Boy vs. Food

As Jack is a dual citizen (American and British), he will no doubt be exposed to a variety of customs from both countries. It will be interesting to see what he picks up on.

Last night, for example, we made Jack a couple of frozen chicken nuggets (an American invention as far as I can tell). Kelly and I had an Indian meal - much of that country's food has been adopted by the British as our national dish.

Jack chose not to eat the nuggets; instead, he wolfed down a poppadum (a large chip typically served as an appetizer with mango chutney) and several portions of garlic naan bread. In the past, he's also eaten the curry sauce, but last night preferred to stick with the side dishes.

Next up in the culture wars - roast parsnips v green bean casserole.

A Gift for Baby

This morning, Jack and I set out around 6:30 for Meijer (local store with everything you can imagine: groceries, pet supplies, home goods, furniture, toys, electronics, clothing, etc.) as we needed a few things and I figured I wouldn't have to worry about Jack waking other family members if he was out of the house.

I had told Jack I needed to get a few things for Mummy & Daddy and that it would be a quick trip. As I pulled into the parking space, Jack piped up from the back "Get toy for baby, too." This threw me off guard a bit as we haven't talked at all about getting anything for little Chickpea, though I was planning to take him shopping for a baby gift a week or so before the baby's arrival. Anyway, I thought I'd humor him (because I figured he'd forget) and told him we'd look for something.

We didn't spend long in the store and, as we were walking out, Jack exclaimed "Wait! Have to get something for baby!" I was surprised that he'd remembered his request and, of course, there was no way I could say "no," given that he'd come up with this special gesture completely unprompted. We walked back to the baby department and I told Jack he could pick one item for the baby. He seemed to examine everything closely & critically. First, he asked for a gift set that included an elephant stuffed animal and some teething rings. I put this in our cart. Next, he asked for a set of infant towels that had fish on them. I put these, too, in the cart, reminding him that he'd have to pick one item when we were all done. In our last aisle, he selected a clear plastic ball/rattle with beads inside and tubes around the outside, also filled with little beads. I thought this should be the winner, but I let him choose. He examined his three choices carefully, eventually settling on the ball. I was excited because this toy was 20% off.

However, on the way out of the aisle, he suddenly gasped (and I wish I could demonstrate this because it was so funny) "Oh, mummy! Look what I see! THAT!!!!" He was pointing to a big ladybug toy that has different fabrics and textures on it and that plays music when you press its back. Of course, this item cost twice as much as the plastic ball and was not on sale (go figure) but he was so enamored with it that the sucker in me had to get it. He kept telling me the baby would love it; how could I possibly resist?

Here's the picture I snapped of him, giddy about our impending purchase, moments after the decision was made:
I was so surprised that a kid his age (27 months) would think about asking for a gift for someone else (who hasn't even been born yet) when we haven't yet had any discussion with him about buying Christmas gifts or baby gifts!

In unrelated shopping news, Jack quite literally rang in the season on Tuesday when we made a quick run to the grocery store and Jack made our first Salvation Army donation of the season. (Hearing those bell ringers is always the first real sign to me that the holidays are upon us.) The bell ringer was so impressed with Jack's persistence at trying to stuff a rolled-up dollar bill into the coin slot in her bucket that she let him ring the bell for a few minutes. He loved it!
Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

Jack's Definition of Bliss

As most parents probably (hopefully!) know, you don't have to spend a lot of money to keep little ones entertained. Examples:

Last year, I discovered that the local home improvement store is a fantastic place for Jack to run, explore, and be generally thrilled by the things he sees there (tractors, lumber, tools, tile samples, etc.). While visiting my parents last week, we went twice to Menards (DIY store) simply to look at all of the Christmas decorations. He was completely enamored, repeatedly gasping "WOW! How pretty! Beautiful!" He probably could have spent all day there, as the pictures below show:



Every week, following our trip to the library for preschool storytime, Jack and I stop outside to watch all of the construction equipment working on the below-ground parking garage that is being built next to the library. The construction has been going since spring and will last until at least next summer, so it provides us with ample opportunity to just stop and watch all of the work. Every once in a while, the librarian is even nice enough to take all of the kids up to the top floor of the library and let them look down out of the conference-room windows to see the seemingly miniature backhoes, bulldozers, dump trucks, and cement mixers nine stories below. (Side note: I never, in my life, noticed how many diggers are at work all over the city, the roads, the parks, etc. until Jack came into my life and became obsessed with them. Now, from time to time, I find myself alone in the car pointing and shouting "look, digger!" only to realize no one is with me. It seems construction vehicles are EVERYWHERE!)



Yesterday, I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to attempt some gardening in the front of our house. I didn't get very far as a) it's getting hard to bend over and b) the ground was too hard for me to do proper digging & bulb planting, but Jack had an absolutely fantastic time helping me gather up weeds and then carrying them over to the garbage bag. On every trip back to me, he'd puff up his chest, smile, and say to me "I'm a big, big helper!"


Here's to hoping that the simple things in life will keep Jack entertained well into his teenage (read: expensive) years!

Lonely Goatherd

Jack has enjoyed spending the last week up north with Grammy & Papa, not only because they're great company for him, but also because he's been able to observe the five goats that have taken up residence next door. These goats seem to be free-range, taking a leisurely stroll every day from their home through my parents' yard and over to the church next to my parents' place. On Tuesday, Jack was in a particularly challenging mood so I took him on a walk outside for a good ol' goat hunt; I mean, who hasn't "hunted" goats in their backyard?

Our adventure in pictures (and some priceless video):

Jack, deciding in which direction we should go to find the goats

He kept his eyes peeled for them...

...and repeatedly shouted "GOATS? GOATS? Where are you, goats?"

And then, we spotted them... at church!

We walked toward them (despite my warning that they'd run) and they scurried to the back of the church (near the satellite dish... go figure)

Once we had a good viewing platform, I started singing "Lonely Goatherd" from the Sound of Music (couldn't think of any other goat songs). Jack loved it and started pointing at the goats, in rhythm with the music - as if he were conducting:

Because Jack loved "Lonely Goatherd" so much (but clearly was longing for a better rendition than mine), I splurged on the $0.99 version from iTunes and played it for him when we arrived back in the house. He then entertained us with his dance to the song, which follows below. I laugh every time I watch it.

Boo at the Zoo

On Sunday, Mick and I took Jack to the Toledo Zoo for their "Boo at the Zoo" event. Jack is really into dinosaurs, so this year he will be a dragon (the closest I could find to a dinosaur that was reasonably priced) for Halloween.

As luck would have it, the weather on Sunday was 75 degrees and sunny, meaning the long pant/long sleeve fleece costume was less than ideal. Jack obliged in wearing the top of the costume, but I didn't even try to get the bottoms on. So he was kind of a half dragon/dinosaur.

I was pretty surprised that he got as into the trick-or-treating as he did. At each treat stop, he'd climb out of the stroller and walk up to get his treats, bucket in hand. He didn't say "trick or treat" but he did say "thank you" (when prompted, and albeit quietly), but as soon as he turned around to face me & Mick, he'd break into a HUGE grin and come running back. It was pretty cute.

A lot of the animals seemed to be missing (where do they put the huge animals like the elephants and hippos?) and many of the primates were not available for viewing as apparently they get freaked out by humans in costumes. Nonetheless, it was fun for all three of us.

Leading the way to the polar bears (current favorite zoo animal)

Checking out the gorillas

Off on his own to get a treat

Ever seen a dragon riding an elephant? (this was not a staged picture - he climbed up on his own)

Music Together

Starting in September, Jack and I began our fourth session of our Music Together class. We began with Music Together in Arlington when Jack was just eight months old and then continued classes when we moved to Ann Arbor.

Music Together at Eight Months Old

I debated signing him up this fall semester because the program isn't cheap, but when I realized it would be my last opportunity to take a class JUST with Jack (before Chickpea arrives), I got a lump in my throat and took my credit card out. Every week at the end of class, we sing a lullaby. As soon as the lights are turned off (signifying "lullaby time"), Jack races to me and flings himself into my lap, with his arms curled around my neck. It's one of my favorite parts of the week and, lately at least, has made me tear up every time he does it.

Some may question paying to take such a young child to music classes (I know my mom did) but as soon as you see the classes in action, and you see how much Jack truly loves them and gets out of them, you understand. I wholeheartedly believe the research that claims that music helps in brain development and hope that arts programs continue to be supported as heavily as athletics in our public schools.

OK, off my soapbox now. This past weekend, we were able to take Mick to class with us as we were attending a make-up session. This allowed me to get some pictures of Jack in action, which I normally can't do. He's really into drumming right now (ever since we started taking him to see the Michigan Marching Band practice) and so loves the opportunity to pick the drum during the "freestyle play" part of class; we also used the rhythm sticks for the first time this semester and he was very excited to be able to show his skills:

Tapping Along with Rhythm Sticks

Impressing Daddy with Drum Skills

Lullaby Time

The Injury

Toddlers are prone to injuries. I think it's just a fact of life. At least once a day, Jack asks for me to "tiss" a boo boo. I was certain he'd have a broken bone by the age of 2, but alas we escaped his first two years without a single visit to the ER for a serious injury. I'm baffled by this as he really seems to have no fear: he leaps off the sofa, climbs whatever he can, runs at top speed, and races up and down the steps in our house.

However, on Thursday morning last week, while the house was still dark, he was chasing Shergar (which he's not supposed to do) while I was in the kitchen getting his breakfast ready. All of a sudden, I heard a VERY loud "crack" and then silence. Silence is never a good sign. It means a scream is coming. Sure enough, about five seconds later, he let out a blood-curdling scream. I raced into the living room to find him crumpled on the floor near the window. I think he must have tripped (probably just over his feet as there was nothing on the floor... he takes after me I guess in the clutz department) and smashed his head on the window sill (which is only about 12 inches off the floor). It took me a few minutes to figure out where he was hurt. I was looking for blood on his head and eventually found that it was his cheekbone and eye area that got the brunt of the hit. It took me a half hour of rocking, singing, and talking softly for him to stop screaming. He has NEVER cried that long after an injury. Mick was gone (had travel for two full weeks in a row... boy was I happy to see him this weekend and give up the single-parent duties!) so I then had to determine whether the injury was severe enough for a trip to the ER. I decided his eye was fine and his pupils looked correctly dilated (no concussion) so decided we'd care for it at home. I tried ice -- multiple times -- and every time was met with shrieking protests. So I decided to skip the ice. No need to make the kid even more upset. About an hour after the injury, Jack decided he wanted a banana, which he wolfed right down... and then asked for another (which, of course, I gave him). He then got it in his head that it's not ice that fixes an injury, but a banana. Hey - if it works for him, it works for me.

I took a slew of pictures to keep Mick updated throughout the day on the state of the injury. Here are a few of them:

One hour post injury

Four hours post injury

Nine hours post injury (after nap - eye was swollen shut when I first went into his room)

Ten hours post injury

26 hours post injury

Chickpea

Yesterday, Mick, Jack and I made our way to the maternal-fetal medicine clinic for my 20 week ultrasound. That's right: Jack will be a big brother sometime in mid-February!

We had a very thorough ultrasound as my doctor wanted to make absolutely sure that none of Baby Landon's birth defects were present with our little one. All organs and systems checked out just fine and Jack was able to wave at the baby (when we were shown the baby's hands).

Jack was much more interested in the baby's "pictures" than I thought he'd be. He repeatedly blew kisses to the baby and kept saying "hello, baby!" to the video screen. We've consulted him on possible names for the baby (we've opted again to have a gender surprise on delivery day) and here is a typical conversation:

Me: Jack, what should we name the baby?
Jack: Baby Thomas (we met a friend's baby in late August who is named Thomas and Jack is obsessed with this name now! When I tell him that's Papa's name, he looks at me as if I'm a fool and says "no, Papa's name Papa")
Me: What should we name it if it's a girl?
Jack: Boy
Me: And what should we name it if it's a boy?
Jack: Girl

For now though, Jack has opted to call the little critter "chickpea" which I think fits just fine (and is pretty appropriate given that chickpeas are one of Jack's all-time favorite foods; I hope he likes his sibling as much).

To say that Jack is excited is an understatement. He talks about it constantly and has a little ritual he has developed all on his own. He says "Jack kiss baby?" and then he lifts my shirt, kisses my belly, lays his head on my belly, pats my belly, and then smooths my shirt back down. It's the sweetest thing! Out of the blue, he'll say something like "Jack big bubba?" and we tell him that yes, he'll be a big brother when it gets very cold out (though, in Michigan, that could be next week and we'd really like the baby to cook a bit more before meeting him/her). He is also repeatedly telling me "Jack not hurt baby, Jack sing baby, Jack hug baby." He has randomly asked if he can feed the baby rocks, but I suspect he'll figure out quickly once the baby is here that that isn't such a good idea.

As for me, I'm pretty shocked that I'm at the halfway point already. I felt like my pregnancy with Jack dragged on and on and was virtually the only thing I thought about. This time though, I'll often get to the end of the day and think "did I have lunch? did I drink enough water?" because Jack is running me ragged leaving little time to focus on the pregnancy. I asked my doctor at my last appointment if I could possibly have pregnancy-induced anemia because, even though I'm in my second trimester, I remain tired beyond belief. My doctor looked at me, sympathetically smiled, and said "You're tired because you're pregnant and chasing a two-year-old. It's not anemia - it's motherhood." Sigh.

We have lots of items on our to-do list over the coming months including painting the baby's room, moving Jack out of his crib and into his own big bed, and buying a bigger vehicle. Stay tuned for updates as we get closer to meeting Jack's brother or sister!

One Time, at Band Camp

Early on Saturday morning (i.e., prior to 8am) I took Jack to watch the University of Michigan marching band rehearse for their half-time show at the upcoming football game. Jack had attended one previous session, with Kelly and Grammy, and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the drummers.

In addition to hearing a variety of Lady Gaga songs turned into melodical instrumentals, Jack got a special treat - one of the band members let him hold a trumpet, prior to packing it away.

I've always felt that touching a trumpet is, like losing a tooth and getting a dog, one of life's major milestones.

A Day at the Races

A couple of weeks ago, Kelly, Jack and I took a trip down to Richmond, Virginia, to see our good friends Aughie and Colleen (see an earlier posting on Jack’s nocturnal activities). Jack fared very well on the 12-hour drive, rarely crying or asking for something (“outside!”) that was unrealistic.

He had the…um…opportunity to see the sights of small-town America, as we passed through the provinces of West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia, images that I am sure will propel him to relocate to New York or Los Angeles when cash-sufficient.

It took relatively little time for Jack to warm up to our hosts; the morning after arriving, we went for a walk around a local park (in heat that reminded me immediately of summertime soccer games in Arlington).

Jack made sure to help Aughie cross the road leading to the fields, then showed him how to race horses (all the while, probably clicking his tongue and flapping his arms in an exaggerated impression of how horses are ridden). As usual, Jack won the race, and so dismounted first.

I See The Moon

On Saturday, we drove 12 hours to visit with our good friends Aughie and Colleen in Richmond, VA. Jack took to them, and their dog, very well - helping Collen make pancakes and holding Aughie's hand to cross the road. As for the dog...she got plenty of kisses from Jack.

All was going well until 2:15am on Monday, when Jack woke from his sleep and wanted to "hang out". Here's how the rest of the night played out:

2:30am - Jack moves into daddy's bed, seeking to see how hard he can jump on daddy.
3:30am - We move to the sun room couch, where Jack can't decide at which end to sleep.
4:30am - Jack wants daddy to sleep on the floor.
4:31am - Jack wants to sleep on the floor, while daddy is asked to "mmmmmmoooooooovvve".
5:30am - Colleen takes the dog for a quick walk - Jack kisses the dog goodbye.
5:35am - Jack crawls in bed with Colleen and together they watch Elmo - with big brothers and sisters and all sorts of babies (including animal babies) - until Jack wanders off. Colleen goes back to sleep.
6am - Daddy puts Jack in the car and drives the "Richmond Loop" (Staples Mill Road to I-64, to Parham Road, to Staples Mill) approximately 5 times, with a stop at the Hardees' drive through for a diet coke at 7am. Jack sleeps for 1 hour.
8:15am - Daddy returns home and Jack tucks in to freshly-cooked breakfast, seemingly unaware of the events of the past 6 hours. It's a good life.

World Traveler

Jack received his British passport today, making him 2-for-2 in obtaining passports. He can now use his U.S one when departing from Detroit, and his British one upon arriving at Manchester. As such, he is officially a citizen of both countries.

Cleaning Up

Within the last few months, Jack has become very interested in cleaning things. He is a huge helper around the house (and I'm not being sarcastic) as he enjoys using the Swiffer to pick up dog hair, dusting the things low enough to reach, helping me collect garbage for trash day, etc. He also loves to pick up his toys and put them away in a relatively organized fashion. I suspect this behavior won't last forever, so we catch these little moments (on film) when we can.

The video below was taken at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, where we have a family membership (well worth it, even for a kid this age). Mick's mum took Jack to play a few times during her visit and she was amused watching him diligently work a spray bottle and sponge to clean not only a rock (I think the purpose was to polish a Petoskey stone to see all of the fossilization) but also to clean everything around it, including the carpet. Of course, she didn't have her camera the day Jack was really into it (and was the only kid there) but she did have her camera yesterday, meaning she was able to capture it. Unfortunately, there were more kids yesterday so Jack didn't get into it as much as he did the first time, but you still get the picture. Note that when he's bending down out of camera view he is washing the carpet.

It's Official!

As of last Thursday, Mick officially became an American citizen (well, technically he shares dual citizenship between America & Great Britain).

We attended the ceremony at the federal courthouse in Detroit and were fortunate enough to have Mick's mum, Julie, attend with us along with my parents (who drove 4.5 hours from Boyne Highlands on Wednesday afternoon to Ann Arbor, then drove an hour to Detroit on Thursday morning (early!), and then turned around and drove four hours back up north to Mesick to meet Andy & Sarah and kids at a campground).

93 people were sworn in along with Mick, which apparently was one of the largest groups they'd had. We listened to the presiding judge's personal story about her family's immigration to the U.S. She is a Lebanese-American and the first one in her family to read and write English. She drove home how important it is for all new citizens to learn to speak English as she noted that was the one thing that would help people assimilate quickly. However, she also reinforced how special everyone's different backgrounds and cultures are and encouraged everyone to share their culture, their food, their customs with neighbors, friends, and children. I was pleased to hear her drive this point home as I think all of our "differentness" (not a word, I know) is what makes America so special. She acknowledged that this was probably a hard ceremony for some to go through, as it meant renouncing allegiance to other countries. I noticed some tears, particularly from the older candidates in the group.

Once the judge was done speaking, she had the candidates stand and take the oath of naturalization (provided in its entirety below). Then we all applauded (one of Jack's favorite parts) and then we all sat quietly while the new citizens were called up one by one to receive their certificate of citizenship. I was impressed by the judge's clerk, who managed to read about 92 muti-syllabic names, many with seeminly no vowels. I didn't envy her job. She did this very gracefully though. We all had to laugh a bit when she finally got to read out "Michael John Collins" which, frankly, couldn't have sounded more American.

Mick then signed the certificate and we went to celebrate with some pretzels and diet coke (seriously - we bought them in the courthouse cafe).

He had to turn in his greencard (which, frankly, pained me a bit as we worked so long and hard to get that darn thing) and has already applied for an expedited American passport, as that will now be the only way he can easily get in and out of the country.

It was a really special experience... but one I'm glad we won't have to do again any time soon! Pictures from our big day are below:

Pre-ceremony excitement

The all-American family

Oath of Allegiance:
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;

that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;

that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;

that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law;

that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law;

that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law;

and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;

so help me God."

2 Old

I should have put this in Jack's birthday post, but I forgot (and since have remembered numerous times, hence this slightly random posting):

Prior to Jack's birthday, whenever we asked how old he was - or now, when we ask how old he is - he leaves out the "years" and simply replies "two old."

It kills me. It's funny, but it's also sweet... I just want to scoop him up and hug him and say "yes, my love, you are TOO old!"

Happy Birthday, Dear Jack

Jack rang in his second birthday today with some of his favorite meals and loved family members. He had blueberry pancakes & scrambled eggs for breakfast, peanut butter & jelly sandwich and chickpeas for lunch, and spaghetti & meatballs for dinner. Late this afternoon, we drove up to Big Rapids to have a celebratory birthday evening with my parents and Trevor & Stephanie, and with Mick's mum who has been visiting for the past week.

We attempted to open presents but Jack was a bit overwhelmed and only got about half-way through, so we'll finish tomorrow. He's very diligent about throwing every scrap of paper and tape right into the trash can before he proceeds unwrapping. It's quite amusing.

I made him a soccer ball cake which, thankfully, he was able to identify.

Trevor: Jack, what is that (pointing to cake)?
Jack: CAKE!
Trevor: But what does it look like?
Jack: A ball!
Trevor: What kind of ball?
Jack: FOOTBALL! (Proper English response)

He loved looking at the cake, especially when lit. In fact, we had to light it again after he (I) blew out the candles the first time.

However, when he tried the cake, he decided it was disgusting (bad choice on my part I guess for selfishly making the dark chocolate cake, rather than the more mild-flavored milk chocolate version) and immediately spit it out. This isn't the greatest picture, but it captures a bit of what happened. He did enjoy three (small) servings of vanilla ice cream though.


Mick and I had an enjoyable bedtime with Jack, each reading him a story and cuddling with him as he drank his milk. How it has been two years since he came into our lives is beyond me.

Last year, I couldn't sing Happy Birthday without crying every time I got to the "dear Jack" line. This year, I was SO proud of myself for singing multiple times to him today without once getting teary-eyed. However, as soon as I finished reading his bedtime story, his lullaby mix on the iPod began playing "You Are My Sunshine" and that's when the waterworks started. That was the very first song I sang to Jack when we got home from the hospital when he was three-days-old. How time flies.

Favorite Picture - Jack Wearing His Toy Monkey as a Scarf

Saved!

It’s been a few months since I last posted about Jack, so I thought I’d get back into the habit of sharing my perspectives on how the little lad is growing up. As he approaches his 2nd birthday, he's developed into a very spirited child, full of energy and laughter, all mixed in with the occasional tantrum. Accomplishments that stick in my mid the most include:

Feeding Shergar (commanding her to “sit” and “stay” while he loads food into her bowl, then shouting “go” to commence eating)

Playing “Saved” – in which he kicks the soccer ball towards me, while I attempt to catch or deflect it away from breakables. He’s now at a point at which he can kick the ball over the sofa and into the kitchen.

Following along with bedtime stories, correctly filling in the missing words without pausing.

Running around the grocery store to “find” Daddy among the aisles.

Trying to hug and kiss Shergar, much to her puzzlement.

Counting out loud, especially as he walks down the stairs.

Shouting "hooooommmme" when our car pulls into the garage.

"Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses"

Two out of three probably describe me. Well, after a rather long interview (in which we debated the term "lawful nonimmigrant" and reviewed my tax returns, overseas travel, and work history), I passed the test.

I correctly answered all 6 questions I was given:

1. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
2. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
3. For how many years are senators elected?
4. If both the President and Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
5. What does the President's cabinet do?
6. Name one branch of the federal government

At that juncture, I had the requisite 6 questions completed and there was no need for the officer to ask the remaining 4. However, I almost had the nerve to say "Ask them anyway...let's see if I can get 10 out of 10".

So what does this all mean?:

1. While continuing to assert a level of innate superiority (based on frequent rolling of the eyes), it will no longer be solely justified by the fact I am English. Instead, it will also take into account my new country's capitalist economic model that works extremely well (unless government bailouts are required).
2. I am now the official Anglo-American translator for Her Majesty the Queen. I will advise her on the meaning of such confusing phrases as “would you like your eggs sunny-side up?” or “how’s it going?”
3. I get to vote in this year’s elections. I expect every Michigan candidate to call on me personally, sharing their elevator pitch, points of differentiation, and how they can buy my vote.

The oath of allegience is next Thursday, at which point I will receive my naturalization (a word spelled incorrectly on the official INS swearing-in ceremony documents, FYI) papers.

Big Day

This morning, Mick and I are headed to downtown Detroit for Mick's 8:30 appointment to take his U.S. Citizenship exam. He will be asked 10 questions out of a pool of a possible 100 and must answer 6 of those 10 correctly. He will also have to demonstrate that he is capable of speaking & writing English.

I have quizzed Mick on these questions about a half dozen times over the past few days and I have no doubt he'll pass with flying colors. The fact that Mick focused his undergrad studies on American Politics and his graduate studies on the American Presidency certainly doesn't hurt things. I can say (a bit sheepishly) that Mick knew the answers to questions that stumped me, despite me having about eight or nine years of formal civics/history education.

I can't sufficiently express what this day means to us, though I can tell you it feels as if it has taken forever to get here. We have been through years of paperwork, sent in a hefty amount of fees, and Mick has provided countless samples of his fingerprints and biometric scans. He has been incredibly patient and thorough.

Once he is granted citizenship, Mick will finally be able to exercise his right to vote; I'll simply be relieved when Mick is able to share the same citizenship status as Jack and I.

It's unlikely we'll find out the actual results of the exam today, but I feel pretty confident that we'll know by the time Mick is done whether he passed the test with at least 60% proficiency.

We'll post again later today.

36 Hours with Daddy

After having spent much of the last three weeks visiting my parents while Mick has been doing a TON of travel, we are all home together this weekend for some much-needed family time. The time is limited though: Mick returned home from a week in San Francisco at 2:00 am Saturday morning and he leaves this afternoon around 3:00 for the airport for another business trip.

Prior to Mick's arrival home here Saturday morning, I calculated that Mick had seen Jack a total of three days since July 12 and has only had five full days at home since then. He's been piling up those frequent flier miles though with trips to Boston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, upstate NJ, and San Francisco. Tonight he heads to New Jersey for an early-morning meeting tomorrow and then he's off to Manhattan for a Tuesday meeting. He returns home Tuesday night (hooray!) and doesn't have any more air travel until then end of August.

With Mick away for so much of the last few weeks, it gave me and Jack the perfect opportunity to go spend some time with Grammy & Papa without missing out on Daddy time. It was SO nice to have my parents' help with Jack in the mornings and the evenings. He's a handful - definitely giving me a run for my money as he makes his way into the "two's." It's hard to believe his second birthday is coming up in less than two weeks!

We've got a fun August planned with a visit from Mick's mum for a few weeks as well as five days away up north with my family. The one mandate for Mick is some much-needed R&R. I'll be ensuring that the golf clubs make the trip up to our vacation destination - he deserves a break!

Fair Week

I know, I know, it's been a long time since the last post. I got a little behind in June and then I kept thinking "I'm not going to post about what we did today until I go back and post what we did two weeks ago." This morning, while in the space between fully asleep & fully awake, I thought of the lesson my sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade math teacher, Mr Totten, always repeated to us regarding unfinished homework assignments: "Keep up, catch up." He told us we'd never be current on our homework unless we did the present day's assignment and then completed a missing assignment. So I am going to apply that very good lesson to the blog: I'm going to start keeping current with the posts while also going back in time a bit to post pictures and stories about what we've been up to (Mick's and my long weekend in Florida, our trip to England with my parents, summer activities with Jack, etc.).

This week, Jack and I are staying up north with my parents while Mick has a week of travel. (Boston for two days and then to Vegas on Thursday for a long weekend to be part of a bachelor party... lucky guy!) I figured this would be the perfect time to visit as it's the week of the annual county fair. I avoided the fair when I was growing up here, but now that I've got a son, the fair takes on a different meaning. Instead of focusing on the questionable "carnies," I'm taking Jack so he can see all of the animals in the agricultural part of the fair.

Last night, we took our first trip to the fair, along with Marcus and Deagan (we were so excited to be able to go with the two of them; I think it made it so much more fun to see all three of the boys together!). First, we watched the kids' competition for the "costume class" of horses. Think Halloween for horse and rider. We saw a girl dressed as a princess with her horse outfitted like Pegasus (complete with wings), a few boys as knights who came with their horses equally decked out, and -- the winner -- a girl who had a shower cap on her riding helmet and had a box around the horse that looked like a bathtub. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures so it doesn't sound very good, but it was a cute and original costume.

After the competition, Jack really got into the swing of things. He took Marcus' hand (very willingly - which shocked me since he refuses to hold my hand as everything is "SELF!") and walked through the exhibit hall with all of the cows. He and Marcuses were amused when we found a cow that responded to my calls of "moo!" with a much heartier "moo" of his/her own. (I'm sure people had me pegged as a city girl.)

We also saw all of the goats and sheep (I couldn't tell them apart, but luckily Marcus' grandma was there to help me identify which was which). Once we met up with Deagan and Shelby (Marcus & Deagan's cousin on their mom's side) we went to see the horses which was fun because Jack and Deagan both perfected their "neigh" sounds... which strangely sound like MOO! We also went to see the ducks and turkeys (which the kids were mesmerized by), the rabbits, and the pigs. While we refreshed ourselves with some lemonade, we were able to peek into one of the tracks to see the harness racing. I'd always wanted to see this when I was younger, but given that I avoided the fair, it never happened. It was good to watch a few minutes last night until my allergies got the better of me and I had to move away.

We plan to head back today so there may be more pictures to come. (The following pictures were taken with my phone, so aren't the greatest quality, as I conveniently left my camera at home.)

Marcus showing Jack the goats/sheep

The "babysitters": Marcus with Jack and Shelby (cousin) with Deagan

Jack & Deagan enjoying the ducks

Marcus & Jack enjoying a much needed rest and drink of lemonade