Another Healthing Please

I have a family journal that I keep all of the kid's slang words in. A place I can look back and remember all their cute little sayings. Jack has quite a few in there...I can them "Jackanese." He's old enough now that his entries in this journal are not as often and now I'm making lots of entires under Sophie's section of the journal. Today however....I heard him say a sweet little word that I can enter in the journal as perhaps one of his last "little boy" sayings.
As he poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat at the table, he looked up at me and said, "Hey mom, this is my third HEALTHING!" I L-O-V-E-D it!! I actually wanted to jump up and down but couldn't of course in front of him. Secretly, I didn't even want to correct him. I want him to stay my little man forever and say all those cute little words. I just gave him a sweet smile and replied, "your third helping honey...helping."

So, here's to my little man growing up AND to another healthing!!

My Toothless Man

This week Jacker discovered he had a loose tooth. Not just any loose tooth but one up top, front and center! He wiggled and jiggled and let me twist and turn. Tonight he yanked that puppy out like a real MAN! We could even "hear" it coming out as he yanked it from the gum. We clapped and cheered for how tough he was a he pulled his tooth free.

Bum deal was as he rinsed his mouth and cleaned the tooth off, he lost it down the drain. We were sure he would be crushed as he had worked so hard to pull that thing. He simply said "Oh Well." Then the conversation took a hilarious turn....

Jack: "Dad, can you give me money since I don't have a tooth to give to the tooth fairy?"

Justin: "Absolutely, I can!"

Jack: "Like $100"

Justin: "Uh...I don't think so."

Jack: "Why not?"

Justin: "Because you lost a tooth, not a kidney!"

Jack simply shrugged and walked away as if to say, "It was worth a try!" :) Gotta love it!

A Two-Wheel Man

Recently Jack decided he was done with training wheels. He and his pop loaded up the bike and went to the high school parking lot. Jack found a yellow line to ride on and presto-chango, he is now a two-wheel man. It was so fun to hear the excitement in his voice when he finally "got it." He was just gitty. Now we can't get him off of his bike. He rides it everywhere. Just one more example of my little man growing up.

Droid Fighting Pizza Makers

Jackson had his buddy Max over last night. They played all evening fighting droids with their power helmets, building all sorts of things and making pizzas for dinner. I love watching my little man use his imagination. Max has quite the imagination too. I could have sat back all night and just watched them play. I hope these two never lose their creativity! When we were on our way back from taking Max home Jack says to me out of the blue, "Mom, Max is very kind." My heart smiled! I think that is five-year-old lingo for, "I found myself a good friend!"

Toothless

Over Christmas break, Jack realized he had a loose tooth. While for most youngsters this is a right of passage and they are thrilled, my Jacker was terrified! He was convinced it was going to hurt and he would allow NO ONE to touch it. He even was scared as he went to school and heard that Mrs. Huppert was the infamous tooth puller. He made me assure him that she would not touch his mouth! :) This was quite the ordeal in our home for a couple of weeks. Here you'll see the funny and painful process that he went through to lose that tooth. It's funny to me looking back on it at how fun it was to go through that process. Every little stage and issue brings new joy. I love my toothless little man!

Pictures Above: (Sorry they're backwards...I was having difficulty!) Jackson calling his Nana and Papaw to tell them he lost his first tooth. A picture of the "hanging" tooth.

SLIMED

These are actually old pictures from about a month ago, but they are way too good to not post. Our school held a fundraiser last month to raise money for smartboards in all the classrooms. Jack was the top seller in kindergarten. At a celebration assembly he got to slime a kindergarten teacher and the beloved janitor, Mr. Heishman. He had a ball doing this and the adults were such great sports. Kudos to our principal Mrs. Bohr. She makes school so much fun. This is just one example of the excitement she brings to our building. Check out these slime balls!

Rub A Dub Dub - Is That Santa In The Tub?

I Spy

I spy some leaves, the grass and a tree.

I spy a little face looking at me.

Jack's Fall Party

Jack had his fall party today complete with six kindergarten buddies. We made the cute shirts from Family Fun...tye dyed with pumpkin faces. We also made some cute bats out of little Jack pumpkins AND another mom stayed and helped me do carmel apples as favors for the boys to take home. By the time we got to apples we figured the boys were crafted out and needed some crazy play time outside instead. Anyway, I thought you would enjoy these cute pictures from our fun day. Justin was super-dad and helped me out with leading the boys through the bat craft while I worked through the tye-dying process. (Thanks, Honey!) We love the fall!

Pictures above: The crew takes a break outside for apple cider and fall cookies. Justin helps lead the pumpkin bat craft. Mmm...carmel apples. The final pose complete with T-shirts and bats!

What a fun day!

Pajama Day

This post is primarily for Nana and Papaw. Although I've become hooked on this blogging thing, I actually started it for them in an attempt to give them a glimpse of the kids' day to day events since they don't get to see their munchkins as much as they'd like.

Jack's class ended the week before fall break with a pajama day...in honor of the letter "P."
He was so pumped about getting to wear his "Jim-Jams" as we call them at home to school.

I must confess this little celebration sent us out Wal-marting at the last minute as I realized that Jack had no real pajamas that fit him. :)

Anyway, here's a picture of Jack and his great buddy Ellie before school in their comfy attire and Jackson's whole class partying it up in their PJ's!

I Ran For Jan

This weekend our family (minus a sick Sophie) ran in a fundraiser for our dear friend Jan Spencer. It was a fun run - 2.7 miles - to raise money for Jan's trip to Mexco next month where she will undergo Stem Cell Therapy to hopefully reverse her ALS symptoms. It was a lot of fun. We all sported our blue T-shirts and got to visit with Jan and run or walk in the rain. (Running or walking in the rain is always fun)
But there was something a little more fun for me on this Saturday morning.

Jackson was determined to go along with us despite the weather Saturday morning. You see, he knew exactly why we were running. Jan has been a pretty special lady to Jack ever since the day he was born when she came to the hospital in anxious anticipation of his birth sporting two different colored shoes as she dressed in such a hurry! :) Jack and I have had several conversations usually at bedtime when we are doing nightly prayers about Jan and her disease and how it effects her. He is genuinely concerned about his friend and how she feels.

So on Saturday morning Jackson was determined to be a part of this special event. We started off running the 2.7 mile course. Now Jack is a runner as any five-year-old is. You know he runs all over the place but he has never set out on a "run." So this was quite different for him. He ran the first mile without stopping with his dad and I by his side cheering him on. I should mention that we were quite soaked too. Not because of the rainfall but because Jack ran right through the middle of every puddle on the course. At the end of mile one, he decided he needed to walk so Justin walked with him and I continued on.

We all ended up finishing the race and loving on Jan afterwards in our sweaty attire. Jack loved how there were snacks and water for you when you finished the race. I certainly loved seeing all the people come out to rally around Jan and her mission to find a breakthrough in the fight against ALS. However, what I loved the most was seeing my son recognize that he was a part of something big - with a purpose. He was determined to finish that race because he knew he was running for Jan. Running for her because right now, she cannot. Running for her so she can experience a turn around in her symptoms. Running for his friend.

Tennis Anyone?

Mark and Jack playing tennis in the yard.

This picture just doesn't do this memory justice. I was able to snap this shot Tuesday night at our house after dinner when our good friend, Mark Spencer, was playing tennis with Jack out front in the yard. Mark is so good with Jack. He plays with Jack far longer than most adults would ever care to entertain a five year old. He plays virtually any game that Jack wants and he teaches Jack how to do things when he's just learning. While no one will ever take the place of the playmates that Jack has with his daddy, Mark just might come in a close second. I love how he takes the time to play with our little man and how he makes him feel so special. I know that Jack will have fond memories of all the fun stuff he's done with Mark through the years...riding the scooter, playing koosh ball, hunting caterpillars and playing hide and seek. I pray over Jack and the friends that he has and will have in the future. I know God will bless him with friendships of great value but there's just something to be said about an adult who mentors a child and becomes his friend!

What is a friend? I will tell you it is someone with whom you dare to be yourself. -Frank Crane

Lessons in Obedience

Tonight we were eating dinner with a reluctant five year old. He did the classic five year old plea.

Jack: Mommy I don't like noodles. I like them like hotdogs. (He hates hotdogs)
Me: Jack, you have to eat five bites.
Jack: How about four.
Me: How about six.
Jack: Five is good.

Time went on and Jack proceeded to whine. I told him all bargains were off and he needed to get up and get in the shower. Then he was headed to bed. Oh how the tears flowed. Isn't it funny how those tears hurt mamas worse than they ever hurt the kids? Once Jack got to bed we got out his Bible heros book and read about Isaac. The verse with that story tonight was all about obedience. Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Our discussion then went something like this:
Me: Who does obedience please?
Jack: Jesus
Me: Who else?
Jack: You and daddy.
Me: And when you please Jesus and mommy and daddy, who else is pleased?
Jack: Me. Because then I get to do fun things instead of go to bed!
Ahh, he's getting it. If only we could teach these lessons once. :)
Wicked men obey from fear; good men, from love - Aristotle