Christmas at Home

We had Christmas at home today, and it was a great day. We started by going to church, enjoying the praise and worship and message, and visiting with friends. After lunch and Jackson's nap, our Christmas celebration at home began. Here are some of the highlights, but there are more in the album.

Jackson had fun stacking his new blocks.

Then he helped everyone else go through their stockings.

He eventually opened a Mr. Potato Head, and had lots of fun studying it and figuring out what to do...

His favorite gift was definitely the bubble machine! Although, we had no idea how quickly it would go through a bottle of bubbles. We already need a refill!

We spent the rest of the day playing with all of our new toys and hanging out at the park. Today contained bits and pieces of all the important things in our lives: God, family, friends, and fun! We couldn't have hoped for a better day!

Happy Father's Day

It's been another busy week. Aside from my photography class, there were lots of good things going on this week. We had painters at our house this week, which means the garage is officially done, and we are very happy with it! We also found out Jackson will be changing day cares next week. We are excited about the change, but once again sad to be leaving the teachers behind. Hopefully this will be the last change until he goes off to school though.

Saturday was our busiest day this week. We managed to get our yard work done before it got too hot. Jackson had fun lounging around in his PJs with Bailey while Ross was working.

Then we took Bailey and Jackson to Bay Area Park for a picnic and some play time. Bailey had a blast in the dog park. Her favorite friend was this sweet little 10 week old puppy that loved playing in the fountain.

Jackson had a great time on the swings and rocking on the horse before enjoying his first real picnic at the park. Here are a few pictures of the fun.

Saturday evening our friends, Katie and Jason, had a house warming party in Katy, TX. We had a great time catching up with some friends we haven't seen recently, while Jackson had fun hanging out with his favorite sitter, Ms. Heather.

Ross' 2nd Father's Day was...just as difficult as the first. Last year we were adjusting to a brand new baby. This year, Jackson decided not to nap, which made for a long, fussy day. Overall, it was still great though. We had a good, manly breakfast this morning followed by church and a little house hunting since Jackson wouldn't sleep. Of course we rounded out the day like any other celebration with a dinner at Lupe Tortilla!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!

Happy 1st Birthday Jackson

Friday was Jackson's 1st birthday, and he has had a great birthday week filled with several firsts. Monday Jackson had his first taste of whole milk. We're combining it with his formula this week, and he seems to love it. Tuesday Jackson started letting go and taking a few steps on his own at day care. When I arrived to pick him up, his teacher ran to grab him, stood him in front of me, and let go. He wobbled his way over to me with the biggest grin. I was filled with very mixed emotions! Wednesday I gave Jackson his very first hair cut, so he has less of the "faux-hawk" look as I like to call it. I followed him all around the house to get it done, but he did pretty well. He even took the comb from me at one point and tried to comb his own hair. It was very cute!

Friday was lots of fun as well. We started the day by visiting Jackson's old day care teachers. They were so excited to see him...one of them even cried, which was very sweet. You could tell how much they loved him. From there we went to the mall for a special birthday treat. While Jackson was taking his nap, Ross got home from his week-long trip to Canada. He was so excited to see Dada when he woke up! Bailey had a vet appointment that afternoon, so we made it a family outing. Jackson got LOTS of attention from everyone there once they found out it was his birthday. I think it even helped us get in a little sooner. :-) We ended the day with an early dinner at Lupe Tortilla with our friends, the Montpools. Their three adorable kids played with Jackson keeping him laughing and smiling the entire evening. By the time we got home Jackson was ready to crash. It was such a wonderful day!

Yesterday we took Bailey to the new dog park where she got to run around with a pack of beagles. They were all much younger than Bailey, and it showed. She had more fun watching them run around in circles than joining them in the fun. Jackson got to play at the park too. He had a great time swinging and rocking on a horse. That afternoon we went to a birthday party for Jackson's friend, Chase, from day care. Jackson and Chase actually share a birthday, so it was a special celebration. They had all kinds of fun activities including moon walks and a ball pit. Jackson was in heaven!

Today we went to church as usual, and then spent the afternoon running errands. When we got home we all spent some time lounging in the baby pool in the backyard. Jackson had a great time splashing around and putting grass in the pool. Our friend Heather then came over to watch Jackson so Ross and I could have an evening out. We stumbled upon a restaurant called La Tapa Tapa, which turned out to be one of the best places we've been in Clear Lake!

It's been an amazing year with Jackson. Ross and I really can't remember what life was like before he got here, but at the same time this year just flew by. We have been so blessed to have such a healthy, happy baby boy and to be surrounded by such loving friends and family. It's amazing to see how much he's changed in such a short time. Here are my favorite photos from each month of his life so far.

Lots of Love...and time...and money...

Anyone who has ever had a dog knows how quickly they become a member of the family. Today, Bailey took priority when she limped into the kitchen from outside with her dew claw barely hanging on...it must have gotten caught in her collar. I immediately called the vet to find the closest emergency animal clinic number since I knew the vet would be closed. Then I called our wonderful friends, Heather and Todd, who came to my rescue more than I expected. I was calling to have them come over and watch Jackson while I took Bailey to the clinic because he was sleeping. Once they arrived, I loaded Bailey into my vehicle hopped in to start the car, and you guessed it...nothing happened! Todd graciously drove me and Bailey to the clinic so I wouldn't have to try to transport her with her bleeding foot in Ross' car.

We ended up spending close to 4 hours at the clinic because two poor dogs had been hit by cars, and one of them had a broken neck! They ended up sedating Bailey while they removed the claw, and when they brought her back, her entire foot was wrapped with an adorable little heart on it to remind her of how much she is loved! After the insane bill, hours spent waiting in a freezing cold little room, and lots of love and attention, Bailey is doing her best to hop around and rest as best she can.

Can your dog do this...

...much damage to a door frame in an hour?

Apparently ours can! I went to lunch with a friend yesterday and came home to this, a half eaten loaf of bread, and poop all over the living room. My best guess is that she decided she wanted the bread, so she somehow got it off the kitchen counter. Then after eating half of it, she felt sick and really needed to go outside. Since no one was here, and she knows it's wrong to go inside, she started attacking the door frame trying to get out...the door is metal, so she wouldn't have made much progress on it. Needless to say, I was upset and she was miserable for the rest of the day. Her stomach was bigger than her head! I guess we'll be getting a new door and frame in the near future...

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

It's been raining a lot this weekend which isn't so bad in itself but I really need to mow the yard. It's particularly annoying because it comes in spurts. Just when it seems like it might be dry enough to mow, another downpour comes. One of those moments just happened. It wasn't dry enough yet but it wasn't raining and the sun was shining so I thought I could take Bailey for a walk and then when we returned I would be able to mow. About half way through our walk it started to sprinkle and I could hear and see the downpour about half a block away, so Bailey and I turned and ran. It was kind of fun running from the rain that I could hear chasing me down from behind especially since I just got through watching an episode of Man vs. Wild and it felt like I was in an adventurous struggle for my life! Of course, then I had to turn a corner to head home and the rain caught me. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.