The Benders

The best part of my day...

2012-01-19T11:28:00.000-05:00

Story Time at Ni-Night!

Also, telling stories about my boys:

Jackson - So I nearly had a meltdown in the car last Wednesday morning. I dropped Jackson off and pulled around to situate things in the car. From where I was parked, I could see into the hallway by Jackson's class. I noticed Jackson at the far end. He was all by himself walking to class. I watched as he walked with his backpack into class and disappeared. He did it! I don't even let him out of my site to go get the mail, and the teachers trusted him to get to class all by himself. He's growing up. I know this is what we prepare our kids for, but it was a little emotional as I realized, he is learning how to be independent and responsible.

Then, there's Philip! This kid cracks me up. I like write down the funny things he says, and this one is great. He loves the word "Mimi" Here's how he uses it:

1. Mimi = Mailtrucks and UPS trucks. I don't quite get it but Jackson is the one who figured it out.
2. Mimi = anyone on the phone. If you ask who it is, he says Mimi
3. Mimi= Mimi (my mom). This is the most common use, but it is always followed by "Bap-Bap" (PopPop)

As in:
Me: Philip, it's Mimi. Can you say "Hi?"
Philip: Hi Mimi....where's Bap-Bap?

Or who is this - showing him a picture of Mimi?
Philip: Mimi Bap-Bap!

No matter what, he is ALWAYS smiling when he says it and believe me, he says it a lot! He loves his Mimi! (and Bap-Bap and Grammy and KD!)

And finally, I mentioned that every morning, Philip and Wesley have a little ritual. Wesley asks Philip if he had any dreams and he always answers Elmo.

One Tuesday, Philip came into where Jackson and Wesley were after his nap and Wesley asked him about his dreams. A conversation began between Philip and Jackson and here's the text I got concerning it: "Jackson just gave philip a 2 minute lesson of what dreams are because he was skeptical that he really dreamed about elmo every time."

Wesley said it was hilarious! Wish I could have been there for that one!

Oh No!

2012-01-19T11:12:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday, after the library, I had a little work I needed to do. I sat down at the computer, and Philip was playing behind me. All of a sudden, he said "Ni-Night." and left.

I thought it was weird, but let him go wonder. The only thing in the house I really worry about is Jackson's bunk bed, and I had already taken down the ladder to the top bunk.

After a few minutes, when he didn't come back, I went looking for him...and much to my alarm, here's where I found him!

AHHH!!! I calmed down (went and grabbed my camera) and wondered how he did that. As you can see in the picture below, he is sitting on the ladder! How did he get up there???

I helped him down and then asked him to get back up. I watched in AWE as he went to the side of the bed, and pulled himself up using his strengthen and these black rails.

I watched him do it three times and then put the ladder down. I had him go up and down it. Once I felt "comfortable" with his using the ladder, I made the decision that the ladder will stay down from now on. I would rather have him going up and down it then monkeying himself up the side. That can't be safe!

Oh man!!

Philip takes on Storytime

2012-01-19T11:03:00.001-05:00

I will be honest: sometimes after I drop Jackson off at school on Wedensdays, I look at Philip and wonder "What am I going to do with you for 4 hours!"

I have forgotten all the fun activities I did with Jackson when he was Philip's age! We used to go and go and these days, it seems like all I do with Philip is sit (not really, but it seems that way!)

So last week, I decided to make a change. I was really going to take advantage of the 4 hours I had alone with my Philip.

I looked up Story Times and found one on Wendesday mornings at a nearby library. We headed that way last Wednesday for a story time about Cats and Dogs and then yesterday for Hop!

Philip really enjoyed it! He was mesmerized by the stories and loved the little activities we did in between the stories. Last week, it was a color game. He guessed "blue" every time. Finally the last one was blue, and he was so excited when he got it right!

I forgot my camera but snapped a few with my phone (which had a dirty lens, sorry for the blur!)

I am really looking forward to this time with Philip!

He was so good and sat on his carpet square the entire time!
Can't say the same about the little girl in front of him!!!

Looking at the puppets after story time was over
(red shirt)

Checking out the puppets - Week 2
Green Shirt

Weekend Guests

2012-01-16T12:05:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, my good friend Erin e-mailed me saying she and her husband Daniel were heading to Atlanta for some shopping (go Ikea!). I was so excited to learn they would be around and quickly replied that they had to stay with us! Yay!

It had been way too long since we had been together and we had lots of catching up to do!!!

They came in Friday night and left early Monday. Every night we stayed up way too late talking and laughing! It was so good to be with Erin and Daniel.

They left little Elizabeth with Daniel's parents so I made them promise they would be back soon with her. I know Jackson, Philip and Elizabeth will be great friends! And...with little Benjamin on the way, soon there will be even more to love!

I love Erin and Daniel and I am so glad they were able to come stay!! Can't wait until next time!

Erin and Daniel
(and baby Benjamin coming REALLY soon!)

Trek Christmas Party

2012-01-08T11:16:00.000-05:00

For the past 18 months, we have helped out with the young profession class at our church. We have loved getting to know this group. Because of crazy schedules, we weren't able to have our Christmas party until the New Year. Amy and Hector hosted and I think everyone had a nice time.

I know Jackson did - he loved playing with Lucas and Ethan's new toys!

We have decided to take a break from the Trek class this year. While we have loved the group, we wanted to spend some time in a class instead of leading a class. We are really looking forward to this year's study "Seeking God"

Just Dance

2012-01-07T11:27:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about signing Jackson up for dance classes for awhile now. He seems to have great rhythm and he loves to dance along with me when I turn up the radio.

After much searching, I found a local place with an all-boys Hip-Hop class. Today was his first class. I was really excited about it because the price was great; it was close; and it was all boys.

He really enjoyed the class and did a great job. He loved it when his teacher taught him how to "pop it" Adorable! It was so much fun to watch these ten boys, hip hop around the floor.

Jackson - center, orange shorts

We were all set to sign him up until I realized I had misread the price of the class. The great price listed on the web was not the total cost of the class but the MONTHLY cost. Wow! Add to that recital and costume fees and for a 4-year-old little boy who really just likes to break it down with his Mommy, it was a little much!

When he gets a little older and starts begging to go back, we will look into it. For now, we will just turn up Kicks County when he wants to boogie!

UPDATE: It has been over two weeks since his first class, and he has yet to ask when he is going back. I think we made the right decision!

Odds and Ends

2011-12-31T19:49:00.000-05:00

Here are some random End-of-the-Year pictures from the last few days:

This kid loves him some basketball!

We decided to do a New Year's date swap with our friends Todd and Ashley. We watched their kids Thursday night and then Friday night, Ashley's mom watch all 4 kids so we could all go out! Whoo Hoo!
Thursday night, Philip and I went to the grocery store and when we returned, we learned of all the fun the kids had:

Super Hero Addie!
Wesley texted this picture to Todd and his response was: If Addie is wearing the Super Hero Costume, who is wearing her princess crown?

Answer: Flash!

Addie, Jackson and Tucker had so much fun in Jackson's playroom!

And then they all enjoyed the basketball game!

Lynne gave Philip this adorable UT sweatsuit. She knew it might be a tad too big for Philip, but no one knew it would fit Jackson so perfectly. Wesley took a picture to send her....

Philip felt left out so he posed for one as well!

Even with all the toys they got for Christmas, something was missing.
Jackson and I were walking through the Clearance Toy section of Target and he saw this McDonalds play set.
He "just had to have it!" It cost what Drubby gave him for Christmas so I told him he could use his Christmas money for it.
That kid was so excited. He carefully helped me put it in the cart and then held on as we walked through Target to the checkout counter!

He asked Wesley to take a picture of him making the hamburger!

Philip:

We don't understand, but his favorite expression is "B-O-B" He says it when he is counting or when he sees letters. We guess these are the only letters he knows and he loves to say them over and over again!
On occasion, he will impress both of us with what we can only assume he is learning in school. He has started singing Twinkle Twinkle and Jesus Loves Me. It is adorable!
Trucks = DaDas
Milk = Thirsty

Jackson:

His favorite word is "Dem" as in "'den' still have 'dem' lights up." (Most people would say "they still have their lights up.")
His memory and imagination still amazes us. We were at the park tonight and he said "Remember when we go to Mimi's and Mommy runs in the race. I am going to play that." He then runs in circles and makes us applaud as he nears the end!

Cell Phone Photos

2011-12-29T20:15:00.000-05:00

Every now and then, I go through my texts and realize there are some cute pictures on my phone I have forgotten to share. Here is a sampling of the recent pictures:

This was a meal at Disney World that Philip and I did not get to go to.
Jackson and Wesley were in 7th Heaven. Jackson with a chocolate cookie for dinner and Wesley with all-you-can-eat crab legs!

I get several pictures every Tuesday from Wesley while I am at work. Here are some cute ones along with their message:

"Have a great day at work Mommy"

When asked if he wanted to ride, Philip said "Noooo..nooo.no.no.no"

We mooched off the two girls who were paying to ride

Flash went over to Emily and Ryan's house for a Thanksgiving treat. At first, he didn't know what to do with a dog on the couch, but he quickly learned it was okay around Maddie!

"I'm not doing anything wrong!"

Last day of school 2011.
I had to work and Wesley had a last minute meeting so Jilli picked the boys up for us. They love it when Jilli comes to play!

For a Christmas treat, Jackson's Sunday school class made Rainbow Bread. Here he is showing off his creation.

Trains!

2011-12-28T19:22:00.000-05:00

Since most of the Bender crew arrived on Saturday, they all left on Tuesday morning. The four of us stayed until Wednesday. Jack and Lynne had taken the grandkids to see a train exhibit on Christmas Eve so Jack offered to take our boys Tuesday afternoon.

It was a beautiful display and I remembered all the train shows I went to growing up with my Papa. Papa is/was a huge train lover, and he would be so proud of his namesake. Jackson Drubby feel in love with the display and ran around looking over every detail until we had to pull him out and head home!

Gorgeous Display!

I guess Jackson is around too much University of Georgia things because once he saw this UT train, he went crazy. He started yelling "Grammy! Grammy! It's Tennessee!" (I should point out that one: Grammy wasn't even there. And Two: we were in Knoxville on the University of Tennessee campus! What did he expect?!)

KD and Philip

I was on Jackson duty and Wesley was on Philip duty. I had the camera and sadly didn't take any of Jackson. Wesley had his phone and captured the above pictures with it.

That being said, I did capture this picture of Philip about to climb over the guard rail while Jack and Wesley carried on a conversation!

Holiday time in Knoxville

2011-12-26T19:13:00.000-05:00

Wesley and I decided in 2009 that we wanted to spend Christmas morning at home in Cumming. We have enjoyed having Santa come to our house and relaxing with all the new toys!

This year, after our Cumming celebration, we headed to Knoxville to spend some time with the Benders. The rest of the family arrived at Jack and Lynne's on Saturday so they were anxiously awaiting our arrival and family present time!

As soon as we arrived, we sat down for a delicious Christmas feast! Thanks, Jack!!

Yay! A picture of us!

Hungry boy!

We have posed him for WAY TOO many pictures!

Cousins!
Jackson, Cole, Philip, Macey, Trent and Luke

KD and Macey

" I am so ready to open!"

Watching the dinosaur go around on his new puzzle.

Jackson LOVES his cousin, Cole!

Bender Family Present Time!

Working on the puzzle

The boys playing Wii...or something electronic! It's amazing how many games these kids can play!

2012 Christmas

2011-12-25T19:05:00.000-05:00

Christmas morning, Jackson was up bright and early. He came into our room around 4:30. Wesley took him back to bed and tried to get him to fall asleep, but we don't think he ever did! At 6:30, Wesley let him wake Philip and me up so we could see if Santa made an appearance at the Bender house.

Poor Philip - he did not want to be up so early and was not a happy camper!!!

Jackson, on the other hand, was ready to go!

Santa came!!

Jackson
On Jackson's list were a Publix truck and a yellow sports car & Santa delivered!

Philip
He asked for nothing this year, but Santa knew to get him a basketball goal for his room!

Santa even tried our milk and cookies

After the boys played with what Santa brought, we started into the large stash of presents under the tree!

Philip got a new chair.

Jackson and Philip got this basketball goal from Wesley and me to hang in the playroom.
Philip played on it all morning...

It was a hit!

Jackson got some "dress up" boy clothes.
A police man (with whistle), a construction worker outfit and a super hero cape.

Santa brought these Santa scissors to Jackson and he used them all morning to open every present!!

My mom got Wesley and Jackson Star Wars aprons and Star Wars spatulas....

Which they used to make dinner!

Poor Flashers. He watched the festivities from the window.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T18:53:00.000-05:00

Wesley and I are all about making traditions! We woke up this morning and Wesley said "Whatever we do today will become our Christmas Eve tradition."

So after much consideration, we decided to head to the Y for a Christmas Eve workout and then to Chick-fil-a for lunch. Nothing counteracts a sweaty workout better than waffle fries!

After lunch and naps, we all dressed up and headed to a Christmas Eve service. Our friends Ashely and Todd were going to Ashley's parents church for this service so we (along with the Hazlewoods) joined them. Ashely's dad played the drums (which Jackson found quite interesting) and her mom sang in the choir. It was a beautiful service.

After church, the four of us headed to Kate and Ben's for a Christmas Eve dinner. We did this two years ago and had plans to join them last year before the stomach flu hit. We enjoyed eating, playing and laughing together before heading home to wait for Santa!

Addie, Jackson and Tucker before the service began

They called the children down for a kid-friendly lesson.

The Bender Family

Happy Boy!

Seriously? How cute is he!

And Sam, too!!

Ms. Martha with our "Ms Martha!"
Kate's mom was down for the holiday and we enjoyed speeding time with her too!

After Ben and Kate's, we rushed home to read "Twas the Night Before Christmas."
The first picture I took was better, but Jackson wanted Blankie and Patches to be in it so we had a retake!

Jacksonisms

2011-12-21T21:16:00.003-05:00

Story #1 - Every morning, Wesley asks the boys if they had any dreams last night. Side Note: Every morning, Philip responds that he didn't have any dreams but when Wesley says "What did you dream about?" He always responds "Mel-Mo" It's really cute.

Well, one morning, he asked Jackson and Jackson said "Yes, and I just had one yucky dream." Wesley was a little concerned and asked Jackson to tell him about his yucky dream.

Jackson's reply: It was about pigs in mud!

Story #2 - Wesley broke down and bought the new I-Phone. It has a neat personal assistant feature called/named Siri. You can tell Siri to do pretty much anything, and she will. Tell Siri to call someone, and she dials for you. She will even text or e-mail what you say.

Right after Wesley purchased it, he, Jackson and Philip were in the car. He needed to get a message to one of his co-workers so he told Siri, "Text Alverez and tell him I am headed to the Y."

Siri's reply to Wesley: "ok Wesley."

Jackson's response to Wesley: "Who was that girl and how did she know your name!"

Preschool Christmas Party

2011-12-21T07:14:00.000-05:00

Today was our preschool Christmas party at church. I put it together and I think the kids had a lot of fun. We had crafts, coloring, cookie decorating, and a lot of running around playing!!

It was fun to celebrate with friends from church and some from our preschool too!

Craft Table

Philip about to color...or really just dump the crayons out over and over and over again!

Caroline and Jackson
Caroline is a friend from Jackson's preschool

Kim and Matthew
Caroline's mom and brother

Kerek and Asa
From Jackson's preschool

Dena and Justin

Emerson, Cammie, Brooke and Addison

Cammie and Baby Haven

Lindsey, Ashley and Haven

Michelle and Riley

Matthew and Jackson

Philip

Deb and Noah

Katey and Alayna

Riley and her cookie

Carter

Jackson did a great job with his cookie!

Shepherd

Philip - what a mess! He got into the markers!!

But still looked cute!

The Daniel Family

2011-12-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a day of emotional get togethers as we said "Til Next Time" to the Daniel Family.

Katey, Kate, Ashley and I organized a little chili lunch after church to honor Todd, Priscilla, Addison and Tru. A good crowd stayed after church to eat and share memories of the past 7 years at Grace Chapel with the Daniels.

No, we didn't plan this but how cute!
Our green Christmas boys!

Jackson and Tucker

Audrey and her mini-me (Evelyn)

Lydia, Addie and Addison

The Doty and Butler family

The Latsons and Johnsons

Angie and David Wilson

Olivia and Sierra

Tanner and Tristan

The Burks

Jack

Allison and Chuck

Todd and Tru

Addison and Priscilla

Todd did a great job telling the Daniels "Bye...for now!" from their church family.

Sam

Cammie

Riley and Lindsay

Cory and Ashley

Then last night, Kate, Katey, Ashley and I took Priscilla out to dinner to toast her and her friendship once again. We dined at the Melting Pot for FIVE hours!! It was a fabulous time. These four girls mean the world to me, and we aren't going to be complete without Priscilla! We will all miss her sooo much but it just means more time spent planning weekend get togethers!

Melting Pot
December 2011

Breakfast with Santa at the YMCA

2011-12-17T13:46:00.000-05:00

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I love Christmasand I really love seeing Santa! We took the boys to a breakfast with Santa in early Novemberand it went okay. I considered it our test-run for the “real deal.”

Some places claim to have the real Santa, but somehow the ForsythCounty YMCA secures THE man every year. Usually, they do a Meet-N-Greet withSanta during the week, but this year, they opted for a breakfast and it wasawesome!

We signed up for the 9:25 time slot with Santa. Both boyswere apprehensive but Santa slowly coaxed them into a picture with me and thenJackson was hooked. He and Santa bonded over what Jackson wanted for Christmasand a shared love of the Christmas elves.

After meeting Santa, we enjoyed breakfast, arts &crafts, and face painting. It was a fun morning!

Jackson and his friend, Addison!

Jackson made a sand art creation to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Jackson and his friend, Matthew.

Philip just played in the sand.

He opted to make three ornaments

Cheese!

Philip also played in the water fountain. It was so cute because no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the water to stay on long enough for him to get a drink!

My sweet Christmas Boys!

Jackson caught a glimpse of Santa who was taking a fresh-air break!

Can you tell who Philip takes after in the hair department?!

Always so curious!

Elf on the Shelf

2011-12-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

Elf and Green Elf have returned! They arrived on December 1 and have faithfully appeared through out the house every morning.

They have been quite busy this year even finding Jackson and Philip in Nashville when we visited up there! They are smart little elves!

Here are a few pictures of their adventures:

Jackson and Elf
Yes, his name has changed...last year he was Shelf and now, he is Elf.

Philip and Green Elf

Elf and Green Elf playing basketball!

Jackson's Christmas Program

2011-12-15T15:24:00.000-05:00

Tonight was Jackson's Christmas program at school. He has been practicing for weeks at school. Every now and then, we would hear him practicing in his room but really, we had no idea what to expect tonight. He was keeping it a secret!

About 30 4-year olds performed Christmas songs for 30 minutes. They did so well singing classic carols, new Christmas tunes and even a few Spanish numbers!

Mrs. Pam's class is on the Right.
Jackson is the last little boy on the front row.

His friend, Lydia

Ending the night with Jingle Bells

Mrs. Pam and Jackson

Mommy and Jackson

Life around the house...

2011-12-14T10:37:00.000-05:00

I seem to always have a few pictures that don't fit into any particular event but just showcase what life is like around the Bender house. I have collected a few of recent happenings...

While Mommy's at work, the sharpies come out to play!!!

Helping Wesley with Operation Christmas Child

Helping Wesley at the Forsyth Hospital's Festival of Lights

Spaghetti Dinner - what a belly!

Sleep Over

Santa showed up at church one night! What a surprise!
Jackson wouldn't go near him and Philip was not a fan!

Helping Wesley build a shelf for his "garage attic"

His room keeps getting cooler!

Philip joining the fun of a new movie room!

Sometimes it is fun to play in Flash's house!

Playing on the couch with the I-pod

Christmas Brunch

2011-12-12T15:29:00.000-05:00

For the past five years, Wesley has traveled to Tennessee to speak at his friend Michael's winter retreat. We usually tag along for the free ride and get dropped off with my parents. This year, Wesley dropped us off and the fun started immediately!

Susan was on her way with her 4 for a sleep over! Mom and Dad watched all 6 kids while I went out to Franklin to help Susan get her house ready for a showing (Sadly, it didn't sell, but it looked good! And it was fun to spend the night with Susan...even if we were cleaning!)

Saturday, after an eventful night consisting of Bekah getting sick and Philip and Jackson waking up at 5, my mom, Jackson, Philip and I went to Cary's house for a Christmas brunch. We had a nice time but missed Susan, Benjamin and Rebekah who had to stay back because of the illness and Joshua, Caleb and Dad who missed because of a basketball game. (Tim missed because he was flying back from Australia!)

The 5 am wake up call caught up to Philip who cashed out as soon as he got there!

Baby Robert also slept through most of the brunch, but I did catch him once with his beautiful eyes open!

The "mid-adult" table
Not the kiddy table and not the "real adult" table!
David, Cary, Sally, Jay, Bridgette, Robert, Claire, Ryan and Emily

Jesse missed the group shot so I made him smile for a solo picture!

Part of the kid crew
Jackson, Margaret and Caroline

Mom with Baby Robert and Annie

Uncle Ryan was such a help playing with Jackson outside in the little house!
He was watching Philip, but well, on his watch, Philip feel and busted his nose so he relieved himself of Philip Duty :-)

Anne Claire

We tried for a good shot but with 6 kids it wasn't quite successful...that and Margaret was just not having it!

Jackson, Anne Claire, Philip, Caroline (holding Robert) and Margaret.

Here they all are looking over at Margaret!

I love Philip's look - he doesn't know what to do with a crying baby!

Jackson decided to entertain by singing to Anne Claire and Philip!

Cookie Decorating!

2011-12-12T15:27:00.000-05:00

Jackson's friend Ryan invited us over this morning to make Christmas cookies. The boys ended up decorating one cookie each, and then were off to explore the new toys at Ryan's house. I took over for them and really enjoyed decorating some cookies.

Thanks, Ryan, Jake and Lisa, for a fun-filled morning!

Before the icing came out!

Jackson

Ryan

Jake and Philip

Jake

Philip
He didn't want to get his hands dirty so he just licked the icing off his cookie!

I had way too much fun with the icing!!!

Mustache

2011-12-11T21:40:00.000-05:00

Wesley has been growing a beard for several weeks. He knew I wasn't a fan so a shave was coming soon. I thought it would be funny if he tried a mustache for a few days. Jack has a mustache and I thought it would be fun to see how he looked with one.

Well... he tried it, but it only lasted a couple of hours. Why? It looked okay when he smiled, but without a smile, it looked a little creepy. And then, when he took his glasses off and didn't smile, he looked like he belonged on a Most Wanted Poster!

Ashley

2011-12-08T07:28:00.000-05:00

My friend Ashley works with financial development for Vanderbilt University. One of her territories is Atlanta! Yay for us!! Every time she comes to meet with someone, she calls us up too!

This week, we had things going on in Cumming so she graciously agreed to travel north for dinner at the Benders. We ate dinner and then took Jackson to Awana. He was so proud to show off his school to Ms. Ashley. He gave her a complete tour and Ashley was so patient with him!

While Jackson was at Awana, she and I went to Starbucks for some quiet conversation. So nice!

Thanks for the visit, Ash! Next time, your place! Can't wait to see your new home!

Menchie's

2011-12-02T11:20:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I was craving some ice cream so I asked Jackson if he wanted to go out with me. We headed over to Menchies, a new favorite!

We had some delicious ice cream and while we were there, we decided to play a game. I taught Jackson how to play Uno. It was so much fun and he was really good at it!

Trip to Northpoint Mall

2011-12-02T09:32:00.000-05:00

We woke up this morning with plans to go downtown to ride the Pink Pig. We changed plans at the last minute and instead decided to join Priscilla and Kate (plus kiddos) at the Northpoint Mall. We had a relaxing time eating lunch, riding the train and carousel, and a quick Santa visit (no pictures to share of this adventure!)

Jack and Philip

Jackson, Sam and Addison

Jackson - riding the carousel all by himself!
Well, I was right behind him holding Philip on his horse but he was so happy to not have someone right beside him!

Kate and Jack

Cutie Pie Sam

There was a band preparing to play in the mall. The kids were fascinated by the instruments so the bass clarinet player brought his instrument down for the kids to get an up-close look!

Kate braved the train with the kids!

Addison and Jackson

Sam, Kate and Tru

Jackson and Philip

Let's go to the Movies!

2011-12-01T16:15:00.000-05:00

Wesley is putting together a YMCA event at a new movie theater in town. As a thank you for planning the event, the manager gave him several movie tickets. Wesley is not one to hold onto free passes, so he quickly planned some outings.

This theater is great because not only can you watch a movie in the theater, but you can order dinner too!

The first movie experience was Puss N Boots with Sam and Ben. Wesley said the movie was really cute and Jackson seemed to like it too.

What in the world Jackson?
Are you too cool for school?

The next movie was The Muppets. We all four ventured out for this one. Jackson and Philip did not enjoy it nearly as much as Wesley and I did. We thought it was hilarious! Two thumbs up!

Placing our order

Philip really didn't know what to think of his first movie experience.

O Christmas Tree

2011-11-28T10:26:00.000-05:00

We put up the tree tonight. Jackson did most of the work and he did a great job. He got out his white step stool and put all his ornaments up where Philip couldn't reach them! It's not a perfectly decorated tree but it is our perfect tree!

Jackson was so proud of his work - and so was I!

Jackson even got to put the star on the top!

Elmo for Philip

Storm Trooper for Jackson

Taking a closer look from under the tree

We didn't put up many other decorations, but I did spruce up my wreath with a canvas Kate made for me!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T23:08:00.000-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Nashville again this year. I wanted to run in the Boulevard Bolt with Emily and Ryan so we decided on a Christmas visit to Knoxville and Thanksgiving in Nashville.

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and enjoyed dinner at my mom's Wednesday night. Philip really enjoyed the whipped cream for dessert!

He didn't want to miss a bit of it!

Thursday morning, Emily, Ryan, Anna (Ryan's sister) and I participated in the 5-mile Boulevard Bolt. Our goal was to run it in under an hour and we did! We completed the 5 miles in 58 minutes and 51 seconds. Yay us!

Thanksgiving afternoon, the whole gang came over. Philip settled in next to Tim and explored his I-Phone!

Emily, Ryan, Wesley and I did some Black-Friday shopping. We didn't stay up late or get up early, but got out mid-morning and had success in every store!

We enjoyed some great deals at Sears!

Real men have pink tools.

Friday afternoon, we had a photo shoot for Mom and Dad's Christmas card:

First, Philip and Jackson helped me find the perfect lighting.

No photo opt is complete without the funny picture!

We spent most of the weekend inside playing games or outside on the "4-wheelers"

All the kids joined Tim's I-Phone playing on Saturday!!

I couldn't find another boy helmet so he had to use Bekah's.
Nothing goes better with dinosaur pjs than a pink helmet!

Saturday afternoon, we walked up to a playground near my parents' house. Wesley, Philip, Flash and I rode back home, but Jackson walked back with Pop Pop.

We decided to leave late Saturday night in hopes that the kids would sleep and we would miss the traffic. Both boys were sacked out by the time we reached the interstate. Philip didn't stay asleep for long but it was a relatively peaceful ride home.

Friends-giving

2011-11-20T22:05:00.000-05:00

Tonight was our third annual Friends-giving at Kate and Ben's. We grow in numbers every year -- we are now up to 20! It is a fun night filled with great food and many, many laughs!

I got to cook the turkey again this year! It is so much fun to experiment with different ways to season a turkey!

Before Wesley carved it, Jackson ran upstairs and found his turkey from his kitchen.
He thought it was neat we both had a turkey.

Kate is the perfect hostess!
Girls' Table

Boys' Table

Just a small sampling of the feast we had! YUMMY!

Top Table - Addie, Alayna, Addison and Sam
Bottom Table -- Jackson, Tucker and Philip
Highchair - Isabelle
MIA: Tru

The kids stayed seated for maybe 5 minutes this year and then they were off to play downstairs!

Best Buds - Jackson and Tucker

Philip didn't like being left out of that shot!

The After-Dinner entertainment was Mr. Todd who became a human jungle gym and story reader!

Philip and Addie and Mr. Todd

LOVE THESE GIRLS!
Leanne, Ashley, Katey, Priscilla and Kate

YMCA Holiday Party

2011-11-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the Holiday party at the Alpharetta YMCA. Every year, the teens collect supplies for Operation Christmas Child and then come together at the Teen Center to pack boxes. This year, there was a great crowd!

During the program, Jackson enjoyed being down with his dad and Philip enjoyed watching from above.

Then Philip made a new friend. He was smitten by her, but she was not as impressed by him!

Philip and Layla (Ziggy and Darcy's new baby)

Christmas with Patricia

2011-11-18T09:49:00.000-05:00

We had a Christmas celebration with Patricia today. The boys were - of course- spoiled rotten by her! She is so talented and shares her talent with Jackson and Philip. Check out what she made for them!

Philip was fascinated by the pictures of Patricia's dogs on her camera!

Laura and her boys

2011-11-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

Laura was in town with Seth for a work conference and called us up for a visit. She, like me, prefers a house setting rather than a restaurant so after I dropped Jackson off at preschool, she and the boys met us at the house.

I hated that Jackson missed the party, but Philip cashed in playing with Cody and Ford. These boys are so much fun! Can't wait until the play dates include a beautiful little girl -- Laura is due with #3 in January!

Ford, Philip, and Cody

Pappadeaux

2011-11-14T16:29:00.000-05:00

Sometimes everything aligns and we have a perfect night out!

Wesley was given a generous gift card to Pappadeaux and free babysitting! We were so excited about this super fancy dinner out and it did not disappoint. We could order what ever we wanted so I dined on Fillet Mignon (Oscar style) and a lobster tail. Wesley had some shrimp, lobster and then some stuffed something that was delicious!!

Leanne' feast

Wesley's feast

Yummy!

Yummy!!

Yes, we are that couple that takes pictures where ever we go!

Christmas Village

2011-11-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

For the past 30+ years, my mom has gone to Christmas Village. This was her first year without Mimi. I knew it was going to be a difficult time for her and really for all of us as it was the beginning of a few rough weeks: Mimi's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas celebrations, and then the anniversary of her passing.

Wesley and I worked it out for me to travel up to Nashville by myself for a little Jablonski Family time. Thursday evening, we went to Christmas Village. Mom stayed for a little while but it was more emotional than she thought. Emily, Susan, Erika (Susan's friend who becomes a Jablonski every Christmas village!) and I shopped around for several hours. We then attempted to go to dinner but everywhere we went - Wendy's, Taco Bell, McDonalds, Mexican - was closed! We finally settled for Sonic but really it turned out to be a yummy, fun dinner!

Friday, Emily and I did a 5-mile test run for the Boulevard Bolt. She was able to run the entire 5 miles. I had to stop several times - Brentwood is really hilly! That evening, Susan, Emily, Mom and I went out to Bonefish Grille.

Friday was Mimi's birthday and we thought what better way to celebrate than by going out as Mother and Daughters. Mimi always wanted us to spend as much time as we could with Mom and so I know she was happy seeing us celebrate her birthday together!

Saturday, Mom, Dad, and I went back to Christmas Village for a little extra shopping and then out to Susan's for dinner.

I missed Jackson, Philip and Wesley but it was nice to be able to spend time with my Mom, Dad and sisters without having to worry about my two little ones running around! Maybe this will become a yearly tradition!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall.

2011-11-09T10:49:00.002-05:00

We take for granted that we know what the image staring back at us in a mirror really is. A 21-month month old, does not know and can't comprehend a reflection.

Thanks to some good timing and a great camera, I was able to capture the awe of Philip's first encounter with himself....

Future Face Painter?

2011-11-07T10:52:00.000-05:00

I got a series of e-mails from Wesley Monday while I was at work. Seems Jackson wanted to recreate the fun he had at the YMCA Fall Fest with his DaDa and Philip:

Wesley said he "ordered" the Transformer BumbleBee!

Then it was Jackson's turn!

Fall Fest

2011-11-05T10:43:00.000-04:00

After breakfast, we went home, changed clothes and headed to the Y for Fall Fest! The new director of the Play Center is amazing and she always has fun activities planned for the kids and families.

Today, we enjoyed lunch, face painting, hair dying, the bouncy house and crafts:

Philip was all about the Orange Hair Dye!

Jackson was more into the face painting:

And then, decided to complete his look with Green and Blue hair!

Fall Pictures

2011-11-05T10:34:00.000-04:00

It was a gorgeous Saturday morning so after our Santa visit, we let the boys run around in the church yard. The colors and lighting were so perfect, I started snapping and I am so excited at what I captured!

Playing Football!

Breakfast with Santa

2011-11-05T10:31:00.000-04:00

Though it seemed really early, when a local church announced they were hosting Breakfast With Santa, I signed us up. I figured at Philip's age, the more times we can socialize with Santa, the better the chances of getting at least one good picture. It was a nice event filled with Pancakes, chocolate milk, crafts, and a Santa visit.

Jackson working on his pancake creation

A holiday mouse to go along with the Christmas Story that was read.

Wesley helping Philip build his breakfast.

Santa enters the room -- and Philip is not a fan!

After breakfast, we headed to the Family Life Center for crafts and our Santa visit.

Jackson enjoyed making his crafts which consisted of a Thanksgiving Turkey and Reindeer Food.

Philip just wanted to point at the Basketball Goal!

And show the goal to anyone who would look!

He was not interested in seeing Santa!

But we tried!

Merry Christmas, Jackson!

And enjoy the Candy Cane, Philip!

Jackson's First Conference

2011-11-03T10:52:00.000-04:00

I went today to see Mrs. Pam for a Parent/Teacher conference. I took some paper in case I needed to make some notes, but she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know!

Seems Jackson is perfect! Except he loves to dottle with his school work, eating, and well, pretty much everything else. Wesley says he gets that from me! Whoops!

I snapped a few pictures of Jackson while I was there - he was the line leader today!

Leading the group back to the classroom from the playground

Jackson in the line leader vest.

Getting to work!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T14:57:00.000-04:00

I love Halloween! And I loved it even more this year since Jackson was into it! Over the past years, he has not wanted anything to do with the costumes but from Day one he said he wanted to be a StormTrooper. I even had a back-up plan in place because I didn't think he would wear his costume, but I was wrong! He wore it all night long and loved it!

Wesley and I started a family tradition before kids that we would have croissant dogs on Halloween and open our house to anyone who wanted to celebrate together. This year, we had quite a crowd.

All the kids had a blast together. It was so cute to watch them get excited about the costumes, candy, and Trick-or-Treating...or as Jackson calls it "Tucker Treating!"

Our salute to Star Wars
R2-D2 (Philip), Anakin (Tucker), Darth Vader (Todd),
Princess Leia (Addie), Storm Trooper (Jackson), Yoda (Flashers)

R2-D2

Anakin, Leia, and our Storm Trooper

Yoda

Our Halloween Family

Howard Family

Attempt to get all the kids

I took this one from the side - I am hoping to find who took it from the front view because it has to be adorable with Philip leaning over and Alayna and Sam laughing!

Jack and Philip

Tucker and Jackson

Philip found his LOVE for Candy!

At a door waiting for candy!

Waiting at another door...see the pink balloon in both pictures? One of our neighbors gave it out to all the girls and gave the boys MatchBox Cars...definitely a crowd-favorite!

Towards the end, R2-D2 figured out what has happening outside the wagon and started making the break to the doors!

Mrs. Kate, Tucker, and Jackson going out for Round 2!

For Round 2, we left the little ones at home (and Sam) at home
Tucker, Jackson, Alayna, and Addie

Back at the house, the adults had some fun while the kids sugared-up!
Wesley, Todd, Kate, Ben, and Ashley

Love these girls!
Ashley, Katey, Leanne and Kate...
And, the pink balloon!

Oh...all that's right in the world is in these Pumpkin Whoopee Pies!
Thank you, Kate, for brining these yummy treats!

I was so excited to use my new beverage container! Thanks, Wesley for making all the tea!

Breakfast with DaDa

2011-10-29T06:50:00.000-04:00

I received an e-mail from Wesley with a picture of his breakfast with Jackson. How creative! A full Darth Vader pancake!

Cagle Dairy Farm

2011-10-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

Today was Jackson's first field trip of the year. Philip and I were joining him and I was looking forward to a fun morning. Things didn't start off so wonderful though...

First off, Philip and I had a major disagreement. It centered around the fact that I wanted him to wear clothes and he didn't. I was worried we were going to miss the carpool and since I had no idea where we were going, I had to get to school to get the directions. So...I let Philip win the battle and I threw him into the car with just his diaper on.

I pulled up to the school and asked for directions. Then, to Jackson's sadness, we left the school and told the group we would meet them there. We went back home (thankfully, we live 2 minutes from the school) and I got clothes on the beast...I mean Philip :-)

I put both boys in the car and took a few deep breathes. Then I prayed. When Jackson asked why I was talking to God, I said "Jackson, sometimes Mommies can't do it all but God can! I need His help today!" Thank You for answered prayers! The rest of the morning was filled with much more peace!

The only remaining hiccup was trying to explain to Jackson that we weren't going to a pumpkin patch. It was my fault. I should have realized from the name - Cagle Dairy Farm - that we were heading to a farm, but I mistakenly told Jackson it was a pumpkin patch. I cleared up my mistake when we arrived at Cagle's but all day, he kept asking where the pumpkins were! Whoops!

Here are some pictures from the Field Trip:

Getting ready for the Hay Ride

My Big Boy!

They looked so cute in their matching Halloween shirts.
Jackson was supposed to be in his Field Trip shirt, but well, I forgot!

Jackson and his buddy,Justin
Justin lives in our neighborhood and is in Awana with Jackson. They have become big buddies!

Here we are stopped on the hayride for the Cow Herding demonstration.
The young man (you can see his head) has just sent his dog out to round up the cows...

Oh look! There's a cow (the brown speck in the distance). Wonder where he will go...

Oh! He's coming our way...

And bringing some some of his friends...

RIGHT UP NEXT TO THE WAGON!
So Jackson was cool with this but Philip was not. At this moment, he was screaming in my arms. Since we were on a hayride with 15 HUGE cows right beside us, I had no choice but to let him scream, hold him tight, and take a picture of Jackson!
Afterwards, someone commented: I guess Philip won't be a farmer!

Hilarious! This is his first pair of real jeans and he LOVES them!

Allison and Lydia

This farmer was explaining how they milk cows to the kids. They really weren't interested!

Philip started playing in the rocks - the highlight of his day!

Isaac, Justin, Barnes, Collin, John, and Jackson
Mrs. Pam's class - all boys!

YAY!! A good shot of my boys!

Riding the tractor.

Playing on the bouncy floor thingy.

2011 - Lydia, Philip, and Jackson

2010 - Lydia, Jackson and Philip
What a difference a year makes!

Athens

2011-10-21T15:50:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we packed up for yet another road trip. This time, Wesley, Philip, Jackson and I headed to Athens, GA to visit some former YMCA teens at the University of Georgia. The main reason for the trip was dinner, but we got up there early so we could spend some time with "Miss Nutha!"

Minutha planned a fabulous afternoon for the boys - a local zoo, pumpkin patch, frozen yogurt, and Toy Story 3 at her apartment. It was a great trip!

Now, the pizza dinner wasn't all that fabulous for the boys and me. 7:00 in a strange place with 2 hungry, tired boys doesn't make for a pretty scene. So, I left early and crashed out with Jackson, Philip, and Minutha's puppy, Kota. We enjoyed ourselves and from the talk, Wesley and the teens did too!

Jackson and his biggest fan - Miss Nutha

My little bears
Philip and Jackson

Minutha and Jackson

Wesley and I had to pose as well!

Jackson LOVED this free little community zoo. It was a little disturbing to me because the animals weren't as locked-down as they are at the Atlanta Zoo, but we all came out alive!

Jackson watching the Black Bears

Philip watching the bears

Now, this was cool! Right in front of us this bear stood up and started scratching his back!!! It was so neat!

Looking at the eagles

Beautiful

Bobcats

Bender Family at the Pumpkin Patch!

Minutha and her baby, Kota!

Dinner with Uncle Melvin

2011-10-19T15:25:00.000-04:00

Uncle Melvin came for our annual fall visit. I love it when he comes to our home! The boys loving seeing him as do Wesley and I. Tonight, we had a nice dinner provided by Wesley. Since I work on Tuesdays, he was in charge of preparing the meal and it was delicious!

Thanks, Uncle Melvin for making the 90 minute trek up to see us tonight!

Philip climbed right up and took a spot in Uncle Melvin's lap.

Uncle Melvin tried to tell Philip who each character was, but had a little trouble with some of the less-obvious ones. Luckily though, he knew Philip's favorite - Elmo!

Getting ready for dinner

Road Trip!

2011-10-18T23:10:00.000-04:00

This week is Joshua and Caleb's Fall Break. Susan and I were hoping for a week-long visit here in Cumming but because of this, that and the other, we decided on a Road Trip to Chattanooga.

Joshua and Caleb really wanted to visit the aquarium so we met up there. What a perfect meeting spot! All the kids had fun and because of all the distractions (aka fish!), Susan and I were able to catch up a little too!

With 6 kids, we couldn't get a perfect picture, but well with 6 kids, we are happy to at least get a picture!

Bekah, Caleb, Jackson and Joshua in the Ocean Exhibit

Benjamin, Jackson, Philip, Bekah, Caleb, and Joshua with the penguins!

Philip

Joshua

Jackson

Joshua, Jackson, Bekah, and Philip checking out the diving penguins

Locked in a shark cage!

The kids enjoyed the aquarium but loved playing all the structures outside just as much!

Hanging out with the piranhas

Looking at the sturgeons

Sweet cousins
Joshua and Philip

Notice the man on the left telling the kids about the sturgeons...Joshua, Caleb, and Bekah were very interested and wanted to touch them...

Jackson just wanted to watch him with the microphone and hope for a chance to use it!

The Lloyd crew!
Caleb, Benjamin, Susan, Rebekah and Joshua

Look at the size of this real turtle! It was HUGE!

So was this one - but it wasn't real.

Attempt #1 at a group shot
Leanne, Philip, Susan, Benjamin, Caleb, Rebekah, Jackson and Joshua

Attempt #2

Mommy and her boys!

Bekah
I don't know what she was doing here but it is so funny!

Jackson

Caleb

Joshua

Benjamin

Philip

Philip wasn't happy the day had to end...
But have no fear, we got a Membership so we can meet up again!!!

Tailgating Party!

2011-10-15T16:23:00.000-04:00

Kate is so creative. She is always thinking up fun things for us to do and today was no exception. She organized a Tailgating party for our class at church. What a great idea!

It was a beautiful day and everyone came decked out in school colors. It was nice that the majority of the folks had on Orange and White!

Fun times with the families at Grace Chapel!

Kristi, Ashley, Kate and Leanne

Wesley and his boys!

Wesley showing Jackson, Philip and Sam how to hold the football for the kick-off

When they got bored of football, they played some baseball

Playing the tree house!

Jackson and Mommy

Philip in his #1 jersey

Wesley made up a game with the little boys.
I think we had 11 boys and 2 girls at the party!

Philip and his PB&J

Jack loved that balloon!

Wyatt family photo
10 more days until Baby Girl Wyatt joins us!

We're going to the Zoo!

2011-10-14T15:56:00.000-04:00

We traveled to the Zoo today with our friends Lisa, Ryan, and Jake. We had such a great time. It was the PERFECT zoo weather - Perfect! The boys had fun and I enjoyed spending the day with Lisa.

Jackson has an amazing memory and before we arrived at the zoo, he was talking about seeing the zebras, giraffes, and ostriches. I had no idea they were all in the same exhibit but he did! He loved seeing these beautiful animals.

We were also able to see the baby giraffes, pandas, baby tiger cubs, lions and bears (oh my!)

Jackson did not want to stop to smile - he just wanted to go!

Philip spent most of the day in the stroller but at the Petting Zoo...actually, it is now called the Contact Area...he got out and ran around. Doesn't he look like such a big boy?!

I don't know what got into Jackson. He won't even get this close to Flashers but he was all about petting the goats!

So this is a bad picture, but I had to include it. The goat in the background (and below with Ryan) went crazy for a moment and scared Philip (and me!) He was so attached to my hip after that incident that I didn't even have to hold him! His legs were VERY secure around my hip!!!

The goat didn't bother Ryan - he actually followed him around the fence stopping only to...

Let him pose with the UT hat!

Ryan and Jackson and that crazy goat

Cute Family!
Jake, Lisa, and Ryan

Ryan and Jackson got the best seat on the train - the caboose!

Smile!

Philip enjoying the drums on the awesome zoo playground!

Driving the bus

Date Night at the Fair!

2011-10-11T17:54:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago, I opened the Up In Cumming magazine to see that Joe Nichols would be performing at the Cumming Fair. I sent Wesley's a e-mail saying that I was going to the concert and if he wanted to get a sitter, he could join me!

He did want to join me so we hired a sitter for a Cumming Fair Date Night.

I love Joe Nichols and was so excited to see him! I guess a little too excited as I had CJ come at 6:00 to make sure we got to the Fair (which is 3 minutes from our house) for an 8:00 concert!

When we got the Fair, we walked up to the Kicks 101.5 booth. I started up a conversation with the girl behind the tent. Sari Rose, the lunchtime DJ, walked out from behind the tent and leaned over to us. What she said next, cracked us up!

She looked at us and said: "Are y'all from around here?"
Wesley: "Yes, about 5 minutes down the street."
Sari: "Well, no offense, but you sure don't look like Cumming."

What?

We then looked around and everything that screams small-town North Georgia was around us! We had overalls, pjs, skin tight jeans, big hair... We really looked a little out of place!

It was quite funny. One because to us, Cumming is not that. And secondly, it's funny to know what others in the Atlanta area think about our small town!

Then she had a nice laugh when she found out we got a sitter to go to the FAIR! I guess not many think of the County Fair as a night out, but well, we live in Cumming :-)

We walked around the midway and had to smile as see saw all the different folks out. It was a blast!

We made our way back to the Pavilion and took our seat for the FABULOUS show! Joe performed all of his best songs for over an hour and half! It was wonderful!

Not only was the concert great, but it was so much great to spend time with Wesley. We have so much fun together and I love him so much!

Random Photos

2011-10-10T16:51:00.000-04:00

Miss Morgan: Over the past several weeks, our neighbor has been coming over every Monday & Thursday night to play. Jackson and Philip LOVE Miss Morgan! She gets out in the backyard and they can play for hours.

Wesley and I love Miss Morgan too because when she comes over, we can actually stay inside and get some things done...or on more than one occasion, read a magazine!

Philip, Miss Morgan, and Jackson

Playing Disney World in the dirt

Playing Disney World inside.
Here they are driving the monorail.

Mommy had to get on the monorail and get a "card"

My little angel!

And My Little Love Bug!

I know he will kill me one day for posting this picture but for now, I will chuckle and enjoy!
Here's Jackson wearing his Awana Cubbie mask in his pjs and my boots!
You should have seen him dancing in this get-up! Too funny!

And speaking of Dancing - I learned of a new dance class for boys in Cumming. I thought it would be perfect for Jackson so I asked him if he wanted to take dance lessons.
His first response: "Mommy, I know how to dance!"
Me: No, Jackson, do you want to be in a dance class?
Second Response: "No, Mommy, I just want to dance when I want to dance!"

For our Disney trip, we borrowed bikes from my friend Priscilla. Before we returned them, Wesley decided to take advantage of this free mode of transportation and took the boys for Pizza! I was going out on a Girl's Night Out and he, Philip, and Jackson rode up to CiCi's!

Sunday Morning Pancake Breakfast

They started construction on the lot next to the boys' preschool. One afternoon, we pulled over in the parking lot and watched the Giant Excavator work!

While Wesley and Philip were away, I painted our hall bathroom. Ever since I saw this beautiful purple color in my cousin Lynn's bathroom, I knew I wanted to use it in our house.

Our new purple hall bathroom!

I've seen it all...

2011-10-04T16:26:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to post a picture of what Philip came home from church with one day... I guess there is more than one way to spell Mr. Philip's name!

Happy Birthday, Tucker!

2011-10-01T16:37:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Tucker's 5th Birthday today. I can't believe it has been 5 years since this beautiful little boy entered our lives! Happy Birthday, Tucker!

The Howard clan...and Jackson!
I could not get that child to move and finally gave up and snapped a photo!

Sam

Lydia

Jackson was loving life when he found Guitar Hero at the party.

Being bashful before...

Putting on a show!

INK Children's Museum

2011-09-30T17:33:00.000-04:00

I heard of a Children's Museum in Gainesville, and I knew I had to take Jackson. It reminded me of the Hands On Museum my sisters and I went to when we visited our grandparents in Johnson City.

INK is an interactive Museum where children can role play and learn in make-believe set-ups (bank, post office, supermarket, diner, etc). It's all about Imagination and that's Jackson!

I knew he would love it and I wanted to go when it could just be him and me. I didn't want to have any distractions so no Philip, no Daddy, just Mommy!

Wesley was traveling to Knoxville for a work retreat and offered to take Philip with him.(Thanks, Lynne, for watching Philip for us!!!)

We packed up and headed to Gainesville at 9:00 Friday morning. We arrived at opening and Jackson's face lit up with excitement like I knew it would.

He ran all around the exhibits and settled in the diner where he played and played!

Making Pizza

Getting me a Diet Coke

Working it behind the counter

He put the hat on for a few minutes and then took it off when some other kids came into the diner to play.

Playing Pilot

Shopping in the Grocery Store

There was a school group at the museum and once they decided to play where Jackson was, I decided it was time for lunch. If we could grab an early lunch, when we came back in, the school group would be eating and leaving.

We went out to the car to grab our lunch boxes and I decided to move the car to a new parking space. I put the key in and...the car wouldn't start!

It wasn't just that it wouldn't start, but I couldn't even get the key to turn. I called Wesley (what he could do in Knoxville, I didn't know, but I called him anyway!)

He told me some things to try and then said call AAA. Due to the make of our car, AAA could do nothing and it had to be towed.

NO!!!!!!

My perfect day with Jackson was cut too short as we waited outside the museum for the tow company to come take us back to our side of town.

"Hip"
Yep, that's his name!

Is there something we can learn from this picture?
Maybe that our son poses TOO MUCH when this is what I get when I say, "Let me get a picture of you by the car."

Thankfully, I have the most amazing son in the world and he was just as happy riding in a tow truck!

And it put him to sleep, too!

Thanks, Jackson, for being so wonderful as we dealt with the craziness of this day. I promise to take you back soon!

School Pictures

2011-09-27T15:32:00.000-04:00

Jackson - Fall 2011

Mrs. Pam's 4 Year-Olds

Philip - Fall 2011

Mrs. Mary's Infant Class

The pictures of Philip make me laugh because he is always posing for the camera - wonder why the professionals couldn't get him to smile?!

Animal Kingdom

2011-09-25T15:30:00.000-04:00

We spent Saturday at the Animal Kingdom. It was the last day, and after the long (but fun!) week, I was tired! I didn't take many pictures but was able to capture a few of our favorite things:

Wesley, Philip, and Jackson on the parking tram!
This was Jackson's favorite ride at Animal Kingdom!

Wesley about to start the last day

Philip and Wesley at the Lion King

And then Jackson joined the picture.

The Lion King show is my favorite show at Disney!

This year, we sat right by the lady who interpreted the show for the hearing impaired. It was fascinating to watch her work.

Riding the Safari

A Bug's Life
We didn't watch this show, but I had to go in and grab a picture of the boys in the glasses!

And the traditional family shot!

Waiting on our final parade.
Since we stayed for this late-afternoon parade, we didn't get home until early Sunday morning, but it was worth it! Philip and Jackson loved this parade! Maybe it was because we had great seats!

Epcot

2011-09-25T14:30:00.000-04:00

Friday was for Epcot. There is so much to do at this park but a lot of the activities are for kids older than Jackson and Philip so only reserved a few hours to explore. We did find some fun exhibits and I think the boys enjoyed the night.

On the boat from Hollywood Studios to Epcot.
Disney Transportation was the highlight of the trip for both boys!

Posing by a fire truck

Mommy and Jackson playing the video game Jackson created.

Philip playing the game Wesley made.

One of the biggest hits of the night was the musical floor outside of Figment.

Philip and Mommy on the Nemo ride

Look! Wesley and I managed to get a picture together!!!

What a beautiful Epcot night!

The boat ride back to Ft. Wilderness

That's the sign of a good day!

Hollywood Studios

2011-09-25T14:00:00.000-04:00

I love Hollywood Studios! There is so much to do and see. We spent Thursday and half of Friday here and were able to see most everything we wanted to. The only thing we missed was the StarWars ride. Jackson was 2 inches too short to enjoy it this year - guess we have to go back!

We started off Thursday hearing about the Disney Vacation Club. Though it is not for us now, it is a neat travel option and we enjoyed the free ice cream!

Finally! We get to see Mickey!

The Benders & Mickey

Philip and Wesley at the Disney Junior Show

Jackson and Philip after the show

Snack Time - R2-D2 popcorn!

Philip enjoyed the popcorn...

while Jackson enjoyed Beauty & the Beast.

It started to rain on us around the parade time so we took cover and played until they announced the parade was canceled. We decided to leave Hollywood Studios and spend the evening at Downtown Disney (Yay! Earl of Sandwich!).
Wesley had the great idea to ask the front desk if they had "parade vouchers" since we were unable to see the parade on Thursday. They didn't have vouchers but did hook us up with a pass to get us in on Friday to see the new Pixar parade!

Friday morning, we were back at Hollywood Studios!

Jackson, Wesley, and Philip at the Stunt Car Spectacular.
Philip and Wesley were huge fans!
Jackson much preferred to watch from behind Wesley!

Happy Boys!

Philip and Mommy at the playground.

"Jackson, you up there?!"

Taking after Daddy with the turkey leg!

PARADE TIME!

Great seats by the trash can!

Loving the view!

Here it comes!

Bullseye!