Overdue pictures

I have been meaning to do this for a long time, so while I have a free moment, here I go!

This is Jackson enjoying his first juice box ever. He got the hang of the straw surprisingly quickly.


Jackson "holding" his second cousin Shane in Connecticut.


Playing his "ding" (guitar).


Jack is going to be a pumpkin for Halloween. This is the first costume test.


Lucy is enduring a smothering. What a good kitty. :)


Jammin' to some tunes!


Someone got my letter. This is Jack 2 1/2 hours into his nap on Friday. I ended up waking him up at 4:30, and he reluctantly let me take him out of his crib by about 4:45. Now, if only long naps were a little more reliable!


Enjoying his lunch. With a broom on the table. He can never be too far away from his cleaning tools.

Enjoy! Have a great week! :)

My little alligator!

Or crocodile. Or maybe it's a dragon. Nevertheless, it's the cute little "ticker" at the top of the page. It automatically keeps track of your child's age (or whatever else you want to keep track of, actually). I'm a regular on some bulletin boards at a website called Babycenter, and I always have my little critter on my posts, so I decided to share him here too. And if you ever wonder how old Jackson is, you can just come here and get that information to the day! :)

Re: Jackson

To whom it may concern,

I would like to file a complaint regarding the young male child in our care. It seems as though the boy is requiring less sleep than he has in the recent past and has consequently reduced his two naps to one. This change took place without any notice and has severely disrupted our days. A warning of a few days or a week would have been very much appreciated. I would have found some consolation in the one remaining nap becoming longer, but it has not. You must not realize how much one can accomplish during naptime. When said naptime is as much as disrupted, much of the day's chores must be delayed until bedtime, which is not an ideal time to stay up late and work.
It is inevitable that the boy will eventually give up his one and only nap. Before this happens (which, frankly, better not be for at LEAST another year--two would be better), I would very much appreciate a memo regarding the impending change. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Erin Bennett
aka "the mom"

Bethel University, here I come....again

I am officially re-enrolled in my masters program to finish this tiny little paper they call a thesis. No big deal. Just 40 or 50 pages of fabulous writing on a pertinent issue in the field of literacy education. Seriously, it's pretty much done in my head. Just gotta get it on paper. Oh, bother. Nevertheless, I am officially a graduate student once more. And hopefully for the last time. Unless I decide to become a doctor. Yeah, that sounds like me!
Wish me luck. I'm not in student mode yet. :)

Oh no! She is a verb!

If you know me, you know I like the Food Network. I could sit and watch just about anything on that channel.

If you really know me, you know there is one show I actually can't sit down and watch. If this particular show is on, I absolutely have to change the channel. I'd rather watch football. The show is Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee.

Sandra Lee is just really annoying to me. And the concept of her show is rather odd. She makes meals, snacks, desserts, and cocktails with shortcuts--hence the "semi" in front of the "homemade." It seems like an interesting concept, but sometimes the long version of whatever she is making really is worth the effort. And again, she's just an annoying person. Blonde, too skinny, kind of snooty. You get the picture.

So I've got the Food Network on right now (Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals--another annoying person, but her recipes are worth the pain--it's really a whole other post...). Just before Rachael appeared, I saw a new commercial. A woman had made an impressive-looking meal and one of her guests says, "You didn't have to go to so much trouble!" and the host says, "Oh, I didn't--I Sandra Leed it!" Oh my gosh, you can't just say a name and make it into a verb! I have to say, if I were in the "biz," that would be a sure sign of my demise. So keep your ears open and please let me know if you hear of anything being "Erin Bennetted." Thank you.