Despite the fact that Jack didn't want a bath, he seems to have enjoyed himself. First he played keep-away with Gracie's ball because she just couldn't quite reach it without falling in. Then Jack decided to splash like crazy, which apparently made Gracie thirsty because she proceeded to lick up all the splashes. Finally, being part dog, Jack got thirsty and decided to lick up the water too. Gracie even tried to lick the water off Jack's face, but her whiskers were too tickly. He shrieked and squealed the entire time! By the time he got out, my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. I hope he's more enthusiastic for his next bath.
Jack has a head/chest cold today. He sounds like Darth Vader when he breathes and has a steady runny nose. One stream from each nostril (hence, eleven!) Fortunately it's a quiet weekend anyway. Rob is doing online traffic school, I'm grading papers, Jack is watching Toy Story 2 and Gracie...well, it's almost always a quiet day for her. As much as she would rather be an only "child", she has been pretty cute with Jack lately. Yesterday she was very patient when Jack insisted she try on his mouse ears. And now that Jack LOVES the dog park their friendship might blossom. She did share her new Christmas toy with him. This could be the start of something wonderful:-) Good girl!
Jack got to visit Disneyland for the first time this week. Stunned and amazed pretty much sums up his reaction to the whole thing. We went down to Redondo Beach for a birthday dinner with Kelsey on Sunday night (She will be 18 tomorrow! Holy cow!) Then on Monday morning we headed to Anaheim for the big day. We got an early check-in at the Disneyland Hotel and then headed to the park for the fun to begin. Everything along the way proved to be awe inspiring 
for Jack! There was a huge Christmas tree still assembled in Downtown Disney (gasps of amazement). We rode the monorail over to the park (Oh...aahhh!). We went on Astro-Blasters with Buzz Lightyear (stunned silence). Grandma and Daddy rode the carousel while Jack and Mommy watched (sensory overload). Over to Dumbo for his first flight (fear of flying?). And then a lunch break.
After lunch we took a quick spin on Casey's Train and then back to the hotel for a nap...this is what saved the day for us all! Despite the remodeling going on next door, Jack managed to finally sleep with Daddy while Grandma and Mommy relaxed on Main Street with a cup of coffee and some English Toffee.
For round two we decided to start with Small World. With perfect timing, someone at control central flipped the switch igniting all the lights in the entire park while we waited outside the ride. OK folks, the look on Jack's face was truly priceless. Shock and awe was frozen onto his visage for at least 20 minutes. His mouth formed the letter O until I was sure he'd need medical attention to have it removed. We went on the train around the park (dinosaurs!), had a very quick dinner, then finished with one more spin on Astro Blasters and a tour of the gift shop before heading back to the room.
It was a beautiful day here in Ventura! About 70 degrees, clear sunny skies, slight ocean breeze. We decided to break in Jack's wagon on the boardwalk by the Ventura Pier. It was very busy because, like I said, gorgeous day out. So Rob maneuvered down the sidewalk while I directed the tour. "Oh Jack, do you see the big waves? The tide is high. Last time we came the tide was low, you could see the sand. This time the water is really high. Oh, watch it hit the boardwalk and splash! Isn't that fun? Do you see the splashers?" He was so cute in his little wagon that I stepped back to take a photo with my phone when--SPLASH!! Mommy got DECKED by a wave! Don't you just love the feeling of sea-soaked jeans against your skin? NOT! Well, needless to say it was a short walk today. But we will do it again in the future. Next time I'll check the tide charts and bring a change of clothes just in case!
We had a quiet morning at home. I remember watching a lot more football on New Year's Day before we had Jack. And sadly, the football we did watch didn't fare well for the PAC-10. But we did watch Toy Story with Jack, complete with him acting out some of the scenes with his new toys. After lunch Jack took a nice nap and then off to the Shipps'.
Sad circumstances brought our friend Staci to town, but it was a bonus for all of us to share the day with her too. Jack and Everett opened presents. I had a great time playing "Would You Rather..." with Everett (Would you rather eat a hair sandwich or an earwax omelet?) And Jack got a cool new doggie named Scout that sings and talks to him. He dragged it everywhere when we got home. He took it to bed and fell asleep with his arms wrapped around it. When he came to our room at 7 this morning, there was his buddy Scout with him. Too cute!
