Ahhh this is the life!

Jackson LOVES to swing. In fact, I think he loves to swing above all else. He will swing forever and says "No, no, no" when you ask him if he's done swinging yet. Well Grammy Cola (Mimi) just happens to have her own "swing" in her yard...a hammock! Of course Jackson LOVED it and didn't even want to share with Momma or Poppa. We are totally getting one next summer!

Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy....

We all had a great time at the Aquarium! It even featured a H-U-G-E octupus and an one hundred year old lobster. Jackson adores fishies so he was in total heaven. Us big kids even got to pet some sting rays...SO cool!

Jackson and Breppin

Brekyn (or Breppin as Jackson says) was beyond wonderful with Jackson. He fell in love with her nearly right away and just had such a fun time with her. She played with him and doted on him the entire visit. It was so heartwarming to see them together. Breky could always make Jackson smile and would get him giggling when she chased him around the house. Here are Breky and Jackson on the computer together.

Traveling with a toddler is not for the faint of heart!

We just got back from visiting our adorable family in Utah. We were all so excited about the trip but I'll admit that I was also dreading having Jackson in an enclosed space up in the sky. I would not recommend flying with an 18 month old VERY active little boy. Jackson did not understand why he couldn't simply be free and run around in the plane and all the exciting toys and dvd's we brought would only entertain him for mere minutes. I honestly felt as if we were flying for days. Jackson did very well considering that he was trapped in his seat. He only did the ear piercing squeal/scream a few times on the way out there, as I died of embarrassment.

After Jackson took a little time to get to know everyone again (he hadn't seen his Utah peeps since he was 9 months old) he completely fell in love with Brekyn (Breppin), Auntie Jen, Auntie Emmy and Grammy (Mimi). He wasn't so sure about his little cousin Cooper who has to be one of the cutest and sweetest babies ever, and if you were holding Cooper Jackson wasn't too sure about you either. :)

We had a GREAT time! Family is very important to us and it's very special when we can spend time with our fab family. We went to a fantastic aquarium that Jackson totally loved. We also went to a fun children's museum that had amazing exhibits for kids. Utah is just breathtaking and the scenery itself is so very enjoyable.

We already miss everyone so very much and want to thank our family for everything! They completely spoiled us rotten. :)

"One of these things doesn't belong here..."

Ahhh life with a toddler. I had to get a picture of this because it made me laugh out loud. I went to the fridge to grab a snack and saw this looking back at me. Jackson loves to hang out in the fridge trying to decide what he wants to eat so he must have left his little friend there once he decided. :)

Where did my baby go??

I swear that Jackson is literally growing right before my eyes. With each day that passes he seems more and more like a little boy now. I love watching him learn new things each day. I try to see the world anew through his eyes.

I snapped a few pics today that are totally Jackson.

First pic....Yes a train can travel up the wall.

Second pic....Ohhh its a plane!!!!

Third pic...sharing some cheese with his big furry brother. I think the dogs think Jackson is a walking food dispenser.

Jackson is such a BIG boy now.

Tank ew Momma

Oh goodness my heart just melted the other day when I handed Jackson his sippy cup and he said "tank ew Momma" (thank you Momma). It was SO cute...I so wished I would have had the video camera running. He is very much into giving you things, giving anyone things like his cars, toys, dirt, weeds, rocks, wood chips etc etc and we say "thank you" when he shares so nicely. He also says "Ohhhh Momma, Ohhhh Poppa, Ohhhhh Hexi" and it just totally cracks us up. He says it in this tiny little voice just as happy as can be. As difficult as this age can be I am completely loving this part!

New Words/Phrases:
-cool car
-cool truck
-thank you
-bless you
-crayons
-Finnegan (Finnegineginegin LOL)
-Hexi
-phone
-pants
-Mickey Mouse (me-mouse)
-circle
-cute (usually said along with puppy)