Do it his OWN SELF and the LEAF BLOWER!!!

Jacks new favorite phrase "I'm a do it my own self!" (I add the exclamation point because he is so enthusiastic about it... not because he is saying it rudely. I feel the need to clarify that for some reason...)

Anywho it has been so fun for me and Corey to watch him become even MORE independent and learn how to do things on his own. He can change his clothes on his own, get things for himself that I used to get for him, be a big helper with little brother etc. It's so silly but I honestly get so proud of him when he puts his shirt on in the morning all by himself. Granted I sometimes have to flip it around when he puts it on backwards, but the point is that he is learning.

It's fun to see how much it means to him too. You can see the self confidence and sense of achievement in his face when he does things right. We celebrate even minor successes because they mean a lot to him.

This is a picture I took after he chose his own outfit and put it on all by himself (I laced the boots up for him after he put them on) Good thing I'm not too picky about things matching huh?



Behold... Jack and his new leaf blower!!!



Last week the landscapers came to our apartment complex to do the first clean up of the season. We were outside playing so Jack got to see them. It was just like last summer... a mix of love, fascination, and excitement mingled with total terror. He wanted to go inside because he was afraid of them, but when we got inside he just sat at the window and watched them.

Ever since that day it has been all about leaf blowers, weed wackers, and lawn mowers around here. He has been playing with his weed wacker a LOT. Then he told me that he needed a leaf blower. I made the mistake of telling him that maybe he would get one when Grampa Ed comes to visit in July (Cindy had mentioned to me that Grampa would take him to the store and they would get one) BIG MISTAKE!

Suddenly every conversation was about the new leaf blower that he was going to get in July. He'd repeat the following to me over and over "In july comes, Gram and Grampa come to my house, I'm a ask Grampa Ed REAL nice for a leaf blower. He's a go to the toy store and buy me one! Yep!" Then every other question became "Is it July?" and when someone came to the door it was always "There's Grampa Ed!" Sometimes we'd be in the middle of playing and he would say under his breath "It's almost July."

Two nights ago the landscapers came back, and he was glued to our window watching them for 45 minutes straight, I kid you not! I was working in the kitchen and I got a play by play from him in the living room of what they were doing the whole time.

Then it got to be really sad. He made this suggestion: (with the sweetest look on his face) "Mom... YOU could go to the toy store and buy me a leaf blower." With this totally irresistable look on his face that made my heart twisty. And I told him that he would need to wait and his little eyes filled up with tears, and his face turned into a frown and he cried... not the bratty "BUT I WANT IT!" cry (he has that too believe me I know the difference) but the "I just want it so bad, and I'm so sad" cry.

What was a momma to do!?! I caved. July is SO far away in kid time. I talked to Corey about it, and we agreed that we wanted to get one for him now. We went this mornning, and his reaction was precious. He saw the toy store and shouted a big "WAHOO!" then when we got inside and found them, I turned away from the cart to pick it up, and as I turned back (he was sitting in the front seat) he was shaking from head to toe. I've never seen him do anything like it.

Is he spoiled? Yes. But do I still think he's sweet? Yes. Judge me if you will, but you would have done the same thing if you saw that face... and truth be told he gets so excited about a lot of things that we don't get him for his own good. But we just couldn't resist this one.

Also we got Alaster a new bath toy. He had lots of fun playing with it in his bath tonight. Heaven help me when the LITTLE one starts wanting things. That kid already has me wrapped around his little finger.