The Next Andy and Opie

I don't think it is a coincidence that Jackson loves to watch The Andy Griffith Show and go fishing with me. It's in his genes. With that in mind, we had to get a shot of he and I at Pullen Park last Friday in front of the Andy and Opie statue. I love my little red-headed boy!

Turn on the Dark

This is dad again. One of my favorite Jackson expressions these days is "I'm going to turn on the dark." Jackson says this when we are playing in his room and we pretend to go to sleep or want to turn out the lights so we can play flashlights. He runs over to the light switch and announces, "I'm going to turn on the dark!" :)

A Day on the farm

We went to NCSU's Farm Days with some buddies today. We saw turkeys, baby chicks, pigs, a mama cow and her calf, a dairy cow, mama horse and her colt, goats, sheep, and several tractors. The people working the event were terrific at answering questions and helping the kids pet the animals. Jack was super excited about the tractors and thought we were going "tractor tipping", just like Mater & Lightening McQueen. Ha! He settled for just sitting on one. After being instructed on how to gently hold the baby chicks, he cupped his hands and petted them so sweetly. They even had free ice cream made from the NCSU cows!

Afterward, we went over to Vera and Miss Lynn's house for a fun lunch and more playtime. The weather was gorgeous and the kiddos just love being together so much! See Claire & Ava's blog, for the most adorable pictures of that!!

changed opinions

Here's Jack saying "Cool!" with a thumbs up for the camera. For at least the last 2 years, Jackson has refused to wear sunglasses. A few weeks ago he tried on a new pair I bought him, and he now wants to wear them ALL THE TIME (reminds me of our buddies Claire and Ava).

Jackson is not big on coloring (just ask his teachers at church! :)). He usually will draw a few lines or two and then he's done. I saw a Cars coloring book with those new color wonder markers over the weekend, so I bought one for him. I gave it to him over 2 hours ago and he is still at it! Unbelievable! He loves how it goes on clear and the color gradually comes up.

zoo crew

We had another fun family day at the zoo. It's funny how Jackson picks up different things visit. This time, he was fascinated with the Senora Desert exhibits. Especially the cacti and snakes. He's also learning about the food that each animal eats. Mommy's favorite was the meercats - they are so fun to watch! We were able to see the bison and elk up close & personal (previous visits we could only see these from a distance). The new elephant exhibit was open and it featured a real helicopter that Jackson got to climb. And, the Kids Zone was also finally open and he enjoyed various hand-on activities. We'll have to see how many more visits we can sqeeze in before the smoldering summer days come in!

More Fishing

Hopefully based on the title of this blog that you realize that this is Mike writing, and not Courtney! Today Jackson and I went down to the nearest pond to our house again. We took our poles and a couple of buckets and our tackle box. Jackson really enjoyed the buckets. I turned them upside down and showed him how to use them as a seat. Everytime I would get up and move down the shore line, Jackson would put down his pole and move the buckets so he could be near me as he really wanted to sit on the bucket. I really didn't want to sit on the bucket, but it turned out to be a nice trick to keep Jackson still and not finding himself knee deep in mud - especially with all the rain we've been having. Anyway...after much fishing with no luck whatsoever, I finally hooked a small bass and reeled it in. Jackson immediately wanted to touch the fish. Then, I took my bucket and got some lake water and put the fish in the bucket. Jackson asked if he could touch the fish. On his second attempt, Jackson grabbed the fish with both hands and pulled him out of the bucket - no fear! Then he tossed the fish back into the pond just like he had seen daddy do in the past. We didn't catch anymore fish, but when I had my back turned (he'd have done it even if i was facing him!), Jackson proceeded to attempt to fill his bucket with pond water, just like daddy had done. He's so funny. It's neat to watch him want to do everything like his dad.

catching up

I'm a little behind on some of these pics. I thought I'd post them before I get a not-so-subtle hint from Mimi that she needs updates on her grandson. :)

Mommy & Jackson on the train at one of our favorite parks.

Checkin' out the ducks with his buddies.

One of Jack's new favorite activities is helping mommy to cook. Here, he's making Easter s'mores (thanks for the recipe & mix, mimi!). Jackson also enjoyed sneaking bits of the M&Ms and peeps into his mouth when he thought mommy wasn't looking.

The ultimate favorite was making mini pizzas. He was so focused when he smoothed out the sauce and placed each pepperoni perfectly around the dough. When I pulled out the finished product for dinner he exclaimed "Wow! That's amazing!" Culinary magic, my friends. ;)

Our friend Jen tagged us to post 10 things we love or like to do...

10 things our family loves:

10. Going to local parks together. We are blessed to be in an area full of fabulous parks, playgrounds, lakes, and greenways.

9. Road trips together. Jack is an excellent traveller, which makes this easier for us. We love trips to TN, the beach, camp, etc.

8. Eating out. We don't do this too terribly often, but I [court] love it. :) I joke that it's my love language. And, sadly, our son loves his fries.

7. Zoo trips. We are definitely taking advantage of the membership. Another trip is coming next week, I think. (Anyone want to join?)

6. Soccer, baseball, golf, football, etc in the back yard. Now that the warm weather is back, we are out there all the time.

5. Swimming. Ok, I know its not something we do in March, but its something we love to do all summer long. I love that Jackson loves the water as much as I do!

4. Popcorn. One bag popped goes FAST around here. And, we love to treat ourselves with a bag at Target. (Plus, mommy can shop for a LONG TIME without nearly a peep out of Jack)

3. Church. We all love being there and with the people at The Bridge. Jackson is so excited on Sunday mornings when I tell him its time to get ready for church.

2. Cookouts and playdates with friends. Hard to beat firing up the grill and watching the kids go wild together in the backyard. Anyone want to do a cookout soon???

1. Storytime at night. Snuggled up together in Jack's bed reading some books and praying together as a family. I love to hear Jackson's prayers - no telling what will come out of his mouth!


So, now I tag Weez and Tracy to share 10 things they love.

More pics from our Easter weekend

Our community's annual Egg Hunt.

Most of the weekend was gorgeous outside, and we spent a lot of time in the backyard playing football, basketball, tag, and BUBBLES!

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics on Easter day with all the family. Bummer!

Fishing With Granddaddy Pete

Today we went fishing with my dad and granddaddy Pete while Mimi and Mommie went shopping. Granddaddy caught a fish on his first cast! And he let me help reel in the next two as well. Dad only caught one fish. Seems he could take a lesson or two from Granddaddy. I mostly used the cane pole and was a really expert in swinging the cork in and out. Granddaddy says I may have a propensity toward fly fishing as I get older!