Sleepover Success

Jackson did great staying with Granddaddy and GrandDee for 3 days/nights while Mike and I went to a conference in Atlanta. They kept him busy with lots of fun activities - Pullen park, Lake Wheeler park and boat race, out to eat, playing with granddaddy's pool table and jukebox, etc. And they had about 200+ pics to prove it. No joke! Even better - he didn't need his pacifier the entire time (& hasn't asked for it since we've been home - even for nap time and bedtime). Hopefully this will be adios to the "ci ci".

When we picked him up this morning he had the biggest grin. "Oh Mommy... I miss you. I lub you". We got some great snuggles!! It is great that he had such a great time...but it is also great to be missed. ;)

New obsessions...

Since moving to the new full size bed almost a month ago, Jackson has experimented with a myriad of sleeping positions...backwards, up top horizontally over both pillows, and the floor. And, he is totally uninterested in the "covers". What started out as a funny fluke has become Jackson's norm...he prefers to sleep in the small space between his new bed and the wall. Not sure why this is appealing. At first I thought he was just making a little clubhouse, since he brought all his books and toys there with him...and just happened to fall asleep there. Now, almost every time I check on him - he is there. Silly boy!

Jack is big on building things and into playing pretend everything now. He decided to build a house with ALL the pillows from the couch and love seat... and with a little help from Daddy, they made this igloo-like structure. Which he loved for all about 1 minute and then decided it would be more fun to destroy it and jump into all the pillows.

Where does he get this??

Jackson has a few new phrases that I am now hearing on a regular (translate = CONSTANT)basis...

1. "Is that you, Mommy?" - this with me standing right next to him. Don't know why he asks, but its cute.

2. "Daddy and I go on a walk. You stay, mommy." - I love how he wants this alone time with daddy...usually right after dinner when I need to stay and clean up, anyway. I am allowed to come sometimes, too. :)

3. "Ok. Mommy, is dis racecar blue? No-o-o Is it red? No-o-o What color is dat one?" - he is turning the tables on the quizzing. I oblige. And, I occaisionally (& intentionally) get them wrong and I am corrected.

4. "Sing with me the Jesus song. I like Jesus." - My heart melts.

Funny what they remember...

After leaving the Christian bookstore (where we purchased the new Remedy cd...read more here) Jackson started chanting "ice cream! Ice cream!". This is the 2nd time this has happened after leaving that store. The reason: Almost a year ago we went to this bookstore and then met friends at the neighboring icecream shop - and he remembers that.

Pullen Park Playdate

We spent the morning at Pullen park - one of the best parks in the world! Jackson LOVES the train, carousel, and little boats. Not to mention the playground and lake with ducks to feed! We met up with a bunch of our buddies for a fun morning out and picnic lunch. Claire, Ava, Jackson, Ty, Nate, Emily, Madeline, and Ryan.

(Not pictured:Vera & Anna Kate)

BLAST OFF!



Vera's first park playdate!

Redheaded trouble

Me and my buddy, Nate, always have fun together.

He likes to wrestle and likes trains - just like me!

"I so smart"

Jackson: Mommy, see the diamond shape? See, Mommy?
Me: That's right, Jack.
Jackson: I so smart. It's a diamond.

Jackson is big on praise. He loves to learn and is so proud when he learns a new thing (although he has known his shapes for a long time now). Mommy is proud of him, too. And, he is smart... smarter than I sometimes give him credit for....

Example: This week Jackson has decided that he will oblige mommy and will sit on the potty. However, he has not produced any "results". After long sits, he says "all finished" and asks for a pull-up. And, within minutes the pull-up is full. He is smart - he knew exactly what is was doing. Little goober! So, the next time I raised the anty - I pulled out the reward I have been giving him and held it out in front of him (dangling the carrot, so to speak). Worked like a charm... he went right away to get his reward. Today, he took it a step further and decided he could do a "poo poo" in the potty to get an even bigger reward. And we had a HUGE time of praise, dancing and reward for my little smarty.

little gymnast

While Jackson has a long way before he'll match the gymnastic expertise of his buddy Ty (who busted out a split the other day!), he does enjoy flipping around and climbing everything... particularly the loveseat. His latest event is the couch headstand.

On a side note, the shirt he is wearing fit perfectly well a month ago - and now looks like a halter top! Good thing my consignment sale is coming up!

No Fear

Mommy & Daddy took Jackson to the pool the other evening. Jackson has learned to "doggie paddle" (w/ life jacket) and he moves so quickly. He was all over the pool swimming after the "new-nals" (aka noodles).

Daddy decided to jump off of the diving board. Jackson squealed with delight and made a bee-line for the ladder. He promptly climbed out of the pool, marched over the the diving board, and jumped in! And, the proceeded to do it over and over.

While mommy is proud that he is so brave....she can't help but wonder that a little bit of fear might not be so bad!

Kure Beach

We spent a portion of the Labor Day weekend with our friends, the Lattas, at Kure Beach. We had a great time! Jackson had a blast with his buddies Mikee and Margie, and of course was enthralled with the ocean. He screamed and cheered with delight the entire time we spent on the beach (see video below). He flew his first kite, dug holes, make footprints, and jumped wave after wave. We visited the Fort Fisher Aquarium one afternoon. Jack was amazed to come face-to-face with the sharks and he LOVED touching the horseshoe crabs and starfish in their "touch tank".