Two And A Half

Dear Jackson,

You are now closer to three than you are two. I can't even believe my baby boy is getting so old. You have grown and learned so much since your second birthday.

You are a spoiled little boy and pretty much get what you want (within reason). You are now 39 1/4 inches tall and weigh 36.5 pounds. Potty training is a thing of the past and you rarely have any accidents. I don't even have to ask you anymore because you tell us yourself. You can even get on and off the potty, wipe, and flush all by yourself! Without the bulk of your diaper you are a little thinner and can wear anywhere from a 2T-3T shorts/pants and 3T-4T shirts.

You still love to eat! Your favorite breakfast is CCheerios, favorite lunch is grilled cheese, and favorite dinner is chicken and rice or goulash. Your favorite snacks are chocolate goldfish, grapes, strawberries, peaches, pears, yogurt, pudding, and cheese. You also have a sweet tooth and love when you get to have brownies, cookies, or M&M's.                              

 All summer we worked on your letters. You love any activity we do; color, matching, singing, Starfall. You can recognize all of your letters capital and lowercase and tell us things that start with that letter for most of them. You can sing your ABC's. We are still working on your numbers. You can count from 1-13 but are not consistent when identifying them.

 Your vocabulary and speech has blossomed as well. You tell us exactly what needs to be done. You use your manners (please, thank you, welcome) most of the time. You know 2 memory verses and a lot of songs.

A few of my favorite sayings of yours right now are: "You didn't turn the sun down." This is when the sun is really bright and in your eyes. "I'll come back." You say this everyday to Miss Sandy as you are walking out the door. "Papa is a roller man." When talking about Papa Mel painting. "Just one more or just 5 more minutes." When there is something you want to eat or do. You also say "I'll do it real quick" in regards to the same thing.

 We tried to get rid of your nuk this month. We bought you a Thomas the Train spin toothbrush like Garrison. We said you could use it if you slept without your nuk. At first. you said you didn't want the toothbrush. Then, you decide you did and gave up your nuk. It lasted a few nights, but each night you cried for about an hour and ended up needing us to sleep with you. You also woke up a lot earlier. We ended up giving you your nuk back. Once again you are asleep in 10 minutes and sleeping longer in the morning. Maybe, next month?

 You LOVE to help! You help daddy with chores around the house and making smoothies. You help me fold clothes, put dishes into the dishwasher and away, make brownies, pick out your clothes at night, carry your school bag, and put your shoes away.

 You have such a sweet spirit! You are always trying to share your food, toys, and books with us. You love to rub our backs. You are back at Miss Sandy's and doing a great job being a good friend to your friends there. However, there are times with meltdowns and redirection.

 You are a dare devil. Not much scares you. You will try just about everything. Your imagination continues to amaze me and grow. You love to fly your airplane in your bedroom, put out fires, look for the lions, cook grilled cheese, and make smoothies.

You still love Thomas, Mickey Mouse, and anything with wheels. Your new favorite cartoon is Popeye! You crack me up when you sing the song. You love to read and your favorite story right now is Noah's Ark.

Your smile and laugh light up our world! You continue to bring more joy and love into our lives than we could ever imagine. 

You are one special boy and we are so thankful you are our son!

I love you so much,

Mommy

Friday Night Fun

My Jeep was beyond dirty, I was sick of looking at it, and Brian didn't want to wash it again, so we took it through the car wash. Jackson was so excited! He about jumped out of his carseat to climb up to sit on Daddy's lap while we were going through the car wash. 

 When I told him to look at me and smile, this is what I got. He didn't want to take his eyes off the blue scrubbers!

 So cool!

Don't we live an exciting life?!? Whatever keeps Jackson entertained is a plus for us!

Memorizing Scripture #17

There have been two scriptures that I have been trying to decide between to memorize this time. I feel like God is telling me to memorize both! So that is what I am going to do.

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Amen, Amen, Amen! I especially love that last phrase.

Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

I am sensing a theme of remembering that God is in control and because of Him I can make it through any day,

My Big Fishy

Our nightly routine includes swimming and while swimming at night I actually get a bit cold! How can that be when our highs are 110 degrees?

Jackson has become an underwater fool! All he wants to do is be below the water. He makes his mama a little nervous.
He loves to touch the bottom and jump back up. When he is flat footed on the bottom his head just barely touches the water.

He likes to try and dive down to get his rockets, but he needs Daddy's assistance for that one.

He also has a new swim; the dolphin! It is really quite funny:)

I love hanging out with Jackson in the pool each night, it reminds me of all the fun we had this summer!

A Perfect Morning

This morning was a perfect combination of relaxing and fun. We all slept in until 8 o'clock and took our time getting up and getting ready.

Then, it was time for a Jackson and Mommy date! We went over to the bookstore (aka: Barnes and Noble). Jackson loves playing with the train table, running up and down all the aisles looking at books and toys, and reading books on the stage. I love being able to get a coffee, read with my boy, and experience his excitement about the little things in life!
We walked in the house to find Brian cleaning and vacuuming. Another plus to my morning! After a long week, I couldn't have asked for a better start to my weekend.

Randoms About The 1st Week

1. First day of school went smooth or as smooth as a first day can go

2. Had to sign folders the 2nd day of school and thr 3rd, 4th, and 5th, hopefully this pattern doesn't continue

3. Had 2 new students arrive on Wednesday, that makes 22

4. Lost power Wednesday night (we needed the rain though)

5. One student only knows 5 Kindergarten sight words and I always forget the huge difference of end of 1st grade to the beginning, Oh my!

6. Had 2 "walk-throughs", both as we were cleaning up Writer's Workshop and sharing

7. One student used a word (epic) off our vocabulary wall in her writing correctly, I definitely got excited about this!

8. Endured a long pep-rally Friday afternoon

9. Missed having a lunch break to get some things done

10. Made dinner 3 out of 5 nights, Chick-fil-a Tonight!

11. Missed Jackson entirely too much, but enjoyed listening to him explain his "homework" he did at Miss Sandy's and playing with him
I forgot to take the traditional first day of school picture, so we snapped one on Day 2!

Still Daddy's Helper

No matter what the chore is,
No matter what the temperature is,

Jackson is always close behind helping Daddy!

He is such a sweet, sweet boy!