Naming Jackson

I have been meaning to write a post about how we decided on Jackson's name since around the time that Belle was born. I suppose now that it's been 2 1/2 years, now is as good of time as any. :)

After finding out that we were having a little boy, Derek and I began to casually have discussions about baby names, though none of them were productive. After going through our original ideas that we each brought to the table, it was evident that we'd need to look elsewhere. While some people seek out baby name books, we critiqued all of the names of the graduates during a never-ending high school graduation. No names were decided upon, but it opened up the conversation beyond our individual top picks. 

Derek eventually shared that he liked the name Jack. After thinking about it, I did too. We didn't pick his name for the meaning (officially, Jackson literally just means "son of Jack"). Moreso, we picked it for what the name represents.

The original inspiration for Jackson's name was this guy-- Jack Bauer.

 Other relevant "Jacks" at the time included

 Jack O'Neill from SG-1

 Jack Sparrow

Jack Shephard

(remember, Jackson was born before the series finale air and everyone realized that the entire show was a colossal waste of time...)

Jack is also the name in a series of books by Derek's favorite author, Tom Clancey. In fiction, Jack is a name often reserved for strong male characters.

The real life, Jackie Robinson embodied character traits far greater than his fictional counterparts!

While we each liked that name, I kind of wanted to have a name with a little more "substance" so that he'd have some flexibility. We then decided upon Jackson.

While you won't find this meaning in a baby name book, this is the meaning that we attribute to the name Jack/Jackson: to lead, to do what is right, to be strong and persistent, to stick up for and protect others. And in the case for Jack Sparrow-- to be whimsical and unique.

Of course, I hope I don't have to endure the stress of being the mother to the man who saves New York from terrorists in a 24 hour period (and is captured, torturued, so and so forth), nor do we wish for Jackson to be the leader of plane-crash survivors on a mystic island. I certainly hope that my Jackson never needs to endure the hatefulness and evil of prejudice. 

Who knows that Jackson's New York/island/baseball diamond might be, but whatever it is-- we want our Jackson to be bold and brave enough to face it and to seek God for wisdom, stength, and direction.

We had planned that at some point, Jackson would go by Jack... only I was expecting it, maybe in high school or something, not at age 4, but that's okay! At the beginning of this year, Jackson began to request to be called "Jack". I wondered if this was a phase, but it has stuck. When I enrolled him in preschool, per his request, I filled in "Jack" for his preferred name.

Of course, to me, he'll always be Jackson. But, if he wants to be Jack to everyone else, we're okay with that.

Dude, Babe, Jackson

It's due time for a Jackson update. He is just becoming just such a big kid. When kids are little, their growth is obvious and their milestones are major! But as they get older, it kind of sneaks up on you. Then one day, you're just hanging out with the little dude-- laughing, playing, talking-- and you realize, he's not a toddler anymore!!

I love this picture because 1) he's super cute 2) you can see the blue patch in his left eye

Jackson is three years and three months. This three-year-old year has been a little difficult {definite power struggles and getting him to pay attention to follow instructions}, but yet so nice at the same time. He can entertain himself, Belle too, and is super helpful around the house! He even has chores. He can get himself some breakfast if I'm still in bed in the shower. {Most days it's yogurt, applesauce, or fruit. While other times he moved a chair to the kitchen, climbed on a chair, to climb on the counter, to reach the candy bowl on the top shelf, climbed down all to bring me a hersery bar to open for breakfast. I let him eat it after going to all that trouble} and he can get himself mostly dressed, once I convince him to get dressed at all. The kid loves to be naked.

He has started going to some classes at the community center {munity center} while I do exercise classes. Aside from nursery at church, it's the first time he's ever been in a class. I sometimes walk around the track just to watch. I just can't believe he's big enough to learn relay races and duck, duck, goose.

Jackson loves to read. We get new books almost weekly from the library. I've been picking up Cars, Toy Story, and superhero early reader books and he has them memorized. He really likes non-fiction, informative books--like the parts of trains, different trucks, and construction tools. The craziest part about it all is that he remembers it and will bring it up in conversation at appropriate times. We're starting to work on learning sight words.

Jackson is way observant and very detail-oriented. He hates when his socks are crooked {the seam doesn't line up perfectly on his toes} and you cannot skip a part of his bedtime routine without a meltdown. He also picks up a lot more of the things Derek and I do. At times is very humorous {when he rubbed in nose in the super annoying way that Derek does}, other times it's humbling {when he yells at other cars in traffic}. He is exploring new phrases like, "holy buckets!" and he always tells me "thank you for cooking" because Derek always does too! He told me that something was his "favoritest-everest" the other day. I clearly picked up on his enthusiasm! But one time, Jackson decided to tell Derek to "chill out" and that didn't go over so well... Humorous for me to watch, not so funny for Jackson.

Jackson likes to shave like Papa

As always, Jackson is very funny. I think this age is just funny overall, but he has a great sense of humor. A few recent Jackson-isms:

• When we have pork something for dinner, Jackson always calls it Evil Dr. Pork Chop
• After telling him that carrots are good for his eyes, he things that when he eats carrots they go up to his eyes unlike the rest of the food that goes down into his belly.
• He is still very aware of his manhood. We went through every single character to decide if they had a penis or not {even if toys/cars/trains don't actually have gender parts}
• He is also very proud. The other day at Walmart, Derek and I split up to get a few items. I went to the Shampoo aisle and Derek asked Jackson if he wanted to join him to pick out some car oil. Jackson was excited and I heard a few aisles over, "We'll get the car stuff because we have pensis!!" {followed by the loudest "ssshhhhhh!!" I've ever heard}
• He can't wait to "grow up tall so that he can be the boss"
• He calls his stuffed animals his "kids" and likes me to count all the kids when I tuck him in at bedtime... and I have to include him. I've tried to get him to name his animals, but they are all just Puppy, Soldier Bear, Monkey, etc.
• And lastly, Jackson is just soooooo picky about his name. His name is Jackson. Other acceptable names are strictly Dude and Babe. Nothing else. One little friend of his came over to play the other day and she called him "Jack". Not pretty. One day I even overheard him screaming at Belle, "MY NAME IS NOT GAGA!!!"... which is HALIROUS because of course, Belle just babbles! He takes his name very, very seriuosly. If this keeps up, I might have to legally change his name to Dude, Babe, Jackson so that he doesn't have major issues once he enters kindergarten.

My Quotable Kid

I would love this little book to write down all of the things Jackson says. Unfortunately for me (a good thing for our checkbook) this guy is out of stock so this virtual space of mine will just have to do! I really didn't know motherhood would make me laugh so much. I love it!!

Here are some of Jackson's recent notable quotes:

• If you ask Jackson his name, he will say "I'm Jackson (pronounced Jackshon) and I'm two and a half!" In all actuality, a stranger is more likely to know he is two and a half than to know his name. 
• When I say, "Do you understand me?" he replies by saying "Yes Man."
• He uses the word "shark" interchangeably with "sharp". Is that too shark for me?
• In Jackson's world you pay for something and you get whatever you want. One night when we couldn't see the moon, he asked if I could pay for the moon so he could look at it from his window. He also asked for money the other day so that he could buy cookies for Daddy. 
• Jackson is exploring using emotion words and he doesn't always get it right. Sitting at Dairy Queen a few weeks ago, he is delighting in his ice cream and proclaims, "I'm upset" in the most matter of fact sort of tone. He was convinced he was upset, but we were convinced otherwise. This morning, Jackson was talking to Derek on the phone and he proclaimed, "but you just made me mad!" in the sweetest little voice. Ha. No idea. 
• Also speaking to Daddy-- the other day, the two were wrestling around when Jackson stops and gets so serious. He gives Derek a big hug and says, "I'm so glad you're here" in the sweetest, affectionate voice. He really meant it!
• I have convinced Jackson that because I am the mommy I can kiss him whenever I want (and I do). He loves to run while I tackle him to give some kisses. But when he doesn't want a kiss, he say's "You're not my mommy" because he knows he can't say, "don't kiss me/you can't kiss me". 
• We drove by the an amusement park the other day and he says, pointing to a roller coaster, "I want to ride that so I can go AHHHHHH!!" I told him that needs to get taller before he can ride a roller coaster and he has asked me every day if he is tall enough yet. Once, he sat up higher in his chair and asked if that made him tall enough. 

Sometimes Derek and I just lay in bed and laugh about all of the funny things that Jackson comes up with. We love this kid. Derek keeps asking when Belle is going to talk. I definitely look forward to hearing her interpretations of the world around her, but once she starts talking too my ears are never ever going to get a break!!

Two and a half

That's what Jackson will say when you ask him how old he is: two and a half. I'm not even sure where he picked up on that, but it's true, so I don't argue.

My cute 2 1/2 year old Carolina boy

Jackson is a really funny kid. I don't know if it's the age or if it's his personality, but he makes me laugh every day. (I don't always laugh out loud as to encourage his behavior, but I chuckle about it later as I am retelling the story.) I have even been writing them down in a note app on my phone so I don't forget. I am sure writing it here won't capture the humor of the moment, but at least I'll have it here to use against him look back down the line and remember this stage. Here are a few "Jackson-isms".

His favorite food is sloppy joes. It's not uncommon for him to ask to have "sloppy joeys" for dinner.

He also frequently requests to watch an "apple-sode" of his favorite show. Right now that includes Thomas, Sid the Science Kid, and the "Bwackwardigans" (Backyardigans)

In just the past couple of days, Jackson has gotten really good about being polite and asking for things without crying and/or whining. It's wonderful! Though just a few weeks ago, he went through this incredibly awful whiny stage when everything he said ended in "uh". "But Mommy-uh!" "I'm Sorry-uh!" 

When we are in the car, Jackson likes to point out everything he sees. "That's a big truck!", "Lots of tunnels!". Well, one day we drove by downtown and he was pointing out the tall buildings and then all of a sudden he shouted with such enthusiasm, "Look Mommy! A SPACESHIP!" I have no idea what he was talking about, but he was just too excited for me to explain otherwise. 

Also driving related. My mother started a game of putting your hands over your head when you drive under a bridge (Jackson calls them tunnels) and make a big deal about the fact that there are cars/a train driving over your head. Do you know how many bridges and overpasses we go under just on the way to my parents house-- like a million.  

Today in the car, Jackson informed me that he did not have wings. He has arms. Good to know buddy! And he also asked to have some "monster" and ketchup on his hot dog for lunch.  

The most funny things of all are his comments about his little boy parts. He says something about it almost daily. Let's just say he's very aware of it and that he likes to say aloud every observation about it. And I will just have to hope these comments are funny enough to remember because I don't particularly embarrass him completely as this blog will double as his scrapbook of childhood memories.  

And Jackson is all boy when it comes to bodily functions. He always has to announce when he toots and he has to say specifically, "I tooted from my bottom". Ha. 

He recently because the "classic older sibling". It didn't hit when Belle was first born, but now it's hardcore. He has asked for a bottle and even tried baby food. He has shown off his ability to roll over and smile whenever we fuss over Belle doing the same. But it's mainly just whenever family pays attention to Belle that he acts like that. If it's people at the store, park, or casual friends, whenever they come to look at her, Jackson gets all proud and says, "That's my baby. She's my sister! Isn't she cute!?" Precious.  

When I come of the stairs from doing laundry, Jackson stands at the top with his arms open wide and says, "I'll catch you up, Mommy!" 

He calls spider webs, "spiderman" and "spidermans" (or any bug in general) make him upset. "Get away from me Spiderman!" 

And lastly, yesterday I was sitting on the couch when Jackson came over and said, "I love you Mommy. How was your day?" Well, being that it was only 8:30am and it started out with that sweetness, I said I had a great day! Asking about your day is his new thing and he wants you to ask him the same thing in return and he'll say something like, "it was nice." 

Being two, he of course has his break downs and tantrums. Oh, and the never ending "Why?" and "What's that?" questions. But, he is so super fun, and cute and I'm really enjoying him. And because it's just so exciting, I just have to mention how wonderful it is that he is potty trained and no more diapers!!!

The Birthday Boy

My sweet baby boy is two today! In some ways, it seems impossible that he could ever be this big, but then at the same time, he is doing new stuff everyday and he just seems so big! Like classic two-year-old stuff. He has a system for everything. He is using new words every day. And there are the times or two (or twenty) that he likes to push his limits just to get a reaction-- just because. This normally occurs when I insist that he does not put his feet on the table from his high chair.

Jackson had his two-year pictures taken yesterday. Isn't he handsome?

Two Year Stats

• Height and Weight: we go to well baby check up tomorrow. I guess 30 pounds-ish.
• You are wearing size 24 month/2T clothes. I just gave away several brand new 18 month clothes that you never got to wear. They were too big in the spring and when I tried them on you, your arms and legs were just way to long!
• You go to bed around 8:30 and sleep until around 7:30. You take an afternoon nap anywhere between 2-3ish hours depending on the day.
• Even though you are a rough and tough little boy, you are so lovey and cuddly. Sometimes when you're playing you run over to give me a "chiss" and you like to be held when you drink from your cup. And sometimes you come and give the baby kisses and rub my tummy.
• You sleep with your blanket(s) "bit" every night. When we rock, you insist that the blanket be on my shoulder "sho-sher" so you can put your head on it. They are both blue, but the camouflage one is the one you want when you refer to the "boo" one. 
• You loooove Elmo. I'm not quite sure how it even started, but you aren't interested in watching any other show.
• You have this amazing airplane detector-- you can hear one from miles away way before anyone else, and even if we never even end up seeing it, you still shout "airpane! airpane!!"
• You know most of your alphabet (upper and lower case). Your favorite is H and you get really excited whenever you see one (Hy-vee, Home Depot, Kohl's). The cutest letter you say is W, "da-ba-da-ba-da", about 5 syllables worth. And you "see" letters everywhere, like when the parking space lines connect, that makes a "T" and or diagonal tiles make an "X".
• Whenever you are around when I am getting ready, you insist on me sharing my deodorant and hairspray.
• You love to help and I can trick you into about anything as long as I tell you that you are being a very good helper.
• You are old enough to really play with your friends (not just parallel play). Sometimes you follow the lead of bigger kids, but most of the time they follow your lead. Your closets friends are Chacey and James.
• Your favorite foods: juice, any kind of fruit, pizza "tssa", bread (not sandwiches, just bread), and goldfish crackers.

I love your beautiful brown eyes and your wispy blond hair! I love how how you scream "Mama!! Mama!" a million times I come into a room- even when I've only gone downstairs to switch the laundry! You are such a joy, a happy little guy and my parents say you have a personality just like me when I was your age. I look forward to watching you grow and grow even more. I love being your mommy!

Happy Birthday Jackson!!

Pictures for Daddy

In the past several letters from Derek, he's been leaving some very subtle hints about wanting more letters and more pictures.

* It's okay to share my address with other people- family, friends, all of facebook!!

* If you want to send more pictures, that'd be cool!

I've spent the last week petitioning people send letters. Surprisingly (or not), telling people that Derek has to do 20 push-ups for every letter he receives is really motivating for people! And of course, I'm still doing my part writing letters and trying to capture new, cute things that Jackson's been up to, and that's what I'm sharing with you today!

Jackson takes very good care of Elmo and feeds him some of his lunch. Elmo would say, "yum" every time he "ate" a cracker.

(How's this for pretend?)

Jackson now refers to his blanket as "bip" and he loves to wear it as a cape and run circles around the house.

Jackson is yelling, "Go, go, go!" when watching pre-season football, while enjoying some pizza! 

(is this masculine enough to make up for this?)

This is Jackson playing it cool during the dance party the other day. The kid loooooves pockets.

 Jackson's added several words to his vocabulary, and "catch" is one of them. He'd say it every time I'd roll the ball to him.

We have a new recliner now and Jackson loves to sit in it and "rock"-- all of time time. 

If you'd like Derek's address so you could send him a letter and I haven't given you his address, please let me know!! It doesn't need to be fancy or lengthy-- just anything to remind him of home. He doesn't have any contact with the "outside" world and he'd be so encouraged to hear from you!

We went shopping today

This morning, Jackson and I accompanied Grammy and Aunt Ashley (pronounced Ash-Ah) to JC Penny's. He had a lot of fun running around in circles around the clothes, trying on hats, shopping for shoes, and chatting on the phone.

(these are cell phone pics, so they're a little fuzzy)

I promise to schedule some man-time this week so his dad won't freak out and wonder what his happening to his little boy while he's gone!

Mr. Good Body

A body like this needs discipline and a good work out. Check out how Jackson keeps his muscles buff to impress the ladies.

A few quick push-ups, followed by some sprints. Watch for a p90x toddler-version video series coming soon!

Jackson's Daddy Book

Okay, so I've gotten the book all put together. I need to go ahead and order it asap so it can get here soon. Derek leaves in only 10 days!! Check it out and please let me know if you see some typo's or if something just reads funny. It's hard to edit your own work!

I've ordered books and prints from Shutterfly before and they are wonderful! I ordered one for Jackson's 1st birthday and was able to use it as a guest book at his party. So not only is the book a great keepsake, now it has personalized messages from Grandmas, Aunts, Uncles, and lots of friends and family! I get so many compliments on the books and the shipping is super quick (which is important because I am not very patient for waiting around for things like this). Did I mention how easy it is to use their templates?!? You pick your photos, drag and drop, and poof-- it's done! It's super easy to share (like I am doing here!) for others to check out the book, too!

And I do have to say that I originally started using Kodak when I started this project- but it didn't save my work correctly, there weren't nearly the selection of templates and colors, and the site was not as user-friendly.

Click here to view this photo book larger

And just because this is to cute not to share, look at how cute my little boy is-- he loves to be like his daddy.

A big chocolate mess

With a heat index of 110 degrees, it seemed like a good day for some ice cream. We were already out in the sweltering heat to return some books to the library, so we made a quick stop at Sheridan's.

I have to say that when I looked at the menu I was thinking, "Crap! I'm gonna have to spend $6!" but then I found the mini-concrete option (chocolate with mixed in strawberries) and I was gonna get the small cone for Jackson. Even better, the guy mentioned that a pup cone is free for the little guy with any purchase. It ended up only costing $2.71. Way cool!

The cone was the perfect size for his little hands

 

Then it starts to get a little messy.

 

And then it got a lot messy...

 

He was covered head to toe with chocolate-- running down his chin, all up his arms, his clothes were covered, and there were drips down his legs.

  

But he a happy chocolate mess!
(looks kinda like a goatee, doesn't it?)

It was so delicious and totally worth the mess!!

The wonderful mother strikes again.

I know I've already told you how my mom is pretty awesome, but today she was super awesome. I invited her down to help get some stuff done around the house that I just needed a little motivation and help to get done.

First, she comes over with a fully prepared dish of lasagna for Derek and I to have for dinner. We have friends coming over tonight so we needed a bigger main dish (so she even helped me with that!), but tomorrow I will be eating that lasagna.

But then, she gets all gung-ho about the laundry too and we fold it and I put a lot of it away. She switches loads and folds more. And then because our dryer is suuuuper slow, my mother-in-law (who stopped by) ended up taking a couple loads to her house to wash and dry so we can get all caught up. We hate laundry in this house and with a dryer that takes 2-3 cycles to dry. Needless to say, it gets backed up a lot.

And then we start to tackle the real reason she came down: Jackson's room. I really wish I would have taken a before picture. It was awful. To walk across the room, a zig-zag line was in order to avoid stepping on all sorts of toys. Jackson enjoys emptying out his drawers so clothes are everywhere and the closet was just a bunch of stuff that I haven't gone through and it was all shoved behind the doors so no one could see it. Ugh.... the whole room was just a disaster.

So this is what we got done:

The greatest thing of all that his room is organized, for the very first time. Several of his toys are actually put up so that we can rotate them and they aren't everywhere all of the time. Plus, most of the toys from the family room are now in his room so it doesn't look like a Toys-R-Us when people come over for dinner (my sisters complain about this). The rug is new and it actually looks like a finished room. I do have curtains and they will be up soon.

The closet... is organized. Can you believe it? I had to take a picture because I'm not all to confident that this will continue to be so organized. I put things like his puzzles and non-board books in here, so that I will have to get them out in order for him to play with them to avoid missing pieces and ripped pages. And in case I need a reminder of all of the diapers we buy, I have reused the boxes to store clothes he's outgrown or will be wearing soon. They are the perfect size for the shelf in the closet and are more cost-effective than buying tubs.

And of course, Mom got to spend some quality time with Jackson. He helped her throw laundry down the stairs fold laundry and emptied the kitchen drawers helped put utensils away. He is such a big helper!

So, the mother-in-law is on her way with the laundry (don't be jealous) so I gotta go!

More fun than a nap

Jackson had a little bit of an off day yesterday and I really wanted him to take a second nap. I put him down and he played quietly for quite awhile and then we heard a ruckus. Derek went in to check on him and this is what he was up to:

Looks more fun than taking a nap, right? It was nerve-wrecking to watch anticipating him banging his head on the crib, but I guess he's got it figured out. This is another reason that we have no plans to switch to a toddler bed any time soon.

Dear Daddy,

Mom took Chacey and me to Wal-mart this morning. I had lots of fun opening packages and throwing things out of the cart- especially when the yogurt exploded on the floor. I doubt we will be going back soon- I don't think Mom had as much fun! When Mom put your favorite Pop-Tarts into the cart, they just looked kind of boring, so I opened the package and made funny shapes with them by squishing and squeezing each packet! I hope you feel extra loved when you go to open your Pop-Tarts one morning and it all crumbles all over your lap on your way to work. I really do love you, Daddy! Even though I was sharing my love, Mom was being so mean!! She'd put food in the cart and even though I whined and cried the whole time, she wouldn't let me eat anything. I hardly ever get to eat, I'm always starving. Why wouldn't she let me raw bacon?!?

I think Mommy was very confused... she kept said that I was driving her crazy, but I wasn't even driving the cart. Daddy, why doesn't the fish store have car-carts like the orange store you take me to every time Mommy leaves me with you? Well, Mommy is saying that it's time for me to take a nap. She thinks that just because I am rubbing my eyes, staring off into space, and fussing at everything that I'm tired. It's just not true. I am never tired. I can't wait for you to come home tonight so we can play tackle! You're my favorite Daddy!! (you know I have lots- since I call all men Daddy- even when they give me and Mommy weird looks when I do!) I love you lots and lots!

Love, Jackson

Oh! And I found Mommy's purse today so I put on her sunglasses and put the purse on my shoulder and said, "bye bye!" Why does she always have to get the camera?? And then I dumped it all out.

Operation Photobook

Operation photobook has started. I have received tons of suggestion and have read through a bazillion forums about things to do for kids while their daddies are gone.

This is my plan:

• Photobook with tons of pics with Jackson and Daddy
• Video messages/reading books
• Operation-give-a-hug Daddy doll (given to us by a fellow National Guard wife/mom friend)
• Poster sized Daddy so Jackson can still give him hugs and kisses
• Build-a-bear with a message from Daddy (maybe- it's kind of expensive!)

I know this is a ton of stuff, but I just want to do my best to keep Derek a major part of Jackson's life while he's gone. I don't really know what's going to be the most effective and what things Jackson will love the most, so I want to get as many things together and then if we only really use a few things, that's okay.

I'm attempting to take pictures of Jackson and Derek doing different things so it can be read kind of like a book. I haven't decided how to create the book yet. I want to avoid the photobooks that use poster paper because Jackson will tear that to pieces in minutes. This website sells a boardbook that you insert pictures into ($20). This website has blank board books that you print off labels and stick them to the pages (4/$21). I've also considered a flipbook from Wal-Mart that is pretty much just 4x6 photos binded together ($5.00 up). I am leaning towards the last option. Any opinions?? Advice??

Jackson and Daddy go for a ride in the wagon

Jackson and Daddy at the park (mesmerised by the skateboarders)

Okay, so I don't have a ton of pictures yet... but I will have my camera with me now more than ever trying to get those day-to-day moments captured and printed for Jackson!

My healthy boy who doesn't play pretend.

I took Jackson in for his 18 month check up today (he's 19 months, two weeks). The doctor said he's healthy and happy- a perfect combination. And no shots today, woo hoo!!!

weight: 28 pounds - 80th percentile

height: 34 inches- 80th percentile

Head circumference 20.25 inches- 97th percentile

She went through an Autism awareness checklist and was pretty inquisitive about his (in)ability to pretend. I just really don't think kids posses the cognitive ability to play pretend at this age. Maybe he does play pretend and I'm just not seeing it. He sometimes picks up something that's not a phone and says hello like it is a phone, but I don't think it's pretend- it just resembles a phone. He doesn't go over to the Elmo kitchen and pretend cook or have a pretend tea party (their example). I am confident that Jackson does not have autism, however I wish she wouldn't have talked about it so much. 

Babbling and pointing (which is a very non-Autistic thing to do) while we wait.

Next appointment- two years. But I'm still in denial that he can even be anywhere close to the two year mark. It just isn't happening.

Bubble, Turch, and Tic-Tacs

Jackson was so proud to carry his Bible (sounds a bit like 'bubble') into church (pronounced, 'turch') this morning. Okay, I was too! It's so cool to see him excited to go to church and learn about the Bible! I won't mention that he threw it on the ground as soon as he saw Roy (aka, the tic-tac man) and ran up to him to say, "sna, sna." We're still working on his manners. 

Jackson is prepared for church- his backpack, blanket, and Bible!

Roy is magic with his tic-tacs. For some it's motivation to use the potty, some it's just for fun, but with our son, it's the bribing technique he uses to keep Jackson from screaming (high pitched, ear piercing screaming) when we drop him off. I just don't understand it. We drop him off in the nursery three times a week. Jackson is 80ish weeks old, so that is approximately 240 times we've dropped him off and have faithfully come to pick him up each and every time. (Not that I can say that about Grandma- I forgot to tell Derek we were supposed to take her home last Wednesday night, so he had to go back and get her. Oops!!). So seriously Jackson-- cut it out! Please!!!