Keeping up with Jackson

Time to catch up...

2011-09-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a reeeeaaallllllyyyyy long time since I have posted anything (as Mimi pointed out the other day). Our summer was AWESOME!!! I cannot believe that Jackson starts kindergarted next year!! I tried to soak up every single second with him and his brother this summer and just enjoyed my time with my boys.

So, since I took a nice, long break from blogging I have a ton to catch up on. This is just a tiny, little peek at what we have coming up. Just to give you a little hint - I will be blogging about....

a Zoo trip with Jack's best friend Riley, Jacob's 1st birthday, summer adventures, July 4th, our beach trip (x2), a mimi and papa visit, Jack starting Tball, Jack's first day of his last year of preschool, Jacob crawling, Jacob's first (and long overdue) haircut, and many, many more adventures!!

Just to wet your whistle - here a just 3 small pictures of my boys!! Enjoy and see you soon!!

Whew!! Summer is here!!

2011-06-10T17:19:00.001-07:00

Can you say busy???? And HOT!!!!

It seems like since preschool ended for Jackson two weeks ago, we have been going nonstop. It has been a ton of fun but I am ready for a vacation (fortunately we are headed to Mimi and Papa's for a few days - praying for some down time in the country where things are always a little slower).

We had 2 weeks of swim lessons - where my big man was in the highest level he could be in for the preschool lessons and they go up to age 6!! He can swim and float on his back, dive (well...maybe belly flop but at least he is trying), and is starting to do some strokes.

He is also learning how to ride his bike with no training wheels!! Lee has taken him to a soccer field several times and let him ride without the training wheels - the field is easier on him when he falls. He is doing so good with this...it will take some practice but, wow, he is really doing it!

No training wheels and Lee isn't holding on to him!! He rode the entire length of this field several times without falling.

And this is just for fun. This is Jackson, Riley and G (and G's little brother W) on their last day of preschool. G and Jack are superhero OBSESSED and often wore the same superhero shirt to school. On the last day all three boys planned to wear their Superman shirts and I just had to get a picture. Of course (as I am learning is normal for 4 year old boys and deserves a post all it's own) they cannot and will not take pictures without making silly faces.

More posts to come - when I can find the time. Jacob just started crawling, though, so I dont see that in the near future.

Look what we're learning to do...

2011-05-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

This is the big man the first time he was able to pick up a puff and actually get it in his mouth. He was so proud!! Before that, he would just pick them up and get them stuck to his hands or cheek or shirt. He still has a problem with them sticking everywhere and last night when I put him to bed he had one in his diaper. Super cute - he is growing so fast I cannot believe it. Since this video, he has moved on to little pieces of bagel and banana and (as soon as I make some) he'll try pancakes and waffles.

And this is my bigger man READING!!! Wow, I am so proud of him. I got this Bob book from the library. He has been incredibly interested in figuring out what letter words start with and asking me several times a day "how do you spell (you fill in the blank)"? I really didnt think he would be interested in this book because he got several Curious George and Henry and Mudge books that I thought he would like more but when I showed him how to sound out the words he spent a good hour reading this.

Now, this is the best video I could get of this kid. When I am not filming Jacob, Jackson really wants nothing to do with being filmed.

We just started letting Jackson leave his bedroom light on for a few minutes and "read" after we put him to bed at night. Well, last night he asked for this Bob book and after several minutes called Lee up to hear him read. He read a whole sentence!!! Go big guy!! I am so proud of you!

These boys are growing so fast I cannot keep up! Love them and am enjoying every minute with them!

First words...

2011-05-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

Jacob said his first work ("Dada" of course) Easter weekend. Grandpa was here and got to witness it. Since then, the words have just spilled out. I got a "Mama" today. Yes, that is Jackson in the background saying "Dada" every time I ask Jacob to say it. And, yes, he is in the bathroom as he is saying it. Yes, we have lots of conversations while he is in the bathroom. Jacob is just beginning to talk - Jack never stops.

My life as a burrito

2011-03-04T11:23:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Jacob and I am a swaddle addict.

I seriously think I am going to be sending this little guy to college with swaddling instructions for his roommate. He loves to be swaddled!!! Loves it! Waaaaayyy too much!!

We have swaddled Jacob since he was a newborn. He just slept better that way - and still does. Wait - let me rephrase that - he now will sleep only if he is swaddled. Believe me - we have tried it the other way and it does not work. Last night we put him to bed unswaddled - it took him 90 minutes to fall asleep and then he slept for...get this...a whole 30 minutes. Woo hoo! We then swaddled him up because it was getting kind of late and he was so upset and tired and mad about being taken out of his happy little burrito world that it took him another hour to fall asleep.

Yes, he finally fell asleep - swaddled - last night after that debacle and he will continue to do so until he tells us he is ready to not be swaddled. Hopefully before his 16th birthday.

He's too big for any swaddle blanket so we have a velcro swaddle blanket with the feet cut out over a receiving blanket that keeps his arms pinned down. Sounds weird, I know, but he loves it. If he wakes up in the middle of the night I send Lee up to his room (Lee is the swaddle master. The boy looks like he is in a straight jacket in one of Lee's swaddles) to re-swaddle him. This is what I hear....crying, crying, crying, crying, velcro....silence. The minute you get him all wrapped up - he is a happy camper.

Jacob in his happy burrito world

This is what I usually find in the morning - totally unswaddled - the swaddle blanket is actually turned around backwards on him - one arm (sometimes 2) sticking out and upside down in his crib.

These Boys...

2011-02-28T15:19:00.000-08:00

Stole my heart with their first cry and have taught me what it means to fall in love at first sight. They bring such joy to my life and show me each and every day how awesome our God is. I marvel at their tiny hands and sweet smiles. I laugh when they laugh and cry when they cry.

While my days are filled with changing diapers, brushing little teeth, answering 6 millions questions (like "do monkeys wear parachutes?"), getting kids in and out (and in and out and in and out again) of car seats I could not imagine spending my days doing any thing else. What other job would allow my to wear a pink superhero cape to lunch? Or spend an hour playing on the floor while my 6 month old laughs and drools all over me?

Our good friend, Heather, came by yesterday afternoon to take some pictures of the boys. We are so blessed to have Heather (and her sweet family) in our lives. She is such a talented photographer and always willing to take pictures of our little men.

Here are the latest photos of Jackson and Jacob. Jackson was not 100% into getting his pictures taken and only had about 13 wardrobe changes but Heather was awesome to accomodate him (especially when all he wanted to do was spin on his sit n spin). I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!!

Swimmin' Man

2011-02-11T08:26:00.000-08:00

We enrolled Jackson in swim classes at the Y. We go 2 afternoons a week - the class is only 40 minutes but, man, they do a lot in those 40 minutes!! I think one day he swam the length of the pool 4 times.

The Y does a great job with these swim classes - he has one other boy in his group and one teacher. They split the kids up based on their level - some kids still need to wear flotation devices, Jack's group doesn't but they both were not comfortable floating on their backs so they didn't make it into the highest level.

Yesterday - Lee said he swam the entire lengthof the pool on his back!! (with a noodle under him). Amazing!! 2 days ago he freaked when you put him on his back in the pool! Now he's just a super swimmin' man.

Look out summertime!!

Ok, I just LOVE this picture. This little guy does NOT love the pool. This was on the 1st day when they were evaluating the kids to see what group they would be in. Just a little credit to the Y - this little guy has a teacher all to himself to help him adjust.

But look at Jack's face. He's kid of like "what's your problem??"

Proverbs 21:5

2011-02-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

"The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste lead to poverty" NIV

"Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty" NLT

About 2 1/2 years ago Lee and I sat down and realized we were in debt up to our eyeballs. One mortgage, 2 car payments, 2 student loans, 2 credit cards, medical bills, etc, etc, etc. We also realized that we were sick and tired of being sick and tired (or in debt). We were sick of watching the money that Lee worked so hard for every month come in and go out just as fast to pay for stuff we either didnt use anymore (all those credit card purchases) or to pay for 2 huge car payments.

So we decided then and there to make a change. We were going to get out of debt. We were going to quit borrowing money, scale down on our vehicles, sell a whole lot of our stuff and pay off our debt.

We looked at our bank statements over a 2 month period and realized that we needlessly spent a ton of $$ on stuff that we didn't need. One month we spent $700!!! just at Target. And this wasnt a Super TArget where we could be getting groceries - this was just on junk! We made a plan - we made a budget and we stuck to that budget. We realized that we didn't need all the stuff that we thought we needed. We also did a lot of praying.

And, now, only by the grace of God can we say that we have no debt!!! And we are starting to save!! Thank you, God!!

While the process was hard - we have learned so much in the process. We learned that we didn't need all that stuff. We learned that we could get by with so much less than we thought. I learned the very valuable art of couponing and comparison shopping.

And here's the crazy thing - we were blessed with this wonderful opportunity here in Raleigh where Lee is able to run his own company and financially we are blessed beyond measure. BUT - we still live on a budget!! Call me crazy - but it makes me insane when we go over our budget. I know exactly how much we can spend on groceries, gas, haircuts, car repairs, going out to eat, etc. I update it every month and I keep track of the spending throughout the month. It is a ton of work, especially with two kids but that is why I love to read Proverbs 21:5. It motivates me to keep going.

One othe huge blessing from being out of debt is how we are able to now give freely to our church beyond our tithe and to other missions.

7:48 am!!

2011-02-09T12:31:00.001-08:00

So, this is actually Jacob's 5 month post but I thought it more fitting to title it 7:48 am because that is how late this little man slept the day after his 5 month birthday.

You may be thinking that is no big deal, but in this house when Jacob sleeps past 5:15 am it is nothing short of a miracle. It happened to be on a Saturday so Lee and I enjoyed a nice, relaxing morning sleeping in (at least until 7:48 am).

Even with the early mornings, this little guy is such a sweetheart. We love him to death and are so, so thankful for each and every day we have with him. He is doing new things each and every day and I feel like our baby is growing up just a little too fast. Just today I had to go buy some 6-9 month sleepers because 1) that is all this boy wears (except to church) and 2) his 3-6 month sleepers were too short on his arms, his legs, in the feet area and were cutting off the circulation around his neck (just kidding about that last one but we were almost there).

He is rolling onto his side but HATES tummy time so gets almost there and then rolls right onto his back. He will stay in tummy time for just a short time and Jackson, Lee and me do everything we can to keep him there aside from duct taping his tummy to the floor. Just kidding about that too (maybe).

Speaking of duct tape - we are in the throes of weaning Jacob off his swaddle. We actually thought about just duct taping him in the thing but then realized that if he was breaking out of it enough to need duct tape it might be time to stop. He is not the best sleeper without the swaddle but is so MAD when we swaddle him and just screams and fights it the entire time. Will keep everyone updated about that. I know you are on the edge of your seats. But, say a prayer for us. We could all use a little sleep.

Duck bumps and other such things...

2011-02-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this age with Jackson - his little imagination and creatvity are both starting to shine and he is (most of the time) such a complete joy to be around. He is so inquisitive, wanting to know everything about everything. His questions aren't just Why?? anymore but How?? and When?? and Who?? I love it (most of the time - as every now and then just a moment of silence would be nice). I almost cannot keep up with him and all the questions he has.

He was out of school for 3 of the 5 Mondays in January, 2 for holidays and one for a teacher work day (they follow the local school district schedule). Just try explaining a teacher work day to a 4 year-old who understands that his school is usually only closed for holidays and holidays mean no mail and the library is closed.

This is just a snipped of the 45 MINUTE!! conversation about WHY??? he was not going to school on this particular Monday.

Me: You dont have school today what do you want to do?

J: Why dont I have school? I used to go to school on Monday.

Me: You still have school on Monday just not today.

J: Why? Is it a holiday? I used to have school on Monday.

Me: No, not a holiday, just a teacher work day.

J: What is a teacher work day?

Me: Teachers work but kids dont go to school (I wasnt about to try to explain that his teachers werent exactly working that day)

J: My teachers are there without me?? Why? Is it a holiday? I used to go to school on Monday, right??

Me: You still do, just not today.

J: Is it a holiday?

Me: Yes, Jack. It is a holiday today.

J: So no mail, right??

Me: Ummm....let's go to the library.

J: We cant go to the library, Mommy. 'Member, it's a holiday!!

He also expereinced goose bumps for the first time several months ago and was just astounded with the little bumps on his arms and legs. We had to go through a very thorough explanation about why he had them, where they came from and when they would go away. Several weeks later when he got chilly again he begged me to warm him up because he did not like getting those duck bumps on his arms.

And, last but not least, one afternoon Jackson found some little snack bags I had used for something at school in a kitchen drawer. He asked if he could use a few of them and then proceeded to entertain himself for hours with them. I had no idea was he was doing until after he was in bed that night and I found this...

It's one of the trash cans from his big trash truck. Just love seeing his little mind at work.

Oh yeah, this is his "tool box". You know, just in case you need something fixed with pennies, measuring spoons or paper clips.

Off to a good start...

2011-01-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

My goal for this year is to start running again. I ran New Years Day 2010 but then got pretty sick with my pregnancy about a week after that and didn't run a single step the rest of the year. Running is my stress release, it is my time away from everything. I dont even listen to music when I run - I just love hearing the sound of my feet hitting the pavement. And I have missed it so much I have often times felt like a little piece of me has been missing. I am eager to get out the door and start running and have done several little runs in the evenings once the boys are in bed.

Anyways - that being said - we really wanted to start the New Year off right. And the best way to do that?? With a run!! There was a great run here in Cary called the Resolution Run. But - we never got around to signing up for it and I was not sure if I would even be able to run 3 miles yet. I was pretty sad to miss out on the first opportunity to work towards my goal but super excited when I learned that they had a free kids dash - which didnt require registration at all.

We talked up the run to Jackson and he was so excited to race. He kept saying he was going to win and beat everybody!! Of course, no New Years Day run would be complete with out Jacks buddy, Riley. So we met Riley and his parents at the race, got the boys all stoked up for their first major race - and off they went.

There were probably about 30 kids of all ages and it was actually really cute. They did an actual start with the blowing of a fog horn and had adults along the sides cheering the kids on. Jack was absolutely adorable. He took off - Lee ran alongside him cheering him on the whole way (have I mentioned what an amazing Daddy Lee is?? Our boys are so blessed to have him and I dont know what I would do without him). Jackson was serious business about his race and was focused on the finish line. His little legs were just pumping and his arms were going. He loved it and I was so proud of him. It was so neat to see him feel like he had accomplished something. He actually finished pretty good - considering he was one of the youngest there.

All the kids to a medal when they crossed the finish line - they boys were so proud of their medals. They wore them all day long. Jack even wanted to bring his for show and tell at school.

The boys and their silly faces. Jackson actually always makes a silly face - I am working on a slide show of all his silly faces. This kid is a hoot. I am constantly cracking up scrolling through pictures of him. One day (like when he is 15) he will regret these silly faces. But for now, we are eating them up.

# 1!! Have I mentioned that Jack inherited Lee's competitiveness??? Riley has a little touch of it also so it is always super fun when they are together.

The starting line - that is Riley's mom and dad right in front of my camera and Jack and Lee are waaaayyy off to the right. Lee is in the red shirt.

Keep running, Bug. I am so proud of you and cant wait for the day we can run the races together!!

4 months...

2011-01-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it has been 4 months since this little guy came into our lives. Most days I want to just stop time - it is going way too fast. Jacob is just the sweetest little baby in the world - not the best sleeper in the world but his sweetness makes up for that. (Lee calls him the happiest, non-sleeping baby in the world. He has a wake-up time of about 5:00 am. No matter what we do this is when he has decided he will get up. So I have just decided that I will use that time to read my bible, pray and exercie before Jackson gets up. It's nice to have all that done before Jack gets up but, boy, am I tired come 7:00 pm. )

Jacob laughs at everything and smiles all day long. He loves his big brother - who can always get a laugh out of him. He is quite the little talker also. Some days he can almost compete with his brother in the talking area (and that is quite a feat seeing how Jack talks non stop).

He is growing like a little weed - we haven't had his 4 month check-up yet but he is a chunky little monkey. He inherited his daddy's long arms and legs - most of his clothes dont fit him in those 2 areas.

He can almost sit up on his own - Jackson and I had him sitting unsupported the other day and he stayed sitting for about 10 seconds before toppling over. He is drooling everywhere and has found his little hands and feet, which are always in his mouth.

He loves his Daddy and will turn his head the minute he hears him walk in the room. He does the same thing for his brother.

We love this little guy and are enjoying every, single day with him. Realizing how incredibly fast the past 4 years went with Jackson has made me stop and appreciate every little thing with Jacob. God has given us such strength to get through the days after many sleepless nights. We know that our boys are a true blessing and enjoy them noth so much.

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-22T16:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!

Just a few recent pictures/videos of our boys. Jacob is growing so fast and is such a cutie!! He smiles all.the.time. Is laughing up a storm and has started squealing at things he likes (like his brother and dad).

Does this smile look familiar?? Jack used to do the tongue thing also.

And a few videos of Jack. The first is him reciting his bible verse for the month. Love, love, love our church and especially the kids program. He comes home so excited about learning God's word. We have really, really tried to make sure Jackson knows what this season is all about. Presents are cool, Santa is fun (Jackson prefers him from a distance) but we have really stressed that we are celebrating Jesus' birth.

The 2nd video is his Christmas program at his preschool. It was ADORABLE. Seriously. 30 or so 3-4 year olds singing songs on stage. Can it get any cuter?? Jackson had been practicing the songs for weeks and weeks. We would hear him in his bed singing and singing. He is so good with the hand motions, too. They do a lot of singing and hand motions at church and he LOVES it. Maybe a future in music???

If you eat too much candy...

2010-11-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

your teeth'll fall outta your head.

This is what my Jack told me one day when I told him he could not have any more candy.

"Oh yeah, Mommy, cause if you eat too much candy your teeth'll fall outta your head right???"

"That's right, Jack"

We went trick or treating in our neighborhood with Riley and Graysie (from our small group) this year. Our neighborhood is sooo kid-friendly and mainly made up of families with small children. There was a parade and then a costume judging .

Jackson rreeeaaalllyy wanted to be Batman this year - this is actually the first year I bought him a costume (sniff, sniff). We had a black mask and black cape (which he always wears while pretending to be a superhero) but I couldnt get it together this year to get the rest of a costume made. So, I cut myself some slack (hey, we had a 7 week old) and bought him Batman. He loved it and was so excited to have a Batman mask with pointy ears "like the real Batman, Mommy"

Here are Riley (Tennessee player, of course), Graysie (the most beautiful princess) and Jack (the super-cool Batman) at our house before the parade and trick-or-treating.

Jack, Graysie (I see Riely's Tennessee helmet off to the right but have no idea what happened to him) during the costume judging for Jack's age group.

Getting the good stuff (kind of dark, I know). Graysie had a hard time understanding that once you got one piece of candy you were supposed to turn around and leave. She just kept sticking around and since she was so cute - just kept getting more candy. These boys could take some lessons from her.

Jacob dressed up like a 7 week old. He won first prize in his age group because, well, he was the only one.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-10T11:17:00.001-08:00

2 months!!

2010-11-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

Can't believe this little guy is two months!! (Actually 2 months and 4 days today)

We are loving every minute of him - he is growing so fast! Smiles have started coming out more and more often, he is laughing (adorable!!) and trying so hard to talk! He gets his arms just going, puckers his little lips up, gets a really intent look on his face and after about 10 minutes of this lets out a little "oooohhh). Love it!

He had his 2-month check-up - his doctor was also loving the smiles and laughing (she walked us through those first few tough weeks). He weighs 11 lbs 10 oz and is 24 inches long. Growing just great.

His eyes are still blue (imagine that - anothet light haired, blue eyed kid from two dark haired, brown eyed parents). We will see if they change. He loves his big brother and will follow his voice anywhere. He also LOVES to watch TV. Seriously, Jack didnt watch TV until after he was 2 - this kid is already addicted. We dont have the TV on that much but when it is you can bet his little head will be turning to find it.

Just a few pics of our little man...

Little smiles - it has been sooo hard to catch this kid with a smile. He always has those arms going and any good smile picture I have has half an arm in the way.
(Ignore my coupon mess in the background - Harris Teeter was doing Super Double coupons so I was preparing)

This I love...this is him laughing. I laugh all day after getting just one of these from him.

And then, just because his Daddy is a goof ball. Jacob with his massive cup of coffee. No wonder he didnt sleep that night.

Jackson & Riley

2010-11-02T06:21:00.000-07:00

We have been blessed to meet some wonderful new friends through our church. 2 of the couples have kids Jack's age - an extra special blessing since we left some awesome friends in SC.

Riley is the son of one of the couples - Jack and Ri (as Jack calls him) have become fast friends. They are in the same class at church and are in the same preschool class also. They are wild men together and have so much fun playing. We try to get together with them during the week once or twice and on weekends do fun things as families (canoeing and cooking marshmallows for s'mores at the lake).

Here are some cute pics of Jack and Ri playing...

Jack is the pizza man and Ri is the pizza on top - in their own words.

After school on Chick-Fil-A day. They also had a visit from the firemen. Jack wore that hat all day long. He was so sweaty underneath.

Unfortunately, Riley and his family are Tennessee fans. We had a great time watching the game (at least the Woodham's did)

Jacob...through Jackson's eyes

2010-11-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just a little disclaimer before reading this post...Jacob is doing MUCH better now. But, we did realize that sometimes the only way to get through a tough time is with constant prayer, keeping our eyes and hearts focused on Jesus and a good sense of humor.

As most of you know, Jacob had a rough few weeks in the beginning. Whether it was reflux or colic or both - it was rough. We actually nicknamed him Screamy b/c all he did was cry. Or scream. Our patience was definitely tested - but we now have a happy, sweet baby.

Jack was talking about family in school and we were asked to bring a family picture in for a special project.

This is what we got home and is still hanging on our wall. I love it. Life through the eyes of my sweet 4 year old.

This is our family picture. Go Gamecocks!!! And Jackson's house drawn underneath.
His house - drawn by him (with a little help from his teachers).

And....Jacob. Notice the not so happy face on my little man. Who knows what he told his teachers. Looks like a happy face was originally drawn and THEN the frowny face was added.

This is definitely a keeper.

Brothers...

2010-10-27T07:55:00.001-07:00

Jacob Pictures...

2010-10-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

Finally - some pictures of our little guy. We are so happy he is here and thank God he is healthy.

We have been so blessed and amazed with the support we have received from friends here in NC. We have had lots and lots of meals cooked for us (I have only cooked once and he is 4 weeks!!), friends offering to take Jackson on fun outings and even a a super sweet friend who came over to hold the little man while I showered.

Our neighbor and friend, Heather, offered to take some newborn pics of Jacob. He was only 4 days old!!! She is super talented and loves doing it for all her friends. And she refuses to let you pay her. We only got a few pictures in because, well, he was only 4 days old. But they are precious and we have already talked about doing more.

So, enjoy some pics of our sweet, little man. I cannot believe how much he has changed already!! You can also see some pics of Jack taken last fall here. I LOVE these, too.

ignore the spelling errors. typing one-handed is not easy. life with a newborn...

FOUR!!!

2010-09-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a big day in the Woodham house - Jackson turned 4!!! We woke him up (or actually got him out of bed) singing "Happy Birthday" (me, Lee and Jacob). He obviously gets his morning moodiness from me - he did not like the singing at all (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the singing) and was grumpy until he got downstairs.

I got to join him for his birthday snack at school where his classmates sang another "Happy Birthday" to him and he got to wear a birthday crown. He actually didn't take the crown off all day b/c he still had it on when I picked him up from school.

Then, Grandpa and Papa arrived from SC for a special family birthday party - including ice cream cake at 7:00 at night. Needless to say the boy didnt go to sleep until after 9:00. I wo uld say he had a great day.

It still amazes me how quickly we went from this...

to this...

(this is the best recent picture I could find of Jack's actual entire face - without hands blocking the view or a goofy smile. He is the one in the middle.)

I am so thankful for each and every day I have gotten to spend with this amazing boy. He brings so much joy to our life - his smile makes us smile, his laugh makes us laugh and his tears still break our hearts. Each night we pray that he will always be surrounded by people who love God and love him. We have been so blessed by God in this area and I can see what a huge difference it is making in Jackson's life.

In four short years, he has made our lives so much fuller and richer. He has brought us more joy than we thought possible. He loves life and loves those around him with such a sweet, gentle heart. I am so proud of him and so thankful to be called his mommy. There is no greater job in the world.

Happy birthday, Jackson!!!

My Boys...

2010-09-14T06:42:00.001-07:00

I always said I wanted 3 boys...

Preschool!!!

2010-09-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Jackson officially started preschool this year. He has gone to school one day/week for the past 2 years but this year was his grand entrance into the world of preschool. He was so excited!! He is attending 3 days/week and is in a "big-boy" class at school. He attended this school last year, knows the teachers and classrooms and is so excited about being one of the big kids.

I will not lie and say that his first day was your "typical" tons of pictures taken, lots of sweet kisses, tears at the door days. It was not. We had been home from the hospital with Jacob for a little more than 36 hours and were still in the adjustment to home phase. We were about 20 minutes late, forgot his backpack, Jackson fell and skinned his knee running into school and I can honestly say I do not know if I brushed my teeth that morning. But he made it - and he had a GREAT time!

The 2nd day went much smoother for everyone - except we forgot his backpack again. Maybe we need to put it out by the door the night before.

Here are a few of the pictures I got...

Is anyone else dealing with the "I dont want my picture taken and if you take it I will only make a funny face phase"??? Jackson definitely does not want his picture taken. Ever.

So excited about school he decided to run. This was about 30 seconds before his big tumble. He was a big man about it though and only had a few tears.

His teacher, Ms. Redus, helping him find his bear with his name on it. He has to find the bear every morning and put the bear in the basket.

2nd day - running into school once again. No major falls this day, thankfully.

They also have nametags for the first week. Jackson does such a good job recognizing his name and picking out his nametag and teddy bear.

We are so proud of our big man and excited to see what he learns this year!

Meet Jacob...

2010-09-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Jacob Flinn Woodham was born Saturday September 4, 2010 @ 10:26 am. We are so, so blessed to have him in our life and wanted to introduce him to all our friends and family not here in Raleigh with us. So, here he is....

He was 8 lbs. 9 oz (2 pounds bigger than Jack!!) and 21 inches long.

I went to the doctor for a regular 39 week visit on Friday and was told I was in early labor and to time my contractions. We ended up heading to the hospital about 3:30ish that afternoon. After several hours there and several trips walking around the hospital we were given the choice to stay at the hospital to see if any more progression would happen or we could go home - relax and come back when things started to pick up. I was just at the point where they weren't sure if it would be 2 hours or 2 days. We chose home - the best thing we could have done. I took a nice, hot, relaxing shower and we were back at the hospital 2 hours after coming home. I was pretty far into labor at that point and after one failed epidural (and several hours of SEVERE pain) Jacob was born.

Lee was so amazing and so excited to mee Jacob. We think he looks like a bigger version of Jackson as a newborn - with a ton more hair.

My sweet boy Jackson has been such an amazing big brother. He loves, loves, loves his little brother - loves kissing him and holding him.

We are so thankful for our little family and enjoying every moment of time with our boys. Thank you, God, for the blessing of raising these boys you have given us.

Jack's new love

2010-09-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Jackson has a new obsession - gum. Serious obsession. We had talked to him about waiting until he was 5 yrs old until he could chew gum but that went out the window the day his friend, Riley, shared a piece of gum with him. He did so great with it and understood that he couldn't swallow it and had to spit it in the trash when he was tired of it. He has not had any problems with it - except asking 2 million times a day if he can have gum. He only gets chewing gum (as he and Lee call it) not bubble gum or gum balls or anything crazy like that. But he LOVES it.

We've had to limit him to one piece of gum a day - he usually asks for it right after breakfast. He is so exicted about it he cant wait any longer. His dentist actually said a piece of Trident every once in a while is not a bad thing - as most preschoolers dont floss and the gum helps keep his teeth clean after meals. Not sure that the dentist meant a peice of gum every day - but I think he will live.

Put Me In Coach...

2010-08-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

And so begins the season of our life where we rush out the door to practices and games, enjoy late dinners of cold food and cheer on our sweet boy in his first team sport. And we are loving it!

Jackson started league soccer this fall (summer - it is still SO hot out there) with Lee as his coach. He is playing in the 4 yr old league - probably on of the only times he will be the youngest one because of his birthday. Games dont start until September 11th but practices began 2 weeks ago. Lee has those 4 yr olds running all over the field - he does such a great job and the kids have a great time. They are the Panthers - there are about 4 other teams they play against.

Jackson was super excited about his official soccer gear - cleats and shin guards. I can only imagine how hot those things must be out there on the field but he loves wearing them.

Lee trying to get the kids to stand in line during the first practice. This is not their strongest area but they sure do love running and kicking the ball. Lee keeps saying "they just wont stand in line" I remind him that they are four.

Our man in action...Man, they grow up so fast.

I am sure there will be many more soccer posts to come.

Teaching about tithing...

2010-08-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

So, Jack's kind of (kind of not) getting to the age where he is understanding/asking questions about/asking for money. His grandparents are AWESOME about stocking up his piggy banks whenever they visit but we have been trying to figure out a way to teach him the right way to deal with money. He has a super fun time spending his money on whatever he wants but, honestly, it is never enough to buy anything that is going to last for very long and then we just end up with a bunch of broken toys.

So, we started talking to him about giving some of it to God, saving a portion of it for something really great, and then having the rest for just "fun money" to use whenever the ice cream man comes or he sees something really cool he wants. He "gets" this but we have not yet put it into action and his money is piling up in his piggy bank/wallet/toy box or wherever else he can find a place for it.

Our pastor filmed his 2 oldest daughters talking about tithing several weeks ago and it spurred us back into action. We have the cups set up for him and he is getting a small "allowance" for several daily "chores" he has to do. And I just learned today from the boy himself that when he goes to music during church (this is where all the preschoolers gather to sing, worship and hear the story) that they pass around a basket for their God money (as he calls it). We were so excited to have a way for him to actually give his money to God. He's excited about getting started and so are we.

Celebration!!! Superhero Style

2010-08-16T15:55:00.001-07:00

(Just as a forward - this blog is driving me crazy!!! The pictures upload in the wrong order and I cant upload videos. I am so frustrated!!)

Ok - now that I got that off my chest, we had an awesome time celebrating Jack's 4th birthday (just a little early) this past Saturday. We had a Superhero!! party, as requested by the birthday man himself. We did a mix of all the superhero stuff we could find - thanks to Mimi for shopping with me and helping me decide what to do.

Jack actually made the invite list - at first, he DID NOT want to invite girls to his party. He wanted a boy only party. But, we know so many sweet girls who have become good friends to him that he ended up inviting 3 of them. It was so special to him to see the friends he wanted to invite come to his house for his birthday party. He was so excited and talked about it all week long. Of course, he was a little confused about the fact that it wasn't his actual birthday - just his birthday party day but he forgot about that as soon as his guests arrived.

Big thanks to Brent for taking pictures - if it weren't for him we would have only had about 2. I completely forgot about the camera once the guests arrived and turned around halfway through the party to see Brent taking pictures. Thank you!! Here they are - in backwards order.

This was one of Jack's favorite presents - a Lego man head lamp. He wants to wear it all day. I'm a little worried about what happens when the light burns out.

This is how 4 year olds open presents - I learned. They all crowd around and "help" open presents while their parents constantly drag them away.

Jackson and Graysie in the superhero masks having a superhero conversation. Seriously, they stood like this for about 10 minutes having a little chat. Like how Jack is standing with his hands on his hips? I guess whatever he was talking about was pretty serious.

Cupcakes were a big hit - we just did homemade cupcakes with icing and Spiderman candies on top but kids and adults alike enjoyed them.

Jack (or Batman) blowing out his candles. He honestly didn't know what to do with everyone singing happy birthday to him. This was the first year he really noticed it was about him.

Pre-party. Jackson was so impressed with this $3.00 Spiderman cupcake holder we got for the cupcakes. "Wow, Mom, that looks so nice" he said several times. Sweet boy.

Jackson and his real superhero. He loves his Daddy so much and wants to do everything "just like Daddy",which is a very good thing b/c Lee is an amazing husband and Daddy.

Artwork, anyone??

2010-08-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

Jackson has really gotten into his artwork lately. He loves to color, paint, use markers, pencils, glue, etc. He most recently requested using scissors (he actually requested these a while ago but I realized he was not totally ready for them when he almost chopped his finger off). I searched and searched everywhere for "toddler" scissors but could not find any so I decided to go ahead and let him use regular scissors. That is what he wanted to use anyways - he would have known right away that I was giving him "baby" scissors.

He did great!!!! Once I showed him how to hold them he was a pro! I have to sit with him to make sure he doesn't cut anything he shouldn't (clothing, fingers, hair) but I think he has heard me say "watch your fingers/clothes" or "dont put those near your hair" enough that he is pretty careful (of course, I know he is 4 and will do it the minute I turn my back so I still sit with him).

This was what he made today - doesn't it look like a house with a chimney??? I was so impressed!! I took pictures and just made the biggest deal about it! He cut and glued it all by himself. He was not as impressed with his own talent as I was. He actually told me it was not a house with a chimney but a robot with robot arms???? Guess it's artistic interpretation. I am still going to hang it on the fridge and call it a house with a chimney.

Oh, and those are the ever-present Batman sunglasses in the background. Most days, they go everywhere with us.

SUPERHERO!!!

2010-07-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

Jackson is obsessed with all things SUPERHERO! (that is how he says it - SUPERHERO!!). Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Mr. Incredible, Buzz Lightyear (he's in the superhero category because he flies, according to Jack) and Dash from the Incredibles (he has Dash underwear and likes him a lot b/c he is a big kid not an old kid, according to Jack). Now, he has never really seen any of these superheroes on TV or in movies (it's hard to find superhero stuff appropriate for an almost 4 yr old) yet he still talks about them day and night. Every day he has to decide which superhero he wants to be for the day (sometimes he changes superheroes during the day - several times. It's hard to keep up). A big part of our morning is spent talking about which superhero he should be.

Me: How about Superman? He flies...

Jack: No. What SUPERHERO! can I be?

Me: How about Spiderman?? The webs are pretty cool...

Jack: No. What SUPERHERO! can I be??

Me: How about Batman with his super-fast car??

Jack: No. What SUPERHERO! can I be??

And on it goes...through the whole list. I had to do a quick review of all of the SUPERHEROES! to be able to keep up with him. Fortunately, he took no interest in Iron Man or Aqua Man, which I knew nothing about.

He is super creative and changed his cape from a "knight in shining armor" cape to a SUPERHERO! cape and wears it all day long. We get plenty of "oh, how sweet comments" when we are out and he is wearing his cape, especially when it is paired with shorts and his green, froggy boots.

We are even planning a SUPERHERO! birthday party for him this year. He wants a Spiderman cake, Superman decorations and Dash party favors. We'll see if I can make this happen. I might have to be a SUPERHERO! to pull it off.

Ahhh...The Beach

2010-07-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

We have been really blessed with our move to NC. Lee loves his job, the area is so family-friendly, lots of running and biking trails, we are starting to get settled in our church. Of course, we miss our friends back in SC but are just letting God use us here and are enjoying it.

One thing I didn't think I would enjoy about our move to NC was the beaches. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the beach and, growing up in SC, am just a little partial to SC beaches. Edisto, Isle of Palms, Folly Beach, Hilton Head - I dont care which one I love them all. And, in fact, we have been to SC beaches a few times since our move here but had yet to make it to a NC beach - even though it is just a really quick 2 hour drive. I guess I was being a beach snob - I didnt think we needed to try NC beaches b/c I would always be going to SC beaches.

Well, last weekend we packed up and headed to Wrightsville Beach and...I had a wonderful time!! It was such a nice beach and everyone has told us it is not even the nicest beach in NC. Jackson has become such a fish this summer and loves the pool. He was no different with the ocean. A major storm headed in right after we arrived so, after Lee and Jack swam for just a little bit we headed to our hotel and watched the storm over the ocean. Monday - Lee had to work a few hours - but Jack and I headed back to the beach and had a great time!! He was such a joy to watch!! Had everyone cracking up attacking the waves and getting knocked down. He would get right up and attack the next wave that headed his way.

I think we will be trying many more NC beaches in the future. Next stop...The Outer Banks. Maybe???

Writing Our Name

2010-06-22T10:23:00.001-07:00

Jackson has showed a HUGE interest in writing his name recently. He has known how to spell his name for a while now (actually, I just realized he didn't know there was an "A" in his name until we started learning to write the letters in his name. When we got to writing the "A" he asked me where the "A" was in his name. When I asked him to spell his name, I realized how he had missed is - Jay CKSON is what he would say. Really fast. Once we slowed it down he realized where the "A" was).

He really, really, really wants to write his name. But, like most other things he does, he really, really, really does not want any help. He is still one very independent child. When he doesn't want your help, he DOES NOT want your help. But - learning to write is hard. I told him this and told him it would take him lots of practice but that I knew he would get it. But, he wanted to be able to do it right away - by himself - without any help. You can imagine how that went over. He actually did pretty well figuring out what shape the letters were to be but would write them backwards or upside down and would get so frustrated when he realized it didn't look right.

I finally remembered some things I used to do as an Early Interventionist - working with little kids - and broke out the pudding. Chocolate pudding. He LOVED it!!! (What almost 4 yr old wouldn't love writing with pudding????) He would trace the letter I had written in the pudding and then we would "erase" that letter and he would do it "all by himself" (as he says about 100 times a day). He got it after just a few tries!!!!! And was so proud when he could sign his "J" and "A" on his card to Lee for Father's Day.

Package Nightmares

2010-06-12T07:56:00.001-07:00

Jackson loves, loves, loves, LOVES to get mail. Checking the mail each day is just so much fun for him - something he really looks forward to. If he actually gets something in the mail - it makes his day. Sometimes, when he hasn't gotten a piece of mail in a few weeks, I will pull something out of the mailbox that I know will interest him but is not actually for him and spend at least 30 minutes going over his new piece of mail. Like yesterday, I gave him a Dell magazine Lee had gotten and we spent 30 minutes picking out his new Super-Duper Computer (Like Wyatt on Super Why).

But, if you really want to make this boy happy - send him a package. He goes crazy over getting a package. Mimi and Papa send him little packages from time to time and he is just on cloud 9 for days afterwards.

So, I decided to order him a Lightening McQueen watch and hat using his Disney Movie Rewards points (we have been entering the little codes from each Disney movie we have gotten him since he was born and finally had enough to get something worthwhile). He helped my pick it out and, since the website said to expect 6-8 weeks for delivery, I told him to not start looking for it anytime soon. Otherwise, he would be out at the mailbox everyday asking the mailman where his package was.

Imagine my surprise when, the very next day, I got an email saying that our package had been shipped!!! I told Jack to expect it by the end of the week. He was so excited! Every day he asked "Did my package come???" The end of the week came - no package - so I told him definitely next week. Next week came and went - no package. And Jackson was starting to get upset. We would check the mailbox and when there wasn't a package he would almost be in tears.

So, I found an email address from the email they had sent saying the package had been shipped (almost 10 days ago now) and emailed them asking where our package was. Certainly it didnt take 10 days for a package to get to it's destination. After several emails back and forth (and 4 or 5 more days) I began to realize they had no idea where our package was. I was requesting our points be added back to our account and preparing myself to tell Jack that his package was never coming when...IT CAME!!! Only 16 days AFTER it was shipped - who knows where it came from - but Jack didn't care. He got his package!!! He told EVERYONE about his package and his new watch and hat. He hasn't taken them off since - except to swim, bathe and sleep. And about twice a day he will say to me "So, Mom, my package finally came, huh??"

Our sweet nephew!

2010-06-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Baby Patrick was born late April to Lee's brother and sister-in-law. He is soooo sweet - we made it down to see him when he was almost a month old and cannot wait to get back down there. Living so far from family is hard when you have such sweet additions to your family.

Jackson did an amazing job with Patrick - he held him (with the help of Mimi, Mommy and a pillow) for a long time. He did not want to let go of him. Mimi would ask if she could hold him and Jackson would just politely say "no, you can't". He's going to be the best big brother.

Patrick really enjoyed the company and the little bear Jackson got him - can't you tell?? We enjoyed our time with Miranda and really enjoyed holding the sweet little guy. I keep telling Lee we need to find a way to make it back to Charleston for good.

We love you PJ, Miranda and baby Patrick!! Cant wait to see you again!

Open up and say "ahhhh"

2010-06-08T14:58:00.001-07:00

Jackson had his first trip to the dentist last week. We have talked about going for a while now but wanted to wait until I had an appointment so we could go together. He was most excited about using the "spitty cup" like in Finding Nemo. Unfortunately, there was no spitty cup but he really liked "Mr. Thirsty" as the hygenist called that sucky thing that gets all the water out of your mouth.

Jackson did great!!! I cannot say enough about our new dentist! Everyone was so great with him and made such a big deal about his first dentist trip. I even forgot my camera (bad mommy, I know) so one of the other hygenists took pictures for me and emailed them to me.

He left the dentist with a clean set of teeth, 2 stickers, new bubble gum toothpaste and 2 toothbrushes. He should have only gotten 1 but he's such a charmer he talked them into 2. Actually, he wanted a super hero toothbrush, which was a size bigger than what the hygenist wanted him to have. As the dentist was checking my teeth I could hear him talking to the hygenist about the super hero toothbrush he wanted to have and she kept trying to push a Tigger or Pooh toothbrush on him. He ended up with both. What a charmer!

The pictures are just a little blurry because they were cell phone pictures but I am SO thankful to actually have pictures of his first dentist appointment!!!

Summer is here!!!

2010-06-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

We love summer in our house. Lee doesn't love the heat but loves all the activities that go along with summer. We could not wait to break out the shorts, flip flops and bathing suits after the long, snowy winter. We started talking to Jackson about the seasons this year and all the different things that go along with the different seasons. He knows that flip flops and bathing suits are summer things and even though summer doesnt officially start until sometime later this month - we are celebrating summer!

This is a sight we see almost every evening - Jackson, on his bike, riding to or from the pool - shirtless. He doesnt have to wear the swim shirt in the evening and he loves it!! Look how white he is!! Guess we are doing a good job with the sunscreen.

When we dont feel like going to the pool but need a good cooling off or just a popsicle rinse off we break out the sprinkler.

This kid LOVES to swim!! He was a little skittish at first and wouldn't leave the steps but once Daddy got in there with him and reminded him how much fun it was we couldn't get him out. Look how big he has gotten!! No more baby - he looks like a 4 yr old!

Jack & Daddy playing around in the pool. These 2 can get pretty crazy together - not always the best for a mommy who doesn't like the pool water until it is like bath water. Lee has taught Jackson that he can't splash me until after he has asked me if it is ok. Sometimes Jack remembers, sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes Lee remembers, sometimes he doesn't.

Jackson & Daddy enjoying an after-dinner popsicle on the front porch. We do this most evenings after dinner - we all love the popsicles and I love that we have a nice place to eat them outside.

Our conversations about God...

2010-05-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

We've had a ton of conversation with Jack about God lately. It's so amazing to see how his little mind works and hear his thoughts on God. He talks about God like He is just another cool guy to hang out with and has so many questions about God - a lot of them we have a hard time finding an answer that is acceptable to Jackson.

Here a just a few of the conversations we have had about God lately:

While driving to church one Sunday, Jackson asked if God was driving to church like we were. When we said "no, He wasn't driving" he asked HOW God was getting to church. Was He flying? Or walking? We told him God was just always at church - to which he responded "Why??"

We were walking one beautiful morning and I was pointing out what a gorgeous day it was and that we should thank God for the sun and the birds and the grass. Jackson thought about this and then asked "Mommy, is God eating breakfast?". When I told him no he asked if God was eating his snack. When I told him God was not eating a snack he asked me "What is God doing, then??"

I had to take Jack for an x-ray on Friday (he swallowed a penny, we never "found" it and then doctor wanted to make sure it wasn't stuck somewhere). While we were waiting I explained that someone would come out and call his name. He asked me who would call his name and I said I didn't know. He was quiet for a minute and said "Will it be God?? Will God be the one to call out my name??"

This Hair

2010-03-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Jackson's hair is a source of a lot of discussion in our house these days. He has grown some incredibly adorable (in my opinion - dont ask Lee what he thinks) curls. They are precious and getting more numerous every day. The only problem is we have no idea what to do with it. The curls are so cute but so out of control - no matter what we do with it.

We have tried everything - blow drying after his showers, gel, wetting it in the morning (his hair is absolutely out of control in the morning) but he really does not like us wetting it. We have tried cutting it shorter around his ears, having the hair cut lady try to style it. Everywhere we go we get comments on how precious his hair is but I feel like we walk out of the house with him looking like we haven't put a brush to his head in days. This picture was taken after about 10 minutes of hair brushing, wetting his hair and trying desperately to get it under control.

Lee has decided he wants to get Jackson a buzz cut or cut it really short like the picture below. While I know it would be so much easier and a lot less hassle I just dont know that I want to cut off these curls - even if it does add an extra 20 minutes into our getting ready routine.

Snow Day!!!

2010-02-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

The snow started last Friday evening - it was beautiful. So peaceful with the snow falling quietly on the ground. When we woke up Saturday morning there was probably about 4 inches (I could be wrong) of snow on the ground and it was still snowing!

It was very cold so it was an icy snow - not very good for making snow balls but Jack and Lee sure did try. This is the first snow we have experienced where Jack was old enough to actually enjoy it. He made (or tried to make) snow angels, a snow man and had tons of fun having snow ball fights with Daddy and Aiden (our neighbor).

Still dont have my camera (I'm getting it this week) but the video camera worked great! This is Lee, Jack and Aiden and Lara (our neighbors) playing in the snow. You can actually hear the icy snow falling while they play.

Unfortunately, now I am tired of the snow. It is Friday - a week after it started - and we still have a little bit of snow on the ground. It has been so cold this week and almost impossible to get outside so the snow hasn't had much of a chance to melt. Now, they are calling for more snow tonight and even colder temps next week. Ugh - spring cannot come fast enough.

Show Day!!!

2010-02-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

We signed Jack up for a class at the Little Gym a few months ago. I didn't know what to expect but knew that he would be doing one day of preschool starting in January and we needed a little more structure to our days. Now that the cold weather is here and parks are out of the question he needed one more outlet for all his energy.

We love it!!! It is such a cute class!! It is an independent class, which means he participates in the class with 2 other teachers and about 12 other kids without the parents. We can watch from outside the gym area or we can run errands or just read a book. I love watching him participate in this class!! And he LOVES it!!! He gets so excited about going every Monday and smiles through the entire class.

His class had a Show Day a few weeks ago. This is just a time to show off all the stuff they learned in class - the parents/grandparents, etc get to sit in the gym and watch them. Jackson was a little overwhelmed with the amount of people that were in the gym and got a little shy. He had just started taking the class about 5 weeks before the show day and the other kids had been there about 6 months but he was super cute!

This is a video of the beginning of the show time where each little one got to introduce themselves and do a little forward roll. Jackson didnt want to introduce himself but he did do his forward roll. He did get a little more comfortable as the class went and and actually started showing off and being silly.

Catching up...

2010-01-22T11:41:00.001-08:00

It's been such a long time since I've posted. I left my camera at a friend's house before Christmas so haven't had the joy of taking pictures in over a month!!! Most (actually all) of these pictures were taken with Lee's phone.

Once again, I posted the pictures backwards so I'll start from most recent and go back to Christmas.

Jackson got to go to his first UNC basketball game last weekend (after USC did so poorly in their bowl game Lee decided he was changing favorite teams. UNC won). Lee, Jack and Mr. John (our wonderful new neighbors are Mr. John, Ms. Heather and Savannah) had a great time. Well, I think Lee and John had a great time and Jackson just enjoyed the BIG tub of popcorn John bought. Lee said Jackson was sooo good and sat like this most of the game (when he wasn't chowing down on popcorn).

Jackson got some money from his Grandpa Bob (Lee's grandfather) for Christmas. He decided he wanted a new bike, helmet and (most importantly) a horn for his bike. Seriously, he spent more time choosing between a bell or a horn for the bike than he did the actual bike. But, he is doing really well on the bike!! We are so proud!! We have a few steep hills in our neighborhood and Jackson workes really hard to get up these hills.

He picked out an orange BMX bike and a Lightning McQueen helmet. Oh, and the horn.

I'm very sad that I didn't get a lot of Christmas pictures this year. We had an awesome time - my sister, brother-in-law and nephew surprised us by drivng overnight from Missouri. Lee's dad and brother and his new wife showed up Christmas day. It was a really, really nice time. We took a lot of pictures but most of them were blurry or fuzzy.

This is Jack with his HUGE Mickey that my sister got him.

No Naps = Grumpy Jack

2009-12-23T16:59:00.000-08:00

I knew the day was coming - had heard tales and stories - but I just kept thinking (wishing, hoping, praying "pleeaasssee God") that Jackson would be one of those kids that napped until he was four or five (or seven). But, alas, my little napping boy suddenly stopped napping. Now, he still needs a nap (at least in my opinion) but he WILL NOT take a nap no matter how tired he is (have I mentioned how stubborn my curly-haired cutie is?)

Of course, Jack decided to give up his afternoon siesta while Lee was out of town. Not only did he give up the nap but he ALSO started waking up at 5:00 (yes, A.M.!!). Does anybody else's child wake up earlier the more tired they are??? Needless to say, I was exhausted when Lee returned from his ~~golf trip to Pinehurst where I'm sure he worked way harder than I did with our fiesty little man~~ trip out of town. Our afternoons and evenings have contained many more meltdowns than I would like but I think we have adjusted to the loss of this afternoon siesta (well, maybe Jackson but not me).

Why, you ask, am I spending an entire post devoted to the napping habits (or lack thereof) of a 3 yr old? Especially when I haven't blogged in ages?? Because -I have had some of my funniest and most treasured moments as a parent during this tiring and trying time.

I do require that Jackson stay in his room quietly for at least 1 hour during the afternoon. He needs some downtime and so do I. This has been way more difficult that I would have ever thought. This. child. is. so. strong-willed.

One afternoon as I was getting him ready for his "nap" I gently remined him that big boys stay in their rooms during naptime. He gently reminded me that he preferred to "rest" in the hall outside his room. To which I replied, "No, Jack. You stay in your room" To which he replied, "No, Mommy, my knees will be in my room but my nose will be in the hallway" And, honestly, that is exactly what he did.

On another afternoon after our "nap" Jackson decided that he wanted to play "nap", only he was the mommy and I was the non-napping Jackson. So, I would lay in his bed and pretend to "not nap" with all kinds of crazy requests and needs while he came in and out of his room being the mommy. All was good until he came in the room, put his face right next to mine and said "If I have to come up here one more time you WILL get a spanking. Do you understand me??" and left the room.

Probably one of the best things associated with the little guy giving up his naps - the late afternoon, football watching, nap with Daddy.

Need For Speed

2009-11-25T13:50:00.001-08:00

Man, I love this kid. This is how we spend our mornings - in our jammies (dont forget your goggles!!) speeding through the neighborhood. This is Jackson impersonating a motorcycle driver ("I need my visor" (helmet) he says as he puts on the way too small goggles). And away we go!!

Minding Your Manners

2009-11-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

We've been teaching Jackson about manners - table manners, speaking nicely, saying please and thank you, etc. He does really well with most of this stuff - it is amazing how quickly they pick up on things!! While we are still working on table manners (3 yr old boys are quite squirmy and we know this will come in time) he does amazingly well with his pleases and thank yous. It is automatic for him to say these, especially the thank you when someone gives him something.

So, I have had a cough for several weeks now. It just will not go away. A few days ago Jackson woke up with the same annoying cough. When I asked him where he got such a bad cough he replied with "From you, Mommy" and then ever so sweetly "Thank you for my cough".

19 weeks

2009-11-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

13.1 miles here I come. The Tobacco Road Marathon (and 1/2 marathon) will be held March 21,2010 (19 weeks from now) and, you guessed it, I'll be there with my running shoes laced up. I haven't been running as consistently as I would like to and felt like I needed something to step up my motivation. I think the challenge of running a 1/2 marathon will do just that.

I am so thankful that God has blessed me with good health and the ability to run. I can remember being in the hospital or recovering at home for many weeks after my ruptured appendix and feeling miserable. I knew from that point on that I would never, ever take my good health for granted again. I would enjoy every day that God blessed me with good health and do everything I could to remain healthy. And from that point on, well, I ran. I love the sound of my feet hitting the pavement; knowing that with each step I am becoming stronger. Running has taught me a lot about perseverance and endurance and has allowed me to see a part of myself I would not have seen without running.

So - if you want to be a little extra motivation for me ask me how my running is going next time you talk to me. Ask me the last time I ran and for how long. If I have slacked off, I'll tell you. And you can be sure, if you give me a hard enough time, I'll be out there later that day getting in a few miles.

Mickey Mouse!!!

2009-10-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

Jackson reeeaaalllyyyy wanted to be Mickey Mouse this year - no matter how much Lee tried to talk him into being a Carolina football player. He also wanted Lee to be Goofy and Mommy to be Minnie. We didn't follow through on the costumes for us but were able to put together a Mickey costume for Jackson (thanks to help from Mimi!!!). I couldn't find a way to make good yellow shoes and it was too warm for the white gloves but he was the cutest Mickey ever!!!!

We went to a local trunk or treat to show off his costume and are getting together with some of our neighbors to hand out candy tonight and wear our costumes.

Knock! Knock! Duck! Duck!

2009-10-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

Lee taught Jackson all about knock! knock! jokes - it is so cute to watch/listen to him do this. He laughs at completely the wrong time in the joke (at the very beginning) and always says "who boo?" instead of "boo who?". I recorded this while we were staying at my mom and dad's house this past weekend - just a little taste of Lee and Jack knock! knock! time.

Jackson also now loves to play duck, duck goose. He learned this at church - I looked in on him one day before getting him to see his class playing the game and we've been playing as a family ever since. I laugh so hard the whole time we play my stomach actually hurts. We played this at Mimi & Papa's also - this was hilarious!!! Mimi and Papa would struggle to get off the floor in order to chase Jackson around the circle - by the time they got up he would already be in their seat. I wish I had recorded that!!

Slight Detour

2009-10-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

We took a slight detour on our way back to NC from Charleston. Right through Myrtle Beach. Now, MB is not usually my favorite destination - especially during the summer months. But, since moving from Charleston my beach time has dwindled dramatically. I take any opportunity I can to visit the beach. Even if it is for just 20 minutes.

That is exactly what we did - headed off the main road and right for the water. We stripped off our shoes and dipped our toes in the (COLD!!!) water. It was a very nice break from an otherwise very long drive.

Sometimes a slight detour can make memories that will last and last and last. Totally worth it. Dont you think??

Jack's weekend as a Ring Bear

2009-10-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

We were so thrilled to be a part of Unlce PJ and Aunt Miranda's wedding. It was an absolutely gorgeous wedding - Miranda was a beautiful bride!! Jackson was asked to be a ring bearer - he didnt understand any part of what he was being asked to do - but was excited nonetheless. He knew he and Daddy were going to get to dress alike, he was going to see Grandpa, Mimi, Papa AND Aunt Miranda (whom he LOVES).

We are so blessed to be part of such a wonderful family. PJ and Lee's family came from all over the country to celebrate with the couple. Jackson got to meet his Great Grandpa Bob for the first time, Uncle Jimmy & Aunt Carol and Aunt Phyllis and cousins Mark and Michael. We also got to spend time with Uncle Tim, Aunt Ann and cousins Mali and Marissa.

Jackson and Aunt Miranda after the wedding. (Notice the jacket has already been stripped - it didnt take long for the jacket and vest to go. Lee never got him in the tie. But he was still the most handsome ring bearer ever). Jackson LOVES Aunt Miranda. Seriously. On our way back to N.C. Jackson said "I want Aunt Miranda to come to we house soon."

The guys (Lee, PJ and Jack) before the wedding all dressed up (or almost all dressed up). I honestly didnt have time to adjust my settings on my camera to get good shots. Hence, the dark pictures. Trust me, they look super handsome.

Grandpa, PJ and Lee headed out the door the the rehearsal dinner. It was truly amazing to watch PJ get married. Wasnt he just 12 yrs old fighting with Lee?? He found an amazing woman to marry. We are so proud of them!

We love you, PJ and Miranda!!!

Through Jack's eyes

2009-10-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

We took Jackson to the fair Saturday - his first fair and our first NC State Fair. It was perfect weather for a fair - cool enough for jackets, which we forgot to bring. Jackson and Lee had a great time riding rides and playing games and I had a great time following them around with the camera, snapping pictures of every thing they did. Seriously, I took over 200 pictures and we were there for 2 hours. I was like a crazed woman with a camera.

I have never been a huge fan of fair rides, dont know why. Maybe it's the fact that you pass them on the interstate as they are coming into town, being towed by rickety, old RV's (I actually had the pleasure of getting stuck behind a caravan of fair vehicles on I-95 heading towards SC. 40 mph on I-95 for over 10 miles. Not fun). Somehow the fair lost it's magic for me. I can remember counting down the days until it came to town and wanting to go every single day. Now, we basically avoid it - too many people, too much traffic, too expensive.

Jack LOVED all the rides. He had a huge smile on his face the entire time. He was so thrilled to watch the fast rides, especially the ones that go upside down. (I can see Jackson and Lee heading out for many Daddy days in the near future to ride all those rides I cant stomach). He loved the games and wanted every stuffed animal on display. He played one game, where he was guaranteed to win. He was so excited to win this tiny Nemo fish and has not let it out of his sight since. Everything was fascinating to him. He didnt care about the crowd or the traffic or the price. Seeing the fair through your child's eyes is an experience I think every parent needs. It makes you young again and makes you realize how important the everyday things are but, also, allowing them to experience those special things that you enjoyed growing up and experiencing it with them is one of the best things about parenting!

See them on the ferris wheel??? Told you I was a crazed, camera woman. I followed their little car around and around and around - taking pictures the entire time.

This was the fishing game where Jackson won his "Memo" as he likes to call the fish.

The train - his only solo ride. When the ride started he kept one hand on the side and one hand on the wheel the entire time. He was serious about driving this train.

And the dump trucks - he could have ridden this one all day. Lee - not so much. I got some great pictures of Lee looking not so happy as the only adult on the ride. Next time Jack will do it alone.

You Just Bein' Silly!

2009-09-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is Jackson's new favorite phrase "You just bein' silly!!!" He says it basically anytime he doesn't like what we are saying, or he doesn't understand what we are saying, or if we are doing something new or, well, silly. He gets this big smile on his face and says "You just bein' silly, Mommy!!!"

So, in honor of the phrase we hear hundreds of times a day around here, I thought I would include some moments where we caught Jack "just bein' silly".

Jackson in his car - I made this for him out of a moving box (we only had 300 of them between our 2 moves and, you know, since Lee says I am a recycling fanatic I thought it might also be a good idea to show some good uses for old cardboard boxes). Jackson just had to have wheels and a gas tank on his car. Do you know how hard it is to cut circles out of cardboard using a box knife???

Totally worth it, though, to see him enjoying it.

He did this all on his own - playdoh mustache. He is basically obsessed with men who have mustaches and beards. He (very loudly, I might add) points out people with mustaches (luckily it has only been men. So far. Pray for that one.) He was working really hard at mashing the playdoh to his face and trying to explain to me at the same time what he was doing. I didn't quite catch on until he pulled his hands away and grinned at me.

My nephew bought this bunny mask for Jackson while they were in town. Jackson LOVES this thing and insisted on wearing it EVERYWHERE we went the first few days he had it. He puts it on crooked sometimes (you know, with the eye holes on the side of his head) so he can't see out of the little eye holes but WILL NOT let you fix it for him (have I mentioned he's a tad strong-willed??) so he walks with his head crooked so that he can see out of the closest hole. This day he really wanted a bunny tail so I found an old, fuzzy sock to tuck in his pajamas. He loved it even more.

Lee wanted to get some good Mommy/Jackson pictures since we are lacking in those. We were making cookies (Jackson loves to help me bake) and Lee snapped several pictures. Jackson was in an incredibly silly mood so the majority of the pictures ended up looking like this one...

That's our silly boy - more laughs than we can handle and we are lovin' every minute of it.

THREE!!!!!!

2009-09-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Jackson turned 3 last week - I cannot believe how quickly he is growing up. You hear it almost every day when you are struggling through the first few weeks with a newborn, "They grow up so fast. Enjoy every minute." All I remember thinking at that time was, "Am I ever going to sleep like a normal person again?"

But, seriously, these 3 years have just flown by. I cannot believe how big he is getting and how much he changes every day. I have truly learned to enjoy every, single moment I have with this crazy little kid. He makes us laugh every single day. He is asking us questions and making amazing little statements every day that show us how much he is growing up. Sometimes I have to stop and think before I answer him because he has truly asked me a tough question. Love it!!

We had a family party for Jackson - Papa, Mimi and Grandpa came up to celebrate Jack's 3rd year of life. We had a wonderful weekend - Jackson really enjoyed having his grandparents here for a weekend and we enjoyed being able to have all three grandparents here at the same time.

This video is the family singing "Happy Birthday" to Jackson. He picked out this massive ice cream cake from Dairy Queen and totally enjoyed every minute of it. (Actually - we enjoyed the cake more. Jackson had a few bites and decided he was more interested in opening his presents). But - look at that smile on my boy's face - priceless.

Happy Birthday, Bug!! Love you and am so proud of the little man God is growing you into.

Should've stayed in bed today

2009-09-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Ever had one of those days where you just felt like you should have stayed in bed? This morning was one of those mornings for me. I woke up bright and early for a nice morning run. Now, 5:30 a.m. is not considered bright in my book - just early. It isnt even bright outside at that time, which is probably why I tripped and fell down the stairs leading from our back deck to our driveway. There are 3 steps but I decided to use only 2 of them and fall down that last one.

I got over my fall with no major injury (I was extremely thankful for the darkness at that point b/c no one witnessed my fall). I met the girl I run with and we took off - it was a cool morning and we just started our conversation when a car came up behind us from nowhere (we were leaving the parking lot where we meet and headed towards the sidewalk). I took off one way, she took off the other way and we collided (I ran towards her she ran towards me. Dont ask. It was too early). Almost got hit by the car and looked like total goobers.

Ok, got over that. Ran just a few more steps when a cat jumped out in front of us - she screamed, I tripped on the sidewalk and the cat ran away. We ran 4 miles and I must have tripped on the sidewalk, branches, rocks every few minutes. It was about 1 mile into the run when I said "I should have stayed in bed this morning".

We finished the run without anymore major incidents and headed home. Now, I set my coffee pot to go off at 6:20 on the mornings of my runs. I soooo look forward to coming home and having the coffee ready. We meet in a parking lot where there is a Dunkin Donuts and my running partner hits the drive thru each time for a coffee. I hold out until I get home - but it is oh so tempting. So I walk in the door this morning and - no coffee. I set the timer but didnt turn the pot on. That was almost my breaking point. Almost - until I realized we were out of sugar and I LOVE a little sugar with my creamer and coffee. Should have stopped at Dunkin Donuts.

I sulked and I pouted and I contemplated going back to bed (for the 30 minutes I had until Jack woke up) but I didnt. Want to know the secret for turning a miserable day into an awesome day.?? It's called a 3 year old little boy named Jack. I walked in his room to get him up - yes, still sulking - and he said "Happy Birfday, Mommy." He has said this to me each morning since my birthday (We are actually celebrating Birthday Month in this house since Jack and I both have birthdays in September). So sweet. How could I have a bad day after that??

The Forbidden

2009-08-11T11:34:00.001-07:00

Shhhh! Don't tell Lee but I took Jackson to the Raleigh Farmer's Market this morning and we had a GREAT time (besides the fact that it was 175 degrees outside and Jackson mentioned more than once that he was sweating like a hot dog). But, this little trip must be kept a secret from Lee.

You see, several weeks ago I mentioned to Lee that I wanted to go to the Raleigh Farmer's Market. He said he would never go there as a shopper because they are his competition. Huh?? I mean I know he runs a produce company but I didnt understand how a farmers market - where farmers go to sell their goods- could compete with a large produce company that delivers produce in bulk in refrigerated trucks directly to the door of restaurants.

So - I didnt ask him to go again. I just went by myself. And had a great time. Oh yeah, I took Jack also. He had a great time too. The vendors let you try their fruit and veggies before you buy. Jackson was so enjoying that part that he would just walk up to a table and pop a blueberry/blackberry/grape tomato in his mouth - and not a blueberry/blackberry/grape tomato out of the "Try Me" baskets. They had fresh flowers, cheeses, pastries and even a restaurant featuring entrees made only with Farmers Market items (we didnt eat here - I just pretended to look at a menu so we could enjoy the a/c in hopes that Jackson would quit mentioning that he was sweating like a hot dog. Have I mentioned how LOUD he is these days??).

Anyways, we got some GREAT produce. I haven't been impressed with the produce at Harris Teeter (even thought I am starting to fall in love with Harris Teeter). Their produce is either expensive or not so great looking or both and I miss the little side of the road produce stands I used to frequent in SC (I guess they are illegal here in oh-so-beautiful, not a leaf out of place Cary). We were thoroughly enjoying a very juicy peach while walking through the market...

And then I saw it - a chef -fully decked out in his chef outfit - buying produce (in bulk) from one of the farmers. He had his truck loaded down with corn and potatoes and canteloupe. Ohhhh, now I get it. Competition.

So, just remember, DO NOT mention this little trip to Lee. Or the fact that I will probably be going again. Soon. Even if it does mean we will be sweating like hot dogs.

"New"seum Visits

2009-08-01T12:33:00.001-07:00

Raleigh has some pretty awesome museums - most of them kid-centered. We've had a pretty good time checking them out lately.

There is The Museum of Life and Science - it's kind of like when a museum and a zoo get married. They have some very cool learning activities & displays and they also have an entire outside area wher you can see animals (bears, foxes, lemurs). We took Jack to this museum this morning and we think he had a pretty good time.

Lee called this the dumptruck graveyard. This was near their playground - the last place we visited at the museum. We had to drag Jack out of here.

There was the butterfly house, which also housed bugs of every kind. Here Jack is checking out a tarantuala.

There was an entire area dedicated to teaching about wind/flying. Jackson and Lee enjoyed playing with the little sailboats.

And watching the bigger ones.

The Mist Garden - this teaches kids about how wind travels around objects. Jack wasn't too interested in that part but he liked playing with the mist.

Jack "paddling like a duck".

And then there is Marbles Kids Museum. If you like over-stimulation, kids running everywhere craziness then this place is for you. We visited Marbles for the ssecond time with my mom, sister and nephew. Jackson really likes Marbles - and what kid wouldn't? Everything is kid-sized and very cool.

The 3-story high pirate ship.

The kid-sized grocery store and kitchen. This is probably my favorite part and Jack seems to like it, too.

Fishing off the side of the motor boat. The poles and fish have magnets. Jack loves to fish and could have spent all day here.

Jack calls museums "newseums" and gets so excited when we say we are visiting a museum.

Keeping Busy

2009-08-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

We have been keeping pretty busy - Jackson and I spent a week at Mimi's (Papa was actually in Durham - 10 minutes from our house) and had a great time. I got to see my bestest friends from high school (Jeanette came in from Holland, Ann was in from Hawaii and Amy and Theresa live in S'ville), spend time at the beach in Charleston, and visit with some of my mom and dad's friends from the country.

Then we came home (back to Raleigh) with Mimi, who stayed with me and Jack while Lee went to California on work, then my sister and nephew flew in from Missouri and we were all together for my Dad's graudation from Duke Divinity School. Dad has spent the month of July here in Durham at Duke the past 5 years studying to be a Methodist minister. He finished his program this year and we got to watch him graduate. It was a pretty amazing opportunity - our whole family together, the service was at Duke Chapel, which is gorgeous. I know Dad is glad to be done with the studies, though.

Jackson had an awesome time with all the company (not to mention the attention). He always loves seeing Mimi and Papa (Grandpa even came for a weekend visit in between all our traveling) but really enjoyed my sister, Lisa and my nephew, Chance (who is starting high school this year!!).

Mom and Dad (aka Papa and Mimi) at a pizza place in Durham. We all decided to have pizza for dinner one night after Lisa and Chance got in town. It was a typical Burke outing - every restaurant we tried in Durham was only open for lunch. We must have pulled up to 5 different restaurants, which were all closed after 2:00 (maybe we weren't in a good part of Durham??). We finally found a place through my trusty GPS. This pizza was good but the company was even better. My sister took this with her new phone thingy, which can basically do anything. Mom and Dad NEVER take a good picture (one is usually blinking while the other is talking and vice versa) so she was pretty happy she got this.

Of course, Jack had to show off his swimming skills for everyone. Another one taken with Lisa's phone - Jackson in mid--jump to Chance in the water.

On the way home from the airport. Cannot believe Chance is starting highschool this year.

Look out Michael Phelps...

2009-07-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

Jackson took a huge turn in swimming this past week - he started swimming without his swimmies (mainly with Lee - I'm still loving the swimmies) and he is doing sooo good. Lee gets a ton of credit for this - he is so good with Jackson in the water and gives him so much confidence. He taught him how to hold his breath and put his head underwater, how to float on his back, how to blow bubbles and how to kick and move his arms. Oh, and they also have a ton of fun when they swim.

I also give a little credit to the fact that, while we were in Charleston, Jackson swam with my long-time friend Amy's four (yes, four) kids. Gracie is 9 months older than Jack and was just learning to swim without her swimmies. Gracie and Jack loved playing and swimming together and Jack picked up a few things from her.

This is a video I took of Jackson swimming last night. Lee follows real close behind - putting his hand under Jack's stomach every once in a while to keep him afloat. His swimming is nowhere near graceful or even pretty but he is still swimming!!! He reaaly does look just like a dog doing the doggy paddle. You can hear me in the background saying "You have your hands on him, right?" When they came back from swimming tonight Lee and Jackson were so excited to tell me that Jackson was jumping in swimmieless, sinking underwater, kicking up to the top and swimming over to the wall. He was so proud of himself - huge smile on his face. We know that he's not ready to go without the swimmies all the time, especially in a big group of kids but this is a huge step!! We are so proud of you, Jack!

Enjoy!!

Kids say the darndest things

2009-07-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest things about being the parent of an almost 3-year old is being constantly amused by the words that come out of his mouth. Some days, we just look at each other and say "Where did he learn that??"

And, if you knew Jack as a young toddler you know that he was just a little on the shy side. Not anymore. He will talk to anyone and everyone. Anywhere. Anytime. It doesnt matter. And, for some reason, his voice these days is SO LOUD. So loud. So, so, so, so loud.

It is also adorable to hear his interpretation of how words are said. This is a video I shot of Jackson the other day while we were playing "shopping". He has a pretend grocery cart, pretend food, pretend money, his very own reusable shopping bag from Harris Teeter (we dont do plastic here) and his very own cash register or in Jackese cash regerregerreger. He likes to "see myself" in the camera so that is what he says each time I ask him a question.

Edited to add: I can't believe I forgot to add in the main part of this post!! I must have gotten distracted by something very important.

4th of July we had the opportunity to share our blanket with another family who did not have one. The kids (2 of them - ages 3 & 4) sat down on the grass next to us to watch the fireworks and ended up sitting in a small fireant hill. I heard the kids talking about ants and the mom trying to get the kids up and offered to share our blanket with the family. We ended up talking and having a wonderful evening. About 10 minutes before the fireworks started one of the little boys said "Wait - you're supposed to have 2 kids. Where's your other one?" So cute.

What I'll miss...

2009-07-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

So far this has been a very blessed move. Thanks for all the prayers - we have definitely felt them! But - there are a few things we will miss.

We woke up this morning to a cool summer morning (cool summer - upper 60's), which reminded us of....an early fall Saturday watching college football. We are definitely NOT in college football country up (college basketball/professional hockey but not college football). I will miss running to Publix Saturday morning to pick up yummy football watching food (taco dip ingredients) and running into tons of people doing the same thing, having ESPN Gameday blaring in the background and seeing cars driving around town with their Carolina (or any other football team) flags waving in the breeze.

Right now, the thing I miss the most is Publix shopping. I used to look forward to the sales paper coming out on Wednesday and making my grocery list for the week. I could shop for the three of us for under $80/week and always have tons of fresh fruits and veggies. I loved Publix. I have resorted to Wal-Mart shopping once or twice here because I haven't found the grocery store that comes close to Publix. I DO NOT love Wal-Mart shopping and would avoid it at all costs in S.C.

So - just a little post about what we know will be different here. Not in a bad way (I'm sure I'll find my grocery store - went to Kroger this morning and was pretty impressed. I also visited our local Farmers Market, which happens every Saturday and LOVED that. Fresh, local breads, coffee, fruits, veggies, meat, eggs) but just different. And I'm sure Lee and I will still proudly (yes, even with those bad losses) sport our Carolina car flags around town on game days. Even if we are the only ones and up here Carolina means North Carolina.

Of course, we miss all our awesome friends and our church but know that God has great plans for us here.

Our first 4th...

2009-07-06T13:08:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful first 4th here in the triangle (as I'm learning it's called). We took Jackson for a quick run (ok, Lee and I ran while pushing Jack in the stroller), went swimming, took a nap (everybody napped - so nice when that happens) and then headed to the Koka Booth Ampitheatre in Cary for fireworks.

This was a very good idea on our part. We had no idea where to go or what to do for the 4th so I looked up the best place for fireworks in Cary and this is where it pointed us. It was amazing! The NC Symphony played patriotic music while we strolled along the pond filled with hungry geese (and little ones feeding them anything they could fine). There were probably 8,000 people there. The weather was beautiful and we really had a wonderful evening.

It all started with a free Chick-Fil-A cow for Jack (he didnt so much like the life-sized one that wanted to give him a hug but didnt let go of this little one all night. He would walk up to complete strangers to show them his cow)

Next, Jack and Lee enjoyed a blue (Lee's choice - not mine) sno-cone and then enjoyed their matching blue tongues.

Just a glimpse of the # of people that came for fireworks. They really started rolling in about 8:00, with the fireworks starting at 9:00.

And then the best part of all - the fireworks. Jackson LOVED them and hasn't stopped talking about them. He has asked to see more fireworks probably three times a day since Saturday. These fireworks were spectacular! All in all - it was a simple but unforgettable 4th for us.

How fun is that???

2009-06-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

We are here! We left Lexington on June 4th and arrived in Cary on June 5th. We spent a not so restful night in Fayetville, NC on the way up from S.C. and left early the next morning to meet the movers. We have realized that using a moving service is definitely the way to go - we are renting an apartment on the 3rd floor and didn't have to carry one thing up. The boxes were packed oh-so-neatly (very unlike my packing jobs) and very easy to unpack. It also helped that my mom came (thanks, Mom. We miss you and cant wait for you to come back up!!) and unpacked basically our whole house in 1 day.

We are trying to get settled and are really enjoying the area. We can definitely feel all the prayers we had as this has been a pretty smooth (just a few bumps) transition. This is a beautiful area and Cary/Raleigh is sooo family friendly. We are within walking distance to a beautiful park (Jack and I have made that trek twice). I met another new to the area mom the other day at the park and even went for a playdate with several other new-to-the-area moms (mostly west coasters, I'm guessing the research triangle has something to do with all the computer engineering folks here).

We've tried 2 churches and really liked them both. We are realizing that churches here are just going to be HUGE but with small groups. Both services offered exactly what we needed to hear that day, which has been a blessing.

Here are a few pics from our time here...

Jack at the pool - our apartment has a beautiful pool. During the day it is mostly moms and kids Jackson's age. Lee also takes him most evenings to the pool. Jackson is becoming quite a little fish.

Jack's new room (and his new house). Mimi built him a house out of moving boxes - Jackson insisted it have blinds on the windows (hence the paper hanging from the box).

Our trip up - we stopped about 447 times in the 4 hour trip for Jackson to use the potty. One time was a a truck stop (not such a hot choice) and one stop was at the N.C. welcome center (where Jack "used the potty" on a tree). Welcome to N.C.

Last Saturday we went to the park in the morning and then headed to Southpointe Mall for shopping in the evening. Jack asked his infamous "Where are we going, Daddy?" on the way to the mall to which I replied "a new mall". Jackson's reply was "a new park!! AND a new mall!! How fun is that!!??!!"

I wuv you, Mommy

2009-05-22T11:34:00.001-07:00

It was the sweetest thing ever the first time Jackson said this to me - without me saying it to him first or hinting to him that he should say it.

I was helping him put his shorts back on after a potty break (we now officially have a fully potty trained little guy) so he was standing next to me with his hand on my shoulder while I helped him with his shorts. He patted me on the shoulder and said "Oh, Mommy, I wuv you" and gave me a big hug. I still get teary eyed thinking about it - it makes everything I do as a parent totally worth it just to hear those words.

Of course that was about 2 weeks ago and since then it has progressed into "I wuv you, Denise." No more mommy here - I am now Denise to my 2 1/2 year old son. I honestly dont know where he got that. Lee calls me D when we are together so Jack doesn't hear a lot of Denise around the house. I gently remind him that I am Mommy, not Denise, but the first time he said it I just cracked up. "I wuv you, Denise."

So, this morning Jack and I went to Lee's work to have lunch with a few friends, celebrate his last day there and most importantly (in Jack's world) see the semi trucks. As we were heading out the door, Jackson asked me (for the hundredth time) "Where are we going?" to which I replied "to Daddy's work" to which he replied "Fredrick's work?" I had to stop and ask him to repeat himself. Fredrick is Lee's first name (he is actually Fredrick Lee Woodham, II). This boy picks up on everything we say. I call Lee Fredrick in a joking way every once in a while.

Guess we better be sure to watch what we say. Even when he is not listening.

Jack Jack's Dance Party

2009-05-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

Lee and Jack love to watch Madagascar together - their favorite part is where the lemurs (I think they're lemurs) are dancing to "I like to move it move it" They both jump out of their chairs and start dancing. It's so cute to watch but Jackson will not dance like this in front of a camera so Lee had to hide the camera to get him to dance (pretty sneaky, huh?). Lee filmed him dancing one nigth before bed when I wasn't here. Funny thing is the first thing Jack said when he woke up the next morning was "I dance with Daddy to move it move it" Wonder how many times Jackson had to dance to the song?

This was part of my (early) super sweet Mother's Day present. There's no music to it (but if you listen real close you can hear Lee dancing in the background.) I also got another super sweet early present - a mold of Jack's tiny little hand. I sat in my room and listened to Lee try to keep Jack still and keep him from eating the plaster while making the mold and knew the whole time what he was doing. It also didnt help that Jackson came running back to me afterwards and said "I made you a present Mommy!! It's not food, no. I not eat it, no. It's just my hand. Yeah."

Where Raleigh go, Daddy??

2009-05-02T12:23:00.001-07:00

First things first....
Lee accepted an amazing promotion in Raleigh, NC. He will be the VP of Fresh Point - a produce company in Raleigh. We should be up there around the first of June sometime. This is a wonderful opportunity for him and we are super excited about it. It literally came out of the blue - his boss-to-be called his current boss and basically said that Fresh Point wanted Lee for this position. Lee interviewed in Raleigh and Orlando and both interviews went really well. Fresh Point, which is actually owned by Sysco, made him an offer that couldn't be passed up and is making this move as easy as possible. Please pray for a smooth transition for us and that our house sells.

We (minus Jackson) traveled to Raleigh this past week while Jack stayed with Mimi and Papa in Lexington. Jack had an awesome time as did me and Lee. The morning that we were leaving for Raleigh Lee was talking to Jackson about us leaving and told him we were going to Raleigh. Jackson's response was "Where Raleigh go, Daddy?" to which Lee said "North Carolina". Jackson's response to that was "Where North Carolina go, Daddy?"

Now for some pictures...
Mom and Dad (aka Mimi and Papa) went camping a few weeks ago at Dreher Island. Since it was just a 45 minute drive Jack and I headed up to spend the day with them (well, the day minus the 2 hours it took to replace my dead battery but that's another story). Jackson loved it and really enjoyed fishing with Papa (I'll post those pictures soon, they are soo cute) and eating the treats Mimi brought.

Here is Jackson with Papa and Mimi - it was nearly impossible to get a picture where all three of them were looking at me and smiling.

A camper at heart - Jackson with his fishing pole (notice the real bobber Papa attached) and coffee (it's really water in the coffee cup but was so cute I couldnt pass it up). We are planning on taking Jackson camping this fall - he loved it that much!

A budding artist - look at how he holds that pencil!! He will sit and draw and draw and draw!! He really focuses so intently, draws pretty well for a 2 year old and we are just amazed at how good he is at holding his pencil.

This boy...

2009-03-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Keeps us laughing every day. It's such a blessing to see his little personality developing - God has given us such a gift with Jackson. He has gotten so creative and can basically entertain himself with the simplest things. No expensive toys needed for this child - just hand him an empty bucket or a vacuum cleaner attachment and he'll be happy.

I call this his Risky Business look - he ran around the house in his underwear, vacuum cleaner tube, glasses and socks.

This bucket is his new source of entertainment - on his head or under his feet pretending it is a spaceship. I think he came up with seven or eight things to do with this bucket. Love him!

The flu andthe race in the rain

2009-03-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

Jackson has (had)the flu - found out yesterday. Poor little guy - he is actually feeling about 90% better today - fever is gone, cough is almost gone, runny nose is almost gone. But still - he had the flu. He had a bad cough and a little fever on Friday. Besides being incredibly grumpy (who can blame him) he didn't give any signs of "the flu". Saturday - he was great!! Little cough - no fever - no grumpy. Sunday about 4:30 am he woke up with an incredibly high fever, begging me for water. I gave him Tylenol, a nice cold glass of water and rocked him until his fever went down. He ended up sleeping with us from about 5:45 until 7:45 - he just couldn't get comfortable. Still didn't think it was the dreaded flu.
Sunday he lounged all day (perfect day for it - rained all day) had a slight fever until about 5:30 when it hit almost 104.5!! After a cool bath and some more medicine the fever went down and mine and Lee's heartrates went back to normal. Took him to the doctor Monday morning where she took one look at him and said "I bet he has the flu". The test confirmed it and we were sent home with instructions to rest, drink fluids and keep him quarantined until Saturday. The flu shot didn't keep him away from the flu but it sure did make it a quick bout of the flu. He was almost better by Monday afternoon. He has honestly had a great time building tents and castles in the living room (he likes to pretend he is a knight in shining armor), reading books, watching Mickey Mouse and being loved on and spoiled. He totally deserves it.

Meanwhile, I got out of bed at 6:30 am Saturday to run a 10k in the blinding rain. It was probably the best time I have ever had running a race - ever. Crazy, I know. I woke up to hear the rain pounding our roof and thought about staying home. I mean - it was POURING, and cold, and I would probably get sick and my nice, warm bed was just calling me. But, then I thought - I am young and God wants me to enjoy the rain as much as the sun. So I ran. I ran with a girl I know from my gym and some of her friends. We really did have a great time. Rain and all.

Practice makes perfect...

2009-02-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

Jennifer (Landree's mom) went to a photography workshop a few weekends ago and basically came back a professional photographer. Seriously...she posted some pics she took of Landree and another little one on her blog and I told her we definitely wanted her to take pics of Jack. She came over yesterday with Landree and took some pics while the kids played. She called it practice - I call it perfect.

Aren't these just the sweetest pictures you've ever seen?

This

2009-02-12T11:20:00.001-08:00

"This" is Jackson's answer to every question.
Me: "What did you do at Caleb's house today?"
Jack: "This"
Me: "What do you want for lunch?"
Jack: "This"
Me: "What is your new stuffed doggies name?"
Jack: "This"

It really makes sense if you think about it. You could probably get through life answering "this" to most questions asked of you. You would probably annoy everyone around you - but it could work. Last night Lee was talking to Jackson about getting a doggie (Lee really wants a doggie and is trying to get Jack as excited about the prospect). Lee asked Jackson what he would name his doggie (I whispered in Lee's ear "you know his answer will be this"). Jackson played true to form and said "this". I'm sure you will find us a few months from now with a new doggie named "This".

How to spend a cold, rainy day...

2009-02-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

Jackson love the mall. If you ask him if he wants to go to the mall he will automatically yell "Yes!!!" Now, the mall to Jackson is a merry go round, play cars and Chick Fil A - with just a little shopping added in.

Lee and Jeff were playing flag football one Saturday morning with some other guys from church and it was cold and rainy outside. Jennifer and I decided to take Jack and Landree to the mall. They had a blast!! They played on the cars forever and then when the merry go round finally opened we took a ride on it and then had lunch. Lee and I have said that the food court at the mall is like our new babysitter. We can sit at a table by the cars and have an adult meal while Jackson just plays and plays. And since we have never actually put money in the cars to make them go it is the cheapest babysitter yet!

Snow in S.C.

2009-01-21T04:18:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right. It snowed in SC - and everything shut down. It was actually beautiful and so amazing to experience this first with Jackson. Lee and I got up to watch the snow come down and then watched the news as they listed the many, many closings for the day. Unfortunately, Sysco never closes so Lee had to go to work. Jack woke up and I opened his blinds to show him the snow - he was not as excited as I was. Once we got bundled up and outside, though, he thoroughly enjoyed himself. It was super cold (as I guess it should be when it snows) so we would go out of 20-30 minutes, come back in to warm up and then head back out. Kind of tiring to keep bundling ourselves up but he didn't seem to mind - especially because I allowed him to wear his monkey pajamas shirt all day - he loves spending the day in his jammies.

It really started coming down after being out for a few minites. Jackson said "Mommy - winny (windy)" and then the wind picked up and the snow started coming.

Our first trip out - not quite sure what to make of it. There wasn't enough snow to make much of a snowball - but we sure did try.

In his monkey jammies watching the snow come down and the big kids play.

Grandpa Day

2009-01-21T03:53:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to see Lee's dad after New Year's. Grandpa lives on several acres now and has all the toys that Jack loves - plus a great, big dog named Juno (which Jack calls Jujune). Jackson always has such a great time visiting his grandparents and talks about them constantly. He always wants to pray for Grandpa and Jujune and Grandpa's 2 chickens, 2 goats, 2 ducks and 1 rooster. This is exactly how he says it, too. The animals are actually Fred's neighbors but Jackson doesn't know that and a trip to Grandpa's woldn't be complete with a visit to the animals.

Too much Grandpa Day - Jackson on the way home (for some reason my pictures downloaded in the wrong order). He konked out the second we left Grandpa's house.

Look, Ma, no hands!! Take a close look at who is driving the tractor.

Jack and Grandpa walking around the property. Grandpa has picked out a special area of woods for Jackson to play in when he gets older. It's the perfect spot for a little guy to build forts and play all the fun games little boys play.

Three generations of Woodham men...

Grandpa and Jack on the tractor. Jackson would spend all day on this tractor if he could.

Mother May I??

2008-12-31T12:03:00.000-08:00

We have been working with Jackson on his "nice words" or "big boy words" - words like please and thank you. It's kind of upsetting to eat dinner with your son and have him yell "MILK!!" when he wants milk so we started working on "milk, please." He got that pretty quickly so we moved onto "Mommy, may I have some milk please?". Sounds like a lot but he got that pretty quickly, also. Only problem is he uses that phrase for everything - he just substitutes his current want/need for milk.

Here are some recent Jackson Mother May I quotes:

Mommy, may I have some Daddy put me to bed please, Mommy? (he wanted Lee to put him to bed - not me)

Mommy, may I have some all done eating please, Mommy? (he wanted to get down from the table)

Mommy, may I have some help me please, Mommy? (he needed some help - this one actually would have worked if he had left out the word "me")

And then one of my favorite things is when I hear him use this phrase on his little friends. We were playing with Caleb one day and Jackson wanted whatever it was Caleb was playing with. Jackson came up to me wanting some help getting this toy from Caleb and I told him he needed to ask Caleb nicely. This is what Tricia and I heard from the other room:

Jackson: "Caleb, may I have some Mickey Mouse please, Caleb?"

Caleb: "No."

I need to learn from Caleb - I have a really hard time saying no when he uses this cute phrase on me.

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-31T11:30:00.000-08:00

Jackson had a wonderful Christmas this year!! We talked with him all month about why we celebrate Christmas and tried to make sure he knew the real reason we do so much celebrating this time of year. His bible memory verse from church for Christmas was "Jesus was born." He repeated this over and over - so cute to hear him say it. I think someone got it on video.

He received a ton of wonderful gifts and had a great time opening them up Christmas morning. He was a little timid at first - ripping off tiny little pieces of wrapping paper and handing each little scrap to me to throw away - but was soon into the unwrapping thing full force. My parents, Lee's dad and brother, PJ, and his fiance, Miranda, spent Christmas Eve with us and joined in the festivities Christmas morning. Lee's best friend, Greg, and his wife, Melanie, also joined us for dinner Christmas Eve and Christmas day (although Greg and Mel were subjected to the family sing along with Jack's new musical instruments so I'm not sure they'll be back).

Mimi and Papa got Jack a recorder - or horn as Jack calls it, and some other cool musical instruments. He loves those and we now wake up most mornings to his wonderful horn playing. Grandpa got Jackson a table and chairs, which has already gotten a ton of use. We use it inside to color and read books and then take it outside (it's very light) to eat our picnics. Lee has been working a firework stand with some guys from church in the evenings this week so Jackson and I have eaten most lunches and dinners outside. No matter how cold it is.

This is Jack eating a picnic lunch at his new table. Notice the John Deere hat. This was Lee's favorite gift to Jackson from my sister and her husband. Thanks Lisa and John. Jackson LOVES this hat and wears it everywhere. He has learned how to put it on backwards also and really looks like a redneck then.

Lee got Jack his first ball and glove. Jack wasn't too into the game of catch at first but loves to play catch with Daddy now.

We got Jack a turtle sandbox. He jumped right in there - jammies and all.

This was actually my mom's gift to my dad but she ordered it from our Lowes so she didnt have to haul it up here and ruin the surprise. Jackson spent a lot of his Christmas Eve riding in Papa's wheelbarrow.

Jackson also got a sin n spin (remember those??). He does pretty well on it but I cant get a good picture of him on it cause he is spinning so much. He really likes the music it plays - and spent a good part of yesterday just pushing the buttons to make the music go.

It really was neat to see him enjoy Christmas this year. We took him around several neighborhoods to look at lights (which were few and far between this year). He really enjoyed looking at those huge blow up Christmas things people put in their front yards. He now knows Santa Claus so next year should be interesting and fun.

Living like no one else

2008-12-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in the Thanksgiving post that we are going through some financial "stuff" right now (that's the best way to put it). I really hesitated about sharing our stuff on the internet. I mean, I know tons of people dont read this but is it really smart to air your dirty laundry for the world to see? Yep - was the answer I received. Here's the deal: we have debt. Basic, average, living the american dream debt (car, student loans, credit card). We just realized, though, that being in debt isn't so much of a dream and not a legacy I want to pass on to my children. You know, the whole "borrower being servant to the lender" thing is not how we want to live.

So, I checked out the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace books from the library and got to work on our budget. (If you haven't read his stuff he really throws it at you and makes you realize 1st) debt stinks and is not how God intended us to live and 2nd) you can get out of it - with a lot of hard work, self-discipline and faith. Hmmm, all really good qualities to possess.) His motto is "live like no one else now so you can live like no one else later" or something like that. Basically, live frugally now - without all the "stuff" we think is so important but really isn't. Simplify your life. If you have any kind of debt, get rid of the nice cars, don't buy the designer clothes, don't fall into the pit of living the american dream with $80,00 worth of debt and then pass that legacy of debt onto your kids and grandkids. Then - when the debt is gone and your hard earned money is freed up from paying your debtors every month you can live like no one else.

I did our budget and almost had a minor heart attack when I realized how much of our income was going towards our debt. So, we are paying it off and we both realize that we cannot accomplish this with God. He does not want us to live in debt, He brought us to this point of wanting out of it and He is paving a way out for us. So, when it is all said and done - He will get all the glory and we can use our money (actually His money) to further His kingdom. I decided I will do some kind of journal of this time so that I can use it to show others who dont know Him what having faith in such an awesome God can do.

I think about our struggle to have kids and how God was right there with me - closer than I have ever felt Him - the whole time. He used that time to grow my faith in Him (even though he wasn't answering my prayers). I learned to love Him and trust Him in everything. But I never gave Him the glory. I kept it all to myself - there are probably so many couples going through the same thing who would benefit from knowing the peace that comes from trusting Him totally. So, this time will be different. I will let people know where we are and what He is doing (and I might still use our baby struggles to show how awesome He is).

So, there you have it. Our life right now in a nutshell. Looking forward to showing what an awesome God we serve.

So thankful...

2008-12-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Once again, long time - no post. I have just been reallybusy lately and not finding any extra time to get on here. My goal is to post once a week with some cute pictures or something cute Jack has done - for everyone reading the blog and as a way for me to keep up and remember everything he does. I also keep a little journal that I will one day give to Jackson. In it I write cute things he has done or said and tell him how thankful we are that God let us have him. You know, stuff that probably wont mean anything until he has kids of his own but stuff I would forget about if I didnt write it down.

We traveled to Papa and Mimi's and Grandpa's for Thanksgiving. Lots of traveling and Lee got a stomach bug so our Thanksgiving meal was put off until Friday so Lee could recover. Jack had a wonderful time, nonetheless. He always has a great time visiting his grandparents. Jack had a great time in a pile of leaves Papa had raked earlier in the week - he could have spent all day in the leaves. We took some lollipop pictures hoping to make them Christmas card pictures but they didnt quite turn out how I wanted them so we used an older picture - Jackson REALLY enjoyed the lollipop, though. And, of course, we visited the goats and chickens and ducks at Grandpa's house.

This year, I really realized how much I have to be thankful for. I truly feel that I am thankful just because I have things to be thankful for. We were saying our prayers with Jack one night and talking to him about thanking God for everything he had - well that turned into him being thankful for pajamas, his blankie, his bear, his doggie, diapers - you get the picture. But it made me stop and think - there are little boys and girls that go to bed at night without nice warm jammies or bears and doggies to cuddle with. There are babies who dont always have clean diapers. There are little ones who don't have a big thanksgiving dinner to look forward to- who don't have any big meal to look forward to. It really stopped me in my tracks. I am so in awe of our God who has blessed Lee and I with so much - way beyone what we deserve. We need to share His love and the resources He has given us with those around us. Now, we are facing a pretty difficult financial time right now (more on that later) but I know that God will use what we are going through to bring Him glory. That's what it's all about. So, I am thankful that I can be thankful. This year, it wasn't about the turkey or the stuffing or the pie (even though that was all awesome). It was about realizing everything we do have (instead of what we don't) and desiring to spend each and every day worshipping and glorifying God with my life.

New Do

2008-11-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

Not really sure if do (as in haircut) is spelled that way. Oh well, I got another reminder email form my mom wanting to know when an update on the blog was coming so thought I would update - misspelled words and all.

Jackson got his first official haircut 2 weeks ago. Lee took him for an all day Daddy and Jack day. Lowes for tractor rides (and to buy mulch), haircut, merry go round rides, lunch at Chick Fil A. Doesnt get much better than that.

Jack did awesome with his haircut. He sat on Lee's lap and didn't complain one bit (I'm guessing the promise of a lollipop or two helped in that). I almost cried when he walked in the door. Gone was the little baby - in his place was a little boy.

Like I said - in his place was a little boy. Silly faces (and sounds to go along with the faces) and all.

Trunk or Treat???

2008-11-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

Treat, please!!!
We had a Trunk or Treat Festival at our church last Friday with games, trunk or treating and even a hayride. The kids had a great time and scored some major candy. Lee took Jack on the trunk or treating while I manned the bowling game. Jack came back up to me dragging his very full bag of treats.

Caleb was a pirate (yep, he wore that patch all night and has a wonderful "arrggh!!" to go along with the pirate costume), Jack was a cowboy and Cooper was a fisherman.

Our Set-Up

2008-10-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Jackson has decided he's ready to take the plunge into potty training. But it is going to be his way or no way. No little boy potty for him - he wants to use the BIG potty (Jack's words - it's not big, it's BIG). No time for me to buy a stool for him to stand on (oh, he also wants to stand - not sit) so what are we using?? A dictionary. That's right. A dictionary. We hope he will learn a few words through osmosis with all the time we are spending at the potty.

Oh, and some pictures...

2008-10-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

What kind of mommy posts about her child's first real bike ride and doesn't post pictures??? (Well, the kind of mommy who has a really bad cold, isn't sleeping well at night because of said cold, whose little bike rider has decided that this week, of all weeks, is a good time to take very short naps and whose computer is sooo slow that posting pictures has started taking 3x the amount of time it should.)

But - I posted some anyways - just becasue they are so darn cute!!

For some reason they posted backwards - this is what happens when Jackson decided he's all done with his bike ride. He climbs off says "sit right here" and plops down in the closest driveway. I can always tell when he is getting tired because he stops every two seconds to point out something (birds, airplanes, leaves, mailboxes, ants, dirt, worms, anything).

Notice the fancy footwork - bike riding without the pedals. It's pretty amazing to see him stop - his poor shoes will definitely not last this winter at the rate he is going.

Little wild man on a bike. I took tons of pictures of Jackson with the infamous tongue sticking out. Seriously, about half of the pictures I took had this face. No wonder he is so thirsty when we finally get home.

Lovin' the outdoors. He will usually request his glasses and helmet once or twice during his ride. I decided against bringing them along - figuring that it would just prolong the already long bike ride while he tries to adjust both the glasses and helmet to fit just perfectly (he's not Lee Woodham's child at all).

Bike Rides and Sunrises

2008-10-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that Jack got a bike (big wheel) from Papa and Mimi? He is still in love with his bike and has now taken to riding it all over our neighborhood. It's really cute to see him push his bike along without using the pedals - he hasn't quite figured the pedal thing out yet. When I say the whole neighborhood I mean our whole neighborhood - sometimes we do 2 trips around. He is really good with steering and turning the bike - the first time we went out he zoomed down our driveway with me running behind him screaming "Stop before you get to the street!!". Talk about a heart attack (we live on the main road and cars just about ignore the 25 mph speed limit). But he did great and turned right onto the sidewalk (on just two wheels) and kept going. We rode all over the neighborhood until our 3rd trip up and down a slightly hilly street where he stopped, got off his bike and said "Hold me Mommy. Go Home." I ended up carrying Jack and the bike home.

Jackson has always been somewhat of an early riser - we are usually up by 7:00 or 7:30. It's fine on the weekdays - it means an earlier bedtime for him and more time for Lee and I to spend together. Lee is not always so happy with it on the weekends when he would like to get a little sleep. But what can you do??

One major advantage of the early rising is that Jackson and I have enjoyed several beautiful sunrises together. You know the kind of sunrise where the sky is purple, pink, orange and yellow and has those awesome clouds all mixed in? He loves it and always asks for "more more more" when it is all done.

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

We decided that this year Jackson was old enough to pick out his first real pumpkin. Lee took him around to all the pumpkins, testing them out and trying to decide which one was best. There were rows and rows of nice, big pumpkins. Which one did Jack choose???

The absolute smallest one he could fine. Crazy kid - he is stuck on this "big" & "little" thing right now. It's either big or little and if it's not big then it's little and if it's not little then it's big. That's how our conversations go these day. Well, he decided that he wanted a little, not a big, pumpkin. And he would not hear another word about it. It HAD to be a little, not a big, pumpkin.

He did check out every, single little (not big) pumpkin at the pumpkin stand, though. We had several near misses where the little (not big) pumpkins almost came tumbling down onto the ground.

In the end the little (not big) pumpkin actually was a good idea for Jack, as he brought it to the dinner table with him and carried it around with him all night. Daddy got the big (not little) pumpkin for us to carve.

Random Thoughts...

2008-10-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

No real title for this post because basically it's just a bunch of random thoughts with no real purpose - except for me to have a place to express my random thoughts.

I am totally enjoying my time with Jackson - his personality is really developing and it's so much fun to watch. I enrolled him in a Mothers Morning Out program but then we took him out of it. Financial reasons were what encouraged me to withdraw him. He also did not like to go (big surprise, I know. Jack is a total Mommy/Daddy/Mimi boy). But now, I guess I am kind of glad. I don't know, maybe I felt like I was pushing him into becoming one more hurry up/get out the door kind of kid. Our lives are so fast-paced and always busy and maybe I just want to give him a little more time to just be a kid. Run, play, sit, look for bugs, read a book. We do My Gym, I do a bible study with a few other moms one morning a week where we bring the kids. We have fun and he gets to enjoy a few more months of downtime.

Here's an example of Jack in full relax mode. I cleaned the porch last week while Jack enjoyed some lounge time in the chairs. Seriously, he even plopped down on the couch with a pillow under his head and pretended to take a nap for about 10 minutes.

Jack LOVES his daddy. It's basically the first word out of his mouth when I get him out of bed in the morning. "Daddy go??" he says. He still loves to lawnmower the grass with Daddy. That's what he calls it "lawnmower the grass". This is a pic of Jack and daddy this past weekend cutting the grass together. We wish Jack and Daddy had a little more time together. Maybe if we find a new house just a little closer to work...

Still loves the helmet (and the glasses but he's broken about every pair he owns so glasses are off-limit for now). The helmet never quite sits right on his head when he puts it on but he does not care one bit. He went to Lanree's house yesterday and had to take the helmet with him.

Mr. Jim and Mrs. Diana from our church gave Jack an animal sticker book for his birthday. To say he likes the book is putting it mildly. He loves the book. We looked at the sticker book for about an hour last night and stuck stickers to every body part he could think of.

Lee and I are headed to a dinner celebrating God's faithfulness with the Daybreak Crisis Pregnancy Center tonight. Amy and Tim sponsored a table and invited us to attend as guests. We are so excited to support this cause and become involved with such an awesome program. Mimi is coming up to hang out with Jack, I still dont know what I am wearing and I leave in 3 1/2 hours, I have a ton of housework that needs to be done and need to find 3 subs for some cycle classes but know that the minute I get done here I will plop myself down, open my book and munch on some yummy Charleston Cookie Company cookies Lee brought home from work.

Mickey Mouse, potty training and being still

2008-10-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Mickey Mouse is our new best friend. He goes everywhere we go and does everything we do. If Jackson has berries for breakfast then heaven help us if Mickey Mouse isn't also sitting at the table with a bowl of berries in front of him. I tried being sneaky and just putting an empty bowl in front of our dear friend Mickey but Jack saw right through that. "Mickey Mouse berries bowl!!!" he said. If Jack has a cup of water then Mickey has to have one too. Jack would like Mickey to also have juice and milk in his cup but so far I have been able to sneak by with just filling Mickey's cup with water.

Mickey joined us for playdoh and coloring this morning. Did you know Mickey's favorite play-doh color is purple??? He also likes to make balls, not snakes, out of his playdoh and definitely does not like to eat his playdoh.
__________________________________

I think Jack is ready to start some potty training. Why do I think that?? Well, he runs to his room and shuts the door when he is going to have a dirty diaper and grabs his diaper and says "diaper" when he has to, well, pee (for lack of a better word). He likes to sit on his potty maybe once a day and he will pee with no problem and LOVES the treat afterwards. But that's it, once he has sat on his potty one or maybe two times - he is done. He will yell "NO!!" when I ask him to sit on it again and run the opposite direction. I've thought about putting him in just underwear or training pants so he doesn't have the diaper absorbing so much for him but just don't know about the mess that will cause. Pray for this next chapter in our lives. I know that it will go smoothly and will be one of those things that looked like a bigger deal than it was when we are all done.

____________________________________________

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Wow - how much easier would things be if we could just do that?? Be still and know who He is and what He has done and all that He can do. We take so much on ourselves and don't give God anywhere near as much as we should, at least I do that.

I had a quiet time the other day unlike any I have had in a while. I was actually still and just focused on God and who He has been for me in the past, who He has said he will be, if I let Him, and what He wants to do and just how much He loves me. It was not easy - my mind wanted to wander all over the place but I tried to stay focused on just God. It was simply amazing the peace that came from just spending that time not talking, not asking for something but just focusing on Him. I know that life can get hard - we get burnt out and tired and frustrated. But we make it so much harder than it should be when we take our focus off of Him and put it on us and our worries. He just wants our trust - all of it - and faith that He will carry us through anything and that His ways are always better than ours.

________________________________

And then, this picture - just because I caught a sweet time between Daddy and Jack on camera and just to show you how BIG Jack's feet are getting....

$94.89

2008-09-26T09:01:00.001-07:00

Want to take a guess at what I paid for with that amount of money this morning?? Take a guess...

Gas!!! One tank of gas to fill up Lee's gas-guzzling monster of a car. I almost fainted when I turned around from talking to Jack and saw that amount on the screen of the gas tank. I have been driving Lee's car for several weeks now to help us save money on gas (he's driving my more fuel efficient car the 60 mile trip to and from work) but have not once filled up his tank. Probably b/c I have been too scared to see the price!!

Lee called earlier and said that some cities around us are out of gas for now and, since the Yukon was on empty, I needed to fill up today to make sure I wasn't stuck at home with no gas. I didn't play into the gas craziness before the hurricane hit Gavleston a few weeks ago and we were fine but I had 1/2 of a tank then and had none now.

Here's the bad part - we budgeted about $400 a month for gas. What that probably means is we will be going WAY over that budget with the amount of driving Lee has to do just to get to and from work (about 300 miles a week) or I will have to make this $100 tank of gas last me all month. Hmmm...looks like that Yukon will be parked in our driveway a lot for the next several months.

Oh well, off to clip some coupons and, hopefully, save money in other places.

Hanging on

2008-09-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

I had kind of a "No!! Dont grow up so fast!!" moment at My Gym today. Jack now climbs all over the place now at My Gym and is scared of nothing there. Me?? I still walk behind him, waiting to catch him if he falls from the rock climbing wall. But, you know what?? He honestly does not want me there anymore. He doesn't want me helping him or reaching my hand out to catch him. He wants to do it on his own.

So, he was walking across this plank thing onto this crazy slide set and he leaned over to give the monkey painted on the wall a high five. There's just the slightest gap between the plank and the wall and he was putting his foot right in that gap. My instinct was to reach out and grab hold of his shirt so that he didn't fall in the gap. His instinct was to grab my hand and say "No mommy!! Stop!! Jack Jack!!" "Uh, son, I'm just doing my job. Keeping you from falling several feet onto the hard floor." And then it hit me - this is what it's going to be like for the rest of my life, isn't it??? Me - hanging on to him, trying to guide him and lead him and Jack - wanting to do it all on his own.

Celebrating 2 years with Jackson!!!

2008-09-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Can you beleive he's already 2??? It amazes me how fast time flies! Everyone always told me it would but I never knew how true it was until we were celebrating Jack's 2nd birthday. I kept thinking "Now this can't be right. Is he really 2?? Certainly this is just his 1st birthday."

2 years ago, on September 15th, we were blessed with the greatest gift from God. We never knew how much joy, happiness, love, tenderness, pride and yes, worry, we would feel with this amazing child in our lives. He is growing and changing before our eyes - learning something new each and every day. We are so excited to see him becoming the young man God created him to be and so thankful we get to be a part of his life.

I know that I have learned and will continue to learn so much more from Jack than I could have ever been taught in school or anywhere else. He's the joy of our lives and we love him more than I know how to put into words.

A few pictures from Jackson's party. We celebrated with our friends and family at Pastor Bill's pool. It turned out to be a beautiful day - perfect for swimming and eating some cupcakes.

Jack, Grandpa, Mimi and Papa - along with the purple dump truck from Caleb. Wouldn't have been a party without the grandparents. Uncle PJ and Aunt Miranda also made it up for the party!!

It also wouldn't be a pool party at Pastor Bill's without the appearance of Flash, Pastor Bill's raft floating dog.

Jackson and his friends opening his presents. Ever notice how 2 year olds have no qualms about helping their friends open their gifts? I think it's the cutest thing ever.

Caleb in cupcake prison. We did Carolina colors - even after their loss to Vanderbilt the Thursday before (of course, Lee begged me to change the colors). The kids were covered in garnet and black icing.

Birthday Party Madness

2008-09-23T10:59:00.001-07:00

September is birthday party month in our neck of the woods. About 2 years ago we could have called September birthing month as myself and several of our friends had our 1st babies within just days of each other. Now we spend most weekends in September celebrating the wonderful kids God has blessed us with.

These are a few pics from our friend, Landree's, party a few weeks ago. She had her party at My Gym - the kids loved it. It was busy, fun, loud, lots to do, cupcakes and juice were included - why wouldn't they love it?????

Landree and her mom during the circle time part of the party. Can you believe most of the kids sat still for this part??

Traci and Logan - also sitting still. Logan's little brother was born just about a week before the party.

Caleb practicing his forward roll. Caleb just had his party last weekend. Jack was at his grandparents and missed it. Happy belated birthday Caleb!!! We love you!!

Jack in the ball pit - one of his favorite places to go at My Gym.

Sitting still, once again, for a group picture. More like not sitting still for a group picture. This is the best one I got. Most of the other ones had several blurs running through the picture.

Happy Birthday Everyone!!!

Where to start???

2008-09-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it has been almost 3 weeks since I've posted!! You know it's been a long time when you get an email from your mom asking when she can expect an update on the blog. I received one of those emails just last week.

I guess things have been pretty hectic around here but, honestly, I just haven't felt like taking the time to sit down and post. I'm here now and will hopefully start taking the time now.

We are having a wonderful time with Jackson!! He is such a sweet, funny little boy (he's 2 now so I can say little boy). He Loves (notice the capital L) to be outside. It's the first thing we do in the morning (we were actually outside last Friday at 7:45 am - waiting on the trash truck, of course) and the last place he wants to be before bed. We actually have to drag him inside at bedtime. The good thing is that I am getting a ton of yard work done. Not such good news for the inside of my house but, oh well, if I had my choice I would spend my days outside too. Can't say I blame him - the weather is gorgeous. But my guess is he would be outside in the rain, snow, sleet.

Jack still loves his bike. Here's the story behind this picture: I take a Pilates class at my gym. The instructor's name is Mr. R (we'll call him that for the sake of privacy) - he lives just down the street from us and rides his bike everywhere. Jack and I see him all the time when we are outside and Mr. R will stop and talk to us. Mr. R. wears a helmet while riding his bike (like all smart people do) and sunglasses. Jack loves that and always talks about Mr. R, his bike, glasses and helmet. The other day Jack was out riding his bike and asked for his helmet and glasses. We actually have a helmet that came as part of a riding tractor and, of course, we have several pair of Jack-size glasses. Well he put those on and thought he was sooo cool, just like Mr. R.

Our favorite new picture of Jackson. I call this his "cheesy smile". This is the smile he uses when you pull out the camera and he knows you are going to take a picture. Notice all those teeth - we are finally working on his 2-year molars (almost through with those, hopefully!!). Also notice the curly hair. His hair is almost to the point of getting unruly. I have cut it several times in back to keep the mullet factor under control but have decided not to touch the adorable curls on the rest of his hair. Love him!!!

A good, healthy dose of outside

2008-09-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

The weather has been beautiful this week and Jackson has spent the majority of his waking hours outside. I love being outside and kind of got in a funk when it was so hot this summer that we had to spend our time inside. Jackson has obviously picked up my love of outdoors because it's almost the first thing we do in the morning and the last place we are before his bath at night.

Wednesday we actually had a picnic in the backyard. We went grocery shopping that morning and I mentioned a picnic to Jack while shopping. We've only had 2 other picnics in his life so I know he didn't quite understand what I was talking about but was excited nonetheless. We got home, I made some sandwiches and cut up some tomato and outside we went. He loved it and talked about it all afternoon.

After dinner we had some "yummy, yummy, tummy" (Jacksons actual words) watermelon. Our back porch and patio were covered in watermelon juice. The evidence is written all over his face of how "yummy" the watermelon was.

Jackson loves to "mower grass a Daddy" (cut the grass like Daddy). He pushes his lawnmower all over the backyard. Lee cannot wait until Jack is old enough for the real thing.

It's 8:34 pm - do you know where your Papa is???

2008-09-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry, Dad, you know we love you but I couldn't pass this up.

Lee and I left Jackson with Mimi and Papa Saturday afternoon and went to Charleston for an early dinner and some shopping. We got back in time to watch the Clemson/Alabama game at 8:00. Not long after kickoff Dad was sound asleep in his chair. I guess he was a little worn out from the craziness of playing with a 2 year old all day.

Over the river and through the woods

2008-09-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Literally - in more ways than one!!

We visited my parents (Mimi and Papa) and Lee's dad (Grandpa or Bapa as Jack calls him) this weekend and had a great trip. We literally have to go over the river and through the woods to get to both their houses and I spent about the last 30 minutes of our trip down singing "over the river and through the woods to Mimi's and Papa's house we go". The trip down took about 3 hours (almost 1 hour longer than normal) and Jackson was getting a little car seat crazy. My singing kept him entertained until the point when we could excitedly say, "We are almost to Mimi and Papa's house!!".

Mom picked up a Big Wheel from a consignment shop a few weeks before we came down ( I told them to pass on getting him one for his birthday this year b/c I thought he was too small - boy was I wrong). He spotted that thing and all we heard all weekend was "Bike!!" and off he went. He rode that bike all over their house, woke up early and jumped right on and probably went to bed saying "bike".

Here's a picture of Jackson and his "Bike!!!". He loved it so much he wanted to try to put it up on the couch so he could sit next to Lee but not too far from his bike.

Turtles...this is Jackson on his bike staring intently at a wooden turtle my parents have. He stayed here for several minutes. Turtles are also a huge facsination of his.

Grandpa's house and the tractor. Jackson had all the loves of his life around this weekend. Grandparents, bikes, turtles and tractors. Lee and Jack actually got quite a bit of grass cut at Grandpa's house.

Goats, chickens and ducks...oh my!! Yep, you are not seeing things - that is a goat following Lee, Grandpa and Jackson. Lee's dad has a beautiful new home on several acres out in the country close to the Edisto River. His neighbors are wonderful people (the husband went to high school with Lee) and they raise goats, chickens, roosters, ducks. We HAD to pay a visit to them so Jack could see the animals and I could see the couple's 3 month old twin girls. The goat's name is Rocky and is a very sweet animal. Jackson had a great time with the animals and Lee had a great time planning his next hunting trip with the neighbors.

On the subject of Mimi

2008-08-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

Jack has a habit of calling all grandmother type ladies Mimi. It's incredibly sweet to hear him say it at the store or park or anywhere. Always has Mimi on his mind.

He started a Mothers Morning Out program yesterday at a local church. I get 3 hours to myself every Thursday - it might take me some time to get used to that but, believe me, I will. I was not too concerned about leaving Jack but just wanted to make sure he liked his teachers. I didnt need to worry. There is an older lady in his class that he has fallen in love with and he calls her "Mimi". I know that she will never ever take the place of his Mimi and she really is quite older than my mom but I'm just thankful that he got Mimi as his teacher. When I went to pick him up yesterday he was sitting in her lap (she said he had gotten kind of grumpy about 11:30 but had been fine the rest of the time). He just looked at me and smiled and went right back to hanging out with Mimi. When we left he said "bye-bye Mimi"and told me on the way home that Mimi had given him cookies and Cheerios for a snack.

Mentioning Mimi and Papa and Grandpa

2008-08-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

We have a slight problem - it's called a Mimi and Papa and Grandpa addiction. Here's the deal - we are headed to Charleston for a weekend with my parents (Mimi and Papa) and a Sunday with Lee's dad (Grandpa) at his new place. We can't wait to hand Jack off to the grandparents and watch some much anticipated football. I was having a hard time getting Jackson to settle down and get ready for a nap today so I mentioned that when he woke up he would get to go see Mimi and Papa so he needed to take a nap right now. That got his attention and he went right to his crib but now he is just sitting in his crib yelling "Mimi!! Papa!! Bapa!!! Mimi!! Papa!! Bapa!!". I guess he thinks that they are here now - boy is he in for a letdown. We still have a 2 1/2 hour drive - I'm praying for a nap so that our ride will be that much more enjoyable. Remind me not to mention the grandparents until we are 5 minutes away, please.

Sweet duet

2008-08-26T04:59:00.001-07:00

Every night before Jackson goes to bed I rock him and sing "Jesus Loves Me". I've been doing this for a loooong time. We read books (some nights it is tons and tons of books) and then we rock, sing and off to sleep he goes. I never thought he was paying much attention to my singing - first of all, I cant carry a tune and second, he's usually either rubbing his eyes and falling asleep or fighting sleep so hard that he is pointing out all my face parts ("Mommy cheek, Mommy nose, Mommy mouth").

Probably a few weeks ago, though, I noticed him starting to hum along with me and then, not long after that, I noticed his sweet little voice singing along with me. Now, I will sometimes sing this 6 or 7 times just to hear him.
I've included our version of Jesus Loves Me below (Jack's words are in parantheses):

Jesus (Desus!! Desus!!) Loves Me (Me Me Mimi, Mimi, Papa, Mommy, Daddy)

This I know (no, no, no, no - sometimes he throws an "I" in there)

For the Bible (Bible, Bible, Bible) tells me so (me, me, me no, no)

Little ones (little, little and here he holds up 1 finger) to him belong (be be ong)

They are weak but he is strong (he he he he)

Yes, Jesus (Desus, Desus) loves me (nuv me, me, me, mimi, papa, mommy daddy) we repeat this verse 3 times and he repeats the same thing every time

For the Bible (Bible, Bible) tells me so (me, me, no)

It's very sweet to hear his little words - he's still on one verse while I've moved on to the next one. I think we make a pretty sweet duet.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho - It's off to work I go

2008-08-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

Just a snipet of how I spend my day -

Jack: "Daddy!! Daddy"

Me: "Where is Daddy??"

Jack: "Work" (actually sounds more like "erk"). "Mimi!! Mimi!!"

Me: "Where's Mimi??"

Jack: "Home. Papa!! Papa!!"

Me: "Where's Papa??"

Jack: "Home"

And you get the picture. We actually go through Daddy, Mimi, Papa, Cooper, Landree, Caleb, Matt (Caleb's dad), Abby, and on and on. I would say we have this conversation about oh, I don't know, 375 times a day. He is stuck on this "work/home" thing. Sometimes Mimi is at work - sometimes she is home and the same goes for Papa and all Jack's friends. Sometimes Landree is at work - sometimes she is home.

So, the other day Jack and I were out back playing with his frisbee (another newfound love of his. It's really humorous to see him throw the frisbee. He winds up, spins and throws it). So, Jack grabs the frisbee and takes off running across the backyard and this conversation follows:

Me: "Jack, where are you going??"

Jack: "Work"

He never looked back and never stopped running. Guess he just decided it was time to try out this "work" thing.

Updates and Daddy Time

2008-08-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

It seems like ages since I've had the time to post. Live with a two year old is busy - add to that a 32 year old who wishes he was 2 and, well, you probably know where I'm going.

Everyone in the Woodham household is doing well. Lee recently had a biopsy done on an "atypical" mole on his side and we are wating on those results. Please pray for it to continue to be nothing more than areally weird mole. Jackson is shooting up like a little weed. I was just thinking that I wished clothing came in size 2T 1/2. Jack is just so long that some of his 2T shirts are looking a tad short (then again, some 2T shirts are too big). He will start a Mothers Morning Out program in 2 weeks(!!!). One morning a week for 3 hours. It'll be a great time for me to do doctor appts., hair appts, maybe even volunteer every other week. I'm trying to make a major decision about the 1/2 marathon I've signed up for. My training totally went out the window these last few weeks while subbing lots of cycle classes for some out of town instructors. Can't wait for the paycheck but I had no energy left to run. So, we'll see.

I've included a few more Daddy pics. Honestly, it is like raising two children. Lee absolutely loves to play and swim and run and jump and Jackson is a great reason to do all this. We recently had dinner and swimming with some great friends. The super duper pool was brought out - Lee was so excited when we pulled up to the house and he saw the pool that he almost forgot to put the car in park. He had a great time with all the other daddys. Oh, and the kids had a pretty good time, too.

Lee was cleaning out our guest room closet one morning and I noticed that Jack was very quiet. This is was I walked in on...

Not sure if you can see the picture but Lee had Jack in the computer chair, legs propped up - watching tractors on YouTube.

And this one is just because I think Jack is the cutest, silliest kid ever. He loves to make you laugh - sound like anyone you know???

Hol Me, Hol Me, Hol Me

2008-08-07T11:32:00.001-07:00

This is Jack's favorite new saying, "Hol me, hol me, hol me!!". He's really saying "hold me" but leaving off the end. And he doesn't just say it one time - it usually comes in sets of 3 or more. He says this when he wants to be held or he wants to hold something. He's either attached to my leg or reaching up for me saying, "hol me, hol me, hol me." or he's seen something that he wants and stretches his arms out saying, "hol me, hol me, hol me".

One day, I put him down for his nap and heard him in there playing for a long time. Eventually I heard him yelling "hol me, hol me, hol me!!!". He had thrown one of his stuffed toys out of his bed and was wanting it back - right then!!!

New hangouts...

2008-08-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Newsflash - we are about 3 weeks away from putting our house on the market (bad timing but we desperately want a bigger home). I know, I know - we've only been talking about this for 1 (maybe 2) year(s).

We actually found the cutest neighborhood about 5 miles from Lee's job (right now he has about a 60 mile round trip drive). Moving to this area would only save him about 250 miles of driving a week, 90 minutes of driving time and a ton of gas. Plus, it would get him back in his man car (he's been driving my Saturn for a few weeks and I've been driving the gas guzzling tank). The neighborhood is adorable - older homes, lots of young families, big yards with trees (you dont see that much here in Lexington). It's about a 1/2 mile walk to the cutest park (notice our pictures). I absolutely love older homes and just feel like they have so much more character. Most of them have the updates we want (kitchen, bathrooms, flooring). The only hard thing would be leaving Lexington and being so close to all of our friends. It's something we are praying about. The neighborhood is right next to the interstate and would take about 20 minutes to get to church (we wouldn't consider moving too far away from church). We'll see - and keep everyone updated.

Anyways, enjoy the pictures of our trip to the park. It is so cute and has so many cute things for Jack to play with. Besides the fact that it was 105 degrees that afternoon, he had a great time.

Hey, Mom, look at me!!! Isn't this the funniest picture?? I think he looks like a little old man. This was in a little tunnel leading between slide areas. He loved this tunnel. Must have felt like a sauna in there but he loved it.

So, Jack will probably be so mad at me when he is older for only posting funny pictures of him but we love this picture. All of the slides in this park give Jack static hair. Doesn't he look like Einstein??? We kept sending him down the slides and then cracking up at how he looked. Poor kid.

Growing up too fast. No more baby swings for Jackson. He would only swing on the big swings (and he wanted to sit on every, single swing).

Back to reality

2008-07-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

Or as Lee said Sunday night, "The honeymoon is over."

Jack woke up Monday morning with tummy issues and a high fever. Turns out he just has a virus but, man, what a horrible time to get one. I spent my whole morning with a screaming Jackson at the doctors office. I think he remembers now what happens in that office (shots). The minute the nurse walked in (and she is the absolute sweetest person in the world) he started screaming and didn't stop until we got in the car (where he proceeded to fall fast asleep). He even started clapping/ crying/ screaming "BYE BYE!!!" "ALL DONE"" YAY!!" when the doctor left the room becasue he thought we were all done. I guess we also missed the window of opportunity for nap time today or he felt like the little 20 minute snooze he got in the car would suffice becasue, sadly, no nap today. And I really needed one...

What happens in Vegas...

2008-07-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Won't stay in Vegas (at least in our case).

We had a wonderful time on our trip!! Vegas is an amazing city if you can get past the little men trying to sell you a prostitute and the drunk people passed out on the benches. We stayed at the Bellagio - had a wonderful view from our room and were in walking distance to almost everything (I can honestly say we walked 20 miles in 2 days).

We ate, layed by the pool, toured almost every casino (just gambled a little - didn't win a thing), ate more, went to Cirque Du Soleil's Mystere Saturday night and then had dinner at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant overlooking the city (Lee wore flip flops and was made to put on black socks with his flip flops - the couple we were with took a picture that I'll try to post later). We didn't sleep much - we were totally thrown off by the time change and were up at 4:30 every morning. Needless to say we were exhausted last night - I dont even remember going to bed.

This is a picture of the fountains outside The Bellagio - they play every 15 minutes at night and are timed to music. It was absolutely beautiful to watch. The song that was playing was Proud to be an American and it was pretty cool to stand there with other Americans and get all teary-eyed watching it. I think someone said the water reaches twenty stories in the air.

This is inside The Venetian - there is a little river with gondolas floating through. We actually got lost in this casino.

Jackson had a great time with MiMi and Bubba (Papa). I think they had an even better time but I'm sure were glad to get home last night and get some rest.