Greetings

Jackson saw a show yesterday where two people saw each other and said "Good to see you" and shook hands and kissed on the cheek. He then walks up to me with his little hand and said something resembling "Good to see you" and shook my hand and then said "Kiss?" so I kissed his soft little cheek and laughed and laughed. He thought this was a great game so for the rest of the night he "met" his mama and dadda much to the delight of his parents.

He also loves to watch "Super Why" on PBS and on one part they all put their hands in as a team and invite the little people watching to do the same. So every now and then Jackson says "Hands!" and we put our hands on top of each others and then I added a cheer like they do in sports. We cheer for everything from Jackson to family to daddy to team to whatever I can think of at the moment.

He is the source of a lot of cheap entertainment around here.

In High demand

As I've mentioned before Jackson is a huge "Cars" fan and I stumbled on the official website awhile back and oh how I wish I had never found it somedays. Jackson likes me to play "Gas game, gas game!" where I fill the tanks with fuel because it has 50s style music in the background so he likes me to play the game while snapping my fingers and swaying to the music at the same time. Oh, the things you do because it makes your kid giggle and that is the best sound in the world.

His other favorite is to have me color pictures of the cars. I get quite bored doing this and have found ways to entertain myself as I do this. The other day I found I could handpaint things and started basically putting grafiti on the cars with things like "Mommy rules" and "Jackson is cool" and smiley faces. As soon as I start doing this Jackson gets very excited and says "Print it, print it!" I consider this the equivalent of getting first place in the art contest because it means he deems the coloring worthy to be printed out so he can scribble all over it. I belive my artwork will be worth millions one day because of this.

Cake, birthday, wish

Today is Jackson's 2nd birthday! I don't know who gave him permission to grow up so fast but he seems to have done it. We had his birthday party on Saturday with just our families and everyone had a great time.














He got lots of cars, he is very big into the movie "Cars" and basically into anything that has wheels on it too.



A favorite toy was from his Grandma Inez and it is a bus he can roll around and it plays "Old McDonald Had a Farm". Everytime it plays he dances so cute and insists anyone around do the same and really who can resist joining this sweet guy so I've made many a bad dance move the last few days.

The highlight of the party for me was when we brought out the cake with the candles on it. I was making sure the candles were not right next to his face so he wouldn't burn himself and as Jesse lit the candles Jackson immediately blew one out! I had no idea he knew what to do with birthday candles but apparently watching Elmo's World about birthdays taught him all he needed to know. So we lit the candle again and sang happy birthday to him and then told him to blow out the candles. This time he had a little harder time and ended up more spitting them out then blowing but what's a little spit between friends and family?













Jackson actually wanted to eat the cake this time which is a big change from last year when he just stared at the cake. I thought I'd get these big messy cake pictures but really that isn't how Jackson eats. He started politely picking pieces of cake off and I decided maybe it would at least be funny if he used a spoon. He enjoyed the cake and hardly got any on him.



Later that night after everyone had left Jackson saw his leftover cake and said "Cake! Birthday! Wish!" I don't remember anyone telling him to make a wish when he blew out the candles but he knows how the game is played. The next day he was playing with some block and put a pillar standing up on a block and said "Cake!" and blew on the pillars. I think we may have started a bad tradition here....

Chatty Jackson

I want to write this memory now before I forget because it was so precious.

Jackson saw me eating my lunch, pasta and chicken, and immediately said "some? some?" of course I obliged and gave him some of my pasta. He likes spaghetti but hasn't had other types of pasta so I didn't know what he woudl think. He loved it and wanted more and more. I said "Do you like my pasta?" and he said paspa! and happily repeated the word several more times each time he had a bite. I treasure these cute words becasue I know before long he will say words correctly and I will miss paspa and princey (for princess) and monkey (for bacon, don't ask me why). He is a little chatterbox at home though he clams up in public until he feels comfortable and I love listening to him.

Jackson makes me me laugh so hard and so very often these days. My latest favorite is yesterday I saw gas prices down below $2 and said Wahoo! Then I heard a darling voice behind me say Wahoo! clear as day and then he started clapping his hands. So the rest of the night we would get him to say it and he would gladly perform, grinning after because he knew he was funny and showing off his darling dimple.

Another funny story: I was sitting on the couch and Jackson was playing on the other side of the couch so I could hear him but not see him. I then hear "momma" in a tone of voice such as, when you get a moment, could you look over here? I look over to see he has decided to dive into his hamper, knocking it sideways onto the floor and he is now completly inside of it and quite confused as to how to get it. I wish I had gotten a picture but thought it would be mean to wait to get him out.

Here are some pics that have made me laugh or smile.

Jackson used to hate getting his nose sucked when he was younger. Now he wants to do it himself, though the results are more hilarious than helpful.

Here is a pic from Halloween. He finally got the hang of the trick or treat thing and really liked holding out his Elmo bowl for candy. Please excuse the messy house in the background, we took this right when we got home from trick or treating.

Jackson loves to read. He likes to "read" the story by himself and it usually goes something like this. Momma, dada, grampa, gramma, krisky (which is what he calls his aunt Krissy), sawn (Uncle Shaun), Je (Aunt Jen), melmo (Elmo) and then various Sesame Street characters.

He also loves to stack things and is very studious about the whole thing. Here is a video I took of him stacking books. We have given up and just let him do whatever he wants with the books on the bottom shelves of our bookcase.

Sign of the times

Since I've been home during the day more often I have been amazed at the number of people who want to stop at my door and try to sell me something. For so many reasons I hate it and then a few months ago I saw a story on the news about a woman who had been hurt badly when a man posing as a person selling magazines pushed his way in. That very moment I sat at my computer and wrote this:

No Solicitors, Salespeople,
Product demonstrators
Or whatever else you may consider yourself.

I don’t have any money to spare right now but even if I did I would not be giving it to people who bother me without any warning and knock on the door waking up my baby then saying a bunch of nonsense about why I need to give them my money and possibly “demonstrating” the product by spraying on my clothes, windows, etc. wasting my time and making me feel guilty for not buying anything and nervous they are going to break into my house when I open the door or almost as bad make me buy the product just to get them to leave.

So please for everyone’s sake, just go.

Thanks.



I immediately put just the top paragraph on my door, should I put the whole thing up or would that just encourage them to stick around reading it?. Since then I have not had a single salesperson. The Jehovah's witnessess just put a pamphlet in my door and left. The LDS missionaries stopped by and said they almost didn't knock when they saw the sign. I said they did NOT fit in these categories.

The people who have come to the door like home teachers, etc have liked the sign. I consider it a success so far and mostly like to look at it and laugh about how clever I am (oh and very modest.)

A Place for Everything and everything in its place?

Jackson has been into organizing as of late. His favorite thing to move around is some cans of tuna and soup that I put on a shelf he can reach. I have so little storage in my pantry and have lost the bottom two shelves because he considers these "his" shelves and things put there are fair game. He is so funny with these cans that I keep putting them back. He places them all in a group and then suddenly decides they all should be on the other side of the kitchen instead so he literally runs over and places one can and then runs back and gets the other one, and on and on. My nephew used to line things up just so but Jackson is not like that at all, things go into a kind of group but nothing orderly really. Here are some pictures of other things he has "organized" He makes me laugh so hard every day. His newest phrase is happy birthday which sounds more like hap birday and it so stinkin cute.

This picture is just plain cute so I added it.

Pavlov's diapers

I debated whether to write this post or not but it is so funny (ha ha and weird) that I had to write. Every time I have put Jackson down for the last three days, whether for a nap or bedtime, he fills his diaper. Every! Time! I change his diaper right before we go into his room, do his bedtime routine and check his bum again, all clear. Then 20 minutes go by with him not falling asleep so I check on him and yep, time to change the diaper. My mom says maybe that is because he relaxes when he gets to his crib and personally I wonder if it isn't the ultime putting off bedtime routine. You can tell a kid no when he asks for water for the 30th time that night or make a baby cry himself to sleep but I don't think many moms would knowingly make their kid sleep in a dirty diaper. I thinks he should market this idea to other kids. If you give me 10 dollars I promise I won't let him talk to your kid about this.

New Clothes

My sister-in-law Debbie sent me three huge boxes of clothes for Jackson because her boys are done with them. It was like Christmas when they arrived for all of us. Jackson didn't know what they were, he just liked playing in the boxes and playing in piles of clothes. We are all set up for Halloween with a darling dinosaur costume and last Sunday he wore a little white shirt, clip-on tie and black vest with little footballs on it to church. He was so cute! I tried to get a good picture of it but he isn't in to holding still these days. Here is what I got.





Oh and I just remembered I got a picture of him in the dinosaur costume, he is not sure what to think about the "spikes" on his sleeve.

Mad Dash

I always feel like I am in a mad dash during naptime. There is so much I want to accomplish while the little ones are sleeping I go crazy sometimes trying to get it all done. Trying to coordinate two naptimes is often too complicated, especially when one of the kids is not yours so you have no bedroom to put them in or much control over how much they sleep. The first week I watched my nephew I would have sworn he and Jackson were playing Nap Tag. The absolute minute one of them would fall asleep, the others eyes would pop open. I thought I was going to die and that others might also die from my smell because when the heck was I going to get a shower??? Luckily now they often coordinate naptimes so I am back to being a little more sane and better smelling. And it is sights like the picture below that make watching my nephew worth it. As mentioned before Jackson likes his nephew Jayce and he got down next to him and stroked his hand for a full minute the other day.

I have finally given myself some priorities that I accomplish first during naptime because they are things that are ever so much easier to do when I am alone. First, I check Quicken and pay bills because if I try to do this while Jackson is awake he wants to "help" by hitting random keys and suddenly we made a payment of twice the usual amount to a company and I'm stuck. Then I do my exercises for my back. I tried doing this while he was awake and while he found it quite entertaining I don't think I am getting proper form when all my exercises include an almost two-year-old on my back or tummy. Then I read my scriptutes. As much as I want him to know I love the scriptures and have him see me read them, he gets quite jealous of anything that takes my attention from him and immediately NEEDS me to do something. Then it is lunch time, which is what I am doing right now as I type. What a good little multitasker I am!

Jayce has been picked up and Jackson woke up late this morning (8am, what a happy day for his mommy!!) so he took a late nap and is still sleeping. Now is the magical time when I have finished all the HAVE-TOs and get to do the Want Tos. As a dear friend and I used to say at work, My To Pile is Ta-Done!

Wanted: One new body

I've heard your body goes downhill after 30 but I never believed it before. Now I do. This year I have had sciatica so bad that I've had two cortisone shots and now physical therapy (which is GREAT, thanks sooo much to friends who suggested it). Due to said sciatica I had weakness in my leg and earlier this year fell and sprained my ankle.

Now to top it all off I went to the doctor earlier this week because I've had this rash and intense itching on one side of my back and he said I have shingles. Doesn't that sound like something you should whisper because other people will move a bit away from you in case they catch it from you or make them wonder what you've been doing in dark alleys? I don't know if everyone knows but shingles is actually related to the chicken pox virus. It lays dormant in your spine and for unknown reasons will sometimes manifest itself in one nerve in the form of shingles. I am very lucky it happened on the left side of my torso and not my face or eye. I am also extremely lucky because some people have agonizing pain with this but I have just had A LOT of itching, I mean a lot.

It all makes me wonder what I will be like when I'm 80 or for heaven's sake even when I'm 40! I guess I'd better buy a wheelchair now and train Jackson to push me in it...

Time for a getaway

Jesse and I have not been on vacation since Jackson was born and we figured it was high time for our first family vacation. We are thinking about going to Vegas. We found a deal on the Internet 3nights/4 days for $99 at a Hilton Garden Hotel. It is this cheap because it is a time share deal, you have to listen to their proposition which is like 90 minutes and tour one of their properties. I figure Jesse and I can listen and not buy, we don't give into pressure easily. My only problem is that we would have to leave Jackson with one of their child care workers. I have a hard time leaving my little one in the care of complete strangers. I about died just leaving him in nursery at church and I know most of them at least a little.

So does anyone have any ideas on another cheap way to stay in Vegas? Anyone have experience with the timeshare thing and whether it is worth it? Ideas for fun things for a family to do in Vegas? We are planning on going the week of October 13 so I thought we'd better get on booking something. If not Vegas any other ideas we can easily drive to?

Stop and smell the roses

One day while Jackson and I were on a walk I stopped by some flowers and told him that they smelled good and showed him in an exaggerated way how Mommy smelled the flower. Now he likes to smell the flowers at our house. The only problem is we don't have any real flowers. His favorite thing to smell is the dandelions followed closely by the morning glory weeds in our lawn.

After I took these pictures and realized what our lawn really looked like I finally mowed it so it looks better now.

Here is a picture I took back in May when the tulips were blooming and our yard looked much better.

Jackson has changed so much since then. His face is becoming more like a toddler and less like a baby. He is changing so much all the time. He is talking up a storm and is very animated when he tells you about things. He likes to say Jayce (my nephew I watch in the mornings) and he likes to come running to me and let me know if Jayce is crying. I think he will be a good big brother when the day comes around for that. (NOT an annoucment, if any of you are thinking I am hinting at something)

Funny mommies and toddlers

Today I was sitting by Jackson on the floor when I saw him stick something in his mouth. I always grab first, ask later when he does that so I reached in and found that he had just tried to eat a bug...that was still alive! EWWW!!! We have been working on our doors lately and have had easy entry for all kinds of insects I guess.

Jackson likes to have me carry him down the street, sometimes I will go all the way to the park with him. The other day while we were there some six-year-old girls put sand on the slide. Their mother quickly told them not to do that and I watched as the wheels in Jackson's head spun. He stood up, grabbed some sand and yep, put it on the slide. Yesterday I took him to the park and he put sand on the slide, the swings and then my feet, which felt good to have cool sand on my bare toes so I didn't mind. I guess I need to teach him not to do that but I am so fascinated with how quickly he figured that out by watching the girls.

I often think when I am carrying Jackson down the street I look homeless or something because most people with kids are pushing them in strollers. The other day I thought "I look like a....hm, what is that word?...it starts with tr....oh yeah, Transvestite!" I quickly realized I meant transient and was very glad I kept THAT thought in my head instead of saying it out loud!

Power

The pain is gone! The day after I wrote my last posting I woke up to the sweet, sweet feeling of no pain. The entire day I waited and worried the pain would come back and it did not! I know it was the prayers for me and by me that did it. This has furthered my testimony of prayer and also in the Lord's timing.

And now for Jackson stories, which is way people really come to this site. When I put Jackson to bed I leave him with big, long kisses I blow to him and whatever silly saying I come up with that night. One of my favorites is "Night, night handsome prince." Tonight as I was leaving he kept repeating something and I finally realized it was "Nigh han prin." I hope he continues to believe in his mother's words about him and think he is a handsome prince.

Jackson is of the mind that diapers and clothes after bathtime are an optional activity. Today after his bath he hoppped up from the towel I had him on and danced around the room naked. It was so cute I let him for a minute until, yes, you know why I am so grateful my mom bought me PowerShot carpet cleaner.

Another funny bathtime story. A few months ago I was giving Jackson a bath and had left his CinderElmo video running while we were in the bathroom. Midway through the bath Jackson heard the music for his favorite song and quickly put his arms up, insisting he needed out. I brought him out to the living room where he danced to "Step to the right, shake, shake, shake" in all his naked glory. When the song was over he toddled back to the bathroom, ready for the rest of his bath. That was the funniest part of the whole thing, that he wanted to finish his bath, like he just took a dance break and then was back to business.

Getting on my nerves

My back hurts. Well, to be specific it is my bum (is that okay to say?) and down my leg that hurts ending in intense tingling in my foot and toes. I have sciatica which I think is a fancy term for BIG PAIN in the BUTT. My back problems started when I was pregnant with Jackson and continued off and on his first year of life. It got really bad in January of this year when I got the official diagnosis and pain medications. They didn't work so I got an epidural injection of Cortisone in February. It worked right away and I thanked Heavenly Father sooo much for inspiring someone to come up with that idea. Then I got cocky and a few months later while lifting Jackson it happened again. The doctor said "Be careful with him and try not to hurt your back" and I thought, you don't have kids, do you? How do you tell an almost 2-year-old it is too bad he fell off the edge of the driveway but Mommy can't suddenly reach out and grab him becasue she is being "careful", yeah, good luck with that one.

So I got another cortisone shot a week ago today. The pain got better for about two days after and now is getting worse each day. Yesterday I laid on the floor with Jackson (I've always been a big fan of getting down on his level) and when I got up I walked funny. I look like I have a hitch in my get along with a slight limp from protecting myself from the pain I think. And I don't deal with pain. It is probably the best thing that I had to have a C-section with Jackson with no labor because I am a huge wimp. This is giving me the greatest awe of people, especially moms, who deal with chronic pain. I have no clue how they do it. I do push myself through pain if it means doing something for Jackson. He wanted to "walk" which means me carry him, down the street today and I did it, grimacing the entire way because my son is my life and I just can't bring myself to deny him any little thing even if it means pain for me. Which makes me love my Brother, the Savior, ever so much more. He suffered sooo much for us even though it meant so much pain because he loved us too much to deny us anything. Which is maybe the lesson I am supposed to learn from this trial. I have been trying to figure out why the pain hasn't been taken from me and I guess I haven't learned all I need to yet because it certainly hasn't left.

I am scared to call my doctor because I think the next step is surgery and I can't even begin to think about how much I would hate that. The idea of surgery on my back with possible paralysis scares me beyond words. And how in the heck do you recover from back surgery with a two-year-old who wants to play all day?!

So there is my whiny post. I just wanted to write all my random thoughts down and get them out of my head. So if anyone has any ideas to help I would appreciate it. And I never turn down offers for prayers though I know so many people out there have it so much worse than me.

Multi-tasking gone bad

Tuesday night I was trying to get the house cleaned up a bit before starting my transcription for the night and took the trash out. I decided I'd better take out the trash in the laundry "room" (really a tiny spot in the basement with exposed pipes and really ugly wallpaper trying desperately to be brave about the fact it is not in fact in an actual room) because Jackson keeps finding fuzz that has come out of the trash and eating it, the boy is addicted to dryer lint like his mom is to Junior Mints.

So to make just one trip I had in my grip one large bag of kitchen trash, an empty box of laundry detergent and a large pizza box. Our trash can lid won't stay up on its own so I kept it up with the hand that had the detergent box in it and threw the rest of the trash in. As I did so a shower of detergent went all over my head from the supposedly empty detergent box. I laughed and brushed some off of my shirt and went inside.

As soon as Jesse saw me he started laughing. Turns out there were was more detergent in the box then I realized. I had it EVERYWHERE. Later that night as I was doing my transcription my head itched so I reached up to scratch it and discovered I could scrape laundry detergent out of my hair. I'm no chemist or biologist but I'm pretty sure you are not supposed to rub detergent in your hair. It started burning and I decided to take a shower that night before bed. I was too tired to dry my hair after so I went to bed with it wet. When I woke up I looked like the picture below. Moral of the Story: Sometimes multi-tasking just leads to multi-problems and REALLY bad bedhead!

Salary

I've heard that if a mom got paid for all she did she would make a very nice salary. I would certainly not turn someone away if they offered me money for what I do but I think I already have a lot of awesome benefits at this job.


They include:

Little hands reaching for me when my boy is scared or hurt because he knows I can be trusted to stop the pain or help him through it.


The complete trust in those beautiful, clear, untouched by life, blue eyes.


Little hands curling around mine first when he was tiny and thought the world consisted of nothing more than being snugly held on my chest then as he started walking and now as he wants to show me something new he has discovered.


Watching him learn and discover so many new things and knowing I had a part in that.



Smiles!


The smell and feel of his soft head as he tucks in beneath my chin as he rocks to sleep.


The big smile when I come in to get him in the morning.


The funny things he thinks of to do (he is wearing two hats in this picture and often insists on this "look" though he usually wears clothes too.







What a big kick he gets out of being funny (this kid definitely belongs to me!)







The smiles from the ladies he grins at in public. One lady seemed quite touched and I think Jackson made her day, the little sweetheart.


Sometimes Jackson tries to get out the cart at the grocery store and get on the conveyer belt. I always tell him I can't buy him because there is not enough money in the world to get such a wonderful little boy.

One bad apple

You know that saying one bad apple spoils the bunch? Well for me yesterday it was one rude comment that ruined a number of positive comments. I went to my good friend Michelle's wedding luncheon yesterday (Congrats again Michelle!!!) and wanted to look extra cute so I bought a new shirt the day before. It was a silky kind of shirt and had a cute pattern of pink and brown circles. My darling husband said it looked good and I felt good when I wore it. I got a number of compliments on it during the luncheon and from my fail-safe fashion adviser, my mom, when I picked Jackson up after the luncheon. Yea for me, a great new shirt that I also got on sale for 1/2 price.

Then we walked outside to put Jackson in the car and a neighbor was outside. She glanced up from her lawnwork and blurted out "Are you pregnant?" I immediately thought of Dave Barry, a funny writer, who once said "You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment." Instead of saying what I wanted to say which was "Wow, you are rude!" I laughed it off. I have always had bad posture and after having Jackson added some padding to my stomach so I often worry I look pregnant. This however is the first time someone has been rude enough to point it out. I tried not to dwell on it but obviously have to some degree since I am now venting about it. I vowed then and there that when I do get pregnant again I will do my darndest for this woman to not find out until the baby is entering kindergarten. Sound like a good plan? I thought so.

What's in a name?

Jackson has recently started realizing "labels" that Momma belongs to me and Dadda to his daddy and that he too has a name. The funniest thing is that for awhile he would point to himself and say "dadda". Jesse would laugh and say No, I'm dadda! Jackson realized that he was being funny and has kept doing it. But just yesterday he pointed at himself and I said "Jackson" and he said Jax which is so cute because we've never really thought of him as a Jack but I've heard his name shortened to Jax and liked it. So maybe he will start calling himself Jax, we will have to see. Later that day he said something resembling Jackson. As long as he doesn't want me to call him Fabio I'm fine with whatever.

Ooh, ooh, me too!

Since everyone else is doing this I figured I would join the bandwagon. I've never ridden on a bandwagon but I hear they are fun because why else would everyone want to join them?

As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.Thanks!

Here is my memory of you. I remember when you left a comment on my blog and it made me laugh/cry/ponder/wonder. That was fun!

Visualize whirled peas

I saw the title of my blog on a t-shirt once and have ALWAYS wanted a chance to use it.

Before Jackson could say many words he would get my attention by shrieking, a not very fun noise to hear and one I didn't want him to keep doing forever both for my sake and for others in his earshot. So I taught him that if he wanted me to come with him somewhere he should say "Come". He got the idea pretty quickly but just as quickly I realized that didn't exactly teach him politeness. I can imagine others watching this 19-month-old march up to to his mom and with finger pointed determinedly at her say "Come!" would think this was a house run by a baby. Well it is but Mommy does have some input. He is getting better and better at words and pronouncing them. So today I told him if he wanted me to help him or come with him he should say "Please". I wasn't sure if he could say this word and he can't exactly but "peas" was close enough and oh so very cute.

In other news I have recently visualized partially digested peas because Jackson has continued to throw up after getting too worked up about falling down or being put for bed. I'm not sure what to do next but I am going to try a few different things and see if any of them work. One of them is to try afternoon naps or at least quiet time in the afternoon. He takes a nap from around 10-12 (of course today that turned into 12-?) and then is up until his bedtime at 7. I think this is getting to be too long to be awake so although he gave up afternoon naps a long time ago I am going to see if he will at least play quietly in his crib for a half hour or so. Of course his mom wouldn't mind a little quiet time in the afternoon herself so we will see what happens.

Dance baby dance!

As promised here is the video of Jackson dancing. He is very enthusiastic about this and never fails to make me laugh. Here he is dancing to his dad playing the harmonica but he will dance to pretty much anything I sing if I stomp my foot in rhythm as I sing.

Jackson, Jackson and more Jackson

Warning: This post contains a lot of bragging, proceed at your own risk.

I haven't blogged for awhile, both because I couldn't get into the site for a few days and because I've been busy. I've been thinking about a lot of stuff to say about Jackson so I've decided to just do one random blog with those things I remember.

A few weeks ago we started having bedtime battle royales with Jackson. He would get really upset the minute he realized I was carrying him into his bed. He got so upset in fact he threw up a couple of times. He has been a breath holder since he was little when he got hurt and lately has added the fun dimension of holding his breath until he passes out when he gets frustrated. Then to make it even more interesting he sometimes throws up from getting so worked up. Any other moms have this with their kids?

I called my pediatrician and she said some kids do this and to make more of a bedtime routine to calm him down before bed. We were already reading stories to him but we added soft music as we read and read for a longer period of time. Wow, what a difference! I should have known the music would help, from the time he was young it has calmed him. I called it "Shock and awe by the Mo'Tab" because when he got upset while we were driving I would play "How Firm a Foundation" really loud and he would calm down almost immediately. It is still one of his favorite songs and one I sing to him when he is upset. The reading also helped because Jackson, like his mom, LOVES books. So much so that now after reading he choses one to two of his books to take to bed with him. Some kids take a blanket or stuffed animal but my darling boy choses to take books to read. I bet he will be one of those kids who read books under the covers after he is supposed to be asleep. He loves to read anything from ads to his books to cook books.

He is a little sponge these days, picking up everything we do and say. One of my favorite is he copied me after I told him we were going to Costco. They should pay him to say it on their commercials, the way he says it is so cute and deliberate. Another cute thing he came up with came when I went to a wedding shower for a dear friend at my old job (Yea for Michelle!). I made the mistake of showing him the elevator and how you can push the buttons. The rest of the time we were there he kept saying "Butts?" because he wanted to go push them again. It was quite hilarious to hear his little voice saying Butts, butts, butts?.

He has even worked up to two word sentences. He says "Where's Dada?" with a litle question mark in his voice and on his face and lately said "Where's bottle?" when he couldn't find a water bottle he had seen earlier. Basically I am having a ball watching him learn new things all the time and so proud of my little one.

I got a video of him dancing to his dad playing harmonica but don't have the camera right now so I will try to post that later.

I want to talk about me, want to talk about I

I've been tagged by my friend Lisa to list 10 Intersting things about Me. I am actually curious to see how this turns out. Part of me thinks I am so boring I won't be able to find 10 things and the proud, toot my own horn, part of me thinks maybe I am fabulous and just don't know it yet.

1. I once had my head run over by a bike during the West Bountiful Fourth of July Parade. I'm still not sure how it happened, I got down to get some candy and the next thing I know a Huffy is parked on my head. I was fine, just very shocked and scared.

2. Both of my thumbs are double jointed.

3. I am addicted to Junior Mints. I love chocolate and mint and this little treat is the best combination ever. I've thought about looking into rehab programs to see if they have on specifically for Junior Mints but I'm afraid I will never be able to stop eating them.

4. When I was a kid I got called from the audience to be in a show at Sea World. That is the last time I have ever been brave enough to be in front of an audience. I was 6.

5. I once had a poem published in a national book but then the company ended up going bankrupt and instead of mailing me a copy of the book with my work in it I got a notice saying I could be part of a class action suit against the company.

6. I do medical transcription from home because one of my talents is very fast typing. I have been called Fingers of Fire and Flying Fingers Kari by various coworkers. Fortunately I have a much cooler nickname, Gidget Miguel, AND super powers bestowed by the great state of Idaho.

7. I have been friends with my group of friends for more than 22 years and we still meet monthly and have had only fight I can ever remember. I think it was in junior high.

8. I gave birth by emergency C-section to a gorgeous 4 lb 1 oz baby almost exactly 19 months ago and now he is a handsome, inquisitive, very bright toddler who gives meaning to my life each and every day.

9. I dated my husband for one month before getting engaged. We were then engaged for two months before getting married and got pregnant on our honeymmon and had our baby one month early which makes it fun to watch people try to do the math in their heads when I tell them our anniversary date and Jackson's b-day.

10. I am horrible at telling time. I wore a digital watch until I was 13 and would still wear one if they made fashionable ones for girls with tiny wrists.

I tag Emily who I know like me will think she is boring but I will start her out with the Phrase "French fries, french fries, french fries!" and hopefully she remembers where that came from. If not see Lisa's post.

The Facilitator

You know how in The Wedding Planner Jennifer Lopez is running around behind the scenes, feeding the best man his lines for the toast, repairing lost buttons, sobering up the father of the bride while the wedding party thinks everything is just going along smoothly all by itself? I have to come realize that moms are the Family Life Planners. When I was a kid I thought dinner was just there on the table and then the kitchen was clean again later. Somehow clothes I had dirtied were magically back in my drawers. I especially realize this on Sundays. I have to get ready, dressed, teeth brushed two hours before church because if I wait I will inevitably have to run out the door with hair not done, teeth unbrushed because of all the things that need to get done. Baby has to have his morning bottle, diaper change, outfit chosen for church, possible solid food for breakfast, which means possible outfit change, diaper bag packed for church, extra bottle made to take to church. Husband needs clothes, socks, scriptures found. Tithing also needs to be figured out every two weeks, and due to the odd assortment of jobs we currently hold that requires two different computer programs and a calculator to figure out.

Yesterday we went swimming which sounded fun until I realized all the packing, etc I would have to do to get everything for me, Jesse and Jackson so we could swim for an hour (Jackson ended up LOVING the water after initally HATING it). And of course once we got home, soggy wet towels and swimsuits were pulled out to be added to the wash for the week!

Don't get me wrong, I love being a wife and mother and sadly actually thrive on doing three things simultaneously. I would just like to recognize moms for yet another hidden talent. And I'd like to know who is going to play me in the movie version of "The Family Life Planner" because since J Lo just became a mom herself I think we will have to look elsewhere...

Hats!

As I've said before Jackson LOVES hats. The above pic makes me laugh so hard every time I see it. Jesse put a Swimmie on Jackson's head and he loved it so much he kept insisting we put it back on if it fell off. Then Jesse put one on his own head and I couldn't stop laughing.

Another of my latest favorite is his idea of a hat that involves a large plastic container. I've added video of him wearing it. I didn't capture it but he his favorite thing to do while has that is to smoosh his face to the side and do fishy faces or have mommy do it from the outside. Enjoy!

Little goodbyes

We are trying to teach Jackson to say "I love you." We have not yet been succesful but he has come up with something funny on his own. When Jesse and I say goodbye on the phone or in person we always say "Love you, bye" So when I asked Jackson "Can you say I Love you?" He blew me a kiss and said Bye bye! Not what I was going for but very, very cute.

He is very cute when he blows kisses goodbye. The other day I went to the store and left Jackson with Jesse. I said goodbye to Jackson and he looked at me and blew me kisses and then walked over to the door where I was standing and shut it in my face. Maybe that won't be so funny when he's a teenager and means it but boy did I laugh hard when he did it this time.

Fully equipped

There are certain things I just think every mom should automatically get when she has a child.

The first is an extra set of arms for every child. I have no clue how moms of multiples every get anything done. Next I think she should get an automatic camera in her eye so as soon as she sees an adorable photo op she can take it. Every time I see Jackson doing something and run for the camera he stops doing it. I have tried many, many times get video of him dancing but as I soon as I start he sits down and just looks at me.

I also think you get a removable bladder with a a few spare sets. Then you could simply remove the full one, put in a fresh one and wait a few minutes, hours or until your youngest moves out and you get a spare moment to empty the first one. I've heard a lot of teachers get urinary tract infections because they have no time to go potty. Well, I think Moms have them beat. Even if you do dash into the potty you have to go to the accompanying symphony of little hands beating at the door and a chorus of "mama, mama, mama! which doesn't exactly make for a relaxing break.

You should also be able to turn your hearing down or completely off to make for easier sleep training or just to keep from going deaf as your little discovers how "fun" it is to screech to get your attention or just for the hey of it.

Bye bye doggy

Our little family will soon not include one member. We are giving Toby the dog back to his previous owners. I tried my best to be a dog person, but I am just not. He will go back in about two weeks when his "parents" move here from Colorado. I have to say I think it will be better for everyone concerned though it has provided much entertainment for Jackson and because of Jackson. Jackson has heard us snap our fingers to get Toby's attention and because he can't do that he has adapted and instead clicks his little tongue and points urgently at the dog to get him to come. He has also heard me tell Toby numerous times to be Quiet! so now he when he first sees Toby in the morning he will point at him and sternly say "Kiet!"It is very funny.

Poor Toby has put up with a lot from his little friend. Jackson tries to get all sorts of things to stay on the dog; belts, hats, earphones. His latest favorite game is to pull the dog's leg as he tries to curl into a protective ball. I tried to get him to stop the other day and then looked away for a minute. When I looked back he was pulling on, well, um a part every male of any species is very protective of. To Toby's credit he just looked at me for help and didn't hurt Jackson at all. I quickly pulled Jackson away, apologized to Toby and scrubed Jackson's hands. Yeah, I don't think Toby will shed any tears over leaving our family.

Cheese head

Or I guess it would be cheese face, maybe Captain CheeseBeard, arrgh! Lately Jackson's face when I take his picture looks like he is trying to say "Mom! Stop with the pictures already!" I love taking pictures of Jackson getting messy with food. Someone told me recently that some moms might be frustrated with the mess he makes when he eats but because I watched him struggle to eat for so long every time I clean spaghetti off the walls or find more rice down his shirt I relish every moment and say a quick thank you prayer to everyone involved in getting this little boy so completely messy at mealtimes.

Family time

Last Thursday we went to Wingers and took Jackson for our first official family dinner. Jackson has been out with us before when we've had extended family get togethers but this is the first time we took him out just us and actually ordered food for him and everything. He sat on a little booster seat and loved eating the bits of food we gave him. I was sitting across the table from him and Jesse and couldn't stop staring him at him and saying "He is so big!" I actually felt a little sad and couldn't think why until I talked to a friend who agreed it has happened to her. It is like a chapter of their sweet little lives is closing and as exciting as the prospect of the next chapter is you think "Wait! Go back! I think I didn't enjoy this part as much as I should have!" He is a toddler, not a baby anymore and getting more independent every day. I believe his biggest pet peeve is his mom will NOT let him run into the street, no matter how much he wants to, mean mom. He is now over 17 pounds and is 31 inches tall. That is how my side of the family grows babies, long and lean. We worried earlier this year he may need growth hormones but I don't think so, he is in the 20th percentile for height and not on the chart at all for weight. But he is eating great and growing so I don't worry too much.

Friday we took Jackson bowling with us. We tried to get him to "help" roll the ball but he was more interested in running down the lane. He probably won't count this among his top ten favorite things so far but it was fun to do something else as a family. I think it will be more and more fun as he gets older to do things as a family and not just me and Jesse on dates. Though I love my date nights when I can get them!

Jackson LOVES nursery and I believe our plan for him to marry the girl down the street, Ella, is falling nicely into place. They often play together during nursery and on Sunday when Jesse peeked in on him they were both moving food in and out of the play stove and cupboards. I believe the conversation went something like this. Jackson: "Well, this is where we put the cupcakes at my house growing up so this is where they should go at our new house." Ella: "No, you are wrong and I am right and they go here." Jackson: "Yes dear."

Getting to know me...

I took this from my friend Lisa's blog who took it from my friend Allie's blog and who knows where it all started but hopefully others want to continue it. Just copy and paste and change the answers to you own.

1. What does your spouse call you?
Mexico, back when we were dating we were making fun of this kid who called himself "Y" because he thought that was cool so we decided Jesse would be X and I randomly chose Mexico for myself.

2. What do you bake/cook that you do better than anyone you know?
I made a killer chicken fajita pizza last night, yummy!, and just found a great recipe for 5 minute fudge.

3. What is the most important thing you do for yourself?
A nice hot shower and trying very hard to give myself as much sleep as possible at night.

4. What is your favorite thing to do with your kids?
I love bathtime with my little one. He loves to SPLASH big and gets water everywhere and tries to share his rubber ducky with me. He looks so fresh and clean and I love doing the service of giving him a bath, it makes me feel closer to him.

5. What was the last date you went on with your spouse?
We saw a matinee of "Prince Caspian" this week which was very good. It was fun to go to this second installment of Chronicles of Narnia together because we saw the first one together before we started officially dating and I was wondering the whole time if he would make a move. This time I just grinned at him, grabbed his hand and snuggled in.

6. What made you smile recently?
Jackson was trying very, very hard to get Jesse's belt to stay on the dog because he has seen us put the harness on him and figures this is the same thing. The dog kept moving and Jackson stayed right with him down the hall, trying to get that belt to stay on him.

7. Where would you most like to be right now?
Right where I am but with my hubby home instead of at a meeting.

8. What is your favorite job to do around the house?
Cleaning the bathroom except for the shower/bathtub. Our bathroom is so great looking now that it has been remodeled I like to keep it clean so I can look at it and feel good.

9. What is your least favorite job around the house?
Cleaning the shower/bathtub. I refuse to do it most of the time. It is just so messy and I can't figure out a good way to get it done.

10. What should you be doing right now, instead of answering my silly about you questions?
Getting things ready for church.

Pirate/Parrot Jackson

Jackson has become a little parrot lately. We will say a word once and he will repeat it right back. As he took a bath yesterday I said "Do you know you are soooo cute, can you say cute?" and he looked right at me and said "cute" like, well yeah I can say that I know everything now. Jesse pointed at the fan the other day (one of Jackson's all time favorite things) and said "fan" and Jackson repeated it right back. Words he didn't know just yesterday now he suddenly knows.

He is getting so big, well not physically he is only 17 pounds and about 28 inches tall, but he is 18 months old a week from today and officially will go to Nursery. Where has my baby gone? I watch friends who have kids going to kindergarten and losing their teeth and I just want to breathe in every second of my little boy's toddlerhood because it seems he was just a tiny baby the other day. I can only imagine what it will feel like when he goes off to kindergarten one day.

I also call him Pirate Jackson because yesterday we were in the kitchen by his high chair when he reached up and pulled an oreo out of somewhere in his high chair. Apparently he hid his treasure in some secret compartment so he could eat it later. It makes me wonder what other treasures may be hidden around the house and if they will start to smell rotten anytime soon...

Spoiled

I'm so spoiled as a mom to have Jackson as my little boy. He is so laid back and happy. He also entertains himself quite well. Sometimes I feel guilty because I'm doing the dishes or cleaning the kitchen and I've left Jackson alone in the living room. So I go in to check on him and he is happily "reading" a book, "writing "(we don't let him have the ink for the pen, just the body of it) or making car noises as he drives a car or whatever he has decided is a car at the time. He is a very smiley kid and loves to flirt with everyone from kids his age up to grandmas who are delighted by his grin. Yesterday in church he was flirting with some teenage girls behind us. He would smile at them, then bury his head in my shoulder like he was being shy then look back again. At one point I looked at him and realized he had added the doggy lapping his water tongue to the act. The girls were laughing quite a bit. I thought it was pretty hilarious too.

I have tried to keep him from the fireplace because I worry about him cutting his head open on it or falling off the base. Yesterday I was sitting on the couch when I looked over and realized Jackson was happily waving at me....from the fireplace. He was so cute about it, like "Hey, mom look where I am, I'm so BIG" that I couldn't be mad. Now everytime he climbs up on it he gives me a big wave and a smile. I will try to get a picture of that to post.

I'm also spoiled because he still takes a nap in the morning, sometimes up to 2-1/2 hours. I'm able to get in a shower, clean a bit and even post on my blog if I feel like it. I sometimes have to wake up him because he has slept so long and he needs to eat again. Even then he is so sweet. If I am woken up before I am ready I'm quite grumpy. Jackson is wide awake and alert and seems to think "Wow, thanks for waking me up! I could have missed something fun! Let's get going!"

Oh and it doesn't hurt that he is so gosh dang cute and quite brilliant. Not that I'm biased..

Yea!

Everytime Jackson sees people applauding he starts clapping too and says Yea! He thinks they are applauding with him or more likely for him because that is what his mom does all day. This often happens when we are watching TV. The other day we were watching the Today show when they did a shot of the crowds all waving at the camera. Jackson got very excited and started waving back at the people. It was so funny to watch. He provides a lot of cheap entertaiment around our house.

Which is a good thing with the price of EVERYTHING skyrocketing lately. My wedding set is getting a bit tight, for some reason my knuckles seem to have gotten bigger? or have swelled? I don't know but for the last month I haven't worn my rings as much because they get too tight. I called Morgan Jeweler's where we bought the set and she said it would be close to $100 to resize them! I guess I'll just have to see how long I can go before I do that or find another alternative. I do have a HUGE cubic zirconium I bought back when I was single....

We also had to replace Jesse's rear window because it got broken when we helped my little brother Shaun move. Doesn't it seem very unfair that we were helping someone and now we have to pay (literally) for it? What kind of karma is that? We do not have complete insurance on his truck so it is all up to us. Whee :(

So those are my complaints about money these days. Which is why it is great I have Jackson to brighten my day and remind me what is really important; darling, completely healthy, very bright little boys, yea!

Happy Mother's Day

A dear friend sent me this link and the slideshow made me cry so hard, tears were sliding down cheeks. I hope you all enjoy as much as I did.

http://www.tonyrobbins.com/Marketing/Mothersday/mothersDay.html#ec=135534

You reap what you sow

Today I was laying on the floor next to Jackson when I saw a boogie in his nose. That always bothers me so I pulled it out which he did NOT like. Then he looked over at me and grabbed my nostril as hard as he could and held on for dear life. Usually I would scream in pain and pull away but I was laughing too hard at the irony of it. I guess I got what I deserved

Who needs a water park?

Jackson LOVES Toby's water and is absolutely fascinated by Toby when he gets a drink. He crouches down right by him and watches with delight. Now he has started making it even more funny by looking up at me and showing me how Toby laps his water by showing me with his own little tongue. It is hilarious to watch this little tongue come poking out of his mouth as he "laps" his own pretend water. Now he knows I think it is funny so he has this sparkle in his eye as he does it and a great smile showing off his dimple.

Jackson LOVES water and is always getting into Toby's water bowl. The other day I was getting dressed in my room as he played in the living room. I came out to discover he had all but dumped the entire water bowl on the floor. I got a towel to clean it up as I was concentrating on that he sat himself down in one of the puddles of water and started playing. Part of me was upset because his pants were now completly soaked and the mess was even bigger. I started to tell him to STOP doing this! when I realized what that amounted to was telling him to stop being almost 18 months, it just isn't going to happen. So I decided to give him his own water fun. I filled a bowl with water, took off his pants and let him play on the front porch. He was delighted and spent a good 20 minutes stirring, whisking and dumping the water. He was soaked but so very happy. I was happy too as I watched him discover and play.

Today we went out for an early morning walk around 8. I love being out at that time if it is warm enough, the whole day seems fresh and new. Jackson was babbling the entire time, pointing his little finger at every little thing and telling me about them. When we got home I saw a snail and pointed it out to Jackson. We played around in the garage for awhile and then when we came out I pointed out the snail again. Jackson took one look at it and stomped as hard as he could on it! No doubt this little one is all boy. I started laughing and Jackson stomped it again for good measure. I felt bad because I was just going to let the snail crawl by but I think I have an idea of how life might be as Jackson gets older. I've often wondered how boys survived to adulthood hearing some of the stories they tell. I guess now I will find out firsthand.

The Zoo

This Saturday Jackson, Jesse and I went to the Hogle Zoo with Jesse's mom and his niece Haley. It was a fun time and great weather, pretty overcast but not too cold. I knew this was going to be an experience to remember when we started by first going to McDonald's for lunch, the one on 5th South and 2nd West in Salt Lake. A lot of you are thinking "You took two children to THAT McDonalds???!!!" Well, yes because Haley loves McDonald's and that was the one Jesse's mom knew near the zoo. We walked in and first thing we hear is this strange repetitive noise. I thought, what kind of music are they playing??? Then I realize it is a very unkempt man sitting at a table by the drink machines that is moaning and rocking. I wanted to run at this point but knew we had to forge through if we wanted to get some lunch and get going to the zoo. I took Haley and Jackson to the other side of the restaraunt to wait for the others to order. As we sat down I saw the only other person on that side was a man who kept staring a little too much at five-year-old Haley and I. So I moved back to Jesse's side and said I didn't know where to sit now. Luckily by the time we got our drinks (accompanied by the lovely sounds of psychotic moaning from the weird man) the other weird man had left. A sweet Haley let Jackson play with her Happy Meal toy and eat her fries and lunch was uneventful after that.

We went to buy tickets for the zoo and while waiting in line a woman walked up to me and asked if we had just gotten there. I said we had and she asked if we wanted the wagon she had rented. She was leaving for the day and didn't want to bother returning it. Of course we were very excited because we had forgotten Jackson's stroller and were going to have to pay like $8 to rent a wagon and instead we got one for free! It worked out perfectly as Jackson rode next to Haley. Haley is about to become a big sister, her mom is due this Saturday, and she will be a great one. She was very protective of Jackson and put her arm around him while they rode. Here is a cute picture I got of them as Jesse pulled them up a hill.

I don't know that Jackson really understood all of what was going on. We would hold him and point to an animal and he would look the other way but he had a good time anyway. He did like looking at the little monkeys, probably because they remind him of himself and how active he is! I think his favorite things were going upstairs to look at the giraffes (because he loves stairs) and drinking from his sippy cup shaped like a penguin that Grandma Inez bought him. My favorite part was at the end when Grandma was buying presents for Jackson and Haley. I handed Jackson a stuffed turtle to see if he would like it and he immediately clutched it to his chest and snuggled it. So cute!

All in all a good day at the zoo and I'm glad Jesse got to be there for Jackson's first time at the zoo. Jackson is growing up so fast and I'm so happy that Jesse and I get to do some of these neat things with him before it is too late.

A boy and his dog

Our family has recently added another member with the addition of Toby the dog , a Shiba Inu or miniature Akita, we adopted from Jesse's brother. He is a great dog for someone like me who used to be scared of dogs and absolutely wonderful with Jackson. He was trained from being with his former owner's five-year-old not to bite or anything if he gets his tail pulled. Jackson likes to poke Toby in the nose and thinks he is generally very fascinating. He also likes to look out the window and point things out to the dog. Toby often gives me looks like "Can you help me out here? What is this kid doing?" But after seeing his former owner (cousin Haley who is five) come over yesterday and try to "ride" Toby I think Toby actually might have a bit more rest here. At least until Jackson figures out how to ride him.

Funny boy

Here are some recent Jackson saying, doings and pictures that made me laugh. I haven't posted for awhile, mostly because I've been waking up at 4am to do my transcription. In some ways it is good, I get it out of the way before the day starts, there are no distractions and I can enjoy some down time with Jesse after we put Jackson down. The negative is that I am exhausted by 9pm and sometimes by 10 am so blogging is put waaaay back behind a nice hot shower and a nap when Jackson goes to down for his morning nap.

Anywho, onto the stuff people come to this blog for, Jackson!

Jackson is a little parrot and learns new words at the drop of a hat. Which leads to my first story. I was in his nursery (taking a little rest in the rocker due to the above mentioned 4am wakings) and I kept hearing him say "hot" out in the living room. We taught him not to touch the stove, etc because it was hot but I knew nothing was hot right now. I went out and saw him carrying around the HAT he got from his Grandma Inez. He was saying "hat" which we never taught him, he just heard us saying it and picked it up on his own. I put the hat on him and he quickly went to the mirror and admired himself for a bit before proudly walking around for a good five minutes with it on.

Now he thinks EVERYTHING is a hat. The funniest one and the one I keep trying to get a picture of is a big blue salad bowl that envelops his whole head.

I went through a construction zone the other day and was quite unhappy with the flagger and how they were regulating traffic. At one point I said "What the crap?!" and from the backseat I hear a little voice say "Whaaa da cwappp?" Ooops. Guess I'd better be VERY careful what I say from now on.

Another funny Jackson story. The other day he took Jesse by the hand and led him to his nursery. Jackson then picked up his teddy bear, yelled a bunch of nonsense at him and threw him down the hall, closing the door after him. He proceeded to do this to the rest of his animals and even a couple of pants that were on his floor. Apparently he had to evict them all from his room for some bad behavior, probably partying too much.

Jackson loves to read, everything from board books to "As a Man thinketh" and he also likes to be contained, sitting in boxes, pans, etc. Here is one of my recent favorites of him doing both.

I went to check on Jackson the other day after he went down for a nap and I found this funny sight. I had to risk waking him and taking this one. He has taken to sleeping on his tummy with his bum in the air but this was toooooo funny. If you can't tell he is on top of his stuffed kitty cat, the poor thing is often loved one second and thrown to the floor or sat on the next. I hope there is a special place in heaven for stuffed animals.

Fun times for everyone

I cannot seem to get this rotated!

No, I haven't suddenly adopted a six month old boy, but if I did I would hope he would be this handsome! Jackson and I got to have our first playdate and it was a smashing success even if Jackson's playmate slept most of the time we were there. I took Jackson up to Logan to visit my friend Lisa and her darling boy Sawyer. The mommies had a great time talking, eating and laughing (especially when Jackson did his patented I'm pooping face). Jackson loved seeing the new kitties and playing with Sawyer by almost stepping on him and pointing in his general direction. Sawyer expressed his pleasure at this meeting by spitting up and looking in wonderment at Jackson when he ate like he thought maybe he was ready for a cookie too.

Lisa is the same friend that provided our group with an opportunity for a real grown up party last weekend. It was so fun to talk with adults again and remember how to interact with them. We had a blast eating fondue (cheese and then later chocolate) and I got the chance to meet some new friends.

Messy or clean he sure is cute!

Here are some recent pictures of Jackson that made me laugh. The first one is after Easter fun at my in-law's house. He just ate a chocolate bunny though most of it ended up on his shirt and hands.

This darling picture is taken on Easter. We bought this outfit for him before he was even born. I tried to take a picture of him standing up but all I got was a picture of tiny bit of him as he ran away from me.

The next one is after I let him fingerpaint with pudding. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!

Hidden moments

I love it when I catch something happening that just makes me happy. As a mother I love to see other mothers who obviously love their children. They have no idea anyone is watching but you can just see the love in their eyes as they kiss their child over and over or snuggle them or hear it in their voice as they talk to the child. I am blessed to have a group of friends who are great examples to me of this. In a world where you hear about people hurting these precious gifts from our Heavenly Father it is so wonderful to see mothers loving their children sooooo much.

As mother a lot of these hidden moments are watching my own little one. He is very into copying right now and it so fun to show him how to stir something and that later on peek around the corner and see him sitting on the kitchen floor intently stirring the microwave popcorn pouch around in his little bowl. He also loves babies so I gave him my old Parents magazine and I've often caught him turning the pages, looking for babies and pointing them out to himself. He looks like he is at the doctor's just passing time in the waiting room by reading a magazine.

It is also fun to catch him in somewhat naughty moments like yesterday when an inquisitive boy and a unthinking mom got together. I gave him a box of Quik because it was old and we weren't going to use it anymore. I thought, this will be okay because the top is on. Duh. So 15 minutes later I think why is it so quiet? and look into the kitchen to see this.



It was sooo funny and his reaction was even better, like What? To his credit he "helped" me sweep up after because he loves the broom. Life is so entertaining with a toddler, I love it!

Gentle Soul that he is

People have often commented on Jackson's sweet personality and asked if he is always good. Well, mostly. I have been blessed with a very good kid. The most naughty thing he does is pull out plugs and that is actually quite funny because from the beginning we have said "no, no!" when he tried to do that and after awhile he started calling plugs no no's, like that is their official titles. He will point to a plug, say no no! and then proceed to pull it out. I have a feeling his strong little personality will come into play as he gets closer to two but right now he justs uses his stubborness to insist you follow him into his bedroom and open a drawer.

He is quite the gentle soul and I actually worry he will get eaten alive by other kids his age. He has not had much experience with other kids. He has been around a few cousins and in those instances he basically looks at the other toddler and moves on. My nephew who is two months older than Jackson smacked Jackson on the top of the head on Saturday, as an 18-month-old boy has been known to do. Jackson just looked at him like "Huh? what was that for?" and moved on.

Since Jackson turns 18 months in 2-1/2 months we have been taking him to nursery for trial runs sometimes. I went in with him for the first time yesterday and have decided perhaps it is okay if he never goes in there again. He is soooo little physically compared to the kids in there that I worry he will be run down. One of the kids pushed him because he wanted to go by where Jackson was and it was all I could do not to smack the kid onto the floor. I know they are just kids and do what kids do but I'm afraid I hovered quite closely over Jackson the rest of the time. I also worry because there are only 3 nursery leaders and I noticed some of the quieter kids just sitting in the corner by themselves. I have been a Nursery leader before and took effort to get these kids involved or at least acknowledge them but I didn't see that happening. So I also worry that Jackson will be ignored the whole time. This is scary for me I guess because it will be the first time my little boy will be in the care of people I haven't specifically chosen to care for him.

Well, now that I think about that we have had that situation before. When Jackson was born he was in the NICU for 2-1/2 weeks. We defintely had some good nurses and some not so good. It was scary to be in the NICU and watch helplessly as one of them would slam Jackson's isolette doors too loud and scare him or make little decisions we didn't like. We often wanted to just grab the little guy and run for him. I guess we all survived that so we will all survive nursery. Maybe Jackson will get bigger and be okay by the time he gets to be 18 months and goes to nursery full time. Maybe I will just hide in one of the nursery closets and pop out suddenly if he seem him being mistreated ala Rotus Brossum!

Laughing, giggling, discovering

Jackson started "dancing" about a month ago and it is so cute to watch. It mostly consists of what has often been lovingly referred to as "Jazz Hands" and some upper body rocking. He has now added spinning to his repertoire and it is hilarious. Even more funny is that he will now do it on command though I feel bad when after he does this for me because I worry he will get sick from so much spinning. I love this stage of his life as he discovers EVERYTHING and his delighted reaction to so much of it, even the bad. Yesterday a bee flew out a cupboard I opened and I of course screamed. After I settled down I got a thick book to swat the bee and went after it. Every time Jackson heard the Thump! of me trying to hit the bee and missing he would giggle in pure joy. You would think I was doing a stand-up act and not furiously swatting at a nasty insect. It also has to be said that his giggle is the absolute best thing in the world. Even strangers that hear him laugh are delighted by the sound.

Today I was folding up a towel when Jackson bumped into me and found that the feel of the towel on his head was quite fun. He then had a grand time as I brushed the towel over his head almost like a bullfighter as he would run into and then under the towel. Then I found his baby towel and put it on his head, figuring it would be quickly pulled off. Instead he kept it on and I got some darling pictures. He is starting to perform for the camera which is soooo funny. Looking for that picture I also remembered a funny one I took yesterday. Jackson is enthralled with the broom and sweeping. I found this little fireplace broom and he carried it around for an hour.

Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin

After years of hating the hair on my chin I decided the first part of this year to get laser hair removal so I could be done with it for good. The laser (well, I guess it is radio waves actually) is not too bad, it feels like a hot poke for a split second and I get to use a fan as the process happens. The pain I am feeling is from my appearance as this goes on. The entire thing takes 6-7 visits, each about five weeks apart. Because the laser/radio works on the hair follicle itself, they told me I can't pluck or wax my chin hair at all. After my first visit I thought, oh well that won't be too bad. Little did I realize how hairy I can really get when I don't do the usual plucking and/or waxing. I look like I am trying to grow a really bad goatee or something. I want to explain to everyone I talk to from my son's pediatrician to the cashier at the store that I don't usually look this way and I will look much better when I am done. It is a good thing I am married because there is NO way I would show up for a date looking like this.

They did say I could shave, which I have never tried before. Anyone have experience with this? I guess because shaving leaves the root I can do this. I am thinking pretty strongly about doing this because the hairs are driving me crazy!! They have gotten a lot darker and stronger since I got pregnant with my little guy back in 2006. While I was pregnant they were so strong I couldn't get them and had to have my sweet husband pluck them for me. I'm sure that is what every man dreams about happening when he gets married.

Best Friends Forever

Last Friday I saw two girls that looked to be about 14 walking along Main Street carrying bags of pretzels and candy. It reminded me of when I was that age and my friends and I would buy chips and salsa and gummie worms and gather at someone's house to watch videos. This may not sound particularly exciting but with this group of friends a good time was always had. It made me think of how grateful I am that a shy, slightly nerdy girl like me found such a good group of friends so early in life and Miracle of Miracles! still has this group of friends today. I have been friends with some of these girls since 2nd grade. I know I would not have survived and even enjoyed high school like I did without them. I didn't date at all in high school and never went to a school dance but I don't regret that for a second because Prom Night would find a little group of girls bowling and dancing and laughing themselves silly. We have been nicknamed the Short Girl Posse and for good reason, in high school I was one of the tallest at 5 foot 1 inch. Now I am the shortest but this group of gals would never be called upon to play WNBA (for oh sooo many reasons).

I want to use this post to thank those wonderful women who befriended me so many years ago. I am soooo glad we still meet together almost every month for "Circle Time" and share our joys, our sorrows, our hilarious (at least to us) times and I'm also glad we all chose good men for husbands who are willing to vacate the house while we laugh or tolerate the noise while they make themselves scarce at the house. I love you girls! And when the times get tough, just remember "Bend your Knees"!!

Mensa here he comes!

I said in an earlier post that Jackson likes to read lately but this has proven to be an understatement. We went to the library a few weeks ago and got some board books and now several times a day he will find one of these, come up to me urgently pointing at the book and that is my cue. I pull him onto my lap and he snuggles in as we read. I love that he loves reading so much and love the closeness we have as we snuggle. I think it is important he relate reading to being held, feeling loved and close to his mom. It is amazing to me that he just started doing this on his own. We have read him a book at bedtime since he was probably six months old and I am so glad we started doing that. His favorite book is "I love my Daddy because...." and he is beginning to anticpate what page is coming up and makes certain noises when he sees certain pictures.

Another thing that amazes me is how he anticipates what will happen next. After I change him and put him down to run around he runs over the Diaper Genie and looks at me to come over because he knows that is where I go next. Now when I say "Should we change you?" He goes over to the basket with the diaper supplies and pulls one out. I can't say downstairs unless that is where we are doing because as soon as I say the word, he is toddling over to the gate excited to go. Now that the weather is getting warmer I have the same problem with Outside. I have to spell the word to Jesse unless I'm ready to go on a walk or something with Jackson.

Not that I am biased but I think this kid is a certified genius.

Jackson needs a haircut right now, so he kinda looks like one too.....

From blah to blessings

You ever have one of those blah days and not know why? I am just feeling a bit off today. So I decided as I wait for my little one to fall asleep I would make a cup of hot chocolate and use this blog to count my many blessings. I realized yesterday that life is often about focusing on the negatives and what we don't have and are jealous other people have. And of course the same people we are jealous of are jealous of us for other reasons we don't even realize. So in no particular order here are some things I am grateful for in my life.

• Wrapping your hands around a mug of hot chocolate and the immediate warmth it brings to your whole body.
• The kindness of some stranger who left this cute Christmas mug on our doorstep Christmas eve along with some yummy Peppermint hot chocolate and a darling popup Christmas book for Jackson. We still don't know who did it.
• A little boy who now loves to eat everything from refried beans to waffles and actually seeks out his bottle when his Mom isn't quick enough for him. This from a little boy who used to refuse food at all, would gag on even grated cheese (which is now his favorite food to eat and also to fling around also) and would scrunch his tummy like a little inchworm because of the pain of being tube-fed while he slept.
• The WONDER drug Neurontin and the the many anwers to prayers that led us to one of the few doctors in the nation prescribing said medication.
• A 14-monoth-old who still takes morning naps, which it sounds as if he is now taking so I will finish this blog after...
• A HOT shower in ...
• My BEAUTIFUL new bathroom that...
• MY Wonderful Husband remodeled completely by himself, everything from tiling to painting to plumbing.