Best Friends

We had a play date today with Wesley, thank God, since Jackson has been a raging lunatic here lately. It's been so cold out, and he really has some energy to burn! He had a good time with Wesley. In a couple of weeks, we'll be going to the Bounce House for Wesley's third birthday party! Unbelievable.

Last night was a nightmare trying to get Jackson to bed. We're back to him sleeping with me until he's sound asleep and then Tom carrying him to his crib. I tried to rock him in his room and he wouldn't get near me, he kept walking in circles clutching his little square piece of flannel, affectionately called "blankie," and crying. Finally, I tired of this and put him in the crib where he went completely APE. He was screaming hysterically. I let him do this for quite a while, then I couldn't take it, so I picked him up and took him to my room and laid down with him. He was physically shaking, trembling. I'm not sure why, except from pure temper. Anyhoo, I'll give it another whirl tonight!

Here's another layout I did from our Christmas this year. I promise it will be the last. I'm working on a layout of 2007, a recap of sorts. It's sad, because not a whole lot went on with us. I guess that's also a good thing, huh?

Anyway, here's the layout:

Until next time...

HELLO 2008!

Is it really a new year already? I have SO many pictures that I need to post so it was easier for me to do this slide above. I am sure that I have missed some pictures, but I have tons of them! I didn't know where to stop! We had a great Christmas in Missouri. Jackson got so many great things between his relatives in Indiana and his relatives in Missouri that we won't need to buy him any toys for a while! That doesn't mean we won't, we just won't NEED to. Santa brought him "Scoop" from Bob The Builder, and he just loves it. He wanted to sleep with it while we were at Mom's. I can't even think of all of the things he got right now. My brain is fried.

Jackson and I stayed on in Kennett until Saturday and then Mom drove us back to Nashville and she stayed through today, New Year's Day. That enabled Tom and I to go out last night and eat and shoot some pool, something we haven't been able to do in a couple of years. We still had to be home by 9:00 to get Jackson in bed, but it was nice to go out and not have to rush through our meal in fear that Jackson would have a meltdown and we'd have to run out of the restaurant!

I enjoyed Christmas, but I have to say that I am glad things are going to be getting back to normal. Tom and I took the tree down on Sunday and got everything packed away. I am staying really tired, but I'm sure it's due to all the traveling Jackson and I did over the holidays, and at Mom's he slept with me, which means no sleep for me!

Jackson is saying so many more words. I just heard him in there repeating words back to Tom that he was reading from a book.

Here's a layout I've done of Jackson's one-year pics. I'm going to have it printed and frame it in a 10x20 frame. I'm also going to print out the Christmas one and frame it in an 8x8 frame. I want to start getting some pictures hung going up the hallway as you go upstairs.

Tom has worked on getting the garage cleaned out and stuff put out in the shed, and finally he's done it; he's able to park his car in the garage! And the treadmill is now where I can actually fold it out and use it, maybe. I'd like to use it a little every day, but we'll see how that goes.

Oh, I almost forgot. A guy Tom calls on for work gave him a Power Wheels Jeep that is battery powered for Jackson to ride in. We gave it to him Sunday afternoon and he was really apprehensive about it. He just had a smile plastered on his face and was kind of frozen in it. I think he really likes it though. It's not in pristine condition, but it's good enough for Jackson to ride around the back yard in. Here are a couple of pictures I took of him first riding on it:

Until next time...

Merry Christmas Everyone!

First of all, I've been putting off blogging this week because I didn't have much to say and I've been tired. But since this is somewhat of a journal for me, or for Jackson someday, I have to write about the passing of my dear friend Marti's mother, Shirley Jones. I considered Shirley a friend of mine too. She always welcomed me into her home and I felt comfortable there. It was one of the few houses that I could just walk in without knocking. She also had a sense of humor that I appreciated. Shirley attended my wedding, having to travel to Nashville, just a month or so after she lost her husband Don, and that meant a lot to me. Her health had been failing for some time, but her death was something I wasn't expecting. I visited with her and Marti a little over Thanksgiving and I'm glad I was able to see her then. She is deeply missed already. I went home last week to attend the visitation and the funeral. I have copied her obituary from the DDD:

* * *

Shirley Jones, 72, of Kennett, died Monday, December 10, 2007 at Kennett.

Born April 12, 1935, at White Oak, Mo., she was the daughter of the late Alfred Arlin and Ethel Minnie Pugh Dye. On February 22, 1957, she married Donald S. Jones who preceded her in death August 7, 2000. Survivors include Dr. Rick D. Jones and wife, Judy, of Kennett; two daughters, Christy Jones of Jonesboro, Ark. and Marti Jones and fiancé Andy Lewis of St. Louis; two sisters, Brenda Hicks and Beverly Stone, both of Kennett; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

* * *

Last Friday, Jackson and I traveled from Missouri to Indiana to have Christmas in Jasper. What should have taken around four hours took six excruciating hours. I was about to twist Jackson's head from his shoulders. It's a long trip for a toddler, and I felt sorry for him, but there was nothing I could do but sit and listen to him whine. It was truly exhausting. I had Tom buy another DVD player once we got to Jasper because our other one broke. So now maybe the trip to Missouri on Sunday won't be as bad as it was last week, because now he can watch a movie!

Jackson got a lot of great gifts while we were in Jasper for Christmas. He got an easel from Grandma Hart and Papa John, and then he got some trucks and a digger that go with this Thomas the Train stuff, which he loves. He also got some Play-Doh and finger paints from Starla, Colby and Mitchell, and some "Cars" cars that he didn't have from Rob and Suzanne and family. His Great Grandma Leona got him a "Cars" patio set and some great books that we've been reading him. Here are some layouts I've done from the Jasper Christmas. I'm not done with the two-pager because I want to put little subtitles on it, but I knew if I didn't get this stuff posted that it would be after Christmas before I had time again.

We got some snow while we were in Jasper. I don't know how much, but Jackson liked seeing it. It had all cleared by the time we left on Sunday of last week. We're going to be traveling to Missouri on Sunday for Christmas in Missouri. I must say that I will be glad to finally stay put in TN for a while. All this traveling with a toddler just isn't my idea of a good time.

I love this picture of Jackson.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

SEE YOU IN THE NEW YEAR!

No Santa Picture This Year!

Tom and I decided to take Jackson to see Santa Claus today and have his picture taken, like we've done for the past two years. I got him all dressed up in his Sunday-go-to-meetin' clothes and everything, but I had a sneaking suspicion that once we got there and he saw Santa, that he would have no part of it and wouldn't sit on his lap. And I was right. It was the same Santa as last year, and a good one, too, I might add, but he wouldn't go near him. He didn't even want to turn in his direction as he sat on MY lap, not even on Santa's. But that's okay. Costumes really scare him right now. Here are a couple of pictures with Santa:

We did take several pictures before we took him to the mall, and here they are. Tom can't snap a good picture of me and Jackson to save his life, yet I can always get a good one of them together. I love this one of them that I took. But inevitably, Jackson's never looking at the camera when I'm in the picture!

Then Jackson rode in the race car and looked at the fish in the fish tank at Bass Pro while I was able to do a little shopping before the mall got too crowded with people after church let out. And here are those pics:


I had a little get-together last night, and it was really good to sit down with friends, let me tell you. Stacy and Michael were over, so Wesley and Jackson played like maniacs as soon as they walked in the door. Jackson was ALL OVER Wesley, it was so funny. I had never seen him that wound up. One time I heard Wesley saying, Mommy, Mommy, so I went upstairs to check on them, and Jackson was on top of Wesley, like wrestling with him, and Wesley was losing his pants in the battle. It was funny.

And I finally got the coveted Wood Family sugar cookie recipe, which I am very proud of. I LOVE those things, seriously. That will definitely become a Schneider Christmas tradition. I need to thank Ann's grandmother for convincing Ann to release it to me and a few others. Needless to say, I had a really good time!

Until next time...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

Today is my dad's birthday, also Pearl Harbor Day. I am a loser and didn't get a card in the mail to you, Dad, nor did I get the gift finished that I wanted to send. I am still working on this gift, but I will give you the idea that I'm working on for you. I think I am going to change the layout a little because I don't like the size of this. But anyway, here's your birthday present:

HAVE A GREAT DAY, DAD! I WILL EVENTUALLY PRINT THIS OUT AND FRAME IT FOR YOU.

O Christmas Tree!

I have a NEW look for the holidays, new blogwear. I really love that picture of Jackson. He looks so happy. I am really looking forward to this Christmas because Jackson seems to be so excited about everything this year. He loves the Christmas tree and lights all over the neighborhood. He's going to have so much fun opening gifts, I think. If you ask him what Santa says, he says, ho, ho, ho. It's cute. He's had a bit of a cold for the last several days, but he's feeling a lot better today I can tell.

I put up the Christmas tree last week. This picture really doesn't show it well, but it will give you some idea where I placed it in the room. I really love our tree. It has a great shape and it was free. Can't beat that. I had been bragging on Jackson about how great he's been about not messing with the ornaments. Well, as I was taking this picture of the tree, he tried to pull an ornament off the tree, so he got a time-out.

Jackson disobeying me

Jackson in time-out

Also, I put out my nativity scene last week, which I love, by the way, and Jackson managed to break my donkey. He pulled a chair up to the sideboard and picked up the donkey and dropped it, accidentally. I had been letting him just LOOK at it, but I didn't mean for him to pick them up. Anyway, I didn't get on to him, since I had been letting him crawl up on the chair. But now I have to find someone who has a spare donkey. I glued the ear and the tail back on, but now you can see the glue all gunked up on it. It will be fine for this year, but I'd like to find another donkey for next year!

I don't have a lot more to blog about, really. I'm just trying to get all my Christmas shopping done before the big day, so I've been pretty busy. Plus I've had quite a bit of work, thankfully, and so that's kept me busy too. I will try to get a cute video of Jackson to post in the next day or two.

Until next time...

WARNING: Lots of cute pictures of Jackson ahead!

My favorite little boy in the world!

Buster tried to get away, but was unsuccessful

Buddies!

Thankfully, Tom's dad and Mary came in this weekend to help Tom put our shed up. It was a regular barn raising, minus all the neighbor farmers' participation and food that used to accompany those! Tom and Mary got here at about 8:00 on Saturday morning and he and Tom worked on that shed ALL day. They stopped for a lunch break, but that was it. And it's still not done. The roof still needs to get put on, but maybe Tom will be able to do that little by little. I think it will be great once it's done!

I took SO many pictures of Jackson out in the yard yesterday. Some turned out really good. Jackson's Papaw taught him how to swing a hammer. Not such a good thing for a toddler to learn. Look at the look on Jackson's face. I think Buster needs to run, FAST!

Watch out, Buster, I'm about to put this hammer on your head!

Papaw teaching Jackson how to use a hammer!

Get off your lazy butt, pick this hammer up and get to work!

See this? It's called a "hammer." Get busy, knuckleheads!

It's pow-wow time. If you two don't start getting busy, I will get people in here who want to work.

I like to sing while I work!

Mamaw played and played and played with Jackson (God bless her) all day while I cooked some and did a little laundry. He wanted her to play trains with him upstairs most of the day. It was hard to get him into bed last night because he still wanted to play! But it was so funny, I was rocking him and he was still kind of wound up and couldn't get settled, and so I said, do you want to just go in your crib? And he said, uh-huh. And I wanted to make sure, so I said, you don't want Mommy to rock you anymore and you want to just go to bed? And he said, uh-huh. So I put him in his crib and didn't hear a peep from him. He woke up around 2:30 crying, but I think it must have been a bad dream, because he went back to sleep pretty quickly.

I put up the Christmas tree last week. Jackson loves it. I feel like there's something missing on it, but I'm not sure what. I really like it, though, all in all. I'll post a picture of it maybe Tuesday.

I also tried out some word art that I've been curious about for a while. I ordered a little Christmas word art and I really like it. Note to self: Next time make sure it's matte finish. This lettering is kind of shiny. When it's matte, it looks more like paint on the wall. But anyway, I still really like it, and now I'm ready to order the BIG one for a wall in the great room.

Until next time...