Thursday, May 27, 2010

Preschool Field Trip - Kangaroo Farm

We spent the day with some animals from the Outback, but only had to travel less than an hour from home. I had no idea there was a Kangaroo Farm in Washington State, but there is, and we went for a visit. It is up north about 45 minutes from our home in Arlington, and it was definately worth the trip! We had a fabulous time!
Here are all the kids as the tour was getting started. They are looking at some Leaping Ringtailed Lemurs. The kids thought they were pretty cool because they look just like King Julian from Madagascar.
After the introduction, we got to actually go into the pens where the kangaroos are. It was fabulous! We even got to feed them. Adam was a little unsure at first, but he warmed up pretty quickly. You could feel their little teeth on your hand, and sometimes they would even grab for your hand with their paws. It was amazing how gentle they were, and their fur is so very soft and cuddly!!

Jackson was SO excited! I had to include this picture where you can just see his little hand. (One of the other moms took a better picture and I'll include it when I get a copy.) Every time a kangaroo would get close to him his little hands and feet would start going. I pulled him out of the stroller and he couldn't keep his hands off of the kangaroo. At first I was a little concerned because he was grabbing the kangaroos nose and everything, but there was no problem. Again, the kangaroo was so gentle and just licked his hand a little and nuzzled him with his nose. Jackson thought it was the best, and was grinning from ear to ear!
Here is a momma kangaroo with a baby in her pouch. The baby was born at the end of September - so she (baby's name is Heidi) is the same age as Jackson.
This was the largest kangaroo we saw. His name is Kangaroo Jack and when he stood all the way up on his hind legs, he was as tall as the guy giving the tour.
The kangaroos really were amazing!
There were lots of other animals, including several peacocks wandering around the farm. It was fun to hear them "yelp". A couple of weeks ago at preschool they talked about the book "Polar Bear, Polar Bear what do you hear". Adam has asked several times what a peacock "yelp" sounds like ("I hear a peacock yelping in my ear"). We heard lots of peacock "yelps", and Jackson even joined in on the yelping!
Here's one of the peacocks with feathers all unfurled. (I kept my eyes open for loose feathers to bring home to Scott for fly-tying, but didn't find any!)
We also got to feed some donkeys. (These guys were Elizabeth and Burrito - all the animals had funny names)
And Llamas.
I included this picture because of the goofy look on Adam's face.
At the end of the tour, we went into the little gift shop and they brought the baby kangaroo in and let the kids hold her. She was so precious!
This was definately a place we would go again. The tour was great and it was very kid-friendly.

We start 'em young!

Jackson had his first piano lesson this week. I think he's a natural!!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

I think I have black eye...

The past few weeks, I've been recording funny things Adam says at different times. They always seem to happen on Sunday. Today wasn't a disappointment! This morning, we were getting ready for church and Adam was having a hard time because he wanted to play Lego Star Wars on the Wii (he had played Saturday night with Uncle Daris). After telling him no and lots of tears, we finally had a semi-happy boy and he start teasing his dad - he's become very good at teasing (he learned it all from his dad!). Anyway - after one silly comment Scott said "you better watch out, I'm gonna get you after church" - Adam's reply was "Oh, we'll see about that"! It was hilarious!
The other funny thing happened while we were reading bedtime stories with the boys. Adam's eye was really itching, so I got some eye drops and put them in his eye. He looked at me with a very concerned look on his face and said, "Mom, I think I have black eye again!" We'll have to watch out for that one!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Has it really been 8 months?

Can someone please tell me how to slow time down a little bit? The past 8 months have gone by so fast - especially this month! I haven't been very good about taking pictures. So, there are very few pictures to go with this post.
Jackson did not have a very happy 8 month birthday. He is working on popping out his second tooth (the bottom right). His poor gum is bulging, and he spent the day with a slight fever and runny nose. He was just not happy unless he was being held, and he spent a lot of time just laying his head on my shoulder and tugging at his ear. Hopefully the tooth will pop out during the night. He was so tired at dinner tonight, I got these great 8 month pictures of him sleeping in the high chair. Poor baby!! Zoned out!

So, since there aren't many pictures highlights this month, I'll just tell you what he's been doing. Jackson is still not interested in crawling. Adam has tried several times to show how to crawl, and he's pulled him around the room on his belly. Jackson just thinks it's a game and laughs hysterically at his brother. He has been working on his reach - he can pretty much fold his body in half to try and reach for something. It's pretty amazing what he can get at without moving!
Jackson has started giving the best hugs and kisses! I love getting him out of bed in the morning! First of all - he is SO happy! Then, as soon as you pick him up he wraps his little arms around your neck and snuggles in. He will then lean back and come straight at you with his mouth wide open. Basically, he just sucks on your check and even gets his tongue in on the action! I love it! Sometimes when he's sitting on my lap, he'll grab my face and start heading in for the open mouth kiss. It's so adorable!!
He's also become fascinated with hair. If I don't pull my hair back when I'm holding him, he constantly has his fingers in it, and is always trying to get it into his mouth. It's pretty funny - he'll just sit there with a mouth full of hair and a big smile on his face. I also have to be careful in church - he will grab for the hair of anyone sitting in front of us. One little girl last week was not very happy with him!!
Scott will tell you that Jackson has decided that mom is his favorite person. I have to say that I am loving it! He gets so excited when I walk into a room, and a few times when I've tried to leave, he's become very upset. Adam never did that, so I'm enjoying having a little momma's boy - at least at the moment! I'm sure it won't last forever!
I stood on the scale with Jackson tonight to see how much he weighs at 8 months. I can't believe that he weighed in at 25.5 pounds! (with diaper and pajamas) No wonder those size three diapers are seeming a bit small!
Here are the other pictures I took this month. Jackson loves this little activity center. I teach a couple of piano lessons Monday afternoons, so Jackson gets to spend some time playing in this, and he loves it! He starts chattering so loud, and has become quite the bouncer! It keeps him entertained during those lessons!

Love my little Jackson! Can't believe he is growing so fast!!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

I love you all the way to the moon and back!

So last night Tammy decided to go to a hot yoga class that started around 8:00 PM. No big deal cause I don't mind putting the boys to bed. Especially since they go to bed so easy. We are truely blessed in those regards. However no mom did mess up the routine and Jackson did not approve! Mom passed him on to me to give him his bottle and as soon as he realized that dad was taking over and mom was actually leaving he threw a fit! This is the first time I have actually had a hard time with him when his mom is not at home. He cried a little as she was leaving but mostly he yelled. He never really clamed down in my room so I took him into his room where he usually finishes his bottle. He kept giving me dirty little looks and I know he was thinking "Dad, how could you let mom leave like that!" Well finally he had enough of me and before his bottle was all gone (which is rare) he sat up and grabbed his crib. So I put him in bed, got one more dirty look and he closed his eyes and went to sleep. Adam was great going to bed but made me promise to give his mom a hug and kiss and to tell her "I love you all the way to the moon and back, from Adam" The boys truely love their mom and I don't blame them! She's great!

Why I don't want a dog

I think that picture is self explanatory!!!
Don't get me wrong! I love dogs! Most of my childhood memories include a dog in one way or another. I don't really remember a time growing up when we didn't have a dog. However, this past week reminded me why I don't want a dog. We've been dog sitting a very nice dog named Dixie. Dixie is a remarkable dog - very well behaved, and very good with kids (she comes from a family with 6 kids). Dixie is a big black dog with long black hair. That is number two reason I don't want a dog. Dog Hair! But, getting back to number one reason - Dog Poop! We actually had some nice sunny days while Dixie was at our house, which means that Adam wanted to play in the backyard. Everytime he would go outside, he would almost immediately come back inside and ask me to clean up the dog poop, which I would do because who wants a kids with dog poop on his shoes! Well - Monday morning, Adam went outside to play and about two minutes after going out, he came back in to ask me to clean up the dog poop. I was in the laundry room folding towel, so he walked in the house, thru the dining area and kitchen and down the hall. As I'm telling him I'll be out in just a minutes a sudden smell hit my nose... you guessed it - both of Adam's shoes were covered in dog poop! Oh, the horror!! Needless to say, the floor got a mopping, and the shoes got a nice cleaning! I'm just glad he didn't walk onto the carpet!


After all that - here is the reason I do want a dog:


These are pictures of Adam with our dog Ashley and Ashley's boyfriend Spencer. Adam was about 2 years old in these pictures. I love the joy on his face in the first picture. Both Ashley and Spencer have passed away, and there are some days I miss our sweet Ashley. She was the perfect dog for us!! I'm glad that Adam got to spend a little bit of time with her.
Boys and dogs just go together! Jackson has LOVED having Dixie at our house. His face lights up everytime he sees her. Adam has loved it as well (except for the poop part). He has feed her every morning and night, wants to take her on walks and plays with her all the time.
So, maybe one day we'll get a dog again. Maybe in a few years....

Monday, May 17, 2010

Bedtimes Stories

Every night Scott is home for bedtime, he ends up reading stories to Adam and Jackson, and then, while I put Jackson to bed, he reads a book with Adam. I love to sit in Jackson's room and listen to them read together. Adam has several books that he loves to "read" with his dad. I video taped it tonight because Jackson went to bed early. It's a long video (over 2 minutes) - but I know a couple of Grandma's that will enjoy it!!

Video - Hard Hugs

Here's an example of Adam and Daddy's "hard hugs".

Sunday, May 16, 2010

I'm still smart

Today at church, the music leader was teaching the kids "The Fourth Article of Faith" song. She had a picture representing the line "4th, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost", and she asked the kids - what is happening in this picture? Adam raised his hand and she called on him. His response: "I don't know what that picture means, but I'm still smart."
The best part - it was Ward Conference so the Stake Primary Presidency was there. I got several comments about that one!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Hard Hugs and Hard Kisses

Scott and Adam have this fun little game at the end of the night. Scott will lean over to give Adam a hug and he's suddenly flying thru the air and banging into the wall. Adam has super strength when it comes to night-time hugs. This also applies to blowing night-time kisses. Adam will blow kisses to Scott and he can hardly stand up they hit him so hard. I can hear him smashing into the wall and stumbling all over trying to keep his balance.
Yesterday, as I was driving Adam to preschool, he talked to his dad on the phone for a few minutes because he "didn't get to say goodbye" (Scott had stayed at his brothers house after working a late night and having an early morning). After he handed the phone back to me he sat quietly in his seat looking out the window. All the sudden he started giggling - a lot! I looked in the rear view mirror and he was just sitting there laughing. I asked what he was laughing at and he said "hard hugs and hard kisses!" When I asked him to explain he said, "I was thinking about hard hugs and hard kisses with daddy. It's funny!!"
What a silly boy! He has so much fun with his dad. It's the highlight of my day to see them interact with eachother! I always knew Scott would be a great dad - but I am delighted everyday at how wonderful he really is!!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

It's the tooth!

At 7 and a half months - Jackson has officially popped (I almost typed pooped!!) his first tooth! It is razor sharp which makes me grateful that I am no longer nursing! I've tried to get a picture, but he always sticks out his tongue when I try to open his mouth. It is his bottom right tooth. Yay Jackson!!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Mother's Day Cards

I had a really nice Mother's Day this year. It started with a great breakfast in bed, and just like last year, Adam had to join me and eat his breakfast in bed as well. Jackson even joined in on the fun and had his bottle in bed laying right next to me. It was a great way to start the day. The weather was BEAUTIFUL (I'm so ready for summer!!), so we had a nice dinner with my parents in the backyard. Scott broke out the smoker and made us some yummy pork and chicken for sandwiches. It was a lovely way to spend the day.
I had to share these cards that I got from Adam. They are pretty darn cute! The first one he made at Preschool:Here are his answers (I put his response in italics):
My mom has black hair.
My mom has blue eyes.
My mom is this big tall. (I asked him how tall this was and he opened his hands about 6 inches apart and said "this tall")
My mom weighs 43 pounds.
My mom's favorite food is tacos. (We had tacos the night before for dinner)
My mom's favorite thing to do is watch T.V.
My mom takes care of me by taking me to church.
Something that makes my mom happy is when I am safe
It's my mom's job is to do the laundry and I do silverware.
If I could give my mom any present I would give her a flower.

This second one he made in Primary. (We talked a lot about the color of my eyes after preschool, so he made sure to draw a brown eye in the picture!)

My mom has black hair. (we didn't talk about this one!!)
My mom has brown eyes.
My mom weighs 4 pounds, (at least it's going down!!)
My mom is as tall as a crocodile.
My mom's favorite color is brown.
My mom's favorite dessert is tacos. (I must really love tacos - for dinner and dessert!)
My mom's favorite thing to do is watch T.V. (hmmm - trying to figure out where this one came from!)
My mom takes care of me by being safe with knives.
My mom is happy when I be safe and not touch the knives. (I'm thinking Adam and dad must have had a conversation about not touching the knives when they were making me breakfast!)
If I could give my mom any present I would give her a doll; dog, but not a cat.
I love these cards! It's so fun that Adam is older and understands stuff like this! I adore my cute Adam!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Binky Dilemma

So, a while back, I posted about Jackson's sleeping habits. How he isn't a cuddly baby, and missing his nap during church is a tough one - and how he doesn't take a binky. Anyway - Jackson has been trying to cut one if his bottom middle teeth for the past two week or so. I can feel it just under the surface, but it just won't pop through. The other day, he was so fussy, pulling at his ears and chewing on everything in sight. He was laying on the changing table and I remembered that the binkies were in the drawer and handed him one. He basically just started knawing on it and rubbing it over his gums, so I let him keep a hold of it when I put him in his crib for his nap. He fell asleep very quickly, and when I checked on him, that binky was in his mouth and he was sucking away!
So, the next Sunday, I brought a binky with me to church. When Jackson started showing signs of being tired, I layed him down in my arms, hugged him tight and gave him the binky. It only took about 5 minutes, and he was out! I didn't even have to get up out of the pew and bounce him around for 20 minutes, like I normally do. It was awesome! And - it worked the next Sunday as well!!! I loved it! I was actually able to sit thru Sacrament meeting, and Jackson got a pretty good nap!
So, my dilemma - everyone says I'm lucky that my boys haven't ever been interested in binkies, because it's a hard habit to break. Am I just asking for it by introducing a binky to Jackson now, when he hasn't needed it in the past? What's a mom to do?

Video Dump

It's been awhile since I've added any videos to our blog. Our little camera is full of lots of little gems, so I decided to share some here. The first is Jackson laughing! He doesn't give up these laughs very easily, so it's very satisfying when you gt one! Enjoy!

Here's one I promised in Jackson's 7 month post. Check out the hand and foot movement as he waits for his bottle. This is what he does when he's excited about anything. It's so funny!

This is Adam swimming during our recent trip up to Canada.

And finally - preparing for the race upstairs with dad.

Just a small taste of life at our crazy house!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

First Word(s)??

Jackson is now 7 months old, no he has not said his first words yet. However he is talking a lot and often quite loud! We love listening to him in the morning when he is in his crib laying there awake and just talking. I guess we don't always enjoy it when he wakes up at 5:30 and starts talking but it is very cute when he does it. The other day Jackson was sitting on the floor playing with toys and talking. We asked Adam what he thought Jacksons first words would be. Here was his reply. With one finger to his mouth while he was thinking "hmmmm, I think he will say...... PIZZA!" So we shall see........