Peek-A-Boo

Could he be any cuter? Seriously.

(*and please excuse the pump noise)

Photobooth

Because we are goofy.

Moves Like Jagger

It's been two months since I've done an "official" update on Jackson. He is now 2 months away from turning 3. I can hardly believe it. I don't know what it is about becoming a parent, but once you have a kid, time seems to go by so much more quickly than it seems. Days go slowly; years go quickly.

Where do I begin with everything that is Jackson. It amazes me that his baby years were so defined and with every passing week there is a multitude of new things and dimensions new to him.

He is SO smart. He plays the games on his LeapPad meant for 4 - 7 year olds without help. He works 48 piece puzzles with no problems. He loves books, and knows all the letters and what sounds they make. He still uses his left hand consistently to draw, write, and eat. He is beginning to gain an understand on how to control his writing utensil to make letters and pictures.

This is a picture of his Aunt Holly. He made her hair, eyes, nose, mouth, body, and shoes.

Jackson is very into using his imagination nowadays. He loves to pretend to be a puppy. I love it, too. Most of the time. Because when he drops to his knees in...say...the grocery store and begins to pant, bark and lick things...hmmmm

I never know when he wakes up who he will be (Puppy, Dora, or any other host of characters) and who I will be (inevitably it is Dora's Mama, Puppy's Mama...but sometimes I play the role of "Jaxa").

Staying true to the legacy left by his Cousin Myles, he loves lawn mowers. And any store where he can test one out is a good store in his book.

Thomas is still one of his favorite characters. And he insists that Samuel loves watching Thomas, too (I think he is right).

According to the cMoe scale, Jackson weighs 31 lbs. 

Jackson loves to dance. He has spectacular moves...

He loves coming to work with me. He has been to three orchestra rehearsals/performances. The first time he loved the tuba, the second brought out the love of the cello, and in the third, the flute stole his heart. I love that he loves music, and it is one of my favorite moments with him...to share a love of music!

Playdough is a new favorite activity. 

So is chilling out like a gansta watching TV apparently.

Most of the time, he is very polite. He says "no sir" and "yessir". (Right now everyone is called "sir"). His speech is so clear. His brain is a sponge and even if he isn't acting like he is listening, he is. He makes me laugh. All the time. He likes it when people feel "much, much better". If he gets himself worked up in a crying fit, usually a hug will calm him down in seconds, and it is accompanied by a big sigh. He is very particular about how things are done. He loves his routine. And he knows 4 of Adele's songs by heart. If I sing them wrong (lyric, rhythm or note), he will tell me about it. That would be my karma...

Yes, this kiddo is a thumbs up.

I love you very much, Jackson Wayne!

I Love Your Smile

Oh how times flies. The days go faster than they ever seem to in the moment. My sweet Samuel is ALREADY 14 months old. 

This little guy has the best personality. He is so silly. 

And at the same time he is SO stubborn. He likes to do things his way in his time.

His word list is:

Mama

Dada

Nana

Jackson (his most FAVORITE word)

all done

bye bye

night night

He talks a lot, but I can't understand him. Though he does use a lot of inflection and you can tell the emotion behind what he is saying.

Samuel got his first ear infection on January 16. The Dr prescribed him amoxicillan...and he ended up with a rash, too. Poor little guy. Luckily, it didn't take long to clear up. 

His favorite food is my homemade upside down shepherds pie with peas.

He only eats table food that he can pick up himself. He loves oranges, waffles and muffins. He isn't so keen on cookies and cheese. He drinks a very diluted apple or pear juice out of a straw cup twice a day (LOVE the playtex straw trainer cup). And he still nurses four times a day (though sometimes it might only be a one-sided nurse).

Samuel likes to walk behind his push toy. But I think it'll be another couple of months before he starts walking. When he gets the hang of something, he is very hesitant to try something new or change if it isn't necessary. He does cruise a lot, and he is a very good climber (yes, up the stairs...).

The smile on his face when he first sees Jackson in the morning or after a nap is priceless. He loves watching Thomas and playing with cars, trucks, and trains. He blows kisses and claps. He enjoys working puzzles and isn't half bad at fitting the shapes where they are supposed to go.

Sammy smiles with his whole face, and all bad things disappear when you look into his baby blues. I love this little bundle more than I ever imagined I could. 

The Maestro

Now introducing...Samuel, the conductor*.

*Yes, he now conducts when he hears music. Unprompted.

My Funny Valentine(s)

How lucky am I...

To have TWO Valentines?

Jackson got a guitar and Samuel got a keyboard as Valentine's Day gifts.

And as per normal, they wanted to try out each other's instrument. 

Happy Valentine's Day to those we love near and far!

Song For Dad

We were very excited to have Daddy come and visit us for 16 days at the end of January/beginning of February. The boys were very glad to see him and they had a lot of fun.

Some of the exciting things we did were:

An evening at Chuck E Cheese;

A morning at cMoe with coloring,

Climbing,

Playing rhythmic instruments,

and rice box construction;

We took a day trip to Nashville to see the Country Music Museum:

Which included a tour of the RCA Studio B where 1000s of hits were recorded (200 by Elvis).

This is a piano Elvis played in the RCA B studio.

Outside of Studio B

Inside the Country Music Hall of Fame

It was a great day. And the boys were asleep within 5 minutes of getting in the car to go home.

NOTE...Jackson fell asleep while eating cookies. His hand is in the bag. Who does that? (*ahem* Nana)

There were walks

And snuggles

And, overall, a good time had by all.

We were sad to see Daddy go back to Australia. Come back soon!

Jigsaw Puzzle

Is it possible...

That both of my boys...

Can't get enough of puzzles?