Halloween is coming October 30, 2007
Ellie wanted a Halloween yard. So, off to the pumpkin patch we went.
This patch is located by Grandma J’s house. On the way, I called Grandma J and asked her if she wanted to meet us there. I’m so glad that I did because I needed the help! Thomas pulled the wagon and wouldn’t share. Ellie was overstimulated from school and a busy week. Anyway, Thomas pulled that wagon up and down that patch.
He preferred the pumpkin out of the wagon. So, I carried it part of the time. Grandma eventually got a wagon for Ellie. 
But, here they are…enjoying their Halloween yard.
Ellie had her Halloween party on Monday. Here she is with her teacher. Mrs. S. is Snow White. Ellie is Annie dressed up like Snow White.
Here is her class minus one student. 
Happy Birthday to me! Yep, I had a birthday this weekend. I had a nice day. Andy and I got to go out to dinner all by ourselves. yahooo! Then, we had cake with Andy’s family.
Last weekend, I celebrated with my family. We combined my birthday and Grandma B’s. Mike was there. I can’t tell you the last time I was able to celebrate my birthday with my brother. That’s a blessing for sure.
a little of this and a little of that October 25, 2007
Today was Ellie’s ballet “recital.” I just love Lifetime’s ballet program. It’s a seven week section. At the end of the 7th lesson, parents and whoever else wants can come to the last 15 minutes and the girls do a performance. There is no costume. Take your own pictures during the performance. I don’t have to put a bunch of make up on her. And, there is no pressure! Perfect for a preschooler. Some day, her friends will talk about their recital that is on a real stage and Lifetime ballet will be over. But, I’ll wait until she asks. Because frankly, this is my style of ballet! So, here are a couple of pictures from today. In the post below this one, there is a video. Cuteness. Sorry about the quality of our videos.
And, just for fun. Here is Ellie when she first started to take ballet classes. Her face has really matured. 
So, I haven’t been blogging as much. I’ve been working a lot. (You should see my house! Oh, well, you definitely should not see my house.) But, last week, Andy worked both his job and I worked a whole lot of hours with my job…well, not 40 or anything. But, a lot. So, blogging and the house suffered. I only have three more teachers to observe and a few more evaluations to write. So, we’ll have to catch up on the housework soon. Toys, toys everywhere.
Ellie asked me if she could have a playdate with a girl from preschool. I told her yes, but she needs to clean her room first. We’ll see how long that takes.
Thomas is still climbing everything in the house. Andy brought in a ride on toy for him to ride around the house and that has channeled his energy a bit. 
That is a picture of him riding it last Spring. Anyway, I haven’t taken a recent picture. But, he loves it. Ellie received it for her 2nd Christmas right after her 1st birthday. She didn’t like it nearly as much as he does. Anyway, the first night that it was in the house, he didn’t want to go to sleep. Then, at about 1 AM in the morning, Thomas wakes up screaming, “TRAIN!!” And, before I can get him, he has gone all the way downstairs and is riding that thing around the house. Ugh. Of course, I picked him right up and took him back to bed. He was mad!
On other notes…have you been watching The Biggest Loser on TV?
This is the first season that I’ve watched it. I’ve caught parts of episodes here and there and thought I’d try it to see if it would motivate me.
**********************Spoiler alert*************************************
Well, I have been loving it until last night. They mixed things up and the “game” began. Ugh. We human beings can be so horrible to each other. Some guy drank 2 gallons of water right before the weigh in to make sure his team lost. Then, his team mate was voted off. Jerk! And, that other players played along and voted the wrong guy off. The ugliness of humanity. So, I’m disappointed. I am going to watch it next week to see if it is redeemed.
(I’m not saying that man is an evil person or anything. I was just enjoying the people working so hard, being so dedicated. I was in awe of their hard work. Then, the jerk had to get greedy.)
My friend, Jamison is in town! Yahooo! Playgroup friends are meeting tomorrow. But, my parents will have my kids and I have to work. So, if I have time, I will see her for bit. But, Ellie, Thomas and I and a few others met with her this afternoon to visit our favorite store. It was fun to see her! I hope to see her sometime tomorrow for a little bit too.
Ok….off to get some work done….take care and God bless!
Cinderella Meets the Cat in the Hat… October 18, 2007
So, tonight, before bed, Ellie decided that she wanted to watch Cinderella. Ellie doesn’t just watch a movie. She has to get all of her gear around…costumes, co-actors, etc. Because she acts out the movie with her own spin. So, she has a work dress, the dress that gets ruined by the step sisters, and her ball gown. Also, she has little stuffed animals that play the mice, the fairy godmother, and all of the other characters. Usually, when she watches a movie, I take the time to check mail, clean, relax, or something on my own. Since Thomas hadn’t napped today and showed no interest in going to bed, I thought I better watch the movie too. And, I could monitor to make sure that Thomas didn’t interrupt the theatre. (Ellie has strict rules for the audience. You have to follow all the rules just like you were at the real theatre.) Anyway, I had a great time and Ellie and Thomas got along quite well. Yahoo!
Thomas created a lap for himself. He went from the playroom, through the dining room, the kitchen, the hallway, and back to the playroom. Occasionally, he would stop to tackle Ellie or jump over me. Ellie loved it when Thomas tackled Ellie. 
And, Thomas ran and ran and ran and ran. Andy was downstairs. So, he would also occasionally stop and greet Andy.
At first, I was annoyed with the situation. (I am not going to lie.) I was thinking of all of the things that I “should” be doing..laundry needs to be folded, dishes needs to be put in the dishwasher, evaluations to be written, etc. But, I thought that as soon as I got started, Ellie and Thomas would be fighting. Anyway, after I got over my stinkin thinkin and decided to live in the moment, I had a great time.
It was fun to watch my children play. And, I was able to play with them. And, they got along great…probably because I was watching. And, Ellie was quite creative with her theatre. In the middle of the mice making Cinderella’s pink gown, the Cat in the Hat joined in? Can you believe that? Then, Thing One and Thing Two made an entrance. And, they made a big mess of the Cinderella theatre. And, the stepbrother Thomas kept running through the middle of everything.
(Can you guess that we have been reading Dr. Suess lately?)
Anyway, I’m not writing all of this for you, really, but for me. I don’t want to forget these moments. These moments are what life is really about. And, one day, I’ll miss Ellie being a little girl and Thomas being a little boy. And, Thomas is already more of a little boy than a toddler. He is way beyond toddling anywhere.
SO, if you read all of this, I hope you enjoyed it. But, someday I will read all of this and I’ll probably cry.
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In other parts of our day, we’re doing well. We’re adjusting to my job. Andy is checking tests for Pearson, the SAT people this week. So, it has been interesting. We’re definitely getting our money’s worth out of our crock pot.
Ellie still likes school. She is learning about safety this week and is teaching us too. If you are unsure when to call 911, give Ellie a call and she will instruct you correctly.
Thomas is really talking. Andy, Ellie and I understand most of what he says. I’m not sure what others understand. But, he has more and more words every day. So, I think he is catching up.
Bed time rituals are calling.
October 14, 2007
- Here is Ellie as Bible girl. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa J for these costumes.
And, Super Girl is here!
We went to Plymouth Orchard. This orchard is not as nice as Erwin’s. But, it is fun and the kids still had a great time! We bought some more Empire apples. We didn’t get to pick them. But, they did get to pick out their little pumpkins in the pumkin patch. 
Here they are getting ready to have a donut. Yummy.
Thomas is playing. 
So, we had a busy week. I worked a lot this week and we played a little. Well, the kids are always playing.
Have a great week!
Conversations with Ellie..etc. October 5, 2007
Me: “Ellie, what’s your favorite thing in the world?”
Ellie looks around.
“My dress up clothes, my toys and my family.”
Me: “Oh, that’s nice. What about God?”
Ellie: “MoooooommmmM! God is part of our family.”
Me: “Oh yeah.”
Ellie: “Mom, do you know why we are born?”
Me: “Hmm, well, I know a few reasons. Why do you think we were born?”
Ellie: “To love. God gave us our bodies so that we can love.”
Me: “I couldn’t have said it better.”
And, before I give myself mother of the year award there is one last conversation…
Ellie: “Mom, I’m hungry for junk food.”
Me: “Well, that is interesting.”
Ellie: “Mom, can I please have some ice cream?”
Me: “Yes, Ellie, you can, after you go potty and after Thomas goes to bed. [2 year old crazy boys don't get ice cream right before bed in this house.]
Ellie: “Mom, I want ice cream right now.”
Me: “That’s interesting.”
Ellie: “Mom, you are acting like an evil stepmother.”
Ellie has a fit
I really think she is finished calling me a stepmother. I hope so. I was tempted to call her a step sister. But, that wouldn’t teach her not to call me names, now would it?
Thomas has figured out how to open doors with those funky child proof handles. Ugh. He has taken the top of a baby drum set and he pretends it is a steering wheel. He takes it with him almost wherever we go. When he is in the car, he pretends to drive. It is so cute. He and Ellie sit on the window sill. Ellie pretends to be the passenger and Thomas drives. They sing, “didddy diiddy car….diddy diiddddy car…diddy diddy diiidy caaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.” At the end of the song, they hold their hands up. If we watch, we clap at the performance. This keeps us occupied for at least 20 minutes at a time.
The real words are “Riding in the car. Riding in the car. We love riding in the car.”
If you have watched very much Barney, you probably know the song.
My bio is posted on Futura’s website. I start observations next week. We’re working on renegotiating my pay. That makes me very happy. I’m new to this negotiating thing because I’m used to a union negotiating for me. Things are just falling into place one part at a time. Right now, since the Michigan franchise is just starting, there is only so much she can pay me. Anyway, I really believe in this company and hope to grow with the company. So, I’ll take one for the team, so to speak.
This is one of my dream jobs, though. I used to think I may coordinate student teachers or something along those lines. But, this is better for me. So, part of my pay is that I have a lot of satisfaction right now. And, that is worth a lot.
Meanwhile, Andy is picking up a lot of slack. He comes home and is in charge of the kids for a few hours. I will be working some on the weekends. I prefer to interview and train when he is home to watch the kids. For now, that means evenings and weekends.
So, that is life in the Jackson household. I’ll try to get some riding in the car show pictures.
Checking In October 3, 2007
We’re doing well here in Canton! My new job seems to be picking up even though I haven’t been trained yet. I hired my first employee yesterday!
Ellie is doing well. So, she has called me a stepmother a couple more times and now she adds, “I don’t mean one of the nice ones.” So, we’re still working on that. She enjoys school. Last Friday, Andy’s school had early dismissal so he picked her up. She was quite proud to show him around her school and introduce him to her teachers. I think he was quite proud too. She is learning about her letters, her senses, some bible stories, and some prayers. And, they play a lot too. I’m pretty good about praying before meals, but she is now reminding me to pray every single time I eat because they pray before their snack at school. Our children teach us as much or more than we teach them, don’t they?
Thomas is really starting to talk now. It’s amazing, really. He is using sentences and can be understood quite easily. He is having less tantrums than before too. Yay! He is still afraid of the child care at the gym. In fact, yesterday, we went to Jungle Java. He spent the first hour clinging to me because he was afraid I would leave him there. He was being tortured. He wanted to play, so he would start to walk away. Then he would stand there and scream. The poor guy, it was so confusing. So, I’m just going to give up on the child care for a while. I took a few weeks off working out. Now, I’m trying to get back to three or four times a week. It helps that the weather is so nice. I’ve been able to get some walking in. That is all that I really need.
I don’t have any pictures today. I took some at JJ yesterday, but I think they are pretty dark. I haven’t uploaded them yet, but I’ll post some if they turn out.
Oh and yesterday was Grandma Brooks’ birthday! Happy Birthday Grandma Brooks. We can’t wait to celebrate. (They went away for a few days to celebrate together and we’ll see them next week.) Andy’s parents went away too. They went to TX to see Great Grandma O’Brien. Prayers for safe traveling for everyone!
The first time I leave my children over night… October 1, 2007
might still be for something other than work! Yahooo!
I do not have to go to Wisconsin over night.
In fact, I do not have to go to Wisconsin at all!
I’m so excited. I know that everybody would have been fine. But, now, life is so much easier for everybody. I am going to do training next weekend with my boss at a nice restaurant here in Michigan. And, that makes me very happy. We could not figure out travel arrangements that worked well with all of the extenuating circumstances of the company and my family. So, I feel relieved.
