Keeping the Faith

Yes, I know... I have been a very bad Mommy Blogger. It has been absolutely ages since I wrote on here last. And honestly I have no real good reason for it except that we have just been super busy having fun! After what has felt like the longest winter ever, we have been taking full advantage of spring! For Jackson's birthday he received an awesome pair of monster mud boots from the Stenger's, and spring is a perfect time of year to try them out. He loves them so much it is almost difficult to get him outside without them. But that is fine with me- throw on some play jeans and mud boots and we are ready for anything! ..more about these boots in a minute....

My friend Hannah, that I spoke of a while back, has finally moved back here to Ohio with her family like we have been wishing for. Her husband, Tim's job got transferred back here, and I can't say enough how happy we all are about it! Her friendship is like a breath of fresh air for me and her son TJ has been so wonderful for Jackson. They are such sweet little friends now!

For a long time I have wanted to do more with my faith. It has felt like something was missing, although I couldn't put a finger on what it was. Hannah belongs to a mother's group through her church called MUMs (Mom's Uplifting Mom's). She invited me to go along with her, and after just the first visit I knew that this was the thing I was missing. As it turns out it was the congregating with other young women, like me. Unfortunately for Jackson these first few meetings were pretty hard on him. As most of you know, Jackson is quite the Mommy's boy. He loves me to pieces and has a very difficult time with me leaving him anywhere that I won't be. The first two MUMS groups they had to come get me after about 30 minutes because he just wouldn't calm down for them. This was crushing to me because I knew how much my heart needed this devotional time . So when Hannah asked if I wanted to try going to the weekly Mom's Bible Study, I jumped at the chance. I knew right away that having to go a whole month before trying out the nursery was just too much time for him. This way, if it was weekly he would get used to it and hopefully- I am keeping the faith that eventually it might not be too terrible for him. The following week I prayed and prayed.... Please God, for me and for Jackson, please make this easy for him...please let him make it through the whole study. And guess what. He did it! There was a wonderful woman there when we were checking in that took him under her wing and held him until he was ready for play (about 15 minutes). The following week she did it again, and guess what he calmed down after 5 minutes! Week three our favorite woman wasn't there. But another sweet girl guided him away from me and soothed him for, get this, 30 seconds! That was all it took! This last week it was MUMs again, which up until now I haven't really been able to participate in. At check in, Jackson got a little tearful, but another sweet girl guided him over to the trucks and before I even left the room he was playing and having fun!! Way to go little man!!! Now once a week Jackson gets to play with other children, and I get a little RandR for my heart and soul. It is perfect. And through all this, Jackson is really getting a lovely friendship with Hannah's son, TJ. It is so fun to see the two little boys play together- 100% Boy through and through!

Now back to the Boots.... in our backyard we have this little creek that runs along the back of our property. It is just this little thing, probably no more then 6 inches at its deepest. Which makes it the perfect place to stomp around, in you guessed it, mud Boots! Growing up, some of my strongest childhood memories were of me playing in the woods behind my parents’ house. Stomping around in the water and coming home completely filthy equaled the perfect summer day. The moment I saw our little creek I knew I wanted Jackson to have those same experiences. After just the first time I knew we had to call TJ and Miss Hannah to join us. I was hoping that they would love it as much as we do! So this past Friday they came over, boots in hand, and to the water we headed. Oh my goodness - it was heaven watching these little guys! They had more fun then they knew what to do with. Stomping in the water, collecting rocks, skipping stones (okay, more like splashing with rocks), and scooping sand in their buckets- by the end of the afternoon these guys were completely filthy but 100% happy. As were Hannah and myself; it was a gorgeous morning and it just felt so good sitting in the sun listening to the happy squeals from our little men. It was truly a perfect day.

I promise I will be better with keeping up with this website! I have lots more things to talk about and already this post is getting super long. So check back for more stories throughout the week! I have uploaded a bunch of new photo albums today and updated his growth chart as well. So thank you for your patients- but we are finally BACK!

Jackson went pee-pee in the potty!!

Yayayayay! So officially Potty Training has begun! Good job little man, we are so proud of you!

I will tell you the whole story tomorrow. But I wanted to get this down just incase the week got away from me!

Cars "All Line Up" Mommy!

This month I have really noticed such a change in Jackson. He is becoming much more attentive to detail, and is starting to come up with his own make believe games. Toys do more then just move from one place to the next. Now he actually plays with them. He just loves driving his "baby cars" as he calls them (matchbox cars) around his road carpet, accross the wood floor, up the wall, just about everywhere! But I have noticed that he is very much like his Auntie Bon Bon was when she was a kid. To her, the setting up of a game was almost more fun then the actual playing of it. His newest favorite game is getting all his "papa trucks" out and making them "all line up". He puts every car side by side to the next one until they are in a nice long line. He never puts them nose to nose, always side by side. And they have to be touching. He will work so vey hard at this and never wants help. After he gets them just so he comes running for me calling "Mommy come look!". Jackson cars all line up". He is so, so proud of himself, it is the cutest thing. I them tell him how awesome they all look and then he gives me a high five. I love it!

The picture you see is from this morning. I was checking my email in the office while he was very busy in his bedroom playing with his blocks and trucks. After a few minutes he comes running in the room, "Mommy come look! Jackson build house!" So the picture is of his awesome line up job and also Jackson's very first "house" he built all by himself with blocks- without any help or incouragement. He was so proud, and so was I!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jackson!!!!

How can it possibly be, that my little man, Jackson is already 2 years old?!  I can't believe it!  When other parents would tell me to take everything in, take lots of pictures and to document as much as possible because a childs life goes by so fast, I didn't believe them.  Not until having a child of my own.  These two years have been the fastest EVER!  I now seem to measure time, not on my own experiences- but in the life and accomplishments of Jackson.  At this rate he will be learning to drive in no time!  OK, I have to stop thinking that far ahead.  I'm not even ready for kindergarden, let alone driving school!

Well Happy Birthday My Little Man!  Out Nature Explorer, Truck and Tractor Lover, Collector of Balls, and all around lover of life.  Thank you for choosing us to be your parents and letting us enjoy every single day because you are in it.  I love you with all my heart!!!

Cooking School with Loretta Paganini

OK, Ok... so this is an incredibly old post.  But it is one I have been meaning to write about but needed to get the pictures off my camera first.

Back in October, Sandy took me to my very first Hand's On cooking class at Loretta Paganini's School of Cooking.  Oh my goodness it was so much fun!!!  I loved it so much.  I could very easily see myself gong back to school one day to become a chef- very cool.  The class we were taking was A Day in the Kitchen: Pizza, Focaccia & Calzone.  This was a 4 hour class where we learned how to do everything, from making homemade dough (with and without yeast) and using it then to create a huge variety of yummy food.

Our full menu was:

• Pizza Margherita with Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil
• White Cheese Pizza
• Baker's Articoke & Roasted Red Pepper Pizza
• Rosemary Focaccia
• Focaccia di Recco
• Piedine Stuffed with Buffalo Mozzarella, Arugula & Prosciutto
• Prosciutto & Mozzarella Stuffed Calzone
• Pepperoni Rolls
• Nodini
• Antipasti Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Streghe with Caponata Salad
• Sticky Buns and Steaming Cappuccino

We made pretty much everything ourself.  And what we didn't completely make we assisted Loretta Paganini with.  One of the weirdest things we did in this class though was create a Biga.  A Biga is an Italian Starter that you make with yeast, flour and water.  It is added to your dough to make the rising process go faster, therefore making it possible to make your breads, doughs, etc. faster.  The funniest thing about this is that after the class was over Loretta handed out jars for us to take our Biga home with us.  This wasn't the weird part.  The weird part is that she told us we had to feed it every 3 days or it will die.  And how you feed it isn't so important; a pinch of salt one day, a spoonfull of flour next time.  You know, whatever.  Sandy and I just looked at eachother, like... "Oh boy, here we go..."  Once we got home, for the next two weeks we would email and call eachother to compaire notes on the life of our Bigas.  Things were going pretty good and then at just about the same time they both died.  R.I.P Biga.  Don't feel bad for us though, it was inevitable.  I was hopeful at first about the project of keeping it alive.  But that tired very quickly.  It was fun while it lasted!

This was hands down one of the most fun days I have had.  It was so great being able to share this experience with Sandy.  She a veteran to Cooking School and she knew that I would love this and she was right!  Everything we made was so delicious.  By the time class was over we were all so stuffed.  But boy it was worth it!  Plus whatever we didn't eat in class we got to take home with us, so Scott and Don were excited with our class too!  Sandy, thank you so much for taking me along!

For my birthday this year, Sandy and Don got me a gift certificate to go to another one of her classes and also a cookbook of Loretta's so I can get it signed myself when I go this time.  I am so excited!  Thank you, thank you!  Receiving this gift is actually what reminded me that I never did get my first class posted online here. Please go take a look at the pictures from our day.  They are located in My Family Albums.  There are some great ones in there!

Mommy, I Climb!

Oh Boy, so not ready for this!  So yesterday after Jackson decided to throw all of his toys all around the living room, after being told not to (multiple times) he got put in Time Out.  Time Out consists of Jackson being told what he did wrong and then being put into his crib for 1 minute with the door closed.  When 1 mintue is up we go back into his room, talk about what it was that was "naughty", we hug and kiss, he says he is sorry and it is done.  This is usually just the right amount of time alone that it will curb whatever it is that he was doing that was naughty and he will play nice again.  Well about 35 seconds into Time Out, I hear a loud thud and then crying.  I open up Jackson's door and what do I find directly on the other side- Jackson.  Yep, he climbed out of bed.  He isn't even 2 yet!  I scooped him up in my arms to comfort him, because he was indeed shocked at his accomplishment.

I asked him how in the world he got out of bed, which then brought huge smiles inbetween the sobs, he points to his crib and said "Mommy, I climb."

"I see that", I told him.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Well the holidays are finally over and it is time to begin a new year.  2009 is going to be a good one- I can feel it.

Christmas was so, so much fun this year.  Jackson really got into it.  Opening presents was definately the high point for him, for sure!  It was also the year of trains, trucks and tractors.  This kid is in heaven!  His car collection has tripled, and then some!  Everyday this is his most favorite game, and keeps him happy and entertained forever!  So thank you to everyone for making all of his dreams come true this Christmas.  We have a very happy little boy in this house.

I have so much more to share but need to get us all ready for one last Christmas party with my Uncle Allen and Aunt Joanne.  So check back later.


Happy New Year!