Shoe Envy

John typing - We bought Jack some 'back to school' (read: fall) shoes, and boy do I want a pair of my own! Does everyone do this to their children? As in, dress them like we wish to dress ouselves? See post below for confessions of shallow parents.

We did buy matching zip-up hoodies for the Hendrix boys. Waiting for that first snap of cold with baited breath...

Fashion Faux-Pas

I was embarrassed to go out in public with Jack today. He dug a very ugly pair of sandals that had been handed down to us out of the closet & insisted on wearing them with white socks. He looked like a miniature tourist.

I know this is not bad. He could have put on a sparkly tu-tu & tiara to wear to the store (neither of which we have in our house, but if we did, I am sure he would wear them 24-7). But still, I tried to convince him to wear different shoes & I even put his crocs in the diaper bag hoping that he would see them & want to wear them.

No such luck.

Obviously, I need some perspective. I'm not even sure this is worth a blog entry except to show how vain I really am!

My Biggest Fan

I have a few more pictures of my opening (Yes, this is John, not Andrea. Sorry, ok!) on my blog. But I had to post this one that Warren took. He was so cute wandering around in the gallery! Yes, he was mostly flirting with his friend AvaBelle, and not really admiring my work as I instructed him. But, of all the things in that room, I was most proud of him. So cliche, and so very true. (Attn Mgmt: I'd like 4 more of him, please.)

The Hamster Wheel

Lately I feel like I've been living my life on a hamster wheel. Running & running, but not getting anywhere. There is always more to be done that never happens. I clean the house & about 10 seconds later it looks like a bomb went off again. Even now, at 9:30 at night, there is still more to do. Loads of laundry to be folded, dishes to be done, not to mention the big stuff to be cleaned. All I really want to do is read my book and go to bed. I think that is life with a toddler.

Little Boy

Well, the summer is over (hooray!) and I found I've been left with a little boy running around my house. At the beginning of the summer Jack seemed a baby with little boy tendencies & now he's a little boy with baby tendencies. What has changed you ask? Well, let me tell you a few things.

He's always been kind of a nervous kid. Very cautious of other kids, even kids we know & see several times a week. But, over the course of the summer he started loving other kids. In fact, not a day goes by when he doesn't ask for every single one of his friends by name (over, and over, and over again). One of his favorite games is to zero in on what toy his friend is attached to & grab it & run away laughing in hopes that he will be chased. Not a nice game. But, it is surprisingly entertaining to watch until it just gets mean after the 50th time. Perhaps we have the makings of a bully.

Or, maybe not, because he's become a very sympathetic boy. When other kids are crying he gets very concerned & often sits by them & pats their head. He does that with me as well. Mean mama found that if I pretend to cry when I ask him to do something, he will comply. I don't really use that trick, but I think it's funny & sweet.

Jack now says little sentences & every day he says new words. Today we were dancing & he stopped and said, "Mama, clap!" Clap is one I had never heard before. "Funny" also made it's way into his vocabulary this week. John & I were making him laugh in the car & he said, "Mamada (this is what he calls us when we're together) funny."

And, he is sleeping better than ever. That only took 2 years...

I am loving this stage of life. It just seems to be getting better.