50

More updated shots ... Yes, they are from summer but what do you want?!

49

So I recently got a disposable camera developed at our local Walmart. No, actually, that's a lie. I got it developed probably a month ago. I am just now getting off my arse to post the photos. The funny thing is: half the roll was from last Spring. Yup, just another example of me being a crappy mom. They are shots of Jack at a farm with Ga.

Most first time moms are obsessed with pictures of their children. My mom has photo books filled with shots of my brother. Next child rolls around (i.e. me) and maybe there are the same number of photos (although they technically shouldn't count because he's in them too) but there are no albums. Third kid gets here and suddenly no one remembered the camera. There's a lot of "I can't believe we forgot the camera!" and "We should've taken a picture of that." Just ask my sister, she's 25 years old and still bitter about it. But luckily, my future children will have no ill feeling toward Jack. That poor kid got nothing on photos either.

48

Yikes. I had no idea it had been this long since I last wrote an update. Wow. Where does the time go? Well, maybe Orlando.

Just a quick update on the girlfriend: she's moved. Jack has his first heartbreak, right?

Yesterday, we stopped at the local grocery on the way home from school. Going to the store with Jack is always a crapshoot. Sometimes he will sit in the cart, sometimes he won't. Sometimes he'll be good. Sometimes he won't. (Mostly he isn't.)

I kept him distracted as I dumped him in the cart... that last about 30 seconds. He wanted out. That means a very quick shopping stop. Then I ran into one of our reject realtors. We ended up chatting too long. So long in fact, that Jack interrupted saying, "Let's go, Mama." Kinda funny, kinda cute... yes, indeed rude. But it was a nice break from that awful situation.

Prelude. When we had pulled into the parking lot, Jack started chanting, "Happy To-to, Mama! Happy to-to!" I was oblivious to what he was talking about. When he says "Happy to-to!" he is actually trying to say "Happy Birthday." So I numbly nodded and smiled thinking about what I was going to get for another bland dinner.

Point of the story. So as I was awkwardly try to backward step this realtor, I noticed my kid had run ahead, screaming "Mama! Happy To-to! Happy To-to!" And then I realized: he was going for the ice cream. The last time we visited this neighborhood grocery, he eyeballed the individual kid-geared ice cream mini-freezer and wanted one, bad. However, he'd already dug into some Skittles (yes, I am a sucker) and I put my foot down... And so did he. I actually had to drag him out of the store. So, to calm him, I promised him next time we'd get the ice cream sandwich that he sooo wanted.

Thus the "Happy To-To!"
That little stinker remembered.

So I walked down to the freezer. I tried the "Oh, you don't want that. That's yucky!" card but it didn't work. He wanted the M&M cookies with sweet vanilla ice cream sandwiched. He knew he had me.

"Help! Mama! Happy To-to!"

I will tell you what. He sat in that cart the whole rest of the time happily munching on his "Happy To-to" ice cream. Sure, he got it all over his face, all over his new jacket and got sticky fingers. Sure, I ended up spending $78 on groceries when I wouldn't have had time to spend that much before. But, he was happy right?

47

"Hi, Uncle Fred!"

He said it so clearly, so naturally we all kind of stopped what we were doing. Uncle had just walked in the door and Jack was upstairs looking down.

"Hiya Jack!"

***

Yesterday, Daddy couldn't find his keys.

"Did you look in your pockets?" Jack asked. "Or under the couch? Hmmm... I wonder where they are?"

***

Last night at pick up, I asked him if he wanted to take a cracker snack for the road. (They have a little giveaway basket at school as you walk out.)

"No Mama. I will wait and get crackers at home."

OK. Jeesh. So when did he become like 12?

His talking is out of control. He is not a 2-worder any longer. (Of course, you get him on the phone and roars and pretends to be Lion King in his roary voice.)

My dad keeps saying we have to record him. I agree. But then, of course, we don't. The stuff that comes out of that kid's mouth! He notices everything, and he comments with these really specific observations. I bet at least once a day I stop and stare at the kid in disbelief.

I told him we were going to K-Zoo a while back to visit Daddy's grandparents and aunt and uncle. He knew who I was talking about. He started listing names.

Last night it was raining. When it thundered, he said, "Oohh Mama, thunder." Where did he even pick that up?

But get him to pick say his colors and he ignores you. Literally. Pretends you aren't talking to him. He couldn't care less that bananas are yellow and apples are red. Now, he'll tell you that he eats them. And when he last ate them. But he's just not so much interested in their hues.