Gratitude Day Eighteen & Nineteen

I am struggling keeping up with this thing!

I was just reminded on my comments section of something that I really love...my heated toilet seat. Oh yes, it's the best thing that has ever happened to me in the winter.

I should also mention my gratitude for insultators. You know who you are. Without you, Tyler would still be eating his sandwiches upside down, and I wouldn't know how to properly maintain a candle.

*sorry bout the inside jokes*

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gratitude Day Seventeen

Grateful for my kids' active imaginations. It keeps me laughin.

Just as an example, about two weeks ago, Nash announced at the dinner table that baby Gianni (his cousin) was in his belly. That's right folks, Nash thinks he's pregnant. It hasn't been a fleeting episode either. He talks about baby Gianni all the time. "baby Gianni is hungry"' which translates to, "I want a treat".
So last week at Sunday dinner, Nash wanted to hold baby G and I asked him how Baby G got out of his belly. Nash seemed just as confused about the whole thing as I am.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gratitude Days, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen and Sixteen...Sheesh

Okay, okay, so I'm behind a few days. My phone wasn't letting me blog whilst I was away on a short vacay. So, here goes my make-up session:

I'm grateful fer

1. forgiveness
2. my kids' amazing teachers
3. my kids' amazing primary teachers
4. twix
5. modern appliances

Gratitude day eleven

Grateful fer the St. George condo. I love it here!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gratitude Day Ten...

Grateful fer my job. Another one of those things that has taught me A LOT.

Love the kids and people I work with...

Holla!

Gratitude Day Nine...

Grateful fer brothers. We've had some great times together!

Gratitude Day Eight

Grateful fer funny. I love to laugh.

But, I've noticed that raising kids makes me serious. I need to laugh more.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gratitude Day Seven

Today I am grateful fer my in-laws. ALL of them! I am surrounded by the best people.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gratitude Day Six

Glad my kids let me sleep until 7:30 this morning. I'm grateful fer lazy days!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gratitude Day Five...

I'm 3 hours early! I hope it still counts...

This gratitude post, has to do with the future. I'm hoping that in about 20 years from now, I'll be able to say,

"I'm grateful my youngest child is still a man."

But for now, we'll just let him be the princess of his choice.





Sydney always has the best (unprompted) poses.




This picture might evoke the question,
"Do pirates actually wear snow boots?"
To which I would reply,
"Only in this economy. "

Gratitude Day Four

I'm grateful fer these folks:



Everybody's got 'em. But I've got the best ones.

My parents are Strong, United, Generous, Loving, Thoughtful, Faithful, Healthy, Sincere, and Dedicated to their Family. I'd say they molded me into a pretty decent person...and I now know (being a parent myself) that raising a good family does not just happen. It takes sacrifice, patience, time, work, prayer and unconditional love.

Thanks Mom and Dad for sacrificing every day to be the best!

One of these days, I'm gonna get these Southern folks to move closer to me! Probably not any time soon, though. It may have to come in the form of a mission call.

Gratitude Day Three

Grateful fer my warm, cozy bed. It's calling my name right now.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

An Attitude of Gratitude

It has recently come to my attention that my friend, Morgan, issued a challenge to post one thing you're grateful for each day for the month of November. I'm already two days behind. Which is why I'm grateful for procrastination.

But seriously folks.

Day One:

Trace, Sydney and Nash. Not only was I blessed to be the mother of these little ones, but they were sent to me healthy, smart, funny, talkative, creative, loving, and full of personality. They are miracles and they make me a better person (most days).

I just hope I don't mess them up too bad.

Day Two:

Tyler. I am so grateful that I chose Tyler to be my husband. Cheesy. I'm sorry.
I have grown immensely in our 11 years of marriage because of him.

He has taught me...

how to be more confident.

how to be more generous.
not to sweat the small stuff (and it's all small stuff).

about politics (still working on that).

how to be a better communicator (really still working on that).

how to be more positive (will always be working on that).

I'm a work in progress.

Kids

Two stories worth mentioning:

#1
I was sitting with Nash having lunch today and he said, "Mom, I am a beautiful girl." Usually this would just make me laugh. But, because of the following list, I'm starting to worry...

• Nash's favorite color is PINK. He fights with Sydney over the pink plates, bowls, etc.
• Nash's favorite book was once Pinkalicious. We haven't read it in awhile for obvious reasons.
  

• Nash likes to play with dolls. He also likes to play house and be the mom.
  

• Nash wants to be Cinderella for Halloween (I think we are going to let him indulge in this, purely for the laughs). Pictures to come!

Help me out here people, is this just a stage???

#2
About 2 weeks ago, the kids were playing outside and Sydney left Trace's scooter behind my car. Sydney went missing, and Trace was on the hunt. Once he found her, he herded her out to the garage where his scooter was left in a predicament.

This is when Tyler caught his eldest son sounding much like himself...

Trace steered Sydney to the crime scene and in a stern voice said, "Sydney! This is the kind of crap I'm talking about!", and he pointed to his vulnerable scooter.

Sydney decided not to let his tone of voice offend her, and she fluttered away as if she could not hear him.

The End.

Thanks again Lifetouch...

But this time, thanks for nothing.

Okay, so Trace's picture is fine. But, nothing to get too excited about. He's a pretty cute kid, but maybe I'm a little biased.





Sydney's on the other hand...well let's just dissect it for a minute. First off, let's start by saying, Sydney herself couldn't be any cuter. Love her.

BUT, is it that hard for the Lifetouch employee (I would use the term photographer, but I think that would be WAY too generous) to say,

"Hey Cutie, do you wanna fix your headband a little? It's kinda in a weird spot on your head..."

Or

"Hey Cutie, wanna zip up your fabulous cardigan sweater so that we can see the classic argyle print on there that your mom paid an arm and leg for so it will look super cute in your picture?" Mmmmmkay, thanks.

But, they didn't.



Or maybe they did and that's what happened with the headband as a result.





On a somewhat related side note, I regret to inform that I do not have my annual school pictures yet to brag about. I opted not to have my portrait made when I realized I came to work wearing the same shirt I wore for my photo shoot last year. Embarrassing. I know.


Another side note about Nash: As we were walking to C & E's house the other day, a little girl was outside who looked to be about 3-3 1/2 years old. Nash walked right up to her face and said "What's your name, cutie pie?"
What a stud.

Potty time

Just wanted to share my bathroom story with the world...

Yesterday I had to go "potty". And because I cannot walk into a bathroom without the entire gang immediately sensing my absence, and launching a search party, I locked the door. As they proceeded to bang on the door, I shouted,

"I am going potty, and I would like some peace and quiet!!"

To which Nash responded:
"Mommy, I am peace and quiet."

Yes, Nash is peace and quiet personified. Who knew?

Love this boy...

Seriously

Seriously, why have I not been blogging lately? Because I'M BUSY, MmMmMkAy? I have soccer games to watch and barbies that need to be played with...


Now that that's out of the way, I just wanted to document--fo' the record (I stole that from you Morgan, but you already knew that) what's been going on with us in no particular order. I'll start from our trip to VB and end with, well, the end.


***We went to visit my parents in Virginia Beach the first 2 weeks of August. We had a blast. We exhausted ourselves at the beach daily, to the point where Nash was begging to go home and take a nap. Nice. Cousin Christine came down for a weekend with her clan (send me the pics already, girl) and Sydney and G'Weezie had their annual birthday celebration.


Oh, and, as always we went to Busch Gardens. I'll say it again...I LOVE THIS PLACE:

Hehehe...Sydney was at least trying to be brave...at the beginning.

***Trace started 1st grade. He's loving school except for the recess part. He complains that kids don't want to play with him. Tyler insists that he's just socially awkward like me. I beg your pardon... I'm pretty charming, in a shy-at-first, weird kind of way.


***Sydney started kindergarten and loves it! She has the same teacher Trace had, so she already knew what to expect. She walked into class the first day like she owned the place. She's a social butterfly....much like her daddy, I'm told. Sydney also started dance and gymnastics. Her dance teacher told that she is very coordinated and a natural dancer. No surprise there, she gets that from me.
[Insert Syd's first day of school pic here if I can ever get it off my camera..Arrrrg]

***Nash PREtended to start PREschool. Part of being a great mom is knowing what motivates your child. Well, Nash wouldn't stop hinting around that he wanted to go to school, so I decided to make that a reality for him...as long as there was a reward in it for me. Hence, the potty training began. Once he started meeting his dry underwear criteria, I started to panic to find a preschool for 2 year olds. I offered my friend, Saedi, a box-o-peaches (she'll do anything for food), to let Nash come for a few hours to her day care and, viola! Everybody was happy. I'm genius, I know. And so are you, Saedi (thanks again!).

***Tyler, although too busy for extracurricular activities during "Corn Season", did find the time to explore his wild facial hair side and grow out an attractive new beard thing. It screams Brigham Young...or is it John Deere? I can't decide.



***Trace joined the "Lynx" this year for an intense soccer season. Let's be honest, no one really knows their actual record, but it's safe to say, the Lynx kicked some 1st grade butt. Sydney took to photography at each of his games. Check out these shots:


***The "Corn Season" ended tragically for the Jackson kids when they fell off the forklift one Sunday afternoon. Nash and Sydney emerged with a few scrapes, but Trace ended up with 8 stitches and some nasty cuts in his mouth...which led to some seriously bad breath later on that week.



***Trace had a burfday and turned the big 0-7! I threw him a pretty amazing party at the one and only, Classic Skating (well, the one and only one in Orem). It was a good time filled with skating, scootering, snowballs, Icees, pizza, cupcakes, and uninvited guests (Will). Trace still can't figure out how the DJ knew his name. When the birthday boy got to request a song, there was no hesitation from Trace. Bring on, "Who Let the Dogs Out" (who who who who--you know you're singin it)


***I had yet another "teaching moment" with my children about cleanliness and respect for toys. After countless times of asking them to "kindly" clean up the playroom, I warned them I was going to take all the toys away. Well, I did just that, much to Sydney's dismay. It was a proud moment for me.


They are still earning their coveted possessions back one at a time, and the playroom is once again a huge disaster. Lesson learned.

***I started running (and I use the term "running" VERY loosely). Yes, in case you didn't catch that in my last post, it is true. I am doing the 2 things I hate the most in life. 1) getting up early and B) RuNnIng! What the...? I must say though, it makes me a better mom, which is pretty hard to do. Thx again Saedi...


***Megan & Stefano had baby Gianni on Sept. 21st. And, Chris and Erin's twins are due in a few weeks. This seems like a nice segway to announce that I'm expecting. But, I'm not. It was a nice segway tho, yes?



The End. I promised.

This one's for you, Saedi

My awesome friend, Saedi keeps texting me, BEGGING for a blog entry. What can I do? I have A fan, I cannot let her down. So, this post is dedicated to YOU, Saedi, and I would like to cleverly entitle it, A POEM FOR sAeDi:

Saedi, Saedi the marathon runner,
Running with her couldn't be any funner.

But now Saedi's sick,
And I am sore,
This we should do never more, never more.

(Unless of course Saedi gets any fatter and then we can't be friends).


The end.

Hope you're feeling better girl!

Somtimes we just need to hear it...

I need to post about my trip to Virginia, but I can't get the pics off my camera, so you're getting this instead...it's better than anything I could say...

FIVE!

Happy Birthday to my Sydney Lou!!!

Our Five Favorite Things about Sydney:

5. She knows what she wants! Seriously, she told me everything she wanted for her birthday down to the very last detail (including a balloon centerpiece and a "number 5" shirt and a detailed present list)
4. She's still a momma's girl, which I love!
3. She's a great help around the house and takes good care of her brothers.
2. Sydney is becoming a great little swimmer. She will even jump off the diving board now (although she prefers to do it with a life jacket)
1. Sydney is still my earliest riser, she's usually up right at 7:00 or earlier...okay this one is probably my least favorite, but the positive part about it is she is always HAPPY, even when I'm grumpy in the morning :)

Corn Widow Dialouges, Chapter 2

Dear Children of the Corn:

Did you know that summer is a great time to sleep in? There's really not much that needs to get done at 6 am that can't wait until 8 am. See my wisdom here?

Let's experiment with this tomorrow. Everyone try to get up around 7:30 or LATER, and mommy will be much, much happier.

Hugs & Kisses,
Mommy

Quote of the Week...

As I am scolding Sydney for always having to tell her to put her seat belt on, Trace sees his opportunity to shine:

"I always put my seat belt on...unless I forget."

Disney

I'm not usually one to brag, but, WE WENT TO DISNEYLAND!!!

(Enter excited face picture HERE).

We went with the whole Jackson Clan at the beginning of May and had a blast. Thanks Steve and Judy for a memorable trip!

Beware: Picture overload...

We left early Sunday morning and drove straight to California. Tyler wanted something special done to his hair while we were on the road. This is what I came up with:

We went to "Breakfast at the Park" our first day there. Awesome!








We took as many pics with the characters as humanly possible. Gotta get your moneys worth.









On day four, the crew took a break from Disney and headed to the beach. I flew to Charlotte to go to a family reunion.






PS...Thanks for the pics Erin. I've decided that, number one, I hate taking pics, and number two, I hate my camera. Number one is probably directly related to number two. I apologize for all the number one number two talk; I'm semi-potty training Nash right now, but I digress.

Corn Widow Dialogues

Entry #1:

My life as a seasonal corn widow began on Wednesday. This year, Tyler and Chris decided to open up for Memorial Day weekend...JOY! While it's nice to have money coming in again, it's hard to face the reality that I've got 3 solid months to hang with my3 exhausting kids...with...out...Tyler.

So, I had myself a little cry last night.

Tyler asked me why I was crying, and really all I could figure was, I just needed to get it out. There are always tears from the wives during corn season, right Erin?

But now I'm done crying and ready to get on with it again and conquer this summer. Luckily, sister-in-law who is also corn widowed, now lives only 3 houses down from me. So at least we can mourn together.

Buy some corn people and make it worth it for me!!!


The End.

Obsessed Much??

So whenever my kids start watching a new show, the inevitable obsession begins. We watch, live, breathe, color, cut, and paste the new show. Unfortunately, the newest one introduced to us by cousin Cher was "Yo Gabba Gabba." What a classic! Let me introduce you to the cast of this brilliant series:


So, thank you Nick Jr. and the clever creators of this genius, instant classic. Now, can anyone suggest a new show we can obsess over for the next few weeks?