Jackson's Growing Vocabulary

A while ago I was starting to worry that maybe Jackson was going to be a late talker. He seemed to have the concept there and had said or repeated quite a few words once or twice, but the only words he seemed to say on a regular basis were "mama," "dada," "nana" or "baba."

In the past couple of weeks his vocabulary has started to take off. A few weeks ago he said his first two-syllable word: raisin. Since then (at least when he gets the desire- there is no possible way to induce him to do it on command) he will repeat it proudly over and over ("ray-sin, ray-sin"), beaming like he just invented the wheel. Since we've been at Grandma's house for a couple weeks, he's added "ga-ma" and "dog" to his repertoire of words. He has also been caught saying "cheese," "shoe," "oje" (orange), and his latest... "water." He has said milk a couple of times, but he finds it much easier at Grandma's house to just open the fridge, get out the milk carton and bring it to you when he wants some (Grandma's fridge is much easier to open than ours and she keeps her milk lower on the door).

It is still -even on my third child- so fun to see them grow up and learn how to interact with the world. It is amazing to see how quickly they grow and figure out how to do things-- and so cute to see how proud they are of themselves when they figure something out.

Off to Grandma's House We Go

I mentioned that our drive to California was mostly uneventful- although I did discover that Dairy Queen is really quite yummy -especially compared to McD's. Their hamburgers were grilled and they even had fry sauce for the fries. Yum!

Jared and Camryn are pretty seasoned travelers, but even Jackson did pretty well in the car this time around. About halfway through our drive the kids were getting restless, so we stopped at a McDonald's for a break. We got ice cream cones and let the kids play at the Play Place so they could get some energy out. Jackson had a ball (with Jared and Camryn's help).

Scrub a Dub Dub

I will often take Jackson in the shower with me in the morning. He likes to play in the water and is one of the few options available to me if I don't get showered before Dave leaves for work (which is almost never). It is a heck of a lot safer than leaving him to his own devices, even if I keep him shut in the bathroom with me.

One morning I was trying to get something done, so I asked Dave to just let Jackson go in the shower with him. I promised he would just play in the water and have fun. Apparently Jackson was a bit over-eager to get in.

Sunny Sunday

Recently we had a Sunday with absolutely gorgeous weather. The two older kids love walking on the small brick wall that goes next to the church steps. Jackson saw them and couldn't rest until he was a "big kid" too.

On the "Farm"

Some good friends of ours live in the "country" just outside the city limits of our town. They have 5 acres, complete with two goats. In the summer we spend a lot of our time over there, as it is pretty much heaven-on-earth for kids.

Their next-door neighbors (our mutual friends) recently got some baby chicks. Here are some pictures of the kids playing at our favorite "country" getaway. =]

Four Things

I know this is REALLY old and has been going around for a while, but I wanted to do it anyway. (Have I done this before? Who knows. Oh well.)

Four Things:

Four Jobs I've Had in My Life:
1. Setting up a stamp booth at a convention center
2. Business Process Analyst/Technical Writer
3. Receptionist
4. Vocal Master Class Accompanist (you show up, music is put in front of you for the first time, you perform it with the singer on the spot)

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
1. A&E Pride and Prejudice (or Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson or the BBC version of Persuasion... pretty much anything Jane Austen!)
2. How to Marry a Millionaire (always makes me laugh out loud)
3. Thoroughly Modern Millie (off-the-wall humor that gets me laughing every time-- "I never read Tom Sawyer....")
4. Hitch (the opening monologue is such so classic: Is there any woman who wakes up and says, "I really don't want to get swept off my feet today?")
(Can I add: Roman Holiday, The Bourne series, Singing in the Rain, Calamity Jane. It's only funny to have so many because I don't think I've watched any of these movies in the last year.)

Four TV Shows I Watch: (I don't usually watch TV much except for the first two...)
1. American Idol (original, huh?)
2. 24 (I know it's violent, but I'm addicted)
3. The Office
4. 30 Rock

Four Places I've Been on Vacation:
1. Kauai, Hawaii
2. Boston/Virginia/East Coast American History Sites
3. NYC
4. Stone Mountain, Georgia

Four Places I've Lived:
1. Detroit, Michigan
2. Provo, Utah
3. Palo Alto, California
4. Current location (in Pacific Northwest)

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. Asleep (then why don't I just go to sleep instead of doing this quiz?)
2. With Dave
3. Relaxing at the beach or spa
4. On a trip to Europe

Four of My Favorite Foods:
1. Cheese (brie, havarti, muenster, feta, blue, gruyere)
2. Avocados
3. Creme Brulee
4. Grilled Vegetables

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
1. Gmail
2. Facebook
3. Blogger
4. um.... I'm really not that creative, am I?

Four People I Am Tagging:
1. Dorothea
2. Kathy
3. LCM
4. Rebecca

Jackson's Wildest Dream

A while ago I was making Jackson a bottle before bed. I must have been sleepy, because I started screwing the wrong lid on the wrong bottle. When I looked at it, it made me laugh out loud, because if it actually worked it would be Jackson's wildest dream... here's to dreaming.