Happy Birthday Jackson!

Dear Jackson,

I'm writing this letter one month past your 8th birthday...time has such a way of flying by. Your birthday falls at the end of school every year (this year the last day of school was 5/25 and your birthday was 2 days later) and that is always such a crazy time. Plus this year, we moved back into our house just two weeks before your birthday. Now one month later we are getting settled into our home and into our summer routine.

You had an up and down year I would say, but mostly up and you definitely finished strong. You started off your 8th year with a broken arm which was not a good way to start the summer. That meant no swim team last summer but you did swim this year and had a pretty good time, I think. You even made it to the All Star meet for breast stroke. That's pretty darn good after missing all of last season.





Other than swimming, you also played baseball this year. You were part of a great team and had so much fun. You really improved over the season and your team ended up going to the championship game. Your lost and it was heartbreaking but it was so exciting to watch!



This was your first year of Cub Scouts and I think you really enjoyed it...campouts, archery, bb gun shooting, what's not to love! I'm hoping that you'll want to do it again next year.




You had an up and down year at school. You are such a bright, energetic kid and you really excel at math. But there are some subjects you don't love and those don't get your full attention (spelling, writing, penmanship). You ended up getting two Cs one marking period and daddy and I got pretty upset with you. But you worked hard the rest of the year and ended up getting mostly Bs with an A in math. Daddy and I were very proud of you at the end of the year. I'm really hoping that you find your groove with school...maybe 3rd grade will be the year. You have so many years of schooling ahead of you and I just wish you enjoyed it more.



Another big accomplishment this year was making your First Communion. We were so proud of you.



This was the year that you finally started losing some teeth. This is such a great snaggl-tooth photo. I love it! And for some reason this year you decided to start growing your hair out. For years you've had your hair cut super short--"a number 2 all over." I definitely like the longer locks but I think you were a little disappointed at first. I think you thought it was going to grow out straight and you kept trying to plaster it down with gel and other products. It is definitely not straight and I think you've decided to go with it. I think it is just so darn cute!





I love you Jackson. You keep my on my toes and brighten my days.

Love,
Mom

Happy Father's Day

We had a kind of low key father's day but great none the less. Breakfast in bed for Jim then off to see Fantastic Four in the afternoon. A big steak dinner to polish it all off.

The day really doesn't do justice to how much you mean to our family. You are a great dad...so much better than my words can describe. You are definitely a hands on, feet wet, bed wrestling kind of Dad. The 3 Js adore you and so do I. I could never do this without you. I love you.

Wine Country

Three weeks since my last post...can't seem to get the hang of this blogging thing. We've been so busy. This happens to me every year. The last two weeks of school is a crazy time...performances, ceremonies, parties, gifts, swim team, etc. Throw into the mix that Jackson and Jordan also have their birthdays during that time period...gets really crazy. This year we also planned a trip to Sonoma for the first weekend after school got out so I've been busy trying to get ready for that. Now we're back from an awesome trip and I hope the lazy days of summer can settle in.

We had a great trip to Sonoma with two other couples (the Enochses and the Kimberlins). Denise came to stay the kids and they (the kids) had a great time. I think Denise did too. She did a great job--even took them to the Space Center for an outing and had two of their friends sleep over. She's brave!

I had never been to that part of the country before but had always wanted to go. Now I want to live there...if I had an extra couple of million dollars laying around. The scenery is just gorgeous. It really seems like you could be in France or Italy. We visited mostly small wineries that I had never heard of and we had awesome experiences--tours, private tastings, beautiful lunches. I'd definitely like to go back some day and see Napa Valley.