Fun Phone Photo Friday

I need all the help I can get when it comes to cleaning!  Lucky for me, Jack loves the vacuum, mop and broom! HA!

Brushing Uncle Zack's hair with a bottle brush!  Love the jammie bottoms, tennis shoes and polo shirt!  Jack was stylin' while at my parent's house last weekend! HA!

Jack loves his Aunt Linzi!

He also loves all of his Daddy's yard work toys!  I have a feeling he's going to be a BIG HELPER in a few years!  At least, we hope so!

Love this picture!

Jumping Jack has now switched to a custom domain, so please update your bookmarks with http://www.jumpingjackblog.com/!

Have a Great Weekend!

A Day in the Life

{Favorite Bargains}

Of course I love a bargain, just like everyone else, but I am bad about cutting coupons, shopping on the sale racks or shopping at bargain retailers.  Most of my "bargains" come in the form of internet coupons or retailer coupons and sales sent to my email.  I do LOVE Ebates and the fact that I can shop all of my favorite retailers online and receive cash back on purchases I would make anyway.  I also always look at Retail-Me-Not for online coupons before ordering anything online.  There is almost always a discount code for wherever I'm shopping.  I'm also a big fan of uploading my grocery coupons to my Kroger card.  It's so easy!  I simply go to Kroger.com and click on the coupons I want to add, print out a list and I'm on my way to great savings! 

What are your best bargain tips?

{Favorite Blogs}

This topic could be an entire post or two on it's own, so I'll just list a few of my favorites, in no particular order.

Cowboy Boots and Baby Booties

Webbisodes

Heather on the Homefront (my real life BFF)

Tales from the Trails (my bloggy BFF)

Little Miss Momma

Pink Moss

UCreate

Centsational Girl

Classy Chaos

and of course, The Busy Budgeting Mama

{Favorite Mommy Moments}

I love it when I get a break from changing diapers or getting Jack ready for bed or ready for school.  It's nice sometimes to have a minute to rest!  Obviously, from the picture below, Ran got Jack all ready for bed the other night.  I guess they are ready for Christmas again!  HA! 

I hate that Jack is growing up so fast, but I do love that I can take him out to eat and I'm able to order off the menu for him.  Last week, Jack and I went to our favorite little Mexican restaurant for dinner and he ate almost a whole enchilada!  He also used a real spoon and drank out of a cup with a straw at the restaurant!  I usually take a spoon or fork and cup for him, so it's nice to know that he can use the silverware and kiddie cups you get at the restaurant with no problems!   Eating out just got a whole lot easier!  HA!

{Favorite Recipes}

I love trying new recipes, but I'm awful at following them.  I really prefer to just fly by the seat of my pants and see what we end up with.  Usually it's pretty good, but there have been a few times that dinner just did not turn out as planned!  HA!  My favorite go-to recipe is Chicken Parmesan because it's so easy and we usually have all of the stuff to make it.  Since getting our smartphones a few weeks ago, we ran across an app for Big Oven.  Big Oven has over 170,000 recipes with pictures, step-by-step instructions and great reviews.  When you create an account, it allows you to file recipes you want to try later.  You can also search by ingredients, course, or what you don't want.  It's awesome!

{Favorite Things I've Made Recently}

All items available in my Etsy shop

enter coupon code JJT10 for 10% off entire order

{Favorite Mommy-preneurs}

Natalie at the Pretty Paperie

Jody at the Fabric Shoppe

Shannon at Persnickety Pages {& More}

Do you have a favorite Mommy-preneur I should check out? 

Please leave the link in the comments section!

***I love supporting other moms who are trying to make a little extra money for their families and I try to buy handmade when possible.***

Baby Brady's Shower

My sister, Linzi, and I hosted a baby shower for our sister, Sarah, this past weekend.  Baby Brady is due at the beginning of April, but we have a suspicion that he may make his debut in mid to late March.  Judging by all of the gifts Sarah received, it is safe to say he is one loved little boy already!

Sarah received so many wonderful gifts and lucky for her, I think the only big thing she needs to buy is a stroller.  I can't wait for Sweet Brady to be born and watch him and Jack play together!  Jack's never been around a baby, so it should be fun to watch!

Linzi ordered cupcakes from Ooh La La Bakery and they were SOOO good!  I ordered personalized cookies from Lori's Place which turned out so cute!  I completely forgot to take a picture of the cookies.  Also on the menu was crudite with homemade ranch, frest fruit with vanilla cream dip, chicken salad croissants, tangy meatballs, creole shrimp dip and marinated cheese.  It all turned out fabulous!

A special Thank You goes to Natalie from the Pretty Paperie for creating such cute printables for the shower!  I just love the blues, yellows and greens that she chose and everything matched just prefectly!  I love the personal touch the printables added to the water bottles, our book basket and the cupcakes.  (We asked on the invitation that everyone bring a book to help start Brady's library.)  It was also nice to have menu cards for all of the items so no one had to guess what they were eating.

The Mommy-to-be surrounded by all of her gifts!  Linzi had a great idea for everyone to write a note to the new parents on newborn diapers, to make those late night diaper changes just a little more fun!  It was funny to see what everyone wrote.  My favorite was the one that said "Daddy's Turn"! 

Linzi made this adorable Cookie Monster diaper cake!  It was just precious!

My gift for Baby Brady and Sarah

I stuffed a clothes hamper full of diapers and wipes and had all the goodies displayed on top.  Some of the goodies included personalized onesies and burpcloths, Baby's First 100 Words book, snack cups, disposable table toppers, pants, booties, and other little odds and ends. 

Overall, I think the shower was a success!  There were a few little touches that we didn't get around to, but in the end it didn't really matter.

WELCOME BABY BRADY!
We cannot wait to meet you!

Happy 18 Months, Little Man!

Dear Jack -

You are one and a half years old and I cannot believe it.  Time passes so quickly now that we have you.  You are so funny and sweet and ALL BOY all.the.time!  I think this is the hardest age so far, because you are strong-willed and stubborn.  You do not like being told "no" and often get mad and throw fits and hit.  It's not fun for me to see you so upset, but I'm hoping it will get better as you learn to talk more and can tell me what you want, instead of me just guessing.

You LOVE your daddy and watch and do everything he does.  Just last night, I caught you pretending my glue gun was a drill.  You had it pointed toward the ground and were making the "Shhhh-Shhhh-Shhh" sound just like a real drill.  I'm guessing you remember this from when Daddy and Uncle Scott put in the new back door a few weeks ago.

You also repeat EVERYTHING we say!  Daddy yells "NIIIICE" during football games after a good play and you yell it back in the same deep voice.  It's so funny!  We try to get you to do it for anyone who comes over.  You can also yell "TOUCHDOWN" and do the hand motion for it too.  I think you may have even said "Go Cowboys" once.  I love it!  You have the sweetest little voice and I'm so happy that now you know what you're saying when you say Mama or Dada.  You still don't say many words on your own, but I know it's coming!  You have added yogurt, milk, go, no, uh oh, hi and hot to your vocabulary recently.  You think everything is hot and will say "hot, hot" and shake your hand like you're cooling it off.  It's too cute!  When I'm trying to get you to go somewhere and you refuse (which is often) I'll say "go, go, go" and give you a little nudge and you'll run saying "go, go, go!" 

You can now open the dishwasher (even when it's locked) you can raise the lid on the toilet (YUCK!) and you can reach on top of all the counters and tables.  You are getting too big!  It's hard for us to hide anything from you because you are constantly watching EVERYTHING we do and you don't forget anything.  If I can't find your blankie and I ask you where it is, you always know exactly where you left it.  You're a climber now too.  We've caught you on top of the end tables, in the computer chair and trying to climb over the back of the couch! 

You love to read books, but will seldom sit still while I read them to you.  You prefer to sit on your own and mumble to yourself.  I love it!  This morning while I was trying to take pictures of you, you grabbed a book and just sat there "reading" to yourself.  I would love to know what goes through that little mind of yours!

Your favorite foods are yogurt, bananas, mandarin oranges, peas, carrots, cheddar cheese, crackers, goldfish, applesauce, whole grain cheerios, hotdogs, buttered toast, and Nutrigrain bars.  Sometimes you really like spaghetti, pulled pork, chicken, taco rice, taco meat and beef enchilads.  Last night you ate an entire beef enchilada w/ chili con carne!  I've also introduced you to chocolate milk, which you LOVE!  I only put a tad bit of chocolate in it, but you drink it up!  When I open the refrigerator, sometimes you'll grab the chocolate for me to put in your milk.  The other day you even climbed up in the fridge to show me you wanted some yogurt.

Jack, there is never a dull moment with you!  You keep us laughing all the time at the things you're doing or the things you've done!  We love it how you dance when music comes on or try to jump up and down.  You are so FUNNY and SILLY!  You make the funniest faces, especially when you try to wink with both eyes and scrunch up your nose.  You are the light of my life and I'm so proud to be your Mama! 

Happy 18 Months, Little Man!
We Love You!

Jack's Stats

weight - 30.5 lbs

height - 34.5 inches

12 teeth (4 top, 4 bottom, 4 molars)

one 2-hour nap

in bed by 8:00pm

awake around 8:00am

3 meals and 2 snacks

Sweet Baby Randoms

First of all, thank you all for your sweet comments on yesterday's post.  Jack seems to be feeling a little better today, but yesterday, he was still grumpy, his tummy still wasn't right and his bottom was RAW.  I've tried every diaper cream under the sun and nothing seemed to help, so last night Ran found some Bacitracin ointment and I put a little of it on Jack's bottom before bed and by this morning almost all of the redness is gone.  Thank goodness, because it was looking really painful.  Poor baby.

(Still not feeling too good last night)

He did manage to play a little bit, but for the most part he just wanted to be held or lay on the couch with us.  He's such a sweet baby when he doesn't feel good.  (I hate it when he's sick, but I do love this side effect.)  I know he's still not feeling great because he won't eat.  This is unusual for this little one.  I think all he ate last night was a few pretzels and some yogurt.  I've been giving him pediasure, milk and water just to make sure he's getting enough nutrients and fluids.  We're going to the dr tomorrow for his 18 month appointment, so hopefully everything will check out fine.

  

"But Mama, I don't want to go to school today!"

So, he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.  I hate when I have to wake him up in the mornings.  He always looks so sweet and cozy!  I love his sleepy little eyes.

Getting a quick manicure before school. 

I have a basket on Jack's dresser where I keep all of his diapers, wipes and other necessities and this morning he found the fingernail clippers.  He was trying to cut his own nails, but that didn't work out so well.  HA!  I guess he likes for Daddy to cut them, because he wouldn't let me touch the clippers without screaming, but when Randy came in the room, Jack handed him the clippers and just stood there while Ran cut his nails.  

I think it's the sweetest thing ever when Jack walks up and hugs our legs. He's started doing it a lot lately and it's just so cute... until he bites! Little Stinker! 

Date Night - A Sick Jack = Perfect Weekend

What an awesome weekend!  Ok, maybe just a GREAT Saturday!  My mom got into town around noon on Saturday and my grandparents came up for a little bit too, so Ran and I took full advantage of having someone to watch Jack for us and ran a few errands.  We went to Starbucks and did a little shopping.  Unfortunately, I was the one looking for some new clothes and didn't find a thing!  Hate it when that happens.  But, we did get a new set of pots and pans.  We love them and since we cook dinner almost every night, we really needed some good pots.  (The teflon coating was starting to chip on some of our old ones.)  The set even came with a steamer that fits in one of the pots.  LOVE!

After our brief shopping extravaganza, we went home to hang out with Jack and my mom for a little bit, before heading out for the evening.  We ate at Primos (a Mexican place downtown) and it was really good!  It was so nice to go out, just the two of us.  I don't think we've been out to dinner alone in almost a year. 

Once we finished dinner, we headed to our friend's birthday party!  There were probably about 20-25 people there.  It was at a hotel bar, which was really nice.  It wasn't too crowded and there was plenty of room for everyone to sit, or dance and just hang out.  We had so much fun!  We even danced a little.  HA!  I am not a dancer and neither is Ran, so I'm sure we were a sight to see, but who cares, we had a blast! 

The birthday girl

(awful picture of us, but at least she looks great!)

We spent the night at the hotel, so we wouldn't have to worry about driving home or getting a cab.  Talk about awesome - room service in the middle of the night!  Fantastic!  (obviously, we don't get out much. HA!)

We got up early Sunday morning and headed home because Jack and I were supposed to go to my friend's daughter's birthday party, but when we got home my mom said Jack had diarrhea pretty bad.  Unfortunately, I spent the rest of the day changing poopy diapers.  A stomach bug had been going around Jack's school last week, and I was hoping he had escaped it this time, but oh no, it showed up with a vengance yesterday morning!  It was awful.  So, we snapped back into reality real quick!  Oh well, at least we got one good night!  Thanks again Mama! 

So Excited Today

I'm so excited today because:
{one} It's Friday!  But that's not the only reason...

{two}  After almost 3 months of Jack not sleeping through the night and/or waking up SUPER early, last night we broke the cycle and he slept from 7:45pm - 8:00am!  He ate A LOT at dinner last night, so I'm thinking that probably helped him sleep good.  He had a turkey dog (yuck), green beans, 1/2 banana, ritz crackers, cheddar cheese, nilla wafer, milk and water, and then a cup of yogurt right before bed.  That's a balanced meal, if I've ever seen one!  HA!  I refused to give him hot dogs for a LONG TIME, but one time when he wouldn't eat anything I gave in a tried them and he LOVES the nasty things, so now I let him have them every once in a while.

{three} And the real reason I'm so excited today, is because we get to have date night tomorrow!  We're going to our friend's 40th birthday party at a nice hotel downtown, so it's not a "date" date, but it is a night out!  We're even spending the night down there!  WooHOOO!  I have the best Mama!  She is driving up here tomorrow (an almost 4 hour trip) just to babysit for us so we can go to the party.  We've never left Jack with a babysitter (not because I'm against it, because I'm not) but we just don't have one.  I've called a few of the girls who work at his school to keep him in the past, but we're kinda last minute people, so it's just never worked out.  I am so thankful my mom is willing to come keep Jack tomorrow night, because I'm we're in desperate need of a night out!

Happy Friday!

What are your weekend plans

 or favorite date night?

Out with the Old...

 and in with the new!  What am I talking about, you may ask?

Facebook!  I'll be deleting my account today.  Not to say I will never join again, but I don't really use it and I'm attempting to simply, as Daphne likes to say!

But, I have now joined Twitter, so much for simplifying!  HA!  I know it's not a new thing, but it's new to me.  I was reluctant to join until last week when I wanted updates on Baby Preston, who is doing fabulous, by the way!  Praise the Lord for answered prayers!  My twitter name is jumpingjacktay, if you'd like to follow.  No guarantees I'll be a bundle of laughs seeing as how I'm not quite sure how it all works and have only tweeted twice (is that what it's called?), but hopefully I'll figure it out soon!  I love seeing all of the tweets from my bloggy friends though and have a feeling this could be addicting!  So, here we go... in with the new!  HA!

Also, Ran and I have finally joined the 21st century and both have new smartphones.  We had smartphones before, but not user friendly ones.  Ran's anti-apple, so he got the Samsung Focus which is super cool and seems easy to use and I got the LG Vortex.  I'm loving it so far! 

As for all of the pictures of Jack in this post: he got himself stuck between the table and the wall because he just had to get to the ethernet cable, which I thought was hidden far enough behind the table.  Obviously not.  He is loving anything with cords right now, which is not such a good thing.  He found a lamp the other night that I had put in my Goodwill pile when I was organizing and has LOVED dragging that thing around the house.  We also have a space heater in our bathroom that's now a favorite to drag around too.  I swear if we didn't have things in the plugs, he would most definitely try to plug something in.  What am I going to do with that boy?