Good Morning Boston

This trip the kids have played, bonded and had a blast. . .the only bad news is that Jackson is so excited to play with his cousins each morning he wakes up before the crack of dawn. This morning I was graced with my sweet son's voice at 4:48 a.m. At home he sleeps until between 8 and 9 a.m. but here. . ."ME (Mia) and Ennon" (Lennon) is exclaimed with extreme excitement before 5 a.m. most mornings. Awesome. At least I'm not one who needs more than a few hours of sleep each night. For those of you who couldn't tell I am definitely one who requires a lot of sleep and becomes a different, less fun human to experience when I don't get it. Sorry Francis family:)

Sweet Mia

Yesterday afternoon Mia commented that she wished that she and Jackson weren't related so they could get married some day. She's such a cutie!

I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore Toto. . .

So far our trip to Boston has been great. I've had a few breakdowns due to Jackson not sleeping well but other than that the kids are getting along really well and the weather is beautiful. People in Boston are also very nice. They have great accents and tell great stories. Last Wednesday we went to a super fun play date with tons of kids and I heard one mother talking about going to a Unitarian church the previous Sunday. She mentioned that she had loved the service because they didn't mention Jesus or God at all and only talked about recycling. She loves a church that respects the earth. Then she told us that her son had asked about who Jesus was because he had heard about Easter.

the mom: so I told him that Jesus was a really nice guy who helped people and then got sick and died. Then I realized that we were on the way to the doctor because my son was sick and so I changed it and said he got in a bad car accident and died.

Jenna: what? you told your son that Jesus died in a car accident?

the mom: yeah why?

Jenna: that's crazy, why would you say that?

the mom: well I'm not going to tell him a story about a Crucifixion, and torture that's horrible and scary.

Jenna: well, he's standing right here so you just did tell him that.

the mom: oh, maybe he's not listening to me right now.

The same mom had babysat for another little girl recently and had told the little girl that she was calling the police and taking her in where she would never see her family again and wouldn't get any food. I asked Jenna to promise not to leave Mia or Lennon at this girls house.

Boston is fun but I love Texas.

Momma and Mommy

So far our stay in Boston has been a BLAST:) The boys adore each other (although check out Jenna's blog for some fun stories about the car trips). And I am in love with little Lennon. He's so darn sweet! He's been hugging and kissing Jackson and I and the cutest thing is that he calls Jenna Mommy and calls me Momma. I've always been obsessed with my adorable niece and nephew but Mia calling me Aunt Mommy (as she did when she was smaller) and now Lennon calling me momma is just too sweet. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to get Lennon back to TX with us while Jenna and Shelby move. . .hmmmm. . . .any ideas?

Easter 2009

For Easter this year we were at Nanny and Paw Paw's house and had a blast. We got to spend lots of time with Jackson's Aunt Ree and Uncle DeDe and also got lots of time with Heath and Leslie and Dave and Robyn. We were so busy that I didn't get a lot of pictures. Late in the afternoon on Easter Sunday we went out for some fishing and target practice. Nothing like a Texas Easter right?! Anyway, first I will say that Nanny is the best shot, and secondly that I didn't let Jackson see the guns but he sure did love the loud noise! Two of us would run around and play with Jack while the others were shooting. Jax was going crazy and saying "mo!" each time a shot was fired. Also, the reason I didn't let Jackson see the guns or watch them being handled is because I think he needs to be older to be exposed to stuff like that. Jay and I both want him to take gun safety classes when he is 12 but at this age I don't want to create any curiosity towards guns. I know I am super paranoid but I think in this case and with how precocious Jackson has proven to be. . .that's ok. All of our relatives have all of their guns under very strict lock and key. Ok, enough of my rambling:)


Nanny distracting Jackson while the rest of us did target practice.



As you can see Nanny is not the type of Granny you want to meet in a dark alley. . .she packs heat and is a great shot!



Jackson's reaction to Jay catching a fish. He kept saying the fish was hot like a fire. . .who knows?!



Watching daddy reel in the fish.



Inspecting the fish before Jay threw it back into the pond.

Looking Back

We all know I'm a little sentimental when it comes to "Pud" (Jay's nickname for Jax).
Lately I've been realizing how quickly the time flies by and just trying to enjoy every minute. Jackers is almost 20 months old and if he starts kindergarten at 5 that means that 33.33% of our full days together have already passed. Despite being frazzled by his energy some of the time, Jackson has blessed Jay and I in ways we never knew were possible. He's such an amazing little guy and tonight I'm just comparing some pictures from last year to this year:) Ok, enough of my sappy mom talk. I just love this little guy and cherish our time together because I know soon enough there won't be toys all over the floor and he won't beg me to rock and cuddle with him in the afternoon.
Below is Jackson playing in the bounce house at the Hirst's neighborhood party last October. . .so only 6 months ago. . .he looks so small!

One thing that hasn't changed is that he's almost always happy.

He looks like such a little peanut!

He's looks like such a big boy here! This is two weeks ago at the Thomas the Tank Engine fest.

Jackson never minds being the youngest kid (by several years) in the bounce house.

Whenever Jackson wears this shirt we get so many compliments. Thanks Ellie!

Bluebonnets Take One

I didn't get the picture I wanted but here's my first attempt. As is typical with me despite not getting the "perfect picture" I still couldn't narrow down which ones to post. Also they are much cuter when you click on them to view the pictures larger.










And just for fun here's one from last April.

At The Carwash

Jackson was feeling better today so we took him to the carwash as a special treat. It was a good day for Jax!

HIGH/low

Here's my update but instead of a very long story here are last weeks highs and lows. . .you get the point. . .

Last Weeks Lows:
1. Cleaning Jackson's throw up out of the crevices of his car seat with a tooth pick. Luckily Jay was here to join in on the fun.
2. Scrubbing baby poop out of my washing machine. . .
3. Having no phone for a day after Jackson put it in the toilet and said "bye bye" while flushing and smiling sweetly.

Last Weeks Highs:
1. Having my awesome dad come watch Jackson Friday night so Jay and I could go to Cameron's birthday party. THANKS SO MUCH PAPA
2. Having my awesome mom come to watch Jackson while I went to Deneale's wedding. Jay ended up not wanting to leave Jax so he and mom had a movie night. THANKS MOM AND JAY:)
3. Lots of snuggle time with Jackson. I hate to see him sick but do love the all day cuddles.

Now I'm just ready to go to Boston!

Slap Happy

After our morning with Thomas the Tank Engine (last Friday) Jackson was exhausted. Jay was trying to keep him awake in the car by making him laugh. At the end Jay is just raising one eye brow and Jack is cracking up. I wish I had turned on the camera a few minutes earlier because Jackson was getting so hysterical. This part is still pretty funny.

When You're the Best of Friends. . .

Ellie and Jack are becoming such buddies lately. We had an awesome time last week when Ellie played with us. We had a dance party. . .both kids can groove! And at one point Jackson kept hugging Ellie and she just looked at him, put her hand out in front of her and said "STOP." It was hysterical.

Here Jackson was playing peek a boo with Ellie. He kept putting his head down and popping up and she would just crack up. They are so cute together:)










While Jackson is good at sharing. . .he's got a ways to go. Check out the portions. He poured some of his snack onto Ellie's tray and then dumped the remainder of the bowl on his plate. I evened it out after the pictures.




Here they are in the middle of a serious conversation in their own language.

Another Day at the Park

Jackson as an airplane. He knows daddy goes to work and comes home on an airplane so he is obsessed with airplanes these days!



He looks like such a big boy on the swings!



Making some music playing drums on the picnic table.

Feeding the Ducks. . .

Finally, after having my April Fools Day joke at the top for a week I'm ready to get caught up:)
Last week we fed the ducks with Jaclyn and Emma (or AhhhNeeee as Jackson calls her). The kids had a blast and Emma commented "Jackson must really love me a lot b/c he just hugs and hugs me!" She was a great sport about it and Jackson was basically doing whatever she wanted. He brought her her jacket, her water, her shoes. . .whatever she might need, Jackson had covered!

I LOVE this "Product of Baylor Alumni" shirt. Thanks Danielle!!!



Emma really enjoyed the ducks.



Jackson running. . .this scenario shouldn't surprise anyone.



One of the rare moments when I wasn't holding on to Jackson's shirt. I was terrified he would jump into the creek.



My Jack:)