Okay... so I haven't done a proper update on Jack in months. Dang it! This means that I had to sort through piles of stickies, small handwritten notes on the edges of my planner, my current thoughts and feelings about what is going on in his little world etc. and there is just too much to post it all! Alas. You cannot record everything. This is just another reason to make sure that I live and love every moment of it.
Jack is getting so big. He's taking on more responsibilities around the house, talking older, asking way more deep questions etc.
He reads Doppler radars for Pete's sake! Yeah that's right... Doppler radars! While at Ed and Cindy's he got up early with them in the mornings. Cindy had a "no-cartoon before such and such hour." rule and so he watched the Weather Channel with her. One day I'm sitting on the couch with him and he turns to me and nonchalantly says "Huh. Looks like we're getting some rain." That's right! He knew where Champaign was on the Illinois state map, which color indicated rain, and everything. His assessment was 100% correct. I was like "Whaaat?!?"
Corey and I are so very, very proud of the boy he is becoming. He tries very hard to do the right things. One day at Ed and Cindy's Corey drew a picture on his arm. This is a theological point on which Corey and I disagree... but that's not the point of the story. Anyway he showed his "fake tatoo," to me and waited for a response. I told him I didn't like it. Ed found Jack a while later in his office rubbing and rubbing at his arm. He asked what he was doing and he said he was trying to take the tattoo off "Mom doesn't like it." Ed took him to the bathroom and helped him wash it off, and told me about it a while later. I wanted to cry I thought it was so sweet.
Our world would just not be right without our Jack in it. Jack to lead the games, Jack to make us laugh, Jack to keep us on our toes in every way. He's just so very JACK. What else can I say?!? We love you, love you, love you Jack!
Without further preamble, I give you the very LONG updates - all Helter-Skelter Fashion since it's been so long! (PS--It makes me feel SO good to know that there are at least a few people who are going to read this WHOLE DANG THING. If you are not in that category promise I won't be offended. It's LONG!):
One of Jack's new responsibilities is getting the mail. I can't tell you how fun it is that I can send him through the halls and downstairs by himself and totally trust that he will just do what he is supposed to do and come back. I still watch him from our balcony of course... but it's just fun to know I can trust him with small things like this now. (Did you notice what he's wearing in the picture?!?--Halloween update: We CANNOT seem to stop talking about it still. By we I mean Jack and Aly. Costumes have been confiscated... Christmas is up and in full swing... but Halloween lingers on...Photo taken prior to the confiscation.)
One morning I was feeling sad about Jack getting so big. He was at the table practicing writing his letters. All the sudden though I noticed his little legs and feet dangling at the chair and I remembered all the things that still make him little. I'm so glad the growing up thing doesn't happen overnight. Gradual is much better... and much more entertaining. Don't you think?
Jack and Grampa. What a pair.
Have you seen the movie "UP?" It's fantastic no?!? But that's beside the point. In the movie one of the characters has an "Adventure Book." and she writes on one of the pages "Stuff I'm Going to Do." and saves all the rest of the pages for the adventures that she will have in "Paradise Lost." We were watching that movie when Jack turned to me and said "In my book, I'm going to write - Stuff I'm going to do with Grampa." When I told Ed about it I think I saw tears in his eyes.
Jack has had some special Jack and Grampa bonding moments this fall. He went over twice to help Grampa work in the yard- oh the stories he came home with! Maybe the grumpiest I have ever seen Jack in his life was when I picked him up the first time and tried to take him home. The kid was heartbroken. He would hardly even look at Ed and Cindy. It was a nearly impossible task to get his jacket and shoes on... all a testament to his love for them (and maybe a bit for the huge shears he got to use to cut branches).
***This is a multi-post post-- keep scrolling :)***
4 comments:
Cal and I just at and read this post and laughed and then missed this boy! He is getting big. We looked at all the pictures and he just looks...older? Bigger? I don't quite know, but I am sure it is both of those things. hmmmm...darn it! We loved the big words, the prayer, the whole thing. We love this boy and can I just say that we both just laughed when we saw the pic of him in his Iron Man suit getting the mail? That is just too cute! We love that Jack!
Darling! He is bound to have a large vocabulary with Corey and yourself around the house. What a blessing!
I just fell in love with this boy. And do you really think he's not very much like you? Really? Because just before I got to that part I was thinking, "this kid is his Mama's boy!" I guess I didn't know you as a little girl, but all of this seemed to fit a child of yours.
The whole post was great! I laughed the whole way through. What a boy. And I hope you don't mind my saying this....I think your Mom would have had SOOO much fun with this boy! Oh boy, now I'm crying. Miss her. Miss you. Gotta go find some cookie dough. Love you.
i laughed, I cried, I wished the millenium was here so we could all be together again. So we could have everyday association with each other. So we could have all of Gram and PaPa's great-grandkids in the same room at the same time and JUST HAVE A BIG HUG. WE MISS YOU SO MUCH. But we are so proud of the life you are leading and the way you are teaching those precious boys (all 3 of them) hahahaha. love aunt deedee
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