The secret is out!

We have kept this a secret until today and well, I think the picture speaks for itself and let me tell you that we were as shocked as you! Here's the sonogram of TWINS!!!!!!

And before you break your arm reaching for your phone to call me, check your calendar and realize what today is. . .Wednesday. . .April 1st. . .I got you!

Jackson's Chin

As you can see Jackson's chin is healing nicely!


No thanks to his dancing and singing on the stool. . .


. . .on top of the coffee table! I think Grandmommy was a little surprised by Jackson's use of stools and chairs to get where ever he wanted:)

Evel Knievel

What a wonderful weekend! On Friday Jay got up with Jackson as he usually does and they went to Academy sporting store. Jay wanted to have Jackson fitted for a baseball cap, perhaps as a result of Jax wearing my hat the week prior:) Anyway, while there Jackson fell in love with a tricycle and his wonderful daddy just couldn't say no. Jackson LOVED the trike and immediately patted the seat and said "bo bo." He was thrilled that he knew where his bottom went. . .yet immediately put his foot where his bottom belonged and then stood on the seat with his other leg stretched out behind him. He had his hands on the handle bars and started rocking while standing up and shouting "go, go!" Of course after that he fliped the trike and we realized that we need to get him a helmet to ride a TRICYCLE! Ahhh yes, my son, Evel Knievel! Here's a video of his excitment pre stunt ride, I wish I had kept the camera on just a little bit longer to catch the flip and fall (of course was not hurt).


Saturday Jay and I took Jackson to Nana and Papa's house (THANKS SO MUCH!!) while we went to the Dave Ramsey seminar. DR was awesome and Jackson had an awesome time with his grandparents. Here are a few pictures that Nana took at the mall:


After the seminar we had a family birthday celebration and dinner at Nana and Papa's and then relaxed in the hot tub. It was a great night and Noah and Jessica being back in Texas made it even better! The weekend also ended perfectly with Jackson sleeping until 8:30 Sunday morning. He needs to spend more Saturday's playing with Papa and Nana, he slept so well!

Sunday School

I know I haven't even posted about the weekend yet, but I wanted to mention Sunday before I forgot about it. When Jay and I were dropping off Jackson his teachers excitedly welcomed him with a high five and a football pound (they definitely know Jax). Then they told me that he was the "most innovative" in the class and that not only did he climb on everything but he was also the only child who they couldn't let near the door. Apparently Jackson can now get out of the class room despite the special "thingy" (I know, I always use such technical terms:) on the door knob. I knew he could get past our knob covers but I didn't realize the more expensive ones were just as easy. Guess I won't waste our money with those!

Sharing with Daddy

For some reason last week at dinner Jackson was obsessed with wanting to share everything with daddy. Jay wasn't here so I just took a picture for him. Jackson sure does love his daddy!

Jackson Enjoying the Rain Last Week

Jackson LOVES the rain and was SO excited last Wednesday when I let him play outside.



Feeling the rain falling on his head is his favorite thing.



"But Mommy it's so much more fun with out my hat!"



Self portrait of a very wet mommy and Jackson.



I told Jackson as a special treat we could "make" our own water by collecting rain and then singing a silly song (that I made up on the fly and will not sing for anyone other than Jackson). He went crazy and was then obsessed with our special rain water.

Just Like Dada?

Almost every morning after I get Jackson dressed he goes and picks out one of Jay's hats to wear. This morning he picked a hat from the other side of the closet and patted his head (as he always does) and said "my dada." Despite him trying to look just like his dad. . .I think he may have missed the mark this time.


Although he did look cute, I did not let him wear his hat to church today:)

Yet Another First. . .

Friday we had yet another first; Jackson's first trip to the emergency room. We had enjoyed a wonderful family day complete with a delicious Mexican lunch on the patio of a great restaurant. Jackson excitedly dipped his cheese bunnies into the salsa and had a blast flirting with all of the ladies sitting around us.
Then we decided to run some errands. We ended up at Sleep Experts to continue our search for a mattress. Each time Jay and I would try out a mattress of course Jackson would make his "mmmmmm" noise (which is his way of saying snuggle) with a big smile. Most beds had a paper or fabric covering at the end to keep shoes from getting the mattress dirty. The last bed we laid on had a very slippery and thick piece of plastic. Jackson stood up after trying out the bed and immediately slipped and fell directly onto his head. Poor little guy immediately had blood spots and a pretty bad carpet burn. Then as the manager was giving me his business card Jackson (still crying) fell again and busted his chin on the counter. Not fun. Jackson was crying and Jay was pretty shaken up as well. So, off we went to the ER for a few hours of fun. Jax is of course just fine and only required some dermabond for his chin. It was pretty convenient that his hair covers his banged up forehead and the spot where he busted his chin is right below his lip so it's easy to miss. The Dr. said she could have done a few stitches but he probably would have messed with them too much.


Jackson really enjoyed coloring his sheets on the er bed.



Jackson and myself using crayons to deface hospital property (with nurse permission) while waiting on the doctor.



In very good spirits after two nasty falls.



Jackson's head on Sunday morning. He's healing very nicely.



Jax's chin on Sunday. The glue is still doing well despite the constant fountain of drool is resides under:)

PROGRESS!!!

Almost every day for a straight week Jackson would ask to go outside by the pool. We would go outside and after being told not to throw anything into the pool he would immediately throw something. . .you guessed it. . .into the pool. So, each time I would explain that because he choose to do that we had to go inside and not come back out for the rest of the day. He would cry, I would tell him that I wished he would have made a better choice and yada yada yada. Each day for 7 days that is what happened. Then on the 8th day. . .a miracle. We went outside and he picked up a stick and walked over to the pool. I looked at him and he said "no no mama!" and threw the stick behind him, AWAY from the pool. Every day since then he has picked up something and said "no no mama" and thrown it away from the pool. This may not seem big but this is major progress for Jackson to not act so impulsively. Yippee for the not at all fun but very effective consistent discipline from mommy!

18 Month Check Up

At Jackson's 18 month check up he weighed 33 pounds and was 35 inches tall. He is in the 95% for both categories. Dr. McElory said he is doing very well and is super healthy. He was very pleased with the food Jackson eats and from the stories of his activity level he said "well, the bad news is that you may be very tired for the next few years but the good news is Jackson will probably be a CEO someday. . ." We like Dr. McElroy:)

Firsts. . .

This week we had a new first. . .Jackson's first phone call from Lennon. I picked up the phone and heard "Hi. . .Ba?" I said hello to Lennon and from the fact that he kept saying "Ba Ba Ba Ba" I realized he wanted to talk to Jackson. It was so funny! I put Jackson on the phone and they just babbled for a bit. I'm sure they had no concept of what was going on but it was pretty amusing. And even funnier was that Lennon had brought the phone to Jenna and asked to talk to Ba (Len's name for Jax).
Having cousins so close in age is such a blessing and I just can't wait to see what buddies they are through out life. I never had any cousins my age and always wished that I did. Jackson LOVES Mia and Lennon and we are counting down the days. . .er years until they are back in Texas:)

8 Seconds. . .

Just when I thought my house was Jackson proofed. . .

Jackson riding the horse ON the coffee table. How he put it up there is beyond me, the kid is strong!



At this point I just have my camera within arms reach all of the time. I'm used to his "inventive" nature!



He looks like he doesn't believe me when I tell him he could hurt himself doing this.



His last bounce before his mean mommy made him ride the horse on the ground.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Happy Birthday Nana!!! We hope you have a great day and weekend:)

Miss Ellie

Yesterday Jackson's best pal Ellie came over while Adrienne went to the dr (to check on her perfect 15 weeks along bun in the oven!!!). Jackson LOVED having her over and she seemed to have a blast as well. Check Ellie's blog to see what happened after she had an hour of Jackson style play. Here are some cute shots:)

Jackson offering Ellie some of his water.



Here is the unhappy look the kids gave me when I let them know that they could not drink out of the same sippy cup.



They then went in for a hug (I'm pretty sure they were planning something).



Each with their own cup!



Jackson showing Ellie how fun it is to put things on your head and pretend to sneeze while throwing it off of your head. It's his favorite game!



Jackson wanted to go play in bed and when I got out the camera. . .he almost went postal on me. Actually, he was jumping on the bed but my caption is funnier! His facial expression cracks me up:)



Look at those eyes!



Jackson loves laying in the chair and starting the ball popper with his foot.



I love that happy little guy.

Praying for football

Jackson's new favorite thing is football. He loves to throw, catch and run with the ball. We went to the park the other day and threw the ball around for an entire hour. It was great (and I was pooped)! He was running and laughing and we both had such a great time. He looked so cute carrying the football under his arm when he ran. . .just like a little man:)
Jackson's second favorite thing is praying before meals. Jay gets credit for initially teaching Jackson to fold his hands and pray. If I pick up his fork before praying he will quickly and with a very surprised voice say "uh mama" while folding his hands and bowing his head. He also loves to say "amen" very loudly. He does bow his head and close his eyes but as soon as someone starts to pray he opens his eyes and quickly looks to see if anyone else is looking. So cute!

Rainy Days

Last week was filled with cold weather and rain. . .two things that don't make for an awesome time. Jackson loves and truly needs to be outside running at least once a day and when that can't happen frustration ensues. The first day of rain wasn't bad because it was still warm and we could play outside. Jax LOVES playing in the rain. This day he ran outside and quickly took off his clothes to dance in the rain. Below is a very upset Jax because I made his rain dancing end at dinner time.

Poor Jackson, such a mean mommy!


Day 2 was not only rainy but also 34 degrees. Not good news. After an exhausting indoor play session at the mall I got desperate. I ended up putting a ten pound bag of ice into a bowl and letting Jackson melt it by pouring hot water through a funnel. I never said my ideas made sense. . .just that they at least occupy my son and keep him happy:)

All of this ice melting made Jackson hungry. . .time for a cracker!



More hot water to pour over the ice.



He was so excited he almost did the "tangle game." For those of you who don't know tangle game. . .ask Jeremy!

On Day three of rain week I walked into the kitchen to get Jackson some milk. . .

It seems he had beat me to it.


I thought it was pretty funny that he was trying to get the green bottle out. . .it's his omega fish oil that I mix in with his milk. He will always remind me if I ever forget it, he loves it!


And behind door number 3. . .Jackpot:)

This week was full of challenges beyond the weather and by Thursday I was exhausted and Jackson was pretty burned out as well. Thank God that Jay got home that night. My incredible husband went above and beyond all weekend. Not only did he get up with Jackson two of the days(as he usually does) but he also dropped me off for a surprise massage and ran errands with Jackson on Friday. Jay was so wonderful all weekend, even getting me an early birthday present. The rest of the weekend was great as well. Mandy came into town to celebrate her 30th and Gaga took care of Jackson Saturday night (THANKS SO MUCH!!)
So, the week was a little crazy but the weekend made up for it. And this week is supposed to be beautiful so I know we will have a blast!

HAPPY 30TH AUNT MANDY!!!!!

Happy 30th birthday Mandy. . .we can't wait to celebrate with you this weekend!

I just loved this poem that my mom commented with after my last post. She was right that the last stanza perfectly captured what I was trying to say:


Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rock-a-bye, Lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek-peek-a-boo).
The shopping is not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there is a hullabaloo.
But I'm playing "Kanga" and this is my "Roo."
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rock-a-bye, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
Ruth Hulburt Hamilton, 1958

Sunday Night

Sunday night Jackson was a little bummed because we had taken Jay to the airport. Not to mention with the whole time change he wasn't ready at 6 p.m. which is his usual bedtime. He never cries at nap or bed time and always just signs and says love and bye bye. But this night he started crying "mama peez!" Of course I couldn't resist this and went in and got him. I just rocked with him for almost an entire hour. It has been so long since I rocked Jackson for that long (I do rock him each night but we are usually talking and playing and it's only about 10 minutes). And this time he was totally snuggled up to my chest. It was precious. I was looking around at all of the laundry and cleaning I needed to do but kept thinking that my days of rocking Jackson (and that making his world right again) is so limited. I will have cleaning and laundry for the rest of my life but my little guy is growing so fast! Anyway, I ended up soothing him to sleep and then laying him in his bed. When I laid him down he just looked up and said thank you and signed love before passing out. The mystery of what happened to me after having Jackson might never be answered, but it is a fact that I am nothing but a sap with him. When I snuggle with him each night before bed I can't help but think that fairly soon he might not want to snuggle with his mommy. I love that he is so affectionate and loving!

My Tool Guys

One of Jackson's favorite words (which is never said in any tone lower than a scream) is "tools!" On a typical day he will look for any and every thing that might need new batteries (all kid stuff has the battery section screwed shut) or some type of repair and yell tools before running to where Jay keeps his tool case. He just loves doing anything with daddy's tools. So, on Saturday they had a blast putting together a new home depot "tool thing."

The tool men working away.



Jackson, being such a safety guy, insists on wearing his goggles for the job. He also wants to put them on himself:)



Here is the look of shock I received when I offered to help with the goggles.



Finally giving up on the goggles (and not taking any help) and just doing the man work.



After the work was done Jackson showed his continuing disapproval of the camera pointed at his crib. He always looks offended when he looks at his crib in the monitor.

Welcome Henry Edward Case!!!

Today we unfortunately had to postpone our trip to Boston:( Lennon has been very sick and Mia started throwing up today. Having to change my flight was such a bummer! But the silver lining was that I got to go see baby Henry Edward Case. He was born this morning at 8:05 weighing in at 9 pounds and 20 and 3/4 inches. Grant and Courtney are going to be awesome parents and it was so great to see the new family! Below are some pictures of the handsome little guy! Also, I do have several pictures with Courtney (who looked and felt surprisingly great just a few hours after giving birth) but after going through the whole process myself I don't post new mommy pictures until the new mommy approves them:)

Sweet little Henry just a few hours old!



Jackson playing ball (with an orange) with new dad, Grant, and new grandmother, Kathryn.



Can you believe that a little over 18 months ago Jackson was only 9 ounces bigger than little Henry?!?



Jackson was very sweet and calm (well, for Jax) the entire time at the hospital. He loved baby Henry and was very gentle with him.



I wish I had a picture of Grant and I from our Bear Student Services days. . .we sure have come a long way! It was wonderful to be there with the Case's for such a special day:)