"Putty" Humor

Cody has been having a great time at OT for the last couple of weeks, and on Monday his therapist gave us some "Thera-putty" to take home. Think of Play-doh, but it's denser and harder to manipulate. What you do is bury little prizes (like beads and marbles) inside and then he has to stretch it out, pull on it, and dig inside to get them out. So he started off with the rolled up ball you see above...and then went to town. :)

And here's everything he got out!

He loved it. It's really such a great exercise to strengthen his little hands. Now I just need to come up with some other clever things to hide inside to keep it interesting for him.

What Your Kids Think of You

Some of my friends on Facebook did this little survey with their kids and the results were hysterical. So I had to give it a try with my boys. Here's the Q&A I did with Jackson and Cody.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"Good night" (Jacks) and "I love you" (Cody)

2. What makes mom happy?
"Kisses and Hugs" (both)

3. What makes mom sad?
"Not getting kisses" (both LOL)

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
"Says something funny" (Cody)

5. What was your mom like as a child?
"She liked baby toys" (Cody)

6. How old is your mom?
"14" (Cody) and "31" (Jacks)

7. How tall is your mom?
"A little bit big" (Cody) and "8 feet" (Jacks)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
"Play with us" (both)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"Go see a movie with friends" (both)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"Singing" (according to Jacks) and "For being you" (said Cody...awwwwww)

11. What is your mom really good at?
"Cooking" (both...hahaha I paid them to say that)

12. What is your mom not very good at?
"Nothing" (Cody, you sweet talker you)

13. What does your mom do for a job?
"Keeps us safe" (Jacks)

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
"Tacos" (Cody)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
"Playing nicely with friends" (Cody...I think he thought I was asking what made ME proud)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"Sally" (according to Cody, his mama's a blue Porsche...oh yeah!)

17. What do you and your mom do together?
"Play" (Jacks) and "Cut" (Cody...you can tell we've been working on those fine motor skills!)

18. How are you and your mom the same?
"We have the same eyes" (Jacks)

19. How are you and your mom different?
"We're not the same age" (Jacks)

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"She gives us kisses" (both)

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
"His dancing" (LOL Cody)

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
"Gramma and Grandad's house" (both)

Dallas Auto Show

On Friday afternoon, we headed downtown after school, picked Anthony up at his office and then went straight to the car show! We love the one at the State Fair and try to visit the official DAS every year, too. The boys just can't get enough of climbing in and out of all the cars. They even took me for a ride! :)

This year there were scooters near the entrance and Jacks and Cody had to test them out.

Jacks calculated that since this scooter cost $6000, he could afford it if he saved up 1000 weeks of allowance. Good luck with that, Jacks!

Of course, one of our first stops had to be to the Corvettes (Daddy's dream car). The boys really liked this red racing 'Vette. Cody immediately took it for a ride to California (why he chose that destination remains unclear LOL).

Jacks looks so small inside! He was just chillin', going nowhere fast.

Then Luke joined him for a spin, hopefully to the hair salon. Someone get that baby a haircut, stat!!

Daddy preferred the orange Z06. Looks pretty sharp in there, doesn't he?

We visited a display of police cars and trucks, and each of the boys got a Sheriff's badge sticker. Luke was very proud of his. He was hoping it would draw attention away from the disaster that his hair has become in the last few weeks.

Jacks made friends with the giant Geico gecko. Say that 3 times fast!!

Jacks and Daddy bonded over the awesomeness that is (are?) Lamborghinis. These cars hold special meaning for Jackson, ever since he referred to them as "diaper genies" at the age of 2. Say them out loud, you'll see they sound the same! Don't ask me what's on his shirt. I can't tell you. Not won't, can't. I honestly have no idea. He probably didn't either.

And here, Cody's favorite...the Mustang! This was their newest one, not even for sale yet, so we weren't allowed to get inside, much to Cody's chagrin.

But he and Jacks tooled around in a smart car, just like Inspector Clouseau, and that cheered him up pretty fast. Notice Luke, demanding to be let in the car, too.

We did a lot of walking that afternoon, so by the end, the boys were sitting on any available surface they could find...including these awesome fake rocks underneath a big truck.

It was a fun afternoon, and we can't wait to go again next year!

Big Brothers Rock!

Luke's absolute favorite person in this world is his big brother, Jackson. No one can make him smile faster or laugh harder. I get such warm fuzzies seeing their connection and how sweet they are together. I love that my boys have their brothers as built-in playmates and protectors. They're so lucky (and so am I)!

Cake=Good

The boys and I made a cake for Valentine's Day. (If you read our blog regularly, you'll notice that we use any kind of occasion as an excuse for cake, including the end of Daylight Savings and sometimes days that end in 'y.') Luke was a big fan of the cake.

He sucked every last morsel of frosting off his fingers.

But he forgot about the back of his fists. And he couldn't reach (or see) the big glob on his nose.

Still, he knew he was darn cute and posed willingly for his close-up. "Cheese!" :)

Portrait

I completely forgot to share this digital portrait a friend did of the boys for my mom's birthday. She used one of the photographs (taken by another fabulous friend) from our Christmas shoot and turned it into a painting with a computer program. Cool, huh?

Luke's Redecoration of Our Kitchen

Just look at that sweet face! Don't let it fool you, even for a second. He's working you, even now. Notice where he's sitting? That's right...ON the kitchen table.

How did he get up there, you might ask? Well, it all starts with a simple piece of toaster strudel. He doesn't seem to like his high chair anymore, preferring instead to sit at the table with the rest of the family. So we give him a few bites of breakfast to get him started.

The minute we look away, though, he moves up a level, desperate for one of Cody's mini-pancakes. Don't try telling him there was one right in front of him that he's now kneeling on. That's not the point!"Hey look at me! Ta-Da! I'm up on the table! "
"Gimme a pancake!"
So now, this is what our kitchen looks like when we're not sitting down for a meal. Because if there's a chair upright, even if it's wedged in close to the table, he's going to climb up on it and get stuck. He knows how to get up there, it's the getting down part that's the problem.
Looks pretty pleased with himself and his decorating scheme, doesn't he?