Basketti Anyone?

Ooohh Spaghetti

I'm not sure if I like it mom.

Yum that's good stuff.Jackson has been working on using utensils lately. He is good at putting the spoon in his mouth with the food on it, not so good at getting the food on it. Eventually he ends up using the utensils God gave him. . .his 5 little digits. Oh well he will get it eventually and until then it will be a blast watching him try.

Vegetable check: Jack loves green beans and he will eat sweet potates and sometimes peas but I tricked him because I put pureed squash in the sauce. He gobbled it all up!

Busy Weekend

This weekend went by really fast for some reason. On Sat Brandon and I went to a wedding Sat night and left Jackson with a family in the ward. It is the first time he has ever been left with someone he didn't know (Grandparents are our primary babysitters which is nice). I was a little nervous but the family is really great and they have 3 kids of their own. I was surprised because Jack didn't even cry when we left. He was so busy playing with the kids and making himself at home. He is such a good baby that I didn't really worry about him crying. The Webb's found out some things about him though. Sister Webb tried to give him a bath and I guess he freaked out at the faucet and then he peed everywhere like 3 times in the bathroom. The kids (they are 6, 4, and 2)did not approve of his table manners since he is very messy and is in this phase where he throws the food if he doesn't want to eat it. Then Brother Webb left his laptop open on the coffee table and Jackson took the liberty of typing on his own. Their little boy was like dad come here now, and I guess Jack had opened all the windows and was typing away at the keyboard (this is why he has his own keyboard and mouse to play with). Overall I think they had a blast with him and he seemed to really like them because when we saw them at church today he kept pointing and smiling at them. He is such funny little boy.

Thankfully this week is Spring break so I can get some cleaning done around the house and some other things taken care of. Yes, even online teachers get Spring Break.

Financial Security?

Well Brandon got a JOB! HORRAY! It isn't exactly the job he wanted. He is working for a company called Country Financial. They are a financial advising company but their main focus is insurance. Insurance is important and everybody needs it. Car insurance, house insurance, life insurance, health insurance. . . it seems like everything has insurance. You can get insurance on your mail when you send packages, insurance on your travel plans, you name it they have insurance for it. The problem is, insurance is not the most fun to sell. You have to go through all this training and certifications (which they don't pay for until you are done) and then he has to find people to buy it from him. It is definately a sales position and I guess it is a good thing that Brandon is a good salesman (going on a mission really helped him). The downside is all the training takes like 2 months so that is 2 months of no paychecks. Good thing we have a lot of savings. It is amazing how saving money and paying tithing can help a little money go a long way. The good news is: Brandon got a job!

First Time

Today was my first doctor's appointment as a second time mom. Thankfully Brandon was home because it would have been a little chaoic bringing Jackson with me. Anyways, I got to see the new baby and man he/she is a mover. He/She (I don't like calling him/her it) was wiggling around and spinning. Crazy, just like his/her brother. I know it is the second time around, and some say that is not as exciting which I can see. I mean, you've already had one so everything isn't new. However, when you see that little heart beat for the first time and those little arms and legs with the head as big as the body. . .your heart just melts. I have to admit I don't really get sick when I am pregnant so I don't really feel pregnant but today it became real.

On another note, I swear Jackson can sense when I leave the house. This morning he was sleeping in his bed not moving a muscle (other than breathing). Then as soon as I left Brandon said he woke up. He sleeps until 10 almost every day so waking up at 8:45am is early for him. And on Fridays I go and play walleyball in the moring around 8:30, lately I have been leaving Jack at home hoping that he will sleep but for some reason as soon as I leave he wakes up. He can sense that I am gone, what can I say he loves his mommy.

*We don't have a cat, this is just a fluffy neighborhood cat that likes attention. My favorite kind cuddles but then goes home to someone else.

Photo Props

Props are a tricky thing when taking photos. Sometimes they can be so fantastic. . .like those Anne Geddes photos of the babies in the different outfits. Some people don't like those but I think they are super cute and I admire her way of capturing the little tike's expressions because that is not easy. Anyways, back to the props. I rarely use them, partly because I don't have great ones and partly because the pictures turn out so posey. I like shots that are more natural and just watching the person interact in his/her environment. With this in mind I found this great pot on the door step of someone in our apartment complex. They weren't home but I took the liberty of borrowing it for a few shots of Jack. The pictures turned out so good, almost every shot was a keeper. It was the perfect size for him and he actually loved being in it which shocked me! He kept looking down in it and poping back up. It was so cute. I know I am just his mother but I really think Jackson is one of the funniest and cutest babies I have ever seen. (I love his wide open smile.)

Weekend with Grandma

This past week my mom came to visit from Seattle. She doesn't get to see Jackson often so it is a real treat when she visits. The last time she was here was in Nov and Jack was barely sitting up, now he is practically walking. It is amazing how much they change in such a short time.

Anyways, back to the week. We had a great time. We went shopping, and out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory where Jackson got a kick out of throwing everything on the floor. The poor waiter just keep walking by and picking things up. . .it was kind of funny actually. We made fish and chips which is my mom's specialty and I even got her to play walleyball over at the Stoker's a few times. I think she was pretty soar but it was a great workout and lots of fun. Then the last day she was here we took pictures around our apartment complex. It is so nice to have an extra person to help me take pictures of Jack because he is a mover now and it is hard to keep him in one spot looking at me. Jack was a little afraid of her at first, he cried all the way home from the airport and refused to look at her. But once we got home he warmed up to her and I think he was pretty sad when she left because he kept going up to the porch door and looking for her. The first morning she was here Jack woke up and just stood in his crib looking at her. My mom said she woke up because she could feel his little eyes stairing at her. I think he was confused by the fact that someone was sleeping in his room. We had a great time and I was sad to see her go but hopefully we will be able to visit this summer and see her again soon.

The joy of boys

I know it is too early to tell but I have to admit a large part of me is hoping that I am going to have another boy. Girls are sweet and much more fun to dress, like having a life size doll; however I have found so much joy in having a boy that I really want another one. I think it would be fun for Jackson to have a bro, someone he can grow up with. Buds for life. Boys may be more rambunctious but I like the crazy, all over the place, chasing after the dog thing. We also have tons of boy stuff since Jack grew so fast and barely wore some of his clothes. I thought it would be nice to get a feeling from others on this issue. Many of my friends have had girls recently and I thought a little comparison would be fun. Correct me if I am wrong but here is my list:

Boys-GOOD
Rowdy
Easier to clean
Cool toys: trucks and trains, balls and drums
Blue and Green: my favorite colors
Playing pirates
Dinosaurs
Adventures
Sports
Play hard/sleep well

Boys-BAD
always having to take a bath
Rowdy=stiches, broken bones, bumps on the head
bugs
getting into trouble

Girls-GOOD
sweet dresses
sweet smelling
sweet smiles
girl sports

Girls-BAD
worrying about boys
DRAMA
DRAMA
bossiness

This is all I know for now. Let me just preface by telling you that I grew up 2 years older than my sister. It has been a lifetime of a love/fight relationship. We were so different yet so alike. Not to mention HIGHLY COMPETITIVE which seems to run in our family. I just don't want my children to fight over clothes, boys, and tennis/volleyball matches the way we did. I love my sister very much and we have matured thankfully but that took around 18 years for me to get over the love/hate of Sarah.

Don't get me wrong I really want to have a girl someday but right now a boy would be ideal. Then we can wait a few years and have a girl. A girl can only dream.

BLOG LIST GONE BAD

So I was messing around with my blog trying out a few things when suddenly I realized that my list had DISAPPEARED! I am really bummed too because I love checking out everyone's blogs. Anyways, I recovered most of them but some are lost so if you are my friend (if you are reading this then you must be my friend) and your blog is not on my list please post it in the comments or email it to me. I will miss looking at your pictures and reading up on you if you don't.