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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Joe's School Pic
Joe's school picture arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait another second before posting it. Merry Christmas, everyone!
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Monday, November 14, 2011
Our First Fall in the Triangle
It's been a big transition for the whole family, so I apologize that I just haven't had a lot of time to update the blog. Of course, life has been happening over these months and I can't seem to remember everything (nor do I have pics/video). Nevertheless, I'll provide what I've got and try to update more often during the holidays!
A few weeks ago, Joe Daddy took Joe on his first plane trip to meet Joe Daddy's side of the family in Kansas. Here's some of my favorite pictures of Joe hanging out with his Aunts, Cousins, Great Grandma and all the rest...
Moving to D-town reunited me with a friend from back in Tulsa who has over the years become not only a super-smart engineer, but also an amazingly talented photographer. She sweetly offered her services to us on a fall day last month, but Joe did NOT want to cooperate. He was much too excited and it took all of our efforts to get him to stay in one place. But, Carrie is one talented lady, so she managed to get some great shots in spite of it all.
Joe was Bumblebee the Transformer for Halloween this year. It was a little chilly and Joe was getting over an illness, so we only went to a few houses. It was just enough to get Joe Daddy a bit of candy and for Joe to get to say "TRICK OR TREAT" a few times. He loved getting dressed up and wearing his special mask.
Joe has become good friends with a little boy named Tony who is the son of a couple of Joe Daddy's coworkers. Joe was invited to Tony's 4th birthday party where there was a zip line. Even though Joe is only half the age of his friends, he was determined to play just like they were playing. And so, my 2 and a half year old little boy flew down a zip line and tumbled many feet off of it at the end. I held my breath and rushed to his aid, but as he stood up, he looked at me and said, "Let's do it again." I learn much more from him than I teach him.
That's not the only big-boy thing Joe has done in the past couple of months. He's ridden his first real horse too!
Of course, Joe isn't the only one making new friends. Only a couple of weeks after moving here, I met P. He grew up in Kansas, is getting a PhD in Music at ekuD, and like me, just moved to town this summer. Besides being my best friend here in D-town, he also happens to be very sweet with Joe and Joe loves having another adult to play with besides Joe Momma and Joe Daddy. I'm very excited for Thanksgiving in just a couple of weeks, since Joe will get to see both his Uncle J and my new friend P at the same time!
Lastly, here's a great video of Joe getting ready for bedtime. Joe Daddy is reading "The Greedy Python"... a book about a snake that eats too many animals and then throws up. Joe thinks it is HILARIOUS! He laughs and laughs. This video will make you happy, I guarantee it.
Coming soon: Thanksgiving and Christmas decorating! I can't wait!
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A few weeks ago, Joe Daddy took Joe on his first plane trip to meet Joe Daddy's side of the family in Kansas. Here's some of my favorite pictures of Joe hanging out with his Aunts, Cousins, Great Grandma and all the rest...
Moving to D-town reunited me with a friend from back in Tulsa who has over the years become not only a super-smart engineer, but also an amazingly talented photographer. She sweetly offered her services to us on a fall day last month, but Joe did NOT want to cooperate. He was much too excited and it took all of our efforts to get him to stay in one place. But, Carrie is one talented lady, so she managed to get some great shots in spite of it all.
Joe was Bumblebee the Transformer for Halloween this year. It was a little chilly and Joe was getting over an illness, so we only went to a few houses. It was just enough to get Joe Daddy a bit of candy and for Joe to get to say "TRICK OR TREAT" a few times. He loved getting dressed up and wearing his special mask.
Joe has become good friends with a little boy named Tony who is the son of a couple of Joe Daddy's coworkers. Joe was invited to Tony's 4th birthday party where there was a zip line. Even though Joe is only half the age of his friends, he was determined to play just like they were playing. And so, my 2 and a half year old little boy flew down a zip line and tumbled many feet off of it at the end. I held my breath and rushed to his aid, but as he stood up, he looked at me and said, "Let's do it again." I learn much more from him than I teach him.
That's not the only big-boy thing Joe has done in the past couple of months. He's ridden his first real horse too!
Of course, Joe isn't the only one making new friends. Only a couple of weeks after moving here, I met P. He grew up in Kansas, is getting a PhD in Music at ekuD, and like me, just moved to town this summer. Besides being my best friend here in D-town, he also happens to be very sweet with Joe and Joe loves having another adult to play with besides Joe Momma and Joe Daddy. I'm very excited for Thanksgiving in just a couple of weeks, since Joe will get to see both his Uncle J and my new friend P at the same time!
Lastly, here's a great video of Joe getting ready for bedtime. Joe Daddy is reading "The Greedy Python"... a book about a snake that eats too many animals and then throws up. Joe thinks it is HILARIOUS! He laughs and laughs. This video will make you happy, I guarantee it.
Coming soon: Thanksgiving and Christmas decorating! I can't wait!
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Saturday, September 17, 2011
A Tribute to TLS / My 1st Words-Only Post
Hello, everyone! It's been busy around here as Joe Daddy starts his new job and Joe and I get settled with a new state/home/church/set of friends etc. I will post very soon with pictures and maybe even videos of Joe, but this particular post couldn't wait another day. I think you'll find that the words transcend anything pictures could ever show. Read on!
For the past three months, Joe has attended TLS, a school about 20 minutes west of where we live. We selected this school because it was awesome (and it did not let us down). Joe Daddy's workplace has a childcare facility for faculty and staff, but we were told that there was a wait-list of up to three years. We decided not to bother with that, because in three years Joe will be in kindergarten! However, once we moved here and Joe Daddy got to know people, we were told that a space had suddenly and magically opened up -- and that Joe could start right away! I had been spending about two hours a day taking Joe to and from TLS so we made the difficult decision to take Joe out of TLS and enroll him at ekuD s'nerdlihC supmaC. Joe starts at DCC on Monday.
TLS was an amazing school. And although Joe was only there for less than three months, they put together a journal of observations that was given to me on Joe's last day of school. It is incredible and I was so moved by the detail and stories in the journal that I felt the need to share them immediately and chronicle these observations myself here on the blog. Without further ado...
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Joe's Observational Journal: June-Sept 2011
Measure 5: Self Comforting, 6/17/11
When Joe arrived this morning, he was a little upset. He followed Mary Beth into the bathroom and become excited when he saw the "Cars" characters on the diapers. He took a diaper, held it to his cheek for a moment and then gave it back to Mary Beth and walked away, ready to start the day.
Measure 11: Interaction with Peers, 7/11/11
While the class was having freetime, Joe and Lillian were playing together in the dramatic play area. Lillian poured a glass of pretend juice into a cup for Joe. Joe drank it, set the cup on the table and made a satisfied "ahhhhhhh!" noise. Lillian giggled.
Measure 24: Symbolic Play, 7/18/11
This morning while we were playing out on our back patio, Joe picked up a piece of mulch. He brought it to me and said, "This is a key!" He then took the mulch piece to the door, held it up to the lock and twisted it back and forth. He then pretended to open the door.
Measure 22: Imitation 7/27/11
This morning, Joe was investigating our new kitchen set. He pressed the buttons on the microwave and made beeping noises. He then baked cookies in the oven and served them to his classmates. He finished off the morning by giving a baby doll a bath in the sink.
Measure 16: Communication of Needs, Feelings, and Interests, 8/3/11
This afternoon, Joe was building a tower with cardboard blocks. Another child in the class came over and knocked the tower down. Joe started to get upset, but then stopped himself, took her by the hand and said, "I don't like that. It makes me sad." Mary Beth applauded Joe for using his words and encouraged his friend to help Joe build the tower back up.
Measure 8: Impulse Control, 8/11/11
While we were playing in the sandbox this morning, Joe noticed a truck in front of him and said, "I take that truck!" As he reached out to grab the truck, he realized that Jack Henry was already playing with that same truck. Joe then pulled his hand back and walked away to play with a different toy. A few minutes later, Joe and Jack Henry filled the truck with sand together.
Measure 14: Language Comprehension, 8/19/11
At lunch todady, I was asking my small group questions about the other people at the table. I looked at Joe and asked him, "Joe, who is sitting across the table?" Joe looked up, smiled at me and said, "You!"
Measure 31: Gross Motor, 8/24/11
Today we spent some time playing on the playground belonging to the three year old classes. Joe saw the hanging rings and immediately ran over to them, reached up and grabbed them with both hands. He then hung there, swinging his feet back and forth for several seconds before letting go and landing on his feet.
Measure 9: Interaction with Adults, 9/6/11
At the end of the day today, Joe noticed Ms. Tina had collected the trash and was heading towards the door to leave. Joe ran to the door and said, "I open for you." He then held the door open for Ms. Tina. Tina thanked Joe, to which Joe exclaimed loudly, "You're welcome!"
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Isn't that awesome! It means so much to me that they kept that journal. But, I feel like it was missing one very important moment. Luckily, I was a witness to this event. So, here is an observation of my own! It is sure to be one of my favorite Joe memories for the rest of my life.
Measure 3.14: Being a stud/Joe's first kiss
At the end of the day, I went to pick up Joe from school. I walked in the door and Joe's friend Lily saw me, but Joe did not. Lily ran up to Joe and put her hand on his shoulder. Startled, Joe stood up and looked at Lily and said, "Happy Birthday!" Lily said, "No, Joe. Look, your mom!" Joe looked at me and ran over for a big hug. I reminded him of a promise I'd made to him earlier in the day. I said, "Guess what? We're going to the mall!" He ran back over to Lily and put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm going to the mall." Then he opened up his arms and said again, "I'm going to the mall!" Lily opened her arms and the two hugged. She then kissed him on the cheek. Looking startled, Joe stepped back, turned around towards the class and exclaimed, "I did it! I did it!" His teachers and I applauded.
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For the past three months, Joe has attended TLS, a school about 20 minutes west of where we live. We selected this school because it was awesome (and it did not let us down). Joe Daddy's workplace has a childcare facility for faculty and staff, but we were told that there was a wait-list of up to three years. We decided not to bother with that, because in three years Joe will be in kindergarten! However, once we moved here and Joe Daddy got to know people, we were told that a space had suddenly and magically opened up -- and that Joe could start right away! I had been spending about two hours a day taking Joe to and from TLS so we made the difficult decision to take Joe out of TLS and enroll him at ekuD s'nerdlihC supmaC. Joe starts at DCC on Monday.
TLS was an amazing school. And although Joe was only there for less than three months, they put together a journal of observations that was given to me on Joe's last day of school. It is incredible and I was so moved by the detail and stories in the journal that I felt the need to share them immediately and chronicle these observations myself here on the blog. Without further ado...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe's Observational Journal: June-Sept 2011
Measure 5: Self Comforting, 6/17/11
When Joe arrived this morning, he was a little upset. He followed Mary Beth into the bathroom and become excited when he saw the "Cars" characters on the diapers. He took a diaper, held it to his cheek for a moment and then gave it back to Mary Beth and walked away, ready to start the day.
Measure 11: Interaction with Peers, 7/11/11
While the class was having freetime, Joe and Lillian were playing together in the dramatic play area. Lillian poured a glass of pretend juice into a cup for Joe. Joe drank it, set the cup on the table and made a satisfied "ahhhhhhh!" noise. Lillian giggled.
Measure 24: Symbolic Play, 7/18/11
This morning while we were playing out on our back patio, Joe picked up a piece of mulch. He brought it to me and said, "This is a key!" He then took the mulch piece to the door, held it up to the lock and twisted it back and forth. He then pretended to open the door.
Measure 22: Imitation 7/27/11
This morning, Joe was investigating our new kitchen set. He pressed the buttons on the microwave and made beeping noises. He then baked cookies in the oven and served them to his classmates. He finished off the morning by giving a baby doll a bath in the sink.
Measure 16: Communication of Needs, Feelings, and Interests, 8/3/11
This afternoon, Joe was building a tower with cardboard blocks. Another child in the class came over and knocked the tower down. Joe started to get upset, but then stopped himself, took her by the hand and said, "I don't like that. It makes me sad." Mary Beth applauded Joe for using his words and encouraged his friend to help Joe build the tower back up.
Measure 8: Impulse Control, 8/11/11
While we were playing in the sandbox this morning, Joe noticed a truck in front of him and said, "I take that truck!" As he reached out to grab the truck, he realized that Jack Henry was already playing with that same truck. Joe then pulled his hand back and walked away to play with a different toy. A few minutes later, Joe and Jack Henry filled the truck with sand together.
Measure 14: Language Comprehension, 8/19/11
At lunch todady, I was asking my small group questions about the other people at the table. I looked at Joe and asked him, "Joe, who is sitting across the table?" Joe looked up, smiled at me and said, "You!"
Measure 31: Gross Motor, 8/24/11
Today we spent some time playing on the playground belonging to the three year old classes. Joe saw the hanging rings and immediately ran over to them, reached up and grabbed them with both hands. He then hung there, swinging his feet back and forth for several seconds before letting go and landing on his feet.
Measure 9: Interaction with Adults, 9/6/11
At the end of the day today, Joe noticed Ms. Tina had collected the trash and was heading towards the door to leave. Joe ran to the door and said, "I open for you." He then held the door open for Ms. Tina. Tina thanked Joe, to which Joe exclaimed loudly, "You're welcome!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Isn't that awesome! It means so much to me that they kept that journal. But, I feel like it was missing one very important moment. Luckily, I was a witness to this event. So, here is an observation of my own! It is sure to be one of my favorite Joe memories for the rest of my life.
Measure 3.14: Being a stud/Joe's first kiss
At the end of the day, I went to pick up Joe from school. I walked in the door and Joe's friend Lily saw me, but Joe did not. Lily ran up to Joe and put her hand on his shoulder. Startled, Joe stood up and looked at Lily and said, "Happy Birthday!" Lily said, "No, Joe. Look, your mom!" Joe looked at me and ran over for a big hug. I reminded him of a promise I'd made to him earlier in the day. I said, "Guess what? We're going to the mall!" He ran back over to Lily and put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm going to the mall." Then he opened up his arms and said again, "I'm going to the mall!" Lily opened her arms and the two hugged. She then kissed him on the cheek. Looking startled, Joe stepped back, turned around towards the class and exclaimed, "I did it! I did it!" His teachers and I applauded.
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Friday, July 1, 2011
Goodbye P-ton, Hello Triangle!
Hello from NC! We are officially residents of The Triangle... Joe Daddy has his NC drivers license and everything. As always, my apologies for leaving you Joe-less for so long, but as you can imagine, it's been hectic around here. But, without further ado, let's start from where we left off.
The gentleman pictured above is one of Joe Daddy's best friends from P-ton. He lives in NYC, so I will refer to him as "Manhattan". Manhattan wanted to take Joe to Central Park before we moved away, so Mr. and Mrs. Manhattan met us there a couple of weeks before we moved. It was awesome! Also, he brought along an amazing camera which provided us with a slew of great Joe pics. Besides checking out the Central Park Zoo, we also had a picnic in Central Park. Joe had a lot of fun seeing the waterfall and the petting zoo and the NYC skyline. While walking around the city, he kept pointing and screaming, "BUS! BUS! BUS!" Thanks for a wonderful time, Manhattan! We're going to miss you.
After the Central Park trip, we realized that we only had a week left in P-ton and it was time to say goodbye to our friends. We met some really special people during our time in P-ton. Here's just a couple of them...
The folks pictured below were friends with us pre-Joe and after meeting and loving on Joe, they decided it was time to have a little lad of their own. Mrs. AMR understood me like no one else in P-ton. She was a real lifesaver during a time when I felt very lonely and out of place.
Joe Daddy was in the company of many famous political scientists during his time at P-ton. Despite their prominence, many of these colleagues, advisers and mentors felt more like family to us. They were never above getting drooled on or farted on by Joe. That's love.
There were many more goodbyes, but really, they are just "see you soon" because we'll be headed back to P-ton in August.
The day finally came to leave. The only hiccup was that the moving truck arrived 6 hours late. Nevertheless, they did almost all of the packing and loading, so I'm just glad they were there. We had Joe go to school so that he wouldn't get confused or crushed by a falling box.
Once everything was loaded up, we turned in our apartment keys and went to pick up Joe from school. When I arrived, I told Joe he had to say goodbye to everyone. Up until this point, I had not shed a single tear. But when Joe and Marissa hugged goodbye, I totally lost it.
The good news is that Marissa's parents have family in VA, so we hope that we can all make some time for Joe and Marissa to see each other again someday.
On our way to our new place, we stopped to see Grammy and Pa-Paw. This was the first time Joe experienced water play. Of course, he decided right away that the best way to play in the water is naked. Here's our naked gardener helping Pa-Paw and cooling off in the tub.
Pa-Paw also put Joe in the basket of his motorcycle and drove him around the driveway and yard. They are quite a sight together, aren't they?
After a couple of days, it was time to continue on to our new place. Along the way, Joe got to experience his first Happy Meal. I'm pretty sure that I never had a Happy Meal as a kid, so I was pretty excited about it myself. He LOVED the chicken nuggets and french fries. Joe Daddy now makes a slightly healthier version of it at home and Joe has it practically every day for dinner.
I have to say that ever since we arrived at our new place, we have really been overwhelmed by happiness. It is indescribably beautiful here. This is the view from our back deck.
Joe has enjoyed all the new green spaces, which surround both our new apartment and Joe Daddy's new office. We live in an apartment complex on an angus cattle farm. Joe Daddy's office is on the west part of the ekuD campus, which is pretty green. Here's Joe hanging out near the door of Joe Daddy's new office building.
But, of course, for me, the biggest part of the transition was seeing how Joe would do changing into his new school. The first day, we only stayed for about an hour. I should not have been so concerned about this transition, because within about five minutes, Joe's attention had gotten pulled over to a young lady named Izzy. She's about 6 months older and very verbal. She had been at the school for about two weeks and decided that she needed to show him the ropes. Joe happily complied with this forced tour.
The best part of the tour was the gerbils. Joe LOVES the class' gerbil family. The momma just had babies and is already pregnant again. Gerbils for everyone! Here's the little rodent family enjoying a snuggle nap.
I have to say that it was very tough to leave Joe's old school. His teacher there, Miss Rita, and all the folks at K-Care loved Joe so much and we loved them too. I was really scared about trying to find a place that could rival K-Care, but I think I may have found something that is just as great, albeit in a different way.
Joe's new school is an interesting mix of fancy food and very un-fancy surroundings. I guess it's just all very "natural". Kids play in the mud and Joe usually comes home filthy everyday, yet he's eaten way better meals than I ever have. Check out just the last couple of days' menues.
I'm fairly certain that I've never even seen a lemon thyme scone. I couldn't even draw a picture of it. But other than the fancy (yet delicious) food, the place is very 'rural'. There's a pig at the door that Joe says hi to every morning and goodbye to at the end of the day.
Kids play in giant mud puddles and run around in their underpants. They take walks in the woods while visiting the "Magic Tree", which apparently is a large tree that fell down during a recent storm. More than once, I have heard little girls say things like, "I can't go inside without my crickets!" or something similar.
So far, I'm very pleased with this school. It's about a 15-20 minute drive from our apartment, but it's well worth it to know that Joe is happy and well taken care of. With any luck, he'll develop an adorable little Southern twang while he's there.
I should mention one notable change recently -- Joe has become really obsessed with Joe Momma during the move. He won't let Joe Daddy carry him and in general, he just wants to spend his time doing whatever I'm doing wherever I am doing it. I'm trying to enjoy this attention as much as possible, because I know that in no time he'll be back to being a daddy's boy.
And last, but not least, there's a new member of our family. This is Modester. She lives in Malawi and in honor of Joe Daddy's cousin's wedding this past weekend, we sponsored her through Save the Children. We already sent her a letter introducing ourselves and telling her that we loved her very much. As I get updates about her throughout the years, I will include them here on the blog. Welcome to the family, Modester! We love you!
We are leaving in a couple of days to take a vacation to Music City with Aunt M and her family. It should be an amazing time in celebration of Joe Daddy's completion of his dissertation. He mails it into P-ton tomorrow! Yay! Five years of work and 234 pages! It's time for a vacation! Have a wonderful holiday weekend, everyone.
The gentleman pictured above is one of Joe Daddy's best friends from P-ton. He lives in NYC, so I will refer to him as "Manhattan". Manhattan wanted to take Joe to Central Park before we moved away, so Mr. and Mrs. Manhattan met us there a couple of weeks before we moved. It was awesome! Also, he brought along an amazing camera which provided us with a slew of great Joe pics. Besides checking out the Central Park Zoo, we also had a picnic in Central Park. Joe had a lot of fun seeing the waterfall and the petting zoo and the NYC skyline. While walking around the city, he kept pointing and screaming, "BUS! BUS! BUS!" Thanks for a wonderful time, Manhattan! We're going to miss you.
After the Central Park trip, we realized that we only had a week left in P-ton and it was time to say goodbye to our friends. We met some really special people during our time in P-ton. Here's just a couple of them...
The folks pictured below were friends with us pre-Joe and after meeting and loving on Joe, they decided it was time to have a little lad of their own. Mrs. AMR understood me like no one else in P-ton. She was a real lifesaver during a time when I felt very lonely and out of place.
Joe Daddy was in the company of many famous political scientists during his time at P-ton. Despite their prominence, many of these colleagues, advisers and mentors felt more like family to us. They were never above getting drooled on or farted on by Joe. That's love.
There were many more goodbyes, but really, they are just "see you soon" because we'll be headed back to P-ton in August.
The day finally came to leave. The only hiccup was that the moving truck arrived 6 hours late. Nevertheless, they did almost all of the packing and loading, so I'm just glad they were there. We had Joe go to school so that he wouldn't get confused or crushed by a falling box.
Once everything was loaded up, we turned in our apartment keys and went to pick up Joe from school. When I arrived, I told Joe he had to say goodbye to everyone. Up until this point, I had not shed a single tear. But when Joe and Marissa hugged goodbye, I totally lost it.
The good news is that Marissa's parents have family in VA, so we hope that we can all make some time for Joe and Marissa to see each other again someday.
On our way to our new place, we stopped to see Grammy and Pa-Paw. This was the first time Joe experienced water play. Of course, he decided right away that the best way to play in the water is naked. Here's our naked gardener helping Pa-Paw and cooling off in the tub.
Pa-Paw also put Joe in the basket of his motorcycle and drove him around the driveway and yard. They are quite a sight together, aren't they?
After a couple of days, it was time to continue on to our new place. Along the way, Joe got to experience his first Happy Meal. I'm pretty sure that I never had a Happy Meal as a kid, so I was pretty excited about it myself. He LOVED the chicken nuggets and french fries. Joe Daddy now makes a slightly healthier version of it at home and Joe has it practically every day for dinner.
I have to say that ever since we arrived at our new place, we have really been overwhelmed by happiness. It is indescribably beautiful here. This is the view from our back deck.
Joe has enjoyed all the new green spaces, which surround both our new apartment and Joe Daddy's new office. We live in an apartment complex on an angus cattle farm. Joe Daddy's office is on the west part of the ekuD campus, which is pretty green. Here's Joe hanging out near the door of Joe Daddy's new office building.
But, of course, for me, the biggest part of the transition was seeing how Joe would do changing into his new school. The first day, we only stayed for about an hour. I should not have been so concerned about this transition, because within about five minutes, Joe's attention had gotten pulled over to a young lady named Izzy. She's about 6 months older and very verbal. She had been at the school for about two weeks and decided that she needed to show him the ropes. Joe happily complied with this forced tour.
The best part of the tour was the gerbils. Joe LOVES the class' gerbil family. The momma just had babies and is already pregnant again. Gerbils for everyone! Here's the little rodent family enjoying a snuggle nap.
I have to say that it was very tough to leave Joe's old school. His teacher there, Miss Rita, and all the folks at K-Care loved Joe so much and we loved them too. I was really scared about trying to find a place that could rival K-Care, but I think I may have found something that is just as great, albeit in a different way.
Joe's new school is an interesting mix of fancy food and very un-fancy surroundings. I guess it's just all very "natural". Kids play in the mud and Joe usually comes home filthy everyday, yet he's eaten way better meals than I ever have. Check out just the last couple of days' menues.
I'm fairly certain that I've never even seen a lemon thyme scone. I couldn't even draw a picture of it. But other than the fancy (yet delicious) food, the place is very 'rural'. There's a pig at the door that Joe says hi to every morning and goodbye to at the end of the day.
Kids play in giant mud puddles and run around in their underpants. They take walks in the woods while visiting the "Magic Tree", which apparently is a large tree that fell down during a recent storm. More than once, I have heard little girls say things like, "I can't go inside without my crickets!" or something similar.
So far, I'm very pleased with this school. It's about a 15-20 minute drive from our apartment, but it's well worth it to know that Joe is happy and well taken care of. With any luck, he'll develop an adorable little Southern twang while he's there.
I should mention one notable change recently -- Joe has become really obsessed with Joe Momma during the move. He won't let Joe Daddy carry him and in general, he just wants to spend his time doing whatever I'm doing wherever I am doing it. I'm trying to enjoy this attention as much as possible, because I know that in no time he'll be back to being a daddy's boy.
And last, but not least, there's a new member of our family. This is Modester. She lives in Malawi and in honor of Joe Daddy's cousin's wedding this past weekend, we sponsored her through Save the Children. We already sent her a letter introducing ourselves and telling her that we loved her very much. As I get updates about her throughout the years, I will include them here on the blog. Welcome to the family, Modester! We love you!
We are leaving in a couple of days to take a vacation to Music City with Aunt M and her family. It should be an amazing time in celebration of Joe Daddy's completion of his dissertation. He mails it into P-ton tomorrow! Yay! Five years of work and 234 pages! It's time for a vacation! Have a wonderful holiday weekend, everyone.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Joe Turns Two
Take it away, Mr. Joe!
Indeed, my little Joe has gone from an enormous baby to an enormous two year old right before our eyes. Aunt M (who Joe calls Aunt May-May) and Uncle J (who Joe calls Uncle JoupPHHchH) came down to visit for Joe's birthday and we had a wonderful birthday weekend. It started with a party at home, continued with a trip to the aquarium and finished with a fantastic party at school.
The Party at Home
The first thing we did was open presents and look at cards. Joe got some Thomas toy trains and a stuffed bunny from Uncle J and a construction dinnerware set from Aunt M. Uncle J also got Joe an Elmo card which turned out to be the biggest hit of all.
Next came cake time! In the tradition of my mom, I made Joe's cake myself. I always thought that was a normal thing until I became a mom myself and heard that people usually buy birthday cakes, but where is the fun in that?! I remember vividly being excited about my cake, getting to pick the ingredients, smelling it baking in the kitchen and waiting impatiently for it to cool so we could eat it. That's the only way to do it! Here's the final product:
We sang to Joe and he and I blew out his candle.
Just like last year, he didn't really want to have any cake, but the adults in the group were more than happy to take care of it for him. He did enjoy some vanilla ice cream, though. Here's the birthday family picture (sans me who was behind the camera).
Finally, it was time for Joe to get his present from Joe Momma and Joe Daddy. We got him a Thomas the Train tricycle. He was a little hesitant at first, but before we knew it he was flying down the sidewalk.
Trip to the Aquarium
After some rest from the home celebration, we went towards aihpledalihP to go to the aquarium. I think Joe had as much fun in the car as at the aquarium mainly because he got to spend quality time with his Aunt May-May.
Here's the dynamic duo playing peak-a-boo on the road to the aquarium.
Once we arrived, there was so much to see and touch! Joe even touched a shark and a sting ray! Here's a few of my favorite shots from the day.
Party at School
Last but not least, since Joe's actual birthday was on a Monday, we decided to have a little celebration with his friends at school. After thinking a lot, I decided that what two year olds would enjoy the most would be balloons.
That's probably true of people of every age, but it turned out I was right on the money with my hunch that they would love to play with balloons. Joe showed the group how to best play with them.
The rest of the class joined in after eating some cupcakes and yogurt.
I had a lot of help from Joe's teachers which allowed me to sit and play and giggle with the class.
After Joe calmed down a little, he joined in on the food too.
Who's that pretty little lady on the left? Why, it's his girlfriend Marissa of course! She was very happy to share in Joe's special day.
Final Thoughts
I can't imagine Joe having a better second birthday. He got to have a sweet family birthday at home with his favorite people, a trike, a trip to a magical land of animals, and a party at school with his friends and balloons. That would be a great party for anyone! Happy Birthday, Joe! Your mom and dad love you so much.
You are my sunshine, my love, my sweet son. You are the prize in the cereal box of life. Thank you for another wonderful year and I hope I'm blessed enough to see many more. Love you forever!
------------
Side Note: I'm know I'm behind on the blog, but I have a good excuse! We're only a couple of weeks away from our big move. I'll be posting in the next week or two about how we're closing out our time here. It includes our first family trip to our new home at ekuD as well as a recent trip we took to Central Park. Get excited!
Indeed, my little Joe has gone from an enormous baby to an enormous two year old right before our eyes. Aunt M (who Joe calls Aunt May-May) and Uncle J (who Joe calls Uncle JoupPHHchH) came down to visit for Joe's birthday and we had a wonderful birthday weekend. It started with a party at home, continued with a trip to the aquarium and finished with a fantastic party at school.
The Party at Home
The first thing we did was open presents and look at cards. Joe got some Thomas toy trains and a stuffed bunny from Uncle J and a construction dinnerware set from Aunt M. Uncle J also got Joe an Elmo card which turned out to be the biggest hit of all.
Next came cake time! In the tradition of my mom, I made Joe's cake myself. I always thought that was a normal thing until I became a mom myself and heard that people usually buy birthday cakes, but where is the fun in that?! I remember vividly being excited about my cake, getting to pick the ingredients, smelling it baking in the kitchen and waiting impatiently for it to cool so we could eat it. That's the only way to do it! Here's the final product:
We sang to Joe and he and I blew out his candle.
Just like last year, he didn't really want to have any cake, but the adults in the group were more than happy to take care of it for him. He did enjoy some vanilla ice cream, though. Here's the birthday family picture (sans me who was behind the camera).
Finally, it was time for Joe to get his present from Joe Momma and Joe Daddy. We got him a Thomas the Train tricycle. He was a little hesitant at first, but before we knew it he was flying down the sidewalk.
Trip to the Aquarium
After some rest from the home celebration, we went towards aihpledalihP to go to the aquarium. I think Joe had as much fun in the car as at the aquarium mainly because he got to spend quality time with his Aunt May-May.
Here's the dynamic duo playing peak-a-boo on the road to the aquarium.
Once we arrived, there was so much to see and touch! Joe even touched a shark and a sting ray! Here's a few of my favorite shots from the day.
Party at School
Last but not least, since Joe's actual birthday was on a Monday, we decided to have a little celebration with his friends at school. After thinking a lot, I decided that what two year olds would enjoy the most would be balloons.
That's probably true of people of every age, but it turned out I was right on the money with my hunch that they would love to play with balloons. Joe showed the group how to best play with them.
The rest of the class joined in after eating some cupcakes and yogurt.
I had a lot of help from Joe's teachers which allowed me to sit and play and giggle with the class.
After Joe calmed down a little, he joined in on the food too.
Who's that pretty little lady on the left? Why, it's his girlfriend Marissa of course! She was very happy to share in Joe's special day.
Final Thoughts
I can't imagine Joe having a better second birthday. He got to have a sweet family birthday at home with his favorite people, a trike, a trip to a magical land of animals, and a party at school with his friends and balloons. That would be a great party for anyone! Happy Birthday, Joe! Your mom and dad love you so much.
You are my sunshine, my love, my sweet son. You are the prize in the cereal box of life. Thank you for another wonderful year and I hope I'm blessed enough to see many more. Love you forever!
Side Note: I'm know I'm behind on the blog, but I have a good excuse! We're only a couple of weeks away from our big move. I'll be posting in the next week or two about how we're closing out our time here. It includes our first family trip to our new home at ekuD as well as a recent trip we took to Central Park. Get excited!
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