Out of the Blue

As we were sorting puzzle pieces....

Jake: I'm glad we have Benjamin because he makes a lot of funny faces.
Me: Is that the only reason?
Jake: No. I'm also glad because he helps pick up toys.
Me: That's all?
Jake: No. And because when he laughs, his eyes close.
Me: And because you love him?
Jake: Yeah. Because of that, too.
Me: And because he's your brother?
Jake: Yes. I everything him, Mom. (pause) Well, except for dislike and hate.

Jacob's First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Jacob's first day of kindergarten. He's been saying he's excited, but it might be only because he thinks we expect him to say that. He's going to kindergarten at his daycare, so a lot of his daily routine will remain the same. The hardest part for me is going to be remembering that I can't keep him home just because I feel like it if I have a day off.

So, we took a photo in front of the tree in front of our house.

It was only about 6:10 AM, so it was still dark out.

Jacob came home from school with this:

Jacob and Moron? Huh?

When I asked about this drawing, he said, "It's me and Mauren (sounds like Lauren)." I asked what they were doing. He said the guy in the middle was saying, "I now pronounce you man and wife." I asked, "So, you're getting married?" He said yes, but couldn't really give me any more details.

Hats Make Everything Better

Watching Greg cut the grass is very serious business.

Mini Builders

I'm having issues with Blogger. It lets me choose the size of the photo, but keeps only changing one of them... I don't know. I need a Blogger tutor. Anyway, on Saturday, we went to Home Depot for their monthly kid workshop. This week: School Bus Pencil Holder. Pretty cool! It was all going so well until I "helped" Jacob with his and accidentally put a piece in upside down. Luckily, Greg was able to take it apart again and fix it.

Have I Posted This Before?

Take Benjamin's face, Jacob's coloring, and make a sweet little girl...

Pool Time

Last Saturday, Greg's sweet Aunt Jama and Uncle Dave invited everyone over to swim. It was cloudy, which worked out perfectly... not too hot, and not too much sun!

A Very Short Visit

Have you heard of Silly Bandz? Long before they appeared in MY house I'd heard of them, and I was grateful Jacob hadn't discovered them. And then they came. One day home with a band from the treasure box at school... a few days later, another one... and so it started.

Jacob has become obsessed with them. He kept asking to get some, and I kept saying no. As long as he had one from school, that was enough. On our back to school shopping day, he was crazy over a t-shirt because it had a pack of silly bandz attached. Really? I explained that we don't choose t-shirts based on what's with them. He didn't get it and then tried to convince me that the shirt was really cool, too. We didn't buy it.

We headed to the mall next, but it was only 9 so the stores weren't open yet. A couple of lonely kiosks were open, including one exclusively for silly bandz. Buy two packs and get one free! So... we did it. Jacob carefully chose his packs. I told him he couldn't open them until we got home, but he did get to hold them in the car (unopened) after a couple hours of shopping. As we drove home, Jacob asked if he got to open them right when we got home. I said no, he'd have to eat lunch first. So... as I carried in groceries (we made another stop on the way home), he opened the first pack on the couch. So... away they went. He kept asking me about them, and I finally told him he wouldn't get them that day if he asked again. So he tried more roundabout ways of asking... just mentioning them, but not actually saying when.

I let him have a pack when Greg got home, and let him know he'd just have one pack for a while. We'd go through one pack at a time, and we'd give him more when his others ran out (they're even less durable than rubber bands).

The next morning, Jacob apparently took them from our bedroom before we woke up. We found him later in the morning with his arms covered in silly bandz. And, so away they went. For good. Yeah... we're mean.