Lots of things going on!

Mommy has been so bad! We have been taking lots of pictures and so much has been going on, we just haven't had time to update the blog and let you all in on the happenings! So here is a LONG post about all the exciting and tragic things that have happened in the last 2 weeks:

On November 18th, Jackson attended his second wedding. Ms. Wendy and Mr. Danny were married in El Campo and I was fortunate enough to be part of their amazing day! Jackson spent the day with Grandma Patty since Daddy was also in the wedding (he was an usher!) I left the house at about 1:00 and didn't see Jackson until 6:30 that night! In the meantime, as I am walking into the reception, camera in hand, I approach the brand new American Legion all and am walking along what I thought was a sidewalk with new sod...no! It was like quicksand and I sink, literally knee deep in the mud! Luckily, I was wearing boots. But I was stuck, with my camera over my head, for about 5 minutes, until Adam and another guy figured out how to rescue me! It was pretty funny! But later that night I got to dance with my little man--we did the hokey pokey! It was fantastic!


The next day, Jackson got to spend the entire day with Daddy, as I was off to the Woodlands to shoot Delaney West's baptism. It was a jammy kinda day for the two of them!

Daddy took Monday and Tuesday off of work last week to work on the deck project with Grandpa Scott...Jackson hung out outside with them and had a good time!




On Tuesday, Mommy had a photo shoot and Jackson got to meet Allie Rose and Grace when they came to get their pictures taken...they really liked him, and he couldn't stop staring at Allie!

On to Thanksgiving, when Mommy completely forgot her camera--I know, shocking! But we headed to Great Grandma Vera's for dinner in the early afternoon, and then on to Uncle Russ' for round two and dessert! And again, no pictures....

Friday night we ate dinner with Grandma and Grandpa after helping them decorate their house for Christmas (a tradition that includes Grandma Netty wearing her antlers!), and then we played cards...Jackson helped daddy!






Then came Saturday....oh what a day. Grandpa Scott and Grandma Netty came over to again help with the deck project. Adam and Grandpa were out back, Mommy and Jackson and Grandma were inside...Adam was trying to open a box of nails, and ended up cutting his finger....he told Grandma that he needed stitched and a rag. My mom came in and said " you don't want to know what happened, but I need to call the doctors office, he needs stitches" So get the doctor on the phone and go to the back door to give Adam some more towels. Adam looks at me, turns white as a ghost and then take three steps back and passes out, hitting his back and head on the edge of the new deck. My dad jumps up and grabs him off the ground and they rush him to the car and take off, leaving me at the house with Jackson--it was kind of a blur and I don't really remember them leaving, but after the fact, I panic becuase Adam has passed out (and in case you didnt know, he has high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and I am just freaking out because he has passed out and watching your husband collapse is never an easy thing to see) So I calmly gather Jackson up and put him in the car, singing all the way to keep from crying, and then realize that my Dad's stick-shift truck is parked directly behind my car--I can't drive a stick. So I think, "Okay, I can get around him"...in the mean time, I drive over all the pansy's that my grandma and I had just planted and just start cussing at my dad, because God forbid he park in my driveway behind me! Yikes. Then I remember that if I take the emergency break off and push in on the clutch, I can roll back far enough to get my car around his truck--YATZEE! It worked and I make it to the Dr. office in time for them to take Adam back to stitch his finger--he's fine at this point. Me on the other had, take one look at his finger, get nauseated, and make an attempt to walk back to the waiting room, only to get dizzy and nearly pass out myself ( I could never be a nurse!) Adam got 6 stiches in the tip of his finger to help keep in on and a bunch of pain medicine...and then proceeds to come home and finish the deck! Men!




Sunday was a fantastic day! We got up and headed to Huntsville to do a Christmas shoot for the Stowe family--3 of my favortie people in the world! On the way, we stopped at Floor & Decor to look at tile for our patio (I'll post pics of that later). We got the deal of the century--20x20 porceline Florentine tiles, reg $6.70ea on clearance for only $1.00!! Normally would have cost us $435.00 for the amount we bought, but we got all the time for $65.00!! Oh, so excited about it! We also stopped at Target and picked up 3 Christmas gifts for Jack. We spent the day with the Stowes and had a great time!



Monday was a work day for me. But as a side note: Jackson loves cups. If someone had a cup of ice or a drink, he full on reaches out for it and tries to drink out of it! His little mouth forms a perfect circle and his little jaw starts going up and down...but now he just likes to suck on the bottom of the cup--swear to God its the funniest thing ever! He likes the cold against his gums...so much for a cool teething ring, give the boy a cup!




Tuesday was super fun though...Grandma Netty came over and we put up my Christmas decorations. Jackson sat in his high chair while we put lights and bows and ribbon on the tree.

Then we took some pics of Jackson in the studio for his 5 month birthday! Christmas lights and a Santa Hat--what more could a baby boy need!

Ready..Set...Go!

After a hectic and exhausting weekend, Adam, Jackson and I took Monday and Tuesday off from the everyday work to work on some home projects...mainly the back patio! We needed to get some lumber delivered and some stain from Home Depot, so we bundled the little guy up and headed out the door on a "manly" kind of adventure!

Camo, Hats, and Date Night

Last night was so much fun! We had a very productive day of laundry, photography orders and scheduling, as well as some photographing of Baby Jackson! It was SOOO windy here today--so we stayed in out PJs as long as we could. Daddy planned a date night for us, so I bundled Jackson up in his thermal camo onsie and headed to Grandma Netty's so she could watch him while Adam and I got some adult converation and dinner time! And for the first time in a long time, I got all dolled up to go meet up with my husband! We ate at a great Japanese Steakhouse here in Clear Lake, where they prepare the food in front of you--I love those places! The food was so good and the 2 glasses of wine were even better! It was a very relaxing and enjoyable evening, and Jackson even went right to sleep once we got back home---ahh peace and quiet! It was very cold last night, and since my son loves to pull blankets up over his head these days, we went out and bought some blanket sleepers to bundle him in--and they are super cute! He was toasty warm, and even wore his hat to sleep last night (to keep his little ears warm!) What a great night!

Photo Contest

I said I was never going to do this, but this is the only public contest that does not disqualify professional photographers! So, I entered a Halloween picture of Jackson, and if you would like to cast your vote, here is the link to do so! You are able to vote 5 times a day for the remainder of the week! Thank you in advance to those of you who vote!

Halloween Photo Contest

**You have to email it to yourself to register your address and be eligible for the 5 votes per day!**

Curious George

On Saturday night, after a LONG day, Jackson fell asleep pretty early (about 7:00pm) so Adam and I ordered Curious George from On Demand and sat in the living room watching this adorable movie. For some reason, I wanted to roast marshmellows, so I used a candle and a fork, and roasted away! Adam thought this was insane, but he didn't complain when he ate one! The funny thing is that while watching the movie, we just kept saying, "Doesn't Jack look like Curious George?!" So here is proof that we think our little Jackson is a "Curious George":

Weekend Warrior

What a day! Mommy had a photo shoot in Kingwood this morning, and Daddy and Grandpa Scott were starting the deck renovation in the back yard, so the whole gang came over to watch Jackson and get to work! While I was in Kingwood, Jackson had a blow out and Grandma Netty had to throw his stinky butt in the bath tub! In the mean time, Grandma Patty and Grandpa Doug called to say that they were coming down today (instead of tomorrow) with Great Grandma Vera--so we had a FULL house! GG Jane came over with lunch and helped make dinner to feed the crowd! It was a fantastic day--no other baby boy could be so loved by some many grandparents in one place! Jackson hadn't seen Grammy Vera in a long time, so he really stared and studied her for about 20 minutes when she first got here....it was a really fun day with lots of work done in the back yard and lots of hugs and kisses for Baby Jack!

Jackson & Grammy Vera

Fighting Sleep

I have a major problem....Jackson hates sleeping! He wakes up fine, takes a good hour nap in the morning, plays for a bit, and normally takes about a 2 hour nap in the afternoon...but at night, he's a monster! I don't think he hates sleeping, he hates the feeling of getting sleepy and the sensation of relaxing and falling asleep. We sit and rock and sing, and as soon as he starts to get sleepy and rub his eyes, he fights it (and me) by kicking his legs, humming, throwing his head around, fussing...this lasts about 15-20 minutes until he is just so worn out that he lays his head on my shoulder and hums until he is conked out. He is getting the right amount of sleep a day, he just hates the sensation of falling asleep! Go figure! So tonight, we tried a new, earlier routine. At 7:00pm, he got his rice cereal. At 7:30pm, he got his bath and jammies. At 8:00, we started singing and rocking, and by 8:30pm he was asleep...and so far at 9:30, he's still out. Sometimes, he will go down early and then wake up at around 10:00 and want to play til 11:00--we're not doing that tonight! We're going to try this new routine for the next few nights and see if it takes. Wish us luck!!

Good Day

This morning we started off the day great--Jackson woke up smiling, I wasn't tired, he ate like a champ and played even harder before the grandmas came over to help cut back some of the crepe myrtle trees in my backyard. We got a lot of work done while he took his morning nap, including FINALLY figuring out the plans for the patio renovation (no, we still have not started on it yet, but will post pics VERY soon on the completion!)

This afternoon, Jackson impressed us all by finally jumping with both feet off the floor in his Jumperoo. He has been just hangin out in it, swinging back and forth, bending his legs...but today, he JUMPED! And then giggled like crazy! And I FINALLY had the video camera charged and got the whole thing on tape for Daddy to see when he gets home tonight!

Now for the bad part...Jackson found a new octive today. It is a hig-pitched shrill, to say the least. He sounds like a cat dying....and its loud! We have hardwood floors in our living/dining room with high ceilings, so it echos, and he really likes to hear himself echo in that room....I'm not sure how much of it I can take tonight, but we'll see what Daddy thinks! It's kinda cute, for like 30 seconds! And when you tell him to shooosh, he just smiles and giggles like he is super funny. Yeah, really funny little guy....mommy has a headache.... ha! The little booger is calling me now!

Rice Cereal

Tonight, we were able to get Jackson eating rice cereal on camera! Daddy fed him this evening, which was very entertaining! Jack is not a messy eater, Daddy is a messy feeder! He LOVES eating off the spoon...he chews and chews and chews. And in the end, he even wiped his own mouth! Ha! Such a good boy!

Trick or Treat!

Oh what a day! Jackson woke up just a smiling and ready for his first Halloween! During the day, he finally got to wear the adorable onsie Trick or Treat outfit that Grandma Peg and Grandpa Tom got him--it had booties, a hat, and a bib and was super cute! We headed over to Grandma Netty's to get ready--Mommy's costume was over there, along with the thermals for Jackson's costume.

Once in his Lion costume and me as Dorothy (Texafied though with red cowboy boots instead of heals!) (Daddy was supposed to be the Scarecrow, but didn't have time to get his stuff together--so he manned the camera), we headed out the door to make our rounds Trick or Treating. But not before we got some pictures taken outside! My parent's next door neighbors, Karl and Nichole, had their niece in town, so we got some pictures with Miss Sasha in her ladybug costume! She was so cute! And boy did she get some candy!







Then we were off! We stopped by Aunty Di and Uncle Russ's house. He even reached out and dug in her candy bowl!




On our next stop was my friend Lindsey's mom's house--she lives in our neighborhood. She was dressed as a witch and Jackson just stared at her! Amazingly, he was scared at all (we haven't gotten to that stranger faze yet) He did get his hands on a long tootie roll, which went straight for his mouth! (No, he did not get to eat it--mean mommy!) We'll have to stop by there again sometime when we are not in costume and have some more time to play. After that, is was on to GGs (great grandma) house. We sat him on her island and let him dig in the candy basket--big mistake! All the Almound Joys were smashed and thrown across the kitchen! I don't think he liked those, but he liked the Snickers (Mommy's favorite!)









After a long night of being in our costume, Jackson was tired and HOT! We forgot that he was in a thermal undershirt and a hat, and when we took the hat off, his little bald head was covered in sweat! (Silly Daddy even put Jackson's Lion hat on--it fit!) So we stripped down to our diaper, ate some rice cereal--another tablespoon (chunky monkey!) and took a nice long bath, full of splashes! Let's just say that little Jack slept very well last night after a full day of fun!