Fun Memorial Day Weekend

Wow, what a weekend. We sure kept busy. On Saturday, we had a family birthday party, followed by a graduation party. Then on Sunday we went to the Jiggle Jam during the day, a neighborhood barbeque for dinner, and then Patrick & I went to another neighborhood party that evening...kind of a belated 40th birthday party (this guy turned 42 on 4/15!). On Monday, we did a bit of shopping and then realized the kids were WORN OUT from the weekend. We sure enjoyed it, though.

On the Jiggle Jam update, we have some great news! Jim Cosgrove has a new album out! YEAH. It's called Upside Down and it is actually really good. Leyton's favorite song so far I believe is the "Pizza Tree" and Nathaniel's favorite is Jim's version of "This Little Light of Mine." We already purchased this album and have been listening to it a lot. I really like the song "Let's stick together." His daughter Lyda helped write the song last year when their daughter Willa (then 8 weeks) was injured at a baseball game in Wichita. It's cute and has a great message. A new thing is he partners up with two other local acts that we are liking more and more: Funky Mama (you can also see her blog) and the Doo Dads. Funky Mama has a great voice. I think the Doo Dads are a bit more rockin', but fun as well. The kids have been saying now that they want to make sure we get to see Funky Mama again soon. The Doo Dads weren't at the Jiggle Jam, but we saw them last week somewhere else. Wow, rereading this paragraph sounds pretty silly with all these names! The way we dance to all this is truly the best...lots of hip shaking, guitar playing, and great singing. They still pretend to be Jim each day. It's pretty enjoyable. This weekend, he asked us, though, when they would go on stage and sing with him since they still bring their guitars & wear their Hawaiian shirts to all the shows. I'm not sure when they'll be ready, but in the mean time, they don't miss a beat or a rock-n-roll jump while singing in the crowd. I actually recorded their own performance this time, too!

A Jim Sighting

Well, this one is a few things about Jim Cosgrove. First, I worked this past Saturday & Patrick had the kids all day on his own. I think they had a great day. Jim was singing at the mall, so he took them to that & I think that was a great way to break up the day. They were able to visit with the Cosgrove family before the show for a bit and everyone always enjoys that. We also found out he has a new CD coming out this year! YEAH, we can't wait. Anyway, Patrick said that with the four kids - the three boys had their guitars in hand & were singing & dancing & then Leah watching all the motion & enjoying the show as well - it was an eventful couple of hours. He also mentioned that they were photographed several times by people who found the kids entertaining. The final thing he mentioned was that several people told him he was brave. Hopefully that was a compliment?

The second part of this story is just simply about Nathaniel at home and his daily regimen of telling us that he's not Nathaniel anymore, but he's Jim. On occasion, Jacob has even been known to play into this & come to me saying, "Mom, Jim pushed me." As if Jim is actually here. Then what brought this to mind was today when Leah & Jacob were napping. I went outside on this sunny day with Leyton & Nathaniel to play in the back yard. I was pushing them on the swings, & Nathaniel plainly says, "Mom, aren't you glad Jim comes to your house to play with your kids?" I really laughed with this one. What a hoot.

Nathaniel has lots to say...

"Mom, don't call me Nathaniel ANYMORE. I'm Jim Cosgrove all the time. "

"Would you like to come in here (the front living room) and I'll take you on a ride in my mini-van? I'm going to California or to Florida."

"Mom, I think Jesus is tired. How does he walk on water? I think it's with sharp sandals. I think he's tired because he walked on water at night. I wish I could walk on water."

"Thank you for taking me to the dentist." (WHAT?! - will that be his thought every time after we go? Ha.)

"Mom, Mrs. Cosgrove turned into a magician and she was mean but then she turned into a mosquito and was looking for a shark." (I'm not kidding; althought he does like Mrs. Cosgrove & actually I'm supposed to pretend to be Mrs. Cosgrove most of the time unless Leyton asks Jim (aka Nathaniel), "Jim Cosgrove, can Mommy be Mrs. Robinson today?" Oftentimes the answer is "No" but Leyton likes me to be Mrs. Robinson more often than not. What can I say, I don't know who to be.)

3 Boys, 5-6 CD's (each bought x2 = 10-12), 8 Guitars!

Well, to keep up with our musicians playing the guitars all the time, we occasionally have to replace the worn out guitars. In the past one year and one month, we have realized that we have had eight guitars...Leyton & Nathaniel - 3 each, Jacob 1. Then, Nathaniel's recently broke as the neck cracked from the body. So, Sunday we purchased the eighth guitar! Granted, these are not the professional, full-size ones, but still they are not just little toys, either. The last 3 for the big boys are student guitars, so they're just a bit smaller than a regular one. Four of them were actually beginner ukeleles that were a perfect size for them. Jacob's is a smaller size but a guitar vs. a ukelele (in case details matter). Well - I guess at our house, details do matter. We all notice if someone has something different. I wonder how many we'll go through in the next year. They actually take pretty good care of them. They are definitely not the hard rockers banging them on the ground or anything, they just get used A LOT!

Jim the 3rd (Jacob)...the next generation has arrived

Well as if Jim Cosgrove hasn't had enough impact on our life, we now have our next "Jim" in the house. We actually have been wanting a little guitar for Jacob for a few months & thought it'd be a great Christmas gift. However, we weren't able to find one like we wanted. Our little Jacob has really started singing and dancing to Jim's music and always wants to see him. He has also assumed the role of pretending to BE Jim, as he's learned from his big brothers. Often someone in the house is Willa (the Cosgrove's youngest daughter) and someone might be Lyda (their older daughter). I am usually appointed the role of Mrs. Cosgrove, and the boys love to be Jim. Jacob will now come and say, "I Jim." He'll sing and dance on our stage, do rock-n-roll jumps, the whole thing. However, it wasn't until today that he really joined the ranks as we found him his own little guitar that's just his size. It's the cutest little thing. We found it in Branson, MO today before we came home. He also has his own pick & put on a few concerts for us tonight. I've started videotaping him, also, as we have many "concerts" recorded with his brothers. They actually started liking the music around 2 1/2, but Jacob is a bit earlier. He sings "Stinky Feet," "Put down the Binky," and "Peanut Butter." So much fun. What a great hobby! Great entertainment for all!

Jacob's Songs

We've really been enjoying Jacob's singing lately. You can catch him just playing or walking around singing a tune. We've heard: "Red Wagon" (Jim Cosgrove song), "Ta ra ra boomteay" (not sure of the spelling, but it's on a Sesame Street CD), and then there's the random "la la la, etc." It's just cute because he does it and doesn't even know anyone might be listening. Then if you look at him, he looks back & smiles & keeps singing. It's quite enjoyable. He seems to be enjoying himself, too.

Songs & Conversations

Friday night we ended up surprising the boys & taking them to see who else but - Jim Cosgrove. He was singing in Lee's Summit & their aunt, uncle & cousins invited us to join them at the show. Patrick's parents went as well. We went decked out in our typical attire, with guitars, and this time we even brought our guitar stands as they are new and the boys needed to show them to Jim. Jim talked to them before the show and did notice the stands and commented about them. He also introduced them during the show as his "mini-me's". It was neat for the boys. After the show, Mrs. Cosgrove also commented about the guitar stands. We had a great time. The whole drive there, Leyton & Nathaniel were pretending to be Jim & their blanky's were Jim's kids (Leyton's was Jim's younger daughter, Nathaniel's was Jim's older daughter). Every minute or second they would be saying something about, "Jim has to go to work tonight," or "Jim likes to sing Red Wagon," etc. Then, somehow between conversations, they each dozed off for a few minutes of the drive. When we arrived, we woke them & figured they would be back to being themselves & forget they had been pretending. Not a chance...Leyton woke up and said, "Dad, Jim's awake!" Too funny.

The other conversations of note are with Jacob. He is really talking and has things in good context. You can actually have a decent conversation with him. "What you doin'?" ... "Nothing, what are you doing?" "Playing." ... "Are you having fun?" "yeah." "Do you want to change your diaper?" "Yeah, powder, pwease." He's really funny. Also at night when you lay by him, if you try to get up, he'll usually tell you, "Lay down." Today in the car, the boys wanted to hear "Back where I come from" (Kenny Chesney) over and over (they even ask if I push the repeat button on the CD player to make sure it stays on). In the short delay between the end and when it restarts, he was saying, "come from, Mom, come from." It really made me think for a second to let that sink in. Of course he knew what he wanted, I just didn't realize he was listening to the lyrics! Ha.

That's about it for today. We're all worn out & ready for a good night's sleep.

Singing & Talking

Leyton & Nathaniel have been very big fans of Jim Cosgrove for quite a while. They love singing his songs and playing the guitar and pretending to be him on a regular basis. However recently, they have branched out a bit and it has been fun. They have one book that is full of songs and the past few days we have been singing songs from the book. They have really enjoyed it and I'm amazed how quickly they have learned the lyrics! Tonight we sang Kum Ba Yah over & over and also the Down in My Heart song. It was really cute seeing them sing these songs. I guess we'll be able to learn some good Christmas carols before December!

Jacob was also very enjoyable this evening. I've been playing with him lately to say the words, "I love you" where we alternate on who says which word. Sometimes he's more playful with it than others & I know Grandma loves to play this with all the boys. Tonight when he was laying in bed, he kept saying the whole phrase over and over, "I - FWUV - You!" It was cute. He was so happy and I don't think anyone could say they hear that phrase too often!

As I mentioned, Leyton & Nathaniel are 3 1/2. They started preschool this fall. They have just finished their 3rd week and enjoy it very much. The first day was rough for the boys and for Mom, but since then, it has been great. It's cute because our neighbor 2 doors down is in the same class. We have realized we may as well carpool daily because none of the 3 boys will enter school without the other! They look around and wait until the whole group is together. They seem to have a lot of fun. Today, they both even helped the teacher...Leyton was the calendar helper (he didn't really tell me what that meant, but that's ok) and Nathaniel was the snack helper. I appreciate their willingness to help; luckily they will also help at home! A cute thing that Nathaniel said today when I was helping him get dressed was, "Mom, I prefer to have my snap done first before my zipper." I had never heard him say "prefer" before. I got a chuckle from that and happily obliged. They sure do have some quotes! That reminds me of a few days ago when I was preparing my lunch for work (I work part-time currently) and Nathaniel said, "Mom, do you eat your lunch at work?" I said that I did. A few moments later, he said, "Mom, do you have a broom at work?" I said that I did not, but I asked, "Do I need a broom at work?" He quickly replied, "Yes, so you can clean up your lunch!" That was a recent favorite. I guess that is a good indication of what our kitchen floor is like on a daily basis! All well worth it, and I don't see it changing any time soon. This photo is of Leyton & Nathaniel on their first day of school 9/4/07. Leyton in the orange, Nathaniel in green (their love of Hawaiian shirts are a whole different discussion!).