Angry birds, Happy Jack

You know, 

sometimes I don't know where the time has gone.

It honestly feels like it was just yesterday 

that the nurse handed me the cutest little fluffy-haired boy.

He came early which brought pure joy to his

very uncomfortable mother.

I had no idea at that time what a breath of life had just joined our family.

But for all he put me through during those "toddler years,"

he has turned into quite a fine young fellow.

And I truly miss that boy when he is gone because he is so full of passion,

spunk, and excitement.

Not to mention he still has a smile that makes me swoon.

Will I ever get over that?

We celebrated in style this year.

Because let's face it.

This guy is worth celebrating!

Brooklyn and Bradley spent hours yesterday preparing some decorations.

And then I lost at least a year of my life staying up way too late decorating.

Because let's be honest,

out of all of my kids,

Jack isn't the one that's gonna let me slide.

Momma's got to bring her game.

Thankfully, we've kept the expectations low.

Streamers.  

"Special" cake.

As long as I've got those, I'm golden.

So after MUCH deliberation,

he decided that he wanted an 

ANGRY BIRDS cake.

Maybe a little weird for a guy who's only played this game a handful of times,

but hey, when the boy decides,

this Mother makes it happen.

Thankfully, he's forgiving when it comes to that "special" cake.

I am clearly an amateur.

We celebrated all day long for this boy.

The guy who is sure that he grew several inches last night...

Should I break it to him that he's probably the size of a boy who just turned 5 rather than 6?

Nah.

There's enough character in there to compensate for that small body.

We sure love this guy.

Being a Mother is an interesting adventure where you often wonder

"Where did this kid come from?!"

That's our Jack.

The guy who has strengths where I am weak,

and who constantly challenges my mothering skills 

by having a brain that is wired completely differently from my own.

But man is he fun to have around.

So, I guess we'll keep him.

STATS

Height:  42 inches
(3rd percentile)

Weight:  43 lbs
(32nd percentile)

Wildlife Part 1

I am allergic to cats.

Because of that, I have been telling Brooklyn that she wouldn't be able to have one.

Which broke her little heart.

And caused her to start making a large collection of yarn balls which were for

"her cats that she would have when she was a grown-up."

Which caused me to envision her as one of those "cat ladies."

You know, the one's with hundreds of cats prowling  inside of a 400 square foot house?"

Yuck.

So, basically I caved and demonstrated stellar parenting techniques
by doing exactly what I said I wouldn't do.
Meet Rosie.

In my one week of experience in being a cat owner, 

I have discovered a couple of things about this little cutie.

A)  This particular cat has (at least so far) an amazing temperament.

I never thought of cats as being the friendliest of pets, but this one has been awesome with the kids.

B)  This poor thing is a survivor.

Life at this household will bring plenty of love,

but not always manifested in the best way.

The poor kitty has endured lots of "toddler handling."

Like being picked up by the tail, carried around by the neck (shudder),

sent down the slide,
and thrown into a bucket full of water.

Poor thing.

But, as I said before, she has survived all of those things and has never scratched or even hissed.

She's doing better than me!

C)  She's no dummy.
She know that when  "Wild Aubrey" comes out to play,
she better take cover under the rose bushes.
D)  She thinks she is Brooklyn's child.
No joke.
Brooklyn carries her around like she's a newborn child,
and then she'll climb up and sit on Brooklyn's shoulder.
And then Brooklyn will nuzzle her little nose into that fur.
Ok barf, seriously, it's just a bit too much for me.
I should mention though, that after a full inspection,
Brooklyn says that Rosie has 6 bellybuttons.
Uh, Brooklyn..........oh, never mind.
Those ARE very nice belly buttons.
E)  Litter boxes are fantastic.
If you don't have kids who like to play in "sand."

And most importantly, a Mother can only stay strong for so long
when she has children who love animals like these kids do.

Yep, we are an All-American Family.
A husband and wife,
2 boys,
2 girls,
one obese dog  (who looks like a bear statue in this picture)
and a kitten named Rosie.
Oh, and a minivan.

Not bad, if you ask me.