Planning the Party

The final plans have been made for Jackson's 2nd birthday party. The little guy will be having a barnyard birthday breakfast at Chick-Fil-A. I think that having his party at CFA is a win/win situation for everyone. Who doesn't love the place? The have great food, nice employees, and a clean play area. Plus, I won't have to stress out about cleaning the house or coming up with a way to entertain a bunch of toddlers. I am very excited about the party and hope we have a great crowd. The invitations have been sent. I just need to buy some party favors and find a cake design to go with his theme. Let's party!

Sky Top Orchard

On Saturday, September 24, we headed out to Sky Top Orchard. Apple picking seems to be a really big thing around here, and we had never been. I thought it would be a good adventure for us, so we decided to load up and check out the place. It took us about an hour to get there. Jackson was an extremely pleasant rider and even fell asleep the last ten minutes. When we arrived, we made a few pictures in those things that have a cut-out for your head. Then we headed to the play area. Jackson had a great time swinging, running, and going in and out of a playhouse. Then we headed to pick some apples. We only picked about a dozen because we really don't eat that many apples. I plan to make a pie with the ones we picked. Jackson thought he was such a big shot picking apples and tossing them in the bucket. He ran pretty much the entire time we were there and started wearing out toward the end. He wanted to be carried, then down to run, then carried, then down to run, etc. His little legs just weren't strong enough for all the exploring he wanted to do. We paid for our apples and bought some apple cider donuts for the road. Let me say that it was worth the drive just for the donuts. They were amazing! In all, we were there for about an hour. We had a fabulous time and will definitely plan on making this a yearly event.

20 Months

It's hard to believe that my "baby" is now 20 months old. He has certainly become "Mr. Independent" and has a mind of his own. We have had to re-babyproof the kitchen cabinets. He figured out how to push down on the clip to get the doors open, so we had to invest in magnet locks. We also have covers on most of the door knobs in the house. He spends most of his time playing, watching Sesame Street, and giving treats to Alex. He loves swinging at the park, playing and eating at Chick-fil-A, and playing at the mall. I try my very best to keep him busy. He takes one nap each day, and it usually lasts no more than one hour. I have no idea how he goes so strong all day on such little sleep. Once September rolls around, we will be super busy. We will have Kindermusik, Toddler Time at CFA, Mother Goose at the library, and MOPS. I'm sure I will be the one who is exhausted. We started attending a different church about two months ago, and we all love it! Jackson has never cried in the nursery, which has been a huge improvement. I think (fingers crossed) that the crying phase might be coming to an end. He has become much more social and interacts really well with other kids. I have started making plans for his second birthday. As of right now, we are thinking a birthday breakfast at CFA. Since his birthday is in December, it will be too cold to have a party outside. This way, the kids can eat and play in an indoor environment. Jackson loves books, eating cheese and croutons, riding in his stroller, fastening his own carseat, putting on his shoes, and helping me with the laundry. He will soon need haircut #4. I am so thankful for this sweet, loving, healthy, happy toddler!

Summer Lovin'

Well, summer is officially here. Even though it has felt like summer for quite some time, the first official day of summer was last week. The temperature is already reaching the 90s on most days, and it is H-O-T around here! Jackson and I have been doing a little walking/jogging on most mornings. I usually take a little break on Wednesdays for Kindermusik and Sundays for church. I started the couch to 5K a few weeks ago and have really grown to enjoy jogging (at least most days). Jackson absolutely loves being outside, and he especially loves swinging at the park. Whenever we pass by the playground area when he is in the stroller, he points, oohs, and aahs. We finally broke down and ordered him a basic little swing set to put in our backyard. I am sure we will be spending a great deal of time out there once it arrives.

Nap time has become a huge battle. Jackson usually goes down easily but it up after only an hour of sleeping. One hour is simply not enough. He is a huge grump for the rest of the day, which makes the minutes drag on like hours. He does have several teeth coming in, so I think that might have something to do with his short naps. He has also been waking up around 5:00 each morning, which is no fun at all for Mommy and Daddy. He has done much better the past few nights, so we are hoping it was just a short little phase that has now passed.

Jackson's newest food obsession is sweet potato fries. I bake them in the oven, and he absolutely loves them! He has become a pro at opening re-sealable bags. He loves opening the pantry door and getting out the oreos and goldfish. He managed to get a bottle of red food coloring out of the cabinet last week and had it all over himself. Sometimes there is nothing you can do besides laugh!

Memorial Day 2011

We had a fabulous Memorial Day! After four and a half years of being married, we finally took the plunge and bought a grill. Fred grilled out for the very first time yesterday, and everything was delicious. We had grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, baked sweet potato fries, and homemade peanut butter cookies. Yum, yum! It was really nice to have a long weekend, especially since we were all out of town last week. Fred had to go to Connecticut on a business trip, so Jackson and I headed to Wilmington, NC, to visit my sister. Jackson went to the pool and the beach for the first time and did really well. We ate some very tasty food and just enjoyed hanging out. Jackson and I got home on Friday a little after lunch, and Fred got home about 7:30 p.m. He was supposed to be home before lunch, but he missed his original flight. It looks like this week is going to be another busy week for us. Jackson is scheduled to have a speech evaluation tomorrow. I am hoping everything will go smoothly and that we can find out if there is anything we can do to get the little guy talking. I have to prepare 100 cupcakes to be picked up on Saturday morning, so I will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen later this week. :)

Mother's Day 2011

I can truly say that I had a fabulous Mother's Day! Being Jackson's mom is such a blessing, and Fred did a fabulous job of making me feel extra special on May 8. Jackson gave me a necklace, earrings, Express gift card, peanut M&Ms, and a cookie cake. Fred made French toast for breakfast, which was super yummy. We had lunch from Jason's deli and enjoyed an afternoon treat from 32 degrees. All of the Moms at church received a carnation. It was really nice to feel so loved an appreciated. I am so very blessed! :)

It's Time to Say Goodbye!

The time has come to say goodbye...to the pacifier! Jackson has recently become a pacifier addict. He will have one clipped to him, one in his hand, and another in his mouth at the same time. I couldn't even make a picture of him without the pacifier in his mouth. I decided it was time for paci to go! The pacifier now lives in Jackson's crib, which means he can only have it when he takes a nap or goes down for the night. We are now on day four, and I think things are going pretty well. Unfortunately, he has some molars coming in and is extremely ill. I was somewhat tempted to let him have the pacifier today in order to give my pounding head a break from his screaming. However, I stood strong. He is now napping, and I am hoping he starts feeling better.