Surprise Trip to Nashville

Jon, Meg and I took a trip to Nashville, Tennessee this past weekend to surprise Jon's cousin Jeremy for his birthday.

His wife Lindsey had planned this great surprise weekend and invited us to come up! Meg and I flew up and met Jon (who was flying in from Indiana where he was at a conference). I didn't have the most enjoyable flight experience since I had to hold Meg for the 3 hours and she didn't want to be held.

But we arrived in Tennesse at Jeremy and Lindsey's house minutes ahead of Jeremy and got to surprise him! So fun! Jeremy's sister Melissa and husband Jason and their son Hamilton came too!

On Saturday, it was pouring rain so we headed over to the Opryland Mills mall to walk around with the kids. We found some fun things to do.

On Saturday evening, it stopped raining long enough for us to get in the limo that Lindsey had arranged. Some other family friends were already inside.

We went to a favorite restaurant of Jeremy's called Cabana's and had some really delicious food!

Afterward, we went to BB King's to listen to some live music. It was a very good band!!

We also enjoyed some time together on Sunday. Chloe and Meg were making each other laugh. Too funny!

It was such a great weekend!!

JD had a great time at his grandparent's house with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Josh and Aunt Mercy. I hear they ran and ran and had all sorts of outdoor fun! What a blessing that JD can spend such quality time with his grandparents in such a wonderful setting!

For Sale

Inspired by the Shel Silverstein poem "For Sale"

One sister for sale!
One sister for sale!

One crying and spying young sister for sale!

I'm really not kidding,

So who'll start the bidding?

Do I hear a dollar?

A nickel?

A penny?

Oh, isn't there, isn't there, isn't there any

One kid that will buy this old sister for sale,

This crying and spying young sister for sale?

I'm a Big Kid Now!

My little boy is becoming a big boy faster than I would like to admit!

Look how sweet he is with his little sister...

And he tried ice skating for the first time and never got upset about falling down (over and over again)!

By the end of the hour, he was getting a little bit more balanced on his feet and was skating from his dad to Uncle Nathan.

I think JD's daddy really wants JD to be good at skating so he can play hockey! I'm not sure I'm ready for him to grow up that fast!!

Out of Order

I'm just getting around to posting this because I forgot about it with all of our family's recent illnesses.

But I came across this video today that just made me laugh again.

As I posted previously, JD got to ski once during Spring Break for the first time before he became very ill. He really enjoyed it, which is why we hung on in Colorado as long as we could before we gave up and came home. We kept hoping JD would feel better so he could go skiing again!

Jon shot this video, while giving JD his very first lesson.

At least we know he will enjoy it next time!!

It's a Workout!

We introduced Meg to the exciting world of the Exersaucer this week. I think she is a fan!


Blast from the past - here is JD at about the same age (4 months) when we introduced the Exersaucer... (any resemblance??)

Of course, it is a good workout and after about 20 minutes, Miss Meg let us know it is time for a nap.

Kenna's Wiggly Party!

Our niece Kenna celebrated her 2nd birthday at the Wiggly Playcenter in Frisco today. We decided that JD is just about the perfect age to have a blast at the Wiggly Playcenter. He LOVED all of the bounce houses and slides and couldn't be bothered for a picture (all of the pictures we got of him playing are just a blur).

He did enjoy some pizza at the party, but didn't really want to sit still too long to eat much of it! He was ready to play, play, play!

Baby Meg hung out with me and Grandma for most of the time. She is just getting introduced to the world of Wiggles!

Meg also met Heather's newest nephew Anson and they spent some quality booth time together.

Kenna enjoyed blowing out her birthday cake candle, but needed her cousins Abbye and JD to help out too!

After the festivities, JD and Meg were both pretty bushed. They each took a 3 1/2 hour nap (and I got an hour!). Meg was all cuddled in the swing with her blankie. Too cute!

3 Months & 3 Year Check Up

We combined JD and Meg's check ups into one this time. It seemed more efficient that way. Unfortunately, I have been to the doctor 3 times in the past two weeks for Jon and JD, since both have been sick. So much for efficiency!

Here's how the kids stacked up:

Meg is weighing 12.5 pounds and measuring 24 inches. That puts her at the 50th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. Not too shabby!

JD is weighing 34 pounds and measuring 39 inches. That puts him at the 75th percentile for both! It is amazing that he is that high on the weight percentile because he always looks so skinny to me. I can see his ribs poking out! It makes me wonder what the boys at the 25th percentile look like!

Both kids are developmentally right on track, but we did get some tips on getting Meg to sleep longer at night and getting JD totally potty trained (since he is still in pull ups).

It was so nice to visit the doctor today and have both kids leave smiling and happy (no shots!).

Anatomy of a 3 Year Old's Birthday Party

First: Create a custom-looking invitation with a famous image (Thomas the Tank)

Second: Get food that appeals to both youngsters and their parents (Chips/Dips; Quesadillas; Pretzels; Fruit)

Third: Come up with a low-budget activity that will entertain the kiddos without much adult interaction/directions (Thank you Ryan & Cara)

Fourth: Figure out some decorations to create some atmosphere

Fourth: Get a cake that uses aforementioned famous image that still looks presentable, but won't break the bank

Fifth: Have a ball!!!

Final Step: Create some thank you cards to thank all of the wonderful family who made JD's birthday so wonderful!

First Day as a 3 Year Old

What a big day for my big boy!

We started off with JD's requested breakfast: Lucky Charms, Blueberry Muffins and Orange Juice. He also got to watch a new Mickey Mouse Easter special while he ate. What a treat!

After breakfast, JD played trains for a bit while I fed Baby Meg, then JD, Meg and I all got ready to go to the "train park" in a shopping complex near our house.

We picked up Chick-Fil-A (JD requested chicken & fries with ketchup) and ate outdoors. It was only slightly marred by a skinned knee right before we got to the table.

JD loved playing in the little houses and buildings, but especially liked the red caboose at the park. He also played in the garden maze that was set up.

After the park, we took a trip to Toys R Us, where JD was crowned a birthday king and given a balloon. They even wished him a happy birthday over the PA system.

He picked out a "Rescue Mater" toy and a new Mickey Mouse cup as his birthday present for the day.

By then, both kids were pretty tired and Meg was starving, so we had a chorus of screaming & crying kids in the backseat. I couldn't help but laugh and JD kept saying "It's not funny Mommy!" That's my three year old!

After everybody took a nap, JD, Meg and I went to Spaghetti Warehouse with my mom and Ken so that JD could eat on the train (trolley) in the restaurant. He LOVED it and the spaghetti and meatballs! The waiters sang happy birthday for him (which embarrassed him - he covered his face with his hands and blushed!) and brought him some ice cream.

We finished off the day playing with his new Rescue Mater toy. What a great third birthday!

Happy 3rd Birthday JD!

I want to wish my son the happiest of third birthdays today! It is amazing to me to see how much he has grown and changed in only 3 years.

Jonathan Douglas has a passion for living and energy that outlasts the Energizer Bunny! He can run forever and can play at the park for as long as you will let him. He loves trains and cars (with a specific love for Thomas the Tank and Pixar Cars) and can spend hours playing and putting them in different situations.

JD's favorite foods are chicken strips and french fries (chicken fries), pepperoni pizza, spaghetti & meatballs (sfeggi), Lucky Charms (cereal with the abc's and colors), pretzels, fruit snacks (candies), grapes and strawberries.

His favorite movies are Cars, Up, Polar Express, Peter Pan and various Thomas DVDs (they show multiple episodes). TV shows are Dora, Max & Ruby, Thomas and Backyardigans.

I love to hear JD pray at night - "Thank You Jesus for..." and I love to hear him sing songs when he thinks I'm not listening.

He loves his baby sister (even if he likes to scare her with a dinosaur roar every once in awhile) and he loves his uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents. He remembers EVERYTHING about his visits with them and always tells me stories about what happened ("Last time I was at Aunt Dara's, I had a big blow out in the bed and played GeoTracks with EmmaLelly").

He is soooo close to being potty trained, but just not quite there yet. JD strangely also has no interest in getting himself dressed or undressed yet, even though he is so independent in all other ways. (Maybe he just likes the personalized attention from mommy)

JD still will ask to "cuddle with my mommy" and I know there will be a time where he won't want to.

I love my big, handsome boy and am so proud of his loving, energetic spirit! Happy Birthday JD!