18 months old!

Jackson had his 18 month check-up last week. He got a glowing report from his doctor and was a champ about the three shots the nurse gave him in his little legs. It was pretty rough on his mom, though, so thank goodness we don't have to do that again for at least 6 more months. Even then it won't be near as bad b/c it will only be one shot. I know we should be thankful that we have all of these life-saving vaccines and I tell myself that leading up the the appointment, but when the little guy starts screaming it just breaks my heart. Thank goodness they have short-term memory b/c I'm pretty sure all was forgotten after he woke up from his nap that day:)

Here are his stats:
weight: 25 lbs. 15 oz. (25-50%)
height: 35 3/4 inches (95 + %)
head circumference: I forgot this measurement, but the important thing is that for the first time it was in the 50th percentile. Hooray! He's finally grown into his head!

Lake Texoma

Jared had to work the whole weekend...BOO!!! So Jackson and I accepted an invitation to go up to the lake with my mom, dad and neice. We all had a great time and really enjoyed the water.

Jackson and Madison out for an evening boat ride. I'm pretty sure that Jackson just told a joke, but Madison didn't think it was too funny:)

Jackson pointing to another boat. He was quite the little mariner out on the water, pointing to every boat, then waving to the people on it when we got closer.

Sunday morning we all headed over to the beach. Jackson is holding a small dust pan and brush. Why? Because he is crazy about cleaning supplies and insisted on not leaving the house without some!

Gran Gran and Boompaw with their grandkids. Jackson is fascinated with ice at the moment and Madison is fascinated with him. They both were really good the whole time we were at the beach. They got to see a few dogs, one of which was a tiny chihuahua wearing a life jacket, and were thoroughly entertained.

And the award for Easiest Child to Babysit goes to...

Judah Martinez!!!

I know, I know, most of you were thinking the answer was Jackson...but alas, he was outvoted by his mother today. I babysat Judah this morning and it was such a pleasure. Allow me to sing his praises here for a minute.

1. Didn't cry or pitch any kind of fit when his mama left.
2. Ate all of his breakfast without throwing any of it on the floor
3. Laid very still while I changed his diaper and even held his legs up to make it easier--a completely foreign concept to me...who knew changing a toddler could actually be EASY?
4. Played very quietly while Jackson was still sleeping--even watched the Mickey Mouse clubhouse like a big boy.
5. And my favorite of all...didn't pull out one thing he wasn't supposed to. Instead, get this, he played with all of the toys that were already out!! I know, it's crazy, but I promise it happened.

I think Judah will begin tutoring sessions with Jackson on how to be a model toddler:)

Judah eating his snack while Jackson has his breakfast. Since it was a dreary, rainy morning, Jackson decided to sleep in. He didn't get up until 9:20! They both got to eat sausage and cheese kolaches for breakfast and were pretty excited about that--Judah even smiled, clapped and said "mmm, mmm, mmm!" when I gave him the first bite!

I was really impressed with how well they both shared toys today. This is usually a foreign concept to my child, but he did so good. They took turns hammering the balls into this little contraption.

Jackson found a stethoscope yesterday and has been hooked on it ever since. He's listening to Judah's heart right now. Doc Hays said everything sounded great, Judah.


Storytime in Jackson's room. Jackson is reading this Sesame Street book while Judah listens.

Both boys reading out loud--Judah was so funny. In this picture he's going "oh, oh" every time he turns the page.

My two guys

Jared and Jackson before going to church today. I was getting Jackson dressed while Jared was getting ready in our room. Little did we know they were both wearing pretty much the same outfit! Look how well they coordinate--navy blue shirts, khaki pants and brown shoes. It was too cute not to have a photo op.

A side note; Jared put a little bit of his cologne on Jackson before we left. I told him that just wasn't fair...Jackson's already quite the ladies man. That just gives him such an unfair advantage over all the other little boys in the nursery!

Happy 60th Ma and Pa!

Jared's grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past Thursday. All of us went to Fort Worth to help them celebrate and had a really nice time.

Congratulations Ma and Pa! Jared and I really look up to both of you. What a shining example y'all have been for your family. When we asked them if they had any tips for a successful marriage they said, "always keep your sense of humor." I think that's pretty good advice.

Jared's Aunt Carolyn had this cake made to replicate Ma and Pa's china. It was so pretty and very tasty, too:) Jackson was the cake's #1 fan I think! He somehow convinced me, his Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Andrew to all give him some cake.

Movin' on up

Jackson had his last class of the semester at The Little Gym earlier this week. He is no longer a Bird...starting this Thursday, he will be a Beast. We are very excited about this promotion and looking forward to many more fun-filled times, especially since Aunt Colleen may be his new teacher. She started working at the gym a few weeks ago--we hope she gets assigned to teach his class!

Climbing up and over some aparatus.

Making a basket from the air-track--one of his favorite activities.

Posing for a class picture...I'm actually holding him on the podium b/c he just didn't really feel like sitting still for more than half a second!

Showing off his well deserved ribbon. Hooray Jackson!

Super-sized playdate!

Today we had a really fun playdate with lots of friends. We hung out inside for a while with Taylor and her two girls and Monica and her two boys. Then we headed outside for some fun in the sun...or should I say clouds? It actually made it much more enjoyable to be outside:)

Here are Jackson and Presley deciding who should get to hold the puppy dog. It does back flips and they thought that was pretty cool. Shoot, I think it's pretty cool, too.

Carole and Jennifer brought their kids over to play, too. Here we all our, minus me, April, and baby Levi. He was so good and sat in the swing outside while his big brother played.

Jackson and Judah playing with the watertable. What a great idea--thanks mom for getting it! The kids loved it.

While the boys were playing with the water table, the Pointer sisters were busy cruising around the pool. How cute! Thanks everyone for coming over to see us. We'll have to do it again soon.