My little pirate

Hey ya'll. It has been a super busy week so I haven't had a chance to post much. Here are some new pictures that I took of Jackson playing in our backyard. Isn't he cute!

Jackson crying when Macy ran by him too fast and scared him.

Look at how cute he is!

Such a big boy!

I love his sweet smile!

My little pirate

Soles4Souls Update!!!

The shoes are gone, and I am so glad for that. We collected 627 pairs, and filled up 25 bags with all the shoes. Here are some pictures in case you ever wondered what 627 pictures would look like in the back of a church van. I will post a picture of our shoe mountain later.

They were literally stuffed 3 deep, including the floor of the church van. Crazy.

These were the crates we filled up.

Have a great afternoon! Bye Ya'll!!!

I've Been Tagged!

I was tagged by my sweet sister-in-law, Amy so let's see what I can come up with.

Five things on my to-do list today...
1. Work on my CWE conference for May
2. Teach GA's tonight at church
3. Eat dinner with Miranda and her family
4. Play with Jackson when I get home from work!
5. Work on my CWE conference for May (did I already list that? Whoops. It's a REALLY big conference...500 people)

Five snacks I enjoy...
1. Popcorn (especially my Dad's homemade)
2. Toasted cheerios (once again, my Dad's...if you want the recipe I'll gladly share)
3. Any fruit
4. Chips and dip
5. Starburst

Five things I would do if I were a billionaire ...
1. Give to our church
2. Give to our families
3. Travel the world with our families
4. Give to some charities that I wish I could give to now, especially Compassion International.
5. Have an awesome retirement!

Five bad habits...
1. Worry too much about little things.
2. I tend to get OCD about things and sometimes I think I need some therapy.
3. I can really hold a grudge.
4. I tend to be a perfectionist.
5. I want to please everyone at all times, which is virtually impossible.

Five places I have lived ...
1. Prattville, AL
2. Millbrook, AL
3. Auburn, AL
4. Birmingham, AL
5. That's all.

Five jobs I've had...
1. Ministry Assistant
2. Volunteer Coordinator
3. Abstinence Educator
4. Daycare teacher
5. Lifeguard

I tag:

Grits with Cheese

Miranda

Michelle

Ashley

Candy

Works for Me Wednesday

For todays edition of WFMW, I am going to share about my favorite baby bottles, Dr. Browns. We had to switch to these when Jackson was a few months old because he had such a problem with gas and spitting up, and we were desperate. They were a lifesaver! They look like regular bottles from the outside, but the inside has a tube that actually pushes the air into the bottom of the bottle as the baby drinks. That way, they don't inhale so much air, and don't have so much gas. They come in 4oz and 8oz bottles, and while they do cost a little bit more, they are so worth it. We used them forever, and I will definitely use them again.

As a freebie, I am throwing in a non-dorsement of a sippy cup that we have quit using. It is the First Years "Take and Toss" sippy cup, and let me just share with you how quickly we tossed them. They were really cheap, and that is what caught my eye, but they are cheap for a reason. They are terrible! The idea of a cup that you can throw away is okay, but the way these are designed is pathetic. The lid of the cup leaks really bad, and the entire lid pops off when they are dropped. This could be really bad if you had a dark juice or Kool-aid in the cup. The top of the spout also can get really gunky and gross. So, take my word for it, and toss these out of your buggy if you are considering buying them

That's all for today. Come visit me again soon for more WFMW ideas. Have a great day!

Shake Your Booty!

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3 important blogs to check out

Through various methods of blogstalking, I have found 3 blogs that I really felt like I needed to share.

The first is Bring the Rain. It is the blog of Angie Smith, wife of Todd Smith (of the Christian band, Selah) and is about their unborn daughter, Audrey Caroline. She will be born on Monday, and they have known since Angie was 20 weeks pregnant that Audrey will not make it once she is born. The blog began in January, and has been about sharing their journey of loving Audrey as as much as possible while they still have her with them. Please lift the entire Smith family up in your prayers, and check out their blog if you have a chance. Their faith and unwavering love of God will bless you.

The second one is Adopting William. It is about a family that is trying to adopt a special needs child, William, from Liberia. It has been quite a journey for the family, and is being expediated because of William's severe health problems.

The last one is Confessions of a CF Husband and is about a husband, Nathan, whose wife Tricia has cystic fibrosis. They also have a daughter named Gwyneth, who was born 15 weeks early. Tricia just got a new set of lungs 2 days ago, and is still recovering. Please be in prayer that everything continues going good, and that her body continues to accept the new lungs.

Please go check both these blogs out, and especially remember the Smith family and Tricia in your prayers. I know these are not "Happy" blogs, but they have all really touched me. Have a great weekend!

Oh Yeah!

So here are the details on the new car. We had been in the market for a *gasp* Minivan for about a month now. Let me be clear. I was very opposed to a minivan. Jeremy was very much in favor of a minivan. He figured that since we know we want 1 more child, then we have to have more room. Well hmmmpphh. There was no stinking way that I was going to be one those soccer Mom's driving a small tank. Then I test drove one. A 2007 Uplander LT. Hmm. Not so bad. Very roomy, spacious, quite (especially compared to my little Taurus), and the DVD player, duel impact side airbags, automatic sliding door, built in carseat, and OnStar did absolutely nothing to sway my opinions. Nothing at all. Yeah right...

So I got my new car, and not a moment too soon. Let me be clear, my little Taurus has been a great car, and very reliable, but driving the Taurus around town with no air conditioning was getting so delightful here in the south. Anyways, I LOVE the new car, and we got a good deal, which always makes it hurt a little less.

In other news, Jeremy and I are driving our church van tomorrow to Roanoke, AL to deliver our shoes for Soles4Souls. We were able to collect an overwhelming 627 pairs of shoes!! I am so excited about that, especially considering they all go to help people all around the world. Pretty amazing. I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I'll see ya'll next week. Bye!

Holy Cow!!!

We just bought a new car (a crossover Mini-van/SUV) 2007 Chevy Uplander. Details later...

Happy Birthday Ben!

Today is Jeremy's younger brother Ben's Birthday. He is 22 years old, and a senior at the University of Southern Mississippi. We wanted to wish him a wonderful birthday and I hope that he has a terrific day.

Happy Birthday Ben!

Works For Me Wednesday

Today is a favorite edition of Works for me Wednesday over at Shannon's in which I am supposed to share one of my favorite previous editions of WFMW, so I am going to once again share two of my favorite crockpot recipes. I hope you enjoy!

Crockpot Beans
Add to Crockpot:
1 can Lima beans drained
1 can Pinto beans drained
1 can Pork-n-Beans
1 can Kidney beans drained
1 1/2 lbs of ground beef drained
1 lb bacon (I use the quick kind you put in the microwave, about 10-12 slices) crumbled
1 small chopped onion
1 chopped Bell pepper (optional)

In a separate bowl mix:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 BBQ sauce (The BBQ sauce can really change the taste. If you like spicy, use spicy. I use honey bbq)
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce

Add the sauce mix to the crockpot and stir well. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve over white rice. Delicious!

Chicken Taco Soup

1 chopped onion

1 16 oz can chili beans

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz corn, drained (I also added 1 small can of shoe peg corn)

1 8 oz tomato sauce

1 can chicken broth

2 cans Rotel, un-drained (Use the mild Rotel if you're not a hot-spicy fan)

1 pkg taco seasoning

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat

Place ingredients 1-7 in a slow cooker. Stir in taco seasoning. Lay chicken breasts on top until just covered by other ingredients. Cook on low for 5 hours. Take out chicken breasts and shred and then stir back into soup. Cook 2 more hours. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips. (I cooked the chicken a little longer than 5 hours to begin with, and the chicken was literally falling apart. I then added it back and cooked for about an hour longer).This is so easy and I can’t wait to have it again. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you come back soon. Have a great day!

No Soup for You!

I would like to give a huge thanks to Lyndsey for her suggestion to try a juice box to help get Jackson to drink out of a straw. Our little monkey had been chewing our straws to bits, but her suggestion of trying a juice box worked perfect. Jackson is now a master with his juice boxes, but we haven't had a chance to try with a real straw. I think/hope it will go smoothly from here. Thanks Lyndsey!!

In other news, Jackson has added tons of new words to his vocabulary. Just yesterday, before heading to work, he really surprised us.

Me: (to Jeremy as he was changing a ridiculously dirty diaper): "Jeremy, what are you having for lunch?"

Jeremy: "Soup."

Jackson: "Soup." "Soup." "I like soup."

Me (to Jeremy in shock): "Did he just say he likes soup? Since when is he saying 3 word sentences?"

Jeremy: "No idea, but I heard it too."

Me (to Jackson): "Do you like soup?"

Jackson: "Nooooooooo."

Guess what we had for supper last night? You got it...Soup. I couldn't resist! And you know what, he loved my soup!

Other words: Turtle, rabbit, shoe, sock, milk, bath, water, cup, phish, no, yes, up, book, please, more, dank (as in thank-you), Mace, dog, cow, duck, truck, and tons more that I can't even come up with now. He is also saying please, more, eat, and thank you in baby sign. We are so proud of our little man. I will post a couple of new videos tomorrow, but I gotta run for now. Have a great afternoon!

What to do with all this stuff?

So we had a completely normal weekend here at the Wade's. The weather was a little sketchy on Saturday, but then it cleared up and Jackson and I spent the afternoon playing. After church yesterday, I finally tackled Jackson's dresser. It was a MESS. Any parent out there knows what I mean when I say that kids outgrow their clothes way too fast. And then, after they are outgrown, I run out of places to move them to. So I spent Sunday afternoon cleaning out his drawers. I won't even show you a "before" picture because it is way too embarrassing. I just want to show you a few "after" shots to brag on all my hard work. I have also offically threatened Jeremy within an inch of his life if he messes up these drawers. When all was said and done, I had a huge stack of clothes that he has outgrown, and everthing was back in the new/correct drawer. I tend to be a little OCD, so take the word "correct" at face value.

I also officially put away his bibs and burp clothes yesterday and organized his changing table. I have to say, I was quite sad putting them away because it means that he is no longer a "baby." He's my big boy now, and that is hard to think about. My one shameful secret...everything that he has outgrown has gone into trash bags or old pampers boxes...and stayed there for going on 20 months. I have yet to invest in some sturdy storage bins to move everything into the attic. But never despair, Jeremy is going to get me some bins tomorrow, and everything is headed up to the attic organized in 6 month stretches. I then plan on putting a toy box into his closet to help alleviate the disaster area that has become my living room when Hurricane Jackson rolls into town. Enjoy the pics.

This is how he insisted on running around yesterday afternoon. Shirt, diaper, shoes and socks. Priceless!!!

Helping me clean his room by riding his "GGRRRRR"

Hiding in his closet. He will stand in there, not moving a muscle, until you come "get" him.

Check out that sweet face...

The changing table after my organization. Doesn't it look great!

The "shirt" drawer

The "shorts/pajamas" drawer

The "pants" drawer

My little secret, that is now, not-so-secret...

Easter Egg Run

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Works For Me Wednesday

Today is once again WFMW over at Rocks in My Dryer, and I have an easy suggestion today. Here goes....So I have a very active toddler boy, who, at the mere age of 16 months, figured out how to climb out of his crib. I was seriously not ready to put him into a “big boy” bed yet, and the thought of him getting hurt while climbing out of his crib was very stressful. So after much research, we decided to buy a crib tent. Now, as weird as this may sound, I promise it is the best thing ever, and it has given us so much piece of mind. It was originally designed to keep cats out of cribs, so it is incredibly strong, and the best part: there is NO way for him to get out. He was a little unsure of it at first, but now we can just put him into his crib, zip him in, and he is asleep in no time. We have used it for 3 months now, and will use it for as long as possible (I’m thinking college).

I now don’t have to worry that Jackson is running around the house during the night, getting into who knows what while I sleep soundly. It really has been a lifesaver for us, and I hope that if anyone out there has a “climber” that you give it a try. It has definitely worked for us!

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

1. How can Tuesday be so long? I would almost think it is a Monday if I didn't know better.

2. Do we seriously have to listen to all this political mud slinging until November? How about we move the election up to June and be done with all this political mess.

3. How funny is it that Mrs. Clinton got busted for her sniper claims. If you are going to make something up, make sure that CBS anchors and cameramen aren't following along on your trip, and can prove you wrong. The scariest part: this is how she actually remembered her trip. My oh my, she is one good liar. I can't help but wonder what else she has made up. I predict we will find out more "Mistakes" as the election gets closer.

4. How can one cute little boy (namely Jackson) scream so loud in the middle of the night, and for so long? Or is it that it just sounds louder because it is 2:00 in the morning? One of those eternal questions that will probably never have an answer.

5. Who else besides me is loving Marlee Matlin on Dancing with the Stars? She is fabulous. I also love Kristi Yamaguchi. They are both terrific, and I think they are both going to go far in this competition.

I guess that's all my thoughts for today. I hope you have a good afternoon. I'll have a new WFMW tip tomorrow that I know you will be on the edge of your seat for. Stay tuned...

Easter pics

Here our our Easter pictures from this weekend. We had a wonderful time. It just so happened that both Jeremy and I were off on Friday so we got to spend it together. What a rare treat!! Usually one of us is at work, when the other is off, so it was nice to spend the day with Jeremy and Jackson. Saturday, we went to church for an Easter Egg hunt, and I was so proud to say that Jackson got the Golden Egg!! (I found it and put it into his basket, but that is a secret between you and me!). Then Saturday night I made bbq and the family came over. We watched Bee Movie again, which is so stinking funny.

Sunday, we went to church and had a good time, except that I got the dreaded motion to come back to the nursery during the service. It seems that Jackson was pitching such a fit that they couldn't get him to calm down. He even went and put his nose into a corner and just sobbed. That is when they came and got me, and wouldn't you know it..he just needed his Mama. He was fine when I got there, so I stayed for the rest of church. When church was done, we headed over to Mom and Dad's for lunch with my family. We had tons of food, and lots of good company, so it was great. After Jackson took his nap, we headed home. It was a perfect afternoon until Jackson stuck his finger so far up Jeremy's nose that it started bleeding. Other than that little mishap, it was a great day and a terrific weekend. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

The hunt begins

Jackson was so much more interested in the toys than the eggs!

KK and Jackson just chillin...

This kid is so cool, he's hot!

Little House on the Playground (with Jace and KK in the background)

Could I be any paler? I think not. I'm going for the albino look this year.

Just a swinging

Jace and "Ta-Ta" on the hill (Jackson just can't get Grandpa out yet, but he is trying his hardest for "Tom")

Jeremy and Jackson on the hill

What Easter is all about....riding your bike after church.

Just the 3 of us after church.

Ta-Ta, Nana, and Jackson

Jackson and me playing with the camera. I had put it onto the TV and he was mesmorized.

Watching himself on TV

Thats all folks......Have a great Monday!

Works for Me Wednesday

Today is once again WFMW over at Shannon's. If you are anything like me, and terrible at planning menus out for the week, I have a wonderful idea for you. I found out about a great website, called E-Mealz that plans weekly menus and gives you easy shopping lists to take to the store with you, and even tells you the price of each item if you are on a budget so you know exactly what you are going to spend for that week. You can choose from tons of plans that include Walmart, Publix, and Kroger, diet specific plans such as Weight Watchers, vegetarian, or low fat menus, or even specific plans that feed families (4-6 people) or meals plans that serve only 2 people. The grocery story plans are based on the current sales.

E-Mealz gives you a complete meal for each day, and breaks down the list by section in the store. That way, you don't end up walking the aisles over and over. E-Mealz costs only $5.00 a month, and all the menus are in pdf file, so you can save them on your computer and use them again and again. I only subscribed for a 3 month period, but I still have all the menus that I can still use.

I have gotten some great recipes from E-Mealz, and the convenience of having someone else help me plan is wonderful. For only $15, it was definitely worth it for us. For those people who need a little help with menus, this could definitely work for you!

Happy Monday

I have so many things to share with you today. First of all, this was the weekend that Jeremy's sweet sister Amy was moving her stuff to Auburn to prepare for the big day. So after the big move, everyone came and stayed with us Saturday night. It has been awhile since Amy and Adam have seen Jackson, so they just had a great time with him. After Jackson had gone to bed, us "grown ups" embarrassed, I m ean enjoyed, ourselves playing Guitar Hero. In case you were wondering, I stink at that. Much like with piano, my hands cannot do different things at the same time. It just doesn't work. I have to say, it was hilarious watching Jeremy's dad. I have video that I joked about putting on to youtube, but I really like him too much to embarass him like that. Janet, Amy, and Jeremy were good with it, but I have to give kudos to Adam who is AWESOME on that game. I'm so jealous....

Amy's expression is priceless

And I have a funny story to share. Yesterday, as I was trying to cook supper, I was doing my best go get Jackson to stay away from the oven as I was checking on stuff. So in the background, I keep hearing him screaming, "MYYYY MAAACCCEE" over and over and I could see him running back and forth to the living room, and then back into the kitchen, screaming for "My Mace" the whole time. When I peeked around the corner, I saw him leaning over her food bowl in the kitchen and then running into the living room to "deliver" her some food. She would then eat it out of his hand and he would run back for more. Isn't that cute!

Delivered in 30 minutes or less....or it's free!

Pardon the red eye. This was on his way back into the kitchen for more food.

I also want to wish my 2nd cousin, Gage, a wonderful Happy Birthday. He turns 2 today, and I hope he has a great day. Happy Birthday Gage!!!

Oh, and Happy St. Patricks Day. Jackson went to school with a shirt, courtesy of his KK, that says, Part Irish, All Trouble. That pretty much sums up my sweet little boy. Have a great Monday!

19 months old!!

Hey ya'll. I promised updates on little man, so here goes. Today is Jackson's 19 month b'day. I can't believe that we are quickly approaching 2 years old. Time has really flown by!!!

Here is what's new with Jackson

• He is now getting in trouble at school for kissing Kaitlynn. You may remember that Kaitlynn is the little girl that is always biting him. Apparently...it is love at first bite :) They have to give each other at least 2 hugs before I can take him home in the afternoon. They are a mess and just smile at each other. He calls her Kate Kate. Future daughter-in-law????
• Jackson has mastered the word "NO", and he will now contemplate your question before giving you a "No" as the answer. Always. No matter what you ask him. For instance:

Me: "Jackson, do you want some goldfish?"

Jackson: (picture a slight head tilt as he ponders what you are asking...head comes back upright, and he promptly says) "no."

• Jackson's favorite words are: truck, car, no, shoes, Dadddddyyyyyy, Maaaammmmaaaa, and he now calls Macy "My Mace". He calls Kellyn 'Kay Kay' which we love because that was what my Grandpa was called by my cousin Brandi. I definitely love that little family tie in.
• He is VERY good at baby sign for more, eat, milk, please, and we are working on thank you.
• He has learned to say "tee-tee" when he pottys in his diaper. Potty training soon? Maybe in the near future!!!

He is doing tons of fun stuff daily, and has developed such a cute personality. I am so in love with this kid!!

P.S. If you are in the family, or a close friend, mark on your calendar for his 2nd B'day party on August 9th. That way I can go ahead and claim the date. Thanks!

New videos

Jackson has the sweetest laugh I have ever heard!

Jackson playing with his truck. The dog barking incessantly in the background would be Macy. That is what we live with...

Showing off his playground skills