Rollin' with my homies

Meet Winks the elephant and Blackie the bear. These two have become new favorite friends of mine!








When it's time for bed, you better have them ready for me!

A note from management...

Re: incident last night between 12am and 3am

Dear Jack Barnes,

Last night's unfortunate episode has management concerned. In recent months, we've been very pleased with your sleeping habits. However, in the last several nights you've demonstrated an unwillingness to be soothed by common methods. Your parents are understanding and accommodating when it comes to the occasional bad dream or teething episode. Last night's schenanigans defied all parental logic. You've never required such exhaustive measures before, which has management wondering if some additional sleep training might be helpful? To babysit a previously well adjusted toddler for several hours in the middle of the night is simply not good use of management's time, and the need to do so in he future will likely reflect poorly in your trainee file. Parental bragging rights about having a "good sleeper" are in danger of being rescinded if a return to normal sleeping behavior is not noted promptly.

Sincerely,
The Management

Hollywood

Feel free to provide your own caption, as long as it addresses how adorable I am!

Who's cool?

My mom is cooler than your mom.   Want to know why?  Because MY mom will cough up plenty of quarters for an unemployed guy like me to ride the rides at the mall.   (When I'm 30 and unemployed, and she's coughing up cash to pay my car payment, it won't be so cute.   I better enjoy it now!)

16 Months!

So today, I'm 16 months old!  I think I'm pretty big stuff, and am enjoying the independence that has come with my increased mobility.  Here are some things I'm doing right now:

1.   Turning in a picky eater.  Even more so than before.  I have an opinion, and will not be persuaded to eat anything I'm not really feeling.   Pancakes used to be a hit, and now they are hit or miss.    Fruit is always welcome, and meat or vegetables have to be handled very sneakily.  I have serious texture issues, and pasta is the worst offender.   Why can't everything taste like chocolate goldfish?  (see above pic)
2.  I'm still a great sleeper!  Mom was worried that all the fireworks would wake me up last week, but I slept right through them.   When it's time for me to go to sleep at night, I'm really good about snuggling right in, and conking out.  No crying or fuss.   See you in the morning!
3.  I'm going to be a great swimmer.   I love my little pool, and you can find me out there most afternoons or evenings if it's not too hot.   The dog thinks my pool is big water dish, and when he stops by for a drink, I think its hysterical.
4. I love to wrestle!  Mom, Dad, or cousins- it doesn't matter with who.   I still don't have a concept of how large my head really is, so watch out!  I'll probably head-butt you by accident.
5.  I love to throw things.   Fun for when I'm playing with balls, but not fun when I throw my sippy cup across two pews at church.  People tend to frown on that.
6.  I'm a big helper.   I will follow your simple directions, and expect a round of applause when I perform my task.  I'm good at taking things to the trash (especially diapers) and will even throw my toys away when I'm done with them!  The concept of what is and isn't trash still confuses me...
7.  I like q-tips and napkins.   When given a q-tip, I'll clean my ear.   When given a napkin I will wipe my ears.   Ears must be really dirty!
8.  I have sort of a problem with the sippy cup.  I'm what they call an addict, and Mom is making me face my 'addiction' by limiting my access.   I don't have a problem, and I can quit any time I want to! There's nothing wrong with being properly hydrated.
9.  I'm still a people person, and don't really have an issue making new friends.  Stores, restaurants-  I like to meet people everywhere we go.  Mom says we need to have a talk later about stranger-danger, whatever that is.
10. I'm not really interested in talking much yet, but know exactly how to get ahold of a parent:  I just yell "Mah!"  or "Dad-Dad" and they come!   Pointing at what I want seems to help too.

Well, that's all for now.  Stay tuned for more of my adventures! 

Love,
Jack

Jack in the box

Sometimes the best fun happens with a Dad and a cardboard box...

Vacation!

When Mom and Dad travel, they do it right.   Not only did I get whisked away on a great vacation, there were two great trips in one!   First, Mom and I flew to Texas to see Grammy and Grandpa Huffman, and spend some time with my aunts, uncles, and cousins.   Boy, there were a lot of them!

First, lets talk about airplanes.   Mom was really nervous, because I'm kind of a busy guy.  You can't cage this kind of enthusiam!  We left early in the morning, and I slept from Raleigh to Charlotte.  From Charlotte to Austin, the nice gate agent was able to find an empty seat for me, so I wouldn't have to sit on Mom's lap the whole time.  Mom says that agent deserves a gold medal, because I was able to play and keep myself somewhat entertained.   I didn't nap, but I wasn't naughty, so Mom counts that as a total win.

 I loved hanging out with my Grandpa Huffman, who totally understood me and my need for all things John Deere.   He helped me read books, and had some good "boy" time together.  I love my Grandpa!

Mom says this is one of her favorite pictures from the Texas trip-   Me and a couple of my cousins, playing in the new tower that Grandpa built.  The old one got burned up in the big fire, but the new one is bigger and better than ever.  I'm too small for the slide, but soon.....

After 5 days in sunny Texas, it was time to fly to Myrtle Beach, where we would meet Dad at the airport.   A couple sunny days at the beach were just what everyone needed.   I was able to play with my NC cousins, and discover how much I love the pool!!  The ocean was just sort of 'meh,' but the pool was where it was at!   (Sorry, no pics.   Mom and Dad were having fun WITH me!)

 No trip to Myrtle Beach is complete without a trip to the Bass Pro Shops on the way out of town, and of course, the "Farm Toy" store at Broadway at the Beach.  I didn't get this cool tractor, but I did get a cool hat like Dads!

 The trip home left a little to be desired.  It started out smooth enough, with me being completely exhausted, and crashed out in the car seat.   About two hours into the ride home, I deteriorated into a sobbing mess, and could only be consoled with a Dum-Dum sucker.  Smart moms carry those for emergencies, I've discovered.  I must remember that one, and exploit it again in the future... After the sucker was gone, an emergency trip to Dairy Queen was next.  Little did I know that that ice cream cone would be the last cool thing I would have in a while.....

When we got home,  fate had another cruel blow in store for me-  no A/C!   Our house was hot as the blazes!   Mom and Dad had to buy something called a "compressor" and it cost a pretty penny.   Long story short, it took four days to get fixed, and I "slept" in only a diaper for a few nights.  I'm a good sleeper, but even that pushed the limits of my patience.  It was pretty tough.   The only blowing fan in the house got put in my room, so I must rate pretty high with someone.   I think it might be Mom.  Luckily, Target will let you shop in their store for over 4.5 hours, and we (Mom) may or may not have done that out of desperation.

The cool swimming pool I got made the situation a little more bearable, and I've been enjoying the water ever since!   The new aquatic center next to our house opens in August, and I'm told that we will be purchasing memberships?   Sweeeeeeet!!!!   Come join me at the pool!

Thanks Mom and Dad for the fun trip, and I look forward to our next adventure....

Ready for the lake

- Posted from Mom's iPhone

15 Months!

 Today, I am officially 15 months old!   Here are some things I'm into now:

1. Knocking.    I like to knock on everything, especially closed doors.   You never know what kind of fun you're being prevented from experiencing!

2. The two-step.   I'm a master crawler, and will stand up on my own.   Those first two steps are exhausting though, so it's back to what I know best-   my recently mastered crawling skills!

3. Dancing!  I love to dance, and my favorite dance tunes are Choo-Choo Soul, and the theme from Chuggington.   Jake and the Neverland Pirates will do in a pinch.

4. Waving.  I wave at everyone.  EVERYONE.  My favorite people to wave to are grocery store patrons.

5. Trucks.  Everything can be used as a truck, and I'll provide the truck sounds complimentary.  (See above)

6. My red wagon.   Dad has to park it in a secret place in the garage, because if I see it in passing, I can't think of anything else!  Mom and Dad take me for dinner picnics at the park, and my wagon is the perfect vehicle for me and all my gear.  You can fit a lot of Jimmy Johns in that other seat!

7. Chips and Salsa.   Our weekly Friday night outing to Tortilla Flats has taught me how to eat like my friends south of the border.   Crunchy and salty.  A winning combination!

Next week, Mom and I are flying to Texas to meet up with the family!  I get to see all my cousins, and get doted on by my Grammy Huffman.   From Texas we fly directly to Myrtle Beach where we will meet Dad for a few days of sun and surf!  I haven't been to the beach since I was four months old, so I'm well overdue.   I'm really looking forward to vacation, and flying on the big airplane again.   I'll be sure to let everyone know on the plane how excited I am by wiggling a lot and screaming gleefully! 

They see me rollin...

I'm going to walk on my own almost any day now! I take a tentative step or two, but the confidence is building....