Happy 6th Birthday, Jackie!

Wow!  And just like that, our baby is 6 years old today.  Jackie finished his second year of pre-K last month, and will start Kindergarten in August.  He likes "friendship toast" (French toast), he loves to dance, he loves wrestling, any kind of microphone, and singing along to Ed Sheeran and Kelly Clarkson.  He is such a gentleman and always showers me with plenty of love and affection.  His compliments are heart-warming.  His anecdotes are inspiring.  He prays every night, and each time I hear his sweet voice thanking God instead of asking for something, it is a special gift to experience.  

Happy 6th birthday to our funny, kind, thoughtful, and awesome boy.  I love you, Jackson Donald Rinella.

6 year old Favorites:
Song: All the Gold in California (Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers Band)
Movie: Trolls
Color: Red
Food: Pizza
Restaurant: Osaka Japanese Steakhouse
Thing at School: learning new stuff
Summer Activity: Swimming lessons and going to the park
Sport: Baseball

6 YEARS OLD

VIDEO COMPILATION

Life in Fast Forward

I started this post one year ago, and then never finished.  A true running metaphor for my life.

September 2015
Well, that was one Loooooooong leave of absence now, wasn't it?

You guys.  I really feel like someone came along and just vacuumed up any "spare" time I thought I had.  And those spare time vacuumers aren't very considerate, they could have at least helped with the laundry or the dusting while they were here.

Things have been all sorts of fun, crazy, uplifting, terrifying, mind-boggling--and all the other words--over here.  Since I last posted last summer (gulp), a LOT has been going on.  After I looked at the date of my last post, I realized that it corresponded perfectly with the end of Jackie's naps.  Yep, right after he turned three, he more or less (but technically more) decided that he was now up all day every day as my partner and sidekick.  A partner that can be bossy, dictate specific orders, and prefer to call all of the shots. Under this "boss," we hold meetings--some are planned, but many erupt last minute just when I thought I was getting ready to get catch up on some tv shows housework.  

A few odds and ends about Jackie right now

His current obsession with bathroom talk.

J: I tooted Mommy and it's stinky.
Me: What do you say?
J: Pinch your nose.

J: Mommy, we don't say poop or boogers when we talk, right?
Me: Well, those aren't really pleasant words, we only really talk about them when we're in the bathroom or something.
J: Yeah, only dogs talk about poopie.  And dragons.
Me: ...

Other Notable Quotes:

After being asked to stop whining, Jackie blurts out "I'm not perfect!" (can you tell a teenager lives in our home?)

Getting ready to leave the house, I hear him bellow to me from the car, Mommy, where are my shoes?!  to which I replied, they're coming! to which he informed me, "Mommy, shoes can't walk."

For a solid 6 months, Jackie sang the Alphabet song, "...QRS DVD WXY and Z.

If Jackie is cold, instead of goose bumps, he says he has a goosey bum.

*************************************************
Now.  Fast forward a YEAR!

September 2016
A lot has happened again, and here it is almost FALL.  Our favorite season! It's the weather changing, the anticipation of the holidays, and my personal fave...crock pot meals. And by the way, if you're not using those shower caps in your slow cookers, you've been missing out--the clean up is easy and breezy.  I love progress.

Jackie is now 4 years old and in pre-kindergarten 3 days a week. He loves school, his teachers and his classmates. He enjoys practicing tee ball and soccer in the yard.  He loves superheroes.  And his favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz.  He wants to be the Tin Man for Halloween. He knows all the words to all the songs, complete with all the choreography, and he's like, two props and a pair of ruby slippers shy of staging the whole production. 

I am back to work 3-4 days a week and feeling so accomplished. Phil is playing softball, and we are busy with work and fantasy football, and Kayleigh is thisclose to getting her driver's license. [Pause for prayer here.] ;)

Times, they are a-moving.

Happy Fall, Friends!
Love, Karen

Stop Train Stop!

This post is inspired by a little book I read to Jackie.  It couldn't have come at a better time.

Thomas was tired of having to make stops throughout his day, and thought it would be easier if he could just go from beginning to end without stopping.

After completing the journey, something was wrong because the passengers weren't happy and neither was Thomas.  He missed out on the boy who always waved in Knapford, the friendly cow that mooed in Elsbridge, and the people getting on and off the train cars in beautiful Hackenbeck.

From then on, Thomas traveled not too fast and not too slow, and stopped at every station.

I know this book is an early reader intended to give children a fun and predictable plot with simple vocabulary, but of course, I had to read into it a little further.

Some days things feel really hard going from station to station, and we search for ways to make it easier.  We look for shortcuts or sympathy.  There are days we wanna scream, "My name is Wes and I'm not in this mess!!" (sorry to any actual Weses out there)

But Thomas reminded me that the journey is living for each moment, whether exciting or ordinary, pleasurable or painful.  I needed this little inspiration today, and I will try and remember that when things get challenging, if we got to bypass it all, it wouldn't be the same ride in the end.

Here are some pictures from Jackie's 3rd birthday celebration.  Have a great day, friends!