Pictures from GG Jane

Remember when I mentioned that I drew all over Jackson! Her started out in his new smock, then we lost the clothes b/c he was crawling on the ground and that was a new outfit, so to prevent stains and dirt on this new clothes, he got to go naked! And that belly was a great canvas! Here is the proof! He got a bath shortly after this, but it was pretty fun!!

New Favorite Bag

I've been carrying my Vera Bradley as a diaper bag for a while, then I switched to the lovely Dooney & Burke that Adam got me for Christmas...but it just wasn't springy enough. I wanted something cute, functional, and bright. So, I remembered a website from a few months ago: Cara's Creations

She is a stay-at-home mom who makes these really cute bags! And, they can be personlized. The thing I liked best about them: she's a stay at home mom with a home based business. So, of course I'm going to support that. Also, these bags are created by A MOM. The pockets are perfect, the size is great, and the quality of this bag is sturdy and wonderful. And, it didn't cost me a fortune, and personlizing is included (and you know I love ANYTHING with Jackson's name on it)! So I ordered mine, and 3 weeks later, I have a great new bag! I can't say enough about my fabulous new find!

Camo Hat

After getting Jackson dressed in his camo and ready to play outside for the day while we got some yard work done, I found his hat that matched--and he loved it! He wore it for most of the day without tearing it off. He also figured out how to turn in backwards so that it would not fall in his face when he was looking down at the stickers!--he got stickers for peeing in the potty on his own! We were changing his clothes and he grabbed himself and yelled "PEEEEEEEEE!" and ran to the potty. Adam set him up on his potty and he went!! Just a little, but enough to make Adam and I do the pee pee dance and get the stickers out!

Tonight, we met up with our friend Greg who JUST got back from Irag. We ate crawfish at Outriggers and then the band started, and Jackson was mezmorized by the instruments. Then, he started dancing, and all the drunk middle-aged, hoochy-momma dressed ladies started ooohing and awwwing over him and trying to dance with him. It was pretty comical. Here are all these ladies dancing like idiots, with their big fake boobs might I add, and Jackson in the middle! Mind you, it was 7:30pm, so we were partying with a rough crowd I guess! No, we were not the bad parents for the second time in a year, we ate dinner at 5:00 then the band started so Jackson and I stayed for a bit longer, and left at 8:30 for bath and bedtime! And, it's an outdoor patio, so no children were harmed by second-hand smoke--only by the drunk lady who picked Jackson up and nearly fell over--it was time to go!! Yikes!

So now, we are home, waiting for Daddy and the entire crew to end up at our house. I have sleeping bags/airmatresses/couches all ready for them, along with goodies for breakfast that I picked up on my way home. I am exhausted and ready for bed!! (Jackson conked out on the way home! All that dancing wore him out!!)

I do it!...diapers

Jackson and I spent the afternoon with GG Jane, pretty much just sitting on her back patio in the gorgeous sunshine playing with Jack Jack (swinging, coloring, eating, picking the leaves off of GGs plants...the usual!) Mommy got creative and showed Jackson how to color all over himself--he was in nothing but a diaper and that cute belly looked like a great canvas! (more pics to come once GG emails them to me!)

Then, we headed inside to make dinner. In the meantime, Jackson had a really wet diaper, so I grabbed a Pull-Up (which we use at GG's so he doesn't pee on the floor!) and told Jackson to lay down so I could change him. I handed him the pull-up. He tries to put it on himself. And for the next 20 minutes, he is persistant in trying to put that pull-up on himself. At one point, he is frustrated by his foot continuing to move, that he HOLDS HIS FOOT and tries to put it through the hole...it was pretty hysterical. But, at the same time, I was thoroughly impressed by his continued effort--he never really gave up until that thing was on--and at that point, it looked more like a crooked thong than a diaper!

Muffin Man

This morning, Jackson was up bright and early....something of a habit these days! He's up MUCH earlier than Adam and I...typically he comes in and puts his arms up and wants in bed with us, and I get up and get him some milk, and turn on Disney for him to watch a bit of The Wiggles or Handy Manny..for at least 30 more minutes so I can wake up on my own!

With today being no different, other than we had to get out of the house to go SEE a house, I did breakfast in bed so that could hurry the day along a bit! Jackson shared his strawberry muffin with daddy--although I think more ended up in the bed than in his mouth!

A change for the family **LONG**

Some of you know this, but WE SOLD OUR HOUSE last week. We had been dragging our feet to put it on the market, and many of you know that I believe that everything happens for a reason, well, let me tell you our story...

Adam and I bought this house in 2005. It was what we could afford at the time. Adam was a mere Assistant Manager with Enterprise and I was JUST starting the business. We loved our first home, we just outgrew it soooo fast once Baby Jack joined the home front. So, we started looking for a new home basically right after he was born.

Fast forward to last Tuesday. Our neighbor comes over while I'm in the front yard pulling weeds in the cracks of the driveway (Jackson was playing and I was killing time--and they bug me). She says "I hear that Adam got a big promotion and you guys are moving." That was all she said, put her hands on her hips, and stared at me. Just like that. I didn't know if she was mad, or what. I said "Well, Adam got promoted to Hobby, and we've been LOOKING for a new home, but we aren't transferring, if that's what you mean." She replies, "Well, let me know when you want to move b/c my sister wants to look at your house before you put it on the market." Little did she know, that that following Saturday was going to be a work weekend for us and we were going to be getting the house ready for show. On Monday, our realtor was coming out...I told her she would be the first to know when we decided to move. And I left it at that.

On Tuesday, I went out with the realtor and fell in love with a house. It was CLEAN, it was the size I wanted, it was decorated in the colors I wanted, it had a huge kitchen with Corrian countertops...basically, I walked in and really liked it (and the cleaning crew was there so it was immaculate when I walked in!)

Fast forward to Sunday, after our Saturday work/clean out day at the house. I am power-washing the driveway (b/c I want it clean when it goes on the market) and my neighbor walks over again and says "Can my sister come by and see the house? She'll be here in 20 minutes." Yikes! I'm in sweats and a t-shirt, no bra, hat, no makeup, I don't even think I brushed my teeth before I walked outside...."Sure!" (why not, my house was clean, I just wasn't!) She came over, walked around, I didn't think she was interested, we told her our asking price, she cringed, then walked out. I told Adam "We won't see that woman again, keep cleaning!"

Two days later on Tuesday, I had the WORST day ever, anything that could go wrong could, but I get a phone call at 5:00pm from the sister "Would it make your day better if I tell you I want your house and will pay your asking price?" WHAT??!?! SURE!?!?!? (***Note: I acted on impulse and just agreed. No, I didn't call Adam and discuss it with him. I don't know what I was thinking. I have since apologized profusely for it. I am an impulse buyer, and now, I guess I'm an impulse seller.***)

So Wednesday, we go on a house hunt again, this time, to a different house that I said "No!" right away too (***2nd NOTE: People are slobs. They don't clean their homes, they don't update their appliances, they have tons of clutter, they have things that are broken and just don't bother fixing them, yet they put their home on the market and ask a FORTUNE --are you kidding me? Haven't they ever watched HGTV? Get a clue!! It's frustrating!***).

Wednesday night, the buyer comes to our house and we fill out all of the paperwork (a big thanks to my friend Lindsay who walked me through the whole thing--she's a realtor in Austin if you are looking for one!) and she takes it to her lawyer. Mind you, we are paying no closing costs and negotiate nothing--it was too easy. She even signed off on things that WE should have covered at closing, we just didn't say anything (pray that we don't burn in hell for that) She comes back on Thursday, we sign off on everything after her lawyer proofed it, and it was at the title company on Friday morning.

In the meantime, the home that I really liked and was clean and perfect and wonderful has been price reduced by $5,000. I take this as a sign. We go and look at it again, this time with Mom, GG Jane, Adam and the baby, and we REALLY LOOK IT OVER. Everything. There is nothing I will have to do to this home when I move in. Granted, I will need to landscape the backyard someday (it's a blank canvas--nothing back there) and the master bathroom wallpaper is not pretty, but livable for now, and the master closet needs to be re-configured, but my dad and Adam are pros at that now....but I really don't have to do anything. We could be there 5 years before I did anything. Honestly. And, the street dead ends at Hyde Elementary--a great school in this area. Oh, and did I mention it's 2 blocks from my parent's and grandmother? Another plus.

So, right now, after taking the weekend to contemplate, put pencil to paper, and figure up our closing costs and down payment, we are ready to make an offer. We are going in tomorrow to sign the paper work and put in for this house.

I ask that you pray for us. We really will need it today. We are praying that Grandpa Joe and Grand-dad are watching over us and helping us buy this home. I truly believe in fate, so if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. If not, we'll find something else, and we are sooo fortunate to have family that are willing to let us stay with them until we do find the perfect house for us (we love you! Thanks! It won't be forever--2 months tops!!)

So, if I don't blog for a while, it's because we are PACKING!! I have 2 weeks to pack. Adam is leaving on business, so I don't have him for long....I gotta go get packing!!

I'll try and find/take/post a picture of our house now for nostalgia before we move. I'm sure Jackson will want to see where he was conceived/carried for 9 months/brought home from the hospital to/had all of his firsts in(roll over, crawl, walk, solid food)/his first birthday party was...okay, it makes me sad. I have to stop typing now.....

Happy Valentine's Day

I was woken up by Jackson's barking--he had heard the dogs next door yipping, and he was in my room yipping to me like an annoying alarm. W got up and dressed for the day. We made strawberry muffins and sang "do you know the muffin man" over and over. We left the house and met up with Grandma Netty and Aunt Tacey for a Valentine's Day lunch at Chili's.

Jackson had Valentine's for everyone that were little cards with a dum-dum attached--unfortunately, no one would get the dum-dum because Jackson would take the Valentine, remove the dum-dum, then hand them their card! EVERY TIME! Karl, Grandpa, GG Jane, Miss Pam...none of them got dum-dums, and my child was the most sugar hyped kid in the city!

After running some errands, we ended up at Grandma Netty's to make cup cakes! Jackson, of course, got to help out before his nap:















Then we woke him up so we could get home:


Once we got home, he finally got to eat his cupcake:


We were all in bed, asleep, at 8:45pm--how romantic!! HA!