long hugs and snugglesauruses

We have a lion on the loose!

hmmm...that smile looks familiar!

my little wild thing …

Latley he likes to crawl into hard to reach places that his toys have wondered off to and then brings them back out to play

We had to be some where during nap time one day and I just had to get a picture of him napping because he looked so cute and it is such a special time of day for mommy and j!

He is getting quite good at standing and loves to bang on things once he gets up. Here I found him banging on our front door.

le sigh...

You found mommys shoe and carried it all around the house with you today.

A note to Jackson…

Jackson you turned 8 months old this week!! I cannot beleive how the time has flown by.  You are doing so many new things every single day and gaining more and more personality by the minute.  You are crawling all over the house stoping occasionally to sit and peek backwards to make sure that we are still in sight and then you trek onward.  I can already see how you are growing and changing because  just this week you built up the courage to go into every room on your own.  You have learned how to give a kiss which makes mommy and daddys hearts melt.  You usually lean your little head in right to ours, pause for a moment and say auhhhhh.  It is amazing.   You started signing the sign for more this week, but only for cheerios because they are your favorite. Most of the time you just smile really big and bang both hands on your tray (I think you think this is how to ask for more.) You are very eager to explore things and I often catch you just staring at people as they talk watching their mouths move or hand gestures like you are storing it all away to practice in your crib and car seat when you are “alone”.  We have a little mirror that looks into your car seat when we are driving and we love to watch you just sitting back there staring out the window practicing slowly and carefully how to make new sounds and say different letters.  People are always telling me what a happy easy baby you are and I couldnt agree more.  God has given you a sweet sweet spirit that is so good natured, loving and flexible.  You have made the transition of being a wife to being a wife and mom such an easy one and I cannot wait to see the man that you will become.    I am always praying blessings over you Jackson for the boy that you are and the man that you will become and I cannot wait to watch God put the dreams that I have for you to shame and surpass them all.  I love you so my little wild thing.

Daddy and J

Every year since I was 6 weeks old I have gone to a family picnic at Waxahatchie with my dads side of the family.  This was Jackson’s first year to go and we got some really cute pictures of him and his little cousin Lilly playing in the cold! I am much better at letting the pictures tell the story and it is so much more fun to look at…Enjoy!

Teaching Lilly all about his new toy

Sweet cousin Lilly

So pleased with himself for standing in his pack and play

J and Nina

Lori with the little ones

Sitting with Mumah (as Jackson says it)

My brother Kevin and his Dog Ferrari

Your truley sitting by the camp fire

Trying to stay warm

Some of the cousins on the famous bridge

Papa and Lilly

Kevin again

all snuggled up with his favorite tag

Swinging with Daddy

I think he liked it

1985 My 2nd Waxahatchie

Last Year Pregnant with Jackson

2009 with our little man!

So this post is one I started back when Jackson was 6 months old and never got around to finishing it.  Now he is 7 months so I am already behind…oh well.  Here are a few pictures of Jackson around 6 months old. 

Jackson is now 6 months old!  He has slimmed down a bit from being in the 95th percentile to the 50th.  He now weights 17lb 6 oz. So only 3 ounces more than his 4 month check up, and he is 27 and 1/4 inches long.  He is  moving like crazy and earlier this week started full out crawling!! He had an army crawl down for a few weeks before that, which he still uses alot especially when he wants to go really fast His main motivation to move seems to be getting his hands on any cords or electronics that do not look like toys, tags hanging off of blankets and toys, and mommys feet  

Last weekend my sister Lori her husband Jeff and their daughter Lilly ( born 2 days after Jackson)  came for a visit.  It was very fun and great to have the little ones together for some fun interactions!  Every time they are together they are able to interact more and more.  I can’t wait to see them together once they really start moving!  And speaking of moving, Jackson is able to get up on his hands and knees and rock!  He is getting really close to crawling which is both exciting and a little nerve racking seeing as I will have a little more trouble keeping up with the little guy

Here are some pictures from our weekend hang out… enjoy!

Lilly modeling a headband I made for my shop!

So over the last 2 summer months our church did summer seminars.  It was very fun and a chance to learn about some new things.  For the month of July I joined a photography and worship seminar that Ari hosted.  We did some really cool stuff over the course of July and I thought I might share the pics I did from last week because they came out pretty cool.  One of our assignments was to try and express something about God through your pictures (an idea, bible verse, something you are going through etc)

Anywho I thought about it alot and Michael encouraged me to try and do something that I am going through right now.  The more I thought about it the more and more I wanted my pictures to be a visual reminder of the blessings that God has poured down on me right now in my life.  I wanted to take pictures that I could get printed and put up in our home and always have something to visually remind me that the Lord is good, he is for me and my family, and that right now in 2009 he is pouring out blessings on me like a shower of rain.

I am constantly amazed throughout my day at the way God shows me his love for me through my husband Michael and baby Jackson. When I think of Michael I think of a strong huge tree that reaches far up to the sky and branches out shade that God has put into my life to protect me, love me, and provide for me.  He is so much more than the man I married, and I am constantly blown away at the love he has for Christ, me, his family, and the people around him.  Then I think of baby Jackson, and I feel so blessed at the new life that is so sweet, curious, and full of love for me.  I feel so so blessed with these two men that God has blessed my life with!  I know that our family will go through difficult times and that at times I will doubt that all of my blessing are blessings at all.  But I wanted to take these pictures and be able to look at them during those times and remember that the Lord is good, and I should be thankful for all he has given me.

I have been very busy so I haven’t posted much on here lately.  But I do have some really sweet pics of Jackson so I will just do a picture blog post

He has turned out to be quite the expressive little one!  We are having so much fun learning more about each other and watching him grow and do new things each day.

Every year my family takes a vacation together.  It started out with us going camping and staying in tents as little kids.  As we got older we thought we should upgrade to cabins.  Cabins became nicer houses, which became lake houses, then houses on the beach and for the past three years an AMAZING house in Wimberly, TX on a little river, or creek I’m not sure which.

As we get older I enjoy this yearly tradition more and more because we are not all in the same town anymore so its a real special time to all be with one another.  My sister, brother and me are all together just alittle over 3 years apart.  Im sure it was crazy at times when we were little but I definitley think its worth the hard work for a few years to see us all older and able to relate well and be as close as we are.

Probably anyone that reads this already knows that my sister and me had our 1st babies just two days apart, but if not now you do   It is soo fun seeing them together!  Lilli and Jackson.  I also have a brother that is a year and a half older than me.  He has become quite the adventourus one over the last few years.  He lives in Denton on some property with running water but no elecricity.  He just opened a bike shop called Bullseye Bikes in downtown Denton.  If you are ever up that way you should check it out.  Him and another guy own it and make customs bicycles.  This weekend he brought some sort of a fishing bow that he actually was able to catch fish with and we took some awesome pictures of him with Jackson on his back!  Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment.

Crazy Uncle Kevin with Little J

I'm not sure he knows what to think

First time in a little pool, with a new hat and bathing suit!

He seemed to like it ok

Cousin Lilli

Nap time with Daddy

Sharing his play mat with cousin Lilli

Drying off with Nina after pool time