Jackson at One

My little fellow is not so little anymore (never really has been.)
-Weight 24 lbs and 31 inches. (Lost two pounds in a week since going off formula that included two scoops of cereal in each bottle.)
-Head off the charts.
-Walking, running everywhere, mainly into someones waiting arms.
-Not yet talking. He will point and grunt to get the things he needs. Just this morning at 4am he was awake and sitting beside me he would grunt and point out of the room. He wanted milk.
-He will sign "More" usually for food.
-LOVES to play with Lilly, ride tractors and the lawnmower, LOVES Mama and Grandaddy!
-When I walk into the house in the afternoon the highlight of my day is Jackson running up to me with his arms outstretched.
-Gives kisses to very few. Me occasionally and Brandy all the time!
-WIll blow kisses
-Thought he was not going to give up the bottle. Took just a week for him to go to bed without the bottle. He does drink soy milk.
-The only words he attempts to say, "ball", "da", "car"
-Doesn't like for Lilly to cry, which happens a lot because she stays in trouble.
-Very tenderhearted. When told "NO" he pokes his lips out and cries like his heart is broken.
-Very much the apple of his Mama's Eye!

Getting Married

Lilly: "Mommy, When I get big Steve and Blue are going to scudoo out of my TV and we are going to get married."
Me: "Yeah, When?"
Lilly: "On Thursday night"
Me: "Well you have to go to college first. What do you want do when you grow up?"
Lilly: "Get married."
Me: "You have to go to college first, so what job do you want?"
Lilly: "To wash dishes."

At least once a day we have this conversation lately. Lilly is adamant she doesn't want a job, just to get married.

NC State Fair

Lilly wanted to go to the fair to ride the ferris wheel. That is all she talked about....then we got to the fair and went straight to the ferris wheel. Lilly looked up and said " That is too big for me." SO we headed to the kiddie rides. Lilly and Jackson both had lot's of fun on the rides. I was glad for Jonthan to show up b/c I don't do rides and Lilly wanted to ride them all!

Family Camping Trip

My Dad decided that it would be great to take the whole family (aunts, cousins) camping in the mountains. Mom and I were not so excited about this trip, but Daddy and Heidi were gung ho! So off we went to Hillsville, VA to spend one night in a tent. Mom, Dad, Aunt Pammy, Heidi, Rob, Guy, Hunter, Lilly, Jackson, Jonathan and I were on our way. We left Saturday morning about 8:30am and boy were we packed down. With this crew the one thing we did not run out of was food!!!!!!!!

We arrived about 12:30pm and found the campsite to be beautiful and except for wind the weather was also nice. We unloaded the "Food Tent" and had sandwiches for lunch. Then it was time to set up our tents. There were 4 tents set up and lot's of blankets!!!!!! Then it was off to fishing. Lilly and Hunter had a large time fishing. This was Lilly's fisrt fishing trip and she was all about touching the fish and worms! Glad Dad and Gradad were there to help her. Suddenly the sun went out of site and boy was there a change in the temperature. IT WAS COLD!!!!!!!!! My little fellow enjoyed the outside but had a hard time walking which resulted in a black eye! We had chilli and burgers for supper and smores for dessert.

Bedtime approached (what else is there to do in the dark on top of a mountain?) In bed for one hour and Jackson pukes....everywhere!!!!!!!!!! Daddy came knocking on our tent and said that Lilly had just done the same. So all my effecient packing went to waste. I had no extra clothes and all the layers for them to sleep in were now dirty. Lilly's sickness was a fluke and I guess the smoke from the campfire didn't sit well with Jackson b/c he was sick again the next morning. Thankfully we made it through the night with no more major events. Breakfast was a success and then it was time to pack back up and head home. Our next trip will be in the late spring with warmer weather and hopefully more than one night. We had way too much work for just one night!

Camping

Our chuch had a father/child camping trip this past Friday night. Lilly was sooooo excited to go camping with her Daddy. My Mama and I were VERY worried about this. Jonathan has never had either of our children all night by himself. I only agreed for Lilly to go because she will tell me everything and she is able to tell Jonathan everything she needs. My Mom gave her all sorts of rules that Lilly was able to recite by the time I got home on Friday and they all ended with "Tell Daddy".

Needless to say after all the worry, Lilly and Jonathan had a great time and she was not involved in any drama that may have occured. The biggest event of the night was having to potty in the woods. Jonathan discovered that this wasn't that easy for a girl. Lilly had a cot and slept just fine. Jonathan for some reason decided not to take an air mattress and didn't sleep so great. I for one was glad to see them come home!

Jackson 11 Months

It is hard to believe my little fellow is almost one. He has such a sweet personality that I hope he keeps forever!! He will follow Jonathan and me around the house with his arms outstreched so we will pick him up. He loves to be held which is a problem seeing as he weights 25lbs. He LOVES to be outside and as soon as Jonathan picks him up he will point towards the door and grunt. I feel certain he will not talk because he pretty much gets what he wants by pointing and grunting. He also LOVES to eat which is obvious by his weight. There is no food he has yet to not eat. His clothes are the exact opposite of Lilly (tall and extra slim.) Jackson has short legs and his belly hangs over his pants. Much like an old man with a beer belly. When you take his clothes off he will walk around and rub his belly. He is now giving kisses, which are full of drool, but oh so sweet.

Lilly Dance

Lilly choose to take dance over gymnastics this fall. I was a little disappointed, but let her have her way this time. She has wanted to take dance since seeing Sydney's dance recital. After her first class I asked how it went. Her response "Fine, but I didn't get to dance on stage." She is ready for the end product.

Moving On

Jackson is nine months and as sweet as ever. Last week he cut his two top front teeth. That was a little trying, but we made it! He is taking about 4-5 steps at a time and get so excited with himself when he does. He loves Lilly and wants to be wherever she is!

Lilly decided to take dance. She is very excited however when I was trying to show her the ballet positions she told me "NO MOM! This is how you do it" Could be an interesting thing. She really just wants to be on stage. She will start her 2nd full year at Louisburg Methodist Preschool at the end of this month. At open house the teacher asked what friends she was excited to see. She named three boys all of whom she ended up in trouble with. Definitely explains all the "boy" play that we wandered about! She will ask at least twice a week "Am I going to school this day?" I hope her enthusiasm for school continues. It helps that she has WONDERFUL teachers and two of them are wrapped around Lilly's little finger!

Busy Times

We have had a very busy June and beginning of July. I would have thought I had much more time to blog, but no such thing. Jonathan and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, Father's Day, two family reunions, and a trip to the beach for July Fourth. Lilly is taking gymnastics and we go to the movies once a week. We strive for the pool at least once a week. While it is fun for Lilly, Jackson is not so thrilled with the hot temperatures and it takes a lot of work to take both him and Lilly. Jackson is growing so fast. He is crawling EVERYWHERE and just this week has started following Lilly around and getting into her toys. Usually she takes the time to play and talk with him and he just laughs at her like she is the best thing in the world. Jackson is walking behind his toys and pushes things all over the house. He will be walking soon!

Jackson and Grandaddy

Jackson loves to be with Grandaddy. He cries when Grandaddy leaves him. They ride the golfcart, swing, and Jackson's new favorite is the lawnmower.

Mountain Pies

Daddy and Lilly made mountain pie (just a grilled ham and cheese) on a recent backyard camping trip and that is now one of Lilly's favorites. So this past Friday we had them again. It made me realize I love my kitchen and the AC. We will wait for the fall to do this again.

Jackson Grows Up

All in a day Jackson started crawling and pulling up. This was very sad for me because I am sure he is our last. He is still so sweet and loveable. It is interesting to keep all the little things away from his reach and espcially Lilly's toys. Sure keeps us on our toes. He is learning the word no and is much more tender hearted than Lilly. He will poke out his lips and cry with a stern voice and if you pop his hand he cries like his heart has been broken.

Memorial Weekend

We had a nice trip to the beach to stay with Jonathan's parents. Of course Lilly was quick to make friends with all the neighbors, calling them by name before bedtime on Friday. Her spirit for life warms my heart. At the pool she kept asking one little girl (about 25 times) "What's your name?" The little girl would not answer her and I just wanted to say "Hey tell her your name and she will leave you alone or leave, but don't just ignore her!" Of course years as a teacher and a good example from my own Mother, told me to just sit back and say nothing. Of course Lilly blurted out "Mom, this girl won't talk to me." Overall we had fun, Lilly went to bed tired each night. The little man was not so great with riding....crying about an hour each way and last night he was up 12-1 and up again at 4-5 and up for good at 6. We were VERY glad to get back to Gran and Grandaddy and all their help. May God bless our troops and the USA!

Catching Up

I love reading blogs, but sadly only have time to update about once a week. Lilly sang with her preschool Sunday morning and did a fabulous job. I was uneasy about leaving Jackson in a strange nursery, but he won over the lady there, he was the only baby, and he was great. (also have a video, but no pics..guess I will have to learn to post videos) Of course Lilly and her friend Emerald were the two out of about 12 that had to walk in with the teacher and sit on either side of her....wander why????

We have two turtles living in our pond and everyday when I come home they are on the dam, when I get out there with Lilly and my camera they jump in the water so we are constantly on a turtle hunt here. Lilly, aka...Elly May does love any type of animal. If we ever get pictures, I will post.

Finally the little fellow has cut a tooth. I was beginning to think he would be bald and toothless at one. He is so sweet and happy....makes the thought of having more seem not so bad. But then I remember being pregnant and I change my mind quickly. We are thankful to be blessed with two healthy and active children.

Weekend

We had a wonderfully busy weekend. Jonathan had a birthday and I spent most of the day cooking for him and some for Mother's Day. Lilly helped with the cake. She loved putting on the icing. We also went to pick strawberries and she kept saying "these are so big and juicy!" Mother's Day was nice, Jackson had his baby dedication and we had lunch with all our family!

Feelings

As a Mom it is very hard when your little one has their feelings hurt. I will be the first to tell you Lilly is stubborn, difficult and simply not perfect. That doesn't mean my heart doesn't hurt when her feelings are hurt. Twice last week she had her feelings hurt by others. Once at school and once at a birthday party. I knew Lilly's feelings were hurt because she wouldn't talk about it. Those who know Lilly know this is unusual for her. She is the youngest in her class at school and among her cousins she plays with, which leaves for her being left out. I realize this, but it is hard to explain to Lilly why people don't always want to play with her. Oh the Joys of growing up. It really saddened me to realize this is just the beginning for her! SO much to learn at such an expense.

On a brighter note, when she was left out at the party she was off alone and Jonathan went to ask her what she was doing. "Looking for Charlotte" was her response. She does love Charlotte's Web. I think we have a total of about ten pigs and they are lined up on her bed. She loves each of those Wilbur's!

Also: If anyone can tell me how to change the font color of this blog please let me know. The tool for that has disappeared from by tool bar!

Jackson 6 months

It is hard to beleive my little fellow is six months old. I think his size has kept him from reaching some of the milestones that Lilly did earlier. He is wearing 9-12month clothes. He just is getting the knack of sitting alone. He isn't crawling, but will scoot and roll where ever he wants to be. He loves being outside with Granddddy and his little face just lights up when Jonathan talks to him. He also takes notice of Lilly and Shelby and laughs out loud at them both. He is truly a blessing, as is Lilly, and the joy of my life!

School Rules

Each day before Lilly goes to school we go over her rules for the day. No hitting, no choking, no biting, keep hands and feet to yourself, and make good choices. (We hope this would allow for anything she may do or has done already)

Monday as I was leaving for school we went over all of her rules and I was heading out the door. Lilly calls out "Mama, wait! Be careful and keep your hands to yourself." Good advice, fortunately I have a good group of kids and I am not tempted :) Sometimes Lilly can be such a challenge and others she is so sweet.

Lazy 5 Ranch

Our first trip as a family of four was to the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, NC. It is kind of like a zoo. Less variety of animals, but more interaction with the animals. Lilly loves to see the animals, especially the giraffe and zebra. We had a nice dinner with Heidi and Rob and Mom and I got to shop for a while on Saturday. Jackson was not very excited about being away from home. He is my little home body, he likes his own bed, his own toys, in his own house. He also doesn't really like his carseat and riding, so that made the trip even more interesting. Lilly now wants a pet pig and lion. We are trying to convince her a puppy would be best!

"Cadpoles"

Lilly's preschool had open house Sunday and while we were there Lilly told Ms. Ann we had a pond and she saw the "cadpoles". Well Ms. Ann asked us to bring some in. (She wanted 25-50, that seems a bad combination with 3 year olds, but she wanted them!) So we came home and went fishing for "cadpoles". We have tried to scare Lilly away from the pond, but I don't think it is working. We all enjoyed catching the tadpoles and minnows, however if we ever depend on Jonathan to catch food with his hands or net we will starve. Lilly and I were much more successful!

First Major Accident

Sunday evening we had our first accident with Lilly and Jackson. Jonathan and the kids were outside on the swing set and when he turned to go lock the gate Lilly dumped Jackson out of his swing. Inside I heard "Lilly NO!" So I go running out to find Jonathan picking Jackson up off the ground. He only cried for a minute, but it scared the LIFE out of Jonathan and me. We didn't have to go to the ER, but I did call the on call nurse and my Mom. Thankfully Jackson showed now signs of a concusion, but we woke him up several times in the night and went to the doctor first thing Monday morning. I will be glad for him to defend himself against his sister!

Going to a Hockey Game

Lilly and I are going to a hockey game tomorrow night. She told her teacher at preschool that she was going to a hockey game and wearing hockey shoes, hockey shirt, and hockey hat. She doen't even know what hockey is. She actually thinks she is going to play a game. She may be disappointed and if she knocks out the next person who "doesn't listen" she learned it from hockey, not me!

Figuring this out

This is just a trial run to see if I can get this to work. I am finally home alone for the first time in over a year, so I may get more than five minutes on the computer.