Chuck E Cheese's

Our weekend at Steph's marked a first for us...it was Jack's first trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. I was so excited to take Jack here and have fun...but it was a complete mess. After trying to force Jack to eat and taking him outside for a time out 18 million times I learned several important things:

1) Never go to Chuck E Cheese's on a Saturday night

2) Never go to Chuck E Cheese's on said night and try to eat

3) Never go to Chuck E Cheese's when the kids outnumber the adults

4) Never go to Chuck E Cheese's and sit next to a train with a train addict

It will be a while before Jack and I go to Chuck E Cheese's again.

The only bit of pizza I could get him to eat. And as you can see...his face is all red and puffy from crying. We'd just come back in from one of the many time outs he got for crying and trying to climb over the booth seat to get to "the train".

Steph's angels sitting patiently

I finally caved and let him ride the train

He's got his arm around Chuck E...probably just told him what a mean, horrible mom he's got...

A small smile while riding the fire truck...his face is still all red and splotchy from crying

A weekend at Steph's

This weekend Jack and I packed up and headed off on I-74 West to the land of Peoria IL. Growing up in Brownsburg, I saw interstate signs saying Peoria all my life and wondered where it was and what it was like. Little did I know that 20 some years later I would have a good friend who lives there. Steph and I met online while pregnant. She was expecting Samantha and I was expecting Jack. Steph's husband was out of town for the weekend and it had been a while since we'd seen one another so she invited us to come stay with her. What ensued was a fun weekend of 2 year old antics, 4 year old craziness and good laughs among friends.

Jack and Sam "dancing" to the music from a Fridge Phonics Farm toy

The cool bounce house in the basement

Future Play Boy Bunny?!

Some quiet time coloring

Trains and Beer

Since Christmas a new phenomenon has taken over our house. Mom bought Jack some Thomas the Tank Engine bath squirters. Jack had never really paid much attention to trains before getting these and now he has a full blown addiction. Keia bought him a little circle track from the wooden set which only fed into Jason's own fetish for trains. Now just a couple weeks after Christmas we have several trains from the set and enough track pieces to make our own creations. Jack's entire day is now spent playing with trains.

The infamous bath trains

And what else would a boy want after a long day of shunting trucks on the tracks? A beer of course! Now Jason swore Jack would have to wait until he was 12 before having his first beer...but we all know what a bad influence Johnny can be!

First Snow!

Last winter being the over paranoid new mother that I was, I thought Jack was too little to go out in the snow. So this winter was actually his first experience playing in snow! Granny and Grandpa II got him a snow suit for Christmas which came in handy for the snow fall we got today. Jason took the boy out while I stood at the kitchen window and watched...and like a good mother had some hot chocolate waiting for her boys.

It's a....

Today we found out that we're having another boy! Jack will be the big brother to Graham Michael Ravenscroft! Graham is just a name I found while playing around on nymbler.com and Michael is my dad's name. So excited to be having another little boy and a brother for my sweet Jack! Can't wait for May!!

Hello Graham!