Playing at home

I just love to take pictures of Jackson. I have enjoyed the summer with him SO much! Luckily, I have designed the rest of my school quarters to be a little lighter loads than what I was taking before, so I feel like I have more time with him. I love playing with him and watching him learn & discover new things. Jackson has so much energy and is such a loving little boy. He has a shy side to him too. It takes him a few minutes to warm up to new people and he is very good at sensing whether or not they are comfortable around kids. I just love how smiley he is all the time!!

Texas Trip & 1st Plane Ride!

This was the first time that Jackson or I have met Parker's Texas (Paternal) grandparents. Since his grandmother (Aggie) has Alzheimer's disease, this may have been our only chance, so we were very grateful for the opportunity. We ate out every night in San Antonio and visited some fun places, like the Bass Pro Shop, and even Jackson's favorite... swimming at the hotel pool. We mostly spent a lot of time with Aggie, since she was the primary reason and means for our visit. Aggie had so much fun with Jackson. And he was the best little boy! This is the first time that we have flown with him. He slept all 4 lags (there and back) and when he was awake on the plane, he watched his DVDs or read books with Mommy, Daddy, Grandma Ussery, and Auntie Megan. We had so much fun together and Jackson was a little angel.

Jackson and Daddy in the pool... we are sure that Jackson is part fishy.

At Bass Pro Shop in San Antonio with Parker's paternal grandfather, Frank Ussery. We also had the chance to meet and spend some time with Frank & Kay in Kerrville, TX. They spoiled Jackson with love and attention! It was fun to see where they live and get to spend a day and night at their house, too.

Too cute to resist!

I don't have anything special to say, except that we have the cutest little boy in the whole world! Grandma Sharon couldn't resist buying this bear cub sweater and moose hat for Jackson at Gymboree... and he wouldn't stop giggling when I put it on!

Little Cowboy Jack

Auntie Heather bought this outfit for Jackson and wanted to see him in it. Since she lives in Seattle, we decided to do a little photo shoot to send to her (via Snapfish).

Jackson was being pretty funny while I tried to get some good shots. He's so full of personality all the time!

People Watching

We live just one block from the University, so people walk by all day long. Jackson just loves to stand on the couch and watch everyone come and go. Still trying to stay cool in the summer heat... hence the lack of shorts in these pictures.

Daddy's little cowboy

Parker was so proud to have Jackson wearing Carhart brand overalls and his little baby cowboy boots that Grandma bought for him.

Nine Months Old...

I wasn't expecting to take these pictures, but we walked in and the lady said they were having a special. It was so inexpensive, I thought, what do I have to lose. Jackson was really tired and I wasn't sure how excited he would be about taking pictures. The photographer was so good with him that he giggled and giggled for her.

Camping over Labor Day weekend

We love going to "the property" as we call it, and camp. Jackson just loved playing outside and on the air mattresses in the tent. And we always have so much fun playing and working together. Plus, Parker just loves to see Jackson enjoying the outdoors like he does.

Bromley Family Reunion 2007

We had so much fun at Aspen Grove! It is a really fun family camp that is run by BYU alumni and students. The kids all had their own groups and we had quite a bit of family time, too. They did all of the cooking, had activities throughout the day, offered "daycare" for kids 0-2 years old, and even had guest speakers, a fireside, church meetings on Sunday, and a family talent show - where I thoroughly embarrassed myself, but we had a great time! I have SO many cute pictures from the reunion. I will try to narrow them down. I have them all on the snapfish.com album, so look there for the rest.

More Family Reunion Pictures...

Okay, I couldn't resist just a few more... there are SO many!

Road Trip!!!

Jackson & I decided to take a road trip this summer and hit some family reunions. We couldn't afford to fly, so this was our only option. And to cut down on costs and make it more fun (and safe), Maddie & Tiffany came with us. Jackson and I loaded up the day before to spend some time with Grandma & Grandpa Ussery in Portland. The next morning, we picked up Maddie & Tiffany at the train station and continued on our way. (They took the Amtrak train from Seattle to Portland.) We drove straight through from Portland to the bay area in California. We were there for a couple of days to help celebrate our Grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. Being a single parent is tough! I'm glad Tiffany and I were together to help each other, especially in the car when the babies needed something and I was driving - she was the designated "get the babies whatever they want" go-to person and I did all of the driving. There were times when one of us needed to use the restroom... again, very handy to have an extra person to help out. And then the art of taking a shower when you have not coordinated with your child's nap... SO nice to be able to trade off with each others' kids.

Our car was packed, but the kids mostly slept at the same time (a HUGE blessing!) and did EXTREMELY well in the car. From the bay area, we travelled 2 1/2 hours to our Aunt Lisa's house in the Sacramento area, in an attempt to get some of the long drive the next day to Salt Lake City out of the way. We were so glad that we did because it was a very long & boring drive through the Nevada desert! We only stopped for gas and used those stops to change the babies & grab some snacks to keep us going.

We made pretty good time and the kids were SO good! I think all 4 of us were glad to finally be there and unload and relax a little. We stayed with the Jones family and their 6 kids spoiled ours. Then we went to our Aunt Karen's house and stayed there for a few days until our Bromley/Pugmire family reunion started at Aspen Grove Family Camp, just outside of Provo - by Sundance. We had such a great time! The kids loved playing with Natalie (Karen's little girl) and all of the other cousins at the reunion. By the time we were ready to drive back to La Grande, I was about done being a single parent. We had been gone for a VERY long time! Luckily, Parker did get to fly in for a weekend and spend a little time with us at the beginning of the reunion. We missed him and were ready to sleep in our own beds again!!

I'm posting a few pictures of our messy car. I can't say enough how good the kids were... we were such proud Moms!!

Visiting Daddy in Enterprise, OR

Parker was put up in a hotel in Enterprise (about 45 minutes from our house) and assigned to a project for their local NRCS field office. We were lucky enough to be able to spend a few days with him in between trips! For those who know some history, this is the Nez Perce Tribe's native land and Chief Joseph is buried here as well. The town of Joseph is so much fun. There are little shops and restaurants and cafes along the way. During Chief Joseph Days in the summer, it is packed... people make reservations up to a year in advance. At the top of Hwy 82 (which travels through all of these little towns) is Wallowa Lake. It was pretty low this year. Jackson and I didn't go quite that far... we just enjoyed the swimming pool at the hotel. Jackson LOVES to swim! He is a little fishy!! He looks like a frog when he kicks in the water, the way his legs go out and back in. It's pretty funny to watch him. And he thinks it's hilarious to splash Mommy & Daddy. It's been so much fun going trying some of the little restaurants and cafes here and spending so much time with Daddy.

A busy day!

It's been so hot! We are doing everything we can to stay cool and keep our electric bill down at the same time... it's quite a balancing act! Parker got Jackson dressed today. In my most humble opinion, this is such a typical "dad outfit". I wouldn't have combined the cowboy hat and boots (which aren't even close to fitting him yet - I bought them at a yard sale for $1 to put on a shelf in his room) with the little surfer shirt and shorts. But, Jackson didn't complain! Then, I went to put him down for a nap in "the cold room" and he managed to ditch his shorts and was playing/hiding/slightly stuck under the couch cover. He thought he was pretty amusing! He just kept giggling and giggling. Eventually, he did take a nap, but not until we all played for a while. Also, I tried to get a picture of his first little tooth popping through. Jackson hates anyone messing with him, including trying to see inside of his mouth. So, this was tough, but you can sort of see it on the bottom right, his left.

My Mommy's the Coolest

I was mixing Jackson's bottle and set him on the counter in front of me while I did it. He always grabs the utensils that are in the utensil canister. This time when I went to take him down, he grabbed about 3 of them and took them with him. So, I decided it wouldn't hurt anything to let him play with them.

Visitors!!

The Jones family stopped through from Seattle on their way back to Salt Lake City to see Jackson and say hello. We filled the house with kids and blankets that night, but everyone had a good time together! Jackson just loved all the attention!