merry (belated) christmas!

what a fun couple of days jack has had! a lot of holiday treats and gifts has left him one tired little guy! not too tired of course to try out his favorite gift--golf clubs! uncle greg scored with the best gift:)

these are the best i could do...talk about not cooperating!? all i wanted was a nice picture of both of them in their holiday outfits!?

a bedtime story from one of their favorite people-jillian!

checking out his chair from mimi and apa

trying out his news clubs at the golf simulator!

it's a bird, it's a plane, it's.....

super jack!!!!

nothing like having two sick kids cooped up in the house on a freezing winter day!? thank goodness jack's imagination runs wild these days or the day would have been loooong.

like i said the day was long, so super jack made an appearance in the am and pm!

this one is just cooky, and taken by mike...these two have become characters lately, it is so funny to watch them together!

we also went to the children's museum on friday. it was a big day for them as we took the boat to boston, met uncle timmy (who played hookie) and then had lunch with mike! a very fun, napless day;)

trains!

it could not have been more miserable yesterday. it literally rained from the moment we got up until we went to bed. it was a good thing we had a playdate at our house yesterday, because the day would have been very long otherwise!? after nap, i had promised jack that we would make the train layout to end all train layouts, and i do believe we succeeded! we used every single track we had, and since we were quite certain we'd never remember how to duplicate it, we decided to takes lots of pictures!


these are sooc (straight out of camera), so they're nothing too fancy, but we had a lot of fun, and then we ended with a dance party!

it's beginning to look a lot like....

christmas!

as per our tradition, we went this past weekend to cut down our tree. this year was even more fun because daley is so interested in all that is going on. oh and it was 60 degrees!

jack is always my little ham, and willing to wear the silly santa hat...

ugh, i wish the power lines weren't in this one!

shhh...it's elf on a shelf season!! i wanted to do this last year, but i thought jack might be too young. so, introducing Connor our "elf!!"

my sweet boy...

jack really truly is such a sweet kid. he always wants to give me hugs and a kiss, and he loves to do the same with daley. i hope he always stays this sweet!

on another note, he is doing really well at school, and we seem to be past the "mommy don't leave me." phase. he even asks to go to school when he doesn't have to! he's got a couple friends, and it is so cute to hear him tell me about the things they did together. he may even have a little crush on a girl named mackenzie, but he refuses to give me any details, he just talks about her a lot!

double ear infection-ugh.

it is no joke when i say that we have been sick for over 2 weeks. we just can't seem to kick this cold, which has now turned into double ear infections for everyone(note sarcasm). i really hope this isn't a precursor to what our winter is going to be like, because i might just jump ship now.

despite both j & d being sick, we have manged to have some fun playing trains, reading, "helping" (this term is used loosely-lol) me cook, and since it is so nice out today we managed to sneak out for some fresh air.

on another note, jack has really begun to show interest in reading. he's always loved to have books read to him, but now he is asking what specific words are. it is so fun to watch his mind process things. he really is a sponge.

and i'll leave you with this, along with pictures of course...a little "jack" funny...

while playing trains yesterday jack discovered that some of his cars fight perfectly on the tracks(their wheel base was the perfect length). so he began to line up his cars, and before long most of the track was filled with cars. he then proceeded to exclaim with excitement "mom, look at my thank you cars all lined up!!" it didn't dawn on me until a bit later that he confused cars with cards, and low and behold came up with "thank you cars" lol! i smiled about that one for the rest of the day:)

happy halloween!

xoxo,
tinkerbell & hook

you know you're in trouble when...

your four year old tells you "it's nonsensical to clean up his cars." um, right...all i could think of was good use of the word-lol!

pictures!

i am just adding some pictures of jack from the weekend...we took a walk to the water in front of our house and i managed to get some nice pictures of him for a change:)

same old, same old...

i've come to realize that when the daily routine seems to get monotonous, i need to learn to relish this as it can and will change all too quickly! right now we are still getting acquainted with our area, and it gets easier every day. jack seems to really like it here, and he has said on more than one occasion how much he loves our house. actually i think he worded it this way "mom, haven't you always wanted a house like this, because i really like it." i have no idea what about this house in particular he likes, and i have asked, but just knowing that he is comfortable here makes all the difference.

apple picking!

we took the kids apple/pumpkin picking this past weekend, and they had so much fun. this place is so awesome. you can go year-round as they also have many other stone fruits to pick as well. it was a really beautiful space, and there was an awesome "kids" play area with a playground, burlap maze, bounce house, petting zoo and caterpillar train. they really had a lot of fun!

two more of jack, playing his favorite: cars and having a "sleepover" in my bed!

jack,

happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear jack, happy birthday to you!

as each year passes, i begin to realize just how precious our time together is. every time you ask me for help, there is a little part of me that is well aware that once you figure out how to do it yourself, you will no longer need me to do it for you. just one more reminder that you're growing up and finding your independence.

the year of three has been a year of change for you. you learned to go to the bathroom on your own. you decided you didn't just like, but love pizza. you are able to get yourself dressed-for the most part, i know one day you'll put your underwear on the right way!? there is nothing you'd like better than to help, especially if there are tools involved. you finally took an interest in your bike, and now i can't get you to stop riding it when we're outside. you still love playing cars, any sport, games(candyland, uno moo, i spy/memory), and i'm pretty sure you've mastered the ipad quicker than we have!

last, but not least, you love your sister so much. you always give her hugs and kisses, and for the most part you are willing to share or play with her. watching your relationship grow and develop has been so amazing for me. i hope that you both stay the best of friends as you get older, even if she does, and i'm certain she will, annoy you to no end!

happy birthday to my almost four year old. i love you to the moon and back.

love,
mama

first day of school!

just a couple pictures of jack on his way to his first day at preschool (yesterday). he loved it. for some odd reason he was a bit hesitant to go back today, but once he got there, he did just great.

so hard to believe he is on his way to being school-aged...

of course, he had to be "jack!"

settling in..

i know i am well overdue for a post, but alas life has gotten in the way of, well life!? this has been our first full week here in hingham. i refuse to count/admit how many times i have gotten lost, because it is severely embarrassing. we are pretty much settled, save a few curtains/pictures to hang.

jack seems to have adjusted well. we've had a little bedtime anxiety, but that is typical jack, so i was armed and ready for it! he was very excited to see all of his toys again. it is a little like christmas in september.

we also took a tour of jack's school this week. i would be lying if i said i wasn't having a hard time with this. i know it is good for all of us. it will give daley and i time together. it will give jack a chance to interact with children his own age, and gain some independence. however, it feels like the beginning of the end of our time together. there will be fewer mornings where we can wake up slowly and snuggle together with a snack, a drink and a show(our morning routine). another milestone and reminder that he is getting so big. i promised myself i wouldn't cry because i don't want jack to get upset, but i can barely type this without getting a lump in my throat-oy!?

i promise to post some pictures when i get a chance. i need to use my favorite muses for my photo class this week, so stay tuned:)

circus extravaganza!

we had jack's birthday party a little early this year because we are preparing for our big move this week! the theme was circus carnival, and i think it was a big hit. a certain someone (ahem, mike) decided that jack NEEDED the biggest bounce house they make, so of course that was probably the best part of the whole day for the kids! i've just uploaded a lot of pictures from the day...of course as per usual i have not one single one of all of us or jack and daley together, who looked quite cute in their matching circus monkey shirts i might add!

i'm breezing over the fact that he is turning four, because he isn't actually four yet and i'm still holding onto him being three. i still have no idea where the time goes, but i digress...pictures below as promised.

let the games begin!

pinata!
it should be noted that after all the kids had a turn, jake came up and walloped it...here i was thinking we would have to "help" it along!

cake time!


a big kid at heart...thanks for participating uncle timmy

i asked ben to give me his angry face-lol

james was a great ticket taker;)

the bounce house!