Happy Halloween!!!

So here are a few ADORABLE pictures of our Little Elephant this Halloween night.

Isnt he the cutest Elephant EVER?!!!

And a side by side: Real vs. Dress Up....who wins????

By the way, we basically were working VERY hard to get smiles...but alas, there was not many to spare. He was obviously taking his role quite seriously. I mean, really, other than Babar and that guy on Jungle whatever it is, are there ever any silly happy elephants? No I didnt think so. SO that being said...er...written...he was a serious elephant. Channeling all National Geographic shows he might have seen in passing. Ready to defend his tribe...or..herd..whatever it is. But I will also add, his drool worked to his advantage as a play on elephant trunk water spraying, minus the spraying of drool that is, it was more well drooling down chin...well....You get the picture.

Look at those hooves (is that what they're called on an elly?)

Tomorrow, I post pictures of a conversation between Jackson and Jake caught tonight. Really funny, I mean REALLY funny. So meet me back here tomorrow evening. Oh and there will also be pictures of my adorable new neice, Tess. NO my brothers and brother in laws did not miraculously have a baby...Troy and Chels got a lab puppy! She is my new niece. YAY!!! Cannot wait to meet her.

I Gotta Feeling....

Is that not THE cutest and funniest thing? Sorry about the Blair Witch Style of videoing, he was laughing so hard at Dixie and I grabbed it and he was in my other arm so it left me improving on if I was even getting his face in the video!

I gotta feeling things are just going to get funnier...every day is better than the last :)

ANYWAYS, this has been an uneventful eventful week. Does that even make sense? I have been at home doing nothing, yet so busy I dont get all the things I need to get done, done. On the days when I wasnt at home, I was at my grandparents with my mom helping them pack for their move to their new home. Man do they have alot to do still. I gotta feeling, they may not get it all done without SERIOUS interventions... :(

We had a pumpkin patch visit and a few days later a quick dinner with the Kirks at Five Guys Burgers and Fries...YUM so here are some ADORABLE pics from both. Jackson and Jake are already getting to be buddies. Squealing and laughing at each other...we love it! Except of course when they are at the pumpkin patch and we are trying to get them to take a pic together :) I gotta feeling that THAT will never change :}

Does he not look like a little chipmunk in this picture?

I gotta feeling they will always be friends.....

Dad left us to go hunting last weekend so we sent him off in style on his birthday with a yummy breakfast out (IHOP, actually NOT that yummy) and some shoes that said kill somethin daddy! We gave him water out of our straw and he was all over that! Too funny!

And how can I not every now and then post a bath picture..OMG look at those rolls!!!

I gotta feeling, this is not the end of naked baby pictures..uh oh... :0)

This will be a super busy weekend and I cannot WAIT to unveil his Halloween outfit for all to see...stay tuned, I will post the pictures on Sunday! SOOO excited! I got a feeling that Sat night is going to be a good good night!

Be thinking Horton Hears a Who....hmmmmmm???

Laughin and Learnin

So instead of a 500 page essay blog entry (thats for you Maranda ;)), I thought I would just post some videos instead if Jackson laughin and learnin! Make sure you pause the music so you can hear him.

LAUGHIN,

Jackson laughing at a show he watches every now and then on TV. Its called Word World and has every thing and animal made up of the word, so he was watching a brief part on musical instruments and started dying laughing at it. Especially the puppy who tap danced. Anyways, when I recorded this it was the next morning, and he still thought it was funny but wasn't dying laughing like he had earlier. Oh well, you get the idea from the video! There are two, the beginning of it and then the end...I had to stop and delete photos bc I ran out of memory on the camera!

He added a little flair in this one!

AND LEARNIN,

This video is the BEST. I think my 6 1/2 month old is pretty smart if I do say so myself. We have this new toy (tree with winding ramp) that you push the animals down and spin the spinner (lack of better word) for music and animal noises. Well he hasn't figured out how to "push" the animals down the ramp, so he figured out an easier way to do it! HILARIOUS! AND he knows how to spin the spinner for music. Ahhh, what a smartie!

You didnt expect me to seriously write nothing did you? Wish us luck this weekend, dad aka honey is going hunting with the guys and I am alone with the kiddo...hmmm think Ill have to go help my grandparents pack. Not for the extra hands or anything, but bc I love them and need to help...he he he! Oh and did I mention Grandma will be there too? Again, Im going just to help and share the love! HA!

A Fabulous weekend of family and friends, CELEBRATING life!

Taylor, Jackson, Pastor Godfrey, and Me!

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. My little guy was, ahhh, AMAZING! Fabulous! Sweet! Patient! WONDERFUL!!! Saturday we had a funeral to attend for my step grandmother Elizabeth. "Granny". She lived a full life in her 90 years here, and now is finally at peace and fulfilled completely living up in Heaven with her husband of many many years and of course the one and only God! How happy she must be. We here will miss her zanny and zappy spirit, her debates with us on political affairs at dinner, and most of all her love. Which she gave openly and freely. Boy did she love her grand-babies! The funeral was on Saturday afternoon with a reception afterwards and Jackson did great. He was happy and content during the service, but really just wanted to dive at the pink designs on his cousin, Isabellas dress. He was very intrigued by the paisley print...takes after his mom, its my fav print!

Sunday was his baptism and I was thinking "Oh man, he was sooo good at the funeral, I just KNOW he is gonna be off at the church service, I mean, really, what else could I expect, right?" Well I was sooo super wrong. He was SUCH a good little boy, just wanted to jump on laps, sit on laps while crinkling paper and really just be payed attention too. (duh!) During the baptism when the sprinkled the water on his head (well, it was a cross between a sprinkle and a handful) he just looked quizzically at the pastor and then was leaning back to see where the water came from. The pastor actually had to turn him to show him the bowl the water came from and Jackson just stared at it. It was too funny. It looked like he was thinking "Now where did that water come from and is it coming back...I need to be prepared here"! We attempted to get it on video but we will just say it was a user malfunction. The video camera was not charged (my bad) and the camera was being used by an unknown user who was having on/off button pressing issues. Love you mom! LOL! Here are some pictures from that day, I only got two, bc I was so super busy but a few are from Jordans camera and Chelsea is going to send me some also.

Four Generations of Love Right Here!!!

We rounded up the affair with a wonderful dinner at Johnny Carinos with MANY of our close friends and family. All the young kiddos were so well behaved and real troopers for having to wait so long for their food. Jackson crashed and slept on the bench next to me! But when he was awake he was such a great kiddo. Happy, eating, visiting. But what I love most about my precious one is that he is so patient and tolerant of being passed around person to person. He never got fussy on Saturday or Sunday being shared and I just love that!

I told him for being such a great kid this weekend we would do whatever he wanted today. Play with stacking rings, sure, play with the talking/singing puppy, you got it, be held by mom, whatever he wants he can have! He seemed to thoroughly enjoy that thought and is taking advantage of it today for sure! Hilarious.

We feel so lucky and blessed to have a group of friends who are there to support us through this walk of life and family that is always there for the important occasions showering us with love and prayers!

It was a blessed weekend, a blessed day and we are THANKFUL!!!!

On another quick note, yesterday was my 6 year wedding anniversary with my wonderful husband Taylor. I love that guy so much and cant imagine life without him. He is an amazing husband and an even more amazing father. I am one lucky gal and thank the Lord above for dropping him in my life. To sixty trillion cajillian badillian more years hun! Happy Anniversary!

Jackson, Jackson, went to the beach and didn't like the water when it touched his feet.....

Its true, he didnt like the water AT ALL. Of course we were in Myrtle Beach, SC and the water was cold (no we didnt get in it silly); BUT he didnt like any of it. The sand, the water, the noise (even though he takes naps to the ocean sounds from his radio, hmm...), the waves...NONE OF IT. Of course, it could have had something to do with a small slipperoo involving face, in sand, right when we sat down. Anyways, that was the only part he didnt enjoy of the most fun trip we have had in months...well he also didnt like the sleeping on an airplane bit but Ill get to that :).

Get ready for a long blog my friends!

So as most of you know we took a trip to the Carolina's to visit Taylor's best friend from college Abbey and his family. We love Abbey and Amber and bc they live so far we hardly ever get to see them. THEN they had a beautiful baby boy almost 18 months ago and it got even harder to visit. SO Tay and I just bit the bullet and booked a flight to see them after we had Jackson. Boy was it fun and crazy and funny and special and ...well...you get the picture. Friday we took off, Jackson did okay on the plane, no real trouble except when he got tired and wanted to sleep, he got a little fussy and cried (loudly) for about 45 minutes.... er,..... less than a minute actually, it just seemed like 45 minutes. :) We had a nice evening and then crashed, okay, so really we tried to crash but Jackson was having NONE of that. He took 2 hours to get down to sleep..OMG..it was awful I am not even going to lie. Then he was up all night bc he hated the pack and play (like always). We got little sleep. Thought the weekend was doomed but things were looking up when we found out that the condo we were staying in at Myrtle Beach would have a crib. So we packed up and took a road trip to the beach!

How many aggies does it take to fit a stroller in the back of a car?

Well two worked but I think they would have done it faster if there had been at least 2 or 3 more..he he he..luv you hun!

But seriously, it did take them awhile to get the stroller in, so long in fact that I had time to snap these pics of Amber, myself and the boys ready to go on our road trip.

We had to hustle when we got there, bc Amber and I had a massage, well actually we had to hustle bc Taylor was the one giving Abbey the directions..BIG MISTAKE. I have never felt more relaxed than I did after a hot mineral bath and an hour long massage. THE BEST! While we were getting relaxed, the boys went to the grocery store where a group of tuxedo wearing guys buying champagne talked about how cute Jackson was and....yep, you guessed it....how big his cheeks were.. HA! You know its big when guys notice and talk about it! Here are pictures of our awesome condo:

It was the Holiday Inn something or other in South Myrtle Beach HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

When you walk in the door to the right was our room and bathroom

This was the view from the window into the L.R. and Kitchen

Master Bedroom and bath

Kitchen from hallway looking into the LR.

When we got back, the crib had arrived...only...it wasnt a crib, but alas it was another PACK AND PLAY!! AGHHHHH!! So I rigged it up to make it feel like a mattress as best I could and prayed, prayed, PRAYED he would sleep in it that night.

He didn't.

But I was so tired I actually slept through him getting up as much as he did, my amazing husband was up with him and let me sleep. So on to plan c..at nap time I put him in our bed (which THANKFULLY was a King) and layed next to him and he was out. For over an hour. SO I thought...hmmm we might be on to something here. So next nap time, we did it again. And he slept. For over an hour. O-K-A-Y. SO at bed time we consulted with each other and decided a night of solid sleep for these tired parents was what we needed and could quite possibly get with him in our bed, so we all three slept. In the bed. Together. Happily. Peacefully. Hard. And did I mention Happily? Thats the key I guess. Dunno what we will do in the future. But honestly I dont care as long as he is sleeping at night.

NOW that day we took him to the beach...he was U-N-H-A-P-P-Y.

He did not like the waves, he did not like the sounds,

he did not like the sand and surf or the blanket on the ground.

What he did like however was his old flip flop sandal,

and he chewed on that for quite awhile, well, as long as he could handle.

Here are some pictures. Of course, he did look oh so cute in his beach outfit..thank you Janice!!!

How cute is Aiden...Classic in his overalls :)

Boys will be, well, boys :)

Flip Flop chewin.

Next day was Monday and we were sooo sad to leave. WE had played games, ate good food, visited and laughed so hard our sides were sore. YOU HAVE to buy Partini the game. It was uber fun and hilarious to play. On our way back to Charlotte we stopped at a really cool farm called Mcleod Farms and unfortunately it was raining, so fortunately we got some cute pictures of our pumpkin in a pumpkin patch inside. YAY!!!

I love this picture, it seems like he is describing the pumpkin to us.."This pumpkin was grown on a completely organic diet and its mother and father were both 10 pounders..!"

NOW the plane ride back was..well...eventfull. Once again he was doing great until he had the meltdown of '09 when he was tired and wanted to sleep, in a bed. Not in my arms, not on my shoulders, not rocked, but he wanted to be flat on his back in a bed. SO after about 10 minutes of pure you- know- what, it really was 10 minutes of screaming, we layed him accross our laps and he was out.

When he woke up he was happy and we played and then he wanted to sleep again and there we go again. Screaming meltdown part 2 of '09. Not kidding, this time it lasted about 7 minutes. So loud this kid was that a guy two rows up in army fatigues was covering his ears. Yah. How bout that. Sigh. Meanwhile here a picture of a happy time on the plane :)

So we are super busy this week, we had a great weekend but are exhausted and ready to get back into our routine. Unfortunately, my step-grandma passed away yesterday morning. She was a spirited gal who will truly be missed. So we have her funeral on Sat and then Jackson is getting baptized on Sunday, which also happens to be my 6 year wedding anniversary!YAY! I think I have mentioned that already. I hope you enjoy the pictures from our trip as much as we enjoyed taking them!

6 MONTHS OLD!!!!

Two words: HOLY COW. Explanation for those two words: I cant believe it has already been 6 months. My child is now half a year old and "where did the time go" I am already asking myself. He is getting chubbier and cuter and funnier and just a-growin every day more and more. I am loving every single second (even the stressful ones) with this fellow. It is so crazy to me to think that almost exactly to the day a year ago I felt him move for the first time, and then a few weeks later he let us know his personality while we were in Mexico for vacation.

I was barely showing and tried to lay on my belly to get some sun on my back, he was SO not into that and immediately was kicking and moving around letting me know that was not okay. I laugh hard now bc that is so him. Feisty and calling the shots around here! Just a year ago I had no idea it was a boy (although the peeing on drain-o test said it was, I wasn't too sure!) and I especially had no idea how much my whole world would just change in a second and my love for this little being would just grow and grow and grow. I love being a mom, and I love my spirited child who is my buddy already. Dont worry I can be tough when I need to be ;) In 6 months my little newborn, unknown to me has developed into a happy, friendly, loud, exceptionally wonderful infant. Boy am I lucky. So before I continue to make all of you sick at your stomachs over my purging of happiness Ill get down to business!

Here are his stats from his check up today, which entailed 4 shots (Oh yes, he was VERY unhappy about that).

Weight: 19lbs 4 1/2oz (75%)

Length: 26 1/2 inches (50%)

Cheeks: Growing at a fast rate and I believe it is now off the charts since the doctor actually said today "He has to have the chubbiest cheeks of all". Um yah.

Here is what he is up to now:

~Has two bottom teeth, and the top two are coming in as we speak.

~Rolling over both ways alot, and scootching to get where he wants to go on his tummy. Funny thing though, when he flips on his tummy at night, he gets upset and has to be turned over...hmmm ;)

~Sits completely on his own for a period of time.

~Still is a jumping jumparoo.

~Still talks ALL THE TIME.

~Loves to grab and play with his toys, mainly to bring them to his mouth!

~Had his first cold :(

~He loves to laugh and giggle, especially in the mornings and especially when he is in the spotlight. Ham much?

~Loves Loves Loves bathtime. He really likes to play and splash, which is oh so fun for mom and dad ;)

He's just an all around awesome and silly kid. I love being his momma. Now for what the next 6 months will bring, I can only guess, but you better believe I am already planning one heck of a First Birthday Party!

6 MONTHS OLD!!!

Normally he's really happy when having his pic taken, but this was after 4 shots :(

This weekend we are off to see Taylor's best friend Abbey and his wife Amber. They have a little one (almost 18 mos) Aiden,and we haven't met him yet because they live in North Carolina. So we are off on a airplane tomorrow (wish us luck) and we are trekking it to Myrtle Beach. Super excited and I cant wait for the massage Amber has scheduled for us on Saturday. Woohoo! Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend...next weekend is Jackson's Baptism, Our first trip to the zoo as a family AND Taylor and I celebrate 6 Years of marriage on Sunday! Big month here!

You want what? Invitations you said?...Well then....

Check out my sis - n - laws website here. Chelsea is an amazingly creative and energetic soul who I am soooo happy to be related to now. Thanks for marrying my brother. He is super lucky to have you my friend.

ANYWAYS, I dawdle, I do, she designs many things on paper. From Invitations to Announcements to Moving Notices, but above all, they look fantastic at an even better price. Seriously, If you know ANYONE or are that SOMEONE who needs something designed for you with special touches, check her out. You will not be disappointed. I promise. On her blog, you will see a few of the VERY special things she designed for us.

So go my friends and fellow blog stalkers, explore her blog and dream up of the endless things you could order from her. I have a thing for paper goodies in the mail, so maybe you will now too. :)

By the way if any of you conflict with her designing Jackson's 1 year Birthday party invites, you will have to go through me. Yah, JUST letting you know, oh, 6 months in advance. Wink Wink. But seriously.

A Great Weekend With LOTS of Love!

First of all, to all of those who participated in race for the cure...WAY TO GO!! I am definitely going to put it on my calendar for next year, I want to run and be part of such a tremendous cause. It looked like great fun and even better company.

Now on to our fabulous weekend we had! John, Olivia and Madison came down for a visit and it was F-U-N. The girls had a mostly girl day on Saturday. While the guys (including Jackson) stayed around the house watching football and jumping:

Us girls had a scrapbook party, and then we went to the Greek Festival for a little bit but were a little disappointed, we expected more than just food and drinking, but thats all it was. We were not really in the mood to just "hang out" so we left pretty quickly after arriving. We had a really yummy dinner at Alicia's (their enchiladas are to die for, seriously). Then, sadly, we watched, gulp, the Aggies, sigh, loose, tear. It was a not so uplifting end to a really uplifting and awesome day. We really thought we had a chance. As some have said, they teased us in the first, had us all thinking it was going to be on for sure. But then, well, you know the rest of the story. Next weekend we play OSU and it is ON. Bring it OSU, we will kick your booties all the way back to the rolling prairie lands you call home. I have some other fightin words bc Im all bummed and angry about our loss, but I wont indulge you in that. I will refrain and keep the thoughts in my head. (Yah right, who are we kidding, I dont keep ANYTHING in my head :))

Anyways, back to our weekend with family. So today we had a great breakfast and hung out and visited and then went to an aquarium store (John has this thing for fish tanks, dont ask, especially him, unless that is, you have an hour to spare ;)) JK! BUT we knew Jackson would love the fishies, and he did, so we all went. They had so many cool fish, and Jackson was just enthralled by them. He liked the fast fishies that swam around in a group together, and he also liked the ones that had whiskers...small form of a catfish type.

Fishy time!

Loving Aunt Livvie time

John, Olivia and Jackson

Topped the weekend off with a late lunch at Texadelphia (where they wanted to charge me $4 extra to split a cheesesteak,puh-lease. Im over it...I think) and we said our goodbyes back at the casa after that. We had such a great visit. We always do, laughing, and relaxing with family is always a super way to spend 48 hours. So that was our weekend.

Giggles with Uncle John

And dont worry, this one got attention too,

LOTS OF LOVE and attention!

On another note, I think that Jackson is getting his upper teeth in. He is acting JUST like he did when the bottom ones came in, so fingers crossed thats what it is. Just fussy at night...much to the frustration of this tired mommy. He is also flipping like a pancake again. Crazy fish.

Hope everyones weekend was swell.

I cant believe it, Jackson will be 6 months on Friday; Wow how the time flies!