Jessica Dennis's blog

Lovin' Planet Earth!

We spent part of the day Sunday at the Earth Day celebration on the Windsor Town Green--it was a lovely set up, with live music, tons of booths with activities for kids, and even jumpy houses! Jason had a blast, and it felt wonderful to enjoy the sun and the 78 degree weather!

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What's cool about this, is that Jason can now find and point out CA on a world globe--he's brilliant! :-)

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There was a big area with kid activities--this one was a large magnetic table, and Jason loved stacking the muts & bolts.

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Bubbles!! Always a hit!

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This was an exhibit about gravity---the washers would wobble down the long screw, and Jason couldn't wait to start all over. Seemed to be a "boy" favorite!

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Yay! Jumpy house! Jason was very pleased. I love that he has no fear--most of the other kids were at least 4 years old, but my little 2 year old didn't even hesitate!

Showing off his cheek painting (my creativity was remarkably lame) and saying "cheese". I need to teach the boy how to pose for photos!!

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With Christina!

Apr 19, 2010 10:51:43 AM

Rub-a-dub-dub!

Bathtime is always a favorite at my house. A couple of weeks ago, I started the water running and went down th hall to grab a new towel. When I got back, Jason had climbed in, clothes, socks, shoes & all!! Needless to say, he seems to enjoy getting clean.

Christina bought him these cool foam letters that, when wet, stick to the sides of the tub & the wall. He loves them, and he can name all of the alphabet! He also enjoys drinking the water, no matter how many times I tell him not to...in fact, I think it's because I say not to!

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Apr 18, 2010 10:58:14 AM

Howarth Park Fun!

Now that the weather is warmer, Howarth Park has opened up all their fun rides & activities on the weekends. There's a train, a carousel, a jump house, and even pony rides! Jason's first priority was the train ("Thomas the train" he insisted!) and then the carousel. Of course, once the horses started moving up & down, he jumped in to my arms!! He did much better on the actual pony, even yelling. "Giddy-up!" It's such a wonderful place to be able to spend an afternoon!

Apr 17, 2010 12:14:08 PM

Lazy Sunday Afternoon....

Ever have one of those moments that feels like you're in a movie, where each new minute seems more and more unreal, like it's just too perfect to be part if the messiness of real life? This was one of those for me.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and Jason and I were playing in the backyard. He proceeded to pull the cushions off the outdoor furniture, ran inside to get his favorite blanket, and came back out to plop down on his back. "Mommy, come here," he insisted, and I snuggled up next to him. He draped the blanket over our heads, laughing and saying we were "hiding". The sunlight filtered through the weave of the blanket, creating diamond-like sparkles on our skin---mesmerized, Jason tilted his hand back and forth in front of his face, whispering, "Look, Mommy! What is it?" His childlike delight was simply contagious, and I sat and marveled at the prettiness of the pinpoints of light right along with him.

Suddenly, Jason threw the blanket off our heads. "Tada!" We were lying on our backs in the warm sun, and he quickly pointed out his favorite object in the sky: the moon. I laughed and he pointed out a "jet airplane", and then we began watching the white fluffy clouds float by. For once, Jason's attention span lengthened, and we spent the next 10 minutes just watching the world pass over us. It was calm, and sweet, and precious. (I took pics with my cell phone...)

Our reverie ended when he jumped up, threw the blanket on as a cape, and began to "fly" around the backyard, back to his loud, energetic little boy self. Happy, happy days...

Watching clouds

With cape

Apr 16, 2010 11:55:05 AM

Random Photos...

Here are some fun pictures that I've uploaded from my cell phone or haven't really fit into my earlier categorizations...

At Piner (2)

Visiting Mommy's temporary math class for a minute--he's the cutest student ever!!

At Piner

Blowing out candles (4)

He loves blowing out candles--it's almost a nightly ritual!

Blowing out candles

Blowing out candles (2)

Jason eating peeps

Discovered this Easter that he likes Peeps, but only in a specific way: he bites their ears off! And that's it!

Jason wating no hands

Eating dessert with no hands. Unprompted. Sigh. SUCH a boy.

Easter in car

With his Easter basket in the car saying "cheese"...

Haircut

Getting his hair cut at the cool kids' place in Vegas--looking so fly!

Upside down with Katy

Hanging upside down with Aunt Katy...he kept shouting, "Again!" when she'd put him down!

Popcorn

I really wish this wasn't blurry, but it's still too cute!! Eating popcorn at Nanna's!

Bundled up...

All bundled up....despite 70 degree weather! He wouldn't get in the car without his jacket!!

On whale...

Riding the whale at the park...love his faux hawk!!!

Apr 16, 2010 10:52:41 AM

"I no like Bunnies!"

Driving to Vegas to visit family, Jason was happily occupied watching DVD cartoons in the back seat. After 5 hours of Richard Scarry's "Busytown", I made the executive decision to switch it up for awhile. In honor of the season, I reached back and popped in "Peter Cottontail"...only to be met with kicks and yells moments later.

"I no like bunnies!" Jason shouted from his car seat, trying quite mightily to kick the DVD player into submission with his feet. Trying not to swerve into oncoming traffic, I managed to get the movie turned off and good ol' "Busytown" back on in record time. Jason was happy again. And now I know. He no likes bunnies. Gotcha.

Easter weekend started with our annual tradition--now that we've gone twice, it's official, right? We headed up to the Coppola winery for their egg hunt on Saturday morning. Boy, was it cold this year! I think Mike noted that the temp was 45 degrees when we got back in the car. Brrr! Of course, Jason wouldn't even keep his jacket on--I guess the energy of a 2 year old means your body runs warmer. <grin>

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Of course, Jason's ever present sidekick, Puppy, was along for the adventure...

We spent the first 10 minutes watching Jason pop bubbles from the bubble blower they had set up...and me trying to restrain myself from smacking the 9 year old who kept pushing the little kids out of the way to do it, too. Seriously. Punk-in-training.

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(Note punk kid in striped shirt. Grrr.)

Then it was time to head down to the vineyards for the egg hunt. We gathered quickly and efficiently, like good students, and then proceeded to wait. And wait. NOT a good idea for those of the toddler persuasion. Mike & I took turns holding Jason back from his natural inclination to rush out and grab all the colorful eggs that sat there in the field, taunting him with their candy-filled yumminess. Poor guy.

Once they gave the "1, 2, 3, Go!" It was controlled mayhem for an intense 4 minutes. Kids everywhere. Eggs everywhere. Competitive parents pushing kids along or grabbing golden eggs and leaving early to get the "best" prizes. For the Dennis clan, however, it was good times. Jason filled his basket without being pushy, enjoyed tromping through the vineyard rows, and was very, very please to bust open the plastic eggs and find "Chocolate candy!" Gotta love it.

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(This is Jason's "I'm-trying-to-be-patient-get-off-me" look.)

Apr 7, 2010 10:49:19 AM

Easter Morning with Mommy...

Because it wasn't "my" weekend, Jason and I only got to spend a brief couple of hours together on Easter morning. But, man, we crammed in a lot in that short time! We started with a scavenger hunt. Yeah, I know. SUCH a teacher thing. I wasn't even sure if he could handle it...I mean, he's only 2! But I put an egg on his easel with a picture of a fridge in it. He opened it and I asked, "Do you think there's another egg in the fridge?" And we were off!

Went to the garage where there was an egg in the wheel of mommy's car, to his bedroom with one on his crib, to the bathroom with one on the tub, and finally to the computer room....he opened the door to find a big basket waiting for him! He said, and I quote, "WOW!" It was awesome. And he's brilliant.

Then, it was time for the egg hunt outside. The clouds were dark, the winds were blowing....we had to hurry! I hid WAY too many eggs, but he found them all...with only a brief period of distraction by the new turtle sandbox waiting for him. I swear, we stepped inside the door, and the rain started coming down. Phew! Talk about timing!

It's not Easter without the yummy and stinky smell of hardboiled eggs, right? So I decided to try our hand at dyeing them. With, you guessed it, great success! Jason was actually patient and careful (that may be a first!), and they turned out bright and colorful. Such fun!

Apr 5, 2010 11:02:40 AM

Fire Engine #3

As we were about to leave Vegas, I stopped at a grocery store to get road supplies. You know, sugar free Red Bull, chips, etc. On the way back out to the car, we noticed a big fire truck in the back of the parking lot.Obviously I pointed it out to Jason, and he was completely into it. The firemen were walking by us and one of them followed me to my car. He asked if Jason would like a fireman hat (super cute plastic one) and I said, "Absolutely!" before I knew it, we were getting a personal tour of the entire truck!

Needless to say, Jason was completely entranced by the "really big fire truck." He got to go inside, sit in the jump seats, try on a jacket, and even put on the real helmet! It was honestly a really cool unexpected field trip, and made me appreciate firemen even more than I already do. Cool stuff.

Apr 2, 2010 12:20:00 PM

On the Road Again...

Heading to Vegas is old hat to us now. Though it's a long drive (between 8-10 hours), Jason handles it like a professional truck driver. Keep him filled with snacks (goldfish, raisins, and an occasional handful of M & Ms), keep the DVD playing his favorite cartoons (somehow I've avoided Calliou, thank god!), and make sure he's got his go to co-pilot (Puppy, of course!), and Jason is happy as a clam.

I know every McDonald's and Burger King between here and Nevada that has play areas, and I've got my favorite Starbucks to stop at for a caffeine surge. I know which areas lose all radio station clarity with the exception of gospel and conservative talk, and at which point I can switch on to the good driving music station. It's long and mostly straight and terribly boring, but we've made the drive so many times now that the road is filled with memories for me. From the spot before Tehachapi where we stopped to nurse Jason when he was only 4 months old and nearly jumped out of our skin when a guy appeared at the window, to gas stations where Jason knows exactly where the fruit cups are, to the home stretch where I always have to resist the urge to stop at the Old Navy outlet because it means I'm only 45 minutes away. I've got stories for nearly every mile of the trip.

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He's also happy reading and driving. No carsickness. Thank god---he must have an iron stomach like his dad, because I get queasy just trying to read directions in a moving vehicle!!!

This trip was all about visiting family. Katy was turning 30, and she really wanted to spend time with her nephew...and the feeling was definitely mutual! Even though Jason has only gotten to hang out with his aunt every few months of his life, she is a permanent fixture in his mind! He was soooo excited to be going to "Katy's house" (even though it's really Nanna's house!), and once we got there he always insisted, "Katy, go in Mommy's car with Jason!" Of course, Katy ate it up.

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We decided to take Jason to the Las Vegas "Zoo"...which really is just a very sad collection of animals in too-small cages that depresses me....but it also has a petting zoo where you can feed goats, so that makes it worth the trip anyway. Jason loved the goats!

He was very excited to get up close and personal with the animal...even clambered up over the small wall and into the turtle enclosure. Sigh. He finally was satisfied just leaning over really close and saying, "Hi, turtle!" Love it.

And, of course, no trip to a zoo is complete without an alligator hat. Obviously.

Apr 2, 2010 11:45:19 AM

Our Lil' Kicker!

Soccer. Ugh. Sigh. I know, I know...kids love it. People love it. It's the most popular sport on the planet. Intellectually, I get it. Really, I do. I still can't stand it. But, alas, I have an athletically-oriented boy, and soccer is part of the natural progression of his world. So I'm told. <smile>

Therefore, Jason is now officially enrolled in Lil' Kickers at Sports City, which means that every Saturday morning from 9-10, we'll be there in barely controlled, 24-36 month-age-group-children-soccer chaos. Lovely.

It's actually not that bad. It's kinda fun. There's "free play", which Jason excels at. Then the directed play...which we are batting .50 at this point. (However, he DID learn red light, green light, and I use it at stores. As in, Jason starts running down an aisle and I shout, "Red Light!" and he comes screeching to a halt. Frickin' awesome.) And, if he can make it to the end without melting down, there are bubbles and parachute time. It's fun. And just the right amount of actual soccer for me.