Holy Saturday Batman!

Saturday morning we got up and went to Powers Crossroads festival for the second year in a row. We lathered Jackson up in suntan lotion, a hat and sunglasses and hit the road. We got there and Andrew carried Jackson while I toted the umbrella stroller. It was muggy and hot but so worth it. Sarah was the 7th to sing and she did AWESOME! She say Taylor Swift's song "Our Song". After she sang everyone was coming up to us saying how great she was...which I totally already knew:) Well she made it through to the second round. So while they totaled the points we went to get something to eat. We ran into EVERYONE! It was great seeing alot of people! Well in the end Sarah sang about 3 times and ended up winning for her age group! Which is sweet b/c she won some money and gets to play a concert on Monday! She is so awesome and I am so proud of her!

After that we got home and fed Jackson...which he is LOVIN himself some butternut squash! Then we packed up the car to head to Woodstock to see our Texas friends that moved to the big peach state. THE MAULDINS!!! Well first off we were meeting someone to pick up an exersaucer I bought from Craigslist.com which is great but it could be shady...so be careful! We got to the place to meet the person to get it and they couldn't get there for another hour so we headed to the Mauldins. Had a blast there! LOVED their house! Had some yummy BBQ, sweet tea, and Juli's super chocolate chip cookies. Juli had bought Jackson some adorable presents which we are pulling out today for him to play with! We had a great visit and hated to leave but Jackson was getting very tired so we had to leave.

We ended up finally finding the guy that was selling the exersaucer...which was shady and it felt like a drug deal....meeting in a parking lot at a closed vet office and exchanging what was in his trunk to put in our trunk and an exchange of money. I don't think I'll ever do that alone and wondering if I'll do craigslist again. I think if I do...b/c I got an $80 toy for $35...I'll stick to areas I know and always take Andrew with me. We got home safely and put Jackson straight to bed! Write more later!

Rainy day...stormy weather

This morning Jackson and I woke up and took an early morning trip to the grocery store. Then we drove to Tyrone to the Red Door Consignment store and got Jackson some fall clothes that may actually fit *since all his fall clothes are too short already*. I got all of these which includes Ralph Lauren Polo, Baby Gap, and Carters...all of this for $20.00! WOW! I love his store!

Here is Jackson's reaction to his new clothes.

We came home, I started dinner for tonight. I have chicken roasting in garlic in the glorious crock pot, green beans simmering..in my special sauce:) And we will have cheesy potatoes and corn bread. Sounds like a perfect meal for a raining Monday! FYI I usually don't cook this meal so I don't want any of you getting mad thinking I have all this time and do this everyday b/c I don't! I'm excited there is an extra piece of chicken I can make some chicken salad for my lunch tomorrow:) Always trying or attempting to plan ahead. Now Jackson is sleeping like an angel on the couch and I'm about to curl up with my next love...a big bowl of creamy fattening Alfredo pasta. So I'll be watching the weather and doing some cleaning. Hope everyone is doing well and hope to write soon! I'll write to tell ya how the dinner went:)

Rainy Saturday

I am so loving this weather. Most of you probably think its nasty outside but I love the temperature! Yesterday Andrew worked from home, which is awesome and totally helps me out a ton. We got up, met Patty and Greg at Chick-fila and ate breakfast. Afterwards me and Jackson, Patty and Greg went to Sonrise Church to the consignment sale. I got Jackson a cute giraffe Halloween costume...which later came home to find out I won and EBay sale that I truly didn't expect to win... My bid was 4.00 for a brand new outfit. Anyhoo now we are torn between a giraffe and a chicken. The chicken is a heavier costume so maybe we'll wear it if its colder. I also got a few fall outfits for Jackson, a few Barney and Veggie Tale DVDs and a cute walker thing that is a mail carrier station. Too cute!

MOHAWK

That afternoon Mark came over to visit and brought Jackson his first Bible. He read to him a little while and Jackson just loved it! Jackson had his 4 month checkup today. He weighed in at 16lbs 12.5oz! He is now 27 inches long! The doctor said he is actually statistically underweight for his height...lol! But he is great! He got his shots...and he cried -which pull at your heart like you will never believe. The worst feeling is knowing that you caused a pain to your child. But shots were something we had to do. Well then we dropped off Jackson at Granny and Pappy's so me and Andrew could help Mark move all his furniture back to Sharpsburg...yes all the stuff we took last weekend we are bringing back. Long story and starts with an eeew gross and ends with Jumangi and the theme song is "Welcome to the Jungle"... catch my drift yet? We actually had a blast and it didn't rain for a change. We got home late but had fun. Jackson woke up around 7...blah for a Saturday morning. But it gave me a chance to cook a nice breakfast for Andrew:)

Now we are headed out to meet up with Jonathan and Emily Skolrood and Charles, Shannon and Carleigh Holcombe. For those of you that don't know Jonathan had a hand in getting me and Andrew together! So we love us some Skolrood! Hope to write soon.

Wednesday

Today was a very relaxing day. Me and Jackson woke up around 7:30, watched some TV, ate breakfast. Then he took a nice nap. We left to go take Jackson to Granddaddy Mitchell's house while I went to get my haircut FINALLY! Jackson had a blast with his Granddaddy! And I loved getting my haircut in peace not worrying about a screaming baby:) We came home, Andrew grilled out hot dogs and then we took a walk around the neighborhood....I need to remember next time to wear some bug spray. Now we are chilling out:)

Busy Tuesday

So tonight is Andrew's first night in grad school. He was really excited to go tonight! Today has been great! Lisa came to visit and then Grandma Mitchell came over:) Andrew did a drive by dinner and then left for school. Jackson thankfully took a nap while I cleaned the kitchen and folded a TON of clothes.

Today was the first day I started thinking about Halloween costumes for Jackson. I know, I know it's forever away but I wanted to get an early start! Any hoo tomorrow is jam packed again. I am going to hang out at Patty B's house for a while then FINALLY get my haircut! Thursday should be not so busy. Friday me and Patty B are taking the kiddos to a huge consignment sale... I hope to find alot of stuff for Jackson. In the afternoon he has his 4 month checkup...including shots:( This weekend we are possibly moving Mark AGAIN! He loves to move...lol j/k Mark! I'll keep you all posted!

Busy, busy baby!

Here are a few pictures I forgot to post on our last day in Destin... I love my little angel!

Well sorry it has been a few days. It seems like ever since we came back from the beach things have been busy. On Friday we went around and visited all of the grandparents. That was fun!


On Saturday me and Jackson went to a baby shower for Sara Dewberry. It was really nice to see alot of people I haven't seen since high school!

On Sunday we helped move Mark to Auburn. It is so nice down there and I really think he's going to have a blast in Graduate school! His roommate is nice too! The best is that he got to bring Hershey!

On the way home Jackson's feet got cold so I put on some silly socks and he had a blast! I think he thought his feet really changed colors! Enjoy!

Last day at the beach...and its beautiful!

So we are getting ready to leave the beach. We had a blast this morning and I have some adorable beach pictures I'll put up later but I figured you'd want to see what a full morning at the beach does to a little boy named Jackson David.

Beach Day 3

Well last night we were under Severe Thunderstorm warnings and a Tornado watch. This morning the waves are 6-7 feet high and they closed the beaches. So we woke up and decided to explore. We drove to Seaside, Florida. We got out and walked around and had a lot of fun! Then we drove back to Destin and ate some great BBQ at Hogs Breath. After that we drove to Ft. Walton to visit a friend of ours that owns the Chick fila there. It was great to see him and we did a little window shopping. It was rainy and very windy. When we got back to the hotel we went down to the beach to walk but the wind was so strong Jackson didn't like it. We went back to the pool and Andrew and I took turns swimming. We are now in the room while Jackson is sleeping. The sun is out now but the beaches are still closed and its extremely windy. We are watching Charlie Wilson's War until Jackson wakes up. We are sad to leave tomorrow but we miss everyone at home! Enjoy the pictures:)

This afternoon at the beach. It was so windy...good thing Jackson had his hat!

Smiling before we left. Jackson in Seaside:)

Seaside Beach Me and Andrew in Seaside:)

Beach Day 2

Jackson got cold so daddy wrapped him up like an Eskimo baby:)This is our hotel we are staying at:)

Nice calm ocean...not anymore!

Momma I'm ready to go!

Rockin the sleep at the Hard Rock!

Today was a really relaxing day. The temperature has been wonderful but the weather not so much. It has rained almost all day long. We have spent most of our time in the indoor pool. We took a long walk on the beach today and that was so much fun. What a memory. Then we came inside and got ready to go out. We ate a Hard Rock Cafe and that was a blast. We met another couple from Houston that had a 4month old son. After that we went shopping at the outlet mall. Jackson was pimped out in his new red stroller and his cute red sunglasses! We got so many compliments. Everyone that walked by and saw Jackson freak out at how cool he looked:) Now we are back in the room, Jackson is asleep and we are watching Juno. It is so cool because our hotel has unlimited free DVD rentals and they are all new movies so we are watching a few:) I am looking forward to another full night of sleep and can't wait to see what tomorrow will hold for us. Hopefully great sunny weather because I have not got any sun at all :(

Buddy Boy at the beach

When Jackson first saw the ocean. He jumped out of my arms ran to the water and jumped in head first. No... not yet, that will be a few years. Within 30 minutes we went to the beach, got in the ocean, went to the outdoor pool, went to indoor pool. WHEW! Jackson likes the indoor pool because it is warm. The sun outside is so bright for him he actually kept his sunglasses on all day! God love it! He also loves the birds on the beach. He tries to watch each bird that landed in front of us while we were at the beach. The whole trip so far people who meet Jackson all think he is adorable. We think so too:) Enjoy the pictures and the videos. We miss everyone back home but we are having a BLAST! Love you all!

Oh Daddy you are so sweet to me!

Well I'd like to say he got seasick....all on me! And Andrew kept taping:)

Andrew is ready to go swimming so I'll post pictures later!

Taking the house to Florida

This weekend has been a restful yet busy one. Jackson went to the doctor Saturday. When we got home Grandma Mitchell and Aunt Sarah came to visit Jackson and bring him a present to try to help cheer him up. We had a great visit and Jackson really perked up! He even jumped in his jumpy seat for a little bit.

That night he took some of his medicine and went to sleep. We were up alot last night but that is okay. Andrew has been incredible. He has been helping me at night because Jackson is up more since he's been sick. I really do love him!

Well today has been great we have just lounged around and did things to get ready for the trip. Jackson was full of words today. He "talked" nonstop! Too cute! I know that as soon as he can really talk...he won't stop. Well I guess we are in for long discussions and interesting questions:) Tonight Andrew went with Mark to see John Hobbs to stand up comedy, which I am sure is hilarious and I wish I were there but I am way too pooped and I had to rewash all of Jacksons clothes for the trip. I realized now that when you go on a trip with a baby you literally pack the entire house! I am so glad I bought the umbrella stroller b/c we are going to need every bit of that trunk space! So I put Jackson to bed and I am glad now to have everything almost done...waiting on the dryer to quit, so I have a date with a glass of chocolate milk, the couch, Paris and good old TV:) I am taking my laptop with me to Destin so I can keep you all up to date on our adventures going on vacation as our new little family:)

Just a summer cold

So we had a rather eventful night. Jackson's fever got to 99.8 so we gave him a little more Tylenol and that made him feel better. He slept well in his crib for a good while and got some much needed rest! So that was the good news.

...the bad news....
Do not...I repeat, do not ever eat Mexican food for dinner then snack later on a piece of supreme pizza. It will result in a 1 am wake up call! So Jackson felt better but mommy was sick! Thank God Andrew was here so he could take care of Jackson when he woke up at that time! Thankfully it was a one time thing and I am feeling way way way better! And I got alot of sleep!

Also this morning Jackson still had a fever and started to cough a little so we took him to the Children's clinic in Fayetteville. They were so nice! Jackson weighed in at a whopping 16.3 pounds! HOLY MOLY! She checked him all out and said it was a summer cold and he should be okay. We are taking benedryl and getting lots of sleep! Hopefully he will be back to his old self soon. Thanks for the prayers!

Little sick baby :(

So we were planning on leaving for the beach tomorrow but now our trip has been pushed back. Little Jackson has had a fever all day but it has gotten worse and he looks like he has a cold. We want to make sure he is better before we go have fun at the beach! Just wanted everyone to be praying for him and that it's just a cold and will get better soon! Here are a few pictures of my little sick baby :(
Daddy taking care of Jackson:)

Oh Happy Day!

My title is a little sarcastic because of the lovely day/night we are having. Jackson woke up last night every like 30 mins. So in short the longest stretch of sleep I got was 1 hour! So we both got up at 5:30 this morning a little fussy. Last night...or this morning at 2:30 I found myself complaining about waking up in the middle of the night to take care of Jackson and I felt like God spoke to me. I felt like He told me not to complain because even though it was seeming inconvenient to wake up I am blessed to have a baby and on top of that a healthy one that can cry and make noises. Some women would do anything to have a baby and I am blessed to have one. So that was my early morning enlightenment. :)

On a lighter note....

Andrew and I are thinking that maybe our little man keeps waking up b/c he is still hungry. This seems to always be an issue. I have started...to stop breastfeeding because I do it and then not too long later he is hungry. We are now almost fully on formula. Well Jackson eats every four hours and usually consumes 6-8 oz and sometimes crushes the bottle and throws it on the floor (not really but that is how Andrew explains Jackson demolishing his food). So we decided to cheat and give him a little rice cereal to see if that satisfies him. I thought that he would automatically spit it out but he seemed to enjoy it. I gave him few spoonfuls and then gave him his 6 oz bottle. I think he was thoroughly satisfied. He still had 1 ounce of formula left and he passed out! YAY I hope he takes a nice nap so he will feel better! Below is the video of his first bite of cereal:)

Jackson is 16 weeks old today!

At 6:48 every Wednesday Andrew and I sing " Happy Birthday" to Jackson. Every week that goes by and Jackson is with us we feel so blessed. I can't believe that 16 weeks ago we just met little Jackson. He has brought such joy into our lives and has taught us many things. Having Jackson has brought Andrew and I closer together. I feel like we know each other better and truly work together as one. I thought that staying home with Jackson was going to be this blissful time where he and I would wake up in the morning peacefully and we'd play, eat breakfast, take naps, repeat, etc. Well some mornings I wake up to Jackson screaming, "I am hungry feed me NOW!" And sometimes when I am ready to walk out the door he decides to dirty up his diaper or puke all over the place. I know that sometimes we do have those blissful days of play, rest and true bonding time. But I have learned that having Jackson I do not put myself first. I cannot be selfish although sometimes I want to. He has taught me patience that I cannot describe and I love him for making me a better person. Jackson has made me a mommy and I feel like God has really put me on this earth to be a mommy for him. I love him with all my heart and I look forward to all of our adventures in life together.

Stepping into the life of a blogger:)

Well thanks to Amber Steele's suggestion I have decided to start my own blog. I am new to this so I guess I will just say that this blog is intended for our friends and family so they can keep up with our exciting lives:) LOL! Now that we have baby Jackson life has gotten way more interesting! I hope to update this alot so that you can keep up with how fast Jackson is growing!

Today was such a busy day for us. We got up early so that we could go to Babies-R-us, visit friends at JPES and then go see Granny at work. We bought a nice umbrella stroller that we can take with us to the beach this weekend. This one actually doesn't take up the entire trunk like the other one does. I picked out one that hopefully will last for a while. We then visited all of our JPES friends for a while and that was so much fun. When we got to Northgate to visit Granny Jackson was hot and hungry. Now we are finally home and praying to God that Jackson will soon take a nap!!! That is his picture up top where he is screaming b/c he is SOOO tired! Poor little guy!