(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

On Saturday Jeremy, Jackson, Mom, Dad and I headed up to the Pumpkin Patch. We've loved making this a yearly tradition, and Jackson just has a blast going there. I can guarantee that he will talk about it for weeks, if not months! Enjoy the pics!

Our little punkin!

He loved the wagon!

Such a cutie!

Riding the Twactor Twain with Mama!

The pony ride was so much fun!

Such a big boy!

The Wade's

I love this picture of him waiting for the hayride to the pumpkin patch!

Jeremy, Jackson and I on the hayride!

Us with Nana

It was cold!

I like this pumpkin, Mama!

But these look good too!

I can do it all.by.myself.

I'm guessing he needed a little help here!

I think he pooted on me! Such a stinker. Literally!

Our little family!

I carried a pumpkin!

Jackson was too busy watching the helicopter flying over to be bothered with such nonsense like taking a picture!

Jackson and Nana in the petting zoo

Nana, Tata, and Jackson

What a fun day!

New Recipes and Such

So Jackson's sick. Again. I picked him up from the church nursery yesterday and noticed that he didn't look like he was feeling well. They told me that he kept wanting to lay down and take a nap. Y'all, he NEVER does that! When I felt him he did feel a touch warm and when we got home his temperature was 102. It immediately came down after ibuprofen, but we can't seem to shake that last little bit of fever.

So he's with my Mom today. I'm hoping that he's feeling better because he's acting fine, he just has a very slight fever. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for this afternoon, but I may end up cancelling it if my Mom thinks he's doing okay.

And guess what? It's gotten cold here! We went to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday and had a wonderful time. I'll post pictures soon! Jackson loved it, and despite the cold, we all had a wonderful time. So say a little prayer for our little man that he's feeling better soon. I'll keep you posted!

And check out Cheese Grits and Jesus. I posted a recipe for Cheese Grits this morning that will knock your socks off! Have a great Monday!

Tales From The Daddy Side

Jeremy overheard Jackson saying the Pledge of Allegiance the other day. We knew he knew the Pledge to the Christian flag, but this was new to us. After hearing all about how cute he sounded when Jeremy heard it, and much begging, pleading and bribery, I finally got to hear it for myself last night:

I pwedge Allegiance to the Christian Flag of the United States of America, and to the Publix for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for frogs.

Isn’t that about the cutest thing ever….

And Jeremy and Jackson were getting ready for school yesterday morning when Jackson spotted our thermometer on our bedside table. He started playing with it, and when Jeremy spotted him he told him that he couldn’t play with our real thermometer, that he needed to play with the one from his doctor kit.

Jeremy then put the thermometer on top of our television in our bedroom so Jackson couldn’t reach it. Jackson said, “I can get it” and dumped our laundry basket out, drug it over to the TV, flipped it over, stood on it, and got the thermometer down.

Not to be outsmarted by a three year old, Jeremy then walked into the kitchen and put the thermometer on top of the refrigerator. Jackson said, “I can still get it” and grabbed the laundry basket, climbed on top, and of course was nowhere near able to reach the thermometer.

Jackson was not deterred. He then pulled one of our kitchen chairs to the refrigerator and tried again. Still not tall enough.

Not giving up, Jackson then walked into the bathroom, picked up his step stool, walked back into the kitchen and put it on top of the kitchen chair. He then climbed on top of the stool on top of the chair and easily reached the thermometer. He looked back at Jeremy and said, “I told you I could get it!”

We are so gonna have our hands full with this kid….

I'll Take Bubble Wrap for $400, Alex!

Remember when Jeremy broke his elbow back in August? And do you remember what happened when Jeremy got cleared from his orthopedic for his broken elbow? He ended up dislocating his knee the.very.next.day.

So Jeremy got cleared from the orthopedic on Monday from his dislocated knee. I told Jeremy that I needed to wrap him in bubble wrap on Tuesday so that we don’t end up repeating the cycle.

He didn’t see the humor.

So we made it past Tuesday with no incidents. It seemed like Jeremy had broken the curse, but his safety record was almost broken last night. Literally.

Mom and Dad recently got a new TV for their living room. They offered us their old TV because it’s a lot bigger than the one we have. So we gladly took them up on their offer and last night after church Jeremy and Dad worked on moving the TV to our house. I had hand bell practice at church so it was just Jeremy, Jackson and Dad at our house.

Dad and Jeremy got the TV into our entertainment center and were in the middle of hooking up our cable and what not when Jeremy had to run into the kitchen to get something.

Apparently while Jeremy and Dad had been busy in the living room, Jackson was busy himself. Jeremy had accidentally left open the cabinet below our kitchen sink, the one with all the cleaning supplies in it. So while Dad and Jeremy were working, Jackson had decided to take it upon himself to hose our linoleum kitchen floor down with Orange Clean Degreaser.

Does anyone see where this is going?

When Jeremy walked into the kitchen he stepped right onto the “degreased” part of the floor and fell hard, not once, not twice, but THREE times! Luckily, he he didn't break anything, other than his pride, but seeing as how our luck has been, it wouldn’t have shocked me at all if he had ended up in traction. Dad left shortly after that and when I got home I walked into the door just in time to see Jackson bust his tail. Apparently degreaser on the bottom of tennis shoes doesn’t bode well for anyone, especially in Wade’s World. Luckily, Jackson was also fine. I'm hoping that Jackson hasn't inherited all this falling down business his Daddy is so good at!

And if you'll excuse me, I’m going to check out prices on rolls of bubble wrap, just to cover all our bases. And our booties.

Happy Anniversary!!

Jeremy and I want to wish his parents a Happy 32nd Anniversary! We love y'all and hope you have an amazing day!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Last night we went with my family to the State Fair. Jackson had a blast! It was Jackson's first time to ride the rides by himself. We were sure that we were going to have a meltdown as soon as he was strapped in and the ride started moving, but he LOVED everything. In fact, he cried the entire way home because he wanted to ride more rides! Enjoy the pictures!

Checking out the farm animals

Jackson loved the chickens

and he couldn't understand why he couldn't ride the tractor!

Mom's picture of Jackson won Third Place!

Another picture of Mom's

My Sunflower picture. It didn't win, but I still love it!

Jackson LOVED feeding the goats at the petting zoo...

and the goats LOVED him!

Such a little man!

We rode the carousel...

which is always fun!

And Jackson rode the Nemo ride All By Himself!

He had so much fun!

He went off-roading in a jeep....

and drove like a champ!

Check out that "10 and 2" driving style!

And Jackson and Tata went into the fun house...

and caused a hilarious avalanche of kids as they were coming out!

Jackson's favorite ride was the motorcycles!

He's almost ready for a Harley!

Nana and Jackson

Kellyn and I capped off the evening with roasted corn. Yum!!!

And the whole evening was a success despite a couple of clowns who run Wade's World!

Update from Jacksonville

• So Jackson is still singing about rainbow colored poop. I would especially like to thank him for serenading everyone in the grocery store the other day. It was so lovely to hear about all the colors of his poop as we were shopping. I, and the other customers, were thrilled.
  
  
• Jackson is still rocking the Three Amigos Salute, but luckily, no one at the grocery store or church was honored with witnessing his mad dancing skills!
  
  
• Jackson is feeling so much better, but unfortunately, Allison has now had to go to the hospital because he's "not feeling berry good and needs to see a doctor."
  
  
• And we temporally lost Jackson last night. We went into his room and it had been ransacked by "a berry bad man." Luckily, we found him after searching high and low!

I wonder who in the world made this mess?

Surely Mommy and Daddy are gone now!

Uh-oh!! Busted!!!

Here's the culprit! He's so cute for being such a "berry bad man!"

Now My Cooking Is Not That Bad!!!

I knew that we were going to have a business meeting last night at church that I had to be there for, so I decided to get proactive about supper and throw some spaghetti sauce in the crock pot, that way Jeremy would only have to make the noodles when he got home. When I got home later, Jeremy told me to check out the camera. Apparently, this was the ONLY way Jeremy could get Jackson to eat his spaghetti (which he loves)!

Bike helmet complete with elbow and knee pads, because we firmly believe, "Safety First!" around our house!

My cooking must not be as dangerous as he thought!

Such a little stinker!

And to prove that my cooking is not that bad, and by popular demand (okay, it was really only Candy that asked for it), Miranda and I have decided to start a recipe blog. Actually, Miranda is making me do this! We've named it Cheese Grits and Jesus and would love for you to drop on by and let us know what you think! We plan on posting a few recipes a week and just share some of what we have found works for us in the kitchen. Miranda's first recipe for chicken spaghetti is up, and tomorrow I'm sharing my recipe for apple dumplings that are to die for! Have a great Monday!

Wanna See What Jeremy Taught Jackson?

Watch the youtube video at the 31 second mark, and then watch the video at the bottom of this post.

Charming, huh! My main regret (other than my son knowing this!) is that I don't have a video of Jeremy teaching it to him. It would have been priceless!

A Career in Song Writing?

During bathtime Jackson started singing a song that I hope (and pray) he doesn't share at school or church. I think he's channeling parts of a real song that he's heard, but unfortunately, he's decided to come up with some new lyrics.

Here goes (insert random melody in your head because there really wasn't a tune to the song):

"God made all the colors in the raaaaiiiiiiinnnnnnbbbbooooowwwww."
"God made all the colors of the suuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnn."
"God made all the colors that are outsiddeeeee!"
"And God made all the colors in my poop!!!!"

It almost makes you want to run out and buy his first album. Almost.

We Didn't See It Coming

So Jackson's sick. We had just about the hardest night that we've ever had with him. He cried for an hour and a half straight when it was time to go to bed last night, and I thought that Jeremy and I were going to pull our hair out. We finally got him to sleep around 9:30 and by midnight he was in our bed. To say that he was restless could be the understatement of the century. He was miserable! At first I thought it might be the dreaded flu, but he wasn't hot at all. He just was coughing just a tad, and kept whining that his legs were hurting. Jeremy and I figured that it was growing pains so we gave him some ibuprofen and cough medicine and let him stay in our bed. When I got up this morning I decided pretty quickly to take him to the doctor. He didn't have a fever, but he was still a whiny mess and coughing, and y'all, I.cannot.handle.whining.

So off we went to the doctor. I told the nurse about his cough and just casually mentioned that we thought he was having some growing pains. She looked at me and said, "You know that achy legs are a symptom of strep, right?" Um, no. Actually I didn't know that.

So she swabbed him and of course it came back positive. I should have known. Every single time he has had strep throat, his only symptom has been a cough. We should've seen it coming. So off to Publix I went to get his free antibiotic and then I took Jackson to stay at Mom's house. He's acting fine, so I'm hoping he'll be back to normal soon.

Oh, and Jackson did get his regular flu shot today even though he wasn't happy about it. Since he didn't have a fever, we went ahead and did it to save me a trip in to town on Saturday. I'm all about killing two birds with one stone!

Have a great day!

Happy Anniversary!!!

Jeremy and I want to wish my parents a Happy 37th Anniversary!!!

We love you and hope you have an amazing day!!

Kellyn And Jason Are Having A....

Last night we headed over to my sister Kellyn's house around 8:00 in anticipation of finding out whether her and Jason were having a girl or a boy. We had been talking it up at our house trying to guess the gender and I talked with Jackson yesterday morning about KK's baby and we had the following conversation:

Me: "We're going to find out tonight if KK is having a girl or a boy. What do you think the baby is?"
Jackson: "Mmm.....I think it's a girl. That way I can have a baby sister."
Me: "Um, Jackson, sweetie....if KK has a girl, it's not going to be your sister. It will be a girl cousin."
Jackson: "Well then....KK is going to have a boy."
Me: "Oh she is? What's his name going to be?"
Jackson: "Joffeff (Joseph, from the Bible story he LOVES)."
Me: "Okay, baby Joseph."
Jackson: "No, his name is going to be Jesus."
Me: "I'll make sure KK knows that she may be having baby Jesus!"

So last night we headed over to Kellyn and Jason's and the plan was that they would have a cookie cake that either said "It's A Girl", "It's A Boy" or "It's A Baby". When everyone was ready Jason and Kellyn got the cake out and opened it up and it said.....

Can I just tell you how excited I am!!! I just knew it was a boy all along, and I'm so happy that Jackson is going to have a little rough and tumble boy cousin to play with. I.Can't.Wait.

And KK, Jackson has promised us that he won't drop the elbow bomb on the baby "until he gets big" and has now decided that the baby will be called either "Allison" or "Spiderman" so I thought it was only fair to give you the heads up on that!

To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate: That is the Question

So I'm a big fan of getting the flu shots for our family. I have been getting them since I was pregnant with Jackson, and the one year Jeremy didn't get the flu shot, he got the flu. I know that having the flu shot is definitely not a guarantee that you won't get the flu, just that particular strain, but I guess I usually think with a "better safe than sorry" mindset. Jeremy and I both received our flu shots last week and Jackson will receive his shot at a flu vaccine clinic this Saturday at his pediatricians office.

That being said, I'm not sure if our family will be getting the H1N1 vaccination. Here's what I'm thinking, and I'm totally open (and would greatly appreciate) advice and opinions on the subject.

Pros for the Vaccination

• With Jeremy's unusual job (he's a funeral director in case you didn't know) I would be more inclined to encourage him to get the shot. If a pandemic did occur in our area, and people started dying, he would be exposed to the H1N1 virus on a constant basis, and then in turn, could bring it home to Jackson and myself.
  
  
• Jackson has tendencies to have bouts with asthma. If he were to contract the flu, it could flare up his asthma and possibly cause more respiratory issues later if it turned into pneumonia. That's a scary thought to me.
  
  
• Let's face it, having a preschooler in daycare means that Jackson will be, and has been, exposed to A LOT of germs. They have had a case of flu (regular) in his school and everyone who has had a child knows that they have a special way of sneezing or coughing directly into your face when they are sick. If Jackson got the flu, it would only be a matter of time before we all got it.
  
  

Cons Against the Vaccination

• It makes me very nervous that the testing process for this shot has been hurried to say the least. During the 1976 swine flu outbreak, more people died from having the vaccine than from the actual swine flu. How do they know it's safe this time if they screwed up so badly last time, especially since they are rushing to get this vaccine out? There has definitely not been adequate testing to ensure safety of something that is being crammed down our throats.
  
  
• The risk of contracting Guillain-Barre syndrome is a possibility. GBS is a neurological disease that can lead to paralysis or even death. During the 1976 swine flu outbreak, 4,000 people contracted GBS from the vaccine, which eventually led to the halting of the vaccination program. Who says it can't happen this time?
  
  
• The swine flu vaccine will have mercury (thimerosal) in it, and the government has actually lowered it's standards on the amount of mercury that is "safe" in order to get this vaccine through the production process faster. Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative that has been phased out of childhood immunizations since 2001 due to concerns that the preservative MAY be linked to autism. But thimerosal (which is about half-mercury) will be found in most vials of the swine flu vaccine. No one knows what a safe level of mercury is, so is it worth the risk to knowingly expose my family to mercury? A mercury free dose of the vaccination will be available later, but will be very hard to come by.
  
  
• I am very cautious and nervous about the fact that several areas of the country are forcing people to get this vaccine or risk losing their jobs. Last time I checked the government has NO business taking away my free choice about what I'm putting into my body, and my son's body. I do vaccinate Jackson from common childhood diseases, but this vaccine has definitely not passed any standard of safety as far as I'm concerned. I don't know that it won't cause more harm than good.

So those are my thoughts so far. I have talked with our doctor and our pediatrician, and they are both pro-vaccination. I also have a friend whose daughter works for the CDC in Atlanta and she said that her daughter thinks the vaccine is perfectly safe. Those opinions are very important to me, but I still haven't decided what will be best for our family. I've never gone against the advice of our doctor, but this issue isn't easy to decide. I would love to hear your opinion on whether or not your family will be getting the H1N1 vaccine. Like I said before, I'm completely undecided so far and would love some input. Have a great day!

Only 1,132 days left until the 2010 election!

Cozumel Mexico (Cruise Day 3)

I cannot believe that I didn't take more pictures in Cozumel. I guess I was too busy trying to make sure my passport and cash didn't get stolen when I wasn't paying attention! Wouldn't that have been terrible. Anyways, Cozumel was amazing! We watched from the deck as we pulled into port and saw a huge sea turtle swimming by the ship, but it was too far away to get his picture though. It was amazing to watch though!

We got off the ship around 8:00 in the morning, found a taxi van, and headed off to Playa Mia Beach in Cozumel. Jeremy and I had gone there before on our last cruise and I knew it would be a good place for the entire family to go.

We decided not to book our excursion through the ship and did some research on our own. We were expecting to pay $52 per person (all inclusive) plus transportation to get there and back. Instead, we found a taxi driver who took us to the beach, stayed there while we played, and bought our tickets for us (including food) for only $35 per person, including transportation. The ship was charging $70 for the same thing! It was so much fun and we had a blast!

While we were there we swam about 100 yards out to the ocean trampoline (with Jackson on my back) and I thought I was going to die trying to climb onto it. It turns out that I have absolutely no upper body strength! I have never laughed that hard at myself trying to get onto that thing, and I thought I would collapse from exhaustion when I finally drug my fat tail on top of that thing. It was ever so lovely to be on the trampoline with 6 sorority girls in skimpy bikinis! Just kidding. They were from Arkansas and were very nice!

After I caught my breath I decided to swim even further out with my Dad, Jason and Jeremy and try out the floating iceberg. If you thought the trampoline was funny, you would have died seeing this! My Dad scaled right up the side and slide into the water and I thought, "If my Dad can do it, then I've got this." Puh-lease. I was pathetic getting onto that thing. I finally got up and after sitting up there for a minute I slipped just a tad and slid right into the ocean, laughing the entire time! My falling into the ocean moved the iceberg just enough so that Jeremy then fell into the ocean. It was so funny!

After I got done humiliating myself we swam back to the trampoline where I realized the sad truth about my lack of athletic abilities: I quickly realized that if someone had put 1 million dollars up there and told me that it would be mine if I climbed back onto the trampoline, I'm sad to say that I would have had to tell them that they could just keep their money. I was done!

I decided to go snorkel with Mom for awhile and then ended up doing that for over an hour. I saw tons of really pretty fish. When Dad came out to snorkel I found a huge conch shell about 12 feet down that I dove to go get. When I pulled it up I realized how heavy it was and that there was no way I could sneak it back onto the ship like I did last time I was in Mexico, so we threw it back down.

After eating lunch (who knew "real" Mexican food is not that good! They should have had a Taco Bell!) and watching Jackson swim in the shallow part of the pool, we decided it was time to call it a day. We rode back to the port and then I let Jeremy take Jackson back onto the ship and Mom and I spent several hours shopping. I got some cool t-shirts and a really pretty necklace for my birthday. It was so much fun! Mom and I finally made it back onto the ship with about an hour to spare. I loved Cozumel!

Our little pirate! Arrgghhh!!

The one picture of Jackson playing in Cozumel (aka the only picture of anyone at the beach!)

The ship at port

The water was literally the bluest I have ever seen. It was gorgeous!

More random pictures to come later! Have a great day!