Happy 80th Grandpa

Last Saturday we all met to celebrate Grandpa's 80th birthday. We surprised him at Longhorn. I'd say it was a success! We all chowed down on delicious steak and Gigi's cupcakes. Jackson even enjoyed his first taste of chocolate icing :)

Story behind the overalls: I'm told that it's tradition in my Grandpa's family to buy the little boy's their first pair of "Liberty" overalls for their 1st Birthday. My Grandpa picked Jackson up a pair a few months early. He found and purchased these all on his own. I believe it made his day seeing his little buddy dressed like him. I must say I have a cute little farm boy :)

"Grandpa...my ducks need some food too!"

Happy Birthday Grandpa! Wishing you many, many more :)

4th of July

A perk of the new house is room for family gatherings. We put the newly stained deck to use on the 4th. We invited both sides of the family over for an afternoon of fun (aka: food). We grilled chicken, burgers, hot dogs and corn. YUM! I really didn't take many pictures but here are a few from the day:

 Redneck Swimming

 Jackson's Aunts & MeMe

 Papa Jack & Grans

Back to that Redneck swimming. Jackson LOVED having his baby bathtub out on the deck. Poor thing doesn't even have a mini swimming pool yet. I get an "F" for summer toys and fun. Oh well...maybe all our nagging/begging/pleading will result in a real in-ground pool out in the yard one day. Hope everyone had a Happy 4th. Does it count that I'm wishing that a month late?!?!

Happy 9 Months Jackson

Jackson is 9 Months. Once again... I cannot believe it! He's doing so much these days. Jackson crawls/scoots every where. He rocks on his knees now and tries to pull up. He's toppled over a few times pulling up and I think it's made him a bit nervous. Jackson started eating puffs and cheerios this past month. He loves snacking. Must be a lot like his daddy! Jackson still says "bye bye" and "da da". I think he is working on "Ma Ma" but it's not as consistent as his other sounds. Jackson went to the doctor for his 9 month appointment and during the check-up Dr. Stacey determined that he has another ear infection. Seriously??? Oh well... one more ear infection and off to the ENT we go.

Jackson's Stats

22lbs 10oz

30 inches 

Jackson is still wearing 9-12 & 12-18 month size clothing. It all depends on the brand. His new favorite toy is his Little People barn. He loves the animals. He also started enjoying his poppin elephant toy that Santa brought him last Christmas. Jackson still loves bath time, hide and seek, clapping, swaying and dancing. He's such a special little man :)

and because you all need a few bloopers...

Bye MOM

Happy 8 Months Jackson

So much has happened from month 7 to month 8. Jackson can crawl! He hasn't figured out how to get his knees up in the air but he's a professional army crawler. He can move all over the place. Of course he crawls towards the fireplace and Charlie's dog food. It's a race to see if Brent or I can beat him to the hazardous areas. We must start baby proofing soon. Jackson also got his first two teeth. They are both on the bottom. He hasn't been too fussy with the teething. I can't wait until the little teeth are in completely so his smile will reflect his pearly whites. Jackson also began sitting up so straight on his own. One day we sat him down and he didn't wobble. It was amazing :) Jackson also had his first full month at his new school. He seems to love it. His teachers are nice and he's happy when I pick him up. I'm thankful that his transition went so smoothly. Jackson also had his 2nd ear infection this past month. Little dude just loves getting ear boogies up his right ear. Jackson enjoys laughing and babbling. The only words he says that sound like something are "da da" "by by" and "ba ba" which I translate as "daddy" "bye bye" and "bottle". Jackson wears 9-12; 12 month or 12-18 size clothes. It all depends on the brand. We are still in size 4 diapers. I do not have an official update on his height and weight but he's definitely growing! To say Jackson is the center of our lives is an understatement. We love this little man so much!

Didn't post

I'm not sure why this draft never posted. Maybe I meant to write it and forgot? who knows. I took these 3 pictures a while ago one Sunday morning before we got ready for church. These two boys are my world. I remember that the light was shining nicely through our big living room windows. I really want to learn more about lighting. 

Goodnight to all!

Beach Trip

Last week we snuck away for a few days and went to Destin with the Rutledge family. I think Jessica and I had a completely different image in our head when we planned the trip. We envisioned "relaxation". The trip was work...but worth it! Do you know how much extra stuff is needed to take a baby to the beach? A Tahoe full to be exact. We went down early Thursday morning and intended to stay until Sunday. Mother nature had other plans and brought a monsoon to us on Saturday. The Thomas family decided to head on back to Alabama. We had a great time though. Two good seafood meals out and a day and a half of reading on the beach. Reading and wrestling a 7 month old...

Jackson & Mommy

 Best Friends :)

 My Boys

 First time to touch the ocean

 doing what he did best

Family Photo

Beach Bum

Jackson wasn't crazy about the ocean. I believe the big waves (both days were red flag warnings) scared him. He enjoyed sitting under the tent and sleeping. We tried to make him sleep the entire time. He probably thought we were crazy. Jackson did enjoy the pool though. He likes splashing. I was relieved to see that he wasn't scared. My sweet little swimmy fish...

Jackson also enjoyed going out to eat. The first night we went at a normal time (7) and weren't seated until 9:30. Talk about a fun time with the babes... Grady took a massive #2 while Jackson continued to squirm. Lesson learned...with infants you go to dinner when the senior citizen discount is still available.

Night two we wised up and headed to The Back Porch at 5. We were seated within 15 minutes (lovely). Jackson continued to squirm and G-man continued to poo. Guess it's a 24/7 adventure with these two precious boys :) 

 "Dad, give me crab dip!!"

Jackson had his eyes on everything but the camera

Granna (Jess's mom) bought the boys matching suits. Could they be any sweeter?

Thanks go out to these 3 for having us along for their trip. We love you guys!

What Jackson's Been Up To...

Taking pictures before family dinner

 Hanging out outside restaurants

 enjoying girl time

 wearing awesome hats

taking awkward self portrait family photos

 

hanging out with dad before bed

 watching the Braves lose, lose, lose

stay tuned for more about the Thomas Family (Who am I kidding? More about Jackson)

Happy 7 Months Jackson

Jackson is 7 months old today. To say he keeps us entertained is an understatement. Jackson has learned to clap and make a "clicking" noise with his mouth this past month. He still loves to squeal and kick his heels against the ground. I keep hoping he doesn't bruise his poor feet. Jackson consistently sleeps all night long now. The only thing that wakes him is if he needs his paci and can't find it in his crib. He keeps two pacis in the crib with him. It's funny to see which one he wakes up with. Jackson doesn't cry for a paci though; he just takes it if you give it to him. Jackson also learned how to make a new funny face this month. He scrunches his nose up just like my sister Emily did when she was little.

Jackson isn't crawling yet but I think he's close. He's still content to roll all over the place. You can lay him down on one side of the living room and within 1 minute he's on the other side. He just rolls and rolls and rolls. Jackson got his first sunburn this past month. I thought I had him in the shade but he managed to burn his chunky legs. Daddy wasn't happy with me! Jackson continues to be a great baby. I know we will pay for this in the future.

We love you Jackson!