Southside Festival

A few days ago we took the boys to the Southside festival in St. Joseph.
Jack was excited to ride the little kids' train. Each train car is made
out of a 30 gallon metal trash can. Each car had a seat with a little seat belt and a 'steering wheel'. Jack was so excited to ride this little train. Though I was excited for him,I was freaked out about letting him ride this train (with only 1 adult in the front car) through a park filled with hundreds of people in the dark. So, like a stalker, I followed the train car all through the park. I wanted Jack to have a sense of independence, so I followed from a distance - namely the end of the train - which only increased my stalker like feelings. My sister tells me other moms followed the train, but I didn't see any of them. Maybe I just followed more closely? Who knows. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see Jack in the green train car at the back of the photo.

When the ride was over, Jack was simply content. "Did you have fun?" "Yes." "Do you want to ride again?" "No." He didn't want to ride the ponies. He didn't want to ride the camels. He didn't even want to ride the kiddie fire truck with its sirens and lights. He did though, watch with delight as Wyatt & Noah rode the little ponies. I was right by Wy's side, holding him upright on a lovley little black pony. I'm sure that pony hated me. Just so you know, t is very difficult to walk alongside a miniature pony while holding an infant/toddler upright without walking into said pony who is trying to not walk into you.



To cap off the evening - we had our picture taken!!! (Wy is reaching for the jug o' tripple X booze.)


Wyatt is working on his vocabulary. He often says "Mama" but only when he is upset. We are sure he says "Daddy" but I think it comes out as an accident, though he knows Daddy is John. He also says car. "Car, car, car, car." "Car, car, car, car, carrrrrr." He loves cars. He has a little knock off of Lightning McQueen and I SWEAR he is tyring to say Lightning "Lilee" or something very similar to that. He knows who Lightning is and which car is Lightning.

Jack gets a bit upset when we talk about this car being Lightning McQueen. "Is NOT Yightning aqueen, mommy." He insists "Yightning" is "number 5, 6." And this poor imitation is numbered 1, 2, 3.

John overheard this conversation the other morning and said "Pal, I think Lightning is 9, 5." Jack said "No, daddy, 5, 6." Off I went in search of a book and sure enough we discovered that Lighting is #9, 5. I showed Jack the cover of the book and he said "OH, I see, daddy! Yightning is number 9, 5!"

John also says he overheard Jack singing last weekend "You take away the sin of the world...Thomas." Speaking of prayers, Jack staunchly refuses to utter a word when we say Grace. He knows the prayer. He will pray it if I sit him at the table by himself. He will say it while he is playing with his trains. He will correct us if we start to say Grace at bedtime. He will correct me if I start to say Angel of God at the dinner table. He will say Grace it if it is just the two of us sitting at the table. But if there are more than two people at the table, he says nothing.

He is also reverse potty trained. This child does not wet the bed. For I don't even know how long now, he wakes up, he goes to the bathroom by himself, he takes care of all his business by himself. During the day, he doesn't even seem to be aware of whether or not he needs to make water. He also doesn't seem to care if he goes in his pants. I have been getting the 'cool alert' pull ups so he would feel a little different when he goes in his pants - he doesn't care.

Little Wy likes to take this thumb or fingernail and trace it along the underside of your thumb or fingernail. I can't tell you how many times this little ritual has headed off a meltdown. That poor boy will be crying his heart out and I will run the undersides of our fingernails together and he quiets down almost immediately. I have even used this weird little trick to lull him to sleep. I have no idea what he likes about it, but he finds great comfort in this.

OK - enough babble for today friends. God bless. Love, a, j, j & y!