Where a kid can be a kid!

We recently went to Chuck E Cheese for a neighbors birthday party. As a mom you gotta wonder how many germs those hands are picking up, but as a kid all you think about is...fun! Zoe and Jackson had a great time playing - especially Jackson, the video game king. Zoe wandered around until she found her groove on the horse you can ride and race. (Don't let her know that her horse isn't supposed to be going in circles the whole time!) Hey, at least she had fun!

this is a dangerous thought- Jackson behind the wheel

Zoe and Avery

gotta get a picture with Chuck E, it's a requirement!

love the pizza face, JT!

even daddy got in on the fun!

Addie's new trick

Like any little baby, Addie loves to play in the Tupperware cabinet. It's great fun for her, although she does create quite the huge mess! Well, at least the mess is in one spot for the moment. Along with her exploring she also found the cabinet where I keep the bowls and colanders. She kept putting the colander on her head and was looking out through the lines. It was hilarious to see her little mind work as she kept putting it on and taking it off. I love, love, love having a baby and watching her experience the little things for the first time!

Egg on my face!

Well, I've been scolded for not posting blogs more often. It seems whenever I sit down to get started something or someone calls me away from the computer. Oh, the life of a mom! :) Anyway, I thought I'd post some pictures of our sweet daughter Addie Marie. Every day of a baby is exciting. She changes so much each minute it seems. I truly cannot believe she is 10 months old! Truthfully, it makes me really sad that she is almost a year old. Each time she grows out of an outfit or conquers a new milestone, a little bit of me wants to stop time and cherish that second. Our children are growing too fast! Addie has been such a complete blessing in our family. We often say that she fits the third child role so well. She is so easy going and a pure joy to be around. By far, she is my best eater of the three kids! Now, that might not seem like a big deal but if you have a picky eater in your family you can appreciate it. Zoe has ALWAYS been picky about her food, Jackson got a little better and then came Addie. She will eat everything and anything. She has recently tried tuna fish and kept coming back for more. Crazy girl! The other morning I thought I'd try eggs for breakfast and she loved them! She didn't quite finish them, because she ate about half for bagel with cream cheese right before I gave the eggs. The only bad thing about her being such a great eater is that she wants EVERYTHING we eat and I can never eat a thing without Addie at my feet looking up at me. Who could resist!? Here are a few pictures of our happy eater!

spaghetti for the first time!

yummy eggs!

eating pizza!

Well, THE first day of school came and went without much drama or tears! Yah for us! Both kids woke up before the early 6:15 alarm and were excited to start the day! Today is Friday and that definately wasn't the case this morning. The early morning schedule has caught up with them, that's for sure. The good news is they can sleep in tomorrow, I assured them of that as I peeled Jackson out of bed this morning. We were blessed with great teachers and that makes a big difference. John and I drove the kids to school and Jackson was the first to be dropped off. He went straight to his seat and started coloring. I gave my big boy a kiss and he waved goodbye. That was it! No tears! Nothing! I can't say I'm totally surprised, he is such an outgoing guy, I knew he would have no troubles. Next was Zoe and it went pretty much the same. Having done this already last year, she was no problem at all! She walked in, hung up her "Hannah Montana" (another story for another day) bookbag and sat down. What a big girl! Of course, I had to include some pictures!

Leading up to THE day!

Well, we went through it last year with Zoe and now it's Jackson's turn....the big first day of Kindergarten. In 9 days he will be off to the new world of elementary school. I did okay last year as we left Zoe in her classroom, except for a few tears as we were driving away from what seemed like such a huge school for such a tiny little girl. I can't believe the time has come for Jackson's turn. Last week, we went to the library and left with 17 books and one special one that big sister Zoe picked out just for Jackson, A place called Kindergarten. She wanted to read it to him and teach him about all the fun he is going to have at Liberty Elementary. These two have such a sweet friendship (of course, they have their brother/sister moments) but they are truly best buds. When Jackson was first born and Zoe was only a little over a year, I thought I would nearly lose my mind, but those hard months were all worth the double poopy diapers, double cribs, double mess, double crying fits, etc. when I happen upon moments like the ones in the pictures below...

Jackson's Baptism

On Sunday, July 12, Jackson was baptized! We are so proud of him! He was so excited to do it, he was even the first one in line when it came time for the baptism. (Of course, he was goofing around on the steps leading to the pool while the congregation was singing and he slipped in the pool and bumped his head! Oh Jackson, we love you!) What a special and precious event in his life and in our family's life. As Christians, we believe baptism is a symbol or an outward showing to announce to people that you have become a Christian. This is something we really had to work with Jackson to understand. Being Baptized doesn't save you - only Christ can do that, by accepting His free gift of Salvation. Following baptism is an act of obedience and a special event in our lives as Christians and we are so thankful to share this event with our precious son! Here are some pictures of him before and during. Once again, thank you for rejoicing with us! Praise God!

Happy Jackson before the baptism!

Talking to Pastor Matt - what a precious face!

Getting ready!

Buried with Christ in baptism,

raised to walk in the newness of Life!

Having fun with Addie

Addie, our newest addition of 8 months loves her brother and sister! Having Addie in our family has been such a joy that we didn't even know was missing from our lives until she was born. What a sweetheart she is! Zoe and Jackson are amazing with her and so helpful to me. I wanted to post a cute video of the beginnings of what we pray will be a forever loving relationship between our children. Enjoy her laughter - is their anything sweeter than a babies belly laugh!?