Faux Gingerbread

We spent the evening making a "gingerbread" house out of graham crackers.  Jackson was so excited when I asked him if he wanted to make one.  He had no idea what it was he was just thrilled to get to "work" with so much candy!  (The kid has a sweet tooth like you wouldn't believe).
He did a great job, and didn't eat too much candy.  
I think he was proud of his creation.  Now, the hard part is keeping him from helping himself to little treats throughout the week....hmmm, would it be bad to throw it away after he's asleep?  Having it around could pose a problem....

A true blessing

Well, last weekend we had both sets of grandparents out to celebrate Jackson's third birthday (yes my baby is three!) and Charlie's blessing.  But me, being the dope that I am, forgot to get family pictures after church.  So, this Sunday, before we changed our clothes, I ran over to our neighbors house and asked them to take our picture.  Keep in mind that Charlie was starving and we had pushed him past him limit, otherwise the child never cries.  So, this is our family the week after Charlie boy was blessed....we just love him and he truly is a blessing in our home.  

All I want for Christmas is.....

 Last night we packed up the kidlets and braved the windy, cold weather (what was it like 60 degress??) and headed over to the outside mall and had a visit with Santa.  I wasn't sure what reaction Jackson would have to him, because the kid is still so shy.  But I am happy to say he jumped right up on Santa's knee and smiled for the camera! 
  He then proceeded to tell Santa the long list of things he wants to appear under his tree this Christmas, some of which included a bike, cars, (of course) and  a ball....what can I say, he is a true boy! "Santa" has already taken care of the bike and boy it is a cool one!! I can't wait to see his face when he opens up that one.  

This is what I get to wake up to every morning!

I just love this boy!

The Birthday

    His favorite bday present.  This kid loves cars!  

My baby boy turned three today..

Three years ago we welcomed little Jackson Matthew into the world.  He was such a good baby, he hardly ever cried and he slept all the time.  
He grew up so fast and with each new month he showed more and more of his silly personality...
As he grew he just kept getting cuter and cuter......
He now has a personality all his own....
And today we celebrated the past three years of his life.....We love this little guy, he brings so much happiness into our lives.  I can't wait to see the little man he will turn into.  Wow, three years goes by fast.  

Growing up too fast!

Charlie is getting so big. I can't get over how fast he is growing.  And yes, he is still a scratcher.  If I take those gloves off, the first place his hands go is his face.  

  He is such a good baby.  He sleeps all day still,  hardly ever cries (unless hungry), and sleeps pretty well thru the night. He usually gets up around 4 or 5 for a feeding and goes back to sleep.  Jackson still loves him a lot and says things like "you're my best friend" and "it's okay little buddy".  I can't wait till Charles is old enough and they can play together.  

The Boys

Just hangin' out with dad on a Friday night. There is nothing Jackson would rather do.
What a bunch of handsome boys! 

I was tagged! Darnit!

I couldn't avoid it any longer, I was tagged.  In this tag you have to post the fourth picture in your picture file and then tag four people.  This is Jackson, not Charlie, although they look strangely identical.  He must have only been a couple of months old.  We lived in Syracuse and it was winter, hence the big fluffy pajamas!  I tag Lindsey, Rachel, Jessica, and Amy and whoever else wants to go back to their past!  

Baby Shower

Some girls in the ward threw me a shower and I was amazed at their talent. Look at those burp rags!!  I don't want to use them because they are so cute.  One of the ladies has a business making and selling burp rags so let me know if you want her website address.
My friend made these wipe covers for me.  What  a great way to accessorize your wipes!! 
They look like a wallet or purse or something.  Cute! Cute!

Chunk-a-munk

He's such a happy little guy. 
Look at those chubby cheeks.
Having a good time with mom.
Both of my boys had/have big bellies......it looks like his pants are way too tight, but I can assure you they are not!  There is a little bit of room in there to grow...but not much! This kid is a porker for sure.  And he is quickly growing out of his clothes.

Funny Faces

Nice tongue
Cutie
Psycho boy!  This picture is just plain scary!  Matt told him to smile and at the last minute his face went like this!!  

Sibling Rivalry

Okay, don't let the pictures fool you!  It looks like Jackson is sooo happy to be a big brother and in these two moments he is.  However,  his mood can change in the blink of an eye!!
Brothers getting along!
Now, when I saw Jackson telling Charlie about all of his cars I thought it was so sweet.  I ran from the kitchen into my room to grab my camera to capture this precious moment and in the time it took me to do that it had turned ugly!  Jack was soo mad that Charlie touched one of his cars! (Granted, it was Jackson fault for putting them so close to him, but he was mad all the same!) It went from sweet Jack telling him all about his Doc car to crazy Jack yelling at him for the sporadic jerk of his leg that made him touch Doc.  How dare Charlie touch his car!   

Same thing happened in this picture.  I ran to get my camera to get a pic of Jackson reading Hop on Pop to Charlie (it was so cute because he has the book memorized so he was actually getting the story right) and when I got back to take the picture he was yelling at Charlie for touching the book!  Poor Charlie, he just can't get it right.  

Jack also gets quite angry if he is crying and Charlie decides to join in....he yells at him "Hey, you can't cry, I am crying right now!"  What do I have to look forward to in the future?!?!

Jackson to the rescue!

This was Halloween night after trick or treating.  Charlie did a good job and slept the whole time.  We had fun walking through our very busy neighborhood!  It was about 80-85 degrees outside so most of the people sat in their driveway handing out candy to the kids.  In some cases a bunch of people sat together and had tables and chairs set up if you wanted to stop and have some chili and drinks.....it was pretty fun. 
This was at our amazing ward/neighborhood party.  Three wards pulled this together and they blocked off one whole street.  There were tons of games for the kids to play, a train ride, a live band, a movie playing and a hot dog/chili dinner....it was insane, we couldn't even walk thru the street because there was so many people!  It was really cool.  
Our downstairs neighbors, Angie and David.  We didn't know that our little guys would be twiners!  I have been lucky in both Syracuse and here to live above or below people who have been in our ward! (A shout out to our old neighbors, Rachel, Jeremy, Clara, and Jonathan!)  It is so nice when we need a break, or have to run an errand to just call and say, "hey can you watch the boys for a minute?!"  
What a cute face.
He really wanted to fly! 

'Punkin' Carving with Dad!

While I treated myself to a much needed haircut on Thursday Matt and Jack decided to carve a pumpkin. (Can you tell I wasn't there? They just plopped a sheet pan down on the carpet, no less, and went to town!)  I think he enjoyed cleaning out the guts!Ah even more guts!
And the best part was the lighting of the candle in the end!! 

Who needs t.v.?  

Sleeping Angel!!

Need I say more? 

Brotherly Love

Jackson just cannot get enough of his baby brother.....
Sweet little boys, and I love them so much!!

Big Brother to the Rescue!

This morning I enlisted the help of "Big Brother".  Since Charlie has come to stay, we have noticed how much Jackson LOVES to help out with different things when it comes to his baby brother.  So, in order to encourage his helping attitude we have come up with a name and a song that we sing when we need his help.  Like for instance, when I am on the couch nursing Charlie and I need my water refilled, I say "BIG BROTHER TO THE RESCUE" and he comes running in eager to see what needs doing.  And his FAVORITE thing to help with is refilling my water from the water dispenser!  Anyway, while he is doing his job we sing a song that goes like this, "Big brother to the rescue, big brother to the rescue (uh-huh) big brother to the rescue, big brother to the rescue (uh-huh)!  (I know, real creative!)  So whether it be fetching diapers, burp rags, or refilling my water he is always my big helper!  (Won't I be sad when the day comes that he realizes that it is actual work that he is doing and refuses to help me out...I am sure that day will come soon!) So I asked Big Brother to the Rescue to help me make some cupcakes for our ward/neighborhood Halloween party tonight....he can never turn down an opportunity to make cookies or cupcakes!  
He did a great job helping and snuck in a few licks here and there.....And finally he got to be my taste tester!  I think I got the nod of approval!  

Fun with Dad!

Last night Matt took Jackson to Jump and Bounce for a much needed release of energy!  He had a great time. 
That smile! 
Future basketball star in the making. 
We need one of these cages at home so I can keep the kid contained!!
And I caught a little smile from my Charlie!!  What a cutie!