Chores......

If there's one household chore I hate doing, it is unloading the dishwasher! I love loading it because it gets rid of all the clutter of dirty dishes, but I seem to let the clean dishes sit in there for as long as possible.
I guess I never thought about having the boys unload the dishwasher because I thought they might break a dish or something.....but lately, I'm throwing caution to the wind and living on the edge!! I had the boys unload the dishwasher and I was impressed! Little do they know, but they passed the test and now will be the official dishwasher unloaders!!

Think Pink!

My wonderful friends hosted a baby shower for me this past weekend! I know it's my 3rd baby, but I had given away everything, so this was like having my first baby--plus, it's a girl! Here are my friends, Julie-Anne, Renee', Susan, Kari, and Kim. They made me feel so special.
My mom, sister, aunt, and cousin came with me to celebrate!
Check out one of the things that my mom got me....It says "I am Jackson and Drew's baby sister!" She also got a pink tu-tu that will go perfect with it!
Opening something pink........
Check out the beautiful table setting. It was all such a wonderful day and I am so grateful to all the friends who came and celebrated with me. Only 6 more weeks to go!!!

Face Off

While I was making dinner tonight, the boys were putting together a new lego set that Jackson got for his good grades. I overheard them setting up their "guys" and they decided that one of them would be John McCain and the other one would Barack Obama. Then, they started fighting and saying, "I want to be President, no, I want to President......." It was hilarious!
Apparently, they've been taking in all the political talk around here! When Jason and I read the paper in the morning, we have been explaining to them about the election and showing them pictures of the candidates. I guess they are having them duke it out in lego world....I'll let you know who wins :)

Shutter Bug

Jackson found an old digital camera of mine and has claimed it as his. He is constantly snapping pictures of various things around the house.
I only had a few pictures to choose from because his latest obsession is taking pictures of toys. A block, a dinosaur, whatever is around......he needs to work on taking pictures of "live" subjects!
A little more experience with the camera and maybe he'll include the head next time!!

Cobwebs and Cowboys

The boys love all holidays. They have really gotten into Halloween this year. When the costume catalogs started arriving, they would just pour over them and even take them to bed.
We got some new Halloween books at the library and here they are just entralled with them. They just plopped down on the floor and were silent for like 20 minutes---which is a LONG time for them. I had to snap a picture of that moment!
Jason got a sideline pass to be down on the field last Sunday at the Cowboys game. Here are some shots he got........pretty cool, huh?
I think he really took the camera because he was hoping for a Jessica Simpson sighting....No such luck!

Stepping Out and Falling Down...

OK, so the "stepping out" is Jason and I on Friday night. We were invited to sit at a friends table at a benefit for Susan G. Komen. It was fun to dress up and go out for a change. We went to a place that overlooked Dallas and it was so pretty lit up at night. Lucky for me, my friend had a really cute maternity dressy outfit that was perfect for the event!
So.......Falling down is Jackson!! He went to an ice skating party this weekend and ice skated for the first time. His whole baseball team was there and they had a great time. I cannot believe that I didn't get a picture of Jackson falling because it was quite frequent. I couldn't help myself but laugh because he looked like a rag doll out there. He didn't seem to mind because he had a smile on his face the whole time and keeps saying how much fun it was.
While we were at the party, Jason and Drew went to Lunar golf. It's an indoor putt putt course where it's pitch black and everything glows. What a fun weekend for everyone!

FUN RUN!

This morning was the "Fun Run" at Jackson's school. Instead of selling wrapping paper or candy this year, the kids had to get pledges for their run. Jackson was super excited and called all the grandparents and aunts and uncles for their support!
Jackson and his friend, Jack, kept pace together a few times around the track. Then, everyone was going at different paces. The kids could stop at the water table and get water--just like a real marathon!!
Each time they went across the finish line, they got a mark on the back of their shirt which told how many laps you had run.......the most laps you could run was 35.
Drew was there to support Jackson and all of his friends and one time yelled to me, "Mom, I just saw your son!" He loved seeing all the kids and cannot wait until next year when he will be able to run.
Here is Jackson with his friend from his baseball team, Justin. Let me tell you.....all of the boys were pretty competitive, almost running the whole time! The announcers were encouraging the kids to walk a lap and run a lap, etc....Jackson was sweating so much! Guess what, he was determined to run all 35 laps and he did!! He was so proud of himself and can't wait to call all the people who pledged to tell them how many laps he ran! Maybe he can run the NYC Marathon with the other marathoners in the family....Papa and Auntie A :)

Fall Ball

Fall ball has begun for Jackson. This is his 5th season with this team and these boys have all grown together. It is so fun to watch them now. Here is Drew hanging out in the stands---he has a whole posse' that he hangs with at the games.
Jackson is really getting to be a good hitter. He used to say that he wanted to be a scientist when he grew up, but now he says he wants to be a baseball player or a basketball player (sorry Grandpa!!)
His team, The Rockhounds, won 20-0......can you believe that? I will say they are pretty good, but I think they also won that big because of the other teams errors. The coaches had to talk to the boys afterwards about being good sports because the boys were flying high--they thought they were hot stuff. In the end, Jackson got the game ball for his great hits in the game. He also got a pack of baseball cards and was super excited that Josh Hamilton was in the pack. It made his night!!

Fall has begun

Drew has been especially excited to start soccer this fall. Jason is the coach and Drew loves it! He has especially enjoyed wearing his shinguards which he keeps calling "numchucks"....I don't know why.
The Wizards had their first game on Saturday and Drew scored a goal!! He was very excited and ran across the field to give me a big hug right after he scored...it was so sweet.
Jason is trying to give the team a pep talk because they were a little confused out there. As Drew said..."The other team crushed us" Well, he was right. I think the score was 9-3...that was my own calculation in my head because we're not supposed to keep score. The boys had a great time though.
Today was Drew's first day of school. This is his third year at this school and he loves it as much as I do. When we were walking in, all the teachers were saying hello to him and he just waved like he was the star of the show.
He walked in confidently and sat right down and started to work. He is such a happy, sweet kid. He'll have a great year!

If the shoe fits.........

Look closely.......the lighting is bad, but if you look close enough you will see two feet wearing different shoes. Who would do that? Is that a joke? Sadly.....no. Those are my feet last night at my birthday dinner with my girlfriends! I have to say that many of us had challenges getting to the dinner last night (someone forgot their baby, someone's kid was at acute care, and I had to bring Drew with me to the restaurant in his pajamas for 30 min.!) Needless to say, we all made it. Halfway thru dinner, I noticed my shoes felt different, so I just glanced down at my feet and that's when I saw the major fashion faux paux!!! What can I blame it on? My 6 month pregnant stomach that prevents me from seeing my feet? Yes....that is what I am going to blame it on!! I still can't believe I did that, but if the shoe fits.......

First Day Jitters....

I have to be honest.....it wasn't the greatest morning. We were not anticipating Jackson's reaction this morning. He was NOT excited for school. He thinks first grade is going to be "boring." I know that he was nervous and didn't know how to put that into words, so it came out as "boring!" I did manage to get this shot of him with a semi-smile :)
When we walked to school, he lightened up a little as we saw all the other kids walking and saw kids that he knew.
I'm so thankful that one of his best buddies, Jack, is in his class this year and they sat right next to each other!! I know he will be fine. Especially since I had to bribe him with a Sonic treat after school---please, I was trying anything this morning to get him up and going and Sonic was what won out! Great parenting, huh?? Oh well, a cherry limeade sounds good to me too :)

This and That.....

I could do another 20 postings about Disney, but I think it would scare you all away!! So, I've just added a few random pictures from the summer.
Jackson has gotten into reading the sports page in the morning. He checks the Rangers scores, looks at the pictures, and lately has been checking out the Olympics coverage. Especially to see what Michael Phelps has been up to. Can he be any more like his dad?
We have had a lot of playdates this summer as well. Here is Jackson and one of his best buddies, Jack. They came downstairs in these get-ups and guess who was the "robber" they were trying to catch? Drew. Poor Drew. They had him running all over and were handcuffing him and taking him to jail. He didn't seem to mind though :)
Speaking of Drew....he loves to volunteer for things. If we are ever anywhere and they ask for a volunteer, his hand goes up in a flash. All summer, we went to these shows at the library and every show, he volunteered but never got picked. He was always bummed and would sometimes hold his hand up starting at the beginning of the show when they hadn't even asked for volunteers yet. Anyways, the last show of the summer and he got picked!! He got to hold a roll of toilet paper and was so excited! I'm so glad his summer can be complete with his volunteering dream coming true :)

Disney, Part 2

The boys were fearless when it came to rides. They rode every roller coaster that they could and loved it! I think I have some wildmen on my hands!
At Epcot, we ate at the German restaurant and here are Auntie A and Drew doing their version of the polka!
We spent a lot of time on the bus going from our hotel to a park to another park, etc.....it was great because the buses take you right to the front of the park and you don't have to worry about car seats!
The boys checking out the Viking hats afrer the Norwegian ride....
We had breakfast with the characters which is definitely the way to go. That way, you knock all the characters out in one shot and don't have to wait in line at the parks. The boys loved this! It was so fun to see how magical everything was to them.

We're back from our Disney Bubble.....

Waiting in line at the Haunted Mansion...they don't look too scared!
Drew with Ben, Amanda's fiancee' hanging out in line

The Triceratops ride--one of the few rides I could ride!! WooHoo!!

Everything is different when you're at Disneyworld.......everyone is so nice and friendly, there is no laundry to do, you eat out almost every meal, and you feel like a kid again!!! We just returned from a fabulous trip to Disney and we all had a great time. Here are a few pitures.....WARNING....I will be doing a couple of posts of pictures :)