Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Our baby boy is 1/2 a year old!!!

I feel like he's such a big boy now! Of course in more ways than one. He's 20lbs 2oz (90th percentile), but really he's such a big boy because he just loves people. Our pediatrician said he's just the happiest baby she's seen in a while and was laughing the whole time.

I made him his first 1/2 birthday cake! Although, birthday boy didn't get a taste. He has just started solids, but isn't quite ready for cake yet.

And, I took a picture quick, because this is what my beautiful (kinda) cake looked like 5 minutes later!

Oh well, it still tasted good, especially after our normal Thursday Survivor Panda Express! Too bad Sierra got booted though.

Wordle

See the Wordle I made!

Green Beans!

~that mama made with love!~

Sunday Funday

We had a great weekend!

Saturday, Donnie, Jackson, and I got to go to Jake & Tena's wedding reception at Kennedy Park in Napa. Great spot, have to keep that in the back of my mind if we're ever planning a party.

Sunday, Janet, Susan, Jackson, and I went to Napa County Iris Garden. It was quite a drive, but beautiful! Too bad Jackson's not sitting by himself yet, it was impossible to take any pics. And, it only opens up every 2 years, bummer. It was pretty crowded by the time we left, hopefully they'll decide to open up every year.

Then, I almost don't want to write it, because we had the best time and I don't want it to catch on! But, afterwards we went to Monticello Winery, who participates in Napa Neighbors. It is the nicest winery and people. Beautiful, totally kid and picnic friendly.

In the wagon, I was yelling Jackson to try to get his attention, and the tasting lady came out and thought the owner's grandson was there. His name is Jackson and that's his wagon!

Solid Baby

Donnie gets to feed Jackson!

Jackson practically bends all the way over to get food!

His yucky face every bite!

But yet he always wants more,

adorable!

Thankful Thursday

1. I'm thankful that Thursdays come so quickly! That means Friday is just around the corner. I always feel like I've just written these.

2. I'm thankful for all of the friends we have to visit and celebrate with in April & May. So much fun and makes the end of the school year fly by since we're so busy!

3. That after dying my hair for the first time by myself last night, it didn't all fall out, become fluorescent, or electrocuted looking, I could go on and on....

Cheap Fun!

Everybody is looking to save a buck these days, even Jackson found some cheap (I will bold and all caps, SUPERVISED) fun! Who knew a plastic bag and its crinkling noise could keep a kid occupied for 20 minutes?

Jackson eats!

Can you tell how it went??

Lazy Sunday

I was going to try Jackson sitting in the shopping cart seat for the first time today! I brought my camera and everything. But, this is what I got after the 3.1 miles it took to get to the store,

Thankful Friday

Whoops, I missed Thursday but only because we were SO busy!

1. All of the parents that showed up at the School Board Meeting last night. It's so nice to see that parents care about the district getting rid of Class Size Reduction. Hopefully now the word is out that if they do get rid of Class Size Reduction, the school district will pay 4 times more in fines to the state then they're actually saving by getting rid of 77 teachers.

2. Jackson sitting for over 2 hours at the School Board Meeting! I couldn't believe it, I didn't think we'd last over a 1/2 hour, but he was such a good boy! Good thing, because the meeting DRAGGED and the good part didn't get started until close to 9. (Everyone at work has commented on what a good little baby he was!)

3. Hmm, and on a lighter note, Netflix! My queue still says "Very Long Wait" for Marely and Me, but every other movie is super speedy.

Relax

Couch2, originally uploaded by kris10gal.

My Newest Want.

I have a problem wanting a new thing every week. I really try to control my "problem." I wait at least a week to see if I really want this new thing, or if I'll unknowingly forget about it. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't!

This week, my newest obsession is this Magazine Rack from Potterybarn Kids. I told Janet this morning that it's my newest obsession because I've read a study that when kids can see the front cover, they are more likely to pick a book to read. Of course this was all kinda made up in my mind, I hadn't actually read an article (sorry Janet), I've only had the experience with my class in the library. Every week I basically have to stand by the top of the bookshelf handing the display books down to kids that can't reach, but really want that book because of the pretty picture. But AH HA!, I found the study!

The Study is called the Rain Gutter Literacy Revolution. Wouldn't you know it, I had Donnie install rain gutters in my classroom almost 2 years ago! Now I'm really proud of myself, since I hadn't even read this study yet. (I will have to update with pics tomorrow!)

So, this is how it works, I try to justify my want so that I really have a reason to buy it. I especially think it's okay to want something if it's helping my child, right? If Jackson's brought up in a print-rich environment, he will be more likely to enjoy reading and know reading is important in our world. (And, I'm not about to put up rain gutters inside my house.)

This one I may not have to wait a week on :)

Long Week

I have a long week ahead! It's going to prepare me for the summer when Donnie's gone more for fire season. This week he's chaperoning the Fire Explorer Camp again! Luckily this year it's in a neighboring town and not in Palm Springs. Tonight he'll come home, but then I won't see him until Sunday! I seriously have a new respect for single moms.

Yesterday Jackson and I took a walk. I got a blister, and Jackson didn't take a nap, so it was quite a waste!

The Full Easter Day

A great day full of our norms, stratta, shakes, and way too much of everything!

What kids are going to find these?




Jackson NOT taking a nap!


Peep cupcakes and adorable Susan decorating!

Happy Easter!

We're home (and tired!) from our Easter Eggstravagansa. I have plenty of pics to upload and plenty to write up, but this pic pretty much sums up Jackson's day! A little excited, a little tired & cranky, a little confused!

DSC_0193.25, originally uploaded by kris10gal.

Easter's Tomorrow!

And for some reason I got really excited! Maybe it's because I didn't buy anything for Jackson this past Christmas. Really, he was 2 months and barely even knew who I was, let alone what a present was. Now that he's 5 months, at least he's grabbing for things and will grab for something that looks exciting!

Donnie and I bought a basket at Costco filled with candy, took our the candy and ate it ourselves, and filled it with fun things for Jackson! I'm a little sad my Amazon order with a few more things for it didn't come on time (teethers, mesh feeders, and bath toys) but it's still filled with fun stuff for the summer.

Jumper again!

DSC_0078, originally uploaded by kris10gal.

Crunchy

The Privett Household's become a little crunchy. We cloth diaper, starting our own vegetable garden, Janet & I signed up for composting classes, and now we're baby food making!

Yes, I thought I would try it, and it's so easy! Today we went to the store because Jackson needed a nap(the car is a sure-fire bet), and I noticed green beans were on sale. So, I bought a pound for $1.29.

Cooked them,

Pureed them,


And froze them! The 2 containers in the back are little "baby cubes" so you can take the baby food to-go just like the kind they sell. I only filled 2 of 8 of those kinds to freeze, since I'm going to be making more food before we actually start giving him this food at 6 months.

Done!

How easy was that?! And at $1.29 for around a weeks worth of food, compared to around that same amount for a jar of food. I'm allowed to be pretty proud of myself for that!

Pretty Soon!

He's on the move! No, not "crawling" yet, but Jackson can definitely scoot/drag himself around. All of my friends say the nicest period is when they can sit up and play by themselves but can't move around yet. I hope we don't miss that phase!

BTW, Jackson loves to smile, AFTER I take a photo!

Thankful Thursday

1. Easter! Lot's of good candy and fun making up Jackson's Easter basket. Although as a family we may have become "Chreasters". Which apparently is what priests call people who only go to church on Christmas and Easter. We used to be annoyed with those people when we went regularly, whoops not anymore! And, we may not even make it to church on Easter, because we also used to be annoyed with screaming babies!

2. A plan for our vegetable garden. Since I didn't win the HGTV Dream House (sigh), Donnie is making it up to me by building a copy of their vegetable boxes in our yard. 3 of the boxes will be for vegetables and one will be for a sandbox, which we won't fill until next year. So exciting!

3. Donnie being off probation on Tuesday! No, not the bad probation, but the probation period every new employee goes through before becoming permanent permanent. At least one of us is set in their jobs!!

Do you know how hard it is to take pictures of a little one? I can take around 100 pics, and come up with 2 I actually like!

Trying not to be the crazy man on the bus.

I like to think I'll be a pretty good parent. (still weird saying that) But, I do get to practice on 20 other people's kids every day. And my class is pretty well managed. They've started to give me the "problem kids" because they know I can handle them. Sad to say, we kind of refer to them like horses, like, "Yeah, Mrs. Privett can break him and whip him into shape."

The only thing is when you're child is little like Jackson, and you're trying to be a good parent, you want to talk to them all the time. So they hear the language. Rambling here and there about everything you're doing, and everything that's going on. "I'm putting on your sleeper, we need to change your diaper, let's walk to the kitchen."

But, once your kid gets to school, you have to remember to get them to stop. Please! Otherwise you have a class of 20 kids telling you everything they're doing and thinking. "I need to tie my shoe, I'm walking to the drinking fountain, my pencil broke, I wrote my name funny." AHHH! My head hurts by the end of the day.

So, I'm pulling my parenting and breaking them of this. I asked them all if they've ever seen someone walking down the street or riding the bus talking to themselves. And they all laughed. Then I asked if they've ever talked to themselves, and they said no! Paha! This may take longer than I thought.

Thankful Thursday

1. Spring Break. It was just what I needed to get back to work refreshed. Donnie took the week off too, so we got tons of things done!

2. Jackson sleeping through the night. 2 times now! Although getting him to bed is a nightmare, at least once he's asleep, he's asleep.

3. Spring Weather. So nice to not be in pants today. And the weather has even made it nice enough to buy plants and get outside more.