Jackson’s 5th Birthday Party

Jackson had his 5th birthday party this past weekend. He decided that he wanted a Phineas and Ferb party, and I was fine with that since I love the show as much as he does. We had a pool party over at my parents house and it was great! We grilled hotdogs before the party and we served a really cute Phineas and Ferb cake, ice cream chips and hotdogs. Because it was a pool party and we had lots of kids invited, I made sure that I set up other stations to space the kids out some. We had a bubble table, side walk chalk, Phineas and Ferb coloring pages, kiddie pools, and the big pool to entertain everyone. I found the cutest Phineas and Ferb tin pails at Target and they made the cutest party favors. I was so proud of my find! It was hot during the party, but it was lots of fun. Jackson said it was the best party ever!

Sunday was Jackson’s 5th birthday and Jackson woke up to his annual birthday balloons and we skyped with Amy and Adam before church. Enjoy the pics!

Kindergarten Gets Two Thumbs Up!!!

Jackson had his first day of kindergarten today and he loved it! When I dropped him off this morning he looked so handsome! Both Jeremy and I took him to his classroom, got him settled in, gave him hugs and kisses, and said goodbye. He looked a little apprehensive as we were leaving, and I made it all the way outside his classroom before the tears started falling. I only cried for a minute though! I was pretty proud of both of us for doing so good!

When I got Jackson at the daycare this afternoon he practically tackled me with a hug. 

Me: “Did you have a good day at kindergarten?”

Jackson: “No, I had a GREAT day!”

There were only six kids in his room today because of their staggered start dates, and they got to do a scavenger hunt around the school to help them explore everything. Jackson especially loved playing on the playground, eating pizza in the cafeteria and he said that Mrs. Smith was really nice.

I’m so glad that Jackson had a wonderful day. I’ve never had a day pass more slowly than today, with me watching the clock waiting until time to go get him. He’s super excited about going back on Thursday, and I guess I can’t ask for any more than that!

Enjoy the pics from his first day of kindergarten!

Jackson telling Anderson all about what he’s going to do in kindergarten!

Modeling his Batman backpack

Silly face!

My big boy!

Sitting at his desk

Sweet smile before I left

Jackson with Mrs. Smith

Jackson told me that he wants to pray for Mrs. Smith, for her to stay safe, that she helps him learn a lot this year, that they have lots of fun, and that she stays just as nice as she was today.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be praying for the same things!!!

A Big Day For My Big Boy!!!

Today is Jackson's first day of kindergarten. I've got such mixed emotions right now about everything. I'm so excited for him, because, well, he's so excited! And I'm so sad for me because it means that my sweet little guy is growing up. I know he's going to do great, I just hope I can make it through the drop off process without letting him see me cry! Here are some pictures from his Kindergarten Open House that was last Tuesday night. I’ll post pictures from today when I get home from work.

Jackson doing a coloring page

Fun wall decorations!

Media/Technology center. They don’t even have chalk boards anymore…just fancy projector systems!

Barn in the room where they can listen to books on tape

Jackson and his friend John Michael with Mrs. Smith. He looked more thrilled than this in person!

I’ll post new pictures soon! Please pray that he has a great day, and pray that I don’t lose it (at least not in front of him). It’s hard watching him grow up so fast, but I’m so proud of the boy he’s growing into!

Dear Jackson

Dear Jackson,

I can't believe that today is your 5th birthday. It seems as though just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital, and here you are today turning 5! When you were just a baby someone told me that I would blink and you would be starting kindergarten. I laughed it off, having no idea just how true that statement was. Now the time for kindergarten has come, and I'm not quite sure where the time has gone. I joke with you all the time about how I didn't give you permission to grow up, and that I'm going to put a brick on your head. You laugh at me, but I'm only partly joking! I wish that I could just freeze time and enjoy every second possible with you.

At five years old you are such a smart kiddo! You are so ready for kindergarten, even though you are going to be one of the youngest kids in your class. You can sight read some words, count to 10 in Spanish, tie your shoes, and even do some basic math. I know that as hard as it is going to be to take you to kindergarten on Tuesday, you are going to do great! I hope you don't see me cry when it's time for me to go! They won't be tears of sadness for you, but for me. It's hard for me to even think about you growing up and me letting go of you a little more. At any rate, you will do wonderful, and I know that you will love Mrs. Smith!

Jackson you are such a kind, generous, and funny little guy! You've really come out of your shell in the last year and your personality has just blossomed. You still look just like your Daddy, but you act just like your Mama! You pick up so many of my sayings and surprise me with using them at just the perfect time! You have been such a good big brother to Anderson, and it makes me so happy to see you loving on him, especially when he smiles back at you! You two boys make me so happy! Every single day you make me proud to be your Mama!

During your birthday party, in the middle of opening presents, you leaned over to me and whispered a "secret" into my ear. You said, "Mama, I love you!" Time stopped for me in that second and I grabbed you and gave you a big hug and I told you that I loved you too. Until you have kids of your own you won't understand just how much I love you. I wear a necklace that is inscribed with your and Anderson's names, and it reads, "Love you to the moon and back." I wear my necklace all the time, and as much as I love it, the inscription is only party true because I love you to the moon and back a million times!

Happy 5th Birthday, Jackson! I love you!!!

Love,
Mommy

Big Week in Wade's World

This has been a crazy, busy week around here, hence the lack of blogging. Tuesday night was Jackson's kindergarten orientation where we met his new teacher. She was super nice and Jackson really liked her. His room is decorated like a barnyard and there are 16 kids in the class. I'll post pictures of his classroom soon.

Wednesday night was church with mission friends and GA's, so that busy but good.

Tonight Jackson has karate and this is his last practice before he tests for his belt next week. The craziest thing going on right now is getting ready for this weekend. We have Jackson's 5th birthday party Saturday afternoon, but his birthday is actually Sunday. Also on Sunday is Anderson's baby dedication at church. I've been going crazy trying to take care of all the last minute party details and I just know that something important is going to get forgotten.

As if all that wasn't enough, Jackson starts kindergarten on Tuesday. I haven't even begun preparing for that emotionally yet. I just need to make it through this weekend in one piece.

I guess that's about it for now. Oh, I forgot to tell ya'll that I won a Kindle 3G with wifi by entering a blog giveaway! I've been wanting a Kindle since they came out and this one is going to be super nice. I'm so excited!

Ok that's really it for now. Have a great day!

What All Women (And Apparently Their Hubbies) Wish For

It's been one year to the day since I wrote about my quest for the perfect bra. And no, I didn't mark that date down to remember it. I just searched on my blog till I found the post and I noticed that it was a year ago exactly.

Anyways...

I'm still searching for the perfect bra. The girls aren't quite the same as they were before Anderson made his grand appearance. The word "deflated" comes to mind. I thought the problem was, perhaps, just in my mind, but this morning Jeremy confirmed my suspicions that the problem was right out there in the open.

Jeremy: "What's your shirt size?"
Me: "Why?"
Jeremy: "Because I found the perfect bra for you on TV! All I need is your shirt size to know what size bra to order for you."
Me: "Please tell me that you're not talking about that bra informercial."
Jeremy: "You've seen it? The Genie Bra? Pretty cool, huh?"
Me: "You're serious?"
Jeremy: "Yeah, I've seen the commericial several times when I'm feeding Anderson his 3:00 a.m. bottle. It's supposed to be some super material that lifts everything to where it's supposed to be."
Me: "So you think the girls need lifting?"
Jeremy: (insert crickets chirping) ".....That's not what I meant."
Me: "Riighhtttt...."

I'll let you know when he's out of the dog house.

I Feel As Though I Should Warn His Teacher...

I took Jackson back to school shopping Saturday morning at Kohl's. We were attempting the trip on our own with Anderson and I was trying to hurry through the store. I was busy checking out the clearance racks when Jackson popped up with a comment that owned me.

Jackson walked over to me holding a navy blue, size 4 three piece suit that was just his size. He said, "Mama, you have GOT to look at this." I glanced over at it and said that I liked it. He then said, "If I wore this to kindgergarten, I'd have to beat the girls off of me with a stick!"

After I caught my breath from laughing I realized that he was completely right...I'm definitely going to have to warn Mrs. S about Jackson. He's just too cute for his own good. He's definitely a danger to those little girls!

Weekly Confessions

• I’ve been so tired this week that I’ve slept through Anderson waking up at night. Granted, he doesn’t really cry when he wakes up, but he does start grunting louder and louder until someone hears him. This week, it’s been Jeremy.


• I’m going to have Anderson by myself tomorrow night. This should prove interesting!


• We went to the McWane Center in Birmingham last weekend and as we were waiting to catch the elevator to leave, I noticed a cute little boy standing beside his dad. I got a good look at him, tapped his dad on the shoulder and said, “Is his name Jake?” It was the youngest son of Katherine from Grass Stains! I adore her blog and it was like meeting a mini celebrity for me! Katherine was at the lake with her two oldest sons, so I didn’t get the chance to meet her, but maybe one day we will! And FYI, her son Jake is so stinking cute that it’s not even funny!


• A lady at the McWane Center told me (about Anderson), “Your baby is so cute he makes my uterus hurt.” I took it as a compliment, but what a weirdo!


• I’ve never watched a single episode of Glee, but I love the Glee Project.


• I’ve finally got all the thank you notes done and the birthday invitations mailed. Next up is the birth announcements. They are sitting in my kitchen waiting to be addressed. My goal is to have them done sometime before Anderson is 6 months old!


• We finally heard from Jackson’s new kindergarten teacher and we got our first choice! We’ll just call her Mrs. S here on ye olde blog. She was so nice on the phone and I think she will be the perfect teacher for Jackson. I found out that his class will have about 15 kids in it, and 9 of them have birthdays around Jackson’s which means that he won’t be the only young kid in the class. I’m so happy about that! And I’m super excited that one of Jackson’s best friends from preschool will be in his class so at least he will have one buddy in there to start with. I just hope they behave!


• This is just about the funniest thing I have seen in awhile. Gotta love the combination of desperation and stupidity!


• A thought occured to me the other day; When I was pregnant with Jackson I gained 20 pounds and lost 40. When I was pregnant with Anderson I gained 11 pounds and lost 25. If we had another baby, I could be back to my high school and drivers license weight. Just a thought...

I guess that’s enough random for today. Y’all have a great weekend!

I'm Sorry To Neglect You, But Not So Sorry That I Actually Blog About Something Worthwhile...

Three days back in the the swing of things with work has kicked my butt. I'm worn slap out. Without exaggerating, I think I'm the most tired I've ever been in my entire life. I have two more days of work this week, and then Friday night Jeremy will be out of town overnight again.

Kill.Me.Now.

I make no promises about blogging for the rest of the week. You may see me. You might not. I'm just too tired to think about it right now. Y'all take care...

Biscuit Goes To The Biscuits

Back in June Jeremy, Jackson and I went to a Montgomery Biscuits game a few hours before I was induced with Anderson. For that reason, my Dad has taken to calling Anderson, “Biscuit.” This past Friday night our little “Biscuit” went to his first official Biscuits game. We were given tickets to another suite with Kellyn, Jason, Luke, and Jason’s family. The staff at the game even remembered that we were the couple that left the game to check into the hospital! We had a great time, and Anderson was such a good little man. Enjoy the pics!

Our last outing as a family of 3!

Love the suite!

Biscuit wearing his little Slugger outfit!

Anderson’s “First Game” Sticker

Our little Slugger was worn out from the excitement!

Back To Work

Today is my first day back at work, and Anderson’s first day at daycare. I have had a wonderful maternity leave with the little guy, and it’s hard to believe that it’s already time to go back to work.

Please be in prayer for us today that things go smoothly, and that I don’t have a breakdown when I have to leave him. I’ll be back later with an update on how things go.

Update: Things went good today. I cried when I dropped him off and left, but of course he did fine. He stayed on his schedule perfectly, and was really good for his teachers. It's now 10:00 at night and I'm worn out though. It's going to take a little while to adjust to working both inside and outside the home again. Please continue to be in prayer for us as we figure out our new normal!