Wednesday, December 8, 2010

What's New With Jackson

Just thought I'd take this time (while Jackson is sleeping) to write down a few things about Jackson. I'm always hearing how important it is to write down everything about Jackson at this age because I'm going to forget so fast! So my response is always that I might not write it down, but I blog! Already I've experienced forgetting all the little details, and I am so grateful that I have them on my blog. For example I was reading through my blog book (just ordered my first one, yay!) and remembered that when Jackson was a newborn he had the cutest raspy cry! But I digress.

Jackson loves it when he watch us talking in our normal voices and laughing together. Often when Brian and I are cracking up about something we'll look down and see Jackson staring at us and smiling and laughing. He's so used to our baby voices that I think he likes it when we're just ourselves also. There are a few ways to tell that Jackson is happy. First, when he's laughing/smiling. Second, when he's growling. He'll often be growling so loud and so constantly that its hard to hear anything but him! Third, you know he's at his happiest when he's whisper growling. It is SO funny when he's just growling under his breath with a smile on his face, its like he's too happy to even do a real growl! When Jackson wakes up he will always reach up and grab my face and growl under his breath, its my favorite!

My favorite time with Jackson is when we're getting him ready for bed. We turn on the nightlight and turn off all the other lights and lay him on the changing table. I don't know what it is about that changing table that he loves but he just goes crazy when he's on it! So that added with it being a little darker than usual he just has a ball before bedtime! Last night I could hardly get his pajamas on because he was kicking his legs and arms so hard and growling like crazy! He also started doing fishy faces where he kind of smacks his lips over and over like a fish under water. When we're putting on his pajamas its hard to get his arms through because whatever arm you're working on he instinctively clenches his fist on that sleeve and puts it in his mouth, so you literally have to switch back and forth between arms just to get his hands through! He has the strongest grip too! Sometimes he will actually hurt Brian and I from grabbing the back of our arms or hair and we can barely get it out of his grip! But he's just too cute you can't stay mad for long.

Jackson loves playing games now. One new fun game that we've been playing is peek-a-boo. You put a blanket over his face and take it off real quick and say "boo!" But the blanket has to be over his face, not yours! He may not be ticklish but he loves it when you growl on his stomach. Then to make him laugh even harder is when you start to put your head down and stop, then go a little further and stop, then finally eat his cute little tummy!

Jackson is rolling over a ton and these days when you put him down he can be across the room in a matter of minutes! I think he's going to start walking pretty fast because his daddy was walking at 8 months and Jackson seems to be following in his footsteps. He can stand up pretty much on his own, he just need someone to balance him. Its the same thing with sitting up he can do it, he just likes to throw his head back so we need to be there to catch him.

I love how excited Jackson gets when daddy gets home. You can tell there is such a special bond between them and that Jackson loves his dad so much. His eyes light up the first time he sees him and its like he can't keep his eyes off him after that! Even though I'm at home with Jackson all day and Brian's busy at work and school you can tell Jackson loves his dad so much and Brian doesn't skip a beat once he comes home he just plays with him and lays on the ground with him and holds him the rest of the night. Mommy's old news once daddy gets home and you can tell Jackson is so excited to be with  dad again!

Jackson's hair is getting longer and I decided to play around with it a little yesterday! Of course it fell back down and laid completely straight about 10 minutes after this picture but it was still fun!



 Jackson and Boston McCauley are about 10 days apart so its fun to see similarities and differences in their developments! They've been friends since birth and Boston's mom, Cindy, and I joke around how these pictures are going to be in their yearbook 18 years from now with a caption that says "Boston and Jackson, friends from birth!"


Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

This year for Thanksgiving Brian and I went to my sister Michelle's house in Gilbert, AZ. It was so much fun to be with family and for Brian and I to take a much needed little vacation. Brian and I have been so blessed to be related to 2 amazing photographers so we are pretty much set on family pictures for life! Brian's sister Lynn took Jackson's blessing pictures, our engagement pictures AND wedding pictures (talk about going above and beyond!) and my sister Michelle took Jackson's 1 week old pictures and so many others at countless family events. So while we were visiting, naturally Michelle took some new pictures for us, this is Jackson at 5 months.
Jackson and his cousin Dallin are less than 2 months apart so its so fun getting them together and seeing the slight differences in development between these two. We had no idea they had matching pj's till we got there and just HAD to take some pictures, and while taking pictures they just started holding hands, no parent interference at all!
 The holidays are bittersweet for our family because on the one hand, we get to see everyone, but on the other hand we are reminded of the fact that my mom is not here to enjoy it with us. It makes me sad to know that she didn't get to meet Jackson (at least here on earth) and I know that she would've given anything to do so. My dad is a wonderful grandpa and he's so close to his grandchildren, we wish my mom was sitting right next to him in this picture with a beautiful smile on her face.

 The story of where these pictures were taken is a funny one! The day before we were supposed to leave we knew that we wanted to go to a nice mall in Chandler, but we also knew we wanted to take family pictures. The problem was we didn't get to the mall until about 2:30 and Michelle kept saying the perfect time for taking pictures was 3:45-4:30, after 4:30 it gets too dark. Of course while we were at the mall we completely lost track of time, and before we knew it it was already 4 o'clock! So we're waiting out in the car for Scott and Brittany, knowing that the sun was going down as we spoke and the place that Michelle wanted to take pictures was 20 minutes away. So as we looked around we realized there were some perfect spots there at the mall to take pictures! My amazing sister Michelle was careful not to include the parking lot, cars, passing pedestrians or anything else you'll find at malls and voila! Perfect family pictures with different scenery and the lighting was great!


















 I absolutely love this goofy picture!! It looks like Jackson is doing an Elvis impersonation, its so cute!


Happy Holidays Everyone!