clementines

Jack spent about a week playing with a box of clementines on our dining room table more than he played with anything else. He gave them all names from his preschool class and shuffled them around, had them running around the playground, and I suppose off on other adventures that were not so clear to me.

This led me to two conclusions:

1. Children really, really, really do not need all of the things marketed to parents and children these days.

And, more importantly,

2. Any attempts on my part to put away toys in the garage when he refuses to help clean up will be met with very little resistance and be completely ineffective. Because who am I fooling? This kid can entertain himself for hours with 15 clementines and then refuse to let us eat them because they are his "friends". And by the time he does come around to asking for those toys that I stuck in the garage in one of my mama rages, any possible lesson will be completely lost on his 3 1/2 year old inability to connect something that happen so long ago to this moment.

I remind him of why I put them in the garage. He says "yeah. yeah, mama. that happens." and runs off to play with said toys.

my little man.

face painting with Ba

Christmas (2 months ago)

weeks before...

morning of...

jack's gift from santa. a tree fort that he calls his castle.

jack's stocking held two of his favorite gifts: a bag of marbles and his own umbrella.

Aunt Sam and the dogs joined us for a late breakfast, walk and a few more gifts.

We spent the afternoon in preparation for all of dinner guests -- papa's family and most of Jack's little cousins.

This is Jack being pulled by his cousin Lindsey (his first true love) so that he can be closer to her in the picture. He is ever-abiding when it comes to Lindsey.

The most amazing thing was the way they all spent the second half of the night cooking away in Jack's tiny kitchen -- for the most part-- peacefully.

It made me (and Jack) very happy to have our house full of children for Christmas evening.

around town

One day Jack, Rigo and I headed to the park near our house. Jack rode his little trike all the way through our neighborhood, around the lake and to the playground. He was very proud to be riding his bike "like the big guys". When we talked about it later that day, I commented that he must have been tired after riding all that way. He replied, "No, I not tired. I just have fun."

An excursion to the mall with Aunt Sam. (Jack is really into elephants and takes every opportunity available to him to break into the elephants' marching song from The Jungle Book movie.) .....

the gorilla and the clown

otherwise known as Jack and Isabelle.

Isabelle is in Jack's class at preschool. She is five years old. She is one out of triplets that are in his class. She is a tomboy of sorts. She apparently has never been so nurturing to another child as she is with Jack. Sometimes she sort of tolerates him but most of the time she looks after him, plays with him, helps him out,... when her family went out of town for a few days she told her mom and me that she was worried about Jack and what he would do without her.

Their relationship was immediate and intense and everyone at school comments on it.

As for how Jack feels about her, these pictures pretty much sum it up...

halloween

I was away for Halloween this year but Jack and his cousins gathered at our house for some pizza and trick or treating...