Challenge League

Today, Adam and I volunteered with the Challenger League--a baseball league for handicapped children. It's the largest league in Texas--going from 10 kids to 75 kids!! Adam was partnered up with a 10 year old named Gabby. She could throw like a pro! And she was a flirt! She had matching pink glove, helmet, and bat! So cute! Most of the children could really participate, although some of the kids were extreme autistic children, or mentally challenged (their parents stood with them) but it was SO much fun to see all of them get excited about hitting the ball and running the bases! Everyone gets to bat and run around the bases and play the field. Awesome league!

Hello? Hello?

Wondering where we have been? Check out my photo blog to see what special trip Adam planned for us that has kept me away from my baby and blogging for 2 days now: Happy 2 year Anniversary

The 24 hour Bug...

Sorry I have been behind on blogging. Monday morning I was awoken with nausea at 3:00am...and it was down hill from there. I was blessed with the 24 hour flu bug. My mom is out of town in Cozomel, Adam was at work, Stacey was at work, but fortunately, Grandma Jane to the rescue! She was so nice and came over and picked Jackson and I up and took care of both of us at her house all day! I laid on the couch all day, and she chased Jackson around ALL DAY! Because I've been sick, I have no pictures. But I'm going to get a bunch tomorrow! In the meantime, check my photo blog for a wedding session that I worked on today...

Tractors, Chicken, and the Aunts {Wichita Day 5}

On Monday, we woke up and headed to Garden Plain (again) to visit my great great Aunts (they are my great-grandma's (GG Dutch) sisters. Maudie and Toddie are their names--shorts for Mary Margret and Teresa Anne...my GG's real name was Agnes, but they called her Dutch...I know, kinda weird that they never called them by their real names! Aunt Toddie lives on a farm, filled with tractors! Daddy would have been so jealous to see all the land and all the machinery they had out there! We got Jackson up on the tractor...and of course got pictures for Daddy to see his little man in action!



We also chased around the chickens! Jackson really didn't know what to think about them! After pie and chit chat, we headed back to Uncle Bob's, but not without stopping in at Resthaven to see Grandpa Joe. Many of you may know or remember my Grandpa, but I was VERY close to him. It has been very emotional for me to get married and have Jackson without him here to be part of it all. I miss him very much and wish every day that Adam and Jackson had gotten a chance to meet him (although they have seen many home videos and heard dozens of stories) We put Memorial Day flowers out, along with a flag that Jackson helped with. He stood (or danced) on the headstone (classy...Grandpa was turning over in his grave!)

Jackson and I got a quick nap in before we were on the road again to Jenny's for dinner. Her mom came over to see Jack Jack too (unfortunately, I didn't get a single picture at their house!) We called it an early night....but it was a great day!

We have a walker!!

That's right! Jackson is walking! He can go about 20 steps and then sits down! I have it on video and I have some pics of it, but we are in Wichita right now on vacation until Tuesday night, so if you have been checking the blog, I won't be updating again until Wednesday, and then, I will have 6 days worth of blogs to catch up on--including TONS of pics from our trip!

Check back on Wednesday night!!

Giggles, giggles, giggles {Wichita Day 4}

Jackson has been FULL of giggles today! He is walking all over the place and then starts histerically laughing--at nothing. We got up this morning and had breakfast from Spangles....hmmmm, breakfast pitas. You can't beat them!

We got dressed and went out to Garden Plain to visit with my god mother and her husband, Terri and Lynn Nelson. They used to live in Goddard, but now live on about 2 acres of land--it's beautiful out there! Their daughter, Angela, has two adorable little boys, Drayton (5) and Carson (2). Jackson loves playing with the big boys! Carson and Jackson played in the Cozy Coup for a while, while Drayton showed us what a great soccer player he is! We visited for about 2 hours before Jackson had really had enough and needed a nap! (our trips are a little short these days--he's just at that age)







So after a bottle and a nap in the car, we headed back over the Carolyn's for some more fun and gold fish.



We were back at Uncle Bob's for a great steak dinner and then off for ice cream at Braums again (good lord, we will need to run ALOT when we get home to burn off the sweets) The best part is that this time, we got Jackson his own kiddie yogurt cone (okay, seriously, I am awful and I know that he should really not have the sugar or the dairy...but I promise to not give him any more until his birthday. The kid never gets sugar (maybe that's why he is all giggly) so a little bit over the past few days won't hurt him, right? Ha!) I got so many great pics with mom's camera! The funniest thing is that my uncle is trying to show Jackson how to eat his ice cream cone, and at the same time, going "hmmmm...that's good ice cream....hmmmm" and then Jack starts doing the same thing--"Hmmmm...Hmmmmm...Hmmmm" with every bite, then giggling and smiling like he is just too cool! Then, he turned it over and bit the bottom of the cone! We were all laughing so hard, that we (okay, just my mom) nearly peed our pants!



After we got back to the house, Jackson and I were downstairs and he was just being silly! He would take off walking (kinda drunk-like) and then fall on to his belly and just giggle his head off! Then he would crawl along the couch just laughing! I was chasing him, then dancing with him, then tickling his to death! It was a good time..so good that it wore him out and his is now sound asleep without being rocked! I laid him in the pack n play and he was out! It was a good day!

Condo Gang Babies...Zoo {Wichita Day 3}

Oh my goodness! We had the BEST day today! We got up early to be able to make it out the door in time for brunch and the Meyer's (Doug and Sheri Meyer and their girls, Lea and Cori all lived next door to my parents when we lived in the condos--mom and dad's first home...they stayed friends after everyone moved into new homes and their little group would have card parties once a month with all of us kids playing downstairs, so we all grew up together--hence the fact that we call them the Condo Gang) Lea and I were preggers at the same time and she had Cooper 6 days after I had Jackson, so the grandma's have swapped stories and pictures for 10 months now (and they are "Jackson Blog Stalkers" too!) so it was obvious we needed to have our first play date!!

Sheri greeted us with hugs and tears--it was so sweet! Cooper and Jackson hit it off right away with hugs and kisses too! We let the boys play for a little bit, and then, WE ATE! Sheri had prepared the most amazing spread of waffles and french toast and fruit and bagels and yogurt and juice and, oh my gosh, I gained 10 pounds at breakfast! It was SOOOO good! Jackson also got to talk to Daddy on the phone, and for the first time, put the phone to his ear and spoke into the phone! It was hilarious!








After brunch, we got the kids together and headed for the Sedgwich County Zoo--both the boy's first time at the zoo (and now we realize, they were about a year too young, but we really just went for us "big kids"!) Jackson's favorite was the elephants and the giraffe, although I thought the petting zoo was a lot of fun with the babies!










After the zoo, we wanted to go for ice cream and Lea suggested Cold Stone. Jackson got his second taste of ice cream (again, bad mommy!)



Last night, I finally got together with my best friend, Jenny and her hubby Kevin. They had been playing softball for 3 days, so it was hard to get together, but we went to dinner and then called it a night!

Lunch...Old Friends...Gold Fish {Wichita Day 2}

On Friday, we got up and dressed and headed to lunch with some friends. First, we dropped GG Jane off for lunch with her girls from grade school and high school--lots of pretty ladies to say hi to! Then we were off to my mom's friend Phyllis' house--Phyllis was like a second mom to me growing up playing softball and going to school. Mom, Phyllis, and Jeane have been friends for years and bowled together for 10 years before we moved to Texas--they are also "Jackson Blog Stalkers!" I love it!

We went to a hole-in-the-wall called Town and Country. My family and I have been eating there for years and we make it a point to go there whenever we are in town! Jackson was pretty good in the restaurant, although there were numerous screams! He also got to eat his first kids meal! We ordered him a Grilled Cheese with french fries (and some peas and carrots on the side) and he ate like a champ!

After lunch, we got to go and visit another long time friend, Debbie Snyder, at her LOVELY home in Cheney! They bought a HUGE home on 500 acres with a 60 acre pond (Adam would be SOOO jealous!) We got the grand tour and were able to chat about all of her gorgeous grandbabies! Jackson got to see cows up close for the first time too!









After leaving the Snyder ranch, Jack Jack REALLY needed a good nap, so Mom and the girls went to happy hour while grandma and I went back to my Uncle's house in Haysville. Later that night, Jackson and I got back in the car and went over to my mom's best friend's house, Carolyn! They have 2 new grandbabies and LOTS of girls to play with, so Jackson was free to play on the floor with his new friend Layne (although we had an incident with gold fish and troll dolls, and let's just say Layne will not attempt to take either one away from Jackson ever again!)

We had the LONGEST freaking day, but it was fun....just exhausting!