Thanking God

I'm proud to say that we are finally going back to church! I know, I know, if PawPaw and Granny were alive, they'd be giving me a heck of a time about missing so much church. But unfortunately, they never met Jasper the Disaster! I'm happy to report that he did pretty well. Just some quiet talking and dropping his Thomas the Train only 17 times or so. Jasper starts his new school in just a few short months, so we decided to start regularly going to mass at St. Francis Xavier. On our way to mass the other day, I was trying to prepare him by talking about what goes on when we're at church. I explained how it's a quiet time to sit and thank God for everything in our lives. Here's how the conversation went...

Me:  Jasper, who do you want to thank God for? Do you want to thank God for Daddy?  

Jasper: Yes.

Me: Who else do you want to thank God for? Do you want to thank God for Mommy?

Jasper: Yes. And Sammy. 

I have to admit, I'm pleasantly surprised at how much he likes Sam. He's always including him, checking on him when he's crying... The other morning while we were getting ready, we had put Sam in the car seat, but weren't quite ready to go. He was crying and then the crying stopped. I walked in to see if something had happened and there was Jasper, standing next to the car seat, watching cartoons, rocking Sam. It makes me really happy to know how caring he is, that I don't have to tell him to do nice things, that a lot of times, he's going to already know to be helpful and kind. When we're in the car, if Sam is crying, Jasper will talk to him saying, "It's OK Sammy, don't cry." And when I glance back, I see him holding Sam's hand. He'll hold his bottle for him too. I guess I have to really appreciate this short time of happy, caring love between brothers, as I've been warned it will quickly pass. I hear that everything goes to hell once the little one starts grabbing for the bigger one's toys...

Some boasting... Jasper has really excelled over the past few months with his vocabulary. We're having actual conversations. And he's understanding words like inside/outside and tomorrow/yesterday. Daddy has been working with him on the days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Hump Day, Thursday and Donut Friday! He's copying a lot of our words--Several times, he's gone into my makeup drawer, pulling out anything from eye shadow brushes and lipsticks to tweezers. I would correct him every time, saying "This is not a toy." Well, now he walks up and grabs things saying, "This is not a toy." He repeats this phrase over and over again, to make sure I know that all 100 items in my drawer and on the vanity are "not a toy." 

When I was little and we went out to eat, Mom would always be sure to take the knife away so that I didn't play with it. She loves to tell this story... One day, as soon as we sat down, I handed her the knife. She had done it so many times before, I finally caught on and must've decided to help her out. Jasper now does the same thing. He pulls the knife out of the napkin and as he hands it over to me, he happily says, "Here ya go Mommy!"

His behavior is improving and he's becoming more independent. He likes to be helpful by opening and closing the back gate for us. And we've taught him how important it is to close the door so that the mosquitoes (and termites) don't come in the house. I try (when I remember) to teach him to do things for himself, like throw away his paper plate or put his spoon in the sink. We remind him to throw his clothes in the dirty clothes basket. We still have some trouble with picking up toys, but with as many as he has, I can understand why that task is a bit overwhelming! Potty training is still a work in progress, but we're seeing slow improvements. Every once in a while we venture out without the diaper on, and so far, no accidents. 

He loves the word, "castle." Every time we're on the I-10 driving home, he fondly refers to the Galleria as "THE CASTLE!" That along with every other building that is more than two stories... Speaking of stories, I have one that Jeremy will be telling for a while. On Memorial Day, we met up with some of Jasper's friends from daycare, and their parents at City Park. Jeremy and Jasper were waiting on me by the pond in front of the amusement park while I was buying tickets. Jeremy looked away "for a second" and when he turned back around Jasper was on his knees, face down, drinking the water out of the pond, like a dog. I swear, it will be a miracle if he doesn't grow an extra toe. Here are some pictures from our day off at City Park's amusement park. SO FUN.

As for Sammy, he's awesome! Sam is almost seven months. He's constantly babbling and laughing, mostly at Jasper. When he babbles, he sounds just like Donald Duck. I had the opportunity to take off work and bring him to his six-month check-up, and of course, the doctor said he's doing great! As of May 30th, he weighs 19.6 lbs and he's 27 1/2 in. long. He's sitting up on his own and we're giving him some extra tummy time so that he can work on his crawling endeavors. He's eating solid food like a champ and going to sleep around 8:30 (give or take) each night. He loves my sweet potatoes and squash and I love that in his eyes, I'm the best cook ever! 

He's definitely our more laid back child--as long as we have his bottle ready when he wants it, he pretty much goes with the flow. In fact, both boys lasted the entire Zephyrs game a few weeks ago! I couldn't believe it. 

Swimming! Jasper started swimming lessons at Elmwood. The first two classes have been uneventful and he's a bit disinterested. But we'll keep trying and hopefully, he'll get more enthusiastic about it as we go. He has much more fun after swim lessons at the outside pool with his friend Kate. Aside from me having to be in a swim suit in front of people, we're really enjoying our Saturday swim days.

Sam took his first "dip" in the pool at Granny's house (6/9/14). I think he likes the water more than Jasper. No crying, no fussing. And he was kicking his legs like a pro!

Finally, I can't go without mentioning two big events that took place this month. On May 22nd, we welcomed Baby Cole Hammond. Jasper and Mason had their first sleepover at our house so that Audrey, Josh and Cole could visit. Cole was almost the exact same size and length as Sam! Congrats to Audrey, Josh and Mason!

Aimee and John FINALLY tied the knot! The wedding and festivities were a blast and Aimee was a beautiful bride. And believe it or not, I must mention that this may very well be my last wedding. That's right folks. No more bridesmaid dresses for me. According to both my mom and Jeremy, I'm no longer allowed to become good friends with single people. The dresses and party planning are just too expensive. I have to admit, however, Aimee's wedding was wonderful and I was more than thrilled to be a part of it all. And I really will wear the dress again.

We celebrated Father's Day last weekend. Wow. Talk about a busy day. Breakfast with Grandpa and CiCi, a visit to the lakefront, lunch with Grammie and PawPaw, time spent with Uncle Neil, Tia and Nova, a last minute trip to City Park's amusement park and finally, dinner at Morning Call. That's right. There's no better Father's Day dinner than beignets and a frozen cafe au lait. And if that wasn't enough, Sam gave Daddy an extra special Father's Day gift by projectile vomiting ALL OVER him. It was certainly a Father's Day he'll never forget.

Our boys certainly keep us busy. It's been exciting to see the recent changes in Jasper. Between the use of bigger words, more conversations, understanding us and listening to us better, he has really impressed us. I'm really proud of him. And Sam is just so much fun--the best cuddle buddy ever! His smiles make us smile. It's incredible how two little boys have made our family so perfectly complete. 

And in case anyone is wondering, Granny is absolutely in love with both of her boys.

Happy Summer. We love you!