Dino Treats

We had great sucess this evening getting Jack to embrace his inner dinosaur! Let's say expectations were set to VERY LOW, but as you can see he pulled through in fine fashion! We took the advice of our daycare goddess, Karen, who said, "Just put it on him. Don't give him a choice. Just do it and be done." Ladies and gentlemen, this is not her first rodeo. It worked like a dream. We got him dressed with only minor whimpering, we ignored his tantrum and took him outside. When he saw the other kids in costume, he got a little warmed up. When he saw them carrying pumpkin buckets (like his) he got a little warmer. Finally, he had a bucket of treats in one hand, candy in the other, and he couldn't even protest when I slipped the hat on his head. He got so much positive attention that he ended up wearing the hat for over an hour and the rest of the costume for about 3 hours. He was so adorable I could barely stand it! It was such a great evening for us all that I even ignored the fact that all he would eat for dinner was Nerds candy and his sippy cup of milk! After his bath and a serious teeth brushing, we tucked him in bed with his new favorite book...Christmas story! He could get used to the holiday season!

JACK-O-Lanterns

Jack got to help with carving Jack-o-lanterns for the first time today. He really had fun reaching in to the pumpkin to pull out "guts". He was in there all the way to his armpit, having a great time as Daddy's helper. When he was finished, we carved the pumpkins and roasted the seeds. We hope to have a wonderful time trick-or-treating with our little dinosaur later tonight. Happy Halloween.

Tee Time!

Jack and Grandpa Nick had an early tee time this morning. Gracie wanted a piece of the action, too.

Sushi Anyone?

Daddy doesn't like sushi, so while he played bocce tonight (and celebrated Uncle Rob's birthday with dinner at Arnoldi's) Mommy and Jack had sushi! Well, Jack had steak teriyaki, but he tried using chopsticks for the first time. He thought that if Mommy could do it, then so could he. After a bit of practice, he managed to stab a few carrots and eat them. He also loved dipping his steak in a bit of soy sauce. Mommy might have a sushi partner after all.

Unhappy Dinosaur

Jack wants to cancel Halloween this year. He wore the hood of his dinosaur costume for a total of 30 seconds (if you count all 5 times) and you can see from the video how much he enjoyed trying on the bodysuit. What I didn't get on video was his collapse into tears when he saw himself in the mirror. Oh boy...it's going to be a rough Halloween this year.

Last year I had very low expectations about his reaction to his costume, but he LOVED it. We had to literally peel that lion costume off of his sweaty little body. Well, I guess I thought he'd be excited again this year. Not so much. He doesn't care how many hours I spent making it or how adorable it looks on him. Never mind the fact that he is totally enamoured with dinosaurs and walks around the house ROARING all the time. He has dinosaur pjs, dinosaur books, dinosaur toys and even a dinosaur helium balloon. Apparently that doesn't mean he wants to look like a dinosaur. Maybe when Grandpa Nick and TuTu are here he will change his mind. He will either be a smilasaurus or tyrannasaurus-mess. I'll post photos either way.

Boys' Friday

Jack and Rob had their first Friday together since August. It was some long overdue Father & Son bonding time. They had a fabulous time together. They went to Target for a new gadget and played on the children's playground at the mall. Then they came home and played in the backyard with Gracie. After lunch, Rob put Jack down for a nap, but he was having too much fun to sleep. He played in his crib for two hours before Rob decided to get him up and head to Fry's. When he got him from his crib, Jack had managed to remove his sleep sack and then put it back on, inside out AND backwards! What a crack up! As soon as Rob got off the freeway to go to Fry's, Jack was out like a light in his carseat, so much for computer shopping. They turned right around, came home, and Jack is still passed out in his crib, shoes and all. Jack's not quite ready to hang with the big boys yet. Mommy got home from a very long day at work and is ready for her Friday night! Can anyone say, "Margarita?"

Cheese!

Jack got Rob's love of cheese. He has eaten two cheese sticks for breakfast today. Luckily, it's not a daily occurance. Thankfully, he also likes grapes.

Pumpkin Patch

'Tis the season for ghosts, skeletons, witches and JACK O'Lanterns. So today, after watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," we took a trip to our local pumpkin patch to check it all out. It was funny to think that when we went last year Jack couldn't even walk around the place and this year he was pulling the pumpkins in a wagon, carrying small pumpkins, and running through rows upon rows of pumpkins. The only thing that slowed him down was the display of very scary ghosts complete with eerie music. Frankly, it freaked me out a little too. He played in the haunted house with Daddy and climbed the haystacks for a few photos. It was a very fun morning. We left with three perfect pumpkins. In a few weeks we'll get to see how he likes carving them up, too. We placed them next to his ghost on the front steps for now. He's really liking this Halloween thing!

Jack To Go

Jack does not like when Daddy goes out of town on business! He's a pretty smart cookie. He's already planning how to stow away on the next business trip. He's just the right size for a carry-on! "Anything to declare?" Well, as a matter of fact..."

So, obviously Rob made it home safe and sound. We were all thrilled to see him. He even went into work late on Wednesday morning so he could spend a couple hours with us. We got to have some family time in bed and breakfast together too. Then it was back to the salt mines...board meeting yesterday and late night tonight too. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday. I think he's only had 2 days off in the last three weeks. Saturday can't come soon enough.

Italian Wedding Soup

Jack's new favorite food? Italian Wedding Soup. Tiny meatballs, pasta and kale in chicken broth. Yummy! I'm not kidding about how much he loves it. Tonight he started out eating it with a spoon, shifted to his hands and then finally sucked it straight out of the bowl. It was the bowl to lip maneuver that made the biggest mess! Thankfully it was bath night, so he went directly to the tub and came out squeaky clean!

On an unrelated note, I can't wait to see the look on Jack's face tomorrow when Daddy gets him up in the morning! Rob has been gone almost a week, but will be getting home late tonight. Jack will probably flip out with joy! I'll try to catch it on video!

Baby Max

Jack and Mommy went down to the South Bay last night to visit family. We started at Grandpa Phil's restaurant where we got to see Zia Andria, Uncle Phil, Grandpa Phil, Auntie Nikki and baby Max. Uncle Phil made yummy mostacciolli with butter and cheese and Grandpa made pizza with pesto sauce. It was all very tasty. Jack got to run around the place like he owns it...oh, he does! He got to watch football in the kitchen and do high fives and knuckles with Uncle Phil and Grandpa...too much testosterone for Mommy! Jack even gave baby Max his first kiss ever! Their relationship seems to be improving. I guess Jack is finally resigned to the idea that Max is going to be around for a long time, so he'd better make the best of it.

After dinner, we went to Grandma Laura and Pa's house. Jack had his bath, a bottle, and had some quick hugs for everyone before he went to sleep. This morning, Nikki brought Max over before she went to work, so we got to play together for several hours before we came home. The cousins laid on the play mat together and Jack even shared is new wind-up frog toy with Max. Max was so full of smiles and laughs for his crazy Auntie. Peek-a-boo never gets old, does it? Sorry the photo with the boys and me is overexposed, but Jack only sat still for one frame, so we had to take what we could get. That was also the last shot of me in that sweatshirt. Soon after, I gave Max his bottle. When I burped him he spit up all over, but being a smart, veteran Mom I had a rag on my shoulder..HA, outwitted him! Then I put him down for his morning nap, but he fussed and cried, so I went to check on him. His blanket wasn't swaddled very well, so I picked him up to adjust it and...KAPOW! Projectile all over my shoulder! HA! Looks like he got the last laugh on me. I swaddled him up again and he dozed peacefully off to dreamland. Oh well, spit happens! It was a quick trip, but I got some good cuddle time in with my nephew, so it was well worth it.

Busy Weekend

Since I had Friday off it already feels like I've had a full weekend and today is only Sunday! Friday, of course, we went to the zoo and then had dinner at my friend Lorena's house...homemade chile relleno!! Yesterday we went to a baby shower for our friend Jenny. She has twin boys (18 months old) and is due with her third boy next month! After 7 years of infertility she and her husband never dreamed this would happen, but what an amazing blessing! They are such wonderful people, great parents. We had a great time, lovely lunch and a perfect fall afternoon for a patio party. Last night, Diane came over and we made shrimp curry. Jack had so much fun playing with Diane and his new dinosaur balloon. He loved being the center of attention. Diane is a 6th grade teacher at my school and it was fun to watch her play with Jack. It must be a teacher thing, but she talks to him just like I do, "Where is Dino's eye? What color is his eye? Is it green?" Everything is a teachable moment!

This morning we are going to go to church and them head to Redondo Beach for a little overnight at Grandma Laura's. It has been far too long since we have seen Grandpa Phil, so we will be going to the restaurant tonight. Sunday night at the restaurant is great because we get to see Zia Andria, Uncle Phil, Auntie Nikki and Cousin Max, too. Looking forward to keeping the weekend rolling!

Roar!!

Jack and I took a drive up the coast this morning to meet Jenny and her adorable twin boys for some fun at the Santa Barbara Zoo. It was a typical glorious day in Santa Barbara. Fortunately, it was not scorching hot yet either. We got very good views of the penguins, elephants, flamingoes, gorillas, meerkats and lions. Jack was especially thrilled with the lions! We saw both the male and female sunning themselves on a huge rock in front of the glass. He roared proudly to everyone who came up for a look and we finally had to coerce him to
say,"Bye-Bye Lions!" and leave them behind. Not to worry though, he found a toy lion in the gift shop that he just couldn't live without. We had a peanut butter sandwich in the shade and then played "get" with the twins up near the new condor exhibit. It was a wonderful day. We are so lucky to live in Paradise :-)

Bed Head

Rob left for Washington DC this morning and we miss him already.

Honey, Jack woke up with "Daddy hair" today. He sends you big kisses. Be safe. We love you!

Boo!

I was so excited that today was finally October 1st. In addition to celebrating Great TuTu's birthday, it was finally appropriate to wear my cool new Halloween t-shirt that Grandpa Nick and TuTu brought for me on their last visit. I looked really handsome this morning, but Mommy and Daddy had no time for a photo shoot. Sorry about the soup splotches, but I hope you still think I look cute after dinner and a full day of playing at Karen's house. I have been practicing my "ghost" act for about 2 months now and I think it's pretty scary. Happy October!