14 Months!

Dear Jackson,

You are 14 months old today!  I totally skipped the 13 month review, so I figured we'd get caught up every other month now.  You really have changed a lot in the past two months.  You're language skills have been really getting better. I can tell you are trying to repeat words, which is great, but Daddy and I are really having to watch what we say!  Don't want you repeating those special words you hear in the car at church.  ha!

In the 13th month, you have been able to:

• walk backwards
• know where your belly, ear, hands, feet, toes, are - still working on nose
• gives kisses and hugs on command
• beginning to follow direction:  shut door, come to mama, put stuff back
• dancing when music is on
• put your hands together when we say the blessing
• sign "more please"
• know what a monkey, dog, and cow say. 

Words you can say:

• bye, hi
• ta ta "thank you"
• apple, dog, diaper, nana (banana)
• mama, daddy, pops, mimi (meme)
• yummy nummy (usually screaming).

This past week, you moved to a different room at daycare, and I'm excited about what you will be learning.  They have already have  lessons planned for you, so I'm a little stressed about it.  Believe it or not, we are already praying and planning for your education.  It's very important that you learn how to use the talents and abilities that God has given you!

You love to get into the cabinets, and you are definitely pushing the boundaries.  There are a couple of of ones that we have locked up, but we're leaving one open for you and making you learn what "no" means with the others.  When you do happen to get a hold of something that you know you're not supposed to have, you either run to the back door or under the kitchen table.  And the fits - oh you are so dramatic already.  We're slowly learning to ignore them, but you have also had a few spankings already for not listening and obeying Mommy.

I also have to document that you are finally bottle free.  Around your birthday, we dropped the morning bottle, but I wanted to make sure you were getting enough milk for a few more months.  A couple of weeks ago, I felt like it was time to be done with it.  And we went cold turkey and haven't looked back.  I still worry about you not getting enough milk, but I know you're growing.  I've noticed your shorts looking shorter, and your size 4 diapers starting to get a little snug.

Here you are on your first day in your new class on August 20, 2012. 

My how time flies.  This was your first day of "school" last year on August 27,2011. 

I love that smiley face even more now.  Jackson, you are definitely keeping us on our toes right now, but we really can't imagine what we did without you.  Your smile, laugh, and smarts continue to impress us every day.  God reminds us that every good and perfect thing is from above, so we give Him thanks every day for you.  

Wells Bayou

There's just nothing like going home.  I grew up in Southeast Arkansas, and it is one of the most beautiful places on earth, but not everybody agrees.  My dad grew up out from Dumas, and my grandmother still lives in the same house.  I believe the house was built in the mid 1920's, and it's the same homestead that my grandfather grew up on.  I kept thinking how cool it was to have had five generations inside this one house.  Jackson was there at Christmas, but as you can see, he's a lot more interested in his surroundings now.  

On Friday, the daycare was closed for a teacher work day, so he and I went south to spend the weekend with my grandmother.  I had set up a play date with Jackson and his second cousins, Cade and Jordyn, and their mother Molly.  Aunt Snooks, Katie, Beth Ann, and their boyfriends also came, so it was lots of people to play with!  

On Friday night, Jackson and I went outside to explore while Ma finished up dinner.  (I would have been helping, but J was into EVERYTHING).  He wasn't very much interested in running in the grass, so he just stayed on the concrete. The original patio has a date of August 15, 1972 and has Edgar, Mary, Ronnie, Sluggo, Darnell, and Martha Norris's name on it.  It was expanded in the 80s, and then all of the grandkids added their own concrete blocks around 2000.  

Standing next to Mommy's handprints. 

While we were outside, we got to see a crop duster, a tractor, and a combine.  Big toys for this little city boy, but I think he loved it.  They didn't seem to scare him at all. 

Here's the house that built my Pa and my daddy.  There's just something special about this place. 

Here are the grain bins.  

After a  yummy dinner (that Jackson scarfed down), it was bath time.  

And then it was story time.  I love seeing my grandmother and my son together.  

Saturday morning, it was supposed to rain, and I had wanted to dress him up and take his picture outside.  This old gas pump is the perfect prop, but my little subject here wasn't too excited about being in the wet grass.  You can also see his little middle part here, which is what his great-grandpa and great-great grandpa both had!  

When the cousins arrived, they had to spend some time checking each other out.  Cade is 3 (almost 4), and Jordyn is 2 1\2.  They all played really great together, and Jackson thought he was as big as they were.  (Don't you love the carpet)! 

Eating one of Ma's rolls - he knows the good stuff! 

The kids table!  

Then we had to hang out at the "adult" table with Katie. 

Doesn't the living room look like a daycare?  There was some serious playing going on. 

We left Daddy at home, and I was exhausted after spending all weekend being the disciplinarian.  He wanted to touch EVERYTHING, even after I had told him not to.  He figured out how to turn the TV off on and on, and he is showing me how he's "not touching it".  ha! 

Cheese! 

We waited too late to try and do a photo shoot, so this was the best we could do.  Everybody was tired by this point.  

Here's Ma and all of her great grandkids.  She loved having us all there. 

On Sunday, Jackson and I went to church at Smyrna Missionary Baptist Church, which has has a rich heritage all of its own.  Jackson didn't want to play quietly in the pew (ha), so we went outside before song service.  

I really wanted to get his picture in the pew, which are actually old movie theater seats.  They've been here for years, and are very cool.  But he wanted no part in that.  During the singing, I was thinking about going there when I was a child and sitting on Pa's knee and chewing gum.  He always sat in this chair.  I know he would have been so proud of Jackson and they would have been big buddies.  We miss him lots, but we WILL see him again one day.  Thank God for His promises!  

It was a great weekend to spend with family, and I hope we can do it again soon.  Now it's back to the regular work week grind, but we are looking forward to Labor Day Weekend! 

First Haircut

Jackson's hair has really grown over the last few months, and and while those little curls in the back were cute, it was starting to look like a rat tail.  For his pictures that we took last week, I will admit that I put hairspray on the curls to make sure they would make it in the heat.  Brent had a hair cut on Thursday, so I brought Jackson by afterwards so Michelle could give him a trim as well.  (We love A Savvy You Salon and Michelle - she cuts both mine and Brent's hair).  

Since all he needed was getting "lined up at the back," Brent held him while she did a quick trim.  He didn't even know what was going on.  

He was also wearing his hat that day and kept trying to put it on, which makes getting a haircut a little difficult.  

I thought I would be sad to see the curls go, but I love seeing that little boy head and neck even more.  Plus, there's still a little bit of curl left for me to hair spray later.  

Long Hot Days of Summer

The weather has been so hot and dry this summer.  My poor garden is burnt to a crisp, and all we've done is stay inside.  Of course, that means the little man doesn't have to wear many clothes.  One weekend, he stayed in his diaper the whole time.  ha!  

Because we've stayed inside so much, he's played a lot with his toys and read a lot of books.  I love that he will look at them - in fact one of his favorite things to do is to pull them all out and spread them around.  

Here he is pointing to something.  His understanding of things has really progressed in the last couple of months.  It's really quite amazing to me. 

On Sunday, my work held a Family Open House to show off the new facility to our families.  I had to be there early to set up, and Jackson really enjoyed all of the new space to play.  He even got to hang out at Mommy's desk. 

How can I help you, sir? 

If I said this was a fun summer, I'd be lying.  It's been very challenging and difficult, but praise the Lord we are making it one day at a time.  My ankle is about 75% healed, and I'm doing physical therapy three times a week.  It's amazing how fast I've regained my mobility and flexibility.  I still limp some, but that's usually in the morning and at night when I tired or sore.  10 weeks later, I am very glad that I had this done and can already tell a big difference.