Fossil Rim

Matt had the day of last Monday so we decided to take Jackson to Fossil Rim. We had so much fun and the weather was great. It had rained that morning so the animals were out enjoying the cooler weather. They came right up to our car and a few times stuck their heads into the car. Jackson loved seeing all of the animals up close. There were a few times were they were a little to close for my comfort level. At one point we were surrounded by zebras and had one chewing on the antenna! It was a great way to see the animals without walking around the zoo on a hot day.

Vacation

We left for vacation on July 6th. We decided to go to Colorado Springs in hopes of finding cooler weather. Matt's mom and dad went with us so we left from Stephenville. The first day we drove to Amarillo and stayed the night. That was about as long as Jackson could stand being in the car. He was such a good traveler. He played most of the way and took a nap or too. He had the best entertainment anyone could ask for in the back with him - grandparents!

While in Amarillo we stopped and ate breakfast at the Big Texan (Home of the Free 72 oz. steak!) It was definitely a tourist trap, but a fun place to stop. Jackson loved all of the Texas sized decorations! Here's a picture just in case you are curious about what a 72oz steak looks like - CRAZY!

The next day we drove to Mosca, Colorado to The Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was such an amazing place. Mountains all around and at the base sat huge mountains of sand. There was a creek flowing through close to the dunes. Jackson didn't care for the ice cold water at first, but in a matter of minutes was crawling around and splashing in the water. He cried when we took him out.




























We stayed in Pueblo, Colorado that night and then drove on to Colorado Springs. We went to the Garden of the Gods. It is such a beautiful place but I was so disappointed. I had really been looking forward to cool weather and being outside. It was so hot that day! It felt like Texas! We decided to cut our visit to the park short and find something cooler to do. We went to Manitou Springs and had dinner. We ate at a Polish restaurant. I was adventurous and decided to skip the hamburger and go with the Polish dish - stuffed cabbage and potato dumplings. It was actually very tasty!


Garden of the Gods

























The next day we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It was a very cool zoo. They had so many giraffes. You could walk right up to the giraffes on a deck and feed them crackers. They had already been fed a lot of crackers by the time we got there so we decided to just enjoy looking at them. Jackson loved all of the animals. Because the zoo is located on the side of the mountain there were so many good views.





























While on vacation we also went to Denver. We ate at a really cool restaurant called Casa Bonita. It was so much fun. I would describe it as Pancho's meets Crystal's Pizza. There was a diving pool and stage where actors put on gun fights and dived into the pool. There were waiters dressed in costumes and lots of fun things for kids to do. Jackson spotted the kid rides and had to ride the donkey. It really went against my preemie mom judgement to put him on that germ covered donkey but I decided to go for it - he wanted to so bad and afterall that's what germX and baby wipes are for! He was scared at first and then loved it. His face was priceless!







Jackson loved his light-up sword.

























The night before we started home we decided to go back to The Garden of the Gods. It was much cooler and there was a little bit of a breeze. I am so glad we did. Matt and I had a great time walking around and looking at all of the formations.















We really had a great time on our trip. Jackson did so well on this trip I can't wait to take him on the road again!

Getting Ready for Vacation

Jackson was excited about vacation from the very beginning. He loved getting in and out of the suitcase. He was such a big help! He would take the clothes out of the suitcase about as fast as I put them in! This was our first time to take a long trip with Jackson so it was a little overwhelming to think of everything we would need for a week. I didn't dwell on it too long, I was ready for a vacation.

Happy Birthday Mom!

There has been a lot going on the past couple of weeks. It seems like July just got here and now we are close to the end. My mom celebrated her 60th birthday (I hope you don't mind me sharing that Mom) on July 3rd. We had a surprise party for her at my brother's house. Well, I think she knew we were up to something, but it was still fun to keep her out of the loop until she got there. It was great to watch all of the kids play and Jackson trying to attack my mom's cake. He couldn't wait to get a bite of it!

I have such a wonderful mom. She is completely selfless and has a servant's heart. She puts everyone else first and thinks of herself last. She has been there for me every step of the way. She goes above and beyond to let you know that she loves you - she doesn't just tell you, she shows you in small ways and big ways.

Mom, I hope you had a happy birthday. I love you so much! Thank you for all that you are - you are so much fun to be around! You are such a wonderful mom, friend and grandmother!

How did he do that?

Matt and I find ourselves asking each other that a lot lately. On Father's Day we were out to lunch when I had to go out to the car to change Jackson. He was fussy so I let him play with my keys to keep him occupied long enough to change his diaper. I heard the trunk click and didn't think too much about it. I just thought to myself, "make sure to close the trunk". When we were leaving the restaurant I remembered the trunk I told Matt to check it. I told him the whole story about Jackson playing with the keys. He looked at me funny and reminded me that the clicker didn't open the trunk (we bought our car used and had keyless entry added - they told me at the dealership that they couldn't add it for the trunk so the button on the clicker wouldn't work). I remember pushing it before and it hadn't worked. Jackson had figured it out - sure enough hold it down for three seconds and click the trunk pops up. I don't know how many times he has made something come up on the TV or computer screen that we have never seen, not to mention all of the calls he has already made on his PaPa's phone! He is definitely a button pusher. Next time I can't figure something out I think I will hand it over to Jackson and let him try!

Always happy to go somewhere

First Post

I am excited to have my own blog. My husband has always done such a great job blogging for our family. He tries to post monthly or every couple of months. I wanted to use my blog to tell about the daily things that go on with our family. Sometimes every thing is so routine but during a normal day there are so many moments that I pause and hope that I never forget. Those little daily things are often some of my favorite.

Every day Jackson is learning something new. Just last week he learned to "buzz" like a bee, almost make the "c" sound, get on and off ride-on toys without falling, make marks with the crayon (most of the time), and hold and feed himself yogurt! Sometimes I don't even notice him picking up all of these new skills. He just surprises me by doing something new.

Jackson playing with his toys