Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Box Play
Jackson loves playing in boxes. No matter what the size is he manages to squeeze in. Recently we had an empty box from a 12 pack of Sweetwater 420. He climbed in and out over and over again and wanted me to pull him around the kitchen.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Curious George
I heard there was a Curious George storytime at the local Barnes and Noble store and the kids can even meet Curious George! We went and it was packed. We couldn't even get close enough to listen to the story so Jackson wandered around looking at books and toys and then we got in line to meet Curious George himself.
Once we got up there he was a little hesitant so Jimmy sat with him. He was happy to give George a high five though!
Once we got up there he was a little hesitant so Jimmy sat with him. He was happy to give George a high five though!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
A Mid Winter Escape!
We got to escape to the sunny beaches of South Florida for almost a week in February. It was heaven! My mom and dad have started spending several weeks on Sanibel Island each winter and we decided to join them for part of the time! They had a 3 bedroom condo so there was plenty of room for us!
I obviously wasn't thinking clearly when I made our flight arrangements as they were during Jackson's naptime. He did take a quick 30 min catnap on the way to the airport. He was clearly tired on the plan but not tired enough to cuddle up and sleep. We stayed busy with books, toys, looking out the window, snacking, etc. Of course his beloved Curious George flew with us. Luckily the flight is only about 2 hours so we were there before we knew it.
The drive onto the island was a little ways and someone was getting cranky but was too excited to sleep! Once we got there we changed into shorts and headed to the beach. Jackson has been to the beach several times but obviously not since last fall. He loved running in the sand and pointed at all the birds saying "burr!" over and over again. So cute! His Papa took him to dip his toes into the ocean. After 30 or 45 min we headed back in to eat some dinner. He was way overtired having not slept almost all day and had some trouble going to bed but once he was asleep slept great all night.
We headed to the beach the next morning and pretty much everyday after that. One morning we decided to drive to Captiva and walk around and have lunch at The Bubble Room. That place is so fun! There are old photographs covering the walls and old toys everywhere. Trains that go around almost the entire restaurant and a room decorated for Christmas all year long. It's a unique experience! Jackson loved walking from room to room seeing all the different things to see and loved it every time the train would come around yelling "choo choo!"
Jackson wore himself out most days and took pretty good naps. Jimmy and I also got to take advantage of having my mom and dad there so we could spend some time on the beach reading while they stayed inside while Jackson napped. Then back to the beach for a few hours before dinner. We went out a few nights and decided to stay in a couple nights too. Jimmy and I even got our own date night out :) Jackson had fun playing in the sand and finding seashells on the beach. Sanibel is covered with shells! We took walks to find pretty shells and put them in our buckets. Jackson's favorite part was to send one of us to fill up the buckets with water and then he would dump it out then hand you the bucket again and take your hand dragging you back to fill up the bucket again!
One morning we went to the farmers market and afterwards went to brunch. Outside the restaurant they have all these exotic birds. Jackson loved looking at them all.
We had such a great time at the beach and had perfect weather. My mom said the day after we left it was cloudy and rainy. We had beautiful sunny weather with temps in the low 80s.
I obviously wasn't thinking clearly when I made our flight arrangements as they were during Jackson's naptime. He did take a quick 30 min catnap on the way to the airport. He was clearly tired on the plan but not tired enough to cuddle up and sleep. We stayed busy with books, toys, looking out the window, snacking, etc. Of course his beloved Curious George flew with us. Luckily the flight is only about 2 hours so we were there before we knew it.
The drive onto the island was a little ways and someone was getting cranky but was too excited to sleep! Once we got there we changed into shorts and headed to the beach. Jackson has been to the beach several times but obviously not since last fall. He loved running in the sand and pointed at all the birds saying "burr!" over and over again. So cute! His Papa took him to dip his toes into the ocean. After 30 or 45 min we headed back in to eat some dinner. He was way overtired having not slept almost all day and had some trouble going to bed but once he was asleep slept great all night.
Yes, George had to come to the beach with us too :)
We headed to the beach the next morning and pretty much everyday after that. One morning we decided to drive to Captiva and walk around and have lunch at The Bubble Room. That place is so fun! There are old photographs covering the walls and old toys everywhere. Trains that go around almost the entire restaurant and a room decorated for Christmas all year long. It's a unique experience! Jackson loved walking from room to room seeing all the different things to see and loved it every time the train would come around yelling "choo choo!"
A big treat at Starbucks! Apple Juice!
Feeding Nana goldfish
Jackson wore himself out most days and took pretty good naps. Jimmy and I also got to take advantage of having my mom and dad there so we could spend some time on the beach reading while they stayed inside while Jackson napped. Then back to the beach for a few hours before dinner. We went out a few nights and decided to stay in a couple nights too. Jimmy and I even got our own date night out :) Jackson had fun playing in the sand and finding seashells on the beach. Sanibel is covered with shells! We took walks to find pretty shells and put them in our buckets. Jackson's favorite part was to send one of us to fill up the buckets with water and then he would dump it out then hand you the bucket again and take your hand dragging you back to fill up the bucket again!
One morning we went to the farmers market and afterwards went to brunch. Outside the restaurant they have all these exotic birds. Jackson loved looking at them all.
Ready to buckle up for the flight home. For the actual flight he was in our lap though.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Is it really February?
The weather here has been crazy here lately. We have gone from 20s and rainy to tornadoes to almost 70. It was unbelievably beautiful out today and tomorrow is going to be back in the 40s with 100% chance of rain. We are very grateful for the nice weather and a chance to get outside and play! We went for a walk and stopped at the playground to play. Oh and I was having fun trying out my new lens today. I don't know much about photography, but I keep trying to learn!
He found some tennis balls to throw for Cooper. Oh his new thing is he calls Cooper "Dewey" It is so cute!
Crazy static hair
Driving
Jackson loves to sit in the shopping carts where you can "drive" This was at Home Depot one day last week. I think we should enroll him in drivers ed. Haha!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
21 Months
It is so hard to remember all the funny/silly/sweet things Jackson does each month. I try to keep a list of things I want to remember to blog about but I still always forget things!
It took a long time but I guess it was around 18 months that I could confidently say we were down to one nap a day. Little guy needed his beauty rest I guess, huh? Where he used to fall asleep in the car immediately after going to play at the gym while mommy worked out, now he stays awake even on the car ride home from lunch so we read stories before nap now. I can't tell you how many times he fell asleep and I'd have to wiggle him out of his carseat and carry him up to his crib keeping him asleep while also taking off his shoes and jacket! He will go down around 12:30 and typically sleeps until 3:30 or 4. Night time he goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes around 8 or 8:30am. He goes in phases but for a while wanted to sit on the floor in his room for us to read to him, then he went back to being cuddled up in our lap and now he sits on the ottoman while we sit in the big chair. He loves to choose which books we read and sometimes gets so excited about the next one that he'll close the one we were already reading. We love a new one we got called "I Love Stinky Face" and also a new alphabet book. He still sleeps with his Curious George doll every night. He has other stuffed animals and a blanket in his crib but he always pushes them to the bottom.
His canine teeth are finally coming in. The top two and one of the bottom ones have cut through. Another thing that magically stopped in the past month or two is his drooling! yay! Jackson had been a drooler since he was about 4 months old. Once he got older I passed on the bibs and just accepted that he would always have a wet shirt. It is so nice now that he stays dry!
One of the sweetest things he does is he always wants us to sit next to him. He will pat the seat of the sofa or floor or the next chair over at the island telling us he wants us to sit next to him.
He has learned how to lock the doors in the house and loves to close his bedroom door at night and locks it and then turns the knob to unlock it. Over and over and over! Time to find those little "keys" we got when we bought the new doorknobs in case he locks himself in! Lots of mornings I'll be in the shower and he will play upstairs and in his room but he has yet to close and lock himself in yet. *knock on wood*, I hope it doesn't happen anytime soon!
Jackson is still obsessed with keys and light switches. As soon as Jimmy walks in the door he runs over screaming "daddy!" but then says "keys" wanting his keys. We try to distract him and put the keys away before he notices so that he doesn't run off and play with them. He has already worn down the batteries in our clickers from constantly locking the cars. Oh and he knows which sets of keys work and won't play with an old one or some for a car that isn't here! I know this like every other stage will end soon. He used to grab my phone at any chance and now hardly pays attention to it. Oh, he is obsessed with credit cards right now too. He always wants to hold it and hand it to the cashier to pay when we are out. He carries our gym cards in and hands them to the front desk. What a big helper, huh? He loves helping in the kitchen stirring cookie batter or eggs or just playing pretend with his empty bowl and wisk.
He is still all about helping out and wants to put the cap back everything! He puts the cap on the milk jug (and even wants to put the milk jug back in the fridge - when its not all the way full!) He also puts the top of his sippy cup on and I tighten it for him. He's always coming into the office trying to find pens or markers laying on my desk. He loves to take the cap off and then put it back on. It is great for his hand eye coordination but I don't want accidental pen marks everywhere! One day I gave him dry spaghetti noodles and cheerios and he "threaded" the cheerios on.
His balance is always improving and he loves to walk up and down the stairs holding my hand or just holding onto the railings. He runs faster than ever before and loves practicing his jumping. He twirls round and around until he falls and then laughs and laughs before doing it all over again.
When Jackson was younger I always tried to make sure he had some independent play time. Thinking back I'm pretty sure he was never fond of that just as he isn't fond of it now. He wants me to sit and play with him. How can I resist when he walks up to me takes my hand and guides me to the playroom? Sure I have lots of things to get done and sometimes I do have to take care of things or finish a phone call but more often than not I sit and play with him. I'm sure one day I'll be sad that he never wants to play with me anymore! Jackson's attention span is pretty short but every now and then an activity will keep him occupied for more like 20-30 min instead of 5-10. I worry about it but in the end at this age they just don't have a long attention span. I am also considering starting speech therapy. He does say lots of words but I do think he could really benefit from it. I guess we will look into it and decide soon. People have told me if I have concerns starting earlier is better.
Overall we have lots of fun days and some hard days when I struggle to keep him entertained and happy. I guess that's the typical life of an almost 2 year old!
We hung out with Nick and Sara (and met baby Cade) Jackson and EV had lots of fun and snuck a few kisses in.
Jimmy got Jax dressed one morning and a pair of my socks were in Jackson's drawer so he put them on him. I have no idea but he somehow even managed to put his tennis shoes on. When I went to get Jackson up from his nap I literally couldn't stop laughing when I saw the socks.
Found some clean dog bowls in the cabinet and they were pure entertainment for at least 20 min!
It took a long time but I guess it was around 18 months that I could confidently say we were down to one nap a day. Little guy needed his beauty rest I guess, huh? Where he used to fall asleep in the car immediately after going to play at the gym while mommy worked out, now he stays awake even on the car ride home from lunch so we read stories before nap now. I can't tell you how many times he fell asleep and I'd have to wiggle him out of his carseat and carry him up to his crib keeping him asleep while also taking off his shoes and jacket! He will go down around 12:30 and typically sleeps until 3:30 or 4. Night time he goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes around 8 or 8:30am. He goes in phases but for a while wanted to sit on the floor in his room for us to read to him, then he went back to being cuddled up in our lap and now he sits on the ottoman while we sit in the big chair. He loves to choose which books we read and sometimes gets so excited about the next one that he'll close the one we were already reading. We love a new one we got called "I Love Stinky Face" and also a new alphabet book. He still sleeps with his Curious George doll every night. He has other stuffed animals and a blanket in his crib but he always pushes them to the bottom.
His canine teeth are finally coming in. The top two and one of the bottom ones have cut through. Another thing that magically stopped in the past month or two is his drooling! yay! Jackson had been a drooler since he was about 4 months old. Once he got older I passed on the bibs and just accepted that he would always have a wet shirt. It is so nice now that he stays dry!
One of the sweetest things he does is he always wants us to sit next to him. He will pat the seat of the sofa or floor or the next chair over at the island telling us he wants us to sit next to him.
He has learned how to lock the doors in the house and loves to close his bedroom door at night and locks it and then turns the knob to unlock it. Over and over and over! Time to find those little "keys" we got when we bought the new doorknobs in case he locks himself in! Lots of mornings I'll be in the shower and he will play upstairs and in his room but he has yet to close and lock himself in yet. *knock on wood*, I hope it doesn't happen anytime soon!
Jackson is still obsessed with keys and light switches. As soon as Jimmy walks in the door he runs over screaming "daddy!" but then says "keys" wanting his keys. We try to distract him and put the keys away before he notices so that he doesn't run off and play with them. He has already worn down the batteries in our clickers from constantly locking the cars. Oh and he knows which sets of keys work and won't play with an old one or some for a car that isn't here! I know this like every other stage will end soon. He used to grab my phone at any chance and now hardly pays attention to it. Oh, he is obsessed with credit cards right now too. He always wants to hold it and hand it to the cashier to pay when we are out. He carries our gym cards in and hands them to the front desk. What a big helper, huh? He loves helping in the kitchen stirring cookie batter or eggs or just playing pretend with his empty bowl and wisk.
He is still all about helping out and wants to put the cap back everything! He puts the cap on the milk jug (and even wants to put the milk jug back in the fridge - when its not all the way full!) He also puts the top of his sippy cup on and I tighten it for him. He's always coming into the office trying to find pens or markers laying on my desk. He loves to take the cap off and then put it back on. It is great for his hand eye coordination but I don't want accidental pen marks everywhere! One day I gave him dry spaghetti noodles and cheerios and he "threaded" the cheerios on.
His balance is always improving and he loves to walk up and down the stairs holding my hand or just holding onto the railings. He runs faster than ever before and loves practicing his jumping. He twirls round and around until he falls and then laughs and laughs before doing it all over again.
When Jackson was younger I always tried to make sure he had some independent play time. Thinking back I'm pretty sure he was never fond of that just as he isn't fond of it now. He wants me to sit and play with him. How can I resist when he walks up to me takes my hand and guides me to the playroom? Sure I have lots of things to get done and sometimes I do have to take care of things or finish a phone call but more often than not I sit and play with him. I'm sure one day I'll be sad that he never wants to play with me anymore! Jackson's attention span is pretty short but every now and then an activity will keep him occupied for more like 20-30 min instead of 5-10. I worry about it but in the end at this age they just don't have a long attention span. I am also considering starting speech therapy. He does say lots of words but I do think he could really benefit from it. I guess we will look into it and decide soon. People have told me if I have concerns starting earlier is better.
Overall we have lots of fun days and some hard days when I struggle to keep him entertained and happy. I guess that's the typical life of an almost 2 year old!
One day he had a runny nose and I asked him to go get a tissue. He did a good job! Might have gotten a little more than he needed!
Lots of Mr Potato Head playing. Please notice how one has 3 sets of eyes. Ha!
Locking the door
Loves his "big hands" i.e. oven mitts!
Such a good helper
Mellow Mushroom pizza face
Go Falcons!
Jackson loves watching boo ball! (football)
Playing with his new workbench while drinking his morning milk
Loves loves loves to brush his teeth. I catch him in here probably 4 times a day!
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