Playdate!!

Okay so just to bring most of you up to speed,... Jackson has been out of daycare for almost 3 weeks now. One of the things he has needed in the past few weeks is some play time with some kiddos. Well ask and you shall receive!! :) He got to hang out with some close buds!!

Here's him and Rew at Tony's first game back! It was a cold game (hence the child with the knit hat in April,...geez he must have an ocd mother).

The weather decided it was going to take a turn and be nice out.

Saturday morning I was lucky enough to keep Miss Riley so I got a little taste of two kiddos at home. Boy did she make it look easy. Riley is such a good baby!! No fuss,...nothing! She let me read to her sitting on my lap with no squirming like some other little boy,...won't mention any names.



We met up with the Dowdy fam later that evening and had a taste of mommy daycare at the Jones' household. Was that not a tease for a bigger house!!!!! We need more room. The boys were so nice (haha) and offered to get dinner while the gals stayed with the kiddos. Unfortunately we didn't get the MUCH needed girl time we wanted so that is postponed and is TBA for a later date. Sam is showing them which animals go in the barn on the fridge :) Poor Charley tried just to sink it all in! :)

Lastly today we met up with cousin Keira. Here she is sharing "her" tonka trunk with Jackson and letting him ride on "her" toy with him. Wasn't that nice of her to share "her" truck with him? Wow that's funny it's at Auntie's and Josh's house and it looks like a boy toy. They just must have been brought over with all of "her" balls as well.

What can I say, this kid is so lucky to have his buddies!!

I saw Obama's home!

This past weekend Meaghan (aka Chester) and I got to take a trip up to go see Ashlee in DC! It was my very first time to go see her there since she's lived in DC for over a year so I was super excited. Altough we planned to leave at 7 Saturday morning, we didn't leave til after 8 (**cough cough Meaghan cough cough** haha). When we were getting close to the city limits we got a taste of some city traffic. P.S. Ashlee you're my hero if you can not have road rage 24/7 driving around there!! My goodness just to know and keep track of which metro to catch to go which different direction...phew!!

Us waiting on the metro.

We had a really good time going out to eat for lunch and walking around some of the shops downtown. We got to relax at Ashlee and Zack's apartment and hang out on top of their roof. Here's a look at their view!

At least we think we're funny,...that's what matters, right??

We ate out for dinner too and like a bunch of old folks we went to bed after a later dinner! Haha! :) We were just a little bit exhausted.

After we woke up and got ready mine and Meg's tour guides aka Zack and Ashlee gave us a brief, but yet interesting tour. I still don't know how they don't mix up stuff and get lost. Boy I couldn't live in a busy city. Ashee I'm giving you major props here!!! By the way our tour guide was also an amazing photographer!

Altough it was just a short trip and we had to come back to good ole Salem the next day we had a really good time. :)

Easter

With it being my bday weekend my fabulous husband and little boy took me to Greensboro Friday. We had a great time. Of course most of you who know me really well can only guess why we went....Steak N Shake,...duh! We ate there 3 times (lunch and dinner Friday and lunch on Saturday before we came home). We have a problem I know. We also for the first time went to a Babies-R-Us. Boy do we need one of those in Salem, VA!! We went there twice and had a good ole time. By the way this is apparantly how Josh let's Jackson ride in a cart. We'll be breaking that habit!

Also the trip to Babies-R-Us could not be complete with out a toy for Mr. You guessed it,...a ball. Josh let him choose which one he wanted. Ah the decisions of a 10 month old. He chose the blue and yellow one for WVU colors for Mal and for Michigan colors to impress his girlfriend Riley.

We also we went to yummy Red Lobster for dinner on Saturday night. On Sunday we went to Church and it was a great Easter service. After that we went to Zack's house for Easter lunch and more bday fun! We had a great time eating and playing "the game" (aka wiffle ball) in his huge back yard. Here's the Easter basket the Easter bunny (Mal and Pal) got him.

Then we went to Ma and Daddy's for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Keira did really good letting Jackson get a few of the sports themed eggs. We had a fun, relaxing weekend with family!

Conquering our Fears

This past week Jackson and I conquered several of our fears!

This Saturday I turned another year older. I know I'm not ancient or anything but for some reason I just was in a bit of a funk on Saturday afternoon that I was turning *whisper*24*whisper*! For some reason for years I've just felt like I've recently graduated high school. Haha I know, it's been 6 years, I'm just getting older. And for some reason I've had an abundance of people ask me trying to be funny "how old do ya feel?" this birthday or something to pretty much make the point that I'm older. Hello, that doesn't help!! :) Anyway along with another year comes another age. Conquered my fear of getting another year older, 24 here I am!

By the way, some of you might be wondering if I serious wore that hat in public, well yes I did. Cyndee lou made me wear it at Red Lobster on a busy Saturday night. Don't ya love Keira Mae's munchy face and Jman's leftover dinner still on his face? Crazy kiddos! Love them to pieces.

Also Jackson conquered several fears. Strangely he has been afraid of grass. I know the son of Josh afraid of grass. Every time he is set in it he freaks out. This past week we've been warming him up to it and he's been a brave little trooper.

To prevent Mr from crawling in between the back & side of couch and the wall we have been putting one of Jackson's toys as a blockade so he won't travel back there. It is this bobble penguin that when he was much smaller he hit it and it bounced back and hit him in the face and knocked him over. He hasn't cared for it much since then. Well he was brave enough to move it aside to go get a ball that he had thrown behind mr. peguin.

Lastly we are still very much working on him and the vacuum. He cries every time Josh turns it on. We tried yesterday to have him help to get him comfortable to it so vacuuming doesn't constantly become a 2 person job (Josh vacuuming, me holding Jackson).

Haven't we just become brave souls??? :)

The ♥ of a soccer wife...

This time of year is a little bit difficult for me with Josh having high school ball along with everything else. Now it's even a little bit harder with a baby. Instead of complaining about it and being negative I'm going to try to turn the tables a little bit.

Here are the SOME things I love about my husband:

*He talks to himself.
*If I'm mad at him or pouting about something he acts goofy to make me loosen up and laugh.
*He chomps his food while he eats,...it's just funny b/c he doesn't even realize he's doing it.
*The thrill he gets from coaching. And how passionate he is about it!

*He gets so excited and proud of himself when he makes dinner,...hamburger helper or the taco kit,...I guess I gotta give him some credit!
*What a strong faith he has in the Lord.
*He loves to spend any extra second with Jackson.

*How him and his buddies can just reminisce about something that happen 10 years ago in highschool and laugh for hours about it still. And I STILL have no idea what their talking and laughing about...I don't want to mention any names (*cough* Chris and Tony *cough*)

*He leaves me notes around the house when I need encouragement.
*When we enter any kind of store he searches for another ball for Jackson. Okay hunnie, he's got enough,...and Kroger,...not the ideal place that sells baby toys!
*How we can just be sitting at the house and doing whatever and he turns the channel to #819 "The Heart" and asks me to dance with him (while singing to me in my ear). :) Those who haven't heard him sing,...you're missing out!! :)

How him and Jackson just have had an instant bond since day 1....it's so heartwarming.

The list could go on....Thanks for being an amazing daddy and husband!! Love you hunnie!