Birthday Boy

Last week was Jeter's birthday. He is 3 years old now! I can't hardly believe it. He has been so much fun and such a handful, but we wouldn't want it any other way. He gets into mischief, does naughty things all the time, but is so sweet, hilarious, and lovable. We can't even hardly get mad at the kid because he makes us laugh when we're supposed to be mad. He has the sweetest smile and he really does make everything better when he apologizes. Some of the things he loves and we want to remember about him right now:

He loves playing outside
He likes to get dirty now :)
He says he's super fast like Dash (boy on Incredibles)
He wants to go everywhere with his Daddy
He loves pretending to go to work, school, and the beach
He loves to ride his bike
Loves playing with friends (which include a range of 3-14 year olds)
Loves to come crawl in bed with Mommy and Daddy during the night
He loves monster trucks, all kinds of games, and all sports
Loves playing tag
Loves motorcycles
Favorite food is steak
Loves meats
Loves going to parks
Always has to have a snack before bed
Loves his naps (he tells us he's really tired and that he needs a nap)
Loves to draw, color, paint, and do his homework(draw in his notebook)
When he doesn't want to do something that we ask, he says, "I don't understand, I'm just a little boy."
Plays rough with everything, including his little sister.
He has a "big dance" that he does just for Mommy and Jerzi.

A look back:

Newborn

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Happy 3rd Birthday!!!
He was so excited to open some of his presents. He got a new powertools workshop so he can "work".

When we lived in New York for a month, Jeter got to ride one of these while we were there and he fell in love with it. But what he actually wanted was a battery powered motorcycle-and thought he was getting one for his b-day. Well, no such luck, so we hoped this would take his mind off of the motorcycle. We thought our plan worked as he opened up all his presents. He was happy and loving life. Then after Had went to work, Jete said to me, "Mommy is that all of my presents?" I said yes and he said, "No, what about my motorcycle?" Oh i felt so bad and felt like crying. But he actually does love his little car and goes to all sorts of make believe places, and takes Jerzi for rides in it all the time. And now, no mention of the motorcycle. :)

We had a picnic at a park with some of his friends and had cake and ice cream.

This is usually the response i get whenever i ask him to look at the camera, or to say cheese, and that's why i don't have any good pictures of him.
Jeter wanted a monster truck cake for his birthday this year. He loves monster trucks right now and loves to watch them on TV. Since i never really watch them and had no clue what a monster truck course looked like, Had came up with a plan of how he wanted me to make the cake. So in case you can't tell, that's a monster truck course with Jete's favorite monster truck Gravedigger, and Maximum Destruction on it, getting ready to race.

Jete was so excited about his cake (along with a couple of his friends) and thought that it was a real course, so we let him and his friends drive the course and smash the cars and go over the jumps. It was so fun making this day special for him. We love to see him so happy and excited over such simple things. Happy Birthday Jeter-boy! We love you!!!

Seattle in May

Ignore the fact that it's now July and I'm posting about May. We just got back a couple weeks ago from our 2 month long excursion from one end of the country to the other, and I've gotten things unpacked, we've settled into our old routines, and pics downloaded to the computer now.

For the month of May we went out to Seattle (Lake Forest Park), Washington and stayed with Hadley's Aunt Jill and Uncle Mike and their family while Had did an externship there. We couldn't have asked for nicer hosts than them. They were great and it was fun getting to spend time with them and getting to know them better. I just want to write about some of the things we did and how we spent our month for journaling purposes, so feel free to ignore all the writing.

Had spent most of the days working, so me and the kids spent most of the days with Jill and Addy, while their boys were at school. We played outside when it wasn't raining and this is one thing that was love at first sight for Jeter. He rode this thing just about everyday. And when he didn't get to ride it because it had rained the whole day, he would tell me at the end of the day, "Oh no Mommy, I gotta go ride the motorcycle. I haven't even rode it today!" He loved it and made a little race track for himself. Then he would beg us to come race him. We would run beside him. Fun times. It was a pretty fast little bugger too, it has a turbo button and it can haul going down their hill. (He now wants one for his birthday and they don't make these anymore.)

We also got to be there while their boy Jake got baptized. It was cool to get to be to such a special event for him, especially since we miss all sorts of things like that living away from family. Had's grandma and grandpa were able to come to it as well, so we got to see even more family.

This family that we stayed with is a very sporty, active family. On the weekends, all three of their kids had baseball games, and we went from one kid's game to another. It gave us a glimpse of what our life will most likely be like in the near future. I loved it! I was bad at taking pictures but i did get one when we were leaving the baseball field. Both kids were happy as can be!

There's a lake right by their house with a trail that goes all around it. I went running on it a few times and we took the kids out for a walk around it one night. Mike and Jill took us out on their boat one day too. It was so beautiful. I could get used to living next to a lake real easy.

Our sweet little girl, found her tongue this month.

Daddy and Jerzi playing while Jete plays on the toys

Of course on our walk back home it started to rain.

A few other things we did that i don't have pictures for, but are still noteworthy....

-drove to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to watch Kenzie, Had's little sister, play in her state softball tournament.
-stayed in a house on the lake in Coeur d'Alene with Had's family
-got to see his Mom and Dad and and their families
-got to go running/work out at Jill's gym (thanks again Jill for the VIP pass)
-see the Washington Huskies campus where Mike coaches
-eat at a great little Mexican restaurant, Todo Mexico
-play baseball and basketball with the kids
-beat Had and Jake in a 2 on 2 game of basketball
-watched Biggest Loser, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and the NBA playoffs with their fam (with a big thanks to their DVR)
-helped Mike and Jill move from one house to another (we weren't too much help though. Had was gone all day, and I had two little munchkins to try and keep out of the way.)

It was a good month and we just want to say thanks again Mike and Jill for letting us come crash your place for a month so we didn't have to be apart for the whole month. You guys were a huge blessing to us!

A Few Recommendations for Happiness

This past week i have learned (or relearned) a few things that make me happy and thought that i should share them with you all.

1)Take away all the toys and play with your kids. Now that we're in New York, without hardly any toys or anything to do, both Jeter and Jerzi's personalities are coming out more and more. I can't believe how Jete's imagination just started growing like crazy. I am loving playing with these two and seeing what new things they do each day.

2)Lindt Lindor Truffles. Oh man, these are freaking good!

3)Go out for a run, preferably in the rain. It makes you feel amazing!

4)If you want your baby to sleep through the night, let them cry it out. If you think you're too tired and that it will be easier to just hurry and get up, feed her, and go back to sleep, I promise, it will be worth it in a few days when you get a full night sleep without waking up once. Yay for sleeping through the night again, finally!





5)If your 2 year old asks you for something to eat, don't ignore him. He'll find a way to get it without your help.

Exhibit A:

6)Four people living in a one bedroom apartment is not going to kill you, like i once thought.
(But i wouldn't recommend it.)





7)Plan a vacation. Even if it's not gonna happen for awhile, it will still put a smile on your face.

Cleveland Carnival

When we were in Cleveland for the month of April, we went to some sort of Cleveland Carnival/Fair thing with some of our friends. It had a tiger show, all sorts of rides, and peeps trying to get you to play their dumb games. Our friend only lost like 30 bucks trying to win a huge stuffed tiger that was too big to even put in his house. HAHA We did make friends with one of those dudes cuz he liked Jeter's name. He gave Jete and Jerzi free stuffed animals. Jete was a little scared at first to go on any rides, but after we forced him to go on a couple, he loved it. We had to drag him out of the place when it was closing. Jerzi even liked it and got to go on a ride.

One Month: Done

Hadley is going on externships this whole year off and on, for a month at a time. He had an externship in Denver for the month of March, so we all packed into the car and drove across the country. We dropped him off and me and the kids went on to Idaho for the whole month. Wow! One month being away from each other was the hardest thing ever. At least I got to be with family. Poor Had only had one little TV in a big empty house to himself.


We definitely hated being away from him, but we did manage to have some fun too. :) I was terrible at taking pictures while we were home, so here are just a few random ones that don't even come close to depicting our month in the good ol' west. And oh, how I love the west!

Jete's teachin Jerzi how to play games on Linz's itouch. What a good big brother.

Some of my sisters were able to come visit while I was there, and we had a fun weekend together. Here we are right before we got busted from the security guy. He told us we couldn't take pictures in the mall, and after we told him we were doing a scavenger hunt, he told us we couldn't do that in there either. Who knew? HAHA We didn't want that to ruin our fun, so we went ahead and did it anyways. We just had to be sneaky about it and make sure to hide from all "securidads". Good times.

Grandpa Pocock with Jerzi and her cousin Deegan

Jete and Cole, his twin separated at birth, got to play together a few times. They're only a couple weeks apart and they really do act just like each other, right down to them shaking their little booty as they eat. Don't ask me what Jete is doing in this picture. I tell them to say cheese and Cole smiles, Kallie busts out a pose, and Jete does that. haha

Little Miss Jerzi Girl started eating solids while we were there! I wanted to wait until we got back so Had could be there, but I couldn't handle her getting up every two hours in the night, especially since Jete was also waking up a few times each night too. I was exhausted pretty much the whole month.

Getting ready for church (mainly i just like the outfit) :)

We got to spend a lot of time with family. My sister came over from Boise and stayed with us for a week so her little girl Saylor and Jeter got to play a lot together, and cause a lot of mischief. Sorry about all the mini beads that will never come out of your carpet Mom. Just think, now it shimmers. :) We also went and stayed with one of my sisters and her family in Utah. Jete loves his "new friends" or cousins as some peeps call them, and can't stop talking about them. It was fun to just chill for a week with them. We visited a lot with Had's family too. I think both kids loved being in Idaho cuz there was always someone there to entertain them. It was a pretty good trip, then Had made it even better by surprising us and coming home a day early. We stayed there for another week with him, then made the long drive back to Cleveland.

We made it back to Cleveland in about 4 days, and the day after we got home, it was sunny and warm. Then I won that one award, Mom of the Year..........

Oh wait, nope! Poor little guy. Sorry Jeter!
He was so excited to play outside since it was cold in Idaho the whole time. I let him play outside the whole day.

Naughty and Nice

NICE
Jerzi will be 4 months old this week! I can't believe it. It has gone by super fast and she is getting sweeter and cuter I feel like by the second. A few things about our sweet little girl:

-She laughs out loud now (3 months)
-She can roll over
-She has stopped screaming when we put her in her carseat. She can actually fall asleep in the car now.
-She smiles like crazy if you look at her.
-She loves attention.
-She weighs about 14 lbs.
-She still gets big "scared" eyes when Jete comes near her. (Usually because he's running at her. He loves to scare her and make her jump.)
-She's had 3 colds and 3 ear infections in her short little 4 month life.
-She loves to give us kisses/eat our faces and Jete thinks its the greatest thing ever. He sticks his face and head in hers all the time cuz "she wants to give me tisses Mommy."
-If she doesn't have her binky in her mouth, she sucks on her first knuckle.
-She loves to cuddle with Mommy to take naps. (If i actually get to lay down and take one.)
She's so sweet and we can't get enough of this girl.



She hasn't lost any of her hair, it's still dark, thick, and growing! Yes, i do love it.

Dressing her is more fun than i imagined it would be. Little girls clothes are so stinkin cute! I look forward to this every day. She is a very good girl to just lay there while i try outfits on her and mix and match stuff.

Here she is wearing her first pigtails at 3 months. (I'm sure i could have put them in before that, i felt it might be a little cruel though.)

She loves to talk. She's got a lot to say, and we love listening to her babble.
She also smiles like crazy now, but stops as soon as i go to take her picture. She must be a McArthur! This is as close to a smile as i could get. She's talking to me right here. :)

She's got loads of hair. I want to do it in all sorts of cute ways but she's too wiggly. Her 3 piggies were pretty cute and fun though.

She's got the cutest blue eyes, to go along with her brother's and Daddy's.

NAUGHTY
Very Naughty

Then there's Jeter. He's 2 1/2. Need I say more?


This happened in the amount of time it took me to get Jerzi dressed. Yep, every article of clothing out of his dresser! This is his "Aww crap, she caught me" face. I was taking a picture and sending it to Had to show him what the little punk did, and what he was missing out on. I go downstairs and find....

that Jete found my hot glue gun, plugged it in, and started shooting it. When i caught him with that, took the picture (cuz my camera was already in my hand from the last disaster) he jetted off to the bathroom, and locked himself in. By the time i grabbed a toothpick to unlock the door and come back to open it, he was letting himself out, with a funny look on his face. I scanned the bathroom real quick to look for damage. All that i saw was a new tube of toothpaste...then noticed a big ol' squeeze out of it. Minty fresh breath for Jete! :)

So another thing about Jete, he hates the cold/snow. I ask him each day if he wants to go play outside, go sledding, or build a snowman. Every time he tells me no and that he doesn't like the snow. Well one day I asked him and he finally said that he wanted to go sledding. I was super excited and we got him all bundled up. I was laughing my head off as i was dressing him cuz he looked like the kid on The Christmas Story with his snowsuit, and walked like him too. His gloves were to big and he kept telling me that they fit, but his fingers weren't in any of the finger holes. Turns out his boots are too small too. Anyways, so i finally got him all dressed and we walk out to our garage to get the sled, and as soon as we get to the garage, he says, "No, No, No, I'm done! I wanna go in."

He wasn't happy about having the wind blow on his face. HAHA

I told him to get in the sled so i could at least pull him back to the door. I got the old "talk to the hand" response.

He sat and waited by the door until i came to open it for him. All that bundling up so we could take a walk out to the garage (about 50 feet away) and back. Plus, check out that cute bummy. HAHA LOVE IT!!!

Most of the time Jete is pretty naughty. He's started telling us no (more like yelling it), doesn't go to bed good anymore, doesn't listen to us, and doesn't like when we pay attention to Jerzi and not him. It's a hard stage, but he can be pretty sweet sometimes too i guess. When Jerzi is crying he says, "Here Mommy, I'll hold her." He gives the best kisses and hugs, and tells me he loves me all the time. He tells Had that he misses him all the time, and is always trying to give Jerzi his toys. He's full of energy and is always making me laugh with the funny things he says.

We love these two little munchkins so much!

Competition? Bring it on!

Hadley's school hosted a 3 on 3 coed basketball tournament. Wahoo! We love playing with each other, and haven't really done that since we lived in Idaho. It was an all day tournament, and we just had one sub....just the way we like it. :) (I never want to sub out, hehe). Anyways, we got our team together, and we actually were a little worried that this was a tournament that we might not win. We played some good teams too, but not to worry, with 4 people on one team that are just as competitive as me and Had, we came out the champions!

Our team (they forgot to order me a shirt, how rude) undefeated

Little Rascals = domination

Had shoots...... he scores.

Had tryin to set a pick for me,.....yeah, i left to soon.

Our fan club!