Birthday Wishes...

December 29, 1975

The blessed day that my dear hubby, Tyler was born (as well as Jon Voight, Mary Tyler Moore and Jude Law--different years of course---just some useless facts, since Tyler loves them).

Now, as most of you know, Tyler is not one who enjoys an abundance of attention, especially on his birthday. Sometimes he throws us off though, for instance, when he called a family meeting last Friday to inform the kids that his b-day was in 3 days and to be prepared, or like last night when he kept asking his niece and nephews if they wanted to give him his presents early. Anyhow, despite these rare instances, Tyler is very low key.

So, to honor him on his special day, I would like each and every one of you readers out there (you too, Mom, Gina, Judy, G&G Jensen!!!) to give Tyler a little birthday lovin'. Here are your instructions:

1. Compile a modest list of the things that you love about Tyler, favorite memories, most embarrassing moments, or ways he's made you laugh.
   
2. Keep the list to about 20 thoughts, anything less would be insulting. If you can't think of enough, please give an explanation (i.e. ran out of time, ran out of memories, etc.)
3. Please post your list on the comments portion of this post by midnight tonight, MST (Okay, not really, but try to be speedy) For those of you needing instructions on how to post a comment, call a six-year old.
   

Once the comments have all poured in, I will print and scrapbook them to the best of my ability (which is not that great...see evidence below) for a fantastic birthday surprise!! So, hurry before he reads this!!! If you need some ideas, I will begin the comments with my own thoughts, try not to blatantly plagiarize.

Birthday flashback '99

Weekend Full-O- FUN!

Tyler rarely takes any time off from work, so since Christmas fell on a Thursday, he managed to take Friday off, and we made the most of our long weekend together. (I can't say he COMPETELY took the weekend off...there were still a few quick trips to the office and many phone calls, but that's pretty good for him)

On Friday, we had a blast sledding with the whole Jackson/Pitts/Niccoli Clan. Trace loved every freezing cold minute of it and didn't want to stop. We finally forced him inside once his snot was frozen to his upper lip.

On Saturday, we went to Jumpin' Jacks and we all joined in on the jumpin fun. I think I probably had as much fun as the kids did!

The dragon race

Playing dead

Whatcha doin' there, Ty?

Where's Sydney?

Even Nash joined in the fun.

Tyler and Trace re-enacting the Titanic

Jackson Family Holiday Lessons

What not to do the night before Christmas:

1. Let your kids stay up until 11:00 or you will have this Christmas morning:

2. Fail to force dinner down their throats, or you will have this conversation at 7:30 am:
Me: I think Santa came and brought you presents!!!
A very cranky Sydney: I want breakfast!
Me: HUH?!

What not to do on Christmas Day:

1. Accidentally put one of Nash's Santa gifts in Trace's pile...ooooops!

2. Allow Tyler to make commentary about girl-y presents

What to do on Christmas Day:

1. Open presents!



Hang out with family

Make the Mechling's traditional ambrosia

And, my personal favorite, try to get Nash to keep on his new beanie...very VERY entertaining!




Merry Christmas to all and to all a Goodnight!

Close Your Mouth When You CHEW...Part 2

As a speech therapist, I find myself fascinated with Nash's ability to mimic my mouth/tongue movements at such a young age. If only I could get some of my speech students to watch my mouth so closely!!! This is pretty comical, and yes, if you are a loyal follower of my blog, you will probably recall the first time I caught this talent on tape.

I'm being followed

by Nash.  He's been playing around with the idea of crawling, and now, he's serious about it.  He knows just what to do when I leave the room, and I'm not ready for it.   Time to baby proof, again.

Liar, Liar

One of my favorite movies, now starring my own daughter!

A few weeks ago, there was an incident with Sydney and lying. I really didn't want to blog about this because it's something I don't think I want to remember in years to come. But, there are just too many funny stories building around it, so I might as well just share.

Day one:

I noticed that Nash's borrowed Bumbo had been decorated with pen (it was evident from the delicate cursive scribbles that it was Sydney's mark). I actually kept my cool, at first, and confronted Sydney.

"Did you do this?" I inquired, pointing at the graffiti.

"No." Sydney answered casually.

"Sydney, don't lie, did you do this?" I asked sternly.

"No, Mom, I didn't." She replied with more passion.

Oh, I know, I thought to myself, she doesn't understand what lying is yet, she's only 3. So, I took a brief teaching moment and explained to her what a lie is. Then, I calmly asked again, reminding her to tell me the truth,

"Syd, did you do this?"

"No, Mom" was her reply again.

"Sydney, do not lie to me, did...you...color...on...Nash's Bumbo?" I asked, starting to panic, wondering what to do next.

"No, Mom! I did NOT do that. I did...NOT...color on Nash's Bumbo!" She said with all her dramatic might.

It was at this point that I began to doubt myself.

Maybe she didn't do it, I thought. She certainly seems upset that I would dare accuse her. But, who could have done it? Did some spiteful 3 year-old come into our house, make cutsie scribbles on the Bumbo and frame Sydney?

Errrrrrrrrrt! Wake up Paige!! I silently said to myself while mentally slapping my face. I quickly had an inaudible pep talk with myself...

You know she colored on that Bumbo now get her to fess up!!!

"SYDNEY!!!" I yelled. "I KNOW YOU did this! If you do not tell me you did it right this second, you are going to sit in time out!"

The corners of her mouth started to turn up into a devious little smile. "Oooookay, Mom................I did it."

While she was slowly admitting her guilt, I was quickly trying to figure out what to do. I've never been blatantly lied to four times by a preschooler before.

So, after she received her Emmy Award, and made her acceptance speech, I forced her to wipe off the Bumbo, and then, she sat in TIME OUT! I then questioned my abilities as a parent for the rest of the day, and became even more anxious thinking about Sydney as a teenager.

Day two:

Sydney was watching a TV show and the little boy lied to his mom. I was sitting right next to her, and I said, "see Sydney we do not lie." She looked up at me and retorted,

"But, he still looks happy."

Hmmmmmmm.

Days two, three and four:

Trace prays every night that his sister will stop telling lies.

One week later:

Here is a little conversation Sydney had with Celeste, our babysitter while I'm at work:

Sydney: Celsete, sometimes I tell lies.

Celeste: Why do you do that?

Sydney after some deep thought...Because Jesus wants me to be happy.
Trace (shouting in the background) "THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE!"

So, there you have it. Liar liar pants on fire....but, we still love her a whole lot!

Gratitude

Since we're well into November and nearing Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share my thoughts from today (nothing too profound, don't worry). As I was in the shower this morning, alone, (a blessing in and of itself) I was thinking about how good things are right now. Things aren't perfect, they never are, but they're good. And, since I can't predict the future, and sometimes it really scares me, I've decided to do my best to "live in the moment" and enjoy how good things are right now.

I was pondering about how much I love my little family, my family family, and my in-laws. Tyler and I have been blessed with 3 healthy kids, wonderful parents and the best siblings in the world! For this, I am truly grateful.

Tyler is an attentive father and caring husband. He works hard to provide for us and then plays with us when he gets home. I love just sitting and talking with him. He rarely complains and can find the good in anything or anyone.
Trace is a pure, innocent 5 year-old who lives to please his parents. He's constantly helping me and telling me that I'm good mom. He is a great example to his younger sister and brother.

Sydney is a spunky, lively 3 year-old who fibs on occasion, but still possesses innocence. She loves treats, movies, her blanket, and her mom. She is a great sister to her two brothers.

Nash is almost 9 months old and is a joy. He has an easy going temperament, unless his siblings are tugging at his limbs. His bright blue eyes and smile light up my day.

My mom is the most patient, kind-hearted person I know. I am trying to raise my children with the same gentleness and love that she provided in our home.

My dad is an example of strength and honor. He is generous with his time, talents, and resources. He has taken us on many fun trips. He also helps me around my house whenever he visits.

My brother, Ray is a talented cook and makes us the best meals when we're together. He's lots of fun to be around and very intelligent.

My brother, Jon is a very thoughtful guy (now there's two words you rarely see coupled together...thoughtful AND guy). He also has the best sense of humor, does hilarious impressions, and can beat anyone at Nintendo (Old School). I love being around him.

My brother, Ben is a great handyman to have around. He's done countless projects for me and never expects anything in return (except maybe some food).

My MIL, Judy is the best. Whether it's sewing pillow shams, babysitting, or inviting us to dinner, she's always doing something nice for me.
My FIL, Steve is generous and a family man. He has taken us out to countless delicious dinners and is a very generous person.
My SIL, Erin is so fun to hang out with and is endlessly watching my kids for me. She is always helping someone and never complains!
My SIL, Gina is THE nicest person in the world. She took my kids for an entire day when Nash was born! She will do anything for anyone and always has kind words to say about everyone.
My SIL, Megan, is a blast to be around, she ALWAYS makes me laugh. She is also the cutest/trendiest girl I know!
My SIL, Jen is a strong, loyal woman. She is excellent at keeping in touch. She's always calling or sending us cards and pictures.
My BIL Steve has the best birthday in the world, June 14th...way to be! He's also very easy to talk to and be around.
My BIL Chris is someone who would do ANYTHING for you ANYTIME! He's good to have around when something breaks down!
My BIL Stefano is another funny one who plays with my kids and takes good care of my Megan!

Halloween Night

Here's the picture of Halloween night.  Please notice that Trace is wearing an elephant costume, AND expecting a flood.  I finally received the "larger" size of Horton at 1:00 on Halloween afternoon.  And, this costume, although still way too short and would have cut off his blood flow had I not cut all the elastic, "fit" in Trace's mind.  So wear it he did!

We had so much fun trick-or-treating with the kids.  Then half way into our treating, Meg and Stefano caught up with us and provided us with some great laughs. Stef was the deer you see in the pic and Meg, the hunter.  Stef was not afraid to go to every door with the 3 and 5 year-olds, nor would he leave the doorstep until he had a piece of candy in his paw.  Sometimes, he would dance for his candy.  Then, Megan would yell, "it's a deer!!!" and Stef would start running. HILARIOUS!!! 

My Little Pumpkins' Preparation Week

With Halloween quickly approaching, I've been dedicated to preparing my children for the BIG NIGHT.  It's taken us all week, but the results are becoming apparent.  They're up to two pieces of candy per hour with minimal side effects.  Thank goodness I bought my candy for the trick-or-treaters early so that we could be taste-testing it all week. 

They've also been doing house laps/stairs all week long to increase their stamina. I hate weak trick-or-treaters that complain after RUNNING/WALKING a few streets.  There will be no whinning as they run/are dragged door-to-door with a growing TREAT BAG!

I've also been randomly jumping out of closets/rooms to prepare them for the scary events that may or may not take place.  No one likes a scare-D-cat, so don't worry about my kids being the annoying ones with the high-pitched screams.  It's now more like a low-pitched moan/cry.  Much easier on the ears.  And, you're welcome in advance.

All this preparation leads us to one great thing..., my children will soon have stashes of candy forme to protect.  It's my job, and I take it very seriously.

 

It's Halloween week and here is an EXCLUSIVE sneek peek at what the little ankle-biters are going to be...

Okay, that was a little more than just a sneek peek.  Consider yourself lucky, very, very lucky.  

Nash was going to be a dog, however, since he was not thrilled about being stuffed into a way-to-small costume, he is being excused from this year's dressing-up.  Next year, I will try to buy him a costume that fits (oh, yeah, and Trace too).  

Very nice transition to the Trace costume saga.  Trace has been telling me for months that he wants to be an elephant for Halloween.  It is, after all, his favorite animal.  Well, after some half-ass searching (I can say that because my own mother has said it before, half-ass, that is, and it's the only swear word I've ever heard Weezie say.  And, the only one I've ever written. Anyways, back to my story...), I discovered that elephant costumes are abundant, if you're 0-24 months old.  Hmmmmm. 

Then, one day, a discovery of enormous magnitude!!!  As I was searching ebay...I found a large enough elephant costume AND his name was HORTON!!!  I thought to myself "Extra brownie points for me...he loves elephants and Horton Hears a Who!!!"    

Best Mom of the Year Award, commin' up!  

Needless to say, Trace was ecstatic when I showed him the picture of the shy little boy modeling the costume online.  So, every day for four days, we went to the mailbox with great anticipation.  It FINALLY arrived yesterday, TWO SIZES TOO SMALL!!!   

Damn you EBAY!!! (ooops, that's #2)

Now, I have a young, tender innocent 5 year-old (the size of a 6 year-old) who is convinced that his costume fits okay--a little snug, but okay.  Nevermind the pants come to his kneecaps and the hood straps do not come around far enough to velcro.  And, I'm sure you can imagine the major wedgie he's got goin' on....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

PS--While we were waiting for the miniature Horton costume to arrive, Trace was fortunate enough to borrow Mr. Incredible for a Halloween party.  Thanks, Gina!

YeeeeeeHaw!

Here's proof that Trace, Sydney and Nash's Grandpa Jackson is truly a cowboy at heart...He gave the whole clan COWBOY jammies!  

The best part of these pjs was that they came with Hugh Heffner smoking jackets!

Sadly, however, it was already past their bedtime when these pics were taken, so we did not do a photo shoot with the robes.  

That will be coming soon, don't worry!

So You Think You Can Dance

Here are Trace and Sydney's try-out videos for "So You Think You Can Dance" (Midget Edition).  I think they have a pretty good chance.  And, believe it or not, they've...

 

"Never had one lesson!" 

~Ferris Buhler 

A Weekend at St. George!

Swimming, swimming and more swimming!  Of course that's why you go to St. George.  The first day we were there, it was a nice 80 degrees so the kids had a blast swimming outside.  The next day there was a drastic change in temp (about 50 degrees for the high) so we moved the fun indoors.  Tyler pretty much swam with the kids non-stop and even let Erin and I go shopping for three hours!  Thanks guys!  I know that Cameron wouldn't have it any other way...

Here's a little picture of the midgets at In-N-Out Burger...we ate there on Friday and Sunday...YUMMY!!!

Okay, so the main pictures I took in St. George weren't actually in S.G. they were in the VAN on our way down.  The van was the best part of our trip!!!  

St.George

We are off to St. George for the weekend! We have been trying to go since the beginning of September, and the time has finally arrived. (Sorry you missed your NFL trip Ty, better luck sneaking around next time, he he he).

The part I am most excited about is driving down with our good friends the Whites and our combined total of 6 kids! Somehow Cam scored a Sprinter van that seats 10. Perfect!

Tyler and Paige plus eight! Pictures to come...

Tyler came to me this morning after trying to turn on a show for Sydney and in a cracked voice said, "Do you know why the TV isn't working?"

My initial thought was, just trying pushing the power button, honey. If any of you have a husband like mine, their first instinct when something seems broken or appears to be lost (wallet, keys, cell phone) is to immediately ask the wife without troubleshooting on their own first. WHY??? Because we have all the answers, and, it's just plain easier to ask the wife than take 5 minutes to figure it out solo.

Anyways, that was just a random tangent. Back to the TV. I asked Tyler all the appropriate questions, starting with "What do you mean?" When he explained further, he had done some troubleshooting on his own, to which I give him credit!!! Come to find out, the Direct TV box won't turn on, on either TV. Uh Oh! This is very bad news for those in this household who are addicted to TV, and they shall remain nameless.

I quickly had a great idea, since I'm tired of the non-stop TV watching. I asked Tyler,
"Why don't we have a week of no TV?"

After the shock wore off of his face, his answer was, "Why would we do that?"

Because, I thought to myself, I'm not calling Direct TV to have them come fix it!

Marathon Day

Today has been the never-ending day. It actually started last night when I was trying to get myself and kids' things ready for today's activities. So here goes:

• 6 a.m. Nash wakes up for feeding time/grouchy time...I must say, this is usually the only time he's a little fussy for whatever reason.
• 7:30 - I'm off to work...(I have the best job ever, next to being a mom!)
  
• 7:30 - 9:45 Tyler plays Mr. Mom--feeds Nash baby mush, gets kids dressed and takes Sydney to preschool (we've had some issues with Sydney going to school looking like W.T.--complete with a rat's nest in the back of her head. All I ask is for him to wet it down and comb it, but I can't have EVERYTHING, I guess).
  
• 9:45 - Our wonderful babysitter, Celeste, arrives. Tyler is off to work.
  
• Skip ahead to 4:00...I leave work and head to Erin's brother's wedding. Celeste brings the kids to Tyler dressed in their wedding apparel, Tyler brings kids and meets me at the wedding.
  
• 5:00 - mingle at the wedding until...
  
• 6:30 - wardrobe changes. Dress-down. Time to go to JCW's to meet the Marshall's, Lawson's, and Barrett's for dinner.
• 7:30 - delicious burger and fries down the hatch. Head to Cornbelly's.
  
• 7:35 made Tyler go and get my camera out of the car for the love of the BLOG only to find out the batteries were dead! So sad. Even though I have no pictures to PROVE IT, we had a great time with our friends, and the kids had a BLAST! A big thank you to all those who made this year's Cornbelly's adventure a success.
  
• 9:30 - leave Cornbelly's and pick up Tyler's car...Tyler goes to play jamball at a friend's house...CrAZy!
  
• 10:30 - I'm off to bed...but apparently, I'm not really ready for this day to end because I can't sleep.

I tried counting sheep. Any other ideas?

Yao is almost 7 months!

I took Nash to the Doctor yesterday for his 6 month check-up...more like 7 months, but I'm just happy I got him there at all!

Baby Nash's stats are in:

Weight: 18.65.......54.9%ile (see he's not as chubby as you think)
Length: 29.5"........99%ile (He dropped a little in the percentile rank, so we'll have to go back to the stretching machine).

Overall, Nash is one healthy little guy. He is still very happy and easy going. We love having him in our family!

Happy Birthday to Trace!

Today, "Baby Trace" as we used to call him, turned 5 years-old! I have to say that Trace has been a wonderful child to have as our first. Here are some words that I would use to describe him:

• Courteous
  
• Friendly
  
• Helpful

(He's pretty much got the Boy Scout motto down)

• Daring (when it comes to the important things like roller coasters!)
  
• Cautious
  
• Curious
  
• Cooperative
• Slightly Stubborn
• Humorous
  
• A Great big Brother
• Smart
  

We got him a bike for his birthday...I guess we're a little slow in this department since some kids his age are already riding without training wheels. But, I figured he couldn't even pedal the tricycle so why waste money on a bike? I know why now...he loves it and HE CAN RIDE IT! He's been riding it all day. I'm not sure how many times he told me thank you for the bike! What a good kid.

After the big unveiling of the bike, we took him out to breakfast. Cracker Barrel was not exactly his first choice, but we think he enjoyed it anyway!

Caution: This birthday blog is getting long, but the rest of it is merely for our pure enjoyment when Trace is older. Stop reading here if you have any kind of life or something else interesting to do. Seriously. Get a life.

Okay, this poster is what his preschool teacher sent home for him to fill out and color. He could NOT wait to get to work on it when he got home. He is so proud of it and every few minutes wants to know where it is so we don't lose it for his school party on Tuesday.

Now, to the left, we have an artist's rendering of the cake that I was supposed to make. I'm not sure why there is a window of white frosting on it, but the real deal turned out to be all white anyway. He insisted on helping me frost it, so he won't be shocked when he sees a snow storm instead of a chocolate sea. I told him I'd decorate it tonight while he was in bed. So, as you can tell in the picture on the right, there is a delicious chocolate cake with butter cream frosting (it's weird that we have the same favorite cake) and... my interpretation...of his drawing. Thought I'd spice it up a little. I realize it's a little ghetto-fabulous, but it was made with love.