Easter Monday

Jack had the day off from school yesterday for Easter Monday. He spent the morning hanging out in my office, watching movies and playing Monster Jam. Each time he visits, he makes his rounds to everyone's office -- making sure they know he's on campus for the day.

Our big treat is always going to the cafeteria -- who knew a hospital cafeteria could be so exciting? He grabbed a slice of pizza and a chocolate milk, and then left to spend the afternoon at home with John.

Hanging on my door today

 


 

Easter 2011

Jack, Ben and I went to Nashville last weekend to see Pop, Grammy and all the cousins. My goal was to make sure Jack spent as much time as possible with his cousins (all my Nashville friends, please don't read this and be annoyed I didn't call).

As much as Ben does everything he sees Jack do, Jack emulates everything he sees 7-year-old Ryan do. This past weekend, that meant launching bunny parachutes off the second floor balcony, trying to dunk a basketball and talking nonstop about the Nashville Predators. The Preds are now in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs -- a first-ever feat for the franchise -- and Ryan is a huge fan. Never mind that John has been watching the Preds religiously for months. NOW, Jack is a fan. He even asked me on the way home if we could listen to the Predators on the radio.

Overheard on Saturday morning:
Ryan, as he prepared the bunny parachute: "Holy Cow."
Jack: "Yeah, Holy Cow in the morning."

Huh?

It was also the first Easter that Jack got the "Jesus died on the cross" part. Until now, it was "Jesus wakes up!" Now, he told me, that Jesus died on the cross and woke up. He might have just been repeating what I told him earlier, but it was still music to my ears. I consider it my most important job in life: To raise boys who love God and want to serve Him. Just hope I get it right.

Jack and Grammy dyed a dozen eggs, all a different color.



Apparently, a Mettee tradition is to dip one egg in every color. Grammy made us a "Puke" colored egg. Of course, Ben slammed that egg against the floor the next morning. We'd expect nothing less, Ben. Really.

  

Easter morning pictures. We took them outside Celebration Lutheran, in the garden.



 

 



Playing around during Anna's soccer game









Picnic Time

Mary Beth and Dylan came over tonight for a couple of hours. The kids were able to play outside for a while and picnic on the patio.



John gives Dylan his nightly bottle, as Dylan struggles to stay awake





Three of my favorite kiddos





 

 

Dylan is starting to push up more and rolling over.
Still working on getting him to sit up on his own.



Lunch with Ruby

Jack's preschool celebrated Grandparents or Someone Special Day today. Aunt Ruby visited Jack at school and had lunch with him.

Third Day!

I think I was a junior in high school when my good friend Bo Dunkle introduced me to this band called Third Day. I've been a Third Day fan(atic) since. Got to see them last night at Hope Church -- the church John and I have been visiting. Best. Show. Ever.

Thanks to Katherine Whitfield for going with me. They played three songs she remembers from years ago. And I tried not to embarrass myself too much with all my giddiness.

Me, Katherine Whitfield and our friend Lauren McCann

Going and Going

I am in awe of Ben's energy. He keeps going and going, like no toddler I've ever seen. Today, we spent a couple of hours at the park with Ruby, Mary Beth and Dylan (where he tried to leap from playground equipment) came home, and then spent much of the rest of the afternoon playing in the sprinkler. He. Never. Stops.

Oh, but how I love that boy.

Almost home

Grammy and Pop are on their last leg of the long road trip from Arizona home to Nashville. They stopped to see us for lunch today.  Jack was a little confused because the camper isn't still in Arizona.

 



Pop and Grammy leave Cracker Barrel on their way home



Now what?

Jack was invited to his first playdate this weekend. I'm blogging so I'll remember this week -- a big one for me as a parent. My lesson: playdates rock. His friend, Josh, invited him over to play on Sunday. All morning, he asked me if it was almost time to go. I've never seen the boy so giddy.

After dropping Jack off, and learning that I didn't need to stay, Ben and I were off. Honestly, it took me a minute to reload and figure out what I could do with my afternoon. One kid seems so easy. Ben and I headed to Target and the park -- and spent some much-needed one-on-one time together. It's a rarity these days. I remember spending so much time with Jack, just us. And I wonder sometimes if I've slighted Ben because he doesn't get that attention. On the flipside, he gets Jack, and I think it's a pretty good trade off. If nothing else, we're always entertained.

I'm marking this date because it's one of the first times I saw real independence from Jack. When he hit the door of Josh's house, he was off. I went to find him 15 minutes later to say goodbye, and I'm pretty sure he ignored me when I did. Four hours later, I had to drag him to the car. And the next day, he asked me if he could go to school early to play with his friends. All my friends told me this day would come -- a time when my kids don't need me so much. And I'm every cliche: unnerved by how fast this really does go, sad to see him growing up, happy to see him growing up.

Looking forward to my next new adventure...