Halloween 2009

Before I get to the Halloween photos, here are the two proofs I got back from Jackson's school. I think I like the one on the left the best, but I like them both. He just looks so big! I can't get over it.

Jackson really enjoyed Halloween this year! He was so excited! We went trick-or-treating with some of our neighbors, which made it more fun for him! When I was putting his costume on him, he said, "I'm going to get a lot of candy tonight because I'll be sooooo cute!" I guess it's good he's got a lot of self-esteem, right? Then while the kids were running from house to house, I heard him scream out: "I just got some candy! I can get anything I want!" I guess getting candy from strangers makes four-year-old boys feel uber powerful!

Jackson and his neighbor Super Girl, Sadie!

Two of my pumpkins that I painted this year!

Me and my favorite Dalmation!

A motley crew!

Jackson rolling in all of his candy from the night!

This is a picture I took yesterday on our weekly trip to the Nature Center at Longhunter Park. I am so glad that the leaves have finally begun to turn. I thought it would never happen his year. But I am carrying my camera with me now because I have seen the most beautiful colors on trees! I love Tennessee!

My high school friend, Kevin Knotts, came into town to see KISS, hence the makeup, and I met him downtown for a cocktail last week! It was so nice chatting with him after all these years. It really didn't feel like he had changed much at all. I had a great time catching up! And no one really gave him a second glance because the whole downtown was full of KISS fans!

These are pictures from our neighborhood Halloween party. This happened a couple of weekends ago. I was at a baby shower, so it was just Tom and Jackson on their own! Jackson didn't win the costume contest after Tom had told him that he would if he wagged his tail for the judges, so of course, he had a little meltdown. But besides that, I think he had a great time!

A few weekends ago, Tom and I took Jackson out to a really neat place in order for me to take some four-year pics of Jackson. It's a little village called Founder's Grove or something. I can't remember the name, but it's on the Wilson County fairgrounds. I didn't get as many good ones as I wanted, but here are a few. Jackson was so good for me, another sign that he's growing up! We bribed him with a trip to Buffalo Wild Wings, or Flying Buffalo as he calls it, and that seemed to do the trick. But any kid would tire out after over 200 pictures, right? It's crazy how many I take, really.

This one is my favorite of him, I think.

I really love this one of him, kind of captures his true four-year-old spirit!

I am getting busy with work again, so I'm signing off! Can you believe there are only seven more Mondays before Christmas? As if I wasn't already stressed out enough! UGH!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

We visited the pumpkin patch on Saturday, and it was coooooold! And I knew it would be muddy, so we stopped by Target and got Jackson some inexpensive shoes in case he ruined them. He was so excited to go! They have really added some fun things there since last year. They've got a thing called a popcorn popper, which is just an 18-wheeler tarp with a blower under it which makes it kind of like a bouncy. He loved that, except he kept falling down.

And he also loves riding that cow train, which is just metal barrels being pulled by a four-wheeler. Kind of redneck, but lots of fun! They have a petting zoo, pig races, a playground with fun slides, something called the Tennessee Twister, which made me sick, and a hayless hayride. I asked Jackson what he liked the most about the pumpkin patch, and he said, "All of it!" So I'd say it was a great day! He was out like a light before we hit the interstate!

Anyway, fun was had by all. It was a little sad because this year Jackson wanted to do everything by himself and was able to. Like last year, Tom had to ride on this cow train with him, but this year, he just hopped in and handed the guy a $1 and off he went like he was taking the Greyhound bus to college or something! :(

Tom and I have seen such a difference in him just in the past month. He really is growin up, no matter how much he tells me he won't. The other night we discovered that he throws a mean spiral football! He even positions his fingers right around the laces and everything. I asked who taught him that and he said no one. So maybe he's a natural! And he was cathing the bullets that Tom was throwing to him. Crazy.

This is my fav picture from the day.

He looks like a poor little peasant standing in a soup line or something. :)

We had a neighborhood party week before last, and I will post pics from that soon. This month is really getting away from me! I have been just way too busy with work and I am taking a week -- maybe two -- off so I can enjoy this time of year with Jackson! It really is my favorite season. I have been wanting to take some pictures of Jackson over at the Wilson County fairgrounds where they have some great little buildings I can use as backdrops. Hopefully I can do that this weekend!

Have a great week!

Yes, That Is Poo -- I Mean Scat!

We go to the nature center at Long Hunter park every Monday for their class, and before the class, I always look on the calendar to see what Jackson will learn that day. So I looked on the calendar last Monday and it said "Scat Tells A Story," and since I had not yet discovered what scat was, that sounded to me like there would be a puppet or something named Scat who would tell the kids a story. Boy, was I wrong!

When we got there, I learned that scat is wildlife feces, and we were going to learn what kind of scat each animal leaves behind and what we can learn from it. What we can learn from it? I really don't care to know that a bear ate a lot of berries before he poo'd or that a fox needs more fiber in his diet. But anyway, I went with the flow.

There were poo crafts, like the teacher had made her own homemade poo for the kids to play with. It had the consistency of Play-Doh. Sadie went with us on this day, and she was kind of looking forward to doing a craft. But when it turns out that her craft was going to be drawing an animal and then forming the poo to go along with that particular animal, she was a little deflated. She looked at me and said, "Is this our craft?" And I answered sadly, yes, I'm afraid so.

Anyway, all that being said, it made for some cute pictures! So here are a few!

This is what Jackson and Giles do whenever they get around each other!

This is a plate of "poo" that is really candy bars and Raisenets, et cetera, and Giles wanted a snack.

But from the look on Jackson's face, no one told him that it wasn't real poo!

Sadie getting grossed out from the Poo-Doh!

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I decided it was high time that Jackson start having a few responsibilities, since he's four and all, and because I get tired of him leaving the toilet seat up and not flushing and not putting his own clothes on or picking his toys up! So this chart is really motivating him! He LOVES LOVES stickers, so he gets one for each chore he accomplishes in the day, and at the end of the week, he'll get a surprise! He is having a lot of fun with it and it's only Day 1!

Jackson is proud of himself! He now has all but one sticker for today, and that's the tidy up one, which he'll do before bed!