"i got it mom"

jack is finding more and more, that he likes to do things all by himself. there are a few things he will let me help him with, but most things, he likes to do them alone. while we were at pebbles, he grabbed a cutie out of his "pack-pack". i asked him if he wanted me to help him, and he just responded, "i got it mom". he was so confident, and before i knew it, he had peeled it and was eating. i can't help but stare at him and wonder...when did he get so big?
other things he has to do on his own... getting out of the truck, going down stairs, cutting his food, going up the playground ladders at the park, carrying my yoga mat to put it away, pulling his pants on, opening up a movie, pruning the plants in the yard, etc...
i continue to be astonished at how big he is getting and how much he is learning, and what he is teaching me.
-ash

playdough

tonight, i had a bit of "therapy" happen. you see, i like to have things clean, in order, and as they should be. i'm learning quickly, that my way isn't the only way when jack is around! i had purchased some playdough for jack a couple weeks ago, and he loves to play with it. of course, the "anal" in me wouldn't let him play with more than one color at a time because, heaven forbid the colors get mixed together. when he is done with one color, and it is put away, he is able to choose another color (lame, i know).
well, tonight was the priesthood session for conference and we sisters got together to visit and eat. the kids saw the playdough and asked if they could play with it. of course they could. as soon as they each picked out their colors, i reminded them to not mix the colors and if they dropped any on the floor, to pick it up. i turned from them then and continued visiting. a few minutes later, i leaned over jack and asked how it was going. of course i looked down and saw that jack had taken some of conrads green playdough and mixed it with his. i will admit i was frustrated at first and tried to take the green off of the purple. jack put his hand on mine and said, "look mom, look what i did!". he was so excited and instantly my frustration left. i realized then that it was important for them to play. i kissed jacks cheek and told him how proud i was at what he created and let the kids continue to play.
by the time the cousins had their fill with the playdough, each color was mixed into one giant ball. conrad and phoebe were so proud of what they were able to accomplish, and i must admit, i am too. it felt so good to let it go, and let the kids play out of the box that i had tried to keep them in. the funny part about tonight was when i told katie what the kids had done. with widened eyes she asked me which of her kids started mixing the colors. abby mentioned that jack was the one who started and she immediately told me how she doesn't like the colors mixed either! i am glad i am not alone...
-ash

bowling

paul ended up working over the weekend, so a few of us thought it would be fun to go bowling. i was a little nervous to take jack with me, but he ended up loving it. my first couple of turns, he would let me help him push the bowling ball down to the pins, and then he wanted to do it himself. of course it took a good 5 minutes for the ball to make it down (mostly it would roll into the gutter), but he would jump up and down so excited at what he had accomplished. i think we almost got 50 points...almost. i always have so much fun hanging out with jack, and i love our little date nights.
-ash

piper:)

tayler and i were finally able to get our schedules together to have piper and jack play at the park. when i first met piper, she won me over. she has the most adorable face, beautiful curly hair, funny personality, and her name is piper (which is very fitting). i know it's a long shot, but i would love it if they got married. if i could choose, i would.
they spent the afternoon swinging (i think piper loves to swing as much as jack), ran up and down the hill, stuck sticks in the dirt, and back to the swings. it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, with two of the most adorable little ones.
-ash

a perfect morning

lindsey worked her last shift at pebbles today before the baby comes, and asked me to watch lucy. i was happy to, and knew jack would love to play with her. the moment they see each other, they scream, jump up and down, and hug. then over and over again tell me that they see each other. they can be the greatest friends, and the worst enemies. they are only 8 months apart, and i am often asked if they are twins. these two are quite a pair.
today, they wanted to have popcorn, play in the dirt, eat a quesadilla, read books, lay down on pillows and hide under the blankets, climb a tree, chase each other growling, be pulled throughout the house on a blanket (3 times is never enough!), and push each other on the swing. but, once they found the water, there wasn't anything else they would rather do. it was a great morning, and i am so thankful for cousins!
-ash

thanksgiving point

jacks very favorite place right now, is thanksgiving point with the horses. paul and i purchased a year pass up there, so now he can ride the horses all he wants. amy, ali, katie and i thought it would be fun to take the kiddos up there for a little picnic lunch and let them roam for a while. we had a great time chasing the kids, enjoying the sun, and visiting. we couldn't keep phoebe, jack and mason off the horses, but for the sake of jax's boredom, we finally got them off to go for a wagon ride and to look at the other animals. we got to the pigs as they started eating. it was really funny to watch them fight over their food, and the kids could have watched them for hours. it was a nice afternoon to get away and let the kids play. thanks for coming with us amy, mason, jax and reese, ali & winslow, katie, phoebe & morris!
-ash

phoebe's birthday

for phoebe's birthday this year, katie wanted to take those who could go up to thanksgiving point to ride the horses and see the animals. i knew jack would love, love, love to ride the horses. usually, paul or i get to be the horse that he rides. to ride an actual horse, he would love it, and i knew we couldn't miss it. we headed up with lindsey and lucy, amy, mason, jax and reese, katie, morris and phoebe. the weather was supposed to be stormy, but we would rather be there with a little rain, then in the heat and crowds (well, i would)!
as soon as we got there, the kids rushed to see the baby chicks, and the huge cow. we all smiled at each other knowing we created happiness. i purchased a couple tickets for jack to ride the horse and we headed outside. it was so fun to watch the kids chase each other, watching the animals, and excitedly mimicking animal sounds. jack loved the horse. he kept asking me to watch him and would say "mom, look at the horse". after the 2nd ride, he pet the horse and said "good horsey". my heart melted. we also took the kids on a wagon ride and jack loved the tractor. by the time we were ready to leave, the kids were wet and it was close to nap time. we had a great time!
-ash