1 Year

Today our baby Jack turns 1!

This post needs to be in 3 parts. Trust me.

Part 1: Happy Birthday to Our Little Sunshine

Nothing has made us laugh even on our bluest days like this little boy.

He loves bananas and 'Super Why'.

He lets me rock him to sleep at church.

He laughs when he does something he knows he's not supposed to.

He can play hide and seek with Bailey long enough to let me get stuff done.

He loves plastic cups. In large quantities. All over the kitchen floor.

He will eat just about anything and when he gets tired of eating he paints his high chair tray, and styles his hair, with his food.

He yelps, then laughs, when any of his siblings start whining.

Part 2: Congratulations!

Jack is so #5 (clearly not our first child)
We have seven house plants that sit on the floor in various rooms. He has tasted all of them. He eats crayons. Why? Because his older siblings have learned that by giving him crayons to, um, admire the color of, he leaves alone the 8.3 billion tiny legos that flood our upstairs floor. While in utero 'he' accidentally ingested his brother's steroids. He loves to play with cans he scavenges from the recycle bin. And blind cords. And the vacuum. While it's on. He is taken out of his crib and carried down the stairs every morning by Tyler. He is enrolled in "walking" class taught by highly energetic Trey. He is a multipurpose, interactive stuffed animal to Bailey. He is thoroughly loved and enjoyed by all, even the neighbor kids.

So, congratulations my little ironclad. You've survived your first year! (sporting only a small scar on your cherry cheek)

Part 3: A Blessing

We always talked about 4 kids. After Bailey we knew we were done. 4 felt right. We felt complete. We had not the slightest inclination to have another baby, and then I started seeing him. Yep, silently looking at me like "hello, I'm waiting..." After fasting and praying we knew our family was missing Jack. Not just someone, or a puppy, but Jack. I was pregnant the next month, 3 months before Peyton was diagnosed. I admit I questioned the timing of it all but like always quickly recognized the blessing it was. We have 3 very independent, capable children whom, if necessary, could make it through a day (or 3) with nothing more from me then a kiss and a back scratch each night before bed. This little boy makes me suck it up, get out of bed, quit whining and do something productive, you know, like sweep or make breakfast and all the other "mom" stuff. He's the equivalent of a drill sergeant for me. He makes me work when I flat out don't want to. Unlike any buzzed head, whistle blowing, assault rifle wielding military man, Jack does it with his bright blue Bambi eyes and ridiculously silly, toothy grin. He is such a cool kid.

Smooth as Butter

This morning my shower was interrupted by what I could only suppose was going to be a cry of some sort of injustice that was plaguing my occasionally high strung 5 year old, Trey (aka "Malibu"). I watched the vague silhouette of his body approach my shower door. I cracked it open knowing I'd see Trey and expecting to hear all about the woes he was enduring.

There he was. All dressed for school in his current favorite brown pants and skateboard shirt, one hand in his pocket, looking cute as could be with his lady-killer grin pasted on his perfectly dimpled face.

This is what I got...

"Mom can I just call you 'mommiful' instead of saying 'beautiful mommy'?"
(Think about it, it took me a sec)

Why yes Trey, I think that will be quite alright.

There are some days I'm ready to sell this kid into Egypt.
But there are far more when he "makes my heart melt like a popsicle on the fourth of July".

I'm a lucky gal...

Nature Club/Corporation/Business Opportunity

Months ago an idea was conceived in the mind of my now 9 year old. He started a "Nature Club". I was fine with it. It was a lot of talk and not much action. It gave him an outlet for his incessant need to plan and organize (no laughing- he gets it from his dad too!). Somehow his humble little nature club has made the leap from a band of boys running around the playground finding bugs to a business venture. I'm not sure when I was voted off the board but don't be alarmed if you start getting mailers soliciting donations in exchange for address return labels. I'm guessing that's next on his plan to take over the world one bug at a time.

Here's how this thing has evolved- aka How to Know You're Raising a little Churchill/Mussolini (we're really hoping it's the former rather than the latter although he does occasionally show signs of slight to moderate fascism)...

Phase:

1 Announce to your recess-mates that you've started a nature club.
2 Establish your position as absolute ruler.
3 Assign lower positions to establish order and hierarchy.
4 Schedule club meetings.

Everything up 'til this point was done at school. I know that there are an infinite number of clubs when you're a 3rd grader but let this be a warning, I'm just saying a school administrative take over might be in the works- all in the name of nature, of course.

5 Hold a meeting with a handful of kids in the backyard
6 3+ times a week
7 Pull up the flagstone patio to create a garden hose induced river roller coaster for backyard critters.
8 Use aforementioned flagstones to create a large well in which to store supplies.
9 Dig. All over. Just dig.

Fine. It's not like my backyard is a lovely manicured landscaped vision. Really, we have a trampoline and a golf flag. It's now a little(lot) muddier then it used to be and a little(lot) more un-baby-brother friendly, but fine. I have a house full of boys. It was bound to happen.

10 Establish a need for funds.
11 Present fund raising ideas to the now out of power governing board.
12 Fire the governing board (even though it is by her good grace that the club is allowed to exist)
13 Recruit little brother (there's strength in numbers).
14 Ask to go play outside.
15 Raid the garage for chairs, table, wagon, jugs of bottled water.
16 Swipe a stack of plastic cups during a pantry snack raid.
17 Stand at the end of the driveway offering cups of luke-warm water in exchange for a negotiable monetary donation. In the name of nature.

I first catch wind of this when Trey (recruited little brother) comes running in and says "Mom! The UPS guys just gave us a dollar!" I, being a very tolerant mother, sometimes, just smile and bite my tongue. When Ty comes in and says he's hired some neighbor kids to go do door to door advertising and that all he has to pay them is free water I do consider discussing the principles of business ethics with him but decide against it. The whole thing was really quite intriguing by this point.

18 Raise $11. It may not sound like a whole lot, but again, it's water. Luke-warm water. In plastic Dixie cups.
19 Stick it all in a bug jar. Where else do you store club funds?
20 Do it all over again the next day. All in the name of nature.

The most recent set up included lemonade and grape Crystal Light. Give 'em an inch...

Ty's nature blog. Disclaimer: Tyler frequently updates this on his own without prior parental consultation. Again, fired. I make no guarantee of the authenticity of claims and announcements that may be presented on his site.