Story or Play Time?

This morning Jackson and I went to story time at the library. But, I think he thought we were at the Little Gym. During the first few songs he was doing front flips. He sits pretty well through the stories and songs but as soon as she got out the tunnels, balls, and bubbles he was gone. Where's Jackson?

So fun!

Usually Jackson likes to color but today he was more worried with what was under the table.
The floor at the library is now all picked up!

And what did we do the rest of the afternoon? Well, swim of course! I think we were in our swimsuits for 75% of the day.

My cousin Kim and her son Aaron came over to swim. Jackson had enough of the pool and his little pool and would not leave the water hose alone.

When I would turn it off on him he would go and try to turn the knobs by himself. This kid really does pay attention to everything!

You would think he would be tired!

Just What The Doctor Ordered

This weekend was sunny and hot and I would want it no other way. We spent most of the weekend right in our own backyard. Brian also devoted a lot of time to our lawn, bushes, and getting rid of weeds. After being gone on two vacations back to back it needed some tender loving care and looks so much better now.

Friday night Jackson and I headed over to the splash pad. Brian had to work late and was on call.

We haven't been to the Splash Pad since before we went to Wisconsin. Jackson was running around like crazy and screaming. I am pretty sure he had a good time:) We headed home to cool off and what better way to cool off then with a popsicle. I let him go at it all by himself.

Saturday morning Brian got up and got a start on the yard. Jackson and I cleaned up the house and then took a bike ride. We then headed out to do a little shopping. I got 2 swim suits for $16. I have been looking all summer for a few cheap cute swimsuits and I finally found some!

While Jackson napped Brian installed a new garage door opener and I did this:)
Have I mentioned how much I love summer? I love being able to relax a little!

When Jackson got up, Brian blew up the whale swimming pool Grandpa sent back for him.

Brian hung out with Jackson in the little pool and I did more of the above! Man, I love summer and the sun!

We always take Jackson swim gear off outside and hang it up to dry. He seems to always find away back to the water for one more swim.

We all finally showered and got dressed for the day so we could go out to dinner. Before dinner I had to stop at Target to get a few things for a project I am working on for school. While we wereor there we picked up a little something for Jackson. I have been searching online for a cute backpack for him that I could have him name monogrammed on. I found one I really like at Pottery Barn but it has always been out of stock. Anyways, Brian found some backpacks at Target and Jackson really liked them. So much he wore it all through the store and out!

Well it is no pottery barn backpack and I am not in love with it, but Jackson loves it and carries it all over the house and "choos".

We then headed to Chick-fil-a for some free food. I love getting their coupons in the mail! After dinner we stopped at a little park to play and walk around.

Jackson running with daddy. He does anything his daddy does and it is so cute.

Family pic in the tree. Brian and I have one here in the tree when I was pregnant with Jackson.

Jackson walked the whole lap by himself. His cheeks were bright red and he was a sweaty mess. He definitely needed some water and of course he had to splash a bit.
We all crashed when we got home!

Sunday morning Brian and Jackson got up early and took a bike ride while I slept in. We headed to church and afterwards Jackson napped, I did school work, and Brian worked more outside.

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, bike riding, and eating snacks!

This laid back weekend was exactly what we all needed!!

Playing in the Rain

Jackson and I were sick of being inside again yesterday. So every time the rain stopped or slowed down to a light sprinkle we quickly went outside. He rode his bike down to the end of the drive way and as soon as he saw a puddle he ditched it. He took off to the water and I didn't even try to stop him.
I love watching this kid play in water. His whole face lights up and he squeals with excitement. I am in a better mood just watching:)

It started pouring while we were out playing in the water. I started running back up to the house thinking Jackson would follow. I am not sure why I thought this. He stayed and played in the water and didn't want to go in. Again not sure why it mattered if he and I were getting wet from the puddles or the rain falling from the sky!

We went inside to dry off and watch the rain from the windows. At one point we took a walk and when we had one block left it started to rain again. We escaped this one without being drenched. Without Jackson I would have been stuck inside probably complaining I couldn't go outside, but instead I went with it and let us both have some fun on a raining day!

But, Mr. Sun we would to have your presence back in our life real soon. We miss you, the pool, and splash pad:)

Road Trip to Alton

Jackson's Great Grandpa Wayne with all of us

Brian really wanted to go see his family in Kansas, so I agreed. Remember that Alton has a population of um, maybe 50 people and 1 paved road! Brian was going to work a half day on Friday and we were going to leave around lunch time and come home on Monday since he had off for the 4th. Well, that was what we had planned but didn't happen at all! He ended up not having to work on Friday so we decided to leave Thursday night and drive through the night. This way Jackson could just sleep the whole way. Brian drove until 4:30 in the morning and then I drove for 2 hours to let him take a short nap. We left around 9 o'clock that night and arrived in Alton at 10 o'clock Friday morning.

We headed over to the one restaurant in town for lunch. It is only open 3 days a week and just for lunch.

I wanted a picture with Jackson with our stars and stripes. But he was not having his picture taken! Alton has great backdrops for pictures.

A bunch of Brian's cousins arrived that night. brian went into town and played golf while Jackson and I took a walk with his Kristy and Leanne. We stayed up late to play Rook with everyone and catch up.

Saturday morning I got up early to go fishing with Brian. I think this might have been the reason he really wanted to go to Alton.

We drove 20 minutes to get to this pond. It is on some farmer's land and there were about 10 old cars in the pond. I guess they make a good place to sit and fish.

Two peas in a pod!

Fishing with my love:)

I caught 9 bass, that would be 3 more than Brian caught that morning. I finally beat him at something, ha! I think the reason I caught more was because he had to stop fishing each time to take my fish off the line. We weren't keeping them so I had to throw all of them back.

After fishing we went into town with Jackson for something to do.

He read books with Grandma at the library,

Played with blocks,

and trains with Piper and Chole.

Then we headed out to the park to run and play.

Family time on the teeter totter.

This slide was actually right by the house in Alton. Jackson loved it and went down no less than 50 times in the weekend.

While in town we stopped at Family Dollar to pick up a few things. I was having a ball shopping here. That's what happens when you have no where else to go. Grandpa bought Jackson a swimming pool and some fireworks.

We set it up as soon as we got back. Jackson played in there for a long time. Grandpa and Grandma even got in and splashed with him!

Around Alton are a bunch of animals so we took many walks by them so Jackson could look at them. He was so excited to see them and when we would get close he got scared.

Feeding the baby goats with daddy. After they would baaaa, Jackson would make the sound back at them. So cute! He did not want to leave the goats. We again stayed up to late playing Rook.

Sunday morning Brian got up early to go fishing again with his dad and his uncle. I stayed to sleep in a little bit. He said he caught 15-20 fish this time. I'm not sure I believe him, ha!
Then we got ready for church. Brian, his dad, and 2 of his uncles sang Battle Hymn of the Republic during sevice. They did a great job and I think Brian's Grandpa really enjoyed it.

They don't have a nursery at the church and Jackson barely made it through the song. We took him outside and let him run around. We took a family picture in front of the pastor's house by the flag. I dressed myself and Jackson in our red, white, and blue ALL weekend.

Four Generations of Hartzler men after church. Brian's Grandpa Wayne is 93 and still can make a joke or two! I see where Mel gets it from.

Jackson's favorite thing to do in Alton was run wild outside. There are hardly any cars or people so he was free to go where he pleased.

We had to shoot off fireworks before it got dark on the 4th because we were going to drive to OKC and spend the night so we wouldn't have such a long drive on Monday.

Jackson, Brian, and Great Grandpa Wayne watching the fireworks. Jackson liked them and would clap when they were done. It was hard to see all the different colors in the daylight. He wanted to get up real close while they were going off.

Using a sparkler with daddy, not so sure about this though.

My hair was a diaster most of the weekend because of the wind. I couldn't even believe how strong it was. I guess since there are no trees or anything blocking it for miles.

The view really is beautiful from their house.

Here are a few pictures of our family in Alton.

We stopped to have dinner at Pizza Hut with Brian's parents before we headed out. It is the most modern thing in town. Everywhere doesn't take credit cards and was built way before I was born. When I say in town, I mean you have to drive 20 minutes to get to Osburne. This is still a very small town however they have a few more things than Alton.

Regardless of the size of Alton we had a great time with Brian's family. It is always fun to get together with a bunch of them. We saw some of his cousins who we have seen since we went to college with them. I always get the chance to read a lot while I am there and finished 2 books this time.

We said our good byes and made our way to spend the night in OKC. Sharon booked us a really nice hotel which came in very handy the next day. At some point in the night Brian told me he wasn't feeling well. I didn't think much of it and went back to sleep. At around 7 o'clock he was throwing up and not feeling good at all. I knew we were not heading home today. I walked down to the front desk and asked if we could stay another night and where the closest Wal-Mart was for liquids for Brian and food for us. The great part of where we stayed was that there was a mall across the street and a Wal-Mart and Super Target within 5 minutes. Jackson and I tried to stay busy and out of the hotel room so Brian could rest and we wouldn't catch it.

Jackson and I headed over to the mall where he played for a while and we walked around some stores.

Jackson was able to watch a little TV while I shopped. We then went swimming in the pool at the hotel. The water was freezing but I was tough for Jackson. He also ran up and down the halls of the hotel and played in puddles in the parking lot. At some point in the day we made our way to the Super Target. Man, I wish we had one close to us. I didn't even get through the whole store and we were there for an hour and a half. I found some great deals like a really cute pink ruffle tank top for $3.70.

Jackson and I had dinner in the hotel breakfast area and by this time Brian was feeling a little better so he ventured out of the room for about 10 minutes to sit by us. Jackson did extremely well for not fully understanding what was going on. At the beginning of the day he would just scream and cry when I wouldn't let him go by Brian and we left the room with out him. But I kept telling him daddy was sick but loved him lots. At bedtime he wanted Brian so bad and I couldn't do anything to calm him down. Finally, Brian had to rub his back and he was out within 5 minutes. Brian being sick was exhausting for me, I can't imagine how he felt in a hotel room of all places.

But God was with us all the way, even in the little details. The staff at the hotel were so kind, the location of the hotel couldn't have been better, the ammentities in our room met all of our needs, and he spoke to me over and over about letting go. Thank you to everyone who prayed for Brian and us this day. We felt your prayers.

Brian felt well enough to drive home on Tuesday. I started the drive so he could rest a little bit more and Jackon loved having his daddy right next to him.

This was the way Jackson rode to and from Kansas. He watched Old MacDonald's Farm over and over. We kept it on repeat play the whole way!

Home never felt better to all of us. Jackson slept until 9:30 this morning! We are vacationed out and I would say we are not going anywhere for a while but I can't. We leave for California in exactly 2 weeks. Oh boy!

16 Months

We continue to be blessed with Jackson in our lives. Yes some days are tiring and stressful, but he brings the best out of both of us.
He is full of life and fun. He loves playing games with you and picks up on everything we do the first time. He also likes to copy what we are doing. He is becoming more independent every day. He uses a fork and/or spoon mostly by himself when he eats. He is beginning to let us know exactly what he wants with words or by going and getting it himself. One day he went to the pantry got the contanier of brownies and brought it to me and said more:) He lets us know when he gone to the bathroom in his diaper.

This last month he has said many new words; cracker, duck, tractor, apple, truck. I know there are more and I can't think of them right now. It actually seems like each day he says something new. He knows what sounds a cow, sheep, and rooster make. As he watches Old MacDonald's Farm he makes the animal sounds as soon as he sees them on the TV.

He is such a ham! For the most part he is a fun, happy, easy-going boy. He does, however, want what he wants when he wants it. He is also very attached to mommy and daddy right now, especially daddy when he gets home from work. We are so in love with this little boy and are having the time of our lives with him!