We're Back!

We are back from the beach and completely exhausted! We need a vacation to catch up from our vacation!

We had a great time together at the beach! For Jackson's first trip we couldn't have asked for better weather, clear beaches, and no crowds! It was great! Jackson had a good time and we accomplished many firsts for him: trip to the beach, eating "real" seafood, go-cart ride, Ferris Wheel ride, putt-putt, sleeping in a bunk bed, trip to build-a-bear, and so much more. We had a blast!

We went down to the beach today for the last time and it was completely calm. There were absolutely no waves at all. I have never seen anything like it. I tried just one more time to get Jackson to love the water as much as I do, and wouldn't you know it, he loved it! I just held him and we would slowly get a little closer to the water until we were waist deep and then Jackson wanted to kick his feet in the water. Maybe I have a little water bug on my hands after all!

Take care ya'll. I will post pictures later. Have a great weekend!

In Case You Ever Wondered...

Do not try to take a 2 year old to go play putt-putt while on vacation. Can you say dis-as-ter!!!
You will spend the entire time chasing after them when they get tired of waiting for the slow family in front of you to finish their hole, trying to keep them out of the waterfalls, and making them quit throwing rocks into the water. I won't even mention that it was hot as Hades out there. That is beside the point.

Just so you know...

This is the life...

Can I just say how much I love a vacation. With a toddler. Jackson seems to have found some new independence the last few days and he has been a pistol. I know that most of this is probably remnants of his ear infection, and being out of his routine, but sheesh, he is giving us a run for our money.

So far today we woke up (me at 5:30 to go walk on the beach), had breakfast, and then hit the beach by 7:30. When I say hit the beach, I really mean that we went and sat in the sand because Jackson has determined that he doesn't care so much for the waves. When I say he doesn't care for the waves, I really mean that he can't stand them. Jeremy says it just proves that he is a "Wade." When either one of us goes to put our feet in the water, Jackson insists that we come back to the sand and to "sit down here."

We played in the sand for awhile, and then went to the pool for a little while. After that we cleaned up, Jackson took a short nap, and then we headed to the Original Oyster House for lunch. It was delicious! Then, we headed to the Track and rode go-carts. Jackson was all about it until it actually got time to put him on the go-cart with Jeremy. He freaked out! After about a minute, I was able to calm him down and strap him in before he knew it. When he and Jeremy took off he loved it! We had a blast. Then he flipped out when it was time to go...

When we left we headed over to the Wharf where we went to Build-A-Bear and made "Cooper" the newest member of our family, and then took Jackson on his first ferris wheel ride. He was so cute, and he kept saying that he was "tall."

We are exhausted, and going to take it easy this afternoon before heading out to play putt-putt and then go for one last evening walk on the beach. As tired as we are, it is so great to be taking a vacation with the family. We really should do this more often...

Hmmmm

On our way to lunch at the Shrimp Basket Jeremy and I had a very interesting conversation.

Jeremy: "You know that I love spending time with you and Jackson right?"
Me: "Yes."
Jeremy: "I just wanted to tell you that I don't really care for sand."
Me: "But that is what the beach is all about."
Jeremy: "I know, and I love watching Jackson play in the sand, I just don't so much care for it getting on me. I just wish it was more powdery. "
Me: "Jer, these beaches are powdery. They are just kinda wet from all the rain. People come from all over to these beaches. These are the best beaches in the world."
Jeremy: "Then why don't they feel like it?"

People...I got nothing.

Day 2 at the beach (morning)

I woke up at 6:20 this morning and went for one of my long walks on the beach. I left Jeremy and Jackson asleep and I just headed out in search of shells. My Mom has this talent for finding the biggest shells, not broken at all, and apparently, that talent was NOT inherited. I would like to thank the couple that walked far ahead of me, the man who was wearing tennis shoes, and his wife (I presume) that was walking barefoot. They got all the shells! I picked up 2 shells that were whole, and various broken shells. Macy will be receiving some good pieces of driftwood to chew on though.

I would also like to thank the 16ish year old wearing the size 2 string bikini for parking her towel right next to mine on the beach. Does she not realize that this is supposed to be a "mommy friendly" beach, and that size 2's are not allowed! Sheesh. Who does she think she is?

That's all for now. We are going out for lunch and then it is supposed to rain tonight. I will tell more later! Take care ya'll!

In Case You Ever Wondered...

A beach vacation will drastically affect the night time routine for a two year old. It is 9:50 right now and Jackson is escaping his bed every few minutes and just came to find us with a blanket draped completely over his body like a ghost. I guess he figures that if he can't see us, surely we can't see him sneaking out of bed.

I have two words for you: crib tent. Just so you know...

Live from Gulf Shores, AL

Hey ya'll. We are down here at the beach, and it seems that although Fay has made an appearance, she isn't set to ruin our entire vacation. This is Jackson's first beach trip, and let me just tell you that he loves it! He wasn't so sure about the waves, which are HUGE right now, but he had a blast playing in the sand. I tried to load some pictures, but my camera doesn't seem to want to cooperate right now, so I will have to upload pictures later.

We had intended to leave for the beach around 8:00 this morning, but that was simply not meant to be. Our morning began with us spending about 20 minutes in the closet with the weather radio going off because remnants of Fay were going through our area again. We ended up leaving around 10:00 after all the bad weather had passed through the state, and the trip itself was rather uneventful. We ate a late lunch at Lambert's (the home of the throwed rolls) and then we headed on into our condo.

We had a blast playing with Jackson this afternoon, and then after we got back inside, Jackson literally crashed he was so tired! We ate supper and then we headed back out for an after dinner walk. We walked a good way and then were about halfway back when it started to sprinkle on us. I started running back because I had my camera with me, and by the time we made it back to our room, the bottom fell out. The sky was black and you couldn't see for the rain.

We are now settling down for the night, and although we are predicted to get an inch and a half of rain tomorrow, we know that we will still have a good time. I will keep you posted! Have a great week!

Fireproof the Movie

As some of you may know, I work at a place that would most definitely be considered in a religious field. We were treated today to a pre-screening of the new movie Fireproof complete with popcorn, cokes, peanut M and M's, and milk duds. This movie was made by the creators of Flywheel and Facing the Giants. Let me just say that this movie is amazing!

It stars Kirk Cameron as Caleb, a firefighter who is on the brink of divorce, and desperately trying to save his marriage. He is advised by his Dad to promise that he will not get divorced before doing a 40 day in depth study on his marriage. His wife is pretty non-responsive and then Caleb figures out what is really holding him back in saving his marriage. The movie is full of action, humor, and shows that the only way to truly love your spouse is by loving Jesus Christ first. I would definitely recommend this movie to any couple, whether you have been married for 6 months or 60 years. You will be a better spouse for seeing this movie!

Fireproof: Never Leave Your Partner Behind will be out in theaters Sept 26th

Life in the Barn

Once upon a time, on a farm in Virginia, there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered quite a few grains of wheat. She called all of her Democrat neighbors together and said, 'If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?' '
Not I,' said the cow.
'Not I,' said the duck.
'Not I,' said the pig.
'Not I,' said the goose.

'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen, and so she did. The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain. 'Who will help me reap my wheat?' asked the little red hen.
'Not I,' said the duck.
'Out of my classification,' said the pig.
'I'd lose my seniority,' said the cow.
'I'd lose my unemployment compensation,' said the goose.

'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen, and so she did. At last it came time to bake the bread. 'Who will help me bake the bread?' asked the little red hen.
'That would be overtime for me,' said the cow.
'I'd lose my welfare benefits,' said the duck.
'I'm a dropout and never learned how,' said the pig.
'If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination,' said the goose.

'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen. She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, 'No, I shall eat all five loaves.'
'Excess profits!' cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)
'Capitalist leech!' screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)
'I demand equal rights!' yelled the goose. (Jesse Jackson)
The pig just grunted in disdain. (Ted Kennedy)
And they all painted 'Unfair!' picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.

Then the farmer (Obama) came. He said to the little red hen, 'You must not be so greedy.'

'But I earned the bread,' said the little red hen. 'Exactly,' said Barack the farmer. 'That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle.' And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, which smiled and clucked, 'I am grateful, for now I truly understand.'

But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the 'party' and got her bread free. And all the Democrats smiled. 'Fairness' had been established. . Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared...so long as there was free bread that 'the rich' were paying for.

EPILOGUE Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs.
Hillary got $8 million for hers.
That's $20 million for the memories from two people, who for eight years, repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn't remember anything.

IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OR WHAT?

Who does she think she is?

I would like to officially tell Tropical Storm Fay that she is not welcome on our beach vacation next week. She seems to have rudely invited herself along for the entire stinking time we will be at the beach. Would you like to see the forecast for our Monday through Thursday vacation? Did anyone else notice the irony that the day after we leave it is predicted to be perfect partly cloudy, high of 85 degree day? Hmm. Ironic? I think not.

This my friends is just my luck. I call it my Murphy's law of taking a vacation with me. It seriously wouldn't of mattered had I planned this trip for the middle of February, June, or December. A tropical storm or hurricane was going to follow me. I just sensed it.

So FYI Fay, you are not welcome! I would highly appreciate it if you would just Go Away Fay!!!

Little Man

We headed to the park in my parent's neighborhood on Jackson's birthday last Thursday, and these are some of the pictures we took. Jackson had a blast!

KK, Me, and Nana

Jackson can get away from you fast!

Isn't that smile adorable!

Jackson's favorite thing to do at the park is swing. Just not the way one might think...

The gorgeous sunset!

He is a little monkey!

Just a swingin!

Our big boy...

Tata and Jackson check out the fish pond

Our cutie pie!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Need I say more? Michael Phelps is awesome!!!

Big News in the Wade Family!

And no, it's not like the Jones' big news....

Guess who went to sleep without a pacifier last night?

If you guessed Jeremy you are only half right. That's right...Jackson actually fell asleep last night without his pacifier. He asked for it several times and we kept telling him that we had left it at school. After about 10 minutes of restlessness, he was out like a light. He did great until about 11:30 last night when he started crying and Jeremy went and gave it to him.

We're taking baby steps here people...

Then, around 5:30 he started waking up so Jeremy got him and put him in the bed with us. When the alarm went off I got up, took my shower, and then went to go wake Jackson up by rubbing his back.

Ya'll, there is nothing sweeter in the whole world than a sleeping child. They look so peaceful, happy, and innocent. They don't have a care in the world. I was cuddled up to Jackson when his eyes started opening, and he reached his chubby little hand up to my shoulder, where he proceeded to try and push me off the bed.

His first words of the day: "No Mommy, no. Mommy get up. Mommy get out."

Um. Seriously. I was kicked out of my own bed by my flesh and blood. The little stinker....

Tag: Picture Post

I was tagged by Ashley to do a picture post, only since I'm not home to actually take the pictures, you need to pretend that I actually live like this. It shouldn't be too hard for you....

1. Favorite Destination

2. Self Portrait

3. What the Kids are Doing:

4. My Closet

5. Laundry Room

6. The Refrigerator

7. Favorite Room in the House

8. The Bathroom

9. The Kitchen Sink

10. Favorite Shoes

Blogger is being stupid today with my spacing, so if the page looks funny, it's not my fault! I tag Miranda, Grits With Cheese, Not Trying for a Boy, Pinot and Pacifiers, and Candy! Have fun, and don't forget to pretend that this is how I actually live!!!

Just Another Manic Monday!

Hey ya'll!! I hope you had a great weekend. Jeremy had to work, so it was just me and little man, but we had a really good time together. The older he gets the more fun he is to be around. He is hilariuos with some of the stuff he says and does. He is definitely in the "I want" phase of toddlerhood. On the way home from church last night this was our conversation:

Jackson: "Mommy?"

Me: "Yes Jackson..."

Jackson: "I want a truck."

Me: "Okay. When you turn 16 I'll get you a truck. Is that okay?"

Jackson: "Okay." "Mommy?"

Me:"Yes?"

Jackson (as we are passing a Zaxby's): "I want some chicken."

This continued the entire way home with him wanting (no kidding here) a carwash, haircut, Wal-Mart, another truck, a bull-dozer, a School bus, a playground, and then he wanted to go home. Whewww. Good thing we were pulling up in our driveway.

In other news Jackson had his 2 year checkup today and he did amazing! He talked to the doctor the whole time and she was amazed at how well he was speaking. I was so proud of him! He played with her and did everything that she wanted him to do with ease and confidence. He was so smart! He is now 34 1/2 inches tall (50th percentile) and weighs 28.6lbs (60th percentile) and his head measures 20 1/2 inches (90th percentile and oddly enough the exact length that his body was when he was born).

One other thing...Leigh from church makes the cutest little outfits and made Jackson this boxer set. I had to get some pictures in it. He was so cute!! Thanks Leigh!! We love it!

Jackson and his boxer set complete with white wifebeater...isn't that adorable!!!

Check out that belly!!!

Oh, and didn't I predict that a hurricane would be coming to shore right before our beach vacation. Cause I have luck like that. Keep your fingers crossed that gas prices stay low for another week and a half. Right now we are looking at $3.45 a gallon.


Bye ya'll! Have a great Monday!!

So here's what I'm thinking...

I am feeling rather random today, so my post has to go into bullet format to make it easy enough to do it.

• The Olympics are killing me. For real. I am so tired from staying up late that I can barely keep my eyes open. How many more days do we have left?
• There is no stinking way all of those Chinese girls are 16 years old. Yeah right...If they are 16, then I weigh 120 lbs. Seriously, if we are gonna make up stuff, let's make up something somewhat believable.
• Michael Phelps is kicking some serious tail. I can't believe how awesome he is. We watched a thing last night that showed scientifically why he is built for swimming. Did you know that he is only 6'4'' but that his arm span is 6'7''? That is unbelievable. His arms are a foot longer than I am tall. Wow.
• I am about to throw my camera cord out the window. My computer isn't wanting to read the pictures and it is driving me nuts.
• I made Jackson's first Bento lunch last night and I just had to post the picture. Miranda and Gracie gave Jackson a Bento lunchbox for his birthday and here is my first attempt: ham and cheese roll-ups, cheese slices, blueberries and strawberries. I have no idea if Jackson will like it, but my fingers are crossed. I will update later.

That's all for now. I have a raging headache and I just don't have anything else left in me. Take care and I will try to post some new pictures later. Have a great day!

Then and Now!

Jackson Thomas Wade

8/14/2006

9:18 a.m.

8lbs. 4 oz.

20 1/2 inches long

Just born after a blessedly short labor!

Check out those kissable feet!!

Home from the hospital and posing in what we called the "froggy" mode.

1 year professional picture

Jackson wearing his "It's my Birthday" shirt last year

Jackson at his birthday party this year

Jackson this morning

It is amazing seeing the changes in our little man. He has really grown up from a adorable sweet baby into an wonderful little boy. It has been an amazing 2 years, and we look forward to seeing what the next year has in store for us. We love you Jackson!

Happy Birthday Jackson!!

Dear Jackson,

Happy Birthday little man! We can't believe that you are already 2 years old! It has been so amazing watching you grow into the sweet little boy that you are. Your Daddy and I are so amazed at what a smart, well behaved, and kind child you are becoming. You always offer to share whatever you have, you willingly give the sweetest kisses and hugs, and you always say "thank you" for whatever you are given.

We thank God daily for putting you in our lives and allowing us to be blessed with you. Jackson, we prayed for months for a baby and when we finally found out you were on your way, we were elated. You have by far exceeded our dreams for a child! We love you so much, and are so excited about watching you grow into a Godly young man. Happy Birthday Jackson! We love you!!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Blast from the Past

This was me two years ago today right before I checked into the hospital to have Jackson. Before we left the house I insisted that Jeremy take one last belly shot before leaving. Check out those swollen ankles. They were tons of fun...

On the way to the hospital to be induced I proceeded to have a mild nervous breakdown where all I could say was, “I’m not ready to have a baby.” Jeremy’s wise response to me, “It's a little late to be thinking that...."

Let's see you try it...

So last night while we were watching the Chinese gymnastics team do their floor exercises, Jeremy and I watched them do this thing on the floor where they are pushing all their body weight off the ground with their arms and then they start spinning their legs around them like they are on a pommel horse. Jeremy said, “I could do that….just let me finish my Oreo first.” After all, who could give up a perfectly good Oreo.

When he got done with his cookie, he proceeded to pull his hamstring getting down in the floor to show me his gymnastic skills.

Nice.

Random Olympic thoughts...

Hey ya'll. I thought that I would share some randomness that I thought of for the Olympics. Here goes...

• The opening ceremonies were amazing, but I can't help but wonder if someone had messed up during their part, would they be swimming with concrete shoes now?
• With the earthquake that occured only a few months ago, how much of China could have been repaired for the cost of the opening ceremony? If I had lost my home or my child it would have killed me to see how much money was spent on something like that. Entertaining? Yes. Completely necessary? No.
• Michael Phelps is the most amazing swimmer ever. I love some competitive swimming, and Jeremy and I both were cheering him on last night during his race, and were hollering when he won. It was awesome!! I have to say though, I miss the traditional Speedos. I know the suits are all streamlined now, but swimmers were the only people that could actually pull off a Speedo, and now Speedo's are left to be worn by balding middle aged guys. It's quite a tragedy.


• I love watching Men's Olympic swimming, but I don't care as much for the women. I also love watching gymnastics, diving, and equestrian.
• Do we really need fencing to be an Olympic sport? Seriously...who watches that?
• Everytime that clinky chimey Chinese music starts playing during the awards ceremonies, I can't help but start craving an egg roll and some shrimp fried rice. Surely I am not alone in this...
• If you google the word "Olympics" you will get 86,100,000 results in 0.03 seconds. Wow.

That's all for now....

Jackson's Birthday Party

We had Jackson's construction themed birthday party this weekend, and it was great! I did get the cake, tons of friends and family came, and I think our house has imploded from all the toys Jackson got. I decided to do cake and ice cream, chips and dip, and because it was a construction theme, I made Dirt dessert that was served in a sand pail with a shovel. I had worms coming out of the dirt. It was pretty cute, and tasted good too!

We had a blast! Jackson wanted to spend the majority of the party outside, which was pretty funny (and not about to happen), and he really had no interest in opening the presents. He was too busy playing with the trucks at Nana's house. Some of the other kids that came ended up opening some of the presents, which I thought was hilarious. As soon as he would see a new present opened he would say, "Take it out" meaning for one of us to take it out of the package. Then he would run off to the newest toy. That was pretty funny. Also, when we would tell him to say thank you to the person whose gift he had just opened, he would take the gift back to them and say, "here you go." He's so sweet!

After we ate, and the presents were opened, we headed to the back yard where the older kids, Bella Hope, Gracie, and Jackson played in the sand box. Then they decided to put their feet in the pool. Jackson ended up getting stripped down to his diaper, and the girls both sat down on the steps of the pool. Gracie finally just ended up swimming with my Dad. We had a great day, and were so happy with everything!

Enjoy the pictures (there's only about a million of them!)

The decorated table

The Birthday Cake

What construction themed party would be complete without hardhats for the kiddo's???

Jackson's hat. The sides said, "The Boss" and "Foreman"

Dirt and Worms

Jackson riding his bike before the party started.

T.R., Kasey, and little Kloe

Kellyn was my official photographer and she commandeered my camera long enough for some self photos with Dad.

I'm sure I'm gonna hear it for this one :)

Singing the Happy Birthday song to Jackson. He was a little confused by the whole thing...

Blowing out his candle!

Jackson feeding Daddy some cake

I LOVE the fact that my Grandparent's smiling faces are in the background of this picture. They were never able to meet Jackson (he was the first great grandchild on that side of the family), but I know they are still with us in spirit...

Miss Bella Hope playing around

The Wade family

Miranda and Gracie

Jackson REALLY wanted to go outside

Jackson with his new Jackhammer which he loves!

Jackson with his dump truck from Kloe

Jackson and his bubble mower

Jackson and Gracie in the pool

Jackson, Bella Hope, and Gracie

Just the three of us...

Me and Jer

KK and Jackson

Gracie and Jackson Jackson taking Daddy his shoes...in the pool!

Gracie swimming

The Moore family

The Wade family

Me and little man

Making a pouty face for no reason at all

Jackson playing "tickle tickle."

Our little monkey

Jackson wearing his Mr. Potato head glasses

Argh. I have had alot of fun with this toy...