Not the Fingerpainting Type

Dash is kind of particular when it comes to stuff on his hands. We attempted finger painting when Grandmom was in town a few weeks ago, but we wasn't very excited about it until I gave him a paintbrush.
The one notable exception to being upset by "stuff on hands" is tomato sauce. Something about tomato sauce screams rub your hands in it, smear it everywhere and be sure not to miss that spot on your forehead.

Dash tends to like order. He likes to do everything correctly. He likes to succeed. It is hard for him to relax. In other words, he is like his mommy :-) I think being aware of his personality type will help with addressing his frustration and will help me with homeschooling. I have yet to read "The Temperment God Gave You", but Melissa Wiley at The Lilting House recently reminded me of the book, which I will put on hold at our library.

Our "Organization Kid" in action:
All animals accounted for on Noah's ark.
All our cars in a line (actually, he's straightening it up after Mommy accidentally tripped over them.)

May's End

After making a May pilgrimage this weekend with two wonderful moms from our parish (picture of their little ones playing at Jack-Jack's baptism party below--I just realized that I forgot to post more pics from his baptism), I thought it would be appropriate to post a picture of our Mary corner for this May. We now have a statue of Mary, but Our Lady of Czestochowa is still very important to our family. Thus, I was surprised and overjoyed to hear that Jack-Jack's godmother made a pilgrimage to the shrine in PA! I was blessed to visit there several times during college and look forward to an opportunity to return. Mr. Incredible and I made a pilgrimage to Doylestown in May 5 years ago, which, coincidentally, is when we started dating :-)

It was raining as I set up our corner on May 1st, and, truthfully, I was not looking forward to taking both boys out in the rain to buy flowers. Then I remembered that we had a whole yard full of flowers. It is May, after all!

Too Much!

Too Cool For Words:
Too Cute For Words:

Are You Going Back?

It is that time of year...college reunions. It is huge and everyone is asking the million dollar question - Are you going back? Six in the City may bleed orange and black, but I walked out of the gates of my alma mater black and blue. Thesis controversies, anti-Catholic art, and university support of misleading info about abortion were just a few of the issues dealt with during our senior year. I will spare the saga, which most of you have heard many times over. Let's just say, I left with a bitter taste in my mouth.

Mr. Incredible, however, thinks I should make an effort to go to my fifth with the boys. I am an ivy-league educated mother who doesn't think raising children full-time is a waste my education (though I do think I have certain responsibilities as a result). I did meet my husband and made the best friends in college. Still, as someone less-than-enamored with her alma mater, I have no desire to walk into a room to see my son (or husband) dressed like this!

For Those Keeping Track....

Jack-Jack is a healthy 4 month old! What a blessing!

Jack-Jack (left)
14lb, 9.5 oz
25"

Dash (@ 4 months-right)
15lb, 3/4 oz
25 3/4"

Also of note...Dash knows all the uppercase letters of the alphabet and all numbers 0-9. His favorite letter is B and his favorite number is 5.

4 Months Old!

What's up?


A Carbon Copy of Mr. Incredible

Jack-Jack is Already Reading

Moms Are Allowed to Mess Up on Mother's Day!

When we arrived for mass on Sunday morning I discovered that little Jack-Jack was in need of a diaper change. The nice thing about having a big car is that the back can serve as a changing table. So I sent Mr. Incredible and Dash on ahead and took care of the little man, locked the car and caught up with the other boys. I had the funny feeling that I was supposed to have the car keys so I asked Mr. Incredible if he had them. Nope. "Why would I have them," he asked, "you drove." Ah, yes, Mr. Incredible couldn't find his wallet as we rushed out the door to be on time for mass, so I had driven. Since he normally drives when we are together, I am not used to having the car keys at mass. Whoops. Halfway through mass we spotted a family that literally lives across the street from us. They were Mr. Incredible's ticket home to retrieve a spare set of keys. So after mass he left with them while Dash entertained himself by his favorite fountain and I fed the baby. Mr. Incredible called to let me know he was home, had the spare set of my keys, but now couldn't find his keys. So I directed him to his spare set of his keys. In the meantime, he found his wallet. People were pouring in for the next mass as we finally made our way home. I had indeed left my keys on my makeshift changing table in the back of the car. All Mr. Incredible had to say about the incident was, "I'm so glad it wasn't my fault!"

Two of the three reasons I was able to celebrate on Mother's Day:


We still can't get over how much Dash loves Jack-Jack!

Stone Soup

I think I know what we'll be checking out at the library next week.

Mama Uppie Moon

Dash sweetly asked me to pick him up so he could reach the moon today. I happily obliged. Though he still couldn't quite reach it, he was so happy to be that much closer.

Happy Mother's Day weekend to all the dear moms, grandmas and aunts reading this who help their little ones reach for the moon and beyond.

The Grass Is Always Greener...

Oh, wait, there is no fence.

On the positive side, Dash's yard just doubled in size! The severe storms in Texas did quite a number on our area.

Brotherly Love

Over the last few weeks, Dash had taken an unbelievable interest in his little brother. Though the transition from only child to big brother went much better than we imagined, Dash really didn't show much interest in Jack-Jack until recently. Now the challenge is keeping Jack-Jack safe from a barrage of kisses and hugs and pats while still encouraging Dash to be affectionate to his brother. I have found myself sayings things like, "Dash, please don't steamroller over the baby." Or, "Do not drive your cars on Jack-Jack's head." He has even attempted to share food with Jack-Jack (choking hazard!), which is a shocker for someone who loves to eat as much as Dash does. Woe to the one who tries to take a goldfish from Dash. I am so excited for them to play and grow together as brothers and friends!

Dash has been snuggling up with Jack-Jack in the jungle gym.

He LOVES to rub Jack-Jack's fuzzy head.
He gives great big, squashy bear hugs.
He is either trying to give Jack-Jack a kiss or eat his head here.

A few days ago I wandered in on Dash's bath while holding Jack-Jack. Dash insisted that Jack-Jack join him for a swim. It went pretty well at first. Both boys love the water!
Then Jack-Jack became concerned about the situation. Maybe he thought this would replace his peaceful bathtime with mommy.

Wait, no, this is definitely not fun. Solo baths are much better. But Dash though it was very fun!Dash also wants to hold Jack-Jack, or as he says, "Baby, uppie"