Taking sister to the beach...

Two nights ago, a dear friend gave me a couple of Halloween costumes and a pink snowsuit for Clara.  They were sitting in a shopping bag in my closet.  This morning, as I was gathering laundry, Jackson found them.  He of course thought they were for him.  I sweetly explained they were for baby sister and that he was too big to wear them.  One of the costumes is a cute little sunflower.  You know the kind where the flower portion is on the hood and the body zips up making a little sack.  Jackson wanted so badly to wear it.  I tried repeatedly to explain why he couldn't.  To satisfy him I put the hood on his head and let him look in the mirror.  Next, he managed to wrangle his arms in with the rest of the costume dangling behind him like a cape.  He kept saying, "zip me up, mom." Finally, I put his legs in and proved to him that the rest of the suit would not reach his head because it was simply too small.  He didn't like having his legs zipped in the sack and accepted his fate.  He was not going to wear the sunflower.  To demonstrate how it was supposed to fit, I retrieved a teddy bear from Clara's room and dressed him in the costume.  Jackson thought it was so cute!  He picked it up and carried it around, calling it "Clara."  It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud.

A few minutes later I found him in his room dressing the bear in one of his old swim trunks.  When I asked what he was doing, he replied "I'm taking Clara to the beach."  After carefully dressing "Clara" he then proceeded to put on his own swimsuit.  After both were dressed he gathered up his bucket, shovel and ball and proceeded downstairs to "the beach."  I was very curious to see where this beach was located.  I soon found out he thought it was in the garage.  I told him he couldn't play in the garage but he was welcome to go outside in the backyard.  Since its sunny outside, I implored him to wear his hat and sunscreen.  With those chores out of the way he headed for the back door- this time without Clara.  He soon realized his mistake.  He ran back, grabbed Clara the bear by the neck, tucked her under his arm and said "I'm so sorry, Clara.  I missed you so much!"

I am anxious for Jackson to meet Clara.  He is as well.  Yesterday, he asked me to take her out of my tummy so he could see her.  He will be a great big brother!  I hope he's not too disappointed when she can't play with him right away.  Soon enough they will be creating and playing out all kind of imaginative adventures together.  I can't wait!

Pregnancy Round 2

Last Friday (the 23rd), I reached my 26th week of pregnancy. Everything is going well so far. Luckily, no signs or symptoms of PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension) or preeclampsia which I suffered from during my pregnancy with Jackson. I started bed rest with him at 30 weeks. However, there were concerns it was headed in that direction long before we got there. We are hoping things keep going well and I can reach 40 without any complications or bed rest. I can't even imagine being on bed rest...how in the world would I keep up with Jackson?

Just shy of 27 weeks

We had our anatomy sonogram at 20 weeks and baby Clara looks awesome. She is growing and developing right on schedule. The doctor said she looks perfectly healthy! We are so thankful! For most of the sonogram she sat quietly with her legs crossed (she must have been napping as still is typically not her MO). Good thing they told us at 16 weeks baby was a girl! Below are a couple of the sonogram pictures.

3D picture of baby girl's face...almost looks like she is smiling!

Baby girl with her little legs crossed....right side is 3D

This pregnancy has been entirely different than my first. Other than the bed rest, my pregnancy with Jackson was symptom free for the most part. I didn't get sick and felt great most of the time. Not so fortunate this time around. I was sick with nausea, vomiting and terrible headaches until several weeks into the second trimester. I still occasionally get sick, but for the most part I'm feeling good now. My sleep patterns have also been different. I slept like a baby the entire nine months with Jackson. I am finding it very difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep during this pregnancy. On a positive note, Clara is much more active than Jackson was. We may have a little gymnast on our hands! I love all the movement, it is by far my favorite part of pregnancy.

Pregnancy is hard. That's why women do it (he he j/k).  Regardless of all the aches and pains, the end result is so worth it! I can't wait to hold our baby girl and watch her grow.

giving sister some love

Splash Park

A couple of weeks ago some friends introduced Jackson and I to a new splash park.  We've been twice now and love it!  Stapleton has so many parks we typically don't need to leave the neighborhood but this park is worth the drive.  Its in Aurora about 20 minutes from here.

There are two large playgrounds adjoining the splash pad which is perfect for when the kids need a break from the water.  Also nearby is an Airforce base.  Jackson loves watching the huge planes take off and land from such a close vantage point.  Water, playground, airplanes and a picnic with friends...what more could a little boy want from a summer morning??

Jackson sings the ABC's

About a month ago Jackson learned his ABCs. We struggled for a while with LMNOP. Getting him to sing them on camera was nearly impossible but lots of fun. Below are a couple of "outtakes" and then the real deal. 

Take 1

 

Take 137

Finally!

Fourth of July Fun!

Yes, I know the fourth of July was almost a month ago. However, like many other posts in this blog I'm taking the approach of better late than never. Our family had a fabulous fourth! Here's how we spent the holiday weekend.

First, our church planned a group fellowship to the Rockies baseball game on Saturday night, the 3rd. We decided to attend and to take Jackson. We knew this would make a late night for the J man, so we napped him later than normal and stalled our arrival until the 2nd/3rd inning. Our hope, depending on his level of tiredness, was to stay for the post-game fireworks show. The plan worked perfectly. Jackson really seemed to enjoy the excitement of the game and didn't get too tired. The game ended on time and God blessed us with a cool night breeze.

The fireworks were incredible. By far the best show Cole or I had ever seen. Jackson was in awe. The noise level scared him a little at first but he sat in my lap and watched in amazement. Below is a picture a friend took of his initial reaction. Over the next few days he loved telling people about the fireworks. He would jump up and down throwing his hands through the air saying zoom, pow, whoosh! The whole family enjoyed the evening and Cole and I decided it was well worth making an annual event.

Our community hosts an annual pancake breakfast and parade on the 4th. We really enjoyed participating last year. The parade is informal. All the kids in the neighborhood (which if you are familiar with Stapleton, is a lot) decorate their bikes, wagons and scooters with festive red, white and blue and parade around Central Park. Due to the age of most of the kids, the parents parade with them. As a result, there are usually more parade participants than spectators. This year the 4th fell on a Sunday. As sad as we were to miss breakfast and the parade we felt it more important to attend church as normal. We planned to meet the Cassida's at the pool for dinner later that afternoon. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm derailed our plans. We ordered pizza at their house instead. Jackson and Gracie had a great time playing and running all over the house. They are enjoying a great stage in their relationship. They are best buds and love spending time with one another. Despite the change of plans and the weather we all had a great time visiting and really enjoyed the evening.

Cole of course had Monday off for the holiday. Jackson and I were really excited for the extra family time. Cole and I decided earlier in the weekend to treat Jackson to his first movie theater experience. Toy Story 3 was playing and we had heard great things about it. Jackson isn't really into movies yet. However, a couple of weeks ago in Texas he watched Toy Story 2 with his Aunt Ninny and seemed to enjoy it. Since we didn't know if he would sit through an entire movie, we took a "what the heck" approach to the whole thing. We would try the theater and if he liked it yea and if he didn't enjoy it or didn't want to sit through it we would leave.

Our plan was to attend the 9:45 am showing. It would be early enough in the day that he wasn't tired and would be over in time for lunch and nap. Jackson had other ideas. He slept until 9:15 that morning! By far a new record. We made the 10:10 showing instead. We used a booster seat for Jackson so the seat didn't fold up on him and loaded up on popcorn. The movie was great. Jackson loved it and so did we! He sat through the whole thing without any trouble. Although he did move over to my lap for the last 30 minutes or so. I relished in the snuggle time. If you haven't seen the movie, the boy is all grown up and leaving for college. The plot is about what he decides to do with his toys now that he is older. I'll confess to a tear or two. It was nice to sit with my sweet little boy and know I have several more years before he's going anywhere.

Our afternoon was loaded with activity as well. After nap, Cole and Jackson went to the park across the street for his first golf lesson with his real clubs. They had a great time. Jackson loves to play golf and Daddy is happy to teach him. Of course I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of their play date.

After golf, Jackson had soccer practice. You may be thinking that two is a little young for a formal soccer league. We agree, that's why we aren't part of one. Sarah Cassida organized a group of friends all with children ages two-four and we are meeting this summer at Central Park on Monday evenings for "practice." Most of the dads have volunteered to be coaches (including Cole). We ordered shirts for the kids but there aren't any formal games. The moms rotate bringing a snack and we always have a large cooler of water. There are about 16 kids signed up. Overall, the venture has been a huge success! As I mentioned its very informal so if you're on vacation or can't attend its not a big deal.

Practice starts with the coaches rounding all the kids up to "take a knee." Next its warm-up time with 15 jumping jacks. If you've never seen 2-4 year olds do jumping jacks let me tell you it is hilarious. Then they move on to random soccer drills. Due to the age of the kids, it usually takes a couple of moms to facilitate the lines and make sure everyone is taking their turn and paying attention. Jackson is one of the youngest and since I don't have another baby to watch this is where I usually contribute. Its so much fun to watch them try to dribble the ball or kick it into the little goals. The coaches do a great job of playing "bad goalie" and letting the ball pass through for each kid at least once. They get so excited! Not only do the kids love it but they are learning great skills- other than just soccer. Mainly how to follow directions, take turns, pay attention in a large group and get along with their "teammates." Below are a few pictures from our July 5th practice.

Taking a knee with Coach Daddy

Jumping Jacks

Dribbling Drill

Jackson and Gracie after a "hard" practice

Whew! It made me tired just writing about our fourth of July. However, it sure was fun! Hope you all had a great one as well.

First trip to the golf course

Golf is Cole's favorite hobby. He grew up playing and wants J to grow up playing. Today was a big day. Jackson got the special treat of accompanying Daddy and three of Daddy's friends to the golf course! Jackson has looked forward to it all week and was beyond excited this morning. The first thing he said was, I get to go play golf today!

J just recently started trying out his real golf clubs at the park and in the backyard with dad. They are of course a lot heavier than his play sets made of plastic. Cole says he does a good job of making contact with the ball and has a pretty good swing for a two year old.

The course they played was Thorn Creek in Thornton, Colorado. Cole said J did a great job listening and trying to stay quiet while others hit. Due to the crowd, Jackson didn't get to hit very often on the course but got plenty of practice in at the range. He LOVES golf carts so that was a big draw too. One of Daddy's friends gave Jackson a bright yellow golf ball at the end of the round and he has yet to let it out of his sight! While I did manage to wrangle it away for a bath, he insisted on taking it to bed.

Sadly, Cole's game suffered a little bit with Jackson around but both really enjoyed the father/son bonding time. I was really proud of Cole for inviting Jackson when no other children were going. It really demonstrates his commitment to passing on his love of the game at an early age. More importantly, it meant the world to Jackson. This will surely be the first of many golf outings together.

Redecorating the nursery

Construction is under way on Clara's nursery. I love decorating so I'm in my happy place. I also love preparing for a new baby's arrival by creating a space especially for them. I think it is the way I nest. The first change we made was to add bead board to the bottom portion of the walls. I thought it would add a sweet touch to the room. While J and I were visiting family in Texas, Cole worked tirelessly to hang it as a surprise. It looks great! What a sweet husband I have! Since then, we've painted the room (a light shade of aqua) and purchased a picture to hang above the changing table. The chair and bedding have also been ordered. Its still a work in process but here is a sneak peek:

A few Saturdays ago, Cole and Jackson converted the toddler bed back to a crib. J loves helping Daddy with his tools. I couldn't resist snapping a couple of pictures of my boys hard at work.

Now that the crib is complete, I am reminded of why we moved J to the toddler bed at 19 months. Our little monkey is constantly climbing in and out of it. Here's hoping he tires of this activity before baby sister arrives!

Jackson's Big Boy room

The nursery in our house is empty. At least for now. A couple of weeks ago, we moved Jackson into his "big boy" room. I'm a planner and wanted Jackson happy and settled in his new room before we brought a new baby home. I gave myself a target date of July 15th. That way Jackson would have 3 months to adjust to his new setting and hopefully it wouldn't feel like his move had anything to do with the baby. Additionally, it gives me 3 months to prepare the nursery for Clara.

Well no need for a target date. This move went quickly. I had picked out the bedding and was waiting for it to arrive to pick a paint color. It arrived on a Friday and the next day I asked Cole to help me move some of the artwork into the new room to assist with the choice of paint color. We napped Jackson in our room and got started thinking we'd only be at it an hour or so. Needless to say, we were wrong.

First, the furniture laid out completely different than I had planned. Jackson wanted his chair to accompany him to his new room. He loves his chair. We read in it every night. He reads/plays in it every day. He has been rocked and comforted countless times in that chair. I too agreed the chair was necessary. Even if he had been ok without it, I wasn't ready to give up those sweet special moments when he and I snuggle to read and rock together. The problem is the chair is kind of big. It is a glider, recliner and was going in a small room with a double bed, chest of drawers and one wall taken by a very large window. Finally, we found a workable arrangement for everything. Being pregnant, you can imagine I wasn't much help during this process. Cole was a trooper and arranged the furniture in several positions until I was happy. We started placing the artwork on the walls about the time J woke up. He walked in, took a look around and then with a concerned look on his face said, "mommy, the airplane doesn't go there." I responded with, "it doesn't, where does it go?" He took me by the hand, led me through the jack and jill bath into the nursery and pointed to the spot it previously occupied. "There, mommy. It goes there." Uh-oh. This wasn't going the way I had hoped. On and on it went with the rest of his stuff. It was very confusing to him for some of his stuff (even if it was just decorations) to be in one room and the rest in another. Cole and I decided then that a slow and methodical move wasn't going to work. He needed to wake up with everything moved and perfectly in its place to understand. So that is what we did. We worked for the rest of the day and pretty late that night until we finished it. The next morning Jackson woke up to his brand new big boy room! Happily our efforts proved worthwhile, J loves it! Here are a few pics of the finished product. I was really pleased with the way it turned out.

I still need to replace the picture in the above frame. I have one picked out just need to upload it and order it. J keeps asking me who those people are!