tumultuous 2's

man, this terrible twos phase is throwing me for a loop. one minute jack is my sweet, happy little buddy -- runs up to me to give me a hug at random moments, shares his toys willingly, walks into nursery AND gym day care with a smile on his face which is rare since he usually cries before we even set foot inside those places -- and the next he's a crazy screaming monster.

naps are a continual battle -- at this moment, i can hear him jumping on his bed even though he should have been asleep an hour ago. i really really hope we're not giving those up, but who knows. he's already figured out how to dismantle the lock on his door so i guess mama needs to upgrade if we're ever going to get any quiet time around here. he yells -- like, really loudly YELLS -- at us throughout the day when things aren't going the way he wants. i try to be patient with him -- this book has really helped me streamline my parenting techniques -- but by nighttime i'm completely exhausted. when jack is throwing a tantrum on the ground and screaming at me i tell him, "i know, it's really hard to be 2," but DANG. it is hard to be the mom of a 2.

however, despite the new attitude & mood swings, 2 is still pretty great. his vocabulary and personality are growing every day (although he can't pronounce the R or L sounds very well, which i think is totally adorable). he's super vocal about his preferences when it comes to music (if i play foster the people or coldplay in the car, i hear a little "yay! i YIKE this song!" from the backseat -- he's definitely not a fan of country or talk radio, so far), food ("i don't yike it!" or "mmm tasty" depending on what we give him -- he eats like a bird most of the time), toys and clothes. we've been watching national geographic animal videos together and he loves it. he still looooves to read books at any time of day and i'll often find him reading to himself -- he can recite brown bear brown bear and a few other books verbatim and it is the cutest. he's really good in public and will always greet other people, hold my hand and save the meltdowns (mostly) for later. we're working on saying please and thank you and most of the time he gets it.

he's pretty cute...but he's pretty tiring. :) this parenthood stuff is not for sissies, that's for sure.

the epic labor day post

we had not one, not two, but THREE labor day weekend guests! hooray for visitors, and since apparently the only time i'm able to blog these days is when we have people in town, i guess that means it's time for a recap. b's parents and grandma mary came to visit us for four days and it was so much fun! perfect weather, fun outings, endless attention for jack...can't ask for anything better. ;)

f r i d a y >> our guests arrived. we had a tailgate party and watched the DVR'ed university of utah football game, then made smores on the deck. yes, football season has arrived and yes we got our cable hooked up again! life is good. also good = red & white sprinkle marshmallows. goooo utes!

s a t u r d a y >> we went on our first ferry ride! we'd been wanting to explore the surrounding islands for a while, and what better excuse than visitors to finally try it. we hopped a ferry to bainbridge island and spent the day exploring the cute little town, visiting the farmers market and eating to our heart's content.

i also discovered a new stationery shop, of course. more about that on my other blog. 

the ferry was like a giant floating bus, plus a snack bar and incredible views. quite a pleasant way to travel, i must say.

don't mind me, just instagramming. b is endlessly annoyed by my new obsession. (follow me -- i'm @lyndseywells. :)

that night we went to dinner on the waterfront in kirkland and saw PIRATE SHIPS on lake washington. um, what? i have no idea the history behind this event but we thought it was cool because a.) they shot cannons and b.) jack does the cuuuutest "ARRGH matey" pirate impersonation.

s u n d a y >> a quiet day. i made a big brunch and a big dinner and we went to church and played games. it is hard work cooking for more than 2 1/2 people! not sure how i will cope when i have a house full of teenagers. jack l-o-v-e-d having grandma and grandpa around. they're really good at reading stories, chasing him around and making him laugh.

m o n d a y >> what's a visit to seattle without a trip to pike place? we go there a lot and every time, i find new favorites -- this trip, a french bakery and finally tasting the delicious wonder that is beecher's mac & cheese. come visit us! your taste buds will never be the same.

a must visit for jack, of course! :

after eating our way through pike place, we went up to ballard to...eat. naturally. got some yummy hot cakes and walked through all the unique shops up there. it was actually one of my favorite afternoons in seattle ever -- not having anywhere to go in a hurry, just browsing through tons of cool stuff and hanging out in a different neighborhood. we loved it.

we bid adieu to our guests and sent them off to the airport, then stopped at our favorite kirkland park to enjoy the last sunny moments of the long weekend. it is so pretty here.

then, it was home for take out, a red box movie and a night of relaxing. such a fun weekend -- thanks for coming to visit us, family! come again soon.