days.


So JD loves showering, as mentioned here, so "No Shower Sunday" has been reintroduced to our lives, but now it only pertains to people who are under 4ft tall that reside here. Oh and we don't eat McDonalds twice (or once for that matter). And I wear a bra and real clothes. Just clarifying... :) Anywho, he is not so happy about this because he sure does love to be clean but I think a one day break won't hurt him!


I did however go ahead and take a VERY PG video of him in said shower, not on a Sunday of course. Think Adam Sandler in Big Daddy PG. Anyway, yes he is lip singing (to his favorite song) more than showering, still though, laugh out loud funny if you ask me.

PS- SELECTION SUNDAY IS THIS SUNDAY! WOOHOO!! Time to fill out those brackets. We should totally start a blogger bracket buster game!! Love me some March Madness!

Schooled

Lately a lot has been happening in this here household. JD is going from toddler to boy right before our eyes. I am pretty sure at this point he is half my size, which is rather scary considering he is only the ripe age of 2.5 (not even). But I am not just talking about a growth spurt here, I am speaking mostly of Mr. Independent over there sitting by the TV watching his current favorite show, "Movers mommy, Movers" (translates to Imagination Movers).

I mean don't get me wrong, I love it...you know all the talking. I love that his eyes have been widely (understatement) opened to the world of words. Some we have taught him, some school has taught him, some he has just (ahem) heard us say, some I am pretty sure he made up, and some he got from those TV shows I let him watch in the morning.

Lately he has been doing and saying things that P-Daddy and I have found rather shocking because we don't remember ever teaching him such. So I thought it would be fun to do a run through of things we have taught him, and things JD has picked up along the way thus far in his life.

**************

We DID teach him to say "please" and "thanks" which he does on a regular basis (currently better at the "thanks" than the "please").

We DID NOT teach him to say "mine" and run in the opposite direction as you or you or you when he has something that is not his.

We DID give him Handy Manny tools, and then he has acquired a tool bench and a Bob the Builder tool set...but we DID NOT teach him to use the tools properly or know the names of every tool (and not the Handy Manny names the real ones...specifically "wrench" still gets me. That is kind of a hard word to say and its a freaking wrench?)

We DID NOT teach him to organize his blankets and bear in the exact same way before nap and bedtime but he sure does do that (am thinking though, through osmosis he got this "anal man" straight from his dear old dad).

We DID teach him to dance.

We DID NOT teach him to crump.

We DID teach him to tell people how old he is when asked.

We DID NOT teach him to say that every letter in the alphabet is "E." Somehow even the letters above his bed that spell his name (which does not contain an "E") are all still "E." Work in progress.

We DID NOT tell him that mommy went to not ONE but TWO NSYNC concerts in her "youth" and had a love for boy bands however his current favorite song is Owl City's "Fireflies."




We DID teach him to shake people's hand and say "Nice to meet ya" (which is more like "mee ya").

We DID NOT teach him that cords are okay to play with, plug in, unplug...however somehow he knows how to do all of this AND has since he was about...oh...ONE! At this point we don't fight this obsession, we just supervise. And yes we still have the child safety "protectors" on our plugs, and yes he figured those things out at age one as well. We have tried all different brands and he knew how to get all of them off. *Sigh*

We DID teach him not to stick his finger into plugs (and he never has)...that has to count for something right?

We DID NOT teach him that breakfast is the most important meal of the day (yet) but he sure does eat his best in the morning (typical day=three Nutra Grain bars, 3 bowls of cereal or 3 regular sized Eggo blueberry waffles).

We DID teach him that bathing daily is important as we implemented this into his routine when he was the ripe age of a few months old.

We DID NOT teach him that ADDING a shower to that routine was important yet somehow every morning after breakfast he insists that showering is the next step to his day...so currently he is showering and bathing daily. Not going to meet a cleaner two year old.

We DID give him an old cell phone to play with when he was just a wee little one.

We DID NOT know that this would mean he would snatch our real cell phones and call the same people over and over again without mommy or daddy realizing (sorry Amy), call 911 (once...turns out if you lock your phone there is still a way for babies to press one little button and viala, "911 whats your emergency"...CRAP!), and send random cryptic text messages to people.


We DID teach him what a frog is (as for some reasons frogs are in a lot of children's books), the sound they make and how they move around.

We DID NOT teach him to move around the house just like a frog on a regular basis and scream "RIBBIT."

We DID teach him to give lots of hugs and kisses.

We DID NOT know this would become a form of toddler manipulation each night at bedtime. "More kiss mommy, more hug mommy...MORE KISSSS MOMMY"...I know, could be worse and was funny/cute for the first few nights...now it is just painful to listen to him scream that over and over once I or P-Daddy have given him 10,000 hugs and kisses and oh...ONE LAST HUG to grow on.

We DID say "I love you" enough to him that he now says it back (and I melt like an M&M in a sweaty palm every time).

Speaking of being "schooled"...he teaches me something about myself each and every day too...and what I have found about this motherhood gig is that I still have a LOT to learn.

TIVO TALK

A few things before I begin...
I agree that it is absolutely ridiculous that I haven't posted anything of substance since my New Years post.
I am having serious writers block when it comes to the recap of Lake Tahoe Christmas Vacation but promise its a blog in the backlog
I would be remiss if I didn't plug Shallow Thoughts here because she is not only a rock star in my eyes because she read a book a DAY in '09 AND blogged about that book EVERYDAY but now she has continued her blog but has added her thoughts on television. LOVE IT...and we are getting ready to talk about my Tivo, so this plug works!

Now onto the good stuff...

Notable items on my TIVO (and listed in order of importance...of course!):
How I Met Your Mother (Can you tell this one is still winning in my book?)
Modern Family
Desperate Housewives
Project Runway
The Good Wife
60 Minutes
Cougar Town
Shark Tank
Iron Chef America
American Idol

Its hard to believe that American Idol has fallen as low as it has...but its true. I would skip AI to view any of the other shows above it, any day! And you know why? I JUST don't think they are ever going to find another Carrie Underwood. Nope. Don't think they can do it. But THIS guy...well he is brilliant...



If you aren't watching Modern Family you are seriously missing out. And here is a PERFECT example:



The Good Wife was one I wasn't so sure about when it first started but now P-Daddy and I find ourselves glued to the TV when its on. Its nice because there is a different story line every week but on the back side there is an on going story line. And its based in Chicago...which I think I already mentioned in the last Tivo Talk...but apparently I find it that appealing. Just sick of every show being based in NYC.

60 Minutes, if you aren't already aware is (in our humble opinoin) one of the best news shows on television. I really don't watch a lot of news nor do I read a lot of news online or in print. I don't need a daily dose of depressing stories and lets be honest, the news thrives on it. But every Sunday I am sucked into every story on this amazing news show. Whether they are talking about elephants, the 2009 campaign, or the United States border patrol I am way into it! You can't beat Andy Rooney's take on life at the end either:


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Shark Tank, if you don't know is a show where 5 unique investors (including but not limited to the guy who owns FUBU) sit on a panel and people bring their products to them. In bringing their products they are also asking for a certain dollar amount in exchange of giving up a portion of their company. Its sort of like a lame show that was on television a few summers back that was called "American Inventors" (that I am sad to say we watched), but because it involves investors its a bit different. All of the investors have HUGE ego's which makes the show (of course) that much more interesting...and lets be honest some people and their "inventions" are for sure TV worthy. This was my favorite company...and the video doesn't explain it but these guys invented a website where college students can upload (and sell) their notes from a class (within their College/University), the notes are proofed to make sure they are "worthy" and then other students can go and purchase those notes. Why didn't I think of this??



What is my TIVO missing?
LIFE, we Loved this show and frankly I am pissed that I will never know what happened.
Friday Night Lights, although I hear that this one will be returning this summer I was ready for it to come back now!
Alias...I know, I know this show as done years ago...but I still miss it

What my TIVO is adding?
The Deep End, begins this Thursday 1/21...below is the preview



I would be kidding you and you and YOU if I didn't also mention JD's TIVO list (in order of importance of course) because most days I feel like I watch more of whats on his TIVO list than whats on mine (within the half an hour he is allowed per day of course-HA!)
Handy Manny
Sesame Street
Imagination Movers (which used to creep me out because there are grown men in jumpsuits but now I know every song by heart...crap)
My Friends Tigger and Pooh



PS-If you were over my videos and didn't click on one of them, please appease me and go back and watch the Modern Family one...its worth your time I promise!!

Tis the Season...

if you have read my blog for a while, you knew this one was coming! This Christmas is a wee bit different for us because we are celebrating in Lake Tahoe. Our tree is up, the house is decorated, we even made our first attempt at putting lights out in our yard, but the spirit of Christmas (baby Jesus and all) hasn't hit me yet... I don't have any wrapped presents under the tree, actually I haven't really shopped at all. We are sooo excited to go to Lake Tahoe (and yes we do realize how fortunate we are to be able to even have the opportunity to go there), but it just feels a wee bit different (as stated earlier).

This, however, has officially put me in the Christmas spirit! This and making peppermint bark *yummy*

I won't keep this from you any longer...introducing the Rhyme and Reason elves HIP HOP Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Ummm...No Mom

JD has been pretty funny lately and for whatever reason we think the below is hysterical. Right now he has coined the phrase "ummm...no mom" or "no mom" or "uh-uh mom" and says it all the time whether the answer to the question really is "no". I know this won't last so I had to bottle it up on camera so we can have this snip bit for years to come!

Enjoy...

TWO

Don't judge, its 10 minutes (and this is the EDITED version) :) Birthday pictures coming soon...

SummerSalts (spelled correctly "Somersaults)

This gives a pretty good taste of JD at 22 months! We are having so much fun with our little boy! Can't believe he is almost TWO!

*On a side note: I have been MORE than touched and inspired from all your responses on "The Skinny"...if I haven't gotten back to you personally, I am working on it! I am also thinking of a follow up blog post too! Thank you to all who read our blog!

Gushing...

...over our little swimmer! I know, you are sick and tired of being sick and tired of me and my summer swim talk but SERIOUSLY I am so proud of my brave (ahem and very well "suited") little boy. LITTLE BOY...not LITTLE BABY (sorry, that is me having a moment).

Happy Feet {9}

First off...I am apparently worse at math than I originally thought (which is BAD people, just plain awful) because I definitely screwed up this "30 Blogs in 30 Days" thing. So its gonna be more like "30 Blogs in 24 Days" so I can still make that 100 mark by my Blogiversary (see below if you want to catch up as this is my second post today). I am a nightmare, I know...but this just makes me more interesting so quit being jealous and read on!

I did record this little snippet today while JD and danced our booties off while the Black Eyed Peas performed on the TODAY show. We both enjoy ourselves a little hip hop it seems! TGIF everyone!

In Honor of National Doughnut Day {17}

We NEVER let Mr. JD have sweets (except for when you saw here the chocolate pudding, oh yeah and when I give him gummy snacks when he pees in the potty)...okay so we RARELY let him have anything good. Anyway...today has been a fun filled Friday AND is National Doughnut Day so I thought what the heck, a boy his age should get to enjoy himself some chocolate every once in a while!! No doughnuts for us, but we did have some of momma's chocolate chip cookies to indulge, enjoy, gorge, etc. :)

Whats funny to me is that even though we don't allow him to have goodness pretty much ever he totally knows what the goodness is! So when he saw me get the cookie out he immediately started yelling and pointing to it, like PLEEEEAASE mom? I am thinking this is because I fed him lots and lots of dessert while he was growing inside of me...you think?

I never want to forget this... {21}

I recently held the newborn baby boy of a friend of mine. He was 7lbs and a few ounces when born and when I held him he was 2 weeks old making him 8 or 9 lbs I am guessing. He was UNBELIEVABLY lite and soo little though. I couldn't believe it! JD was 6lbs 13oz when born...just a little peanut. I look at pictures from that time in JD's life all the time and feel like I remember...but after holding my friends child I realized I soo don't remember. And I have an amazing memory. Seriously. Amazing. So you know its gotta pain me that I can't remember something like JD's littleness.


But it just happens...not gonna be dramatic and say that its overnight because its sooo not. Basically because of those long sleepless days and nights. But it does happen (too quickly) and then you forget how they smelled or how soft their baby hair was, or how little little little they were. And precious. And little. And smelly good. And little. And the most precious things in existence (not to say NOW isn't the most amazing time in our lives with JD, cause it is...but little gives me the sniff, sniffs cause I can't believe its almost been two years!!)! :)

So I don't want to forget anything tangible...like his laughter. His amazing giggles that fill whatever room he is in. And now I can't forget. Can I get an Amen from the crowd for technology? :)

Thankful to be livin in the land of the FREE {28}

JD has been working really hard on a lot of things (see yesterday's post) and saying WORDS are at the top of his list. Although we still don't hear a lot of anything but "no" he sure is trying his little heart out!

Today JD wanted to say "Thank you" to all of our soldiers out there, past and present who help us to live in the land of the FREE and the home of the BRAVE! He even wore his SWEET American Flag t-shirt in honor of today (yes GranBeck it still fits!) :)

Hop Up, Jump In...Come On Lets Go!

...Over and Over and Over again!

Still, can't deny how cute this is...I can't wait to include this video in JD's 16th birthday movie mantage (yes I am already making it in my head). :)

Sunny Thursday

Today was the first day we have seen sunshine in good old Indiana in what feels like weeks but that would be an exaggeration so really its been 3 days. But when I say no sunshine, I MEAN no sunshine, like no peaks through the clouds or anything! The dark and gloominess round here was starting to get to us so when we woke up to the beautiful rays of the sun this morning we were EXCITED! :)

JD and I took a lovely walk around the hood after his wonderfully long nap today (Sunny Thursday is right!) and then enjoyed some yard time for a bit playing with the water hose (which translates to mommy washing off the outdoor furniture cushions and JD utilizing all of his energy to STEAL the hose and spray mommy or himself over and over again)! :) Good times...good times!

We finished the day (or rather JD finished his day) with a night cap of Vitamin D and our daily does of "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" and a little dance (we gotta get that lingering energy out right?) As much as we LOVE our Tigger and Pooh, the newest fixation is actually "Choo Choo Soul" which is a commercial (kind of) AFTER Tigger. I will say, its kind of catchy and there is a new theme of learning for the children every night so I can't complain (and the leading lady basically is rapping, and we all know how I feel about rap). JD LOVES the Choo Choo Soul. He will be sitting all cuddly in his chair watching his show and all of the sudden Choo Choo Soul comes on and the blanket lying neatly on him goes FLYING across the room, along with his Vitamin D and he is up and doing what you will see below. He is going to have KILLER quads if he keeps this up!

The first 30 seconds of this is great...

I am not sure where he learned the yoga moves?!

We hope you were able to enjoy this beautiful day too! Enjoy your Friday and weekend!!

Wordy Wednesday

I haven't rambled in a while and thought today, on this dreary rainy Wednesday, I would. :)

Fun times in February! Outside and playing at the playground with mommy (PS-excuse my bad hair day and paleness...i wasn't expecting a spring type photo shoot in mid February!) :)

First off, The Grammys. Amazing. I love all of the artists getting together and singing remixes of each other's songs.

Coldplay. Coldplay. Coldplay. I HEART THEM! I have hearted them for years but they just keep getting better. And then I saw Chris Martin (lead singer) on 60 minutes Sunday night and I fell in love even more. It helps that I heart his wife too (Gweneth...yes we are on a first name basis...I think she may mention me as her Best Friend Forever on Oprah today...ha!)

Carrie Underwood. I used to tear up every time I saw her sing because I just think she is fabulous and SO GOOD! Now I just smile and stare in aww of how good she is! She, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, even Clay Aiken make me believe American Idol really is worth watching (although it is becoming more dramatically painful to sit through).

Justin (we are on a first name basis too...and don't pretend like you don't know who I am talking about). I have to admit that I went to TWO NSYNC concerts while in college. And they both ROCKED! I would do it again for sure. I have yet to see solo artist Justin in concert but it is on my list because he is so dreamy (can I get an AMEN from the ladies out there).

Neil Diamond, a Great American music icon...so glad he showed up and sang for us! Loved it!

That sums up my favorites BUT don't get me wrong...the Grammy's were amazing in every way!

Sad about Chris Brown...I like him.

Ohh...and by the way "Swagger Like Us" (I told you I heart rap)

*****

I haven't been sleeping well lately and it is driving me crazy. I have no problem falling asleep but I wake up about a million times in the night and can't seem to REALLY fall back asleep. Annoying. I am still a ball of energy through the day though which is weird to me because I am normally a girl that needs her slumber. I took Tylenol PM so often towards the end of pregnancy (don't judge the doc said it was safe) that I think I am immune. I took some the other night in the middle of the night because I could not fall back asleep and it made me even more awake than I already was. Sweet.

Maybe I can't sleep because of this :)

I am the girl that can't turn off her brain...but also the one that ends up dreaming weird as heck dreams because of it. The brain activity doesn't normally keep me up. Just a phase I guess (and hope) because being awake in the middle of the night STINKS! I am scared of the dark people and I watch WAY too much 48 Hours Mystery so I get scared.

*****

I never talk about Target but I feel as though I should because it is one of my favorite places. I love the actual place (Super Target though not the "Great Value" variety...cause its NOT the same).

Lets drive this somewhere mom!

Did you know that Target has some of the shortest stocked shelves of all of the "super stores" because they completely cater to women and we ladies aren't normally all that tall. I think that is brilliant. They also only sell 12 packs of pop because it is easier for women to pick them up and we end up purchasing more because of it. I am sure there is more but all of that is so simple yet so great and is probably part of the reason I love to go there.

Don't you just love their commercials too..."ba ba ba ba...this is a brand new day"...just a happy song for a happy store!

Its such a happy place. You should go...especially on a day like today when its rainy and dreary and you need a bright and happy and red place! :)

Okay...we can drive this to Target...if you insist!

But I think we need to get gas first...or do I have gas? Which is it?

*****

I never talk about working out either because I don't find it necessary to do so. Today I will only because I have REALLY been enjoying it lately. Its not that I don't enjoy it normally, but I have REALLY been enjoying it. Which is weird because of the sleep thing.

I used to be a workout-a-holic towards the end of high school and beginning of college. And then I loathed it for many reasons (another day, another blog). Now I really appreciate it in my life again! I'm normally either an all or nothing kind of gal and with this I am trying to find a balance so that it will always be a part of my life. :)

Hey Brody...you are a baby too but smaller...want to play?

P-Daddy and I have had personal trainers since October and we both have really enjoyed it. They have taught us so much about the right thing to do while spending time at the gym and how to maximize our time. I don't want to give mine up...but I won't have to for a while because we signed up for a year! :) But...the reason I bring them up is that today I just found out that my PT was a professional football player! He failed to mention that to me so we will be having words next week. :)

Too many cameras...can't focus...but Brody smiled for the picture! So cute!

I started doing classes at the gym last week and this week which may have something to do with it. Classes are better than the treadmill. Spinning though...I don't know somedays I would take the treadmill over spinning. I do feel so blessed to have the opportunity to go the gym, give JD a little face time with some children his age, and stay healthy because of it!

You can clap your hands? ME TOO! Lets clap together!!

While we are on working out/weight loss (because as women don't they go hand in hand?)...I was forwarded THIS BLOG last night from a friend. If you are a mom of any kind read THIS POST. I think she sums this subject up well (and completely describes how I feel and have felt post baby at times).

Lets talk Brody...I think we should figure out a way to stay babies forever. Our mommies take such good care of us...its just too good to be true! :)

*****

P-Daddy and I are going out with friends on Friday night. By going out I mean a whole group of friends from college and us are getting together at a Butler Basketball Game (Go DAWGS!), then heading out to our old stomping grounds called Broadripple to enjoy some adult beverages.

UncleBadgeman and R are babysitting...and by babysitting I mean the kind where they come over and spend the night so we have no time limit to get home! We've never done this since JD was born so we are excited (and therefore will probably have one too many of those adult beverages and will probably have to bribe our favorite babysitters to stay for a bit on Saturday while we lay around moaning about the bright lights). :)

*****

Last but CERTAINLY not least....(drumroll please.....)

I want to send a BIG HEARTFELT CONGRATS ON THEIR ENGAGEMENT TO....

UNCLE BADGEMAN AND R

YEY for them and YEY for getting my very own Sister (even if she only technically of the "in law" version...still closer to a sister than I have ever been!)

Happy Wordy Wednesday Everyone!