Some random recent stories

Here are a few highlights of the past few weeks. I have been so busy with school and life that I haven't been keeping up with the blog. Sorry...hopefully this post will get you up to date!



The other day when I picked up Jackson from school, he was at his cubby putting on his coat and getting ready to go. When he saw me, he ran over and said, "Mommy, I missed you!" while he threw his arms around me and gave me a big warm hug! :) Next, he turned to Abby and said, "Oh Abby, I missed you too!" (Seriously, he really did!) and he proceeded to give her a big hug too. How cute.



In the last couple of weeks Jackson has been waking up in the middle of the night crying, sometimes several times a night. Sometimes, he won't tell us why he is upset. Other times he blames it on bad dreams, feeling sick or cold. Whatever the reason, it is upsetting because 1. he is crying 2. I am awake in the middle of the night. 3. He insists that Matt or I crawl into bed with him to make whatever it is wrong better, and I prefer our bed! So, the other night Matt was in Jackson's room for the 4th time and they talked about Jackson being afraid of the dark. Matt suggested a new nightlight and Jackson was very excited about the idea. Everyone was happy and went to bed. The next day I went out and got a new Lightning McQueen nightlight for Jackson, hoping it would make a difference. It goes on automatically in the night, but if you put your finger over the sensor, you can make it light up. So, of course, Jackson and Abby were playing with it when I brought it home. On....Off....On....Off....On.....Off.....On......Off......and so we have Abby's new word: OFF! :)



Abby woke up from naptime first the other day. I snuck upstairs so not to wake up Jackson and grabbed Abby from her crib. I had to convince her to not go into Jackson's room, and we crept down the stairs as quietly as we could. We were sitting on the living room floor hanging out when I asked Abby, "Would you like a snack?". She very carefully set down her elephant, took the paci out of her mouth and placed both in a pile with her blanket on the floor. "yea!" she responded, as she ran into the kitchen. She looked so adorable running into the kitchen after the snack she was so excited about. When we got into the kitchen, I unwrapped and handed to Abby a piece of string cheese. She immediately started crying and went running out of the kitchen. Apparently, string cheese wasn't the snack she was hoping for. We settled on some graham crackers and milk.



Jackson excused himself from dinner the other night to go potty. He got up, went in and just as he sat down, he starting singing, "I have a really nice Mommy! I have a really nice Mommy!"......pause........"I have a really nice Daddy too! I have a really nice Daddy too!" Nice little potty song!

Jackson's First Day of Preschool!

I just came home from dropping off Jackson at his first day of preschool. He looked adorable. He did great. He didn't freak out when it was time for me to leave. He sat nicely while Ms. Suzi read him a book. He sang songs along with Ms. Mary. And he held on oh so tight to the trains he found in his classroom the entire time. What a cutie!

Jackson doesn't smile for pictures anymore. Instead, he makes funny faces!

Singing "Heads Shoulders Knees & Toes" with trains in hand. He announced to Ms. Mary, " I'm going to do it with just one hand because I am holding these trains!" She replied, ever so accomodating, "Let's all try to do it with one hand like Jackson!" I think we are going to like her!

The Last Days of Summer

We did our best to make the best of the last days of summer this weekend, even getting a last dip in Nana and Papa's pool! Millennium Park, backyard BBQs and a backyard movie all made for a fun-filled weekend. Jackson starts pre-school tomorrow, but hopefully summer will hang on for a little while longer!

Hanging out at Nana and Papa's...
Taking Daddy for a ride!

Some Family Pyramids....watch out Meggan!

Daddy Races! Go Daddy Go!

Looking Cute at Wiggleworms at Millennium Park!

Hanging out with Gracie at the Bean!

Look! There's two of me!

Hanging with Kieran...in town from Washington DC.

Piano Lessons

The Giantest Good Mommy Ever

Today, Jackson spent about an hour arguing with me, resisting every little thing that I asked, kicking at me in protest, screaming and crying, being snotty and being in general a little shit. Then, after I sat him down for a snack of apples and pretzel sticks he told me that I am "The Giantest Good Mommy Ever!" That almost made up for the hour that preceded the cute comment!

Rain Rain Go Away!

Notice the mud on the kids in these first two pictures...

We took Jackson and Abby camping this weekend, along with Matt's brother Mike and his two daughters, Anna & Ella. It was Abby's first camping trip. It was fun but, there were a few obstacles to overcome. Here is a recap of day 1.....

12:30: Arrive at campsite.

12:32: It begins to rain.

12:35: Matt works on setting up tents while I entertain the kids, which consists of running around and falling down into the wet grass/mud. They are filthy already.

12:50: It starts to pour while Matt is working on setting up Mike's tent. I put the kids under the rain shelter and run to help Matt. Abby screams. Matt and I worked as fast as we can to get the rain fly over Mike's tent. Abby screams. We are getting soaking wet. Abby screams. I run over and pick up Abby. She stops screaming.

1:00 We get in the car and drive around the park in the rain. We stop at the beach to check it out and go for a little walk.

1:12: It starts to pour. We run back to the car.

1:28: We try to put Jackson and Abby down for a nap in the tent (What else do you do in the rain when you are camping?). Just then Mike arrives with the girls. Jackson's nap is cancelled, but Abby and I lie down to snooze.

2:33: I awake to find that our tent has turned into a series of puddles, two of which are on top of my bed. Camping in the rain is so much fun. It is still pouring out, Abby is still asleep, so I lie in bed watching the rain drip drip drip drip down onto our air mattress while daddy longleg spiders seek haven underneath our rain fly. At least it is helping someone keep dry!

3:42: It is still raining, but Abby and I emerge from the tent. The kids are all hovered around a mini DVD player watching Stuart Little. Jackson is covered in mud and soaking wet, but happy as can be. I guess a little (or a lot) of rain doesn't have to spoil camping fun afterall.

4:00: Jackson very excitedly asks Mike, "Uncle Mike, do you want to fall in the mud?" Mike responds with a polite no thanks, but Jackson isn't convinced. "See Uncle Mike, Just like this!" As he falls back into a pile of mud. What fun!

5:00: We make hotdogs and steaks for dinner. We throw in some potato chips and grapes to balance out the meal. The kids eat nothing. Matt eats his steak with his hands. Isn't there a Panera nearby?

5:30: We take Jackson to the showers to clean up (see 4:00 above!)

6:00: Still raining, we decide it is time to escape the rain. Holiday Inn? No such luck. We head to Volcano Falls arcade.

7:00: The kids blow through our lot of quarters in no time, but we emerge with 141 tickets. Oh Boy...what kind of prizes (and by prizes I mean junk!) can we get?... 2 airplanes, 1 tootsie pop, 1 rubber whale and red plastic lips. What fun!

7:30: Back at the campsite, the rain has subsided. We attempt to avoid the large mudpit that is directly between our picnic table and fire pit while Matt works on building a fire.

8:00: It's s'mores time!

8:30: Abby is in her pack n play, while Jackson and I are snuggled in the air mattress. He asks me what every single noise outside is as he squeezes my hand and moves closer and closer to me, terrified of the falling acorns and chirping crickets. I stare at Abby making adorable cooing sounds through the mesh side of her "bed" while Jackson breathes his sweet marshmallow breath on my neck and squeezes my hand. Pretty soon, Jackson is out like a light, Abby is sound asleep and I am a happy camper after all!

1,2,3,4,5 Years Old

What do you get when you bring a 1 year old, a 2 year old, a 3 year old, a 4 year old and a 5 year old on vacation for an entire week? A great family vacation! Add in a beautiful lake, 2 silly uncles, a fun grandma, s'mores and learning to swim and you have yourself a wonderful week up north.

We spent the entire week sitting by the lake, swimming in the lake, fishing from the lake...basically enjoying the lake. The kids searched for rocks (No throwing rocks Logan!), played pirates on the "wobbly deck", chased each other around, built sandcastles and rivers in the sand, played on the floaties, swang on the swings and hammock, jumped on Uncle Justin, watched outdoor movies, made s'mores, went on a scavenger hunt, played games, and had a great time.

The kids woke up crazy early every single morning and Matt and I somehow ended up entertaining them every morning. Where is that Silly Uncle Justin when you need him? One morning at about 7am, Jackson, Logan and Trevor were sitting on the couch staring at something Disney on the TV. Jackson was telling Trevor stories. Not just one story, but a series of stories. Trevor turns to Jackson and tells him, " You talk too much!". He wasn't mean, he wasn't judgemental, just letting him know. I guess Trevor takes after his dad, cause Jeff doesn't really like to talk too much in the morning either.

I thought Jackson might cry when it was time to go home. Luckily, we get to go again next year! Yea family vacation!