Baby sign language

Jack is starting to use baby sign language to communicate with me. So far, he knows "more" and "finished/all done". I really like that his child development center consistently uses sign language.

Today, he really surprised me. I was feeding him yogurt (his favorite) and after we finished, I said "all done" and expected him to do the sign for finished. But instead, he showed me he wanted more. And then he ate more. So now I truly believe he gets what he is doing and is not just imitating his teacher. My brilliant little boy.

Bow ties on sale!

Today I added bow ties to my Etsy shop. Jack was my model. My lovely little boy. :)

Silly family photo time

This evening we were in a fit of laughter while taking some ridiculous photos on the Mac's Photo Booth. Here are some of the gems:

Early spring

Today was very nice so we couldn't resist going outside in the afternoon. We went to the playground and then walked around the lake. Jack is getting more adorable each day. He learned the word "ducks", but he says it like Donald Duck, his k's sounding more like kh's. After a while, he started throwing a tantrum if we didn't heed his way, so it was time to leave. But I'm looking forward to more time spent outdoors with my little peanut.

Simply love.

New kitchen floors

The kitchen in our old house had a carpet from the 80s in the dining section and an equally old vinyl floor that started tearing up around the cabinetry/appliances. Having a dog did not help the carpet situation. So after getting a little tired of the dog smell emanating from the carpet, hubby and I decided to find a temporary replacement (one day, we'd like to have tile there, but until we can afford it, we needed a quick fix). So we decided to buy vinyl tiles and install them ourselves.

New floors

First, quarter rounds were removed, carpet and vinyl was torn up, and baseboards were cleaned.

Next, we made sure to fasten down any squeaky baseboards and flush out any nails that were sticking up.

The cutting, peeling & sticking was the easy part.

After

The room smells and looks much better. Next, we got to work on that green wall paint...

Glow Run 2013

My sister and I participated in the 5k Glow Run this Saturday.

Equipped with neon shirts, glow-sticks, and blue ribbons in tribute to Boston Marathon victims, we joined the starting line with 12,000 (!) other people from the greater Des Moines area.

I was a little nervous considering my current unfitness, but when we started shortly after 8:35pm, I was delighted by the crowd filled with various ages, shapes & sizes. Some were sprinting, others were walking, some even skipping. My sister sprinted ahead and I did a run/walk combo. I made it to the finish line in record time (for me). Then I found my sister, received my medal, and then we danced by the stage with many other brightly-clad individuals. I had fun and am looking forward to another one of these. It really motivated me to work on my running. I would love to run the entire thing one day (or at least keep up with my little sister).

What we've been up to

Ah, yes. It's been a while. My bad. I could give you all the explanations, but I'll spare you. The point is that I'm back, and I will be catching you up.

So, what's been happening?
1. Easter happened. Jack was dressed accordingly. 

2. Baby has been growing like a weed. Below he is, walking, rocking his mustard-colored pants, vintage Star Wars shirt, and DC loafers. I'm loving his longish, curly hair. Another feature he inherited from his mama.

3. No longer an infant. Baby boy is moving from the infant room to the toddler room at the daycare in the coming weeks. This also coincides with his teacher leaving the daycare center. We are sad to see her go, but happy for her new adventures. She's been a great friend to us.

Other than that, it's been weeks filled with lots of work, getting sick, fixing things at the house, etc. Life gets in the way of living sometimes.