Writing to Remember

Bento Box Lunches

Jack started first grade last week, which means he goes to school all day and will be eating lunch at school.  I'll be packing his lunches this year because not only are school lunches typically pretty unhealthy, but Jack is a picky eater and wouldn't likely eat much of what they served anyway.  Some great ladies from my cloth diaper group introduced me to bento box style lunches and I was immediately hooked.  I can't think of a better way to get my picky eater excited about lunch!  Here are the lunches I have packed so far this school year.

Day 1 - Dog bone shaped ham and cheese sandwich, strawberries, snap peas, goldfish crackers, and a piece of dark chocolate.

Day 2 - Star shaped ham and cheese bites, blackberries, garbanzo beans w/catalina dressing, and pretzel sticks.
 

Day 3 - Mini blueberry bagel, cheese cubes, clementine, cucumbers, and smarties.

Star Creek Creations

I started doing appliques on shirts a while ago...making them for my kids, then giving them as gifts, and then selling them to friends.  After some prompting, I finally decided to open an Etsy store (called Star Creek Creations) and see how it goes.  I listed a few things this week and am working on several more things to list very soon.  I am really excited about it and hope that everyone who shops my store will be as well.  I have a new blog associated with the store in order to keep people up to date on the status of their order, as well as any store updates I might have.  I hope you will take the time to check it out!

www.starcreekcreations.etsy.com

www.starcreekcreations.blogspot.com

One of my oldest friends...

Is about to have a baby!  I just got the text a little bit ago that she is being induced this morning, and I can hardly control my excitement! 

She and I met when were seven, so we've been friends for...quick mental math...about 24 years.  Yikes, we can't really be that old can we?  We spent a ridiculous amount of time together as kids.  We were gymnasts and were in the gym together for around 30 hours a week.  We didn't think that was enough time together so we had sleepovers on the weekends.  I was bossy, she was bratty, and we were great friends.  We spent a huge part of our childhood together, grew up, life has taken us in all different directions over the years, and yet we still remain great friends. 

When I had Jack, she was one of the first to arrive at the hospital to visit me that morning.  Bret had to run to work for a little bit and she stayed with me.  I had just had a c-section and my legs were still pretty numb, so when Jack needed his first diaper changed she stepped in.  It is an experience I'll never forget, and one that I'll laugh at every time I think about it.  She was trying to change his diaper, and he kept pooping while she was trying to change him.  We didn't think we had any wipes, because we were looking for a box of wet wipes and there weren't any.  Finally we realized that the paper squares on the cart were wipes and that you were supposed to get them wet in the sink.  I couldn't get out of bed, neither of us knew what we were doing, and Jack was crying and pooping all over.  It was hilarious then, and even more so now. 

When I was going through all of my fertility struggles she was always there to talk to me and listen to me.  Later on, when it took her quite a while to get pregnant, my heart broke for her because I knew that she was having to feel the way that I had felt for so long.  When she told me she was pregnant I couldn't stop crying because I was just so unbelievably happy for her. 

Today she is being induced and will very soon meet her beautiful little girl.  Earlier in the week I told her that she needed to have the baby on Thursday or Friday so that I could come visit her over the weekend.  Looks like I am getting my way and will get to go snuggle a sweet newborn baby girl this weekend.  Yep, I'm still bossy, and she is still bratty, and it works...we are still great friends.

That's my girl...

Inherited addiction.  Enough.Said.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!

We have been talking recently about getting Jack's hair cut and about how we should cut it.  My thought on the subject was to continue with the long surfer locks that have been Jack's "thing" for so long now.  Bret on the other hand, was tired of his son, somewhat frequently, being mistaken for a girl.  I scoured the internet for pictures of what I had in my mind for a shorter haircut and finally found one.  Jack took one look, and in his ever dramatic fashion, pretty much screamed no.  We tried to play it up for the last week or two, but there was no convincing or bribing him.  We finally just said we'd take him in and if he freaked out, we'd just trim it like usual. 

We made the appointment, talked about it, took him there, and Jack still wanted no part of the new hair cut.  The kid is so against change it isn't even funny.  However, we told him it wasn't really an option and eventually got him to the chair.  When I showed the girl the picture, Jack twice got down off of the chair and tried to leave.  He eventually was overcome with the urge to play the video game they were offering and gave in.  I'm not going to lie, I literally felt sick to my stomach as they were cutting off those long blond locks.  Well, wait, my hesitation really went beyond that.  Right before it was time for his appointment, I left the hair place and took Jack back to the car.  I told Bret and Jack that we were going to go somewhere else (even though this is the place that specializes in kid cuts and we go there all the time), because I hadn't ever seen the lady that was currently working there.  A decision, that in my mind, is still totally justified because, well, she had greasy hair and was old.  I didn't foresee her being able to produce any sort of stylish haircut, and couldn't bring myself to let her touch Jack's hair.  While we were sitting in the parking lot, listening to Bret gripe at me for making us drive 30 minutes to go to this particular place, the girl who usually cuts Jack's hair showed up and I decided to go back in.  Even when operation hair cut was complete, Jack had more issues.  He didn't want any gel or anything in his hair and he didn't want it to stick up at all.  Sort of a problem, since that is how the cut is supposed to be worn.  He griped in the car, ordered me not to take any more pictures with my cell phone, and then yelled at me for sending them to people.  Somewhere between then and now, the boy started coming around to the new do.  He let me put product in his hair and mess it up a bit, checked himself out in the mirror, and even let me get a few pictures.

This is going to take some serious getting used to...I mean, I haven't seen the kids ears in years.  He doesn't look like my boy anymore, and I keep doing double takes when I see him. 

Six years

Six years ago today my amazing son, Jack Arlin came into my life and made me a mommy.  At 9:09am, after a long night of painful, drug free, non progress making labor, and subsequent c-section, our "little" boy graced us with his presence.  I'll never forget my doctor's first words to me as she pulled him out..."I don't know how big he is Janae, but he is big!"  This was soon followed by a nurse saying "Ten pounds, four ounces, " and the room erupting in laughter.  I remember looking at that perfect little boy, a boy who looked much more like a two month old than a newborn, and instantly feeling more love than I ever knew possible.  It is still so vivid in my mind that it is hard for me to even fathom that six years have passed.

Today, Jack is a gorgeous, precocious, talented, stubborn, dramatic, energetic, obsessive, creative, matter-of-fact, loving, and sweet little boy who brings so much to our lives.  He loves school, sports, all things with wheels, camping, art, and helping people cook.  There are days when he makes me want to tear my hair out and days when I can't imagine a child any sweeter.  He is, well, he is Jack.  On his last day of preschool a couple years ago, his teacher presented each child with a certificate and asked them each what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Every single other kid said they wanted to be a doctor, but Jack, he said he wanted to be himself.  That's my boy.  He is his own little being and I am so proud to have him as my son. 

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I would never have left the flour out of some bread I was making this weekend.  I know better than to look at runny batter, think to myself that it sure could use some more flour, and then go ahead and put it in the oven without doing anything.  Nope.  Not me! 

 I would then certainly not turn the oven timer to 60 minutes for said bread, and then proceed to go take a shower and get ready.  All the while, I would not  ignore the fact that I could smell something burning, and just pass it off as something that had previously spilled in my oven burning.  Not me! 

Furthermore, it was absolutely not me who then took a look in the oven, turned it off, and then left the overflowing goopy, lacking flour mixture that had overflowed into the entire bottom of my oven, in the oven because I didn't really know what else to do at that point.  I would have definitely cleaned that mess up promptly.

So, it is definitely not my house that smells like a fireplace because I had to put the oven on self clean on Saturday to git rid of the enormous amount of burnt to a crisp "would be Amish friendship bread mishap. 

However, it was me who later redeemed myself and made another batch of bread that turned out so good that we ate an entire loaf in one day.  That I will absolutely take credit for!

Riverdance boxing?

My brother gave Bret the new Punch Out game for Wii for Christmas...Jack loves it.  The other night he was playing and I discovered that he has a move that he does while playing that is, well, just plain weird.  It serves no purpose really, other than to make me laugh every time I see it.  I am certain that he has no idea that it is happening, and I am afraid to mention it for fear that he'll stop.  It is hilarious and I had to catch it on video.   (Oh, and yes, you'll probably be blessed with lots of videos from me now that I have my super duper Flip UltraHD video camera!)

Riverdance boxing anyone??

 

Sledding

We went to my mom's yesterday to see my stepdad again before he heads back to his military duties in San Antonio for another four months.  There is still snow on the ground, and the sledding hill they made at Christmas hadn't melted yet, so we took Jack's sledding stuff along.  He has been sledding out there a few times in the last couple weeks and was excited to go again.  My brother Britten went out with him and Bret took the video camera out to capture the fun.  Eventually I handed Ruby off to my mom (who later brought her out so that she could have a trip down the hill as well...wouldn't want the baby to miss out on the fun!) and went out to check things out on my own.  It looked like fun so I decided to give it a try.  Much fun was had, and my mishaps were all captured on video...my favorite being the collision with the dog house. 

 

 

Our baby girl turned one today!

Our little Ruby Jean-Marie had her first birthday today!  She is a gorgeous, sweet little cuddler, major mama's girl, super sassy, full of attitude...and we couldn't love her any more!  We are having her party tomorrow and has her well check at the doctor on Wednesday next week so I'll update more later.

What a difference a year makes...