The Artist...

One of the fun side effects of Jaycee going to preschool is the heaps of crafts and art she creates. I am always amazed how much her teachers do for their projects. I can imagine how hard it would be to try to keep 15 four year olds from tarring and feathering themselves and each other when they have art time. Also, their ideas are very creative and make me realize that anything can turn into an art supply if you look at it correctly.

Jaycee enjoys art so much that she draws during free play activities too. At the end of the day when parents are picking up their little ones, there is a file box with a folder for each kid. In it the teachers put the art they can take home or various nick knacks they collect in the folders. When Jaycee first started, they would put her free play drawings in there. She usually did 2 a day and they consisted of random lines and colors that she was interested in. Inevitably when you asked her what the picture was, she would say "a rainbow". As time went by, her drawings got a little more complex and she began to draw faces.

Then, one day, the pictures stopped; there weren't any pictures in her folder. After about three days, I asked Jaycee if she still liked to draw. She said yes and that she drew a picture of Jayden that day. The next time I came to pick Jaycee up, her teacher stopped me on the way out and walked me over to Jaycee's cubby. The cubby is used to store extra sets of clothes or extra items brought in. Well, Jaycee's cubby was doubling as additionally drawing storage. Needless to stay, I had quite a stack to tote home and she clearly had increased production from the basic 2 a day to more like 5 a day.

Part of our daily post preschool wrap up is examining Jaycee's artwork and gaining insight into her inspiration. She likes to draw pictures of her family and we all have very specific characteristics. Brother is very small, Jayden has short hair, Jaycee is always in the middle of the page, mama is usually next to brother and has the longest hair. As for me, I generally look like a hispanic Shrek. I am the only one who is drawn exclusively with brown crayon while everyone else is a pink shade and I have a very large and round face. The funniest part about Jaycee's art is that she always remembers to "sign" it. Her signature is a squiggly line usually toward the bottom of the page. That's when it occurs to me that she is a real artist. She never lets her work go uncredited...

Working 8 to 5...

So I landed a new job. I'm working with the same company I did before, but now I am in an office at a desk with a phone and a computer. That may make it sound boring, but I actually enjoy the work. Without boring anyone with the details of my work, in short, this job offers me a great opportunity to learn and grow and is much more suited to my education.

I was chatting with Jaycee the other day and we were talking about my work. She knew what I used to do and I was trying to tell her I do a different kind of work. In summary, Jaycee thought that my job was to kick naughty kids out of the park and to clean toilets. When we finished our conversation I thought she had a pretty good grasp on what I do and I figured it would help that I no longer wear jeans and t shirts covered in paint and holes.

The other day I picked Jaycee up from preschool after work and we had to stop at the store on our way home. While we were waiting in line she asked me "Did you kick any kids out of the park today?" I tried to explain I don't do that anymore, but she insisted that if I wasn't doing it then there were naughty kids "all over the place". Then, as I come up to the register she asks "Did anyone poop on the floor at your work?" As if she were a part of the conversation, the checker slowed down and looked at me like she wanted to hear the answer to this question.

I let it hang in the air for a second trying to figure out the best way to answer this and decided on the truth: "No Jaycee, nobody pooped on the floor at my work today." I have to say, the checker seemed a little disappointed with my answer.

I just kind of laughed it off on the way to the car and didn't think too much about it. Later that night I was getting ready for bed and I thought about the conversation. It was only 2 1/2 years ago that I got a job scrubbing toilets to help ease the financial stresses of raising a family while going to school. Now, I have a degree and a pretty good job. My goals are not yet fulfilled and I have several more trying times ahead I'm sure, but more than anything I think about the many people out there looking for work and worrying about how to make ends meet. I am so fortunate for the opportunities that have been presented to me and plan on capitalizing on every single one that comes my way. It also helps when your 3 year old is always so eager to remind you where you come from. Thanks Jaycee, I needed that...

Watch what you say...

I refuse to address the fact that it has been a long time since my last blog. However, I do acknowledge that a lot has happened around here since my last post. I'll handle those things at a later date. In the mean time, I had a reminder the other day about how much little ears hear.

Luckily, this isn't a story about a four letter word that was repeated or about something detrimental to anyone, but it is still a reminder of what happens when a little one listens and connects the dots without help.

A couple of days ago, we went on our first family adventure to the Wild Animal Park. I never have cash on me these days. It seems like everywhere I go, I can use my debit card. Sometimes I encounter some relic that has not made the leap to accommodate cashless hipsters like myself. The Wild Animal Park has a merry-go-round near the entrance/exit and Jaycee always wants to go on it. It is 2 dollars that must be put in a machine that dispenses tokens. In other words, no cash no ride. When Jaycee asked I told her I didn't have any money and that next time I'd remember to bring cash. Unbeknownst to me, Jaycee filed this away.

Yesterday we were talking to Jaycee about next weekend. My new job is a Monday to Friday gig. With it being close to the holidays, there are parties and other events that I can attend on the weekends for clients. Next weekend I have the opportunity to go to one of these events, but it is the same day that Santa arrives for the annual pancake breakfast at the fire station. Casually, I asked Jaycee if she wanted me to to go with her to meet Santa or if I should go to work. She mulled the question over for a minute and to my surprise she said she wanted me to go to work. I asked Jaycee why she wanted me to go to work and she said: "So you can make money, then I can go on the merry-go-round at the Wild Animal Park".

The next time I go to the Wild Animal Park I'll be sure I have $6: 2 for Jayden's token, 2 for Jaycee's token and 2 for Jaycee's personality. Look out world, she's got it all figured out...

The Joker...

As Jayden gets older (and bigger), a very interesting trait is emerging; she is a comedian! She is very aware of when you are laughing at what she is doing and she plays it up big time. She has coined her own comedic phrase: "BOW!" When she is feeling extra cheeky, she'll give a "BOW BOW!" Sometimes she does the "gorilla walk", which consists of her hunching her back and walking very slowly. She usually makes some sort of face while she does this and she thinks it is hilarious. The fact that she is so funny is not lost on her sister. Jaycee has decided that if you are funny and like to play around, you are a "Joker". When you ask her who is a Joker, she'll say dada is a joker, pa is a joker, and she is joker. Recently she has given Jayden joker status as well. She often tells us this and reminds us of who is not a joker.

Jayden is getting pretty good at entertaining, she is a one woman show. She dances, sings and does funny stuff. Occasionally she engages in dangerous humor. Her latest act consists of climbing the table behind the couch yelling "BYE" as she jumps over the back of the couch onto the cushions. She also has a new smile she has been working on (see above). When you ask her to smile, she gets squinty eyed and shows as many teeth as she can.

I wonder who she gets her comedic talents from... BOW BOW!!

A thought...

I usually post something about the day to day goings on or some of the bone headed stuff I have done, but this time I have a thought. I'm not saying its a good thought or even a correct one, but it has been something I have thought since we found out that baby number 3 is a boy.

I am so happy to know that we are having a little boy. Jess and I are both excited to add another little bundle to our growing clan. What I have encountered recently is that a lot of people assume we keep having kids until I get a son. I definitely see how a logical conclusion to the choice to have three children is that there is a purpose. In my case, a boy seems like the purpose.

At first, when people would make this assumption openly, I found myself getting a little offended. I mean, are they insinuating that my daughters are less than what I wanted? Are they somehow inferior to a son? Are there things that a father can only do with a son and not a daughter? Now, these people who say these things would never say that boys are better than girls or that I am not a suitable parent to a daughter, so what are they getting at?

I began to question myself. Do I prefer a boy? I don't think so. I am not concerned about passing on my surname (I have some cousins that have that covered). I am looking forward to coaching girls soccer or learning whatever sport/hobby Jayden or Jaycee want. Basically I am looking forward to my kids growing up regardless of any other factors than that they are my kids.

After thinking this over I came to an understanding that we are all preconditioned to affiliate with what we know best. Me being male would best fit with another male. The same for females. The assumption that I would like a boy is more or less a natural conclusion.

Needless to say, I no longer take offense to the comments. I embrace them and make sure I mention (if given the chance) that I am just happy to have a happy and healthy baby. I may not have the ability or desire to determine the gender of my babies, but I definitely get to make them happy for as long as I live...

Spring has Sprung...

I do not have a green thumb. I have more of a yellowish thumb. With that said, our house is like a self sustaining forest! We have about seven rose bushes around the house that we inherited. They are all mature plants and are well established. Not knowing much about roses, I water them but that's about all I have done. I decided I would be content if the bush stayed green and wouldn't be greedy enough to expect blooms; luckily nature handled that part. I am not sure if the rose bushes just really like their location or if a magical garden gnome sneaks into our yard and sprinkles magic dust on them every night, but what ever the case is we have some awesome roses! I did some yard maintenance not to long ago and trimmed back some of our plants to clean them up a little and they all just erupted. We even have rose bushes popping up out of the ground where there never was a rose bush before. I don't quite understand, but we are definitely enjoying our low maintenance garden.

Jaycee loves the roses too. She takes every opportunity to pull off every rose she can and we finally stopped trying to protect them. Believe it or not, the roses are growing faster then Jaycee can pick them.

In other news, Jayden is really enjoying her time at home on days that Jaycee has preschool. She has been doing a lot of exploring, especially in Jaycee's room which is hard to do when Jaycee is home. She is such a character and we are literally watching her become a big kid right in front of our eyes...

Let the hunt begin...

Time to find a job! I am officially a member of the job hunting portion of the population. This is a little intimidating now that I am looking at a completely new and unfamiliar job market. On account of the competitive conditions in the country, I have been trying to find ways to stand out to potential employers. To come up with ideas, I have been reading about the different tactics people are using. One of the tactics is to attach a picture of yourself to your resumé. After reading this, I really got to thinking about my appearance. I got really used to shaving when I felt like it. This afforded me the opportunity to grow a beard or goatee whenever I wanted. Well, I began to wonder what an interviewer might interpret my appearance to mean. After asking around for opinions I was faced with a choice. To shave the beard or to leave it. It become the general consensus that it should go. I took these 2 pictures to see which made more sense. I'm torn.

On a more interesting note, neither Jaycee nor Jayden care for my beard. Jayden feels my face a little then proceeds to smack it: point taken. Jaycee was really studying my face the other day and after a long pause she asked me "what is all this weird hair coming out of your face?" I wonder the same thing. Maybe I should add this to my resumé. "Able to quickly grow facial hair and the ability to shave it even faster"...