Cousins...

Jackson, Maddie, and Miles were all together for the first time since his birth in June 2007. Of course, we had to take cousin pictures! Miles was a little sad - not really in the picture taking mood, but the important thing is that they are all together and cute in the red, white, and blue outfits that Grandma Sharon bought for them.

No clothes...

We're trying to stay cool... summer is coming!

Jackson's Cute/Funny Faces

More cute/animated/ funny faces...

Our Little Family

We've had fun visiting our Ussery side of the family in Portland for Megan's high school graduation - Megan is Parker's sister. Jackson has Grandpa Ussery wrapped around his little finger - they really can't seem to get enough of each other, (unless Jackson has a stinky diaper). We tried to take family pictures because we were already dressed up for church, but they didn't turn out quite like I wanted. Either way, we're all there and dressed up.

5 months old - Family Photo Shoot

We had a little family photo shoot. Jackson wasn't interested at first, but then he got really animated. I think these pictures show his personality perfectly... all his little facial expressions. Too Cute!

Are You My Mother?

Jackson LOVES books!! He mostly loves to turn the pages, but he loves to be read to and sometimes even tries to tell the story himself... although we usually don't understand what he is saying. Parker and Jackson were reading "Are You My Mother?" in Jackson's room.

First Camping Trip, 5 months old

Jackson finally got to experience the outdoors... we decided it had warmed up enough to take him camping at Grandma & Grandpa Ussery's property - about 2 1/2 hours from our house. It was still pretty cold at night, but he was bundled and Parker's dad kept the wood fire stoked in the canvas wall tent, so we all slept alright. He got to go 4-wheeling... very slowly, "help" Daddy fish and hang out around camp. The other picture is of Parker turkey hunting... Jackson didn't participate in this... Mommy thinks he needs to wait a few more years still.

First Professional Baseball Game!

Neither Parker nor Jackson had ever been to a professional sports game of any type, so this Mariner's Game was pretty exciting. The game itself was exciting anyway, but it was also Little League night... which means that we got to walk on the field before the game began (thanks to Christian and his participation in Little League Baseball). We took some fun pictures and all had a great time. I grew up going to Mariner's games every season in the Kingdom and miss the fireworks after every homerun... usually hit by Ken Griffey Jr, Edgar Martinez, or good ol' Jay. However, there really is not a bad seat in the house at Safeco Field and it overlooks the Puget Sound. Jackson fell asleep about halfway through the game. I'm still not sure how... the crowd was SO loud. (Parker took all of the pictures... so he's not in any of them.)

New House Pics...

I think I've got it figured out. Hopefully, the pictures of the house show up this time. At least it shows the front. We are enjoying the inside, though. Going from 800sf to over 2500sf is WONDERFUL!!! Now I just have to finish unpacking a few things... it already feels like home and we are thrilled to be here.

Here we go again

I have been trying to upload some pictures of Jackson and our new house, but without any success! Go to Snapfish to see those pictures... Hopefully I will have this one up and running again soon. Anyway, we are all moved in and I am exhausted. So worth it, though! It is so much fun for Jackson to have his own room - all 3 of us are loving it! Parker and I are finding that we don't have to be as creative with arranging rooms with so much space; this is the best part! Even Parker said that he's never had a bedroom that was so empty! Anyone who knows me and my loads of stuff can attest that this is a miracle. Almost everything is in its place now... just a few more little things here and there. Parker is very anxious to build a fence, both for privacy and to get the dogs off of their cables. I'm sure that will be the first project on his list. We bought our first lawn mower; how exciting, huh? Not really, but it's one of those things that you have to just break down and get eventually. Up until now, we haven't needed one because we used our landlord's at our old house. That's about it for news on the house. As I mentioned, I will post pictures on Snapfish (if they'll upload).

JACKSON... he is growing by leaps and bounds. Parker and I see him everyday and we are still amazed at how quickly he is growing and developing. He grabs EVERYTHING and puts it into his mouth. He continues to giggle and smile at everyone. I will try to update some pictures of him on Snapfish also.

Jackson's 4-month Check-up

Jackson had his 4 month check-up this morning. The doctor said he looks very healthy (actually everyone says that - referring to his chubbiness). He is developing very normally and is at the level of where they would expect an average 5 month old to be.

His stats:

Length/Height - 26 1/2 (92 percentile)

Weight - 16.4 lbs (75 percentile)

Head - 50 percentile (I didn't write down the measurement)

He is still the apple of our eyes and draws attention wherever we go with his big smiles, giggles, and big, blue eyes. He's already learned to be so flirtatious!

Jackson: another photo shoot

Jackson is 4 months old now. He loves everyone and everything. He loves his Daddy, Mommy, his dog - Duke, anyone else who gives him attention, getting his diaper changed, taking a bath, playing with his toys, eating cereal and peaches, the Wiggles, etc, etc, etc.

Jackson Eating Peaches!

Jackson loves peaches! Still a little messy, but we're learning.

Jackson: A few more pictures

A few more pictures from this week. Jackson is an extremely happy baby. As you can see, he is typically "all smiles"!! The comments we usually receive are: his eyes are beautiful/big/blue/bright, etc., he has an angelic face, he has such a friendly personality, he has beautiful/long, black eyelashes, one of my favorites directed at Jackson "are they starving you?" (obviously sarcastically - referring mostly to his cheeks!), he has a beautiful/big smile, etc. One I heard for the first time today was, "He has such a perfectly shaped head." Oh, yeah, and my entire doctors' office (doctors, nurses, etc.) decided that "he's so pretty, he could be a girl!" I think I'll keep that one a secret from him... we think he's adorable, but he's ours; so, it's fun to hear other people confirm our opinions. ;-)

One more step forward

Jackson tried his first "solid" food this week. He LOVED it! To be completely honest, I tried rice cereal almost 3 weeks ago, but didn't mix it with any "good" flavors, so he just let it all run out of his mouth, down his chin, and onto his very wet bib. However, I got a little bit smarter and bought a bunch of baby food - since he is no longer satisfied for more than 3 hours with his 6-7oz. bottles. Well, he loves peaches! They make a little bit of a mess since he is still trying to learn how to wait and let me put the spoon into his mouth BEFORE he starts to suck and slurp. But... we are learning together. It's pretty fun to watch him.

Jackson is getting so big! He continues to try to pull himself up on things, moves himself around in his "around-we-go" (usually while watching the Wiggles), and loves to be standing!! He is super strong. I have thought that for a while now, but don't all moms? However, so many people comment on it, including his doctor and nurses, that I am convinced it's true. Jackson is also very strong-willed! I can't imagine where he gets this from. ;-) He is usually very "well-behaved", has been sleeping through the night (for 8-10 hours) for about 6 weeks, and is pretty low maintenance. However, when he needs something and we take what he feels is "too long", he lets us know.

Other news from Jackson... he is teething! Boy, is this miserable. We feel so terrible when he cries the painful cry because there isn't a whole lot we can do for him. I just wish they'd hurry up and come through so that he didn't have to feel the pain anymore. Even still, he has been a little trooper. (Thank goodness for teething tablets and Orajel swabs!)

Finally, today he rolled over on his own from back to tummy (go figure that he would do it "backwards"). I was fixing dinner in the other room and heard him start to fuss. When I went in to see what he needed, he had rolled over from his back (which is the position I had left him in) to his stomach and was not a happy camper! He probably thought I was a nut for being so excited.

We are so grateful to have Jackson in our family! He is such a blessing and we are enjoying every minute with him.

A message from Dad...

I started school last Monday again. I gave a talk on Sunday about Easter and our Savior. I feel like I did a pretty good job. I was a little nervous, but quite a few people came up to me afterward, so it must have been alright. I was relieved to send off our taxes yesterday... one less thing to stress about.

I can hardly wait to move into the new house. Well, it's not "new", but it's new for us. Brooklynn's parents are in the process of buying it right now and we are so anxious to move in and have triple the space we have now and have our own yard!

I am going to start working for the University (probably this week) and will be building stages and sets for the theater department. I am grateful to have a job, even though I am not super excited about theater. At least I don't have to get up on stage or sing... ha, ha, ha! I will also resume my "odd jobs" that I pick up during the spring and summer time. The first will be for the mother of some friends of ours, the Greenfields. She wants me to plant & lay sod in her backyard.

Jackson is getting so big! He's really getting to where I can interact with him, so it's a lot more fun than just holding him. We eat together, take naps together, talk with each other, watch TV together, go for walks (with him in the stroller), and play together.

I love my wife more than anything. Our marriage is better than ever.

That's about it... there's nothing else going on in my life at this point.

Oh, yeah... Happy Birthday to my parents April 9th!!

Happy Easter!

I realize that Easter was two days ago, but I'm just figuring this thing out... and I thought Jackson's snapshots with his Easter basket turned out really cute! (He is now 14 weeks old!) Anyway, I hope everyone had a happy Easter. Considering we weren't able to spend it with either of our families, we had a wonderful Easter.

Parker gave an outstanding talk in Church that really helped to put Easter and Christ's Resurrection in perspective. Apparently, there were many in the congregation who were touched by his words. I am so grateful to be married to such a wonderful man.

After Church, we came home and took pictures of Jackson and his Easter basket. We opened up his toy and realized that it required 3 'C' batteries that we didn't have. Oh, well, I will learn to plan better as time goes on. (Luckily for me, he is still young enough that he didn't even know the difference.)

Then we all went for a walk (for 2 hours around town). After our walk, we went over to the Greenfields' home, who are some very good friends of ours. Jenna made a wonderful lunch/dinner for all of us to enjoy. We sure appreciate them and their generosity!

We are grateful for the gift of the Resurrection and of the chance we have to live with our Heavenly Father and our Savior again some day... Happy Easter!

Road Trips...

We visit family every chance we get, usually just for the weekend. We love living close enough to be able to do this. Parker and I are beginning to think that they really just want to see Jackson, but somebody has to drive him there, right?




Here are some pictures of Jackson from our latest road trip. He is such a good boy in the car! I hope all of our kids are as easy-going as he is. Jackson is such a blessing!

Recent Photos of Jackson

I have way too much fun taking pictures of Jackson!

I will try to add more later. I still have to put the Easter ones on the computer from my camera. He is such a little ham... although sometimes it's hard to capture it in a picture because he is a little camera shy (I think it's the flash). Anyway, this picture was taken during the last week of March while we were in Seattle visiting family (it was our Spring Break). Jackson hit 3 months at the end of March (31st)! Time is flying.

Baby Jackson

Jackson is growing so quickly!! We are doing our best to keep up with him. Before he arrived, I was concerned about meeting all of his needs, particularly making sure he had enough clothes. Thanks to his generous Grandmas (and aunts and friends), we haven't had to worry. In fact, Jackson is moving into the 6-9 month size now... so I am loading up my third box of clothes that he has already grown out of! Jackson is adorable and stays busy making us laugh. He is so smiley and even giggles. He and his Dad have an especially close bond already. Parker can get Jackson to sleep or calm down at times when no one else can. It's pretty cute to see the two of them together. We don't have any updates as far as weight because we don't own a scale and haven't been to the doctor since the end of February (for two month shots/check-up) - our next appointment is the four month shots/ check-up. We will definitely post an update then (May 4th).

More photo shoot fun... almost 3 months old

Jackson is such a fun little baby. He smiles and giggles all the time and is extremely easy-going most of the time.