Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Flying Jackson
What happens when you combine two thrill seeking dads and one fearless little boy? Apparently, one high flying adventure! Not sure what prompted this activity but its clear by the smile on his face J enjoyed it. :)
New friend, the flashlight
Jackson has a new past time. Using a flashlight to read in his bed before falling asleep. Any of you that know Jackson well know that he loves to read and that he attaches to things very easily. Cole and I are always surprised at the small things that capture his attention. Remember the matchbox car that looked like an old RV? That thing went everywhere with us for months, including Mexico! Another strange one was an advertisement flier in one of his DVDs. I was cleaning out the DVD cabinet and had it in the trash pile when he spotted it and fell in love. He called it his paper and read it, carried it around, played with it and slept with it off and on for a couple of days. He would bring it to me every time it got a dog ear or a slight tear and ask me to fix it. While a little more understandable, his interest in flash lights developed just as quickly. The only problem is that we only had full size flashlights and he wasn't allowed to play with them. Then a couple of weeks ago, Grammy and Pop sent a package and inside were two small Jackson sized flashlights. Jackson was in love!
Recently, Jackson has been complaining about bedtime. While its never been a problem before, lately we've heard a lot of- "I don't want to go to bed... I'm not tired... Its not dark enough for bedtime and on and on." To solve the problem, we told him he could read books in his bed until he wanted to go to sleep. Unfortunately, his turtle nightlight didn't provide enough light to read by. Enter his new friend the flashlight. A winning partnership was formed. Now he goes to bed with a couple of books and spends time reading before falling asleep. He knows that he has to turn off his flashlight and go to bed when he gets tired. If he falls asleep with the light on the batteries will run down and it won't work anymore. I am amazed at how responsible he is being with this new little privilege! He usually reads for 15 or 20 minutes then turns off the flashlight, stacks his books to the side, grabs monkey and goes to sleep. Its so cute! It also gives me hope that when he drops his nap in the next year or so that we will have success with reading and rest time.
Recently, Jackson has been complaining about bedtime. While its never been a problem before, lately we've heard a lot of- "I don't want to go to bed... I'm not tired... Its not dark enough for bedtime and on and on." To solve the problem, we told him he could read books in his bed until he wanted to go to sleep. Unfortunately, his turtle nightlight didn't provide enough light to read by. Enter his new friend the flashlight. A winning partnership was formed. Now he goes to bed with a couple of books and spends time reading before falling asleep. He knows that he has to turn off his flashlight and go to bed when he gets tired. If he falls asleep with the light on the batteries will run down and it won't work anymore. I am amazed at how responsible he is being with this new little privilege! He usually reads for 15 or 20 minutes then turns off the flashlight, stacks his books to the side, grabs monkey and goes to sleep. Its so cute! It also gives me hope that when he drops his nap in the next year or so that we will have success with reading and rest time.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Swimming video...Finally!
Below is a home video of J swimming. Sorry it took me so long to post it to the blog. He's doing great at swim school. He's been promoted to the clownfish class and has accumulated three achievement ribbons! The first ribbon is for being able to backfloat independently. The second is for acquiring the "swim float swim" skill and the last is for passing the safety test of achieving a back float after falling in the water, even when dressed. Cole and I are so proud!!
We are going to miss the pool so much when it closes in a few weeks. We have really enjoyed spending as much time as possible there this summer. One of our favorite activities is to go after Cole gets off work and meet friends for casual picnic dinners by the pool. J is going to continue swim lessons so he can maintain and continue to improve his skills. Luckily, our new community rec center will be finished in December. We already have plans to make good use of the indoor pool!
The four arrow button on the bottom right allows you to view the video in full screen mode.
We are going to miss the pool so much when it closes in a few weeks. We have really enjoyed spending as much time as possible there this summer. One of our favorite activities is to go after Cole gets off work and meet friends for casual picnic dinners by the pool. J is going to continue swim lessons so he can maintain and continue to improve his skills. Luckily, our new community rec center will be finished in December. We already have plans to make good use of the indoor pool!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Soccer 2010
Monday night was our last soccer practice of the season. Where has the summer gone? Our little soccer league turned out to be a huge hit! All the families involved had a great time. The dad's graciously donated their time to coach. The kids learned a lot and had a ball. Sarah put together the following video to commemorate our season. As you can see, it was truly a family affair. Many of the younger siblings enjoyed watching and are patiently waiting for their turn to play! Our players this year were 2-4 year olds (Jackson was one of the youngest). They will grow and develop so much in the next year! Can't wait for next summer's season to see how much they've improved!
Hint: The video is four minutes long (w/ volume so turn up the speakers) and depending on the speed of your internet connection you may need to pause the video after starting it to let it continue to load. You'll know its finished when the shaded line reaches the end. Once you reach that point, you should be able to hit play and watch the video without any difficulty or pauses. Also, the four arrow button at the bottom right will let you view the video in full screen mode as its a little small in the original size.
Hint: The video is four minutes long (w/ volume so turn up the speakers) and depending on the speed of your internet connection you may need to pause the video after starting it to let it continue to load. You'll know its finished when the shaded line reaches the end. Once you reach that point, you should be able to hit play and watch the video without any difficulty or pauses. Also, the four arrow button at the bottom right will let you view the video in full screen mode as its a little small in the original size.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Poor baby
Well our Monday morning didn't quite go as planned. Mommy had hoped we would follow swim lessons with a trip to Whole Foods for some grocery shopping. Instead, we came home after swim with a broken toe (or seriously jammed) and one sad little boy.
There is a big wooden door leading to the swim area at swim school. Being in a rush this morning, and excited, Jackson dashed in front of me right when I opened the door and hurt his toe. Major tears followed. I felt so terrible! I looked it over, didn't see anything wrong, and tried to console him enough to get in the water and swim.
As soon as the lesson ended I pulled him out of the pool and the first thing I noticed was his toe. It was reddish, purple and swollen. Bless his heart! I showed it to his instructor and she agreed it looked traumatized. She also confirmed what I already knew- even if it was broken there isn't any treatment other than to tape it to the next toe.
On the way home, we called daddy, nonnie and papaw to get their opinions. All agreed with the swim instructor. Papaw suggested we pull the toe to straighten the bones. This way if it was jammed the toe would continue to grow correctly. This did not sound fun. Jackson could hear the conversation (through the bluetooth) and he too must have sensed it didn't sound fun. He started saying mommy, my toe fine. all better. We don't need to fix it. However, it was clear he was still in pain because he had his legs crossed and was holding his foot in the car seat.
Once home, mommy played doctor. She pulled the toe straight. It popped. Jackson screamed and cried. I held him and then I used athletic tape to tape it to the next one. Then we iced it and kept it elevated. We also took some motrin for the pain. Jackson didn't like keeping the ice pack on his foot so I had to wrap an ace bandage around it to keep him from pulling off the ice.
It was a sad day. For being such a good patient Jackson was rewarded with a happy meal for lunch, a lollipop and got to watch a Curious George movie. When walking he didn't put pressure on the foot until very late in the day. By bedtime he seemed fine. It is still bruised and you can tell it was injured. Today he told me it hurt a little but walked (and ran) without difficulty. I guess that is yet another good thing about being a little boy....fast healing time! I am so glad he is feeling better!
There is a big wooden door leading to the swim area at swim school. Being in a rush this morning, and excited, Jackson dashed in front of me right when I opened the door and hurt his toe. Major tears followed. I felt so terrible! I looked it over, didn't see anything wrong, and tried to console him enough to get in the water and swim.
As soon as the lesson ended I pulled him out of the pool and the first thing I noticed was his toe. It was reddish, purple and swollen. Bless his heart! I showed it to his instructor and she agreed it looked traumatized. She also confirmed what I already knew- even if it was broken there isn't any treatment other than to tape it to the next toe.
On the way home, we called daddy, nonnie and papaw to get their opinions. All agreed with the swim instructor. Papaw suggested we pull the toe to straighten the bones. This way if it was jammed the toe would continue to grow correctly. This did not sound fun. Jackson could hear the conversation (through the bluetooth) and he too must have sensed it didn't sound fun. He started saying mommy, my toe fine. all better. We don't need to fix it. However, it was clear he was still in pain because he had his legs crossed and was holding his foot in the car seat.
Once home, mommy played doctor. She pulled the toe straight. It popped. Jackson screamed and cried. I held him and then I used athletic tape to tape it to the next one. Then we iced it and kept it elevated. We also took some motrin for the pain. Jackson didn't like keeping the ice pack on his foot so I had to wrap an ace bandage around it to keep him from pulling off the ice.
It was a sad day. For being such a good patient Jackson was rewarded with a happy meal for lunch, a lollipop and got to watch a Curious George movie. When walking he didn't put pressure on the foot until very late in the day. By bedtime he seemed fine. It is still bruised and you can tell it was injured. Today he told me it hurt a little but walked (and ran) without difficulty. I guess that is yet another good thing about being a little boy....fast healing time! I am so glad he is feeling better!
Concert on the green
Saturday night we met our sweet friends, the Rice and Cassida families, at the concert on the green. We had a fantastic time! Stapleton's Founders Green is a large space of grass, about the size of a football field, near the town center that is used to host community events. In the summer months it hosts the Farmer's Market (every Sunday morning), concerts on the green (every other Saturday night), movies on the green (every other Friday night at dusk), Sweet Williams Market (a small, monthly craft and antique fair) and many impromptu family gatherings. Kids love the green because it is a wide open space with a natural slope at one end where they can literally run themselves ragged.
We brought a picnic dinner (ice cream for our family since we had a really late lunch) and enjoyed the cool summer breeze before the concert started. The kids ran, played and danced to their hearts content. It was a wonderfully relaxing family evening.
Great weather, family, friends, big band, football tossing and ice cream....what more could you ask for on a Saturday night?
We brought a picnic dinner (ice cream for our family since we had a really late lunch) and enjoyed the cool summer breeze before the concert started. The kids ran, played and danced to their hearts content. It was a wonderfully relaxing family evening.
Great weather, family, friends, big band, football tossing and ice cream....what more could you ask for on a Saturday night?
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| Jackson rough housing with daddy |
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| Sweet Lauren |
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| Lauren and her sweet mommy Jen |
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| Jackson and Gavin |
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| One happy boy |
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| Lauren borrowing J's hat |
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| J and Sarah taking a spin around the dance floor |
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| the band |
Thursday, August 19, 2010
28 week sonogram
Last Wednesday, I had an OB appt and a sonogram. I love sonograms. Such a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of your sweet little baby. Clara looked healthy and appears to be developing right on track. The doctor estimated her weight at 3 pounds, 3 ounces. This puts her about a week ahead of the actual 28 weeks and 5 days I was into the pregnancy.
During the sonogram, the technician switched to 4D mode and we got the special treat of looking at her sweet little face. So cute!! Although adorable, I was struck by how much she didn't look like her brother. This was kind of a surprise since everyone tells me that newborn siblings tend to look very much alike.
Later that evening I was still thinking of her beautiful face and trying to figure out who she looked like. I decided to look at Jackson's sonogram pictures and see what the big difference was. Boy was I in for a surprise. First, I noticed that we had a sonogram with Jackson at exactly 28 weeks, 5 days. What a coincidence! Then I noticed that at Jackson's sonogram they estimated his weight to be 3 pounds, 4 ounces- one ounce larger than his little sister. Finally, when looking at both sets of 4D pictures I was blown away by how similar they looked! Its a good thing the pictures were dated because otherwise it was very difficult to know who was who.
We can't wait to meet little Clara. We know she will have her own distinct look and personality and we can't wait to watch as she grows and unveils her uniqueness. However, it was kind of neat to see how similar she and Jackson are in size and appearance at this stage of pregnancy- especially since the pregnancies have been so completely different.
On Friday (the 20th) I'll start my 30th week. The countdown officially begins.....just 10 weeks until baby girl's arrival!
During the sonogram, the technician switched to 4D mode and we got the special treat of looking at her sweet little face. So cute!! Although adorable, I was struck by how much she didn't look like her brother. This was kind of a surprise since everyone tells me that newborn siblings tend to look very much alike.
Later that evening I was still thinking of her beautiful face and trying to figure out who she looked like. I decided to look at Jackson's sonogram pictures and see what the big difference was. Boy was I in for a surprise. First, I noticed that we had a sonogram with Jackson at exactly 28 weeks, 5 days. What a coincidence! Then I noticed that at Jackson's sonogram they estimated his weight to be 3 pounds, 4 ounces- one ounce larger than his little sister. Finally, when looking at both sets of 4D pictures I was blown away by how similar they looked! Its a good thing the pictures were dated because otherwise it was very difficult to know who was who.
We can't wait to meet little Clara. We know she will have her own distinct look and personality and we can't wait to watch as she grows and unveils her uniqueness. However, it was kind of neat to see how similar she and Jackson are in size and appearance at this stage of pregnancy- especially since the pregnancies have been so completely different.
On Friday (the 20th) I'll start my 30th week. The countdown officially begins.....just 10 weeks until baby girl's arrival!
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