houpley

Here are some of the different things that I love, adore, or cherish about my wife. Waking up to just the right amount of light. Always being needed for directions and percentages. Agreeing that farming out the house and yard work was a good Valentines/Anniversary gift. Finding a mint chocolate chip shake in the freezer for no reason at all. Finding little notes that says miss you any time she takes off for the weekend. Never eating the same meal twice...even if she tries to. Hearing her laugh.... That last one is the real reason that she is the best. Her laughter can be heard across a crowded auditorium and it is side splitting. I feel like I am the funniest man on earth on any given night. I hope this blog gives you guys a little bit of insight into how witty, funny, and sweet Amanda is- because I consider myself uber lucky to see it all the time.

After a long day, we finally crawl into bed exhausted. Eric breaks out his nightly crossword and I start to drift off. It's a glamorous life we live. "Good night." "Night, babe." "Love you." "Love you, too." ... (long pause ...) "But, I will love you even more if you know the guy who wrote Metamorphosis?" "Kafka." "Yes!" Happy anniversary to us.

"Jackson, it's time to hop up and get dressed for school." "Wait, mama. I've got to do my squeezes first." "Your squeezes?" "Yeah." He gets down on all fours and proceeds to do 10 of the most adorable push ups I've ever seen. After his set, he stands back up and walks toward me. "You're ready to get dressed now that you've finished your squeezes?" "Yeah." This kid's got discipline.

Delicious!

Look out world.

Standing outside of his closet, Jackson reaches his hand up to examine an article of clothing. "Mama? I want to wear this jean jacket." "Actually, that's not your jean jacket. Those are your overalls." "Can I put them on?" "Sure." I take the overalls off of the hanger and begin to unbuckle the straps. Without taking his saucer-sized eyes off of those dark denim overalls, he asks, "What are they going to do do to me?" "They are going to make you adorable."

Eric and I are nearing our eighth wedding anniversary (March 31st) and he still warms my heart every day. ~ For the last two weeks, I have been recovering from pneumonia. At first I thought it was just a cold and it is so hard to admit defeat, schedule an appointment, go to the doctor, miss work, blah, blah, blah. But eventually, my mom made me go and I was surprised to find myself in an exam room prepping for an x-ray. Looking for some sympathy, I text Eric that I'm about to go in for a chest x-ray. His response? "Can I get a copy?" ~ I've been out of commission and basically am of no use, so Eric has been doing his best to handle house, work, kid, etc. After supper, Eric is cleaning up the kitchen when Jackson flies into the room and this is Eric's instant and rushed response: "Whoa! What is that? Can you play with that? Wait. Does mama know you have that? I don't know, buddy. Hang on. Mama!" ~ "Let me lay some wisdom on you, boy." Eric r...

Night-night, party of five? Each night Jax goes to sleep with all of his "friends." This particular evening consisted of: the multi-tasking Lencho the Lion (from Emmy that converts to a pillow or blanket) Elmo (he is the irreplaceable constant) Jackson (the cruise director) Cookie Monster (the chatter-box from Sylvie) Lumpy (she's Winnie-the-Pooh's pal from Omi that has been in his crib from day one) Some nights we switch out a few companions and add Baby Doll (a Tennessee cheerleader from Sylvie) or Teddy Bear and Hillsboro the dog (both from Aunty Debbie). Does this kid ever get any sleep? Who were the must haves in your "night" life?

Jackson has a new joke. I use the word "joke" loosely. The bit goes like this. Were all three sitting together, maybe playing or enjoying a meal and Jackson tries to get your attention. "Mama! Mama! Mama!" "Yes, Jackson?" ... and the joke is that once he gets your attention he screws his mouth over to one side, juts out his chin, raises his eyebrows and makes a face as though he just didn't quite catch what you were saying and responds: "Hmm? Hmm?" and then he bursts into giggles. Get it? He's called you ... but now ... he can't hear you. That's the joke. Every time. He finds it even funnier when you play the joke on him as well.

Mama, what is Santa doing right now? He is feeding his reindeer.

Jackson has always been a good sleeper. At exactly 6 weeks he slept through the night. I remember it in vivid detail. We were visiting family at Petit Jean Mountain Resort during Labor Day weekend. Eric and I woke at 5:30 a.m. and silently shrieked that we had just enjoyed a good night's sleep. However, as everyone knows when the kid is sick, all bets are off. All previous behavior is moot. Last night, Jackson woke at 2 a.m. with a terrible ear ache. After rounds of pain relievers and comfort, it always ends with everyone in the same bed. Which means on my left I get to hear Eric softly snore the night away, while on my right Jackson steals every inch of my pillow. The only other one awake is the dog, who stares at me in the dark wondering if I might be interested in preparing him a 3 a.m. snack. He's game. Eventually everyone passes out and all is much better in the morning light. However, and I'm thinking most parents will agree here? The sleep cycle is ruined. Once they...

Mama, when I get big can I ... ... have pajama pants like yours? ... go with you on date night? ... have a big tool box? ... have daddy's tools? ... wear your shirt? ... drive? ... chew gum? ... be a zebra? ... have a car? Everybody has a dream.

Eric's measuring tape from work is a huge source of entertainment for a two-year-old. Jack loves to take it out and measure just about anything from the furniture to your upper arm. It can also make for interesting conversations. So, when he was hovering near the front door I asked ... "Jack, what are you doing?" "I'm measuring the front door." "Oh." "It's 408 pounds." "Oh, ok." And later, when the unruly measuring tape was wobbling out of control he furrowed his brow and noted ... "Mama, this measuring tape is just not behaving."

Perspective Jackson's recent class project involved taking milk cartons and building a giant igloo. That's a lot of 2%.

On the walk down the hall to Jackson's classroom, several students, parents and teachers from various rooms always say hello to him. They all know his name. And he returns the greeting. Kinda. Me: Man, you're very popular today. Jackson: Yes, and I always say, 'What?'

There's a new radio station in town that plays music from the mid to late 90s. On the way to school Jackson asked me: Mama, what music is this? This is supposed to be GenX music. Oh. Where does it live? It lives in Barton Coliseum.