sweet brothers!

Grady LOVES his baby "budder" Jett or Jettoo (b/c Mommy calls him Jettaroo!:)

This was a few weeks ago...Grady totally tackled Jett & Mommy was worried, 'til I saw this! It lasted for about 5 minutes! SO sweet!!!

Grady always wants Jett to sit in his chair w/ him...

~jen

Earth Day

If you know my husband, you know he is on the edge of being a tree-hugger...sorry, honey - it's true!:) True story...we didn't have recycling service at our old house, so Aubrey bought bins for the garage, where we sorted out paper, plastics, aluminum, etc. He would then haul it into Frisco every week in the trunk & back seat of his car! Now that we live in Frisco, it's much simpler - it all gets tossed in the same bin & they haul it off for us...ahhh!:) If I'm being honest though, I have to admit his "green-ness" has rubbed off on me. Even though the environment wasn't the main reason we decided to cloth diaper, it feels good not contributing to the 18 billion disposable diapers that are thrown in landfills each year (which take as many as 500 years to decompose!)

This year, in honor of Earth Day (& because we saw a really cool episode of Curious George), we decided to build our very own compost pile! Now we won't have to throw out banana peels, coffee grounds or egg cartons AND our grass & flowers will benefit too!!!

Daddy's big helper!

Grady meets his first worm...
the finished project...

We also took a trip to Shades of Green, one of my favorite spots in town & Aubrey got me some gerber daisies!:-) Here is Grady bug, helping me water my new plant! He LOVED watering everything...the grass, the plants, the side-walk...he kept saying "ma wawer pees!"

It was a beautiful day & a very fun family project!!!

~jen

Are you still there!?

Hello, fellow blog readers...are you still there!? Life has been crazy & blogging somehow fell to the bottom of the list. Now I'm wondering if anyone's still checking in besides my Mom (Thanks, Gigi!:-)

Can you believe how big this guy has gotten...

And look at this little ham...

More updates soon...

~jen

Joy

I've probably heard it said a hundred times in different ways over the years, "Joy is not based upon circumstance. It transcends the ebb and flow of happiness and sadness. Joy is not so much an emotion as it is a way of life.”

This is a perfect word for our journey as parents? Our kids fill our worlds with happiness and yet they can bring us so much frustration. One minute we are laughing and the next we are calling upon our back-up self-control reserves to keep from squeezing their little cheeks off. This ain’t no sweet grandma cheek squeezin’ mind you. This is the kind of grab their face, get their attention, growl through gritted teeth squeezing. Don’t even pretend like you haven’t at least wanted to go there!

Personally, the best way to endure the seemingly constant back and forth parenting affords us is to focus on the joy that our boys bring. It’s not necessarily found when they are acting like angels or lost when they are going crazy like little devils. It’s there all the time. The joy of our children is there under the surface of the shifting tides of our daily routines and interactions with them. The times when I see most clearly through to the heart of joy are when everything is quiet and still, the night has taken my focus away from the colors and shapes of the day, and in my arms I hold a sweet little body with a face and a heart and a name. In these fleeting minutes, I try my hardest to close my eyes, breathe, forget the world outside of this little embrace, and hold my little one, my child, my little joy.

~A

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I have 3 precious sweethearts this year for Valetine's Day...

I LOVE my boys!!!

Sorry we've been such bad bloggers lately...there's SO much to catch up on!

~jen

Confessions Of A Rookie Dad #4

Confession #4 - I Love To Burp!!

Babies that is... mine in particular. Having Jett has reminded me just how fulfilling getting a huge ole belch out of such a little person can be. You know the drill. Baby is fussing right after eating so you lay him/her over your shoulder and give'em a few good whacks on the back (don't go all mall massuese on your baby though). And then, if you are a little skilled and a whole lot lucky, your child will momentarily turn into a grown man while he/she expels pent up air in a loud reverberant fashion. There have been a couple of times recently when even I have turned my head to make sure my child hadn't suddenly grown a beard.

Now, there's a difference between needing to burp your child and loving to burp your child. Don't be confused or beleaguered by this statement. It actually boils down to two things: Competitiveness and Mutuality. The competitive nature in us wants to get that burp out and when the burp comes it is mutually satisfying for baby and burper. It's really a win-win situation! But woah to you who are chomping a the bit to grab a stranger's baby and commence burping. There are a couple of things you need to know.

#1 Spit-up is the enemy. One should never attempt to burp without a burp cloth, which in my opinion, would be more accurately named a spit up cloth. Don't be too confident or just lazy because at that very moment it is guaranteed that you will feel all kinds of warm goodness running down your back or shoulder...Mmm Mmmm... or on your nice shirt. It's not worth the risk. Listen, in the words of an old DC Talk song, "I had to learn the hard way. I guess I'm the type of guy who has to find out for my self."

#2 Positioning is key, but it is different for every child. Some like the over the shoulder, others prefer the choke hold or the lap lying positions. There are inherent pros and cons for each, but you've just got to try'em all! The perfect mix resulting in baby happiness and both parental and clothing cleanliness will come to those who work at it. Soon, you too will love to burp.

This is just to get you started with your new burping love affair!

What are some of the finer things you have learned while burping?

~A

P.S. Do not attempt without a burp cloth! Pride cometh before a fall!

Month one... did I just say month?

Wow! Our little Jett-man has crossed his first major milestone. He is now a 1 month old. I'm not sure how long you can still call him a newborn, but, considering he's gained almost three pounds since his debut, I think newborn is a fading memory. Here are some pictures and a little welcome home video from Grady!

Welcome Home Jett from AUBREY MCGOWAN on Vimeo.

Grady welcomes little brother home!

~A