splash park

Did I mention that this kid loves the water. He just sits there at the splash park happy as a clam.

jackson - 9 months

Another month gone by in a flash. My little man is growing up so fast and learning new things every day. Here are a few of his latest:

* He is now about 20 pounds...we had to take him to the hospital to get him weighed...long story but it involves having a nasty ear infection and hand, foot, mouth. (Yuck)

* He is now standing and trying his hardest to cruise along the furniture.

* He is the fastest crawler this side of Highland Park Ave. The kid sees something he wants and he gets it.

* He loves loves loves the pool. Which is probably how the hand, foot, mouth thing happened.

* He eats everything. He loves to eat whatever we are eating, especially ice cream...not that I gave him any...he he.

* He loves to be held...for about 3 seconds until he finds something he wants more.

* He can climb the stairs...ahhh!

* He now has 5 teeth.

We love Jackson so much. He is such a sweet baby. We are so so happy to have him in our lives.

strawberry picking 2010

We took our annual strawberry picking trip with the Thomas family this year. We had a lot of fun. The kids ate way more then they picked and Jess and I picked with our babies strapped to our chests. As always one of my favorite summer outings.

Can you believe the amount of jam we made this year? I LOVE IT!

spring baseball

Anne and Andrew both decided to try baseball this year. Although it kept them both very busy with one day of practice and another day with a game, they both had a blast. Andrew broke his arm one week into the season but that didn't stop him. He had an amazing one arm hit. Anne on the other hand found her strength out in the field. What a arm she has! They are both hoping to be on the same team next year so they can combine their strengths and win.

mirror found - part 2

I have been trying to teach Jackson how to kiss. I guess he figured it out.

mirror found

We have this really BIG mirror in our dinning room. I hate it. The kids LOVE it. I had a feeling Jackson would LOVE it too. He has really loved it the past little while but I can't seem to catch him checking himself out...he can see me coming. I did manage to catch some very typical Jackson faces. (Can you see how dirty his knees are...guess I need to wash my floors more often.)

8 months

Jackson is 8 months today. He is growing up too fast. Here are a few facts about Jackson today:

As of today he has 3 1/2 teeth. He is crawling around everywhere and getting into everything he can get his hands on. His favorite toys are paper and electronic devices. If we sit down to the table and he is drinking a bottle then he is done with the bottle and wants what we are eating. He is crazy about his Dad. He still is the best baby. He really just goes along for the ride. He is starting to pull himself up to thing while on his knees and even got onto his feet yesterday...ahhhh! He says "OOHHH" when he sees something he likes. His blue eyes attract attention where ever we go. We love him like crazy around here. Don't know what we did before him for entertainment.

3 kids on a swing

Found all three kids swinging on the swing the other night. I love that they all love being around each other. You should see the way Jackson's face lights up everyday when Anne and Andrew get home from school. It's my favorite part of the day.

the chess tournament

So I have one well rounded girl on my hands. She does ballet, baseball and chess. Anne had her first chess tournament yesterday. She did well. She really loves playing chess. Sometimes though I catch her playing "house" with the pieces. Jackson and I had fun watching her hold her own against 6th graders.

Just thought I would throw in a picture of this cute boy. He was so happy the whole tournament.

DC

We lived in DC five years ago. We had to get back to remind the kids of where we started. It was a added bonus to have the chance to visit the temple while there. Off we went. I was so worried that the kids would have a hard time "doing" DC because it is impossible to see DC without walking a ton. Zac had faith in them though...in his words..."don't worry, I have been building up their endurance." (Zac takes the kids on REALLY long walks in the park near our house) He was right. They were awesome. The walked and walked and walked...kind of like the pioneer children.

This one didn't walk but was so amazing. It was hot but he didn't complain. He just chilled in his stroller and enjoyed the ride. Here he is chilling on the grass along the National Mall. Both the kids were confused why there wasn't any stores at this mall...

Isn't she beautiful?

OK...I have to explain the look of sheer excitement on Andrew's face. One of his favorite movies is Night at the Museum 2. When he found out we were going to the Lincoln Memorial he went crazy with excitement. When we were walking up the side walk to the memorial he was so excited. We ran to the top of the stairs and he ran to the front and just stood in front of the statue. He ran back to me and said, "Mom, when is he going to come to life?" Andrew was convinced that Lincoln was going to wake up and talk to him. He insisted that I read the Gettysburg Address to him too. After I read it he asked, "Mom, is President Lincoln the prophet?" No, I told him but a wise man. So thank you Hollywood for getting my little guy so excited about history.

It was so HOT that day.

WWII Memorial...the kids were cooling their feet.

Jefferson Memorial...we were exhausted by the time we got here. Zac was nice enough to walk back to the car and then pick us up.

After seeing how big the White House was, Anne wished that her dad was the president.

The real reason for our trip. It was so nice to go to the temple. Zac did a session while I stayed in the hotel with the kids then he took them to a park while I attended a session.