Good Morning Daddy

I am nice to Aaron and let him sleep in on Saturdays. I get up at my usual time...you know, whenever Jackson wakes up! I decided that he had slept long enough, so J and I went in to wake him up. Aaron wasn't so happy about it, but I was all smiles as I took pictures. I remember when I was little when my mom would tell me to go wake my dad up. It was an instant jungle gym on a water bed. I don't know if I actually ever told my dad to wake up though. It was too much fun climbing and tumbling (and a couple of below the belt knees...sorry dad!). Oh Aaron, you have no idea what is in store for you in the future!

Its About Time For A Roadtrip

Last Monday Aaron was told that he was going to have a long weekend Fri-Sun. We have been wanting to get away for the weekend since we moved here, but have never been able to go for one reason or another. We decided that with Aaron leaving for training overseas  there was no time like the present. We decided to go to Gatlinburg, TN which is about a 4 hour drive from us. Gatlinburg is located south of Knoxville in the Smokey Mountains. We decided to leave Thursday night so we could have two entire days to spend up there. The drive went smoothly, Jack was happy or sleeping the entire time. The only hiccup we had was feeding him dinner in Cookville. Lets just say that sweet potatoes were EVERYWHERE!!!! 

Jackson slept so well in the car that by the time we got to the hotel and unpacked he was wide awake. Luckily we had a wonderful high speed internet connection and Netflix has Backyardagins!! Jackson was shrieking and giggling the entire time we settled in to the room. Before we went to bed we planned out our first day. We decided to go to Ripley's Aquarium, Ober Gatlinburg (gondola ride to the top of the mountain), then dinner somewhere and Ripley's Mirror Maze. For a vacation it seemed like a super busy day, but we figured to take it an attraction at a time.

The Aquarium was amazing!! The 90% military discount didn't hurt either. Aaron and I were like kids in a candy store looking at everything. Jackson was also fascinated by all of the bright colors. They had everything from Sharks to Jellyfish, indoor waterfalls to penguins! We spent about 3 hours there and didn't even see everything. Jackson's favorite part was the penguins. Now, he did sleep through the moving sidewalk through the shark tank, but I'm sure he would of picked penguins anyway. There was a tunnel that you could crawl through to get to a pop-up in the penguin "tank". Aaron army crawled it with J in his arms. When they popped up Jackson was nothing but smiles!

After the Aquarium we took the gondola up to the top of the mountain and had lunch by the ice rink. There were some fun things to do up there, but not many with Jackson. So, we let him play on a little playground. We took turns going down the slide. Then we let him play on the ground for a bit. Dirt and woodchips were SUPER interesting to him. Of course the first thing he tried to do was put it in his mouth. We managed to get some cute pictures in before I had enough of "catching him in the act".

To finish our adventures at the top of the mountain I took Jackson on the carousel. He loved all of the moving parts and flashing lights. There were a group of older ladies sitting by the carousel enjoying coffee that thought J was the most adorable little thing ever!! They were making faces and cooing at him every time we came around. Moments like this make me anxious for Jackson to get older. I will definitely keep him this size for a while though. 

After Riding the carousel we went back to the hotel for a nap. For dinner we explored Bubba Gumps (which is delicious) and then went to Ripley's Mirror Maze! We ended the night enjoying some caramel covered popcorn and attempted watching Due Date.

Our second day was full of Shopping at the Outlet Mall and just wandering. It was a rainy day and ended up being a perfect day! Our last night there we wanted to do something big, so we went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I have seen it before, but Aaron hadn't. It was wonderful cast and an excellent production. Jackson slept through the first half and then flirted with the older ladies in the row behind us the entire second. He was too cute!

Gatlinburg was an amazing getaway!! We were so blessed to be given the opportunity to take our little family our on our first vacation. It wasn't anything fancy, but we had so much fun. In my family its not where you go that matters, its who you are with!

Its good for you...right?

Ooh...What is this deliciousness??

Definitely not my usual!

Take It Where We Can Get It

 

We're Going to the Park!

Just woke up from a  nap and ready to enjoy the beautiful day outside. It got up to 84 degrees...and we definitely missed the sunshine! We decided to walk down to the park to play around after we cleaned the house.  I can't believe how lucky we are to have a park right down the street from the house.

We tried out the swing first and it was a hit!! LOTS of giggles!

We had to get a family shot in while we were there. Not so easy with the DSLR, but I managed to get everyone's face in it!

Before we left we tried out the slide. From the end result, it was GOOD!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

St Patty's Day has always been a big holiday for me. I think its because my God Parents used to throw a huge party when I was little. The best thing about this crazy night for the adults, was that they were so hungover the next day that us kids were able to skip school! Ah...good times=] Yesterday was a busy day from start to finish. The whole family went to Kaison's baptism on Post. I have to say that the priest was a little crazy. He was all over the place we had part baptism (minus the God Parents having any sort of participation in it), part mass, and part confession. It was Insane! I really want to get Jackson baptized, sooner than later but I will not have the crazy priest wearing combat boots performing it. After the event we went over the Jess and Kevin's for bbq. Kevin had been cooking since the early AM and was eager to leave the church to check on his master pieces on the grill. I have to admit it was delicious!!! Aaron had to leave early to get back to work, so Jackson and I hung out for a while. When I finally noticed the time I had an hour and a half to get home and ready to bring J over to Memaw's. We had originally planned to go out and hit a couple bars, but Aaron had pt early in the morning. We went to our favorite restaurant in town, Blackhorse and had a mini celebration over dinner instead. The only depressing thing was that they didn't have green beer! How in the Hell does that happen on St Patrick's Day?!?!?!?!? I guess they are saving it for Saturday's pub crawl. I think it was absolutely ridiculous!! Anyway, we enjoyed our beer cheese and Non-green beer and called it a night. All in all a great day. It could of been better, but beggars can't be choosers! I am so thankful to have Ms Stephanie in our lives to allow us to go out baby free. Added Bonus for not drinking green beer last night?! Woke up hangover free=]

Moments I Love

I can't explain how much I love when Jackson snuggles up to fall asleep. A calm falls over me and I am just at peace. Its like everything is right in the world for that moment.

I Got It...Almost

We are officially sitting all by ourselves...most of the time! Jackson has always like to sit up when leaning on us. I think its because he got a better view of the room! The other day I decided to put him down on the ground to play with his penguin. Surprisingly he did it! He does lose it every now and then, but for the most part he is good to go. My favorite thing is when he tries looking at me (sitting behind him) and his whole body topples over! Definitely more to work on, but for now I am very proud of my little sitter!!

Now when it comes to rolling over...we are ALMOST there! He is so close, just no cigar yet. Just wait...it will happen Soon!!

Giving Up

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and as all of you Catholics out there know, Lent has officially begun! I don't have a lot of things that I splurge on that I would say I could give up. Aaron is gone so often I would hate to take away the random nights out together that we get to go out to dinner or catch a movie. The only thing that I know I have been having trouble with is snacking. My biggest nemesis is the Night-Night Snack before bed time. Usually its a decent sized bowl of ice cream or some other form of deliciousness. I have been trying to keep myself in check, but its hard! The past couple nights I have talked myself out of ice cream by saying I will have a 100 calorie snack instead. Then I think, why do I need a snack when I am going to bed within the hour?! As you can see its going to be a challenge for me! Hopefully by the time Easter comes I will have the Night-Night Snacking under control! I'm off to bed to have SWEET Dreams=]

5 Months...Already?!?

In honor of Jackson's 5 month birthday we decided to take him swimming. I have loved swimming since I was in daycare and Aaron...well he is definitely a wader when it comes to water! I have always wanted my kids to love the water as much as I do. So, on Saturday I took the boys to the gym and we tested it out. Jackson LOVES splashing in the bathtub so I was hoping the pool would be the same. I made sure I was armed with the camera to get his first reactions. Turns out...Jackson IS my son and he loves the water. He was kicking and splashing and giggling the entire time!!

Just One Cup Mom...Please!!!!

Jackson has been teething for a while, still no pearly whites to show for it though. He is picking up anything and everything to put in his mouth. Case in point with the coffee pot at Ihop last night. Not only was it shiny and fun to look at, but the lip fit in his mouth perfectly. He was the hit of the Hop!! He has also been testing his voice out with piercing screams of joy. He was hugging my shoulder and just letting them out. As we packed up to leave I made sure to apologize to the couple sitting behind me for Jackson's...socialness. Come to find out the lady sitting directly behind me didn't hear him at all! I smiled and laughed at her "kind" lie, but then learned she was serious! I told her husband that I wish I had that skill. He told me that it comes with age, eventually you learn to just tune them out=] Ah, the joys of getting older!

My future...

The innocence of a child's soul
is what makes them seem so whole.
So peaceful and trusting as they reach out.
Full of life and rarely a doubt.
Skipping along while holding your hand,
Knowing that you will take their stand.
Loving you entirely for who you are,
Seeing the beauty of your soul with no scar.
As we grow older and more serious in age,
We become fearful and oft full of rage.
We begin to lose things that once made us feel loved.
Somewhere in our souls are things that are shoved....
that we try to forget and leave sitting inside.
We forget how to live and just go with the ride.
If only we could look through our eyes as a child,
into the soul that we once possessed undefiled.
To enjoy the wind and the moon and the stars,
with a soul which has not gained any scars.
To see the beauty in all that we touch.
To see through the eyes of a child would mean so much.
God grant us the gift to look back as a child,
To trust and to love with a soul undefiled.
Looking once more through the eyes of a child!

 

Cheap Toys?!?

I am slowly learning that Jackson is entertained by little things. He is into hitting things with his hands to make noises. The best "toy" for the job is the baby wipe refill pack. I wish I would of known this before, so I didn't buy any actual toys for him to have fun! We could of saved Sooo much money =]