Happy Birthday Grandma Netty!

We have TOO MANY BIRTHDAYS in June! But today was Grandma Netty's day! We got up early, got dressed, and out the door to pick up breakfast at Sonic (breakfast burritos--yum!)

Jackson spent the morning playing in his "new" rocking chair. Grandma Netty and GG Jane pulled it out of the attic yesterday. I got this rocking chair for my 1st birthday. It's a Jenny Lind--we all had one. They were popular in the 80s--Adam and his brothers had one too! While they were in the attic, they found Hugo Pete (Aunt Tacey's Cabbage Patch doll from about 20 years ago!) It was, and still is, a very ugly Cabbage Patch, but remember the 1st year they came out and people were lining up and running over each other to get them off the shelves? Well, Stacey got the red-headed Hugo Pete, and I got Darby Rhonda (my favorite doll, and I still have her!) And now, Jackson likes his new buddy. He grabs him by the hand, and puts him in the rocking chair and rocks him, he tries to share his bink with him, he wants mommy to hold "babeee, babeee". It's cute. Although he won't get to play with dolls for obvious reasons, he's allowed to pull this little guy around for a little while (GG Jane says it will make him a good Daddy someday, so I was teasing Adam that he MUST have played with dolls all the time when he was little, too!) Don't worry, he still loves his cars and his baseball and football!! Oh, and John Deer tractors! Yes!

Mr. Domestic

I am starting to accomplish something, very early on in Jackson's life, which is to make my son self sufficient. I want him to know how to sort, wash, and fold his own laundry, and make his bed, and take out the trash, and iron his work shirts, and vacuum--all things Adam is getting better at, but has no desire to do! (typical man!) (Adam is an AMAZING cook though!) So over the past few days, Jackson has been showing signs that he is watching and learning as mommy and Grandma Netty clean around him!







Jackson helps mommy fold the laundry (check out the video Adam took on his phone!), and then helped Mommy put away the "empty" bottles of detergent and fabric softner! And last night, Adam and I were watching TV and Jackson headed off into the kitchen with a baby wipe he had pulled out of the tub. We didn't really know what he was doing, and when he got a little too quiet, we looked over and saw him wiping the floor with the wipe! Thank you, honey, for helping Mommy clean the floors! You are going to make a great hubby someday!

Palm Beach

This morning, after staying up LATE working, Jackson and I packed it up and drove to Galveston to check out Palm Beach! He LOVED it! It's a man-made beach at Moody Gardens and they have a splash park that we spent most of the morning at. Basically, it's a bunch of water sprinklers that spray and you run through them--and Jackson was hysterical. I am going to try and get some better images the next time we go (we got a season pass, so we can go any time we want!), but he would run through the spraying water, run up to me to pick him up, and then giggle! We had a blast! I can't wait to take Daddy there!

These pictures are awful because I was trying to maneuver my professional Canon away from the water, and watch him to make sure he didn't fall, and wipe the water out of my eyes....like I said, I need a waterproof, underwater camera for the next time!

Jack in the Basket

Yesterday, we turned Grandma Netty's upstairs into the playroom/office so mommy could get some work done and Jackson could play. Little did we know that Jackson would enjoy the toy basket better than the toys!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Scott!

Although we didn't get to see you, I'm sure you had a great day! We sang Happy Birthday without you at our house and "blowed" out the candles! Gotta get more practice before Jackson's big day! We love you! (now you can never get lost! Did you like your present from all "your girls"?

Prayers, please

I know that we have a lot of family and friends that check this blog daily, so I thought this was the perfect place to ask for your thoughts and prayers for our family tomorrow. Grandpa Doug is having surgery in the morning, and we would appreciate all your love and support. Adam and I will be out of commission tomorrow, so if you call, we will be at the hospital and our phones will be off. But please keep the Babcock's in your thoughts. Thank you!

Mommy and Me Day

This morning, I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of work I have to get done this week, and Jackson was in no mood to sit still, so I did the worst possible thing: I took the day off! (don't tell my clients! I'll have to work late tonight getting stuff done!)

Jackson and I got dressed and headed out the door. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for a Mommy and Me breakfast. Let me tell you, it went better than I thought! This is the first time Jack Jack and I have dined just the two of us. But he was so good--he flirted with the waitress and the little girl next to us, so he was entertained for the most part! He got a piece of french toast and applesauce, while Mommy got an egg-white omelet (oh, yum!) After breakfast, we were on a mission to get to Bouncing Buddies!
There are a few of them here in Clear Lake (Bouncin' Buddies, Monkey 'n Around, Jumping Jungle) They are indoor play places, with Moonwalks, and Little Tykes toys, and games, and the best part, they are all baby friendly. Fantastic! This one is owned by a friend of mine's sister-in-law, and it's close to the house. I just wanted Jackson to get a chance to play in a moonwalk again, since he loved the last one he played in so much!

We were the only ones there! It was great! Jackson got to play in the ball pit with Mommy and jump in the moonwalk and slide down the slide (more like tumble!) It was pretty tall (all padded) and he would crawl to the top and then try and slide and basically somersault and roll and flop to the bottom! But he loved it! He was laughing and smiling and then would get right back up and do it again! We spent about 2 hours there and then stopped by the grocery store and then home for a much needed nap! He's out right now, and I'm hoping he will be for another hour or so! He played hard!!

A Mini-Van Family...

Over the past two weeks, Adam and I had really set aside time to figure out what kind of vehicle we want and need. So, after lots of consideration, we headed to the Nissan dealership to buy a new Nissan Murano. I have wanted one since they first came out! But much to my dismay, they don't hold crap! I took all of my photo gear, the stroller, and some other things that I have to haul with me when we go to a photo shoot or shopping, etc, and there just wasn't enough room. So, we debated some more and went home to think about whether this car was going to be practical for us. As much as I didn't want to admit we were ready for a minivan at 25 years old, it was inevitable! I HAD to have the space, and I didn't want a big ol' honkin' SUV. So we decided on (the one I ORIGINALLY WANTED) a 2007 Chrysler Town and Country LX with Stow N Go. Surprisingly, I LOVE IT! The best part, all of my advertising will go on the back, along with my images on the sides, and it's the same color as my branding, which is perfect! Today, I took Jackson and all the gear to the grocery store, and I FIT ALL OF IT IN THERE! And Jackson loves the fact that he can look out!! Yeah! So it's official: we are minivan people! Uhhh...oh well!

So that was yesterday when we got the van, and when I pulling into my drive-way, this is what I found! YARD OF THE MONTH!!





Ever since Adam and I moved in, it's been our goal to get YARD OF THE MONTH at least ONCE while we live here. I am so particular about my yard and the grass being mowed a certain way, and we have done SO MUCH to the landscaping (it was atrocious when we moved in--all overgrown tropical crap) that it's nice that someone has notice the change! I called Adam right away and told him " this is so much better than getting the new van!" Go figure!

Boeing Picnic

So last week, Daddy left us. He went on a week-long fishing trip! He needed to take some time off work, and what better way to relax than go bay fishing with your best friend. So he left on Tuesday, and Jackson and I hung out at the grandparents house for most of the week. On Friday, Grandpa Scott's company had an employee picnic. They had face painting, and moonwalks, and slides, and a dunk tank and PRIZES!! It was alot of fun. But the best part (aside from the cotton candy--YUM!) THE MOONWALK! All the big kids were in it for a while, but when it was time for the pinata, all the older munchkins scattered, leaving that bouncer empty! Some of the other mommy's picked up on this, and all of us put our babies in at the same time! They didn't really know what to do, but Jackson figured out too quickly that he was in a cage that Mommy wasn't coming in, so he hauled ass to the middle and parked it! He sat there, bouncing, and rolling around--then he would move to the sides, and when Mommy and Aunt Tacey came around to see him, he would grin at us, and then haul ass to the other side--far far away from us! A little while later, no one was in it, so I asked if I could get in with him--and I did! We jumped really high and Jackson laughed histerically! He loved it! I was throwing him in the air, and bouncing him on the floor like "popcorn" as we called it on the trampoline! It was great!














The best part of all--DADDY SURPRISED US and came home early! He met us up at the picnic and Jackson was so excited to see him! He looked up like "Hey, I know you! Where've you been?" and waddled on over with his arms up! So cute!

The rest of the weekend has been a blur. We had a photo shoot on Saturday, and on Sunday, we got our yard work done in the morning, ran some errands, and then headed to Grandma Netty's house to lounge by the pool (they were gone, so we had the pool all to ourselves!) My friend Rachel came over too, and we ate dinner and chatted and got some sun....super relaxing! A great ending to a LONG week!

"Big Boy" Shoes

Jackson hit another milestone yesterday--one that I'm not sure I am ready for. Like I've posted in the past, Jackson is walking--all over the place! He is steady and fast and just a real toddler now. Since he is walking so much, Grandma Netty thought it was time for his first pair of Stride Rites. He's been wearing his Robeez for about 4 months now (a shoe that I LOVE LOVE LOVE and swear by! We have 2 pairs and have NEVER lost one--they can't get them off! And they are super cute! They have a similar kind at Target, but I could never find his size or cute ones for boys, so I just bought them online) but he needs something with a hard sole.

So we went on our first shoe shopping adventure. Jackson was fitted--something that he found very interesting! He kept looking down at his foot, then at the young lady helping us, then at that big metal thing, then at his foot, then at me and giggled! It was funny! He also really enjoyed pulling ALL OF THE FREAKING SHOES OFF THE DISPLAY! I kept saying "no no Jack, I'm not picking any more up. Stop that" and Grandma Netty kept saying, "He's alright, he's just picking out the one's he wants. Go ahead Jack, pull them all off of there." Great, thanks Grandma. We ended up getting getting him the Stage 3 Tennis Shoe. I thought he was more ready for the Stage 2 (which have a more flexible bottom) but he drug his feet in those and walked awkward. He was cruising in the Stage 3 and they aren't too heavy for him, either. We got the ones that tie (I know...) because I hate the Velcro ones--they looked funny on him.







On a side note: Jackson ended up with the infamous "Babcock Wide Foot". I know that his cousin Avery has a wide foot (or so I was told) and I think that Marley has a wide foot, so Jackson is right "in step" with the rest of the offspring, I guess! Ha! Ha!

My mom kept asking me if I liked them, and I really do, they are cute on him and he likes them, but I think she could tell I was a little sad about the whole thing. As we were leaving, she said "It's okay, you can cry now!" and I almost did. He'll never be that little munchkin learning how to walk again--all stubbling and bumbling around. I liked this stage. I'll miss it. I am truly understanding why people say, and I've said it too, that they grow up too damn fast....I guess that's why people have more kids, huh?! (Don't get any ideas people...it's not happening for about another year or so!)