Yogi-master or criminal mastermind?!

TODAY Jack shared a clearly articulated memory from his day with me -- unprompted and out of the blue, which was kind of unusual. It came at bedtime when I was reading him books. He said:

"(insert cousin name here)* went to jail."

I said: "He went to jail? What did he do?"

"He took away my bike. He got a time out."

Me:  "Did he tell you he was sorry?"

Jack: "Yes. He was naughty to Jack. He took my bike. He got a time-out."

Not sure where he learned about jail. Smart that he related it to time-out. Toddlers do have genius, criminal minds when it comes right down to it.

I decided to write about this little conversation with him because I was so surprised when he randomly and calmly brought up this event (*names have been changed to protect the innocent. After all, I wasn't with him when the recalled event happened, and Jack has been known to let his imagination run wild). I found it interesting that this memory just happened to make him look like the good guy being picked on by the (ahem, younger) bully cousin. Then I remembered what I learned in my yoga class yesterday: our brains relish (and for adults, often get stuck in) re-running memories that feed our ego and remind us of just how superior we are in our manners, brains, etc. etc. to others. Obviously, the ego starts its feeding early--and toddlers are famous for their ego-centric selves.

As a side note, Jack is WAY better at yoga than I am. I came home from my class, only to find him doing a yogi-worthy down dog. Cats and toddlers--can't beat them at the yoga.

Back to toddlers who should spend some time in jail... The SAME day as aforesaid yoga class, I was rushing to get ready to go, only to find that while I had made a quick stop in the bathroom, Jack had used his lightning-fast criminal mind to locate the gigantic re-fill bottle of bathroom hand soap in the hall closet and was as busy as Jackson Pollack in an orange jumpsuit laying down his design on the floor when I emerged. Genius artist? OR criminal master-mind. You decide, once you have a toddler living with you.

By the way, in recalling this memory of him and sharing it with you, I don't feel superior to the toddler mind. Instead, I feel extremely ill-equipped to keep up with that curious, incredible brain! Oh well, at least he is keeping our synapses snapping...and sometimes our patience too!

Down dog! Good dog...

Summer Recap

Jack is tougher than Lake Superior

     Well, summer is coming to a close and we just wanted to recap a little. It was a busy summer to say the least. June found Jack spending a lot of time hanging out with Grandpa and Grandpa L. while Josh performed in "Old Man Brunner Country". In July, we spent some time in Duluth as well as vacationing on Cass Lake. in August, Josh performed in "The Tragedy of Icarus" at The Bryant Lake Bowl as part of The Minnesota Fringe Festival as well as several gigs with his bluegrass band, "The Blue Drifters." Because of the busy schedule, Jack got to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa O. We also spent a few days up north in Park Rapids on Fish Hook lake.
     In September, we visited The Sate Fair. Jack experienced his first bus ride when we rode the shuttle to the State Fair entrance. Jack didn't go on any rides, but we did see plenty of animals which he enjoyed immensely. We also went and saw "Trampled by Turtles" at a free stage but were unable to stay long because it was past Jack's bedtime.
     Jack continues to ask a lot of questions, many of which he already knows the answers to. He knows quite a few colors and is and is familiar with certain numbers and letters. Most recently, he started pooping and peeing in the toilet! We are very proud of him and look forward to more milestones.

Duluth!

On Fish hook Lake

Cass Lake

Delicious diner in Grand Marais

keeping Jack out of Lake Superior

Please vote for Estelle

Just found out our cousin's daughter Estelle has a rare, devastating disease called Rett's Syndrome. You can vote for Rett's to raise money for a cure by going to www.refresheverything.com and vote once everyday. Sign in once (tiny at the bottom left) and search for IRSF in the search box at top. Click vote! Thanks! Learn about Estelle and how the rare disease is affecting her below.

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d5463314e7a45354d7a4a384d7a67334d7a4d774e7a453d0d0a&sb=1&campaign=email_receipt_directurl_makeyourown

Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil!

Kudos to the Rhonda/Paul Besels for this shot!

Daddy time

Dear loyal readers,

Please take a moment to visit the blog-in-progress for Daddy's upcoming Fringe festival show.
Tell your friends! Tickets go on sale July 1.

Sincerely,
JACK

www.suburbancowboyproductions.blogspot.com

you can buy tickets at
www.fringefestival.org

From the mouths of babes (not babies)

Today Jack told me "Stay!" "I do it myself!" and then undressed himself for his bath. This induced a little sad flash that he no longer needs me for this task--and made me realize that list is only going to get longer now that he has reached the ripe old age of 2 1/2!

Jack spent much of June with his Grandmas and Grandpas while Daddy was doing a show out of town and Mommy worked. Here are some reported conversations that came out of his stay in A-town:

"Let's get some Skittles and take a break!" (Jack)
"If you go potty in the potty I will go to the store and get some" (Grandma W)
[Good answer Grandma. Note, he did NOT earn his Skittles that day.]

"You want to go to the park next to Jesus?" (Grandma W) [note to readers, there is a Jesus statue next to the park, so that was a logical question.]
"Where's Jesus?" (Jack)
"I don't know, where is he?" (Grandma W)
"I think he's hiding." (Jack)
"I think he's hiding in my head." (Jack)

Recently Released...

Found while cleaning out our memory card---memories!
Happy Friday!
Martians really do exist!

Signs your kid might grow up to be a rock star...

...or a foodie!

Now Showing!

Screen 1: "Locked Out" R (Some Profanity)
    Set in the real city of St. Louis Park, "Locked Out" tells the story of a family trying to live peacefully in the suburbs but the locks on their doors keep keep getting jammed. Is it the humidity? Their two year old son stuffing raisins in them? After ripping of their front screen door Josh, played by Jake Gyellenhall, decides to get even but has no idea what he's in for. Co-starrring Laura Linney as Carin.

Screen 2: "Paging Leo Dangel PG-13 (Some Adult Situations)
   A documentary about rehearsing the play "Old Man Brunner Country" by Leo Dangel at The Jon Hassler Theater in Plainview Minnesota, it centers on Joshua Larson, who plays "Young Man" in the production. Watching him struggle for lines during rehearsal may not inspire anyone to attempt to be an actor but gives you a good idea of what it would be like. I defy anyone not to laugh as he struggles to find Plainview for the first time. "Could there be any less road signs?" Costarring Clint Eastwood as Old Man Brunner.

Screen 3: "The Human Coin Slot" PG (mild stoopidity)
   in a film about being just plain dumb, "The Human Coin Slot" stars Sean Penn as a stay at home dad who gives his son a bunch of change to play with. Of course he swallows a penny and panic insues as to whether he should take him in to the doctor or just let it pass. Literally.

Screen 4:  "Dog Blues" PG-13 (Somebody swears probably)
    Lefty, played by George Clooney, is an inspiring bluegrass musician trying to get a break. When he plays a benefit for Helping Paws he has a revelation while looking at all the dogs. He's one of them. The newest comedy from The Coen Brothers, "Dog Blues" is sure to have you rolling in your seats with laughter.

.

Visions Powered by Steam

He's growing like a weed
Running at full speed
Thoughts are burning
Machinery is churning

Big boy bed,
For his little head
He will dream visions powered by steam,
Of things he saw in books

There was a shark
Then a meadowlark
Turtles and "fishes,"
Who have wishes,
Other than the sea

Throughout the night,
You can see the white puffs of steam floating in the bedroom
Grab your silver "stoom,"
And scoop them into your mouth

Copyright 2010 Joshua Larson

Captain Jack, the i-patch, and spring chickens

Move over Steve Jobs, this week the Captain came out with the latest Apple release: the i-patch. While playing with a discarded i-pod, we overheard Jack chattering to himself about having an i-patch. Now available for pirates everywhere!

Har Har.

Jack also recently met his favorite dinner: chicken! Well, actually he calls all meat chicken, which maybe is accurate according to the saying "It tastes just like chicken..."
Anyway, he and the other cousins got to experience first-hand the family chicken supply. The little peepers were adorable--little do they know what their fate will soon be (the chicks, not the toddlers). Jack was really intrigued, but reluctant to touch them when presented face-to-face.

Here's where we recommend watching the movie Food, Inc. You will want to grow your own chickens too!

Meeting of the babes.

Thank God, he's [in the] country boy!

I have decided that Jack needs to live on a farm. Perhaps all toddlers should live on farms. Like happy puppies they can roam around, free from parents shouts of: "Don't run in the road!" "Hold mommy's hand now!" On the farm, (our toddler anyway), is also free from the possible influence of the expletives from neighbors who live about 10 feet too close to our house. (But that is another story.)

Ah...on the grandparents' farm, there are no neighbors in sight! Just peacefulness and wide open spaces!

I also observed that on the farm, Jack is able to enjoy doing things that we normally get bored of watching him do, for example; bang a stick against a tree repeatedly. He is allowed to partake in all the dawdling he requires--I only had to intervene when he decided to start licking rocks. Salty perhaps?

You can tell he is a city kid though, it took him about half a day to stop requesting me to pick him up. He was a little scared of the dogs (understandable, when a creature bigger than you is trying to lick your face off). But by the end of the farm weekend he had loosened up and was embracing his freedom--and so were we!

Ending this utopian story is a warning that when frolicking through rolling hills at the farm, remember that it is TICK SEASON! YUCK! There is nothing more delicious to a blood thirsty tick than a toddler and his mommy. We picked off at least six of the tiny vampires after our tromp in the photos below.

 Toddler meditation.

After meditation run.

After the run--too tired to walk. Tick bait.

Jack Sez

   Well, life is pretty good. The weather is finally nice and I'm really enjoying long swing rides. I tell Mom and Dad to push me higher by saying "Again" repeatedly. It's good to be able to talk in sentences. I even have a word that I made up called "Conties (cahn-tees)." I have no idea what it means but I like to say every once in awhile.  Wow, I'm a messy eater.  After every meal comes the broom.  I try to sweep but Mommy and Daddy insists that they do it. They don't understand that I like to swing it around instead of focusing on the floor. "The broom stays on the floor." Mommy and Daddy sez. Whatever.
   A new paragraph just seems right. Let's see, what else? Oh yes, I'm in "class." There's lots of kids there. We just play with stuff. We also get a snack. The parents all disappear after the snacks come out. I don't know why. I cried last week when it happened. Oh by the way, my Daddy's name is Josh. Mommy's is Karen (Car-in) I even call them that sometimes. Along with class I go to toddler tot time with Daddy. I help Josh (he he) get set up and then I help him take stuff down. He'd be lost without me. I must confess that I do try to escape sometimes. I just can't help myself. Josh always catches me though.
   I love my action figures. We have many adventures in all areas of the house and sometimes outside. I love being outside! Especially the park. I need room to roam. I just can't stay in the yard.
    I do enjoy a good film every now and then. I just viewed "The Little Mermaid" with Mommy and Daddy. I  enjoyed the fish and felt the need to to say "fishes!" very excitedly every time they were on the screen. I was a little bored with the plot though. "Madagascar" is still my "Citizen Kane." (Dad told me to write that. I have no idea what it means.) I just don't think anything will ever top that. Did I mention I had my first non family babysitter today? It was all good. I showed her the ropes. It was fun. Daddy went off somewhere with his cowboy hat and guitar and Mom must've been at work. I don't know. They probably told me but I can't always understand their......conties.

I'm out of stuff to say.

Jack wrote this

The Nudie Dance

I thought it was about time to write a blog that we can bring out someday if Jack ever gets too sophisticated for us. We'll call it "The Nudie Dance." As its name suggests, the nudie dance is a high-stepping march to the beat of your own drummer in nothing but your birthday suit, shouting "NUDIE! NUDIE!" at the top of your lungs! The best time to do the nudie dance is right before bath time when your parents have finally given you permission to drop your diaper and run like a maniac.

Then we all dance around the living room like maniacs. And although the rest of us keep our clothes on, it still is liberating, crazy fun to try to be as zany as a toddler.

Muse

     Well, I brought Jack to an audition the other day. The director said it was okay. It was at a really nice old home near Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. He kept me on my toes the entire time. While I was reading from the script, he decided to climb the stairs and bang the window on the landing. Needless to say, I was distracted. His fervor was fueled by the host bringing him girl scout cookies. Okay, I had some too. At some point during the audition, I realized that she was giving me the part. I was elated. At the same time, I thought of all the times I had tried to get into this same company without so much as a callback. Could it be that Jack was the muse I've been missing all this time?
     By the way, the show is "Old Man Brunner Country" and it is playing at The Jon Hassler Theater. I am playing "Young Man." The show is in June. Maybe I'll see you there.

March madness!

If you have been following our blogging, you may notice that one of our favorite spots to visit is Como Park in St. Paul. There is nothing more soothing to the soul than pretending you are in a tropical forest in March in Minnesota. Yesterday we headed over to Como not only enjoy the tropical indoors, but also the amazing outdoor 60+ degree weather. Jack led us on a march across the grounds of the park, from the Conservatory to the Black Bear Crossing pavillion. And if you aren't familiar with the turf, that is a tri-athalon for toddler steps. There is nothing more inspiring than a spring-fever infused toddler who has been freed from his bulky winter jacket!

We are also pleased to report that Jack is getting properly cultured as we took him to his first Minnesota Orchestra concert on Saturday. The MN Orch put on Carnival of the Animals, a show just for kids and their families. The concert was a rare occasion to take a toddler to a refined location that allowed unrefined behaviors such as letting out piercing shrieks at inappropriate times, and wandering out of your assigned seat. In fact, Jack took charge of warming up the crowd and timed his shriek just as the conductor was welcoming the riff-raff crowd--causing the entire orchestra to look our way and snicker at the excellent example of misbehavior that was (luckily) welcome that afternoon. We were concerned at first that the concert might not hold his attention (as we WERE working overtime to keep him from either swinging his leg over the balcony edge and leaping to his demise or killing families below by chucking his sippy cup at their heads.) However, once a flock of swans, er, ballerinas took to the stage, he was mesmerized by their movement. To our surprise he was engaged in watching most of the show as long as there was some action on stage, and as the musicians and dancers took their final bows, he asked, "More?"

There is hope for some civilization in him yet.

Speaking of performances, I would like to put in a quick plug for Jack's dad. Josh recently won a spot in this summer's Fringe Festival and we are so excited to invite all of our family and friends to start thinking about saving a date on their calendar in August to come see his original one-man show. We will keep you updated as we know more details!

P.S. A big thanks to E.S. for the complimentary orchestra tickets!

Up! with Pizza

It finally happened...we had our first family movie night! The three of us watched the Oscar nominated movie "Up" while munching on $5 pizza from Little Caesars.

First, let's talk about the pizza. The nostalgic draw of a favorite brand from my youth (Pizza! Pizza!) seems to be making a come back in 2010. Curiosity won over my usual staunch au natural food values and we were soon on our way to pick up our franchised dinner. (And it is hard to resist a coupon for $5 pizza--PLUS free crazy bread!) The pick up was amazingly quick (any illusions of fresh, hand tossed pizza are now definitely out) and the pizzaria was an easy find as it was lit up like a sassy new nightclub, complete with rotating spotlights in the sky. The pizza was edible--the crazy bread doughy and pasty. Jack gave his endorsement "It's good!" My biggest disappointment (I expected the mediocre flavor) was that Little Caesars has lost its signature square shape from the 80s! It's just not the same.                        

Our next stop was to our favorite Redbox to pick up a $1 movie. You can't beat checking out an Oscar-nominated film for $1. If only I had invented Redbox...genius.

These two simple ingredients: pizza and a movie made for a perfect family Friday night. (and for less than $10!) As the movie was finishing and I was gazing at my adorable toddler and passed out husband it made me think about when I was growing up and used to imagine what my own family might look like someday. I would have the world's most adorable kid(s) and the world's most handsome husband and live in a fabulous mansion.

Two out three isn't too bad.

P.S. I recommend "Up" to all families with kids or not. It is a wonderfully sweet and original film.

Crack-a-lakin! Where have we been?!

It has been awhile since we blogged! We had a busy last week welcoming in the unexpected early arrival of Jack's first girl cousin on my family's side. Out with the blue and in with the pink!

While the new tiny one was keeping her mom and dad busy, we were lucky to get to watch Jack's cousin O who is 4 months younger than Jack. The first day at our house had me playing an unfamiliar role of stay-at-home mom. Let's just say that the job is NOT for sissies! Jack and O kept me on my toes with their team-up toddler style. One would yell "Kwacker!" which would cause a chorus of "Kwacker! Kwacker!" until the kwackers were distwibuted.

And naps?? Forget about it. Although both exhibited signs of excessive sleepiness, as soon as I would get them into bed, one of them would break the silence with a giggle which would infuse both of them with uncontrollable giggles and lead into prison-break style escapes from the bed.

I may have had a small glass of wine at the end of the day.

On other subject, one of the biggest complaints I have is that there are not very many pictures of Jack with me. SOMEBODY is always forgetting to capture us on film--er--digital media. (and judging by the scruffy photo below it is clear why there aren't many pictures of me around. Luckily, the cute factor of Jack will keep your eyes averted).

A couple of Sunday's ago Josh splurged and bought us the endangered Sunday newspaper. According to the media, everyone knows that the newspaper is on its way out. I'll admit we canceled our own subscription a couple years ago.

Here is our bid for keeping the printed word alive...lazy Sunday mornings with comics and coffee!

Fun With Ear Infections! (Or was it Aliens?)

 
    Well, Jack and I started our new job today at The Rec Center. We are supervising the Tot room once a week or so. It's basically a room filled with all sorts of toys and jumping castles for toddlers to play with. We were trained in today and officially start on Friday. It's something we like to go to anyway so why not get paid for it as well, right? We were supposed to start last week but Jack got sick with an ear infection right on his second birthday. Of course we didn't know it then. We thought he just had the flu. After a week of intolerable grumpiness though we thought maybe there was something else going on. Or he had been kidnapped by aliens and replaced with an evil alien Jack. That was my conclusion but Karen argued and eventually I took him to a Minute Clinic. Sure enough, he had an ear infection. Pretty moderate but one all the same. He's doing better now. Although post nap, he's still a terror. I'm still not entirely convinced it wasn't aliens. If he starts backsliding I may have to contact The Men in Black.
 

A Terrible 2?

Jack has been 2 for two days now and it turns out that turning two can actually be kind of terrible.

Beginning your birthday with a barf-fest isn't anyone's idea of a good time--especially not if you are a toddler who isn't quite able to articulate why he has to lay his head down on the floor after he feebly opens his present from his parents. In fact, he wasn't able to clue his parents into what exactly was wrong until he took the more obvious approach of puking on his dad. "Aha!" (they exclaimed) "Your tummy hurts!"

"Duh!" said Jack.

Jack and his dad got to spend the next day snuggling and watching movies. Hmm...there is a chance that this was just a scheme dreamed up by Jack so he could watch "Madagascar" all day.

Honestly though, we were pretty concerned about him, as our normally happy Jack was listless for the last two days without cracking a single smile.

However, tonight when he turned to me and said; "I watch PBS?" and then switched on the tube, I decided he probably is going to pull through. (By the way, I had no idea he had such loyalties to a network yet!!)

 

Above: A happy birthday moment! Jack was impressed with his mommy's attempt at a Madagascar cake which incidentally, started a fire in the oven--perhaps our first sign that turning two could prove to be tricky. A tip for aspiring cake bakers; remember that cakes need space in the pan for rising! Below is a link to the zebra cake that was supposed to have been Jack's. Let us know if anyone attempts and succeeds! 

Zebra cake recipe

Nap time is OVER!

There is nothing cuter than watching a toddler pass out in his plate of lasagna. You have to envy his ability to fall asleep mid-chew. It's like driving a car that has ran out of gas. No matter what, that car has to stop.

On the flip side, there is nothing more frustrating than trying to get a toddler to nap when he has determined he no longer needs a nap. (Hey Jack, photos don't lie!) There has been a curious phenomena of late in which Jack just blatantly refuses to go down for a nap. Instead he just collapses around 5:00pm. This is no help to anybody. Now today after a long time I was able to get him down by leaving him in his crib while I stayed right outside his door listening and checking to make sure he didn't try to jump out. After half an hour to 45 minutes he finally sputtered out. It makes me nervous though. I'm scared that he's going to make his way out of there. However, he absolutely will not go to sleep if I'm in there. That definitely does not work.  I don't see what the big deal is. I'd love to take a nap! In fact, sometimes when I'm reading to him I come pretty close to putting myself to sleep. If only it worked on him. He won't even lay down with me in bed to read lately because he knows where it's going.
Well, we're in an E.C.F.E (Early childhood family education) class. Maybe they'll have some insight.

Mad-a-gas-car!

As I write this, Jack is glued to the television watching the DreamWorks' movie "Madagascar" for, oh, maybe the TWENTIETH TIME since we checked it out at the library! In fact, we have renewed it twice now. Before "Madagascar", Jack couldn't have paid less attention to the television. Now we seem to have a regular couch potato on our hands. Not only does he love Madagascar, but also seems to love all TV, including commercial spots.

This rapt attention span to TV has also made us acutely aware of the exceptional amount of casual swearing on television, prompting us to put on "The Sound of Music" last night after all we found on was reality shows depicting raunchy children who shouted 4-letter words at parents who cowered in fear from their 8-year olds. We thought a nun who whips the seven Von Trapp children into shape by teaching them to sing was more of the kind of reality we wanted to promote. And actually, based on the dad that Jack hangs out with all day, it kind of is his reality--excepting the nun part.

But I digress.

I have to admit, besides the concern that he is becoming a little TV spud (and who isn't during long cold Minnesota winters?!) there is a guilty pleasure in being able to write this entire blog entry without interruption. And, it is darn cute to hear him pronounce, as clear as a bell, the 4-syllable word "Mad-a-gas-car!" See, he is learning things! How many other 23 month olds know about the island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa?

OK, he might have googled that.

Outlaw

Oh, no! He swallowed my toe!

I was recently reminded of a favorite children's song "I'm Being Swallowed by a Boa Constrictor", promptly Googled it, and came up with this classic Johnny Cash version on You Tube.

Side note: Jack will never know life without Google (or something even more amazing).

"Back in my day, we had to use the encyclopedia! Or we asked our dad!"

(Insert eye roll here from Jack in the year 2023.)

Enjoy the clip!

Jack fell down and broke his crown...

...and Blue Cross Blue Shield went after his mom and dad for everything they've got.

Really.

Well, we have started out our 2010 deductible year with a bang! In the past two weeks we have found ourselves twice in urgent care and once in the emergency room with Jack. The order goes: possible magnet ingestion (see previous post), bloody diarrhea (yes, we said bloody diarrhea in a blog), and falling off rocking chair and banging head which resulted in 3 stitches on scalp.

Call to Obama: parents of toddlers everywhere need health reform and they need it quick! The job of a toddler includes tasting tiny objects, drinking dirty bathwater with your cousins, and testing out gravity. Back in the day, toddlers could try such tricks out and we could pay the doctor in chickens. Ok, admittedly the technology is better now, but must we choose either an arm or a leg as payment!? If nothing else, health care in America needs to reform for the children. Children must be free to test out life to the fullest and not still be paying for it when they are looking at colleges.

Well anyway, Jack is happy. They paid him off in stickers.

The Curious Case of The Missing Fishing Pole Magnet

"Holmes."
"Yes Watson?"
"I have a new case for us."
"Go on."
"It involves a most curious toy fishing pole. You see it's part of a Puzzle. This little fishing pole picks up puzzle pieces..."
"Would you please get on with it Watson. I'm a busy man."
"Yes Well, there's this little round magnet attached to the fishing pole line. The line is still there but the little magnet, it's missing. It belongs to this lad Jack."
"Was there anything else attached to the magnet?"
"Yes it was enclosed in a piece of wood. Except for the magnet part sticking out.
"How big was the object?"
"Roughly the size of a pencil eraser."
"Got it. He swallowed it."
"No. His parents took him to the emergency room and he was x-rayed."
"And?"
"And nothing."
"Surely it's in the house somewhere."
"An exhaustive search ensued with absoloutely no results."
"Who manufactures these puzzles?"
"They go by the name of Melissa and Doug."
"What have they had to say about it?"
"I actually haven't talked them."
"And you call yourself a sleuth. Watson, get me either Melissa or Doug on the phone right now."
"Right."
"And do not tell Scotland Yard."
"Of course not."
"We shall examine Jack's house again as well in case his Parents may have missed something. It seems we have ourselves a case Watson."

To be continued.......

Eye of the Tiger

Jack getting down on New Year's eve, proving that he is the ultimate Rock Band rock star.