Santa Claus is comin' to town

Fashionista?

Jackson occasionally gets inclined to dress up. What's funny is how much he enjoys it. And of course Wilson wants to be like big brother.


Then it's time for hair-

Wilson's first Christmas program

On December 15 @ Cordova Christian Academy, Wilson participated in his first Christmas program dressed as a bell. This is him before and during the program.

Where is it?

The boys went to the MD for h1n1 shots Friday afternoon. Wilson weighed 30 pounds recently and I wanted to double check that cause he is so skinny! Well, he weighed just over 31 pounds! Yeah, I can tell he's getting taller but I can count his ribs without touching him too! Where are those pounds? I guess I will just believe it and be happy he's a healthy boy. I look forward to burning the carseat soon. Jackson is still 60 pounds. I know where all of those pounds are- poor kid is like me when it comes to that.

Luminaries

Our new neighborhood puts out luminaries each year. Jackson helped me prep the bags and get them out, and the 3 of us walked around the block to check them out. Very pretty! The first pic is taken from our yard down the street and the second is our house.

Road trip!

My camera got smashed on the trip to Laurel, and it took a couple of weeks for me to remember that I am from Mississippi and can fix stuff with a butter knife. It's fine now. So, Saturday we headed to Oxford, MS with some friends. We went to Square Books Jr first, listened to storytime, played with their cool toys and looked at some books. We each got one toy and one book. I got Where the Wild Things Are and a world map puzzle. Jackson got a "stupid joke" book and a travel game like Connect 4 and Wilson got a Thomas the Train book and a magnetic joey doll that can be dressed as a pirate, fireman, super hero, etc. He really digs it. Above are all the boys lined up big to little: Bryson, Jackson, Myles and Wilson.

When we left the bookstore, we walked around the popular square until we got to Ajax, which was recommended to us for lunch. It's good we got there just before they opened because about 15 minutes after they opened, it was packed. Food was OK, but mostly we enjoyed just being out, away from home a little, and being with friends. After lunch, we finished our walk around the square and headed home. Here are the boys in their own booth at Ajax:

Thanksgiving @ Malins'.

We headed to Laurel for Thankgiving weekend. The cousins had a good time, but it wasn't easy to get their attention! Mom's nice new house was full to the brim and my car was practically dragging on the way home after we did some shopping.

the boys' Christmas trees

Jackson and Wilson have decorated their trees, which are in their rooms and can be seen from the street. Jackson's tree is decorated in traditional green and red with Santa ornaments. Wilson's has green and clear lights and is decorated with small animals made in Guatemala with their traditional woven cloth.

What's she doin' in here?

Wilson was home with me a lot this week because he had a bug. He spent a little time on the couch resting but managed to line up his toys on the back of the couch (you know, the toys that are forbidden from my new living room). Anyhow, Molly wanted in on the napping and here she is!

bubbles in a jetted tub

cousins and football = 2 faves

The Watts came over for supper the first Friday night in November. The kids had a good time w/ this big box. Ryan played some too but did not get in the box!


The next morning, Jackson played in the last flag football game of the season. He got a trophy and certificate afterward.

Halloween

I wanted to give out candy Halloween night so we could meet our neighbors. Jackson went with his buddy Zach to trick or treat, then they came back to spend the night here. I took Wilson to about 4 houses in the cove accross the street, then right back home to wait on visitors. His friend Ryley came over for a few hours.

We like it here!

Another great brother pic from after the game @ 2nd Pres today:

Jackson starts school @ Farmington

Jackson enjoyed his first week at his new school. He started with a red polo for Red Ribbon Week and ended with their idea of casual Friday- school T-shirt and jeans.

New House

We moved to our new house 2 Fridays ago. Most of the moving was done while the boys were at achool, but they enjoyed the chaos. This is them checking things out after...

untitled

No title can do this one justice. One night a few weeks ago, I checked on the boys before I went to bed as I always do. Often they are laying in funny positions (remember all the sleeping pictures of Wilson when he was in my room?). Wilson doesn't mind the dark, so it's harder to get a sleeping pic of him since he moved to his own room. Jackson prefers for it to look like mid-day while he's in bed, so it's easier to see and document his shenanigans. Earlier in the night he'd complained about being hot and maybe this was his idea of being funny. He shoved the entire blanket under his clothes!! I got so tickled that I was on his floor laughing for a few minutes. I decided he couldn't sleep like that all night, but it took a lot of doing to get the blanket out. He never did really wake up while I was in there.

Moving on Up!

This week we're moving to our new house. Lately, we've been talking about all the good times we've had at this house and all the good memories we're taking with us. This was our starter home and we've loved it for 5 1/2 years. Jackson had just turned 2 when we moved in and Wilson joined us almost 4 years later. We've become good friends with our neighbors and enjoyed countless fun days playing in the cove. So we took some playing outside pictures to help us remember our house and the good times we had here. And here are some of them...

progress report time

I feel as though I've just settled in to the boys' school year, and already Jackson brought home a progress report from school. These are his grades so far:
**Language Arts...95
**Social Studies...98
**Math...96
**Science Health...98

Not bad! He's also doing better on his behavior. Not sure how Ms. Rook is getting that done, but I'll take it. He's sassy w/ me, but I'll get that straightened out. He's been practicing flag football, and now his first game is Saturday AM. He's done so well in practice- the coaches brag on him a lot as do some of the other parents. Here are 2 pics I took tonight before practice. I'm pretty sure J's shorts are on backward, but that's the way they were all day (including at school).

Transitions...

August is back to school month, and that means getting used to new classes, teachers, responsibilities and schedules. The month is almost over, and we have not mastered all of this, but we are making progress. Wilson started his 3 yr old class @ CCA on August 3rd. He was there 3 days before we left for MS for a long weekend. It was not an easy week, and the next one was not either. Then he was OK for a week. Now he's back to crying when I drop him off. DRAMA, always DRAMA with this kid. Fortunately, Jackson's transition to Ms. Rook's 2nd grade class has been pretty smooth. The down side is that his talking is still causing behavior issues. I'm still coming to terms with the idea that he may not be "straight A's" when it comes to behavior grades. He's the classic smart kid- finish work fast and start goofing off. I really wonder if he can help himself at all...

Jackson also started football this month, and he likes it a lot. We are so excited about the NFL season starting and his first season to play. He plays 1st/2nd grade flag on a Hope team. They play 5 on 5 and the kids rotate all positions. Next week, we'll also start back to Scouts as Jackson begins his Wolf year.

Here are photos of what we've been up to- the boys @ Jellystone in Pelahatchie, MS, and playing @ home here in the cove.

J heads back to school while W moves to the big boy class

Tomorrow morning Wilson begins his new 3 year old class. He's a little nervous because he loves the teachers he has had. It's a big step for him so I've been talking it up and keep emphasizing what a big boy he is. About 10 kids are going up together so that may help. I had a supply list for him just like the big kids have. Most of it went in the backpack Jackson handed down to him.

Jackson registers for 2nd grade Tuesday AM. He starts class Monday the 10th. He has no reservations! He's not worried about who will be in class with him or who his teacher will be. Fortunately, he tells me has done some thinking about behavior, although he did not elaborate. This week, I hope to review some spelling and math with him. He's done some reading and workbook stuff this summer, but not as much as I meant to do with him (of course). The summer got away from me some.

The first picture is of the boys in front of their backpacks- ready to go first day! The 2nd pic is a Jackson instant classic. Friday night, he got this idea to use a Spiderman tank top as a skirt. I'm not sure what I love more- the way it looks or how excited he was about it!

Healthy Brothers

The boys visited their MD yesterday for annual check ups. The are doing great. Wilson will continue his vitamin w/ iron. His height (36 in), weight (29#) and BMI are all close to 25th percentile. He was a sweetie, but did get upset when he got his 2nd hep A vaccine.

Jackson only has allergies to contend with, and we decided to get an extra Rx to add when the late summer allergy spike hits next month. His weight (60#- poor guy wanted to eat on the way to the MD in hopes he’d gain a pound) continues to be 75th percentile, and his height (not quite 46 in) is only 5-10th percentile. This puts his BMI at 97th percentile. MD is not worried too much cause he says he looks good. J is pretty active, and I think we do a decent job with food, but I probably need to step up my vigilance some. Both boys are pretty much constantly asking to eat, and I must sneak some veggies in somehow. Jackson was excited when Dr. H told him that he did not need another shot until he’s 11. Of course, we’ll get flu shots in Sept, and swine flu shots if they become available (very iffy right now).

Wilson turns 3!!

My baby turned 3 today! We had a great, busy day, and we need sleep!!

July 4th Camping Trip to Paris Landing

**My camera was broken in June, and it took me about a month to get over my denial, decide what to replace it with, and get that going. For those loyal followers, I apologize. I'll try to make up for it!!

Our sweet friends invited us to share an RV w/ them and head to Paris Landing, TN for the July 4th weekend. We had such a great time. We left Friday afternoon and returned Sunday afternoon. We got to hang out with baby Ryley's grandparents- Doris and Barnie- and meet some other family. We were well fed and treated well, and hope we minded our manners well enough to go again.