No longer Home Alone!

Last Sunday morning, Wesley and his dad headed out for a week of skiing. Usually, when Wesley is away, I travel to Knoxville or Nashville to be with family. Because of Jackson's swimming lesson commitment, this time we needed to stay home. At first I was a little nervous. Not scared or worried but nervous about how I was going to entertain Jackson for an entire week by myself! Well, Wesley's plane lands in about 10 minutes and I will say, Jackson and I had a great week!!

Monday, we went and got his hair cut. Tuesday, we ventured out to Catch Air, an indoor playground, with our friends Kate and Sam. After Catch Air, Kate and I braved Chick-fil-a's Kid's night and enjoyed dinner together too!

Jackson loved the big slide.

What a workout carrying a 25 lb boy up an inflatable slide :)

This was our attempt to get the boys together.

Jackson was not in the mood to stop for a picture - too much to do!

Sam, on the other hand, stopped playing to pose for an adorable picture with his Mom!

Wednesday night we went to church and Thursday we spent time at my neighbors. They are about to have a little girl and I wanted to see her nursery - adorable! Friday morning we ran some errands and after swim lessons and a nap, we headed over to Tucker and Addie's house to play. Playing around with those two wore Jackson out, and he was in bed by 7:00!

This morning, we headed to the church for a meeting at 8:00. Unfortunately, Jackson wasn't keen on the idea of sitting through a brainstorming meeting. He had other plans, so we left shortly after they served breakfast :)

Now, we are just waiting on Wesley and Jack to get home! Though I have loved this time with my little man, I am ready to see Wesley! There is only so much Facebook you can take in a week until you are ready for some real conversation with someone at night!

Wesley and his Dad, Jack

Wesley, Jack, and Dan

Dan is a long time family friend of the Benders and was the minister at our wedding.

Dan and Jack

These two are so much fun!

Jackson's first real haircut

A few days ago, my friend Kate posted that her little boy got his first haircut. After seeing pictures of how adorable Sam looked with his stylish new do, I realized it was time for Jackson to head somewhere for his first real haircut. Back last fall, I snipped Jackson's baby curls off, and earlier this year, Wesley and I attempted to clean up his look. Though we did an okay job, he didn't have a "style" and I figured it was about time he had a little boy haircut.

This morning at swim lessons, I asked Kim where she takes her two little girls. She recommended Snip-Its and gave me a coupon (WhooHoo!) With coupon in hand, we headed out after lunch. 

Snip-Its was awesome! I highly recommend taking a child - especially a wiggle worm like Jackson - to a place that specializes in kids. There were toys everywhere and movies going constantly. The nice lady who cut Jackson's hair even let me request a movie to help distract him from the scissors. 

Though he was upset at first, the movie, snacks, and books helped calm him down and we left with an adorable little boy! It was worth the few extra dollars to make the experience more enjoyable.

Classic First Haircut Picture!

Jackson calmed down after a lollipop...

a Tigger and Pooh book...

and a little Elmo!

Before:

After:

Though you can't really appreciate the haircut in this picture, I thought it was a cute. I asked Jackson to say "cheese" and he did!

Birthday Celebration

Back in January, three of my friends and I decided to celebrate each other's birthdays with a night out. Priscilla's birthday was in November. Ashley and Katey celebrated in January, and my big day is in March. We made plans for a Girls Night Out at Nava, a nice restaurant in Buckhead. They husbands took the kids - that's when Wesley and Jackson went to the circus - and we were able to enjoy some girl conversation!

It really was a special treat to be with these girls. Though we are together all the time at church and play dates, it is always good to take a break from the family responsibilities and just be girlfriends for a night! I had a great time and can't wait until we head out again!

Katey, Leanne, Ashley, and Priscilla

(sorry the picture is blurry...we forgot our cameras so we had to make do with a camera phone!)

It pays to know a juggler :)

Last week, Wesley attended a retreat for the full-time YMCA staff. As part of the retreat they talked about how to juggle all that goes on within a non-profit organization especially in this economic time. To drive home the point, they had a juggling contest, and Wesley won!! His prize: tickets to the Ringling Brothers circus! 

The circus was last night and since I had a previous commitment with 3 of my girlfriends, Wesley, Jackson, and my father-in law Jack headed to the circus with our friend Todd and his son Tucker. 

We didn’t know how the two little ones would do, but turns out, they both loved it! We all thought the boys would be downtown for a little while. There was no way they would stay for the entire show – WRONG! Wesley, Jack and Jackson didn’t get home until 10:30.  My Girls-Night-Out was even over before then! Kinda sad when your 19-month old stays out later than you!!!

Anyways, they had a great time and it was so fun to see all the pictures from Jackson’s first circus! 

   

Jackson and Dad

Jackson and KD

Three generations of Bender Boys!

I love my friend, Tucker!

Look at those smiles!

Jackson clapping - Even though you can't see his face, I can tell he is smiling! (a mother just knows!)

What not to wear!

Neither Wesley nor I are really in-the-know when it comes to fashion. Obviously, our son isn't either!  Since he is only 19 months, I have final say on what he wears out, but take a look at what he has been sporting around the house.

He used to hate wearing his cros, but on this day, he wanted them on all day - even with his PJs! The hat was so he could look like Daddy. It didn't stay on very long.

Jackson's vocabulary is finally picking up steam. 

Two words he knows very well are "Car" and "Shoe." You should have seen his face when I told him his cars were shoes! He put them on and had to run and show Dad!

Chuck E. Cheese

I find it fascinating that at a young age, Jackson has already started developing friendships. Two of his favorite playmates are Addie and Tucker. That works out great for Wesley and me because Addie and Tucker's parents are some of our closest friends!  

Tonight we decided to make a family play-date and go to Chuck E. Cheese. We had a blast. It wasn't crowded so we were able to relax, enjoy some pizza and lots of laughs with friends! 

Jackson loved the carousel

Jackson and Tucker riding their first roller coaster!

"No wait, Addie. You do it like this..."

It is easier to go down the slide with your tongue out

"Hey wait, guys! There has to be room for me in there!"

No room inside - that's okay. I will just stand out here. 

How many people does it take to play Skee Ball?

Wesley and Todd with their boys

It wasn't all fun with the family tonight 

Wesley got creamed by Todd in the shoot-out game!

Tired little boy

Not a lot has been going on around here lately except for swim lessons. These daily lessons have been amazing to watch. I have enjoyed watching Jackson develop learning skills and how to process things. Jackson has already learned to roll over on his back in the water and today, he and Kim tackled getting to the side and pulling up to get out of the water.

Usually, he is worn out after the lessons but we are able to come home, eat lunch, play, take a bath and then go down for a nap. Today, though, he just went straight from lunch to nap without even leaving his highchair! In 18 months, this is the first time he has ever fallen asleep at the table! I guess he worked extra hard today!