December 10, 2010
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Jackisms
It’s been so long since I’ve updated my blog that I almost forgot my Xanga password! These days, thanks to the boys and Facebook, I rarely feel the urge to blog, and I’ve seriously considered just deleting my Xanga account (or at least stopping altogether, even if I keep the page up). But, in the end, there are some things that are too wordy to share on Facebook, and more importantly, blogging friends whom I miss. So, here I am with a long-overdue update, mostly about the funny things Jack says (“Jackisms”) and some pictures (all of which are also on Facebook).
OK, the Jackisms. Some of you know from personal experience that Jack talks from the moment he wakes up to the moment he falls asleep at night. He loves to provide a running commentary, and some of the things he says are hilarious. I’d hate to forget them all, so I’m going to document some of my favorites.
Johnny: Hey, Jack, I got some chili cheese fries!
Jack: Oooh! [Eats some. Pause.] Hey! These aren’t chili cheese fries! They’re warm fries!Jack: [Looking at a picture of me from when I was pregnant with Jack] Look, your belly is big!
Me: Yeah, do you know why?
Jack: Yes, that’s because I was inside your belly! [Lots of giggles]
Me: That’s right! I was pregnant.
Jack: [Pats my stomach] And now you’re not pregnant, so your belly’s not big anymore! [Pause, then puts his hand on my chest.] But wait, you’re still pregnant here! You have a baby inside your chest!Nice lady at Trader Joe’s to Jack: Here’s a sample of sparkling blueberry juice for you!
Jack: Blueberry juice?! Can I have it?
Me: Yes.
Jack: [Takes a sip, then spits it out and screams] Oh, no! What’s happening in my mouth?! This is SPICY! I don’t like it![While watching a video of a mother bird feeding her baby birds]
Jack: Awww, the mommy bird is so nice. She’s feeding her babies!
Me: Yeah! Does it remind you of anything?
Jack: Yes! [Turns around on my lap to look at me sweetly]
Me: What? [Thinking that Jack's about to say something really nice about me]
Jack: It reminds me that our bird feeder is empty! We need to put food in it!Finally (well, not finally, but the last one I remember), last night, as Jack snuggled on the couch with Susy while Johnny and I attended a holiday party:
Jack: [Patting Susy's chest] What’s that?
Susy: It’s a breast.
Jack: Huh? [Side note: He has seen me topless plenty of times, and I have told him that women have breasts!]
Susy: All women have them. Your mommy has them, too.
Jack: No she doesn’t! [Ahh, the blows that a three-year-old can deliver to your self-esteem!]I’ll share more as he comes up with them. Now, for those pictures!
In November, Johnny participated in Movember (mustache-growing contest to raise money for men’s cancer research). The results were hilarious (this was his final trident-stache):
Johnny and the boys being adorable
Jack and Maddy at Maddy’s birthday party last month
Derek’s really becoming quite the expressive (and mobile) little man!
Johnny and I at his work holiday party last night at Pink Taco in Century City
In terms of general updates, the biggest news is that Johnny left Mattel in late November to go to Spin Master, a competitor toy company located in West LA. He was recruited to be a Senior Marketing Manager there, and while it was definitely a difficult decision to leave the Mattel job (which he loved, and which was great for him), he’s very excited about toys he’s managing at Spin Master. I’m very proud of him — in just 2.5 years since graduating with his MBA, Johnny’s really made a lot of strides in his career.
On the home front, the boys keep me on my toes. I love being with them. Even when they’re being a handful, I’m glad I’m the one dealing with it, instead of some paid stranger. (At least I have motivation not to harm them! They can be quite frustrating when they want to be! LOL. But, most of the time, they are well-behaved.) I’ve really enjoyed watching Jack and Derek’s relationship blossom — it’s amazing to see. They share (most of the time), and they’re beginning to really play together. I’m still tutoring three evenings a week. I did have a fourth night, but that student recently took his SATs, so we’re done. I think I’ll keep it at three evenings a week for now — as much as I enjoy both mommying and tutoring, it’s tiring to go from 12 hours with the kids to two or more hours of tutoring.
That’s about it for now … I’ll try to post more often!
Comments (11)
Congrats on the new job for Johnny. I hope it works out. Did he not have to sign a non-compete agreement with Mattel? That’s great if he didn’t! Ryan couldn’t handle being out of manufacturing, but it would be difficult for him to find a new job in that because of that non-compete he signed.
The pictures are adorable as usual. And you and Johnny make the cutest couple!! You two also make some pretty babies
@ShamrockLover - Awww, thanks, Kelly!
I’m not sure about non-competes, but I know that people in the toy industry hop from competitor to competitor. They all sign non-disclosures, and take those really seriously — they don’t take anything from the old company to the new company, and they don’t divulge any secrets. And when Johnny gave his two-week notice, he had to leave that day (they paid him for the two weeks, but during that time he couldn’t go work for the new company, so he essentially had two weeks with us at home the week before Thanksgiving and the week of Thanksgiving! It was so awesome). But that was it. I didn’t know manufacturing had such stiff non-competes!
@bevconeal - Yeah, it’s crazy. The non-compete lasts 3 years for Ryan, so no Proctor & Gamble for us in the near future..haha. I also forgot to mention in my comment that i LOVE the dresses you always wear. You look so freakin’ cute in them! Was Johnny going crazy after 2 weeks off? Probably not since he didn’t have any work piling up. I asked Ryan to take off 2 weeks when the baby comes and he looked at me like i was crazy…LOL. So i figured out a way to get him off 2 weeks…he’ll take the first week off, then my mom and his parents will come for a few weeks and then he’ll take another week off when they leave. So for the first full month i’ll have help. He said it’s “frowned upon” at his company to take 2 consecutive weeks off. I think that’s wrong. His wife is having a c-section!!!! Corporate America….what a rat race it is.
Kids say the darndest things. Hahaha. I’m loving Jack’s one-liners. Whenever I stay over at my best friends, I’m the one in charge of waking my God son up, and he always pretends like he doesn’t hear me so I always tell him, “You’re not an opossum! Stop playing dead!” One morning, he woke up before me, and screamed in my ear, “You! Are! Not! An! Opp-sum! Stop playing dead! And go brush your teeth!” Haha.
@ShamrockLover - Ugh, I hate that Ryan’s company frowns upon dads taking two consecutive weeks off! Unfortunately that’s the way it is in a lot of companies. Luckily, when we had Jack, Johnny was in business school, and when we had Derek, he was at Mattel, where people urge new dads to take as much time as they needed. Johnny’s boss at Mattel definitely took two weeks when his second son was born, so he was OK with Johnny taking that amount of time off as well. I’m glad you’ll have help when the new baby arrives! It’s hard after a c-section! As for Johnny, he loved the two weeks off. I’m sure it did help that there wasn’t work piling up on him. He works so hard and late (like Ryan does) that he really appreciates true time off to spend with us. He spent almost every minute with the boys — he took Jack to the park, he pushed around Derek’s little cars, gave both boys “shoulder rides,” tickle fests, that kind of thing. Stuff that he normally only gets to do on weekends. I REALLY loved having the help, too — during those two weeks, I just took off to the store or errands willy-nilly, and we also ran some errands as a family, which made them more enjoyable. It’s amazing how much time you can shave off a Costco trip if you have an extra pair of hands to help with loading/unloading the kids and the car! Luckily, in just a few weeks, Johnny’s off for Christmas — they have shutdown between Xmas and New Year’s. I’m sure Ryan’s company does, too, right? I know a lot of manufacturing employers also have shutdown.
@ShamrockLover - Oh, and thank you for the compliment about the dresses! I love dresses.
Although, tonight, I’m taking my friend Milena out for her belated bday (we’re going to a rooftop bar in Santa Monica), and I’m straying from my usual dress getup and wearing black jeggings, high-heeled boots, and a sequined long tank top instead. I also have a long-ish (same length as the top) chunky, slightly shimmery cardigan to go with it (same charcoal color as the sequined tank top), in case it gets cold. Yes, I know, going out two nights in a row … I’ve gone wild! J/K. It’s very rare, but it just so happened that I have two evening events this week! It’s like I have a life! LOL.
@bevconeal - You better take pictures of that cute outfit!!! I am loving the leggings and boots look. I have gotten more compliments on my outfits when i wear that. It makes me feel so fashionable…haha. Oh, and the plant never shuts down. They are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Ryan is taking vacation time for a few days, but he’s saving up some time for next year when we’re a family of 4. He gets 5 weeks of vacation next year, plus whatever he carries over!! I’m excited! I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas. I will be mailing off some stuff in the next week or so, so i will mail you those DVD’s. I hope it’s okay i’m dragging my feet just a bit….things are crazy right now and i want to make one trip to the post office and knock it out
Yay! I’m glad you posted. Love the pics, your family looks so happy and it is so nice to read about a “normal” family. It gets depressing reading about baby daddy drama and other sleaziness!
Awww cute pictures of your family! I loved reading all of Jack’s “Jackisms”…too funny and cute. Congrats to Johnny on his new job!Sounds really fun to work for a toy company. I love your outfit and hair at the Christmas party. Glad you and your family are doing well. Happy Holidays Beverly!!
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@ShamrockLover - You can drag your feet as long as you’d like! You’re pregnant AND have a toddler to care for. Seriously … that’s tiring, if I remember correctly.
I’m not going to show the DVDs to Derek until after Christmas, anyway, so no hurry. 
Oh Bev, How I’ve missed your blog posts. Perhaps the blog could be renamed Jack (and Derek)isms?
Even though these posts are probably more time-consuming than facebook updates, I heartily agree that there are some things that are too wordy for facebook and besides, your captions and commentary are the best. 
Ditto on previous posters’ comments regarding your clothes-you always look so chic and put-together-would love to see a pic of your leggings and boot ensemble. I’m always looking for some fashion inspiration!