Can You Spoil a 3 Month Old?

We were out running errands on Sunday and picked up a few things. We went to Costo and reminised about the days when we lived in a house, with room to store stuff, a garage, etc. By the time we left Costco we almost had to leave Jackson in the lot beacause there was no room for all of the stuff we bought! One of the things we bought was this huge monstrosity (as Dave calls it) for Jackson to play in. He's always trying to stand on us, so we thought he was ready. I still think he's ready, but he just can't reach the ground because he's so short. It's actually quite cute. We propped him up with blankets and a blow up bad and let him at it. He seemed to enjoy himself and we were thrilled.

In the Spirit of the Olympics... Enjoy! :)

A Very Happy Baby

I thought you all might enjoy a look into the life of Jackson. He is teething right now and still he is the happiest baby I know. He loves to play in his crib and talk to us. What a precious time.

Beer, Bugs & Boo

This weekend was the 2nd annual Beer Oympics that Matt and his work crew put together. It is exactly like it sounds. You would think we were back in college playing Beer Pong like it was going out of style :) Matt said that he had been practicing all year to bring home the gold like Michael Phelps. We held the event at John and Marsha's house, which is up north near base. There were huge trees around and I could hear the Cicadas, but they never really come around for anyone to see- right? WRONG-O! Anyone who knows me, knows how much I HATE bugs. Any kind of bug, they scare me to death. I have an absolute panic attack when it comes to insects and arachnids of any type. So, all night I kept swatting at mosquitoes and everything else that was flying around in the Midwest during August (there were a lot of bugs) only to have a CICADA fall down the back of my blouse! (I have included a picture in case you are unaware of how horrible these things are- oh and they're totally harmless) I was screaming and telling Matt that something was in my shirt. It was an empire waste that tied around my middle, so the little bugger was caught in a pocket of material between me and my shirt- AUGH!!!!!!!! I freaked out and darn near got naked trying to get that thing out of my shirt. I told Matt firmly that I would not be attending Beer Olympics next year- UGH.
Then we went and picked up Jackson from our friend Katie & Dan's house where he was sleeping soundly. Matt wanted to wake him up and play with him so bad :) Fortunatley, he listened to the reasonable one and let our little Boo sleep through the night without being interrupted. Later when we crawled into bed I asked what his favorite part of the day was and he said it was when we picked up Jackson. They were the sweetest words a mommy could ever hear- my heart melted. I really love this man.
This morning the three of us woke up and went for a long walk at the beach and got to see the Blue Angels practicing. Jackson only stayed awake long enough to get to Starbucks. It was such a wonderful morning and we felt so blessed.

Back At Work

Last week I started back at work and Jackson started going to daycare in the mornings. What a transition for all of us! We are so blessed to have found the most wonderful daycare where I know he is safe, loved and taken care of the way that I would take care of him. He never cries when I leave and always welcomes me with a drooling smile when I come to pick him up. I like going to work again- I missed it definitely, but it's so much better now because I get to end the day with my sweet Boo!
We went to the doctor today because he is teething and may have picked up a cold. He was fussy and not full of giggles and smiles today. He was wearing his UW Husky apparel and he looks even more like my dad now! If only he was smiling, they would've been identical. It is official- Jackson is a big boy! He is 15 lbs and 4 oz and 24 inches long. He's come a long way from the little pea he was this time last year. What a year it has been for our family. I still look at Jackson and get tears in my eyes because I know just how blessed we are. I am praying that God never lets me forget how blessed we are, and never take this time for granted. I love being a mommy. It's the best job I've ever had.

G-Ma Dime Visits Chicago

My mom went back to Seattle on Tuesday, after a wonderful two week visit here in Chicago. I had spent the previous two weeks with her in Seattle, so it had been a month together by the time we said goodbye. The whole time she kept saying how I'd be ready to say goodbye by the end because we'd be sick of one another, but that wasn't the case. We are both still a little teary as we think about how much blessed we were in July. Matt was working during most of her trip out, and so mom and I took Jackson around Chicago on our many errands and also some fun days. We went down to Navy Pier one day, and enjoyed the sun, a cheezeborger, a glass of wine and cinnamon roasted nuts- yummm. We then walked across to the Chicago River and sat to watch the sunset.










Later in the week, Matt took Jackson for the day and Mom and I had a girls day out for the Chicago River Architectural tour. It was incredible weather and we really had a great time.









Then we finished up the visit with an evening out. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, the Broadway Cellar, with Dave and Lauren. The food and company was off the charts!

Visiting

Matt was only able to stay for a long weekend but I kept Jackson with me and stayed for another two weeks in Seattle last month. I was able to meet up with some of my old students from Mukilteo and share Jackson with them. It was one of the highlights of my trip!



















Here are also some pictures of Jackson visiting with some of Matt's family. Matt's aunt Nancy, and Jackson's Great-Aunt came down from Alaska for her yearly visit and it happened to overlap with our trip! Yipee! We love our Nancy Time. Grandma Binkley and her sisters are so alike! It's so much fun with all of them. And Jackson hung out with cousin Angie. She gave him socks that look like cowboy boots- too cute!Jackson's godmother, Kalee. We used to look alike, before I got pregnant and she got tan. Whatev...