Jack and Cate Update -- September, 2008

Monday, September 1, 2008

Laura Cook had the nerve to come to our house and then promptly take a nap. Jonathan, however, was decidedly more social -- we practically had to peel Jack away from him.

Monday, September 1, 2008

I think Jack has found the little brother he'll never have. Jonathan seems appropriate dubious about the whole thing.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Look out! It's coming right for us!

Monday, September 1, 2008

If Jack has found a little brother, Cate has found a taller, slightly older sister.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Jack is so incredibly sweet when he's with little kids, it's almost hard to remember the many getting-ready-for-school and getting-homework-done petty atrocities from the previous week. Almost.

Monday, September 1, 2008

We hung the swing in the front yard about three months ago. Jack is still getting the hang of it.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Like the previous summer, Cate went to the Woodrow Wilson High School Cheer Camp, and they had the privilege of cheering during halftime of the school's first football game. During the first half, Cate and her friends (including Piper) occasionally watched football.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Because Cate was cheering, Jackson wanted to come to the game too. He apparently didn't realize it would be past his bedtime.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Jackson's little brother, Shriver, also came to the game.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Shriver is the only kindergartener that can simultaneous out-armwrestle both Jack and me. I'm making it a point not to cross him.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Jack and Shriver shared the same opinion of the marching band.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Jack and Jackson took the opportunity to catch-up on their reading. Just what do you expect two boys to be doing at a high school football game?!?

Friday, September 5, 2008

Grandma Irene was able to join us for the big event. It was nearly 8 PM, and Cate was showing the first signs of fading. Luckily, she only had another hour to wait until halftime.

Friday, September 5, 2008

"Everybody do the red rumble! Everybody do the red rumble! Everybody..."

Friday, September 5, 2008

"...rumble!"

Friday, September 5, 2008

Cate really wanted her photo with the Wildcat, but I didn't have the heart to tell her I only had my zoom lens. I could get Cate or the mascot but not both. I stand by my decision.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

After sitting idle in the garage for months, I finally coerced convinced Cate to ride her bike a little. She's still convinced, however, that she can't ride without training wheels because Grandpa Dick isn't here to help her.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Evidently, it takes three people to use a laptop. But why (oh why!?!) don't Jack and Cole get their own chairs?!?

Sunday, September 7, 2008

With Lisa on one of seemingly weekly vacations (this time to Canton for scrapbooking), I was amazed by how quickly the kids got ready for church. I told them to brush their teeth, pick out their own clothes, get dressed, and be ready to leave when I got out of the shower. And they did it! (Now I've gone and done it -- I'm getting all verklempt just thinking about it.) We had enough time that I was able to take a few photos before we left. (Actually, my biggest concern with Lisa away for the weekend was figuring out how to fill all the time I saved not repeatedly turning the thermostat back up to 78°.)

Sunday, September 7, 2008

The kids standing arm-in-arm was perhaps my greatest accomplishment of the morning. I had to resort to using a Jedi mind trick, but I think it was worth it..

Sunday, September 21, 2008

On a Sunday afternoon, Cole burst into our house to anxiously announce that Jack had fallen off his scooter. Lisa's initial reaction was "so what?" -- he's an expert in overly dramatic and down-right theatrical scooter falls. When she investigated, however, she found him crying in front of Louise's house, and he needed to be carried home. There, he wouldn't/couldn't straighten his knee, so Lisa applied ice and called our friend Francie to have a look. She recommended taking him to the ER (where the note was written). A mere 6 1/2 hours later (11 PM), he'd been diagnosed with a sprained knee, provided a pair of crutches, and sent back home. Lisa kept him home from school on Monday (I was in San Francisco for the week), but he was ready to run and scooter by Monday afternoon when Cole returned from school. By the next morning, however, Jack was sure he needed his crutches to get through the school day -- not coincidentally, he and most of the classmates thought the crutches were super-cool. He insisted on using the crutches for one more day of school, but he was done with them by the time I returned on Friday. Luckily, Lisa's iPhone was able to capture the pain and anguish of Jack's ordeal.

Friday, September 26, 2008

By the end of the month, Cate had lost her other front tooth (sans puppy this time). She lost the other front tooth five months ago and there's no sign a replacement is arriving soon -- this Christmas, she may be wishing for her two front teeth after all.