Jack Presley - Spring 2011

So I’m finally getting around to posting the kids’ pictures from way back in April. Here’s a little about Jack right now:

• Jack is a talker. There are times when I think he is never going to stop. Right now, his phrase is, “You know what?” He will preface half his statements with that. I try not to interrupt him, because the more he talks, the more I learn about his thoughts and what is important to him each day.
• Jack’s imagination is in full bloom right now. I see it in so many ways. It is fun to watch him play right now, because he has elaborate scenarios with his super hero “guys.” I will hear him having Batman talk to Joker or making the sounds for Superman to fly across the dining room. I also see his imagination in his explanations for things. He has particularly great explanations for anything body-related. He has informed me there is a little guy in his belly that runs around and that’s how he gets his energy. He also has some pretty interesting explanations for his behavior. When he didn’t eat his applesauce I packed him for lunch the other day, he told me it was because a little girl came up to him and whispered to Jack to go outside and play. He told me he just couldn’t stand it and had to go, so that was why he didn’t eat his applesauce. Because Mallory tricked him.
• Jack is naturally athletic. He started t-ball this spring and is great at it. He has excellent form when he hits the ball and when he runs. Some of this is natural talent and some is from us working on it with him. We’re not the crazy parents who are out to make our preschooler a professional athlete, it’s more that Jack has always loved sports, so we’ve played them a lot.
• Jack is still my sensitive child. He gets his feelings hurt easily. I worry that he is sometimes too eager to please people and will get run over by others. But he is a smart kid, so hopefully he will find the right balance.
• Jack is certainly exerting his independence and testing his limits right now. He wants to be in charge (of everything) and has a hard time with being told no. He is testing us as parents because we have had to work extra hard at being consistent and following through on what we say. But my philosophy is that if I can’t get my 4 (almost 5) year old to pick up his toys, I will never get him to come home at night when he is 15. We put the hard work in now by developing limits, boundaries, and expectations so that when he is older we can have less battles and enjoy those years more. (I know all of you with kids that are teenagers or older are falling out of your chairs laughing right now. Just let me live in my ignorance-induced state of bliss, ok?)

While Jack can drive me absolutely crazy with his wildness and his attitude lately, he also has this innocent, sweet side that just melts my heart. The other night Troy was working late and I had just put Brett to bed. Jack and I were having some ice cream for dessert and took it out to the living room. I sat next to him on the couch and he turned to me and said, “I like it when you sit next to me on the couch. It’s nice.” Yes, Jack, it certainly is.