Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

My little turkey has had a great time this week visiting his friends and family in Louisiana. As always, we have been busy since we got here. Other than having a really tough time sleeping, he has been great despite being a little sick. On Wednesday he started with a runny nose and his left eye was red. We had Dr. Brad and Nurse Mimi check it out and they agreed it wasn't pink eye but probably just allergies. That seems like a reasonable prognosis due to the fact that his nose is running clear. Anyway, he played over at Maw Bush's and at Papa's wrecker yard on Monday and Tuesday; Keighly and Kolby came over to play with him and they had a blast. In fact, Keighly is now his new best friend and I love it. She's like a little mother to him and keeps him busy so I can get a moment to be an adult and visit with my family. On Wednesday we had lunch with Auntie Em, Uncle Lee, and Nanny Mae (Macie) at my favorite place - Tony's Pizza. Jackson had a little post-lunch round of golf with Lee and Macie. He just loves all the attention he gets and all the new playmates (mommy gets pretty old after a while). He also got to meet his new little cousin James and got to play with a baby llama at PawPaw Bollich's over the weekend. We have created many wonderful memories here this week...

On Thanksgiving, we had a blessed day filled with family and food. Jackson, as I suspected, just loved playing in the country at Auntie's house. There were so many cool toys, a trampoline, a playset with a slide, pigs, a dirtpile and plenty of people to keep him company (especially Keighly and Kolby). We had all our favorite foods, including Maw Bush's cornbread dressing and Auntie's peas. Really, it doesn't get much better...

Mimi and PawPaw Bob are going to keep him this weekend while we go to Baton Rouge for the LSU game. I know he will have a great time with them; he already does!

We hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving holiday and I also want to wish PawPaw Roy a happy birthday - he would have been 67 on this past Tuesday...

Playing in his PJs and Slippers

Jackson David is a little stinker - but I love him all the more for it. He has been all over the place this week and has so much energy (which wears Mama out!). He is so into his cars and trucks these days. In fact, don't tell him, but Santa is bringing him a new train table and huge train set for Christmas. Daddy, I mean Santa, will have to figure out how to set that thing up then take it down to travel to the new house. But Mommy can't wait to have a new p.ayroom to put all of Jackson and Daddy's toys in... I just have to figure out how to get one room in the house for myself. The kitchen I guess.

We went to a place called "Paradise Pond" today and he had a blast. The place is divided into different themed play areas. These included a shopping area with baskets, cash registers, fruits, etc.; a lego area that daddy would have loved; cars that slide over these coasters; a huge bounce house; dress up area with mirrors; dinosaur area; cars, trucks, dump trucks, tracks, etc.; and finally a huge 3 story climbing structure with a slide. I'll let you guess which were Jackson's favorites... His buddies Jack and Katharine are having their birthday there in January and we can't wait! I think we'll be going back there quite a bit now that the weather is colder - we'll be looking for fun indoor play to wear him out...

So, tomorrow "we're leaving on a jet plane, I don't know when I'll be back again..." Actually, I do know that we'll be back on the 29th but we look forward to a week at home in Louisiana for Thanksgiving. I will post from there next week.

Love to everyone,

Hayley and Jackson

Where does the time go?

I can't believe I haven't posted since Oct. 23rd! Well, Jackson woke me up at 5:30 am so I guess that was his not so slight suggestion for me to get up and get to work on the blog for all his adoring fans. A recap of the last few weeks: Jackson was a very handsome "T-Bird" for Halloween and loved trick-or-treating; I had a great trip to Mexico with Lee; the house is moving along very quickly and we now have brick, stone and sheetrocking; and Aunt Macie came for a visit and became Jackson's favorite new toy.

I've posted a picture of our little "T-Bird" - it was a fun, unique costume. He wore it well, that's for sure. He's such a cool dude! He liked getting candy from the neighbors but thought he had to trade in something in his bag for a new candy piece. So he was always trying to put something back in their bowls to get a new candy. He especially loved the chocolate and candy corn! You should see him eat chocolate (especially dark chocolate which is his favorite) - he gets this look like he's in Heaven. He also loved passing out candy to the kids who came to MawMaw's door. It was such a new fun experience for him - but he was wiped out tired by the end of the night!

He is saying so many new words now and can pick out animals and objects in his books. We will say, "where's the cow, dog, cat, sheep, apple, car, ball, etc..." and he points to the object. He will also say the words - I just think he's such a little genious! Of course, to me, he will always be amazing.

We had his 18 month check up on November 2nd and he was doing well with his weight gain - we are now 20. 6 lbs! This puts us in the 1 percentile so the doctor felt better about his growth and encouraged us to keep trying to get him to eat as much and as often as possible but he was making good progress. He is 32 1/2 inches and wears a size 6 shoe. His intellectual growth is great; he has great balance and walks and runs very well. The doctor noted that just from her visit with him it is obvious he has TONS of energy! Yep, he wears me out on a daily basis (and I'm sure this is why he is so skinny). We won't have to go back to the doctor for a check up until his 2nd birthday in May.

He is such a big helper and loves to do what we are doing - dusting, mowing, picking up stones at the new house, walking the dogs, etc. I am so amazed every day at how fast he's growing!

We'll be going home next week for Thanksgiving and can't wait to see everyone but I will be sure to do another post before then...

The Bookworm and The Cookie Monster

Sounds like a children's book, doesn't it? Actually, it's Jackson! I have to say that Jackson's absolute favorite thing, next to playing with Daddy, is reading books. He even reads them by himself when I won't do it for him. Hence the picture above. I was taking care of things around the house when Jackson brought me his "Touch and Feel Animals" book. I was smack in the middle of washing dishes so didn't oblige his wishes. When I did finish, I came into the living room where he had laid down on his favorite giraffe blanket and was flipping through his book. He didn't even look up at me when I took these pictures. He will very meticulously browse through his books downstairs and pick out a favorite to bring to us. And, if he can't find the one he wants downstairs, he'll go up to his room and bring one down to us. It's an amazing thing. I'm so proud that he has a love for books - I have always loved them and the "imaginary" world they open up for us.

The second picture is Jackson digging around for his little red firetruck in his big toy bin. He is so tiny that climbing into his toy boxes and bins is no problem.

Finally, my little cookie monster loves his oreos (just like daddy and PawPaw Roy). He won't eat any dinner but could eat cookies all night. He even likes dark chocolate! Guess he has the sweet tooth that runs in the family! I had to get a picture of his messy face. Suffice it to say he was in an Oreo and NickJr induced high...

House Update: The venting has been put in on the house and the duct work is run for the HVAC. It's moving along!

Happy Weekend to everyone. I'll try to post one more before leaving for Mexico on Monday...

Fall Fest

* This is a shot of the house from the back yard!

We have had a busy few days due to this beautiful cool weather. Once the sun came out on Thursday of last week, we've spent every moment possible outdoors. We've played at the park with our buddies and spent a lot of time in the yard. Jackson loves riding his little PowerWheels 4 Wheeler and he still loves to swing those golf clubs. He also loves to throw balls - usually at Maggie! He doesn't quite understand why she won't throw it back but he laughs anyway. On Saturday, we had a great afternoon at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens with some friends and their children (Traci and Chad Jenkins). We packed a little picnic - Chad said we had our own little convenience store. What can I say, I like to ensure we have great snacks! Jackson loved feeding the fish and he gets so excited that we have to make sure he doesn't climb into the water. On Sunday, we went to the Green Meadows Petting Farm with a group of friends from our playgroup (Rhonda, Tom and the twins, Tom's mother, MawMaw Mary Ellen, Donna and Owen). The kids had a great time - it was a blast to watch them with these animals up close and personal. Jackson especially like the little ducklings but he would get so excited that he would squeeze their little necks and choke them. The poor little ducklings were not too excited about this. We had to quickly distract him to get him away so we didn't end up with a murder investigation of a strangled duckling. He also really enjoyed the lambs and baby goats. I think it makes him comfortable to be around the smaller animals as they are more his "size." We milked a cow (Jackson liked the woodchips under her udders the best), watched a pig race, held a lamb, and picked out pumpkins to take home. The group picture of the kids is my absolute favorite. Keep in mind, this was the end of the day and they were pooped! What a treasure to show them when they are older and all in high school together - they will all be in the same grade.

Jackson loves animals so much but he still gets most excited with his own two little rotten animals at home!

What a blessing we have in this little boy and that we are able to experience so many fun things with him!

House Update: the windows are in, the roof is being installed today and we should see rock and stone later this week...

Broadway, Here We Come!!

Actually, 2518 Broadway Lane to be exact. They (finally) finished the slab on our new house and began framing it yesterday. They have a big group of guys working on it and are already completing the second story today. "Excited" doesn't begin to describe how we feel now that we see things moving on our new home. I have so little patience and this is killing me!! It has been fun though to pour over magazines and pick out new things and decorating ideas to prepare for the new home.

We're being told that the completion date should fall between January 7th and 15th. Our chances of getting in before Christmas were completely "washed away" by all the rain we got at the begining of September. So, the countdown has begun to our arrival on "Broadway"! Every time I say it, I always want to break into song. Atleast it should be easier for Jackson to memorize his address when he's older, but does this mean he'll get made fun of?? Nah, he's way too cute to get made fun of (I know, yeah right!)

I'll continue to make posts of the house as we go along so stay tuned...

I'm also posting pictures of Jackson playing in the front driveway yesterday afternoon. He stands on the curb, bends his arms and tries to jump onto the drive. He wants to learn to jump so badly that he practices all the time - he's getting so close but we're not there yet. As we were playing, an airplane passed overhead which he absolutely loves so I had to get a picture of him watching it pass. My camera wasn't quick enough to get him pointing at it, but I think most of you have seen him do that already. I'll probably need to video that one before he stops doing it.

Happy Wednesday! We send our love...

Jackson's Driving Now!

Okay, that isn't entirely correct but it is close. He will climb up into my car by himself using the running boards, then climb onto the seat and try to drive the car. He is, of course, under constant supervision by yours truly. It is so funny to see this though - a 17 month old hanging out in the driver's seat turning the steering wheel. I asked him where he planned on going but couldn't get a straight answer - I thought that only happened when they were high school age?!I've also posted a picture of him veged out in front of the TV watching a music show. He loves anything with music, instruments, songs, etc. I promise we don't watch TV all the time, but you can tell that when we do, he is totally engrossed...

The final picture was taken this weekend when he and his daddy hung out in their PJs for most of the morning. He had been eating blue M&Ms which is why his lips are purple. If you know me, then you are fully aware that it is not cold in my house so I promise he isn't freezing so much his lips turned blue. And, yes, I give him M&Ms - thanks to his MiMi who got him on that kick. To our credit, the M&Ms are part of a trail mix but he only eats the candy with a few raisins thrown in there. But at least he's eating something!

We hope you have a Happy Monday!