The Case Of The Missing Poop

Jonathan had to be at work early this morning and was out the door at 7:30. Jaron had just finished eating his breakfast and I was rushing around trying to get ready before the little baby I watch arrived. I was in the midst of craziness (in my drama queen mind) at the exact moment that Jaron appeared at my bedroom door. With poop smeared all over his hands.

And poop down his legs.

And poop on his feet.

And poop between his toes.

And, oh yeah, poop all over the floor too.

Here's the thing... there wasn't much poop in his diaper. And the poop that was clinging to his leg wasn't enough to paint the rest of his body, and my carpets, in as many coats of brown as there appeared to be. That meant that somewhere in my house was a pile of poop.

Fabulous. Just fabulous.

After getting Jaron and his cute little tush cleaned off, I searched my house high and low, looking for the missing poop. Y'all, it was no where to be found. No. Where.

That leaves only one logical conclusion.

Yep, the dog ate the poop.

I must go throw up now. And brush my teeth obsessively. And light all the candles in the house to rid it of the nasty smell, and memory, of stinky little boy poop.

Have a poopy, um I mean, a happy Friday, y'all.

An Unexpected Break...

Hey all... I am taking a little unexpected blogging break to nurse my sweet boy back to health. He has come down with a nasty virus (we suspect it might be Hand Foot & Mouth Disease) and he is in constant need of mommy time.

I will resurface once he is on the mend, hopefully in a day or so.

Funky Hair, Fun Fair

First things first... I got my hair funktified this weekend. I always, ALWAYS, have hair cutters remorse for a few days after the cut, even if I just get a trim. This is a huge change for me so the remorse is a bit more intense, but I think it's starting to grow on me. (Get it, "grow" on me?!?! Ha! I am hilarious!)

Anyhoooo... here are a few pictures...

Not the greatest shots, but I think you can get the idea. I got it cut and had some sassy red highlights added. I wanted something less blah and I would say I got it! :)

Now... on to the fair. We took Jaron yesterday and had a blast! We went with Nanna and Papa (my folks) and Jaron was in awe of just about everything. It was also the night that the Jonas Brothers were in concert so the place was packed with screaming girls! We got a few chuckles in at the antics of the crazed fans.

Here are a few shots of our day at the fair...

Now we are off to enjoy a family Bar-B-Que. Gotta love 3 day weekends! :)

What A Difference A Year Makes

I have been feeling very reminiscent lately. My baby is growing up and I am not sure I like it! Truthfully, this age/stage is my favorite yet, however I am not ready for him to grow beyond it. He is chattering so much and is proud to show off the words he knows. Any day now I expect to hear him speaking full sentences!

He has learned that he can pull his little walking toy up to the wall and reach the light switches by standing on it. He can open the doors around the house and his big thing this week is twisting lids off of things, be it daddy's coffee cups or momma's water bottles.

My boy runs around the house chasing the poor dog. It seems Maddie's tail is a source of endless pleasure for Jaron! (Poor Maddie, she's been spending lots of time hiding under the bed!) I wish you could all hear him squeal when he chases her!! It makes my heart leap with joy to hear him.

I was going through some photos the other day and found this one of Jaron and daddy at the beach last summer. He was 3 1/2 months in this picture.


These 3 are shots of him this summer (15 months). He has turned into a little water baby. He loves the beach (though he's yet to experience a real ocean beach) and he especially loves the sand. I can't wait to see him during our upcoming vacation. He is going to have a blast!!



Everyday I can't imagine loving him more, and yet every day I do. How is a heart capable of so much love? (And to think, our Heavenly Father loves even more than that!) Jaron is such a special little guy and I thank the Lord with every breath for allowing me the honor and privilege of being his momma.

Twins

In case there was ever any doubt that Jaron looked like his daddy, I think this pretty much takes care of it.

Big J & little j

Me and My Boy

Okay, I'll Admit It, I'm A Slacker

But the truth is that the weather has just been AMAZING and sitting inside playing on the computer just isn't on the top of my priority list.

Also, I totally forgot about posting this weeks chapter review for Captivating. So, chapter 3 will get posted next week. Jaron's birthday took over my life last week and I had a blast planning it, but sort of got wrapped up in it and didn't get chapter 3 written up.

So, yeah... there's my list of excuses. Anyone care for a violin solo?!? =)

Speaking of Jaron's party, here are few pictures. He loved every minute of it and was so well behaved. He is such a social boy and he loves being the center of attention.

One Year Ago, Right This Very Minute...

I was screaming for an epidural. Little JT was sunny side up and resting all of his 11.2 lbs on my sciatic nerve. (No, 11.2 lbs was not a typo. That was the actual birth weight of my son. Yes, you can say "Ouch!" I sure did.) Forget contractions, the back labor masked any pain that my abdomen might be experiencing. After a measly 36 hours in labor I was looking for relief. And so was my dear husband.

Little did we know we still had another 14.5 hours, and an emergency c-section, to go before we saw this precious sight:


And, yes, the little stinker was worth every minute.

The Lady At The Grocery Store Told Me I Had My Hands Full

... and she should know, she raised 4 boys. That makes her pretty much an expert.

She also told me that my son was a flirt and,"Once a flirt, always a flirt!" she said in a silly, sing-song voice. (Much too happily I might add.)

She told me I was in trouble, but the good kind of trouble. She said my heart would be forever in love with my precious boy.


Then she said, "Enjoy this time when you are the best, greatest, most beautiful. 'Cause the day will come when you are not so smart, second best, and just sort of cute."

I plan to follow her advice, something tells me she knows what she is talking about.

Rain Drops On Roses

I forgot how much I love sleeping during the rain. The fam and I are in Ohio, visiting my bro and his beautiful wife, and Ohio has real rain. Real rain, with thunder and lightening. I love it! I woke up at 2 am to the sound of torrential downpour on the roof and windows. Then the air was all charged with electricity as God showed His power in an awesome display of noise and light.

And I slept like a baby.

Speaking of babies... my baby slept through it all. I thought for sure that the crack of the thunder and the zap of lightening would put a quick halt to his snoring. But alas, he is his momma's boy for something and awake he did not.

Today we lunched Panera Bread. Yum. (How's that for a change in subject?) Jaron spilled "Guncle" Andy's beverage all over everything, but it was bound to happen at sometime. "Guncle" Andy and Nephew Jaron are quite a pair. And oh how Jaron loves his Aunt Leigh. (I think it has something to do with all her cute, funky necklace's he can chew on and her long hair he can twirl around his pudgy little hands. He's a hair guy.)

This visit would only be better if Uncle Gabe and Aunt Minnie were here. (Guilt trip!)

And if we didn't have to drive the 13+ hours home in the forecasted rain and SNOW showers!! What? Snow? Ick. Ick. Ick.

Ugh. I need the beach.

Time With Papa

Grandpa is introducing Jaron to George and Martha.

Hmm, this isn't going so well.

Guess Jaron is too young to fully appreciate the antics of George and Martha.

Now, that's better!!

And Then My Heart Melted All Over The Toys

Jaron is a very busy little boy. Very. Busy. When he is playing he likes to go from one thing, to another, and then back again several times. Though he is not walking yet, (any day now he will be) he is all over the place. He loves to chase the dog and squeal real loud to get her attention. And he loves, LOVES, it when Maddie chases him right back.

In typical male fashion, Jaron is not much of a cuddlier. He has his moments, but those are rare. And when such rare times do occur I usually end up getting head butted or kicked in the gut as he tries to wiggle free after his 1.2 second love fest.

Cuddle time with daddy is about the same. Tonight, however, I managed to catch a few photos of a sweet little exchange between father and son.

Ah, Dad... can't you see I'm busy?

See? I'm trying to make this thing balance.

Well, okay, maybe just a few kisses.

Who Knew A Kitchen Towel Could Be Such Fun?

Spittin' Image

We were getting ready to run some errands yesterday when Jaron noticed that his daddy had a hat on. He got very excited about this hat and was kicking his feet like crazy (his way of letting us know he likes something.) I went and got the hat that my parents had given to Jaron several months ago. I put it on his head, backwards, just like Daddy and Jaron was thrilled!

I showed him what he looked like in the mirror and he kept looking back and forth between his image and his daddy. Again with the kicking of the feet. It was so precious. I wish I could have captured it on video.

Alas, this photo of my special men will have to do. The spittin' image, huh?


Speaking of spitting.... Jaron has discovered that he can. Spit, I mean. Cheerios have been flying all over the place.

And Maddie, the dog, couldn't be happier!

Father and Son

I am sitting here listening to the sweet sounds of my love, my husband, reading to our son as he tucks him into bed. His voice is low, his tone animated. I cannot see them, but I have no doubt that Jaron is glancing back and forth from the pages of the book to his daddy's face. That boy loves his daddy.

(If you ask him, "Jaron, where's your daddy at?", he will start craning his neck to find Jonathan in the room. It is the sweetest thing I have ever seen. Melts. My. Heart.)

And I have to chuckle, because the book they are reading-- it is the Boston Red Sox 101 book which is a baby's guide to all things Red Sox. Yes folks, we start them early around here! :)

Laughing All The Way To Next Tuesday And Back

You must- YOU SIMPLY MUST- go check this out. I am laughing so hard that my sides ache, my throat hurts and I just might pee my pants.

Seriously, ya'll.

This is HILARIOUS!!!!

The First Snowfall

The first snowfall of the year is always the most beautiful. While I do not care for 7+ months of cold winter days, I do love the first snow. There is something wondrous about watching the delicate flakes fall from the sky and the beauty of countryside clothed in white.

























































Jaron loves being outside, and since the cold temperatures have set in, we haven't been able to spend much time out doors. We finally had a day this week that was warm enough to take the little guy out. I had to improvise and create my own sled, but it did the trick!

















You can't tell from this picture, but he loved it!

Be Still My Heart

A Boy And His Dog

Best Buds.

Giving Thanks

Tomorrow will be a day filled with food. And, I cannot lie, it is my favorite holiday. My family keeps the day pretty simple. Food and football.

Can it get any better?

This year though, I don't want to lose sight of the purpose of the day. I have a lot to be thankful for, however, one thing stands out more than the rest.

My family.













Unconditional love, lots of laughter, beauty beyond compare and a good measure of ugliness thrown in the mix, too. Jokes, farts, pranks, silliness and friendship. Courage, vulnerability, compassion, faith, strength. Outspoken, opinionated, loyal and crazy.

This is my family in a nut shell.

So, to all my family- J, Baby J, Mom, Dad, Gabe the Babe, Auntie Min, A.J., Love-Leigh and Marion- I love you. This Thanksgiving, I am reminded that my life is better, fuller and slightly more chaotic because of all of you.

And I would have it any other way!