Trader Joe's Speghetti O's

Trader Joes started carrying canned Spaghetti O's. Jackson loves them, and so do I, I must admit! He recently had quite the encounter with them....

Mud Run

Troy, the brave soul, signed up to do the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in June. Although he had almost no time to work out due to his busy work schedule, he still went through with it! My husband is a man of his word! So, on the morning of June 6th, Troy ran a 10k race with hills, mud pits, rivers, and some pretty rough terrain. I waited with a few friends at the finish line and was VERY PLEASED to see him cross it! He ran it in an hour and fourty-two minutes, which was better than the time he set as a goal! He was pretty much covered from head to toe in mud. His teeth even had mud in them! He really enjoyed the experience and would like to do it again....I'm still not sure if I will join him!

Catching up!

Oh! I have been terrible about updating this blog lately! I have been so busy that the blog has been put on the "back burner," so to speak, and I always seem to forget things on the back burner! Well, not to worry! I just uploaded some *brand new* photos from my camera and am about to display them here! These photos are of Jackson just being silly!Concerning Jackson, he is 20 months old now. I can hardly believe that he is 4 months away from turning 2 years old. It almost seems absurd the way time has flown by so fast! Jackson's personality is coming out more and more everyday. He is showing himself to be more and more like Troy, and that is a good thing! He is very, very social and loves the world around him. He gets excited over things that may seem ordinary to anyone else, just like Troy. I think that is one of the things I like most about Troy, so to see that trait in Jackson is a joy! Jackson is also recognizing letters and colors now. His favorite letters are "H" and "T". His favorite color seems to be yellow. He also has an obsession with Disney Pixar's Cars and anything and everything having to do with that movie! If you ask him what Lighting McQueen says, he immediately replies, "KA-CHOW!" Jackson has just become found of Thomas the train. He asks Troy and I to tell stories about Thomas before bedtime and nap time. He loves when we include Jackson and all his friends in the story. His eyes light up when we mention his name. It is sooooo sweet!Jackson has also started to attend the toddler Sunday school class at our church. The class technically is for 2 and up, but when Jackson turned 18 months, I decided I would sit in there with him. Its worked out pretty well. As long as he sits in my lap, he stays put! He is starting to sit an listen longer. He loves to listen to the Bible stories and color with the other kids. He even has learned the answer to the first Shorter Catechism question, "Who made you?" If you ask him that question, he responds, "God!" On that note, I am pleased that is he learning these things. Troy and I pray everyday for him! So far, Jackson has taken a liking to praying. I think it comforts him. He always prays with us before bed time and always prays with us before meals. If we forget to pray, even if we are half-way through the meal, Jackson will make sure we pray! He holds out his hands and says, "Pray! Pray!" very urgently! It seriously melts my heart. I pray that this interest in listening to God's Word and praying to God continues as he grows!

"Go!"

Recently, Jackson has started to express that he wants to go somewhere by packing up his stuff in his shopping cart or wagon, pushing it to the front door, and saying, "Go!" He does this if he is up too late at night. It is sort of his way of "winding down"...Jackson's favorite things he decided to include in his cart: a Curious George Book, a mop, a Bass Pro Shops folding chair, a golf club, a turtle alphabet game, and a USC hat, and his toy vacuum that did quite fit. He tried to cover all bases. I'd say he did a pretty good job!

Seattle Trip (Part 2)

This really only covers the last day and a half of our trip, but we did a lot in that time! We went to the Experience the Music Museum, which, in my opinion was awesome! It was a great place to go with kids because it was so interactive. There was a whole section of the museum devoted for hands-on experience with different instruments and musical/vocal equipment. We all had tons of fun there. There was also a Jim Henson exhibit there, which Jackson really enjoyed, especially the part when his daddy became a muppet...Jackson's favorite instrument to play at the museum was the drums. He does have great rhythm!
Jackson was amazed at the muppets. He quickly figured out that his daddy was one of them.Next, we went up the Space Needle. It was a beautiful view from up there, but it wasn't as high as I expected. I suppose I would have been more impressed if I hadn't already been up to the top of the Eiffel Tower! Never the less, it was a good experience!

This is the view from the Space Needle, facing Mt. Rainier. It was a gorgeous, sunny day!The crew @ the Music Museum, with the Space Needle in the background.
Just before we left to catch our flight back to California, we stopped at a tea house. It was the cutest place, and best of all, it was peaceful and had good food! The boy cousins even posed in front of it (Jackson, Nolan, and Preston).I love how Jackson is actually smiling in this picture!(L-R) Nolan, Angie, Me, Jackson, Troy, Preston, Ryan, Jennifer. This is what I ate for lunch: a scone (with yummy lemon curd and raspberry jam), Bacon Asparagus Swiss Quiche, and frosty cranberry salad. Delicious! Of course, I had some English Breakfast Tea with it. The tea was very tasty because it was loose leaf tea.Angie, Me, and Jennifer in front of the tea house.Troy, Jackson and I in our last family photo before the flight home! Hope you enjoyed out photos from the trip!

Washington & Victoria Trip (Part 1)

Last week, Troy, Jackson, Angie, Nolan, and I went to Washington (Seattle area), and Victoria, B.C. together. We saw many, many things, and spent a lot of time together. We also visited with family. Here are some photos so sum the trip up (check in for more photos to finish off the trip):

I'm starting with this picture because it was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever witnessed. This was taken on the ferry, just off the coast of Canada. The sea was so glassy. It was unbelievable!

Angie took this really cute picture of Jackson and Nolan at LAX. An attempt at a self-portrait on the ferry!A dock in a little town called Sydney in Victoria, B.C.Jackson on a Canadian beach.The boys found jellyfish on the beach.Such a cute boy! :)Sleepyhead!Our hotel in Victoria.
Victoria, B.C.
Cousins!At Snoqualamie Falls, WABeautiful Snoqualamie FallsLake Tapps and Mt. Rainier.Jackson with his cousin, Emily, who is three weeks older than him. I can't remember what kind of cousins they are...3rd...5th once removed? How does that work, anyway?
The whole gang (Angie, Nolan, Me, Troy, Jackson) on a Canadian beach.The whole gang, plus cousins Jennifer and Amanda at the first Starbucks---the Pike's Place Market in Seattle, WA. Surprisingly, even though the line was out the door, the service was friendly and fast.Angie took this wonderful family photo of us at Lake Tapps....and she took this photo of me making Jackson laugh.

The family on a Canadian beach.


Jackson at the playground on the ferry. The ferry, by the way, was a wonderful experience for all of us. It was a huge boat with a gift shop, a cafeteria, a playground, and arcade...and the best chocolate cake I think I've ever had. And, the best part is, I barely felt seasick!This is an artistic photo Angie took of Nolan and Jackson (plus some artistic touches in my photoshop program...) I love the angle of the photo!These ladies thought Jackson was so cute that they wanted to take a picture of him. I got this from a lot of women on the trip for some reason!

Dance'n' Duo

Jackson loves when I put on music so he can dance. He will call me or Troy out "to the dance floor" by running into the living room, pointing both of his index fingers down to the floor and shouting, "Mamma! Dance" (or Dadda...). Troy is a more energetic dancer than I am, so they really have fun when they dance together!