The Powers Family

Snow

2009-12-19T14:26:00.003-05:00

Jackson's Birthday

2009-12-19T14:20:00.002-05:00

More Party Pics

2009-12-19T14:13:00.002-05:00

Birthday Party

2009-12-19T13:55:00.004-05:00

Christmas Program

2009-12-19T13:43:00.002-05:00

Fall Pictures

2009-10-31T17:04:00.003-04:00

Halloween

2009-10-31T16:57:00.002-04:00

Fun at the Fair

2009-07-31T21:38:00.005-04:00

We took Jackson to the fair tonight with Miss Regan to ride the rides and see the animals. Jackson had such a great time with Regan who rode all of the little kid rides with him like a champ. I realize that in most of the pictures that Jackson looks like he is mad or miserable, but we just call that his "Brady" look and he really did have fun I promise!

New Pet

2009-07-21T20:47:00.003-04:00

Against Chad's better judgement, we decided to get Jackson a new pet...a little two gallon aquarium with a beta in it. The plan is to add a couple of more fish in a week or two, pending we don't kill this one in the next couple of days. Anyway, Jackson is so cute with his "fishie" he is just enjoying watching it for now but I am sure he will want to get it out and hold it one day soon! He told the fishie good night before bed and even blew it a kiss and as we speak he is laying in his bed talking to him, so sweet!

Waiting for daddy to get the tank put together.

Blowing the fishie a kiss night night.

Pool Boy

2009-07-18T15:20:00.004-04:00

Jackson has turned into such a pool addict! He loves to go and you definitely don't have to ask him twice to put his swim trunks on! Today he decided he didn't need to wear his ar floats anymore and could swim by himself...you can imagine where this is going. He ended up sinking which I thought would scare him into wearing the arm floats. Of course it didn't scare him and instead he wants to swim by himself all of the time. None the less, he had fun playing with Regan and Reese who are both really good swimmers!

Beautiful Days

2009-07-10T22:08:00.003-04:00

The last couple of days here have been absolutely gorgeous so we have capitalized on the opportunity to do some fun things with Jackson. We went to the park last night and let him play for a bit until he discovered the pond and geese, he wanted to go swimming in it so bad he couldn't stand it! Then we took him for ice cream, his favorite of course and spent the rest of the night relaxing on the newly renovated porch. Tonight we had a lazy day and curled up in bed and watched Finding Nemo since Jackson is obsessed with fish now, I think we heard ooohhh....fishies, 100 times but it was fun! It is going to be a busy weekend here so hopefully lots of pictures coming!

The Rest of the Story

2009-07-07T22:30:00.004-04:00

The rest of our trip to Ky was a lot of fun. Jackson enjoyed it so much this time and really put on a show for everyone!

Mom and dad have a pug puppy named Callie which Jackson has not dubbed Calliou and he loved to torment her! The played tag night after night running around the house like maniacs...it was adorable!

Jackson was tractor crazy in Ky too. Dad got out a lot of Brady's old tractors and trucks for Jackson to play with which was fun. Except for the fact that after dad played with him the first time, no one could every play right which resulted in Jackson being aggravated with all of us because we didn't do it like Pop!

We were very lucky in that my grandfather, uncle, aunt, and cousin were able to come from Iowa to see Jackson while we were there. Jackson loved them all but especially Uncle Ken, who he now calls Uncie Fishie, we are not sure why!!

Cow Crazy

2009-07-07T22:22:00.002-04:00

We really did not think Jackson could be anymore cow crazy than he already was. Turned out that our trip too Ky made him even more so! He had so much fun on the farm with the cows it was amazing. He got right in there and tried to help clean out stalls, get the cows out of the parlor, and feed the babies. Mom and Dad made the mistake of teaching him to say get out of here cows when they were leaving the parlor so now that is his favorite thing to say. The proof is in the pudding though!

Happy Anniversary

2009-07-07T22:15:00.004-04:00

While we were in Kentucky we decided to go ahead and celebrate our anniversary for 2 reasons. 1) We had mom, dad, and Brittany there to babysit and 2) I was going to be in Ky and Chad in Va for our real anniversary on the 1st. Anyway, we decided to go to Beaumont Inn and had a wonderful southern meal of fried green tomatoes, crab cakes, corn pudding, mashed potatoes, lima beans, and the most wonderful chocolate trio for dessert. We had a great night of adult conversation and no food being flung. Happy 3rd Anniversary Chad!!

June 27, 2009

July 1, 2006

The Simple Things

2009-07-07T22:08:00.003-04:00

As I said before, we really wanted to take Jackson to do some fun things while we were in Ky. Come to find out no matter how cool what we planned was, it was still the simple things that made him the happiest. Mom bought Jackson a little pool with a slide and sprinkler. He loved it and spent hours and hours in it until the weather got chilly late in the week. Here is my little fish!

Jungle Jump

2009-07-07T21:58:00.003-04:00

After hours and hours of discussion we decided that Jackson was still to young to go on a "real" vacation this year. I mean, who wants to clean sand out ot a diaper, or pay $50.00 a day to go to Sesame Place only to discover Jackson is afraid of characters, or any of the other hundreds of ideas we came up with! Instead we decided to visit mom and dad in Ky but make it really fun for Jackson.

One of the "brilliant" ideas we came up with was taking him to this place called Jungle Jump for a fun afternoon. Jungle Jump is a huge building filled with inflatable slides, jumpers, etc. Jackson had a pretty good time although a lot of it was a little to big for him. Chad, Brittany, and I however got quite the work out taking Jackson up and down the rope wall to go down the slide...my legs are still sore!!!

King of the Jungle Gym

2009-06-19T20:34:00.003-04:00

Since my quality time with Jackson is short-lived before our brief seperation while I am at State FFA convention I decided to take him to the park for the first time today. He loved it so much, I think it will definitely be a routine activity for us.

We started at the big kids playground but quickly discovered that other than the steering wheel it was a little advanced for Jackson!

The smaller jungle gym had slides that were much more his size. He had a blast going down the tube slide!

Swinging was by far his favorite activity...as long as I was pushing him high and taking his picture. When I stopped taking pictures because I had taken plenty, he started yelling cheese and pointing at the camera, I have created a monster!

Summer

2009-06-18T20:21:00.004-04:00

Even though my teaching contract isn't officially over yet summer is slowly starting to begin. We have had some nice lazy evenings hanging out as a family which is a welcome change to to hustle of the school year.

Jackson had his 18 month check-up today. Chad took him so I don't know the full story but I do know he weighed 23 lbs. 8 oz....he is going to be lucky to make it to 25 lbs. for his second birthday! He made up for it tonight by eating a good dinner so I wouldn't feel so bad!

I leave for State FFA convention Monday which means Jackson has to go to Nana and Poppy's for a couple of days. I am dreading leaving him already!! On a bright note I do plan on spending so quality time with him this weekend to make up for it so hopefully lots of pictures will be forthcoming.

Down by the River

2009-06-14T21:53:00.002-04:00

We Chad's niece Kelsey's birthday party this evening at the Shenandoah River. Jackson was such a well behaved gentleman and was on his best behavior which was great! He had a big time playing with all the dogs that were there, eating cake, and playing with the beach balls. Happy Sweet 16 Kelsey!

Check out Jackson's new hair cut too. We had Miss Jessica do it yesterday and he was such a good boy. He sat so still the whole time and even let her use the clippers! As cute as it is it makes me a little sad, it makes him look like such a grown up boy.

Yesterday was also Jackson's Little Gym showing. He did so great. This was the first time he walked across the balance beam by himself and he even followed the directions most of the time. The Little Gym has been so good for him in so many ways, I can really see how it is improving his listening skills, motor skills, and most importantly his sharing skills! We are looking forward to starting the summer semester Saturday!

The one and only picture Jackson let me take with his hat!

Fish

2009-06-14T21:49:00.003-04:00

We have spent the weekend at Paul's pool with Reese, Regan, and Laura. I was worried about how Jackson would do this year with water...would he love it or hate it? Fortunately he loved it! He is turning into such a little fish. He LOVES jumping in of course and today even braved swimming on his own with his arm floaties. My hope is that he is a MUCH better swimmer than Chad and I!

Also, a big thank you to Laura to taking these great pictures for me since I was camera-less!

Finally!

2009-06-14T21:45:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to Chad's mom and dad's for the weekend and accidentally left my camera there! Tragic I know!! So be prepared for an overload of catching up now that I finally have it back! Here are a couple of random things to start.

Chad saw Jackson step on something strange in the yard one day so he went over to check it out. Turns out it was a big old black snake! Check out Jackson's first catch.

Sweet sleepy Jackson ready for school one day, can you tell we have to drag him out of bed?

Busy Week

2009-05-21T20:19:00.003-04:00

It has been a busy week here....we started the Little Gym on Saturday which Jackson LOVES!!! He was so cute there. He is a little a behind on some of the stuff like doing somersaults but is catching up quickly. Tuesday Jackson started getting sick at day care so he has been home the last two days but hopefully we are back on the up and up now and can finish out the week and have a nice LONG weekend!

All ready to go to the Little Gym.

Hanging out in pjs with dad on his day home from school.
He doesn't really look sick does he? I am convinced he is faking it, I am just not sure how he is giving himself a fever!

Baseball

2009-05-03T14:43:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Zach, Jackson is now obsessed with baseball. Zach gave him an old baseball which Jackson carries around everywhere now and constantly wants you to throw for him. He plays with it and Bailey all the time too. Last night we were playing outside and Jackson could not understand why the barn cat that comes to the yard sometimes wouldn't play baseball with him. He kept walking up to it saying "baseball. baseball." Too cute!

Circus

2009-05-03T14:40:00.002-04:00

Chad and I also took Jackson to the Circus during Apple Blossom. Jackson loved it and was clapping and jumping up and down almost the whole time. It was hard to get pictures there too, but I tried!

Fireman's Parade

2009-05-03T14:25:00.005-04:00

I decided to brave the crowds and take Jackson to the Apple Blossom Festival this year. We decided this year to just do the Fireman's parade on Friday instead of the Grand Feature Parade on Saturday since it is shorter and I knew Jackson would like the trucks. He really had a great time at the parade. Samantha got us tickets with her family at Braden's preschool which was wonderful and Jackson had a great time playing with Braden and Carson. Jackson liked the trucks but LOVED when the bands came by and played music...it was hilarious to watch him dancing in the street.

It was very hard to get pictures because I was by myself and anytime I stood up to take a picture Jackson tried to run out in the street and get the trucks! Here are a few so-so ones though!

Sheba

2009-04-28T21:48:00.002-04:00

Jackson's favorite new barn activity is hanging out with Sheba...so much so that he has learned to say her name (which pleases Paul to no end) here a few pictures of them together.

Congrats Chad!

2009-04-28T21:41:00.002-04:00

I am pleased to say we were able to pull one over on Chad. He won the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from Virginia Tech which we had to keep a surprise until the banquet in Blacksburg. And let me tell you, it was not easy getting him there. Everyone at the farm worked so hard cooking up a story to get him there, and after much arguing he went! He still doesn't understand how we kept is a secret but needless to say he was surprised!

Chad thought he was going to Tech to give this speech to Dr. Pearson. He worried about it for a week and was sick the whole way down there thinking about giving it. He was not a happy camper when he found out it was completely not needed!

Waverly's old summer intern Maggie was able to present the award to Chad which meant a lot to him.

I think he is saying some not nice things to Maggie about being surprised here...

Chad and I at the banquet, it was a lot of fun!

Easter in Kentucky

2009-04-14T20:55:00.006-04:00

We had an awesome trip to Kentucky for Easter. Because of dad's accident we hadn't seen them since Christmas and they were so excited to see Jackson.

Dad is getting around better and better all the time. He is finally able to go outside and do a few things which pleases him to no end. Brady leaves for California June 1st so they are hoping he is up and about by then.

We are glad to be home but worn out after a long day. We were so very blessed with Jackson being a good boy on the plane...he was wonderful!

Here are lots of pictures from our weekend, we have an exciting weekend coming up...more details to come!

This is Jackson with Hawkeye's newborn calf...this is right before she tackled him, but he took it like a champ!

Jackson with mom and dad's new pug Callie.

Jackson colored with Bibi.

Riding on the golf cart with Pop, he is getting around better and better!

Look what Pearl brought....the Easter bunny!
Jackson and Easter basket #1.

Jackson, Easter basket #2, and the Easter bunny.

Riding on the 4-wheeler with Brady.

Jackson's favorite thing about the whole trip...Bibi's bubble screen-saver! He watched and watched it and said whoa...everytime.
Playing "I see you" with Brady.

Easter

2009-04-14T20:36:00.005-04:00

Jackson had a great Easter here in Virginia...a picture is worth a thousand words...

Jackson all ready for the Easter bunny to come in his Easter jammies.

Putting carrots out for the Easter bunny to eat.

Jackson decided he didn't want to leave all the carrots for the Easter bunny, he wanted some for himself!

Then Jackson decided he wanted to share the carrots with Bailey.

Even after stealing his carrots, the Easter bunny still left Jackson lots of good stuff!

Mr. Personality

2009-04-06T21:16:00.004-04:00

Mr. Personality is as crazy as ever. He talks up a storm but his favorite saying is "I see you". He also loves to spin around in circles until he falls down, grab his head with both hands and shake it, blow kisses, and give high fives.

We leave for Ky Thursday and I think they will all be shocked when they see Jackson. He has changed so much lately. Chad and I see him everyday and still get over how much he has grown as of late.

My favorite new silly move, grabbing my head and shaking it!

My adorable Easter bibs that Miss Patricia and her mom made me, we love them!

Me and mommy before school one day.

Looking for Spring...

2009-03-29T22:00:00.006-04:00

It looks like March came in like a lion and will go out like a lion here. We are still desperately looking for some warm days and sunshine after having only a few pretty days lately. We have been occupying our time the best we can but Jackson is desperate to play outside and it gets harder and harder!

A few other reasons we have spring fever:

I did find out last week that I WILL have a teaching job next year. It is not set in stone what I will be teaching yet but the real blessing is just that I have a job!

After Pitt, Memphis, and Louisville got beat my bracket is pretty much fried for the rest of the tournament. I am pulling for Villanova now so every one else's is screwed up too!

We are super sad that Billy G was fired from U.K. It definitely doesn't see fair to me and I think Uncle Bill would be disappointed. I am just hoping we get someone good to replace him...I am hoping for John Calapari myself but that doesn't seem likely!

Pictures of the one nice day we had....

Pictures of us trying to occupy Jackson all the other days he couldn't go outside...

Mommy just found me this way in the bathroom in my pjs and bucket hat playing with the dog leash!Helping mommy cook.
Making sure she does everything just right.

Obviously she didn't listen.

Playing hide and seek with daddy.

Hiding in my room.

Happy Birthday Reese!

2009-03-16T20:35:00.004-04:00

Jackson had a great time yesterday celebrating Reese's 2nd birthday! It is amazing how time flies. Reese is so much fun to be around that Jackson had a great time! Reese had a huge Dora balloon that Jackson decided was the real Dora and loved and kissed on for a lot of the party. He was so exhausted last night that I don't think he even rolled over. Anyway, a big happy birthday to Reese who officially turns 2 this week!

Way Behind

2009-03-09T20:19:00.002-04:00

So with all hte excitement here and in Ky lately I am way behind. So here are a few pictures of the last couple of weeks and a goal (but not a promise) to keep my blog more updated!

Chadro judging the Clemson Spring Show. He did such a good job and we had a great time, just wish it had lasted longer!
Jackson's first bubble bath, he tried to eat the bubbles of course!

Jackson holding Brittany's picture. He carries it around the house saying, "Bibi...Bibi..." it is so cute!

Father and son heart to heart chat.

Jackson loves to be tickled, he walks around the house saying, "tiki, tiki, tiki", until you tickle him.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, this is where Jackson plays when I am getting ready in the morning and he wakes up before he is suppose to!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T19:36:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day from Jackson! He had is party at school today and his teacher said he didn't know where to start or stop eating! He also made the cutest craft at school with a lot of help I am sure, but they did have him color it. I can't tell you how blessed we are that he goes to such a great place.

Nina, Pop, Brady, and Brittany sent Jackson the cutest lion that shakes and giggles which he has had a big time with, he started clapping when he opened it! We have a pretty low-key day planned tomorrow I am afraid, just hanging out at home as a family. I think Jackson and I will make some cupcakes and and maybe have a heart shaped grilled cheese or two!

Yay! A noisy toy!

Of course the packaging was much more fun to play with!

Me, ready for school with the lion Nina & Pop sent.

I am not sure what I was trying to do here.

Hoard's Dairyman new ad campaign "Hoard's Dairyman, information you can rest your head on"

The Weekend

2009-02-09T19:37:00.004-05:00

Believe it or not, I finally did a couple of things we can report, we made it out of the land of the boring!

Friday night Chad kept Jackson so that Tarinda and I could go see "He's Just Not That Into You". It was one of my favorite books in college and I read it not that long before I met Chad. A few years ago I reccomended it to Tarinda when she was going through a rough time and she loved it too, so it seemed fitting we would go together. I can not tell you how cute it is! We really enjoyed it. It wasn't quite what I pictured after reading the book which was hard to overlook but I think anyone who hasn't read the book would think it was awesome.

Chad had the afternoon off on Saturday so we went to his mom and dad's for the day since we don't get there often. Jackson had such a good time playing with his cousins and enjoying the warm weather it was great.

Sunday was pretty laid back and we just sat home and enjoyed the nice day. Jackson wanted to stay outstide all day which would be less troublesome if he understood the concept of the electric fence, but since he doesn't I spent most of the time catching him and dragging him away from it.

We have a busy week this week but are looking forward to it. Jackson has his valentine's day party at school on Friday and his outfit made it just in time. Then we are looking forward to a nice 3-day weekend at home.

Playing in nana's pots and pans.

Johnny and I thought this was a really fun game!

Another favorite of me and all my cousins are these batons!

Me, Johnny, and Daddy outside on the deck.

Daddy couldn't figure out why I kept going in the garage while we were playing outside until he figured out I wanted this old exersaucer out.

Boring

2009-02-05T20:33:00.003-05:00

I am afraid we are just boring lately! We really haven't done anything worth mentioning lately. Jackson is still so much fun and is changing all of the time. He is finally eating everything he can get his hands on although his favorite would have to be yogos, or "gogos" as he calls them. All that food hasn't helped him grow yet, he is still in his 6-12 month clothes but at least they are getting lots of use. He has been getting good reports from school and has even been sitting still for bible study time which is a miracle! Anyway, I thought I would share a few pictures even though it is nothing to exciting, we will have to find something fun to report soon!

My new favorite playing spot...in the pen with Millie or Bailey.

Dressed and ready for church where I was a very good boy.

Ready for school!

Wishing... and Hoping...

2009-01-26T20:24:00.004-05:00

Wishing, hoping, and praying for a snow day (or two) here. Here are a few pictures in the mean time!

Winter at Waverly

2009-01-19T20:12:00.005-05:00

We got a beautiful winter surprise today...an inch or two of snow! This was the first time that there has been enough for Jackson to play in and boy did he have fun! This is the first time he has really played outside for a long period of time since he has been able to walk so he ran from one end of the yard to the other! He was definitley more interested in running than the snow though. He must have had fun because once it was time to come inside he threw a fit and kept going back to the door.

Enjoy these few pictures of Jackson playing and a few of the sights aroung the farm. Jackson is finally feeling better and we are hoping to keep him healthy and ear infection free this time!

So sick

2009-01-15T20:39:00.003-05:00

Rosedale called Chad Tuesday afternoon to tell him that Jackson had a fever of 103.7 and did not look right. Chad left right away since I had an FFA contest and was shocked at how bad he looked. By the time he got him home and took his temperature it was 103.9 so we panicked and took he to the pediatrician's emergency hours. Wouldn't you know that he has another double ear infection! This one has been the hardest on him by far and he just hasn't been himself. All he has done is sat in our laps which is so not Jackson. We are hoping he is better by the weekend we miss our boy!

We did have a low key weekend last week and had a great time just hanging out at the house together. I did get a few pictures of that!

We have done a lot of laying around the last few days!

Hanging out with dad over the weekend.

Catch Up

2009-01-08T20:17:00.004-05:00

So since I am WAY behind on blogging...here are a ton of Christmas, Kentucky, and Powers Family Christmas Pictures so that I can start fresh! We had a wonderful holiday and are off to a great start in 2009!

Jackson loves this cow he got in (or on) his stocking. He carries it around the house and makes Chad and I give it hugs all the time!

Figuring out his new magnetic fishing poll for the bath tub.

Still working on it...

Riding his new John Deere Tractor.

Riding his John Deere ATV from Nina and Pop.

Driving and talking on the phone...I can't imagine where he got that from!
Playing his new piano from Reese and Regan.

Nina and Pop got him this cow shaped pillow which was a huge hit...

he immediately threw it on the floor and layed on it.

Pop and Jackson playing with Blue.

Brushing his hair or talking one phone, we are not sure!
Playing with Uncle Brady.

All of the grandkids at Nana and Poppys for Christmas.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T21:17:00.004-05:00

We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a restful Holiday with family. We went to Mikey and Miss Patricia's today to exchange gifts with them. They did way too much of course. Jackson got a beautiful rocking chair from them and a slide and piano from Reese and Regan. I got some gorgeous Eldreth pottery and a beautiful antique cow print. Chad got his annual bonus, a calf of course...an extra special one this year, a granddaughter of Pride Dime, she was always one of our favorites!

We are so blessed to spend tomorrow morning with Jackson and then head to Ky tomorrow night. I think our flight gets in about 10:30 so it will be a late night but we are excited about seeing everyone there.

We wanted to share some of our Christmas pictures. As you can see, Santa already made his way to Clear Brook and left a stocking full of goodies (they wouldn't all fit) and lots of presents for Jackson in the morning...I hope he enjoys it!

Christmas Eve in our Christmas PJs waiting for Santa :)

The stocking Santa left.

Mom and dad have a sneaking suspicion they are going to be stuck opening most of these for me tomorrow!

The Weekend

2008-12-21T21:19:00.006-05:00

Wow it is hard to believe it is the last weekend before Christmas! We had a busy week here. I stayed home from school one day to take Jackson to the doctor. His ears are finally better and he was 30.5 inches tall and 21. 8 pounds. Still in the 75% for height and the 25th for weight. Basically he is just tall and skinny still, we have no idea how! The doctor was impressed with how much he was walking and talking which made us proud of course.

Saturday morning I took my Discrete math final...boy am I glad that is over. There was nothing discrete about it, I think I will just take my B and be proud I passed. Then I came home and fixed food for the Stiles Christmas Party. We had a great time! The adults had a thieves gift exhange and I cam home with a great Longaberger bundt pan. Chad ended up taking his own gift on purpose because it was a home depot gift card and mini bottles of liquor! The kids drew names and Jackson got so many awesome books from Jennifer and an adorable stuffed cow too...brown of course.

We are almost ready for Christmas here just a few things left to get done. We are going to see Santa tomorrow night so watch for photos!

Christmas Party

2008-12-17T21:30:00.004-05:00

Today was Jackson's Christmas party at school. His teacher said he had a great time and did a lot of eating which is definitely good! He still isn't feeling the best, we think his ears are bothering him still but we were glad he could at least enjoy his party. Here are a couple of pictures from before school...in retrospect I should have taken the tag off the Santa that Nina gave him...oops!

A Walk in the Park

2008-12-17T21:24:00.002-05:00

Since it was so unusually warm Monday night, we met up with the Sterns to go through the Clear Brook park light show. Jackson really liked it...for a while but once he was done it was over. Luckily it started raining and we had to go anyway! Here are a few pictures...just to prove to Mikey we went!

Carson, Jackson, and Braden

Happy Birthday!

2008-12-15T20:33:00.005-05:00

It is hard for us to believe that Jackson is one now. We had is birthday party on Saturday and had a great time. There were about 40 people here which was crowded but it was well worth it. Jackson was a little shocked by the crowd but was good overall. He liked playing in the cake and rubbed the ice cream in his hands like soap but wouldn't eat it. He got so many wonderful gifts and we can not thank everyone enough for celebrating this special day with us!

Chad and I got him a toy box for his birthday with his name carved in it. Jackson loves it as you can see but doesn't want to keep his toys in it, he would rather play in it instead! I guess we will have to buy another toy box for the toys!

Milk & Cookies

2008-12-15T20:28:00.002-05:00

With Jackson's first birthday on the way we decided it was time to switch him to whole milk. Luckily it has been really easy since he LOVES having milk and cookies with Chad at night. Unfortunately most of ends up on the floor but at least he is learning! He hasn't had a bottle in 2 days!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-15T20:21:00.003-05:00

We had a great but hectic Thanksgiving here. I forgot my camera on Thanksgiving day but did get some pictures on Tuesday for Jackson's Thanksgiving party at school and some others from hanging out at home over the weekend. As you can see Jackson discovered the tissue box over the long weekend!

Firsts...

2008-11-23T20:58:00.003-05:00

First school picture.

First ear infection

First holiday craft...

what a week!

It has been quite a week here and we are so glad it is finally over! Jackson was suppose to have school pictures on Tuesday so we got all dressed up and ready to go only for it to snow and school to be on a delay. Because of that they postponed them to Wednesday so we got all dressed up again. Hopefully they will be good. On Thursday Jackson made his first school craft which of course we are proud as punch of. That same day the school noticed he was having trouble walking and when we got home Jackson screamed bloody murder when we changed his diaper so we finally decided he may have an ear infection and went to the pediatrican's emergency hours. Turns out he had a double ear infection which is why he had been so blah lately. We are finally over that now.

Tomorrow is Jackson's Thanksgiving Party at school. We are suppose to bring cheese cubes so we made a run to the grocery store tonight since I forgot. We are excited about Thanksgiving this week and are looking forward to making Christmas candy and decorating for Christmas all weekend!

First school picture day ourfit (man mom was crushed I didn't get to wear this in my picture!

2nd school picture day outfit.

My first school craft.

Sorry it took me so long to post a blog update but you can see I was working hard on it all afternoon!

So Big

2008-11-15T22:06:00.003-05:00

Jackson has changed and grown so much in the last few weeks it is incredible. He has 7 teeth now, is walking everywhere and says all kinds of things. Monday he will start the 12-18 month class at school. They decided to move him a little early because he is the oldest in his class and was getting bored. He'll be the youngest now but he loves the big kids so that's okay. We will miss his teacher so much but know he'll like the new place as well.
Jackson's new favorite thing is sitting in a chair. He loves putting himself in the bumbo and we moved his chair from his room downstairs and he has been spending tons of time playing in it. Here are some pictures of today and yes his shirt does say "Lock up Your Daughters" too cute!

Surprise!

2008-11-15T21:35:00.002-05:00

Last night we had Mikey's surprise 60th birthday party. It was a great night and we were thrilled we really got him. Claire, Laura, and Patricia did a great job decorating, everything was beautiful!! Now that this one is over it is time to get started on Jackson's first birthday party!

Front entrance

Candy Table

Guest Book Table

Cake Table

Surprise!

All American

2008-11-15T21:30:00.004-05:00

Last weekend Jackson and I went to the All American in Louisville. It was fun and great to see everyone but it was very hard as well. I never realized how hard it would be to get him to take a nap there which left us both tired and cranky at times. It was still a good week though. Mom and Dad's cow Molly won the jug and Treasure was Reserve Grand which was great considering she was near death a few months ago. On the Waverly side of things, Brown Sugar won the 5 year old class and more importantly Mikey won the Max Gordon award which was a huge honor. We are still catching up on laundry and sleep...it will take a year to get me geared up to try Jackson at a weekend show again!

On the Go

2008-11-03T20:36:00.005-05:00

It is official, Jackson is now a pro at walking. He had literally walked from one end of this house to the other today. It is amazing how once he built up his confidence he took off. He has also had a great time today playing in the trick or treat basket and eating tootsie pops! We are busy packing here getting ready to go to Louisville this weekend for the show. Of course I am so excited he is walking...maybe he won't ruin the knees in all of his pants when we are there!!

Raiding my trick or treat basket for candy...

I cound a candy bar first but it wasn't quite what I had in mind.

This tootsie pop is much more like it...
Where'd the lollipop part go?

First steps.

Showing daddy what I learned.

If that's not a Core mouth I don't know what is!!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T20:44:00.005-05:00

We had a great first Halloween with Jackson. Halloween actually started on Thursday when Nina sent Jackson a box full of Halloween toys that played music which he has spent hours dancing to. The day started with giving him his trick or treat basket that I had made for him. I had filled it with a Halloween book, a new Raffi cd, and the Sprout Spooktacular video. I know it was probably dumb but I wanted him to have something and he is too little to really trick or treat. We did go trick or treating across the street at Zach's and Mimi and Gandy's though. That night we went to my friend Samantha's church for a trunk or treat. We didn't stay too long because it was pretty late once things got started but Jackson still had a great time! Mimi had given him a tootsie pop earlier in the evening so he was wound up most of the night, but we finally got him to bed! Enjoy the pictures of our little giraffe.

Thanks Nina, Pop, Bibi, and Brady for my super fun tree and ghost!

My trick or treat basket.

This book was really interesting...

Thanks Mimi for introducing me to tootsie pops!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-28T21:35:00.002-04:00

Chad and Jackson carved a pumpkin together...okay Chad carved the pumpkin Jackson was entertained by it for a minute before he went on to bigger and better things like walking around his high chair repeatedly. It is miserably cold, windy, and rainy here hence the reason why we carved it on the kitchen table so excuse the mess please!

Fall Fun

2008-10-26T16:11:00.005-04:00

Since this is probably going to be the last pretty day for a while we dressed Jackson up in one of his cutest fall outfits to get a few pictures. He wasn't very smiley but oh well I guess. There are also a few from last night in the bath tub. We just switched him to taking baths in the big tub and boy does he have a good time!

We are busy here getting ready for Halloween and packing to go to Louisville which we are so excited about! Jackson has so many cute Halloween outfits for this week, so check in for updates! Chad and Jackson are also suppose to carve a pumpkin this week which should be interesting to say the least.

Jackson took his first two steps without holding onto anything on Tuesday, Chad's birthday. We are still waiting for him to take off on his own but he is making progress.

Apple Harvest

2008-10-22T21:13:00.004-04:00

I made it home from Pennsylvania late Saturday night (which was an awesome trip by the way) so in order to spend some quality time with Chad and Jackson we went to the Apple Harvest Festival on Sunday. I had bought Jackson the cutest outfit with a cow and an apple tree on it and what better chance to wear it than at the apple orchard! We went to my friend Samantha's family orchard. Unfortunately Jackson was more interested in the pumpkins than the apples but at least he had a good time!

This is my and Daddy's new favorite game and yes my mom does realize it is dangerous!

It was a cold morning and I wanted daddy to share his coffee!

This is the only way mommy and daddy could get me to leave, they had to buy me a mini pumkin!

I Wanna Help!

2008-10-15T20:44:00.006-04:00

Because I have to go to Pennsylvania on a field trip with the kids this weekend, Jackson is leaving for his nana's tomorrow. Needless to say we have spent the night packing. Of course Jackson felt like he needed to help especially when it came to picking out his pajamas and his blanket. Unfortunately for Chad and I, Jackson's help just turned into more work for us. Oh, well he had fun anyway.

Jackson's Halloween costume came today. I am not sharing pictures yet because I am keeping it under wraps until the big day but oh my goodness is it adorable! I can't wait for Halloween now. We were worried he wouldn't wear the head piece but we tried it on tonight and he had a big time in it. Thank goodness! Here are some pics of all of Jackson's hard work tonight and a few random ones as well. Please don't mind the fact that he kept losing clothing it is a long story!

I'll pick out my pjs mom!
No these are the ones I want!
Now where is that blankie?

No more blankies in here...

must be down here somewhere

Here it is mom!

Check out my new top tooth!

4 down 3 to go

2008-10-12T20:58:00.004-04:00

We have sold 4 of the 7 puppies now. Needless to say it was a busy weekend here. The 3 males are left. We can't believe it, we think 2 of them were the prettiest in the bunch, I guess people are sexist when it comes to dogs. Anyway, if you know anyone looking for a super sweet dog, send them my way please!!!
Jackson had a great week. At school (have I mentioned how much I love that place!) they taught him to clap whenever he heard patticake which is so cute. He is also working on saying Bailey. We continue to be so close to walking, this has of course led to many accidents. Sorry so many bath pictures this week, I couldn't choose!

Washing my feet.
Brushing up on my b-ball skils.

Yay only a few more weeks until basketball season starts!

My new favorite play place...yes my mommy realizes it is dangerous but it is play with this or the outlets, so mommy picked this!

Another Week

2008-10-07T20:40:00.004-04:00

Just another week here. I am finally beginning to admit that with teaching school, going to school, and raising a soon to be toddler I may only be able to blog once a week. I hate not being able to share pictures more often but I feel like time just gets away from me these days. Jackson is still changing a little more all of the time. He is adding more words to his vocabulary. His new favorite is uh-oh which is pretty funny to hear. He is amazingly close to walking. He will let go of the furniture for a minute or two until he realizes he isn't holding on, then he gets scared and grabs it again. He is still into everything of course and wears us out trying to catch him. Of course his appetite is still come and go and his favorite food choices change daily. Today our favorites are sugar snap peas (don't ask me why!) graham crackers with bananas sandwiched inside, and of course our go to favorites bacon and cheese straws. Mmmm...doesn't that make you hungry!

In other news we went to church for the first time in what seemed like forever Sunday. Much harder with Jackson now! He was very hard to entertain and keep still. We did okay until he threw a cookie and it hit someone in the head 2 rows up. After that he went to the crying room with Chad to burn off some energy! Lets hope next Sunday goes better!

Dressed and ready for school, just needed to play a few minutes first.

Playing with the train set Nina got me.

Riding on Reese's Muffin Man car. It was so much fun!

My favorite place to play...mommy's bed!

This is exactly why you don't give a 9 month old spaghetti.

Dressed and ready for church!

Another week

2008-09-30T20:49:00.003-04:00

Finally almost halfway through another week! I made it through the state fair over the weekend. It was actually a really nice show and I had a great time judging. As scary as it is Chad and I actually agreed on just about everything...I don't think that has ever happened! We got to do a little Christmas shopping while we were there for farm toys which was great.
I
have been busy starting to plan Jackson's birthday party. It is hard to believe it has almost been a year, time is just going by way too fast. I am headed back to the state fair on Friday with the kids and then am looking forward to a hopefully quiet weekend at home!

A few pictures from the last week:

I loved the bed at Nana's the poles were great for jumping!
Dada and I sharing a bagel...
Ready for school...
still waiting for mom to get me in the car!
I love the puppies as long as they stay on the other side of the door so they can't jump on me!

Everything.

2008-09-25T21:13:00.006-04:00

Everything...that is what Jackson is into now. I have never been up and down the steps so many times or said no so much. I am guessing it is only going to get worse now that Jackson is becoming a toddler. Jackson learned to give high five with his dad this week which is super cute and he also stood up on his own for the first time. He tried to let go and take his first step but fell first, at least he is trying though.

We have a busy weekend here. Jackson is going to stay at Nana and Poppy's because I am judging the Virginia State Fair so Chad and I are headed to Richmond. I am sure we will have some pics when we get back. In the meantime here are some pictures from the last couple of days, it is a hodge podge.

This is my new cute trick...clapping!
This is how you make butter. First you put the milk in this can to seperate the cream.
Then you put it in the butter churn!

Daddy bought me this new walking toy and I helped him put it together.

I'll read the directions, you do what I say.

Harrisburg

2008-09-25T20:54:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday we went to Harrisburg to see all the Waverly cows show. It definitely wasn't the best day we have ever had, but Jackson did have a great day playing with Reese. Here are a few pictures of the day! I should have called the post, Jackson plays with wheels because that is about all he did all day, they are his new obsession.

The fence at the show ring was great for walking along!
Shh! Don't tell Reese I am playing with her stroller.
Ooh, looks like she has a flat...
I'll be a gentleman and fix it for her!

9 months old

2008-09-17T20:23:00.002-04:00

On Monday Jackson turned 9 months old so we went to the doctor today for our 9 month check-up. He was in the 20th percentile for weight at a whopping 19lbs. 2 oz. and the 90% for height at 29.5 inches! We are thinking of blood typing him soon, how we ended up with a tall skinny child is beyond us! He is healthy as a horse though. The doctor said to keep trying to get him to eat, it will work eventually. Chad told him all Jackson ate was Bacon and he said to give him as much bacon as he wanted, so I am leaving the skillet on the stove for now! He also got his first flu shot which he definitely wasn't crazy about. The doc also said he was very advanced in his motor skill development. Usually when they are ahead in motor skills they are behind in verbal and vice versa but Jackson was right on target with verbal skills too with all the words he is saying! Yay! Most importantly, all the nurses loved his outfit and we all know that is what is really important :)

Tomorrow is Harrisburg which we are anxiously awaiting. I am sure I will have lots of pics tomorrow evening. I am suppose to be trying out my new camera on the cows but I think I will end up with more of Jackson and Reese playing in the barn! We have a brown cow outfit laid out of course.

These pictures have nothing to do with going to the doctor but I took them this morning and tonight so I thought I would share. Chad is mortified Jackson had my necklace on this morning so please don't tell him I shared!!

Mommy swears this is a necklace but it seems more like a jump rope to me!

Mommy and Daddy thought this face was pretty adorable!

Happy Birthday

2008-09-14T14:34:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I turned 25...that is right a quarter of a century! Even though I was feeling pretty old yesterday it is nice to know that no matter how old I get, Chad is still older! Chad came through and got me a new camera, a Sony Powershot DSC-H10. It is wonderful, I could not be happier! I am already amazed at the cool things it will do and how awesome the color is. The last camera Chad got me was modern at the time, but is amazing how things have changed! I can't wait to really put it to the test Thursday at Harrisburg, my Kodak never did good at cow shows!

Mom and Brittany were here for the weekend and we had a great time. I think they were amazed at how much Jackson had changed and I know he had fun playing with him! Mom taught him to go all the way up the steps so I am already having lots of fun spending hours letting him go up and down.

We went shopping yesterday in Hagerstown and had a blast. I found some super cute clothes to judge the Virginia State Fair in and mom treated me to some new outfits for my birthday. Last night, Chad took me to Charles Town to the racetrack which I was nervous about at first but it was so much fun! We ate at the Skyline Terrace which was an AMAZING seafood buffet where I ate my weight in shrimp, clams, and mussels. The restaurant overlooked the track so we could bet while we ate which was great. I totally sucked on the horses, my Keeneland days are well over! After losing 3 times, we decided we were each going to play the slots once just to say we did it. Chad totally sucked but I won $65.00 which was a lot of fun! Thanks Chad for planning a nice evening out, it was great to eat a meal without baby food flying from one end to the other.

In Jackson news, he has learned to clap which is too adorable for words and mom swears he said great day yesterday, which I am still questioning slightly. We have such a busy week this week, Jackson turns 9 months old tomorrow (where does the time go??), has his 9 month check-up on Wednesday, and I am taking the day off on Thursday to go to Harrisburg to watch the show. Check in often this week for hopefully lots of updates!

This is my new face. Mommy and Daddy call it the ugly face because they can remember calling Regan's the same thing a few years ago when she would make it!
Nina brought me this super cool trainset. So far I won't let it run on the track, but maybe one day!

Me and my Nina!Me and Aunt BiBi!

Bye Bye

2008-09-07T19:55:00.004-04:00

Jackson learned to wave bye bye this weekend at Miss Patricia's on Saturday. Its probably because we cut all of his hair off Saturday. I was so inspired I cut all of mine off too. Here are some pics of the new haircut and Jackson's latest trick going up the steps...our life is over!

I guess I can play with my hairbrush now since I don't have nearly as much hair to brush!

Puppies

2008-09-07T19:48:00.003-04:00

The puppies are chaning almost as fast as Jackson. Here are some new pics of them in case you are interested! The pictures aren't the greatest, turns out they are as hard to catch as Jackson too.

Our favorite Red Tri Female. She has blue eyes very rare for a red tri!

Red Merle male

Lots of Change

2008-09-03T20:25:00.004-04:00

The past few weeks have brought so many changes in Jackson. He is now a champion crawler and had moved onto cruising around the furniture. He still loves Rosedale and Miss Deanie and Miss Melody. He even cries when we pick him up because he wants to stay...meanwhile I cry because he likes it there better than home! Here are a ton of pictures from the last week or so...

The showbox is one of my favorite toys because I can pull all of mommy's pictures and baskets off of it!

I also love drawers for obvious reasons, especially pulling all mom's clothes out of the dresser when she is trying to get ready for work in the morning.
I think mom took this to prove I do wear my clothes more than once sometimes.

This is my favorite book because it has a dog in it that looks just like my Bailey!

One of my favorite games is looking at Bailey through the door. He likes it almost as much as I do.

This was our "photo shoot" for the Maryland Virginia Calendar. We were all actually pretty good and Laura even got some without any of us crying! Isn't she a great photographer? We think she needs to open a studio, lord knows my mom alone could keep her in business!
This was the one we picked! We all had a great time giving the calf a bath!

I loved playing in the bubbles.

This bottle is more my size!

On the Move

2008-08-26T20:01:00.004-04:00

Jackson finally started crawling on Friday before I left for work! He went after a bottle of lotion of all things. We already feel like our life is over as he took right off and is unmanagable now. I don't know how long crawling will last, he is interested in walking now. He is pulling up and cruising around everything. On Sunday he even pulled up on our dresser and started opening and pulling things out of the drawers, what fun! Anyway, here are some pictures of crawling, Jackson getting into things, and a few random ones because they didn't fit anywhere else.

I think I can do it...

getting closer....
almost there....
Got it!

All that work for this?

I think mommy was done reading this anyway.

First Day of "School"

2008-08-18T22:06:00.003-04:00

Today was Jackson's first day at Rosedale. Most days I will take him but since I had to work until 5 today Chad took him. I think it broke Chad's heart when Jackson didn't cry when he left. He just got in the floor and started playing! The day seemed to go pretty well. His teacher said he was her new favorite and she couldn't believe that he held his own bottle, went to sleep on his own, and didn't take a pacifier...made us feel like we are doing something right! I hope things keep going well, all I can say so far is that we love it!

This is my serious school look.
My shopaholic mother is determined for me to be the best dressed kid at Rosedale. I definitely won today!
Mom wanted to take my picture with my backpack...I wanted to stand up on the rocking chair.
Playing with my toys one last time before time to go.
Phew I learned a lot today. When I got home I worked on my numbers on the fridge. Mom is sure I was close to figuring out the speed of light here.

Nana & Poppy's

2008-08-18T22:00:00.002-04:00

On Sunday Chad had the afternoon off so we headed to Culpeper to visit with his family. Jackson had a great time playing with his cousins and I know his Nana and Poppy enjoyed seeing him because it had been a while. Here are a few pictures of the day!

Playing on the bridge between the two fish ponds my daddy built. Don't I stand up good now?
Me and Daddy at the fish pond. He is so proud of what he did!
Cousin Jacob entertaining me while Daddy colored with Billy.
Me and the whole gang, Daddy, Johnny, Billy, and Jacob.

More Fun at the Fair

2008-08-15T14:15:00.004-04:00

We went back to the Montgomery County Fair last night for Supreme Champion. It was a great night as the farm was recognized for being the only family to exhibit at the dairy show every year for the last 60 years. Miss Patricia's cow Tauntra was also Supreme Grand Champion which was awesome! Here are a few pictures of Jackson from the night.

Daddy entertaining me during supreme.
Wow Tauntra won!
Regan was my best buddy during the show. She treats me like her baby doll and I love the attention.
I didn't know what was in this bag but I knew it looked fun.
What is this stuff?
I don't know what it is but I want more!
Obviously my mommy hasn't taught me to chew with my mouth closed yet.

Wow being at the fair sure wears you out. I fell asleep right in the middle of it.

Fair Fun

2008-08-13T13:09:00.002-04:00

Last night was the show at Montgomery County Fair. Jackson had a great time and was especially good which is amazing considering we didn't get home until almost 12. Waverly's cows did great of course, especially Miss Patricia's Tauntra who was Grand Champion! We go back tomorrow night for supreme so make sure to check for more pictures.

In other BIG news Jackson pulled himself to standing on Monday night. We have officially given up on crawling and are 100% focused on walking. He is doing great with it and I doubt it will be too long before he is taking off!

Me and the Junior 2 Year Olds Gentry and TeeBug.
Ew, what is this stuff?

Being at the fair sure does wear you out. I was playing in my bed earlier and just fell asleep like this!

So Big

2008-08-08T22:06:00.003-04:00

Jackson is getting big way too fast! I put him down for his nap today and when I went to check on him he was sitting up in his crib playing! This was the first time he has pulled himself to sitting! He also is standing all the time now!

Check out that hair!
I still like swimming...
but I like driving better!

Mix of Emotions

2008-08-07T21:01:00.004-04:00

Things have definitely been up and down here. We lost two of the puppies last night. The vet did everything she could for the first one but it was the runt and was too weak to make it. I worked with the other puppy for two hours last night trying to get it to keep breathing but its little body finally gave out. We think Millie just had too many and they weren't all strong enough. So far the other 7 seem to be doing okay but we are having to tube feed them (sticking a long tube down their throat and into their belly) twice a day because Millie is just worn out. But so I don't make this too depressing I decided to share pictures of our little miracles that are left below. We are in love with them all!!!

Red Tri Female #1

Red Tri Female #2
Red Tri Female #3, our favorite tri yet!
Red Tri #3
Red Tri #3
Red Merle Male
Blue Merle Male
Red merle Male

Blue Merle Male

Welcome to the World...

2008-08-06T06:59:00.003-04:00

Millie had her puppies early this morning! So far there are 9, 6 girls and 3 boys. There are 2 blue merles, 4 red merles, and 3 red tris so it is a GREAT mix! There will be lots of pics of the puppies to come, but they are way to nasty right now! Instead I thought I would share a pic of Millie when we brought her home 4 years ago!! It is hard to believe it has been that long... If you or someone you know is looking for a puppy, we have the perfect one for you!

Two Down...Five To Go

2008-08-05T20:03:00.003-04:00

I am officially finished with my first two classes that I need for my math certification. It definitely made for a long summer but we got through it okay and with A's in both. Now its onto Finite Math this fall!!

On another note, please pray for my friend Jeff who is having surgery on his broken jaw tomorrow. And even more importantly, pray for my friend Michelle, Jeff's fiance, she is going to have to take care of him and you know how men are!!

Midnight Ride

2008-07-30T11:12:00.003-04:00

Jackson was wound up when we got home from the fair last night...probably because all of thie ice cream. He wanted to play so we decided to let him ride his rocking horse and cow for the first time. He loved it! He even acted like he knew what he was doing by grabbing the horses reign and kicking its side with his feet. Kentucky Derby here we come!

I thought you were suppose to ride horses not cows!

Carousel

2008-07-30T11:05:00.003-04:00

Chad and Brittany brought Jackson to the fair last night while I worked at the Beef Show. Once I was done we took Jackson to ride the carousel. He wasn't quite sure what to think about it, I am sure he will enjoy it more next year! Of course since we were at the fair we had to let him have his favorite junk food...ice cream! Next to the ice cream his favorite part was the pigs and the rabbits. He even stuck his hand in the rabbit cage and grabbed it. I am trying to convice Chad that Jackson needs a pig and a rabbit but I am not getting anywhere! We are already dying for Jackson to be old enough to show!

Bibi, you want me to hold on to that pole? I would rather suck on it!

Please mom, let me hold it!!!

We All Scream for Ice Cream

2008-07-27T21:31:00.003-04:00

While we were at Regan's Party I got the bright idea to let Jackson feed himself ice cream. I know what was I thinking! He had a great time though even though it was messy...

Happy BIrthday to You...

2008-07-27T21:13:00.007-04:00

Tonight we went to Regan's Birthday Party. It was a lot of fun and Jackson had a great time watching all of the kids. Thanks for inviting us Regan and Happy Birthday again!!

Mom, I want to go to the party not take pictures in the yard!

Oops I forgot my shades, now you can take it.

This is my intellectual look...

Reese Cup
Check out my daddy's farmers tan!!
All of the partygoers. I was the only boy, what a life!

Regan opening her presents. She got so much cool stuff! She even got an Ipod! Hint hint mom and dad :)

Me and Bibi
The birthday girl riding on her palm tree.
Thanks for the party favor Regan. I love the shoes and the teething ring!

Kentucky Kandids

2008-07-27T09:47:00.003-04:00

We are back from Kentucky and boy did we have a great time. It is always so much fun to go there and see everyone. Jackson got to see lots of his great aunts and uncles, played with the cows and dogs, and went to Nina's work to meet all of his dedicated blog readers! He also learned new tricks like fake coughing when someone else coughs (thanks Nina) and saying bye bye! Here are a few more pictures from the trip. Also, thanks Mike, Patricia, Claire, Laura, and Maggie for pitching in so Chad could go!

See I look like my dada, I got his dimples!

Mmmm...I am a true southerner, I love me a biscuit!

First Hair Trim!

2008-07-27T09:41:00.004-04:00

Even though we know you are suppose to wait one year, we had to break down and get Jackson's hair trimmed while we were in Kentucky. We aren't counting it as his first haircut because there wasn't enough to save, it was just his first trim! We are so glad we did it, his hair doesn't stick up everywhere anymore, it lays down so much better. Thank you Taby for cutting it and Deidra for holding me while Taby cut it!

Machinery Man

2008-07-27T09:36:00.005-04:00

Jackson got to spend lots of time with Pop and Uncle Brady while we were in Kentucky. Of course they wasted no time introducing him to all of their toys...Jackson loved them of course!

Here I am helping Pop and Brady fix the silage chopper, they couldn't have fixed it without me!

How do you make this thing go?

The Talking Tree

2008-07-27T09:32:00.002-04:00

Jackson needed some new shoes so while we are in Kentucky we went to the Talking Tree to get some. This is where I got all of my shoes when I was a kid and they are great. As the name says they have a talking tree that talks to the kids when they leave...it is magic!

Trying on my new sandals!
Yeah, they feel pretty good...
they taste better though!

The tree said, "Bye bye Jackson, come back and see us real soon."

Blue Ribbon Baby

2008-07-27T09:21:00.003-04:00

Jackson got to show his very first calf last weekend at the Mercer County Fair in Kentucky. Chad was the judge so of course he did great! Brady took Jackson in the ring and they had a big time. Jackson's favorite part was chewing on the leather show halter. When Jackson gets big and shows cows all the time he can say he literally grew up teething on a show halter!

Brady introduced me to Spirit, their Shister Junior Calf. She went on to be Supreme Junior Champion....I have good cow taste!
Mmmmm...tastes like show halter.

Aww, come on Uncle Brady why are we in the middle, I wanna be in first!
Mmmm...I like blue!Blue was my favorite color, now I think I like purple better!

Milk Man

2008-07-13T09:49:00.003-04:00

Jackson wanted to show off his super cute jammies he wore last night. Claire and Laura gave them to me at my shower and the fit Jackson perfect now. He looks like such a grown-up boy in them! Thanks Claire and Laura!!

Mmmmm...baby chicken tastes good!

A Deer???

2008-07-13T09:29:00.002-04:00

We went to the Stern's home last night to celebrate Braden's 3rd Birthday. We had a lot of fun visiting with everyone and enjoying some great food. Our gift to Braden was a bull calf from the farm for him to show in the bucket calf class at the fair. As Braden finished opening his presents we led the calf around for him to see, and he exclaimed, "It's a Deer." When we explained to him it was a calf, he couldn't believe it was his to keep! We are so glad he enjoyed it and hope he has fun showing it at the fair.

Playing in the rock garden. In my hat at home before the party started.
The 5 seconds that the calf wore its bow.
Braden with is new calf and bottle.
Braden talking to his calf and naming him Woody.
Here I am saying bye to the calf, I love cows!
Me and Braden with Woody.

I'm Moving

2008-07-13T09:22:00.004-04:00

Friday I as in the yard with Chad while he was getting water for the calves when I looked down and almost stepped on a big black snake. I of course screamed like a fool and told Chad we were moving to somewhere where there were no snakes. He calmly picked it up, put it in a bucket and took it to live a much better life in the silage pit. I didn't get any pictures of this one, but it did inspire me to share these pictures of the last black snake we found in May.

In

2008-07-10T13:20:00.003-04:00

We got the call around lunch time that Jackson will be attending Rosedale this fall. We can not tell you how happy we are that he will be at such a loving Christian place. It is a big relief for Chad and I. We go Monday to do all of the paperwork and then Jackson will start when I go back to school in August. We are so happy things worked out!

Waiting...

2008-07-08T08:48:00.002-04:00

We are anxiously awaiting a call from Rosedale Christian Academy to see if Jackson can attend there this fall. We are hoping that it will be a good fit for him and will make things easier on Chad and I this upcoming fall. Keep your fingers crossed for us, it is such a wonderful place and we will be so lucky if they accept him.

On another note, thanks to Mark and Kathy for taking us out for a great dinner last night, it was greatly appreciated!

Saturday Night Out

2008-07-06T14:02:00.002-04:00

While we were waiting for Chad to get home last night from the barn Jackson and I tried to take some good pictures in his little tractor shortall. Unfortunately, he was more into playing with the butter churn and looking around than taking pictures. Here you go anyway!

This rocking chair was my Great Grandma Stewart's.
One decent pose....
Then I decided to play with the butter churn intead of smiling for mommy!

6 Month Check Up

2008-07-02T20:28:00.002-04:00

Jackson had his sixth month check-up today. He was in the 75th percentile for height at 27 and 1/4 inches. He was only in the 25th percentile for weight at 16 lbs. 12 oz. So I guess he is going to be tall and skinny. Don't ask us where he got that from! He also had to get shots of course, so we have had a long day. You can see the poor little tears in his eyes in one of the pictures.

I want to help...

2008-07-02T20:26:00.002-04:00

Chad decided to cut Jackson's nails Tuesday night so the pediatrician wouldn't think we were bad parents. Of course, this turned into quite and adventure since Jackson wanted to help!

New Toy

2008-07-02T20:22:00.002-04:00

We went to Target Sunday night and accidentally walked through the toy aisle. Chad made the mistake of stopping at this fun barnyard toy with a cow on it and of course Jackson had to have it. It is his new favorite and he has spent hours playing with it. I however am seriously considering removing the batteries!

KISS

2008-07-02T20:14:00.003-04:00

So Jackson is trying to look like the lead singer from KISS these days. When I was trying to take is picture Sunday, this is all he would do! In other news, he said ma-ma on Saturday so now we are up to dada, baba, and mama. Does he know what any of them mean...of course not! Do we care...of course not!

Good Morning!

2008-06-27T08:51:00.005-04:00

Jackson woke up in such a good mood this morning! I swear he can hear the camera turn on and starts smiling for his pictures! I am enjoying having extra time to spend with him these days, so there will probably be lots of pictures.

Daddy usually tickles me, but since he wasn't around I did it myself!

Hungry Man!

2008-06-23T20:46:00.000-04:00

Jackson is really into eating new things these days. We have switched to Stage II food. He loves frozen canteloupe and pineapple too. He started eating Cheerios today and of course his most favorite is cookies!! Thanks Laura for getting us hooked:)

I am a little cookie monster!
MMMM....Canteloupe, my favorite!
I love to watch mommy's face when she turns around and sees how dirty I am after dinner.

Kentucky Candids

2008-06-23T20:32:00.000-04:00

Jackson had a great time last week at Nina and Pop's. Fortunately Aunt Bibi took lots of pictures of him and sent them to us so we wouldn't miss him too bad. Even though it was a hard week for Chad and I, Jackson had a great week and I know it was good for all of us. Here is a glimpse of his week!

Uncle Brady and I playing with my teething ring.

Me and Johnny Blue who Nina and Pop bought from mommy and daddy last fall.

Me and Barnstormer's Shister calf. I am hoping Nina and Pop will give her to me since we bonded so much.

Swinging!

Thanks for putting my swing up Uncle Brady!

Thanks for taking lots of pictures for mommy and daddy Aunt Bibi!

Goodbye!

2008-06-15T06:52:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a hard day for us. We had to say goodbye to Jackson. He went to Kentucky to spend the week with Nina and Pop while I am at State FFA Convention. We shed a lot of tears on the way home and the house just seems so quiet without him. Of course, he is having a blast already I am sure!

Here I am playing in my car seat in mommy's car.

Aren't the sunglasses Nina bought me for the trip cool?

First Tooth!

2008-06-12T19:40:00.000-04:00

Jackson got his first tooth today after months of teething! It is still barely there, but we can definitely feel it and see it! He is getting big way to fast for us. We are busy packing for his first by himself trip to Nina and Pop's in Kentucky so check in soon for traveling pictures.

I am trying to show off my tooth for the camera, it is just hard to see!

Already working on the next one!