Happy Halloween

Whoever created the concept of Halloween is a genius in William's eyes. Never has a kid had so much fun. William was a very muscular Superman and Elizabeth was the most beautiful butterfly you have ever seen. She was more excited about the lights than the candy. Please see our pictures and videos below. Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday to Heath.

Halloween 2007

Happy Halloween From the Jacksons from Heath Jackson on Vimeo.

Fun With Cousins

This past Saturday we spent the day with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Julie and "cousins." I keep reminding William to call them by their name, but since they are twins, usually their names come out as "cousin." Sorry Morgan and Noah, we will continue to work on that. William and Elizabeth had so much fun playing with them.

These bouncy toys were a definite hit. It is so cute to see Elizabeth now joining in on all the playtime with the boys. Maybe in a few months we will have a girl cousin so we can dig out the dolls and doll houses for her to play with, but until then I'm afraid it is going to be trucks, bugs, and balls.

Elizabeth and Great Grandma Bess sharing a book.

T-ball was another fun activity.

Our last stop for the day was at Grandma Jewell's. The boys all had so much fun wandering around looking at the cows, picking up sticks, throwing rocks and giving their best shot at being country boys. Here is Cowboy William.

Elizabeth the Wanderer

Elizabeth has had the ability to walk for some time, but has never shown interest. All of a sudden, this afternoon, she decided she wanted to walk. This is the first time she has taken more than three steps before sitting down. She is so excited about walking now.


Elizabeth Starts Walking from Heath Jackson on Vimeo.

Too Bad, So Sad

It's funny...the things you hope that your children will learn from you. Patience, brilliance, understanding. Not quite!!

The other day William's Sunday school teacher came up to me and introduced herself to me and said she just had to tell me this story about William. I was thinking, Oh no, what has he done? However, she graciously gave many compliments on William and his ability to retell a story. In the previous week their class had learned about baby Moses. When they returned this past Sunday, she asked for a volunteer to tell the class what they had learned. William volunteered and so goes his story...

Once upon a time there was a little boy named baby Moses. One day, as he and his people were being chased, God allowed him to part the Red Sea. When the bad guys tried to get across, God said "too bad, so sad" and washed them away.

She said all of the teachers wanted to start laughing. However, at the same time they were all impressed with his ability to use the phrase in such a perfect context.

Pumpkin Patch

Today we headed to Love Creek Orchards in Medina with a couple of other moms and friends, Charlie, Chance and Lucianna. We all had so much fun!

Our first stop was the hay maze. William definitely had it figured out this year. We also went there last year and he wasn't sure how it all worked. Then we made our way to the petting zoo where William combed the donkeys and held baby chicks (which I think was his favorite part of the day!) We went on a hay ride through the apple orchard and scarecrow field. William painted a pumpkin and we had a picnic lunch. We then headed home with both William and Elizabeth sound asleep within minutes of leaving. It has been a great day! (See more pictures from Pumpkin Patch)

Quarter Mile Race at the Zoo

As parents, Kelly and I have learned a valuable detail of William's competitive spirit. A few weeks ago, William and I lined up with about 50 other 3 year olds and their parents for what should be every one's first race. For weeks Kelly and I had try to ingrain in William's head that it is ok to not win, as long as we try our hardest. He even got the speech down, as he was quoting my "everybody's a winner" and "it only matters that we try hard" speeches. Well, all of that was forgotten fifteen seconds into the race, as William was finally passed for first place. Soon the first place finisher had disappeared over the horizon. It may be because William was slower, but I feel it was because he had his arms extended looking side to side to make sure he stayed in first place. It may also have been the extra time that he took to knock one kid down right after the gun sounded. It may have also been the crying fit that William demonstrated for the next 19/20ths of the race. With crying quotes of "I'll never win anything", "I'm not doing good", and my favorite, "I'm a terrible runner." I was not nervous for the race. However, as you can see, I will be at the next one. (Pictures from the Race)

Good News

We returned to the pediatrician today for Elizabeth's follow-up, and she has gained a little and is now at 18 lbs! We are so thrilled. She is now barely back on the charts. The pediatrician is pleased at this point. Her recommendations are to continue feeding her as much as she wants with as many possible calories as possible. She suggested adding whipped cream and butter to what she eats. I have a feeling the rest of us may soon add a few unwanted pounds ourselves. However, we are so thankful at this point. On a side note, this morning when I walked into Elizabeth's room to get her out of bed as soon as she saw me she said, "Mama." This is the first time she has said that intentionally and unprompted. What joy that brought to my morning!

Everything else if going well for the family. We did some house projects this past weekend. We painted our dining room and it took three different shades to find the one we were hoping to achieve. Heath was not very happy with me during the process, but the end result was worth all the trouble. Heath did 99% of the work and did an awesome job.