So serious

Captain Jack has a new facial expression that he makes when he is being serious, I think. We see him do this when he is figuring out new people or when he appears to be concentrating on what it is we're doing. It doesn't appear to come out because he's upset or angry, just when he's somewhat pensive. Cracks us up.

Sleeping Beauty?

Catherine is usually the first one awake in our house. Not this morning. Three of us were up and getting ready for Monday when Christian went to wake up Catherine. We weren't sure what this would bring. Her response? "Daddy, go away, I'm sleeping." Ah, a preview of the teenage years...

Sweet Berry Farm

On Saturday we went to a Farm with the Farm (that would be State Farm) for family berry-picking and BBQ. Uncle Brett and Aunt Aimee came too and we got over 12 pounds of berries between us! It was muddy from all the rain we had, but we had a great time and are all enjoying the fruits of our labor! Catherine wore her strawberry dress in honor of the occasion. It probably would have been good to get a photo in front of the strawberry patch, but we'll have to settle for the wooden strawberry and the blackberry patch in the background instead!

Jack the Mover

So he can't walk yet, but he can move boxes all over the place and is quite proud of himself for doing so!

More technology

So I thought I'd attempt to post to the blog from my BlackBerry. I should be able to upload photos this way, too. I just have to figure out how to change the file size as the photos my phone takes now are too big to send this way. Technology continues to amaze me!

Captain's Log

We find ourselves saying the following phrase several times a week, "Jack sure does enjoy his groceries!" This is definitey a growing boy. I was reviewing photos this past weekend of Catherine at similar recent ages to Jack and while they share a lot of the same facial features (it's the eyes, mostly), Jack has had one major standout difference... his TEETH. At 14 months, Catherine had her bottom middle two, that most kiddos push up first. And one of her top front ones was JUST peeking through the gumline. Not our boy! He's got at least 10 and all his molars are pushing through. And they all seemed to come at once. So he is putting them to very good use and can get almost anything into his tummy that I'll dare to put on his tray. He seems to like drinking water as much as his sister and parents do and we're thankful for that. Then again he and his sister have something of a mean mom since all I let them drink is milk and water with the occasional 4 oz juice box. Ah well.

Jack is a ham. Can't imagine where he gets that from. He has a bit of a flair for the dramatic. If he wants someone or something and is sitting on the floor when he is denied, he will just flop over at the waist, forehead to the ground, and wail. It's usually short-lived, but quite dramatic. He likes to point and while his speech is obviously still just "Jack-ese" he understands a lot and likes to nod his head, and let you know he knows what you're talking about.

He is more interested in our beloved yellow Lab, Chili (more on her later, I think), than Catherine was at this age. He investigates the feel of her tummy, feet and nose. She, of course, could not care less and likes the attention. Chili camps out under Jack's high chair, despite the fact that this behavior is rarely rewarded by Jack. He doesn't leave much behind. When's he is finally full (an occurence we've not often seen) he'll maybe drop a morsel over the side. She is most grateful. I realize that at this age many of the photos of the kids are while there are in the high chair. I don't think I imagined I'd see that thing in my memories so much when I selected it way back when Catherine was just starting to eat solids... It has definitely served it's purpose. As Jack isn't walking yet, we often have to "park" him somewhere to keep him contained. What better place than a venue for eating? I don't think he minds.

So about the walking... Catherine, like her Mommy, was late accomplishing this milestone. She was well into her 16th month before she made those first steps. We keep thinking Jack is going to beat her, as he's been cruising for quite sometime and he crawls faster than I've ever seen, but he's still taking his time about it. He loves to pull up on anything that will (or won't) hold still, stand on his tiptoes to better reach or see, and has no problems plunking back down to take off like a shot after a toy, his sister, the dog, or whatever. As he'll be 14 months old this week, I guess we still have time to break Chatty's record.

Jack has had a harder time staying healthy in these past few months than Catherine did at this age. He seems to be prone to respiratory illness and this crazy Central Texas weather doesn't help. I'm thankful, at least, that he seems to recover quickly and is all the more stronger after each episode. Additionally, it's probably good that he's giving his immune system such a workout with all the friends at school and his sister's contributions... But I'm ready to decrease the frequency of visits to our wonderful pediatrician, Dr. Joe. We'll see.

OK, so I'm more caught up now... maybe I'll be better about getting my observations and our stories posted here a bit more often. Maybe not. Life in Liberty Hill, TX has been fun these past few years we've been here. I know it's just going to keep zooming by.

Catch-up with Chatty

I'm really not doing a very good job of keeping up to date with this blogging thing. I thought I might try and use it more like an online journal of what is going on with the kids, but I just can't seem to get it together to make regular posts. Will try to be better!

So in the last several weeks, what have we done? We are really glad that the weather is turning to Spring. Chatty Catherine loves to be outside, riding her bike (OK, it's really a tricycle, but whatever), or blowing bubbles, decorating our very long driveway with chalk, or just running around the backyard. She's getting pretty good at kicking around a soccer ball... so we'll see if we join the ranks of the Herd Ball crew at the Liberty Hill City Park when she turns four. Sigh, it's beginning, isn't it?

I am just continually thankful for the blessing of Catherine's and Jack's school, The Good Earth Day School. These wonderful people are helping our children explore all kinds of things that don't occur to me or those things that I haven't been able to have time to share with them. I am reassured and confident that the time they spend away from Christian and me, while we earn our keep, is interesting, fun, safe, and full of wonder and caring. I wish all work-outside-the-home parents could be so blessed.

Catherine continues to amaze us with her ability to soak up so much of the world around us, even the more difficult, abstract and philosophical... Last week in church, Father Bruce was giving his usual 5-minute sermon to the kids before sending them off to Children's Chapel where they go during the sermon, Nicene Creed, Prayers of the People and Confession in our service. He was talking about Jesus' presence in our lives and how that can be hard to see and was giving examples thekids might understand of where we see Him. Catherine piped right up and added, "And in our hearts!" at the end of his list. Such a wonder!

Chatty loves her little brother, Jack Attack. She likes to read to him, share all her toys (well, she likes to have him share with her, too, of course), instruct him on proper bathtime play, a

nd give him big hugs and kisses before bed every night. We've never experienced any toddler "acting out" aimed at Jack. If she's ever needy or having a "Thunderous Threes" moment she just directs it in on herself and throws her own kind of dramatic fit. It's hard to believe that she's on the back half of three years old and is going to be four in just a few short months.

We're struggling with bedtime. She finds every excuse in the book to get up, or sing, or play... Mommy isn't ready to concede that it may be time to push her bedtime (7:00) later. We have to be out of the house between 7:15 and 7:30 most mornings, so I am sticking to my guns that she needs to be in bed that early. But if she's not sleeping... Sigh... we'll see. A common soap box for me is that I feel so many child behavior problems stem from lack of sleep. More to come, I'm sure, on this drama as it continues to play in our house.