Justin Edward Dishong

Turning 5!

2011-03-02T20:33:00.004-05:00

My Blankie

2011-01-30T13:01:00.002-05:00

A video documentary of Justin and his blankie!

Flag Football 2011

2011-01-29T07:48:00.006-05:00

Our first session of Flag Football came to and end last night. Justin had a great time playing and even scored a touchdown! He was very excited to get his trophy and can't wait to play in the Spring. It will be closer to home and he will even be playing in "The Shoe" - yep, at Ohio State.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T18:30:00.001-05:00

Part of Justin's preschool holiday festivities was that they went to the local senior center to sing a few Christmas carols.

Some of Justin's favorite gifts this year were: foosball table, lego castle, all his race cars, walkie talkies and Rockem' Sockem' Robots.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-31T18:25:00.002-05:00

Each year, Justin's preschool has a "Thanksgiving Feast." The little girl setting next to him is Emalee. When I came in to set next to Justin, she told me with the biggest smile and cutest voice, that, "She was going to marry Justin!" I told her, maybe one day! Ahh, to four :-)

Halloween 2010

2010-12-31T18:19:00.002-05:00

Justin just couldn't decide what he wanted to be for Halloween this year. We bought a Pac Man ghost costume, which he did wear to our neighborhood costume parade. However, to his school Halloween party and Trick-or-Treat he decided to wear his a Christmas gift from Santa...his OSU football outfit!

Hair Cut? WOW!

2010-10-19T20:13:00.003-04:00

You have to see this goofy kid to believe it! He is so particular about getting his hair cut that we had to improvise to get it done - notice the science googles. What a goof! He got it done but it took some bribing.

Ren. Festival 2010

2010-10-19T20:10:00.003-04:00

This was a whole new experience for us all! It was like Medival Times times 1,000! Very neat and a little weird all in one. Justin liked watching the jousting (and so did Jay!). We came home with a "safe" sword and shield, guess what happen when we got home...that is right - daddy got beat on!!!!

SOCCER!

2010-10-19T20:07:00.003-04:00

Justin first team experience was playing soccer. He did a great job and learned a lot in just a little time that the season lasted! We are on to play basketball and then arena flag football!!!! He is so excited to play football - like Ohio State!

Colton's Football Game

2010-10-19T20:03:00.001-04:00

While in Nelsonville on one of our many weekend trips, we went to watch Colton play football. He did a great job - they won!

First Day of PreKindergarten 2010

2010-10-19T19:59:00.003-04:00

Justin's first day of Pre-Kindergarten, can you believe it? I can't! He is growing up so fast! He had no problems starting his pre-kindergarten class. It was actually easier than other transitions we have made. He loves his teachers and is learning so much! Although he loves math (he gets that from his dad), he isn't far from reading (from his mom - the reading teacher). He know many words now and is trying hard to apply letter sounds...it won't be long :-)

Where does time go?

2010-10-19T19:54:00.002-04:00

Here are pictures from throughout the summer and into the fall! Where does time go?

We visited a children's museum in Lancaster, called Ahaa. Justin had a really good time playing there - he really liked the face painting!

Summer misc.

A Day of Fun in the Sun

2010-08-18T19:28:00.005-04:00

We spent the afternoon at the Groveport Aquadic Center with a good friend of mine, Christa and her two sons, Ethan and Jake. Justin and I had never been here before and were amazed at how much they had to offer. The boys had a great time playing and Justin sure it tired now for his fun-filled day with no nap!

Grandma and Grandpa's (Georgia) 2010

2010-08-18T19:09:00.006-04:00

From Pictures_Grandpas (Georgia) 2010

We had such a great time visiting Grandma and Grandpa Dishong at their home in Georgia. We spent time on Lake Lanier, which was amazing. We were out on a party boat (Pontoon). Spent about 4 hours on the lake and didn't get to half of it - it was amazingly huge. We did however, find our own private island ;-) and got out several times to take a dip in the surprisingly clear (to a point) lake. I was just glad that I didn't "feel" any snakes...well maybe a an "anchor rope snake" - ha!

We did enjoy some down time hanging around the house and in the community clubhouse/pool & park area. Justin really like going for a ride in grandpa's new Hot Rod (a convertible).

Myrtle Beach 2010

2010-07-26T11:54:00.014-04:00

We are back from a fun-filled week in South Carolina. Much different from the years past, Justin loved the ocean this year and ran right out into it as soon as we arrived at our condo. He did great in the car again this year, we were a little concerned after a short trip to Mohican Campground and he kept asking, "are we there yet?" He did ask us that on the way to and from Myrtle, but was a trooper throughout the trip.

Justin on Four Wheeler

2010-07-18T09:23:00.001-04:00

Forgot to post this from his birthday!

Summer Time Fun

2010-07-15T17:04:00.002-04:00

Pictures of our 2010 Summer fun...and there is more to come. We have still two more vacations ahead of us!

COSI - Birthday Trip!

2010-06-14T21:34:00.005-04:00

Since Justin's birthday party was the weekend before his actual birthday, we decided to take Justin to COSI on his birthday day to have fun! Despite a long wait to get into COSI, we had a great day! This trip he really like playing in the "Gadgets and Gears" area rather than water table.

Here are some pictures of our trip!

Wow! Where does time go?

2010-06-14T16:38:00.009-04:00

Hard to believe that summer vacation is here! Which lends more time for me to update Justin's site. I have a lot of stuff to add.....first his birthday pictures and video!

It is so hard to believe that Justin is four now! He had a great birthday - he chose Monster Trucks (which has been a reoccuring theme for a couple of years now).

Big Truck Show!

2010-01-10T13:11:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we went to see the "Big Trucks" at Nationwide Arena. We all had a good time. Justin was more subdue than I thought he would be. He just stared and watched the trucks. At first, Justin didn't want to wear his ear muffs but after hearing just how loud the trucks are he didn't mind them so much! Grave Digger was, of course, Justin's favorite truck - and he won each event. He said his favorite part was the motorcyles and four wheelers. Jay and I both thought it was a neat experience, however Nationwide Arena is too small to host Monster trucks.

Snow Day!

2010-01-08T19:44:00.004-05:00

No school today! Justin and I spent a good part of the morning out in the snow. He had a lot of fun. I think he is bundled up too good because he could have been out a lot longer than I actually let him. I had fun watching him but the wind was bad (as you can hear in the video). He wanted to build a snowman and a racetrack (what a surprise) but the snow was like powder. You really couldn't do much of anything in it but run and jump ...just what Justin did!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T11:44:00.012-05:00

Justin had a ball this Christmas! He did so well not opening any presents until it was Christmas. He was so fun to watch open his presents and comment this is exactly what he wanted. He said, "Santa is magic!"

My Pictures:

Jay's Pictures:

Jenny's Pictures:

First Snow 2009

2009-12-26T11:58:00.005-05:00

Justin was so excited to see the first snow of the season! He thought because there was snow that it was Christmas time. He quickly realized that snow is really cold but had so much fun none-the-less.

Costume Parade 2009

2009-10-25T14:27:00.002-04:00

Justin experienced his first neighborhood costume parade. He had a lot of fun and even WON in his age group 0-4 years-old. He didn't really understand that he had won, but loved walking in the parade around the neighborhood. He dressed up as Mario (from Super Mario Brothers). He did well at keeping this costume together and he even wore his mustache off and on for the parade.

It has been awhile!

2009-10-14T20:00:00.002-04:00

We have been adjusting to a new school year (for Justin too!). He is off and running in preschool and is having so much fun. He brings home art activities everyday and is learning a lot of Spanish. He now knows is address and birthday. I have also taught him how to spell his first and last name. He can write it fairly legible now too. He can write pretty much anything you want him to, we have been working on writing family names.

We did take Justin bowling for the first time! He really liked it, but as it happens with most new experiences - it ended in tears. See the video below.

Justin is already talking about Christmas! His preschool had a book fair and he bought a book called "The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever." We have read it every night since. He is really excited about Santa and is finally understanding that it is "someone else". He DOES NOT want to be on the naughty list. He get very upset when you tell him that if he doesn't make good choices he will be on that list - which it is a good thing I guess.

We went to get pumpkins this past weekend too - Justin is also excited to dress-up. He is going to be Mario for Halloween. He is so ready to go get candy. When his costume came in the mail, he wanted to go out then and collect candy - ha

Here is some typing from Justin:

SJUSTIN DISHONG

(notice the the S at the beginning, that is his favorite letter)...well remember my story about him stealing the letter "s" from preschool - well it is still in his backpack as my present! He loves this letter! I keep telling him we are going to put it back and he throws a fit.

First Day of Preschool 2009

2009-08-24T17:12:00.005-04:00

Today was a success! Justin did really well getting off to his first day of preschool. He was tired when he woke-up (two-hours earlier than normal summer-time schedule). He was excited to go into his classroom. Justin was a little confused when we went into the other preschool classroom upon arrival. He thought we would go into his "normal" classroom first and was a little upset by this. Not long after entering the new classroom he was off and playing. Once he realized that we had left the room he became very upset. The tears didn't last too long. Jay and I left there for work once we knew he was calmed down. His day was pretty busy. I called to check on him and at that time he was playing on the computer. When I arrived to pick him up he was very excited and screamed to the classroom "mommy!" I talked with the teacher a bit about his day. He did well. She said that he was a little sad when there was "down" time like stories but loved to play outside and at the sand table. He ate most of his lunch and took a short nap but was quiet the rest of the nap/quiet time.

Justin even had a gift for me! He managed to put into his backpack a foam letter "S". He wanted me to have it really bad, little did he know that those aren't to be removed from the classroom. Justin kept asking me if, "I loved it," meaning the gift of the letter "S". I asked the teacher about it and she commented that those letters actually belong to the "letter station"....ha!

I hope tomorrow gets better instead of worse - now that he know what "preschool" is. He said he wanted to come back, so we will see.

Parade of the Hills 2009

2009-08-23T12:04:00.001-04:00

This was the first time in many years we came home to visit family and see the parade. We had a great time. Justin absolutely loved the parade and all the family. He was so tired at the days end - he fell asleep before we even hit the highway!

Little Miss Leah

2009-08-21T21:54:00.003-04:00

Visit the link the below to view the video of Leah Grace at Little Miss Parade of the Hills. She got 2nd Runner Up! You can also view it from the Video Bar to the left on this page.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llw-6ziaWmo

My New Classroom!

2009-08-07T15:25:00.002-04:00

Thursday, I moved into my new classroom at Sycamore Creek Elementary. It is awesome! Every classroom has its own Elmo document camera with overhead projector with DVD/VHS player. Teachers also will have a laptop to use in the classroom with students and to take home. There are also telephones in each classroom. Here are a few pictures.

Myrtle Beach 2009

2009-07-27T11:16:00.002-04:00

We are back and had a great time! Here is some video and pictures of our vacation.

Our New Patio

2009-07-17T11:52:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture of our finished patio. It took about two weeks to complete. It is stamped colored concrete.

New SONY Camera Test Shots!

2009-07-02T19:15:00.002-04:00

For my birthday Jay got me a new Sony Cybershot T90. So far, so good! I am very excited about it because it does both still shots and video. And the best part is - it does both well and fits into my little purse!

This is just one shot that I have taken. Justin has learned how to use the controller of the PS3 and actually play games now. He also can play the DS very well. He has finished 2nd and 3rd playing Mario Cart. It is amazing the things he has learned. He can also write the J - U of his name all the time. He can write the S - T - I - N some of the time, but can get it all when he is really trying and not distracted by other things.

From 6-30-2009

This is a video. Justin learned to use the breaks on his bike in the past couple of days and is no longer scared to go down the short incline of the driveway.

Picture Gallery

2009-05-27T21:23:00.002-04:00

Alex has sent me the photo gallery of Justin's Three Year pictures! They are awesome...I will be getting one of each, plus many others!

Visit the following link to see the shots taken by Alex (www.alexsnyder.com). If you would like a print e-mail Alex with photo number, size and quantity.

www.alexsnyder.com/clients/JD

Enjoy!

3 Years Old!

2009-05-25T21:48:00.003-04:00

Justin is THREE! We had Alex take Justin's pictures this weekend (www.alexsnyder.com). There will be more to come and you can order your own pictures too. The picture to the left is Justin doing his "one eye" - pirate picture! He is such a character.

From Drop Box

Quick and Painless (well somewhat!)

2009-04-30T21:41:00.002-04:00

Justin had his two ear tubes placed today around 12:30. Originally, they weren't going to do his surgery until 2:10 p.m. However, the surgery that was before couldn't go, so they moved us up. It was a bit surprising when we got there that they were so fast-moving and doing things quickly - until on the nurses told us we had been moved-up. Which was good, it was a bit difficult trying to explain to a 3-year-old that they can't eat. He really wanted to eat his "crunchies".

Once we arrived at the hospital, Justin was distracted by everything around him....but when we got to the pre-op. room he became very nervous and wanted to go home. With things happening around him so quickly he was even more nervous and started to cry. He wouldn't sit in the hospital bed, and wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. He also didn't want to get changed into his hospital clothes. They gave him a "relaxer" but I think they needed more of it, or needed to wait longer for it to kick-in. In no time he in the operating room, which he was very upset to leave us. No sooner that we got checked-in to the operating waiting room, looked at the "Patient Update" board a couple of times, Jay went to get a drink and the doctor was out to talk to us about the surgery.

They then moved us to Justin's post-operating room #14. We waited there for them to bring Justin to us (which seemed like a long time, but really was only about 30 minutes). Justin was crying when he arrived, and started crying even harder when he saw us. He was very groggy and looked really tired. We were relieved that all had gone well and he was back with us.

We got him a dose of Tylenol and were out the door. We stopped by to buy an Elmo balloon, that he had spotted on the way in and then left the hospital. Once in the truck, Justin finally got his crunchies he had waited on all morning.

We stopped by Justin's favorite place, McDonald's for a chicken nugget Happy Meal with Chocolate Milk (his new favorite). Once at home, he was playing normal and has been all night. He is complaining about his ears still hurting, so I am hoping that it is just some of the effects of the surgery. We will see. He didn't like having the ear drops put in his ears so that may be some of why he is complaining.

Let's hope this is all done and over with!

Alex Snyder Photography Birthday Pictures!

2009-04-28T18:38:00.002-04:00

They have arrived (thanks Alex).

To view pictures visit this link: http://alexsnyder.com/clients/JustinBirthday/

He is taking orders if you are interested. E-mail him with the photo number, size and quantity. alex@alexsnyder.com

Enjoy!

Tubes....surprise, surprise

2009-04-22T22:04:00.004-04:00

After our appointment with the ENT Specialist, Justin will be getting tubes in both ears. After the past two months of continuous ear pain and problems this is the only thing that will fix the situation. Justin's pediatrician and the ENT doctor were concerned with his hearing and don't want the problems to persist and lead to speach problems.

His surgery will be next Thursday at Children's Hospital. We don't know an exact time yet, but will find out closer to the surgery date. It is a pretty quick surgery and from what I have heard from other parents is that most likely he will wake-up and not even realize anything has been done to him. However, I hope that isn't all true....because I know he is in discomfort and pain and want this to come to an end.....poor little guy.

Please pray that all goes smoothly and he heals quickly.

It's Been Awhile

2009-04-18T22:59:00.003-04:00

Yea....I know it has been awhile. We have been busy and sick for sometime now. Justin has been struggling with constant and/or reoccuring ear infections since the end of February. The first round of his ear infection was coupled with the stomach flu that lasted for six days! We have went through three different antiobiotics to only end up having to get two shots of an even stronger antiobiotic. Justin has been referred to an ENT specialist, so we will see what they have to say when we visit sometime soon. As of today, he seems to better (knock on wood). It has been a very trying time.

On a more happier note: Justin turned 3 (or nine, if you ask Justin)! We had a party here at home with family and was a lot of fun. Justin had a ball. Even though he did turn three according to Justin he is nine. I have asked him several times (even still today) how old he is and he will say nine (one day he was ten!). Then we I correct him and say no you're three. His reply is, "no, I not wanna be three, I am nine!"

More happy news: I found out this week that next school year I will be transferring to Sycamore Elementary (one of the new elementary schools in Pickerington) and still teaching second grade. This will be the same school that Justin will attend.

Here are some pictures that Jenny took. I am still waiting on pictures from Alex.....hint, hint.....

Um, yeah!

2009-02-24T18:50:00.005-05:00

Justin and I have been sick! I had Justin at the doctors bright and early Monday morning to find out he had a double ear infection. He is now on a 10 day cycle of amoxicillin. For me, I guess I just have a run of the mill cold - not fair, no drugs for me :-( After several Mucinex D I am feeling much better. Today, he is so much better than yesterday. He slept from 10-3 pm and still slept normal last night. You know that he isn't feeling well with that much sleep!

Despite being sick just 24 hours prior, Justin is still up to his antics! He has done this one before, so it is quite funny for him to peak his head around the corner with pretzels sticking out of them. Tonight, it was - "ha, ha, take a picture of me"!

**A Side Note**
Last night while Justin was sleeping and talking in his sleep (surprise, surprise - he is hardly ever quiet)....he said: :My watch Sponge Bob mom, (then what I can only guess is that IN HIS DREAM, I said no - after all, we don't watch that show) this is followed by a very expressive "MOOOOOM"!!!! He managed to wake himself up and then kindly and softly say - "mom" and pat my arm.

Later that same night....he was rolling around say "Sponge Bob, Sponge Bob" He must really want to watch this show!

Be sure to check the "Video Bar" for new videos, I don't always blog about every video.

Literal Thinking

2009-01-31T20:55:00.002-05:00

So we continue to tell jokes. Jay was telling one to Justin. This is how it went:
Jay: "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
Justin: "No, not cross the road, cars in the road!"

Ha! So, safety prevails over comedy in Justin's world. That is a good thing :-)

The Jokester!

2009-01-30T19:55:00.002-05:00

Justin's latest is to tell knock-knock jokes. His favorite one is:
"Knock, knock."
Who's there?
"Duck"
Duck who?
"Twack, Twack" (Quack, Quack)!
Followed by giggles!

Ah, it is the little things in life that make you happy!

Ornery!

2009-01-29T08:53:00.005-05:00

So, while I was giving Jay a hair cut in our bathroom....Justin managed to entertain himself with a roll of toilet paper! When the "quiet" lasted too long we walk out of the bathroom to find Justin had toilet papered the hallway and steps - ha! He then wanted to shred all of it and put it into the baskets. He did have the toilet paper stretched all the way from our bedroom to his, but by the time I got the camera he had "cleaned" it up a bit!

He is so ornery!

Yesterday he managed to take his bowl of Teddy Grams and dump them out on the coffee table and then use his bowl as a hammer and crush all of the bears. The mess was all over the table and rug. When I told him he had to clean-up the mess, he commented, "no, not clean it up - Mommy clean it up!" Oh, well let me tell you that didn't happen. He did clean it up (with a little assistance from.....Mommy).

J-U-S-T-I-N

2009-01-10T19:57:00.005-05:00

Last night Justin and I were setting in the chair and he started to spell his name. Well, to my surprise he did it correctly the first time. Then of course I had to have him do it again. He needed prompting like, "what comes after u," but he is able to get it in the right order. To my disappointment I didn't get it on video the first time. Of course today when I wanted to get it on video he doesn't want to do it. We have been bribing him all day with pop, suckers, and playing the PS3 - he finally did it (oh, he gave in for the PS3 - you'll hear him ask his daddy to go play broom, broom at the end of the video), but not as clearly as he did it last night. He is "showing off" for the camera (and has been all day). I did finally get a clip of him doing it, but he is being rather silly.

J.U.S.T.I.N

Our FLIP has arrived!

2009-01-05T18:12:00.005-05:00

Our Flip Mino arrived today! This is probably the coolest thing I have seen for awhile. I have put a Video Bar off to the left side of the web page. So any video that I take and post to YouTube will automatically be seen on Justin's site. It is so easy to use and share!

More to come soon!

This is a photo captured from the first video we took.....pretty neat!

From My Pictures

Justin's First Pictures

2009-01-03T22:33:00.004-05:00

One of Justin's Christmas gifts he received was a kid tough digital camera. These are the first pictures he has taken with the camera. Some are blurry when he was learning to use the camera and moved too quickly, some are of his favorite things (the t.v. while he was watching Madagascar and Dora, and his GeoTrax).

The ones of him really close-up are when he was taking pictures of himself then turning the camera around to see what he did and then just giggling so hard!

Enjoy! We did!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T22:21:00.012-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! Justin had a great time opening gifts and helped everyone open their gifts too. He was very excited and took about two hours to open all of his gifts from Santa Clause (or Banna Claut as Justin would say). He wanted to play with everything he opened and especially liked playing with the slot-car track "Santa" set-up for him in front of the tree. This was a bad move on our part - I mean Santa's part, because he wanted to play with it and not open gifts.

Here are some pictures from Aunt Jenny, Grandpa Dishong and myself.

Happy New Year!

ABC's and 1,2,3's

2008-11-25T14:49:00.005-05:00

Justin is now able to identify all of his alphabet and his numbers 1-20 (with occasional mistakes). When we practice his name he says "A - B - C Jusjin." He can identify all the letters and numbers out of sequence. Oh, and 8 seems to be his favorite number. When we read Chicka, Chicka 1,2,3 he points out every number 8 he sees.

In this picture he is using his Buckeye necklace that Jay got for him at the grocery store and using it as his race track. He put all the cars in a circle and had a race.

He is learning more and more everyday!

From Misc. Justin with Cars

Circle S Farms

2008-11-25T14:37:00.002-05:00

We spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Circle S Farms. First we had a very nice breakfast at the farm, then we ventured around the farm and saw a few animals (rabbits and goats). Justin went in a hay maze, which made me a little nervous not being able to see him or know where he was at. However, he didn't stay in there long and ended up finding his way out. After all of that, went on a hayride out to a pumpkin patch to pick a few pumpkins. This was a task! Three large pumpkins at only two adults and a child that wanted to be carried. It didn't work out so well.

After the hayride, we went into the haybarn for a few minutes. Justin thought this was cool until he was "eaten" by the hay. The hay was so thick that you would sink to your knees, so in Justin's life that was to his head!!!! He went down the slide they had in there and then we called it a day. As you can see from the last pictures Justin was tired and although he didn't want to leave he needed to leave. He fell asleep on the way home.....

Trick or Treat

2008-11-25T13:47:00.002-05:00

** Pumpkin Carving**
Justin was not at all interested in carving pumpkins. Jay end up doing most of the work. We had bought a bunch of carving stuff and templates - even an Einstein book with all the characters faces and Rocket. But Justin just didn't care. He thought the flashing lights were cool that went in the pumpkins, but didn't care about anything else.

**Trick or Treat*
Justin had a great time going Trick or Treating this year. He realized that you get CANDY! ....and it didn't take much to sell him on the idea of more and more candy. We did just the small loop around the neighborhood, stopping at Carrie's (his sitter) , John and Mellany's house and a few others along the way. Justin dressed up as "Bob the Tomato" from Veggie Tales - again. He didn't really get into the idea of wearing a costume until he saw other kids dressed up and getting candy.

We came back home to hand out our own candy. Justin helped with that too. He did do a good job until he was board with it and had eaten enough candy to last him a year. He thought it was fun to blow out my luminaries along the drive and decided to do that most of the evening.

COSI

2008-10-17T17:27:00.003-04:00

Today Justin and I visited COSI since I had the day off of work. He had a lot of fun. It was a lot different than what I remember as a kid....well after all it is in a totally different building. Justin loved playing in the Kidspace area for preschoolers.

He thought the water play area was really cool. He collected all of the ducks in a boat and pushed them around the entire table. He also really liked the "air floaty ball" thing. He ran and played for about 2 hours then we ventured around the rest of COSI to see the the other stuff. He eventually tired out as you can see from the last picture.

It's Been Awhile!

2008-10-11T22:34:00.005-04:00

Justin has been a busy boy! He is still going to "me mat" and still loves it! We have been spending about everyother (sometimes every) weekend in Nelsonville at my mom and dad's house. Jay has been running his R.C. cars while Justin runs around with Colton and the other kids. He has a ball.

**New Developments**
Justin is now identifying and counting from 1-14. He is recognizing the letters of the alphabet, he calls any letter "abc". Tonight he wanted to play on "omputer" (his v-tech play computer) he played a game identifying his numbers and did so well - I was impressed. He is speaking in long sentences of up to six to seven words. He continues to use the pincher grasp when coloring. Oh, he also learned how to peddle his bike a few weeks ago! He amazes us everyday.

**Halloween**
We still don't know what Justin is going to be for Halloween. He isn't really excited about it yet....he thinks "Halloween" is pumpkins and decorations. When we are out in the neighborhood or at a store any display of pumpkins or corn stalks, Justin yells "HALLOWEEN!" When he finally realizes that people give you CANDY - he will learn to love it quickly!

It's August 27th

2008-08-27T22:23:00.008-04:00

Oh Justin!

Tonight, Justin wanted to go play in the SNOW.....yep SNOW. He found his hat, gloves and jacket in the closet and had to have them on. Then he wanted snow to blow on! After telling him that there isn't any snow and having to take him outside to check to make sure there was in fact NO SNOW...he got mad! So, being two....it was really had for him to let this go and he got upset with us, because we kept taking his picture! After all, it is August 27th (notice the shorts!).

Oh, he is so silly!

Justin's First Bike - One of the Gang!

2008-08-27T22:08:00.006-04:00

We bought Justin his first bike last week. He was so excited (if Jay would ever show me how to do the video, I would post it). Justin had be talking about the other kids riding around the neighborhood on their bikes and wanted so much to be like them. He wasn't happy with his tricycle...he wanted one like the other kids. So, I found one small enough (even though it is still a touch too big)...but he loves it, so that is all that matters. In just a couple of times out he is starting to figure out how to pedal. He can get almost all the way around. He gets stuck coming back up and will usually put on the brake, which is interesting when you are the one pushing and then suddenly come to a complete stop!

We haven't gone too far yet, but he wants to really bad. He thinks that when the kids from the neighborhood come by to say hi that he can go out riding with them. I told him that when he learns to pedal he could go with them....I am sure it won't be too long from now.

After buying the bike we of course had to get a "hat" (or helmet) again because all the other kids have them too. He chose a Lightning McQueen helmet. He look so cute in it, but it makes his head look even bigger! He likes this silly thing so much, that he actually wore it to Carrie's one morning refusing to take it off. He said, "Me hat on," and that was that. So he wore it there and didn't have a care in the world - ah, to be two!

One of the gang! Mackenzie, Emma (Carrie's daughter), Justin and Lacy.

The Columbus Zoo

2008-08-27T21:27:00.006-04:00

Our trip to the zoo was fun. Justin had a really good time. He did really well and enjoyed most everything. He really liked the kangaroos and would imitate them by "me, jum, jum, jum..." as he jumped everywhere. We had to go back to see the kangaroos before we left.

Justin also liked watching these two baby monkeys play around on the playground equipment they had set up for them. We spent quite some time watching them and Justin just couldn't get enough. He would laugh and try to talk to the monkeys. The monkeys were being very silly. They were jumping and trying to push each other off of the bars....it was really entertaining...

He wasn't too crazy about the bird exhibit though. We went to feed the birds nectar and Justin didn't really like that. I was holding the cup of nectar and several birds can over to eat (yeah, it was a little weird). That was after I spilled half of it all over Justin's head and clothes because a bird jumped on me and scared me right as we were walking in.....I guess he was really hungry!

Jay and I couldn't believe how big the zoo actually is. We haven't been in such a long time and in out time there we really didn't even see half of the zoo....and we saw A LOT. It really is a neat place. Justin really liked it, despite the temper tantrum he through after leaving an indoor exhibit. After he realized we were video taping him and taking pictures he decided to get up....after all he wasn't getting his way!

We had a very nice time at the zoo and Justin was great (despite the "small" tantrum). I think our next trip we may venture to the other half of the zoo.....

One Busy Summer

2008-08-11T09:02:00.007-04:00

We have had one busy summer! It is hard to believe that this is my last week before I have to return to work. Justin has had a lot of fun doing different things. We visited the park several times and even played in Sycamore Creek during one of those trips. Justin thought that was really fun. We also made more and more trips to Nelsonville than ever. With being so close now, it is a lot easier to go home. Justin really likes playing with all of his cousins and riding the four-wheeler, playing with the "big trucks" on the BIG track and just running around outside with so much to do!

We went to several parties over the summer. Our neighborhood had a 4th of July party that went well until the started letting off fireworks. Then the party was pretty much over for us, Justin was terrified of the fireworks. It was fun up to that point. Hannah and Colton also had their birthday parties (one of our trips to Nelsonville). Justin loved this too - see the picture with the big balloon hat!

We spent one day at Easton playing in the water fountain and doing a little bit of shopping. Justin thought the fountain was neat, but didn't want to get in it. He played around it and with the other kids, put never actually got in the fountain. This was a long, hot day for Justin and he became very cranky. Justin also made his own bear at "Build-a-Bear," but he really wasn't too interested in this....but he does really like his bear today.

We did spend time at home playing in the pool, playing on the track and learning how to mow. Over the summer Justin's fear of the pool changed a lot. In June he wouldn't even go into the water now in August, he really likes it (I am still trying to get my pool in the backyard!). This summer he also has learned to do a flip. He was trying for a few days to do it then one day, he flipped over and now he just thinks that is the greatest thing he can do.

Justin also learned to get in and out of his bed and does so all on his own. When he is ready to get out of bed, he does so all by himself. He can also open doors which is a good and a bad thing. Good that he can let himself out of his room when he is done with his nap etc, bad because now we have to toddler-proof all the "unsafe" doors. Luckily, he hasn't been to interested in going outside on his own yet.

He also is talking in much longer sentences and questions more and more. Justin wants to know where everyone is at. "Where mommy?, Where daddy?" He will repeat anything - so what out! His memory is getting better too. He is able to tell me about things that we did awhile ago. At night, he will tell stories about things we did. Justin will also "read" to us. Each night I read to him books about the movie "Cars" (yes, we have finally gotten away from reading Little Einsteins! - yeah) and Justin will "read" what is on the page. He does really well remembering what happens on each page, because sometimes what he says isn't just because of the picture on the page.

He still loves his "big trucks" (monster trucks). He usually takes 3 or 4 to bed with him each night. We have had a few even break and he will still play with them, even if they are missing a wheel or two or even missing their tops! Justin will ramp and race them everyday.

It has been a fun summer, although it seems short now looking back. We have a trip to the zoo planned for this weekend, our last "event" for the summer. So, keep looking for pictures of that adventure!

"Me Mat"

2008-07-19T10:11:00.004-04:00

We enrolled Justin in a gymnastics class this past spring and have continued through the summer. Justin absolutely loves going to class, he calls it "Mat", because in class they have to go to different color mats to do activities. In just a few short months he has learned to climb the "rock wall" and use the trapeze bar and is even practicing taking turns in line. He also is learning to be more independent and daring. Justin will now jump into the ball pit without an help, where before he was very hesitant and want to hold your hand. His independence has developed quickly. Jack (his buddy) also started classes with us this summer, so they are like partners in crime! They have so much fun together.

Justin likes it so much that when he wakes up in the morning he says, "Me mat, me turn." Translated to: I want to go to gym class and take a turn. When we are driving down the road he will start yelling "Me mat, me mat, me mat." He even know where the class is. When we near FitKidz Club he will point and say "in there".

As you can see from the pictures - he has a blast! The pictures with the hulla-hoops Justin was following directions: to put his ear in the hoop, stand in the hoop, clap in the hoop. He listened very well.

Grandpa and Uncle Jason's Visit

2008-07-01T22:25:00.003-04:00

This past weekend Grandpa and Jason visited us. Jason was competing in a Verses Tournament in downtown Columbus and Grandpa got to spend some time with Justin. We had a lot of fun having them here. It would be nice to have them closer to us - Justin (and us) like to have them around.....hint hint....(There is a house just down the street for sale :-)

An Evening at the Park

2008-06-26T14:48:00.001-04:00

Myrtle Beach 2008!

2008-06-26T14:17:00.004-04:00

We spent a week at Myrtle Beach and had a lot of fun. We (or should I say I) drove the entire way both ways! Justin did great in the truck. We were both very surprised. He did really well and watched his DVD's that Jay made for him and played with his toys. Justin didn't really like the sand or ocean too much. He did play a little bit on the sand and did actually get in the ocean once, but he wasn't a real fan. Every time his hands or feet got too sandy he wanted them cleaned off right away! "Me Han, me han" or "Me toe, me toe"! Jay says that he has my "OCD" behaviors. Ha!

Justin did play around the pool (not in the pool) ..... but around. He liked walking around more than anything. We bought him a cheap plastic lawn mower at one of those Wings stores and he couldn't have been happier. He pushed that silly thing around the entire trip. We even had to take it into restaurants with us!

He really liked going to Broadway at the Beach. He rode a couple little kiddie rides, but more than anything he liked strolling along and people watching. Justin also liked playing on the playground they have by the lake. He would cry every time we would leave..."in dare" as he would point back to the shops.

All-in-all we had a nice trip.

All Tuckered Out!

2008-06-12T14:59:00.006-04:00

After a day of going to story time at Barnes and Noble and then a play date at the neighbors house Justin was absolutely wiped out. We came home from playing at Zach and Brendan's house, changed clothes, read Justin's favorite Little Einsteins book and this is how he fell asleep!

CUTE!

Summer Playtime!

2008-06-11T14:20:00.003-04:00

Justin and Jack (son of Amy my good friend and teacher) spent the morning together playing outside in his new kiddie pool. They had a lot of fun splashing and running around. It was like having twins. They would mock each other with everything they did. They both had a great time!

Memorial Day Weekend!

2008-05-27T17:48:00.002-04:00

We had a fun memorial day weekend at home in Nelsonville. Justin has so much fun playing with all the kids and getting so much attention. He went non-stop for three days. Justin really liked being able "run" around going from Grandmas, to Tommy's and to Uncle Todd's house all without being followed by mom or dad. He would just go with one of the other kids as happy as can be. He must have made five trips up and down that big hill in the driveway in just one day. He is growing up so quickly.

We also went to Cooper's 2nd Birthday party! HAPPY BIRTHDAY COOPER :-)
Justin loved being around all of the kids there too. He wants to be so much like them, he will imitate there every move and word (this is a good thing and a bad thing!). If they would set on the step, he would, if they said aha, Justin said aha! Ah, to be one of the gang. They were all so cute.

Saturday some friend of mine from school had a portrait party. So, we finally got two-year pictures of Justin. I have yet to see them, but Justin was so cute. I can't wait to see them. I will send you a link once I get my password for the website (via email - not blog). You can also order prints if you would like too from the website.
I'll keep you posted on that, it will be a couple of weeks.

Hi to ALI and GRACIE my loyal readers :-) We love you!

Terrible Two's

2008-05-12T17:47:00.003-04:00

It was like a switch, Justin has officially entered the TERRIBLE TWO'S, yep he is a brat! Jay and I both are being tested in ways that we could only imagine. Justin wants to be independent and do things all by himself and seems to have lost his ability to hear. It is amazing how many times we can say the same thing over and over only to get the same response from Justin...........NO! This past week Justin was put in his first time out. He didn't understand at first what was happening, but after several times of being put on the chair he finally started to understand and didn't like it! He started yelling for his blankie and a baba (his two favorite comfort items). We didn't give in though.

He also wants to do everything for himself which is both good and bad. Good when he doesn't make a huge mess and bad when he does (ha!). He did do something really cute the other day (watch the pictures). After a diaper change he wanted to get dressed to go outside and play. So, he attempted to get dressed. He did it entirely backwards and upside down. He put his feet in the ends of the pant legs then pulled his pants up causing them to be inside-out and backwards. He was so proud of himself for getting dressed we just let him go. He was running around the neighborhood having a great time!

2008-04-28T19:10:00.002-04:00

I haven't forgotten about the blog. We have been enjoying our time outside with the nice weather we have been having.....well that was until today, of course. Justin absolutely loves being outside. He thinks he can go wherever he pleases. He has made himself right at home in our neighbors, Pam and Bernardo, garage (it has lots of cool toys) and their basketball court in the backyard. They have two boys - Bernardo and Xavier. Justin really likes playing with them even though they are older. Both boys are really good with Justin.

Emma (Carrie's daughter) often comes by on her electric scooter with Belle (her dog) and her parents. Justin goes crazy when she comes. He just loves her so much. She will be coming down the street and Justin will yell, "Emma, Emma, Emma," until she final gets to him. He likes to sit on her scooter and pretend to ride. It is also sad when she leaves. Justin never wants her to go. He will cry and yell "Emma, Belle, Emma, Belle" Often at night, he will say Emma's name out-of-the-blue with a curious look, as though he is wondering where she is at or what she is doing.

Most people in the neighborhood that live around us and learning who Justin is - he is very social and makes himself at home wherever he goes. It can be embarrassing at times for us, as we drag our two-year old out of their yard or off of their kids toys.

We have started a few out-door projects. Well, really I started projects for Jay. I mulched our flower beds and now we are installing lights and spots. We also got some porch furniture - so no more setting on the step! I am trying to teach Justin the limits of the porch - HA, that is a challenge. He wants to take off and play.

Currently (as I am typing this post), Justin is holding the spray water bottle up and spraying himself in the face! Yep, he is goofy.

It is going to be a fun summer!

Our 15 Minutes (or seconds)!

2008-04-13T08:03:00.002-04:00

We made it! Our video was aired on the 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock news broadcasts. This video was from the 6 o'clock news. It was funny yesterday, when Ben Gelber called he was beginning to leave a message and said, "hey Jay this is Ben." Amusing, since he didn't leave his last name as though we should just know oh, yeah Ben Gelber because he calls all time. Funny.

An Exciting Night 4/11/08

2008-04-12T08:25:00.009-04:00

Last night was a very exciting one! As we were playing with Justin in the other room we hear the news break of possible tornadoes in the area, mostly around Marion. However, Jay and I look outside and there was a really strange looking cloud forming in our backyard. As we keep watching this cloud its form kept changing. And sure enough, there was a small funnel cloud that formed in it! The news cast wasn't even talking about severe weather in our area, just rain. We of course were a bit in disbelief but we captured some of it on video. The clouds ended up going right over-top our house after the funnel clouds formed and then disappeared.

Jay sent an email to Ben Gelber on NBC4 and he wanted to see it. So we sent it to him with the video. We thought it may be on the eleven o'clock news, but we haven't seen anything (and probably won't). The video is kind of hard to watch - it is dark afterall. Look at the center of the screen, then you will see a small cloud form (I call this a finger), and then you can see the clouds moving around the sides.

We heard back from Ben Gelber and he thought the video was awesome. He is going to call the National Weather Service to investigate further. There also may be something on the 6 o'clock news today (Saturday). We went out and took some pictures of the damage nearby. The pictures are on Amanda Northern Rd. just before you pull into our subdivision. You can see our house (the dark tan one with ached windows) in the background of several pictures.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN!

2008-04-08T19:41:00.003-04:00

Justin turned two this past Saturday the 5th. We had such a good time spending it with him and family. He did really well going the entire day without a nap. He loved everyone being here and having so many people to play with and seeing Grandma and Grandpa all they way from New Jersey.

He loved his gifts and is still enjoying playing with them today. He also has already worn many of the outfits he received too - since we actually have some nice weather here in Ohio! Thanks to all that came to our party to make it so special for Justin.

Here are some pictures that I took of the party, as you can see there aren't many, I was kinda busy on this day. So I am going to rely on Grandma and Grandpa, Mawmaw and Aunt Jenny to send the pictures that they took of the day. (Hint, hint you guys - this is my request for your pictures :-) Then, I can post those too. Jay has some video to post - so that will be coming soon - hopefully.

We had such a great time -

Our Family Photo 2008

2008-03-28T09:07:00.007-04:00

We had our newest family portrait taken last weekend. Here is one photo from the session. This is only one of the very few pictures we actually could take. Justin was being a terror and didn't want to have his picture taken. Instead, he wanted to watch the little girl next door having her cute pictures taken! Yep, it's starting already. Our goal was to have Justin's 2-year pictures taken too, but that didn't happen on this day. This was by far the best picture of all of us - where Justin wasn't screaming!

This last picture says it all. Oh, what an experience!!!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

2008-03-21T11:13:00.004-04:00

Justin got a surprise in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa, his first Easter basket of 2008. He loved opening it to see all of the stuff inside. He especially liked the eggs filled with M&M's. At first he thought the eggs just made a cool sound, however when we showed him the M&M's inside (his favorite candy), he thought that was awesome. He kept saying "more, more."

Now he calls the PEZ candy his "duck", because of the baby chick on the top of it. He just thought that was the coolest thing once he figured out that candy popped out of the bottom. We have already had to refill it!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, see you soon :-)

Back in Business!

2008-03-16T19:47:00.003-04:00

I have a lens! All the thanks go to my nephew Alex of Alex Snyder Photography (check it out, alexsnyder.com). This one is much more fancy than my lowly "stock" lens. So this is one of the first new pictures that I have taken.

Justin is playing the PS3. He has learned to give the motorcycle gas on the MX vs. ATV game. He goes and goes until he finally runs off the track and the game resets him. Then he continues over and over. A complete lap takes about 5 minutes, needless to say he hasn't won a race yet!

This past weekend was a sickly one for Justin and I. We went to Nelsonville to celebrate my mom's birthday and we both ended up sick, first me then Justin. Today, Justin and I seem to be doing better. Who knows, a bug? I think it was food poisoning from the wonderful McDonald's (where by the way we will never and I mean never eat again!). Jay thinks he didn't get it because of the hot sauce he had earlier in the day.

Justin is also getting some new teeth. The "final 4" I call them. They have been tough on him, but they are slowly but surely coming in.

Justin's New Slide

2008-03-01T19:27:00.003-05:00

Justin loves his new slide. He went down it about five times before he realized he could go down HEAD FIRST!!! Now he enjoys sliding his monster trucks down the slide then yelling at his dad to come get them and roll them back up to him.

Something very sad happened while taking these pictures, my camera lens broke! It had been acting funny for awhile (since Justin dropped it!) and it finally died. So...I am in the process of getting a new one. These posts may be delayed for a bit while a replacement lens is found.

Snow Days!

2008-02-24T09:27:00.012-05:00

Justin LOVED the snow this year! This was a big change from last year. We first ventured out at our house to test him to see if he would like it. Oh boy did he ever. He didn't want to come inside. His little nose and cheeks were like ice. It didn't bother him one bit. He wanted to stay outside and play. Our second snow adventure was at my Mom and Dad's. We actually got him on a sled with Jay. Justin didn't really know what to think of it, he didn't really want to do it again though. He did enjoy sitting and playing in the snow. I think he would have liked to stay outside and play all day if he was allowed to.

Justin Using the Pincher Grasp

2008-02-20T14:45:00.004-05:00

Okay, here is the teacher in me. While coloring one night I noticed Justin using his pincher grasp (the correct way to hold a pencil/pen). From that point on Justin has held his colored pencils correctly while coloring. This is great since most kids don't pick up this skill until much later. I even had a second grader last year still hold his pencil with a fist. Just a mom bragging :-)
Smiles ....

Some Favorite Photos

2008-02-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

Here are several photos that I put together of Justin. These are some our favorites and span from just a few days after being born until this past Christmas.

Boys and Their Toys

2008-02-15T19:19:00.001-05:00

Justin just loves his trucks! He is so creative. While playing with his trucks he took the rug and flipped it to make hills and bumps to run his trucks on. While taking this picture, I told him to smile, he responded ..."mile." He is just so cute. Truck count: about 15 and counting.

Christmas

2008-02-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

Justin had a great time this Christmas. He loved opening all of his presents. Well lets say he loved opening the toys. The clothes, he just threw to the side and look in the empty box for something more exciting. He did really well with the Christmas Tree too. He would say "no, no" as he touched the ornaments he knew he wasn't allowed to touch! He is always testing the limits :-)

Photo taken by Alex Snyder Photography. www.alexsnyder.com

Hello

2008-02-14T22:49:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. I am testing out a new website to help share the latest on Justin. Feel free to leave comments.