The Jackson Family

Elizabeth's art

2010-03-12T21:48:00.001-06:00

2010-03-12T21:43:00.001-06:00

William Teaching Elizabeth New Words

2009-06-25T15:32:00.003-05:00

Elizabeth asks, "Mom, does eliminate mean to be nice or hurt you?" I explained that word meant to no longer have something and proceeded to ask where she heard that word..."from William's mouth - he said he was going to eliminate me!"

2009-06-21T22:08:00.001-05:00

Pahl Family Reunion at Inks Lake

2009-06-15T21:57:00.002-05:00

Baywatch Port Aransas

From Beach Trip

Understanding Dad's Job

2009-06-15T21:55:00.001-05:00

A few days ago, Kelly was reading the paper after I left for work. William walked up and asked her what she was reading. He asked her if she was reading about the "Stop Market." She inquired on the meaning of that term. He went on to say, "you know...the thing that dad does at work. Yes, daddy deals with the "Stock Market."

Little Momma Gets to Try Out Her Skills

2009-06-03T23:50:00.002-05:00

Elizabeth Holding Oliver from Heath Jackson on Vimeo.

Slide Show

2009-06-03T23:38:00.000-05:00

Beautiful new pictures!

One of the Many Future Conversations

2009-06-03T21:44:00.002-05:00

Tonight, William asked the question. "Why does my friend not get to see his dad very much?" Wow! This came out of left field. Kelly immediately looked at me. Somehow, she trusts me to have this talk when she doesn't trust me talking to her friends at a dinner party. I proceeded to tell him that the mommy and daddy had decided not to live together, but God likes for mommies and daddies to always stay together. I expressed how blessed he should feel that his mommy and daddy love each other so much and that they would never live apart. I was patting my back for a job well done when, after 4 minutes of silence, William said, "Dad, did you know that if that happens, you can just marry someone else. "In fact (yes, he says in fact), you can get married at any age." I then asked him what he thought about that and he said, "sounds like a great idea!" I gave him a few hours, so that I would be able to keep a straight face and set the expectation that God wants us to never leave each other.

Temptation

2009-06-03T21:38:00.003-05:00

William, as you know, is quite the character. Yesterday, Kelly agreed to bring a meal to the Eilers. As she was parking the car to run inside, she turned and expressed the rules to Elizabeth and William. It was the basic "Dont get up", "keep your seat belt on", "dont make Oliver cry", "keep your clothes on." Kelly ran in and got back to find the kids in the place she asked them to be; their seats. William then proceeded to tell her the story all the way home that "temptation" had talked to him and that it told him, "go ahead and get out of your chair. You will like it." However, William also said that he had too smart of a brain to let tempation fool him. I cannot imagine the internal conversations that go on in that head.

Potty Time

2009-06-03T21:35:00.002-05:00

Elizabeth is finally showing interest in going poo-poo and pee-pee in the potty. Yesterday, as she was playing with her friends, she stopped in mid stream to tell me she had to potty. We rushed home and sat on the potty. She grunted and tried to mentally start a stream. After a few minutes, she told me, "daddy, I think it's resting and won't wake up."

Preschool Graduation

2009-05-15T17:34:00.005-05:00

William had preschool graduation this morning. He has had an awesome year - learning and growing so much! We have been blessed by his teacher, Ms. Wilson. William looks forward to seeing her each week and has so much fun in her class. We will definitely miss her this summer. The plan for now is for William to do another year of a 5 year old preschool program and start kindergarten the following year. This morning William sang some songs with his classmates then received his certificate.

From William's Preschool Graduation

Oliver Casz Jackson

2009-05-14T14:24:00.003-05:00

Oliver Casz Jackson arrived Tuesday, April 28th at 1248. He weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. He weighed the less of the three, William 8 pounds, Elizabeth, 8 pounds 1 ounce. His length was just between the others with William at 21 inches and Elizabeth 19 1/2 inches.

He has been a great baby so far. He is a good eater and likes to eat frequently, but I can't complain about that. Elizabeth loves to be around him and wants to be a little momma. She has offered several times to feed him and give him some of her milk :) We have to watch her closely because she will try to pick him up if given a chance. William has also been a big helper - not quite as involved as Elizabeth, but he does get excited when Oliver is awake.

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Time to Catch Up!

2009-04-21T15:42:00.004-05:00

Since it has been so long since I have updated, I figured I better take this opportunity to catch up a little before Oliver arrives any day!

Here are a few pictures from Easter 2009. We went to church in the morning, then headed to Grandma Jewell's house for a great lunch and Easter egg hunt.

These are from Fiesta Week. At William's preschool, each child decorated their own float and they had a parade at school. Mom had to miss the parade for her last ob visit, but dad got to go and got some great pics to share. William's theme was "Bugs."

Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors (4 year old's version)

2008-09-28T12:50:00.000-05:00

William has decided that he wants to share the stories that he is learning at Church. Enjoy!!

Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors (4 year old's version) from Heath Jackson on Vimeo.

Chandler for the Day

2008-09-23T21:03:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday we had the privilege of watching "baby Chandler" for the day. Our dear friends Chuck and Angie and an emergency - Chuck was hospitalized with meningitis - so we got to have their youngest for the day. Chandler is such a good baby and we all had a great day with him. Elizabeth has really taken a liking to "baby Chandler" so she had so much fun playing with him. A few weeks ago we went to McDonald's and Ms. Angie let Elizabeth feed Chandler some french fries and Elizabeth talks about this all the time saying, "I feed baby Chandler." She loves this little boy! We are so thankful Chuck is home and doing better. Here are a few pictures of our day.

Elizabeth Turns Two

2008-09-23T20:51:00.005-05:00

Elizabeth turned 2 on the 15th. She has become Ms. Independent and is talking so much. She gets lots of encouragement and conversation with big brother. For her birthday we celebrated the day with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a late breakfast at Mimis after church, went to William's soccer game and then came home for some cake. Aunt Julie sent a baby shopping cart and this has become her favorite toy. She pushes it all around the house most of the time filled with her babies. William gave her sunglasses (because she is always trying to wear his) and this was also a hit. Our little girl is growing up so fast!

William's First Soccer Game

2008-09-07T16:14:00.004-05:00

We have started our first sport with William. We have all experienced an array of emotions since we have taken on this endeavor. William has fun, but is often more interested in the dragonflies or picking flowers for his sister. I have had many laughs watching these four year olds. Heath on the other hand, has not had much of anything except FRUSTRATION! William's lackluster attitude and lack of competitiveness has just about sent him over the edge.

William's First Day of Preschool

2008-09-07T16:11:00.005-05:00

This past Wednesday William started preschool at Oak Hills Church. He will be going 3 days a week. He loves going to school - we just hope that will last. He will be having cooking classes on Mondays, music on Wednesdays and gym on Fridays. We are all anxious to see how this year will go.

Elizabeth missed her brother so much. She wanted to stay in the room when I dropped him off and for the last hour before we picked him up she repeatedly said, "Pick up brother?"

From William's First Day of Preschool

Dallas Weekend

2008-09-07T16:06:00.004-05:00

A few weekends ago we made a fun filled weekend trip to Dallas. Our main focus was the Dallas Cowboy's game. William is starting to understand football more and more and wants to experience going to the games like dad, so we decided a good start would be a preseason game. The kids had fun, but are definitely more interested in all the soda and cotton candy they get rather than the Cowboys. Sorry Heath!

From Preseason Game 2008

The next day we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. Heath's dad and brother were also in town with us for the game so we all went together. The kids had a blast!

William's 4th Birthday

2008-08-05T15:55:00.005-05:00

William turned 4 this past Friday and on Saturday we had a Superman Birthday Party for him. Heath did a great job of entertaining at the party and planned a couple of games for all of the little guys. One of them was pin the emblem on Superman. Each child colored their on "S" and then attempted to place it on Superman's chest while being blindfolded. The party was very busy for Heath and I and unfortunately we didn't capture a picture of every moment we wished we would have. Anyway we all had a lot of fun and will always remember this special day.

A big thank you to Angie Thier for getting the best pictures on the day. Here is a link to her Flickr account. Please take a look. Angie's Album. Sorry for the copyright infringement, Angie.

Sea World

2008-07-21T15:59:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we went to Sea World with Aunt Julie, Uncle Mictchell, Morgan, Noah and Grandpa.

Elizabeth & Morgan

Grandpa & Elizabeth watching Shamu

Go Cart Ride

2008-07-21T15:51:00.002-05:00

On our last day in Red River we went into town. William discovered the fun of go carts. The pictures tell how much fun he (and dad) had!

Fourth of July

2008-07-14T17:09:00.005-05:00

We spent our Fourth of July this year camping in Red River. It was a great experience and the kids had so much fun. The mountains were beautiful. The weather was a nice change from San Antonio. I was warned it would be cold at night, but it was hard for me to imagine when we left 100 degree days. It did get down into the upper 30s at night which was a little chilly in our sleeping bags and tents.

Peach Jamboree

2008-06-24T21:19:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday we headed to my aunt's house in Stonewall for the annual "Peach Jamboree." We watched the parade and William experienced a new adventure - getting candy thrown from the floats. He had so much fun. Elizabeth quickly caught on deciding it was too much trouble to open the wrappers, but much easier to bite through through the wrapping to get to the candy.

Elizabeth and cousins Dutch and Fritz.

Veggie Camp

2008-06-24T21:00:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we had "Veggie Camp" at our church. The kids had a great time and I had a lot of fun too. I volunteered so we all got to wear matching shirts on the last day. William was so proud that I was one of the teachers and got to wear a shirt just like his.

Another 2 month update

2008-04-08T14:37:00.010-05:00

I've been slacking again with my blogging. I'm not exactly sure where all my time has gone since my last update, but life has been busy and good. A few highlights to remember are Grandma Bess's 90th birthday party, visit from Heath's family, and Easter.

90th Birthday Parth for Grandma

William, Elizabeth, Cousin Jace & Cousin Andee

Easter Egg Hunt

The kids are doing great - growing up so fast. Elizabeth has discovered the fun of playgrounds. She loves to climb up them and is fearless. We walk to one near our neighborhood and she begins to squeal and nearly comes out of her stroller when we round the corner and she can see the playground ahead of us. William is developing his personality more and more. We have our defiant 3 year old days and also a great big brother helper 3 year old days. Our biggest struggle with him these days is he has begun to rationalize his punishment. We have been told on several occasions that we have a future lawyer in our hands for his ability to talk his way out of anything. Most recently I have told him he would not get any strawberry shortcake for dessert if he did not clean his room. His response is, "Mom, that is OK, I don't mind if I don't get dessert, you can give mine to Elizabeth, I'm sure she would like it!" Another example is that there is a new sporting goods store opening up near our house that we frequently drive by. The other day he asks when we can go there. I explain if he doesn't get into time out at school (which he had done that day) we would stop by there. His reply is, "Mom, it is OK if I get time out because that store hasn't opened yet - the workers are still working on it!"

Heath and I are doing well. We have been busy pretending to be landscapers and have been tearing up our backyard. We worked all weekend and still have many future weekends of work to do.

Not a Happy Meal, but a Sad Meal

2008-01-29T20:05:00.000-06:00

Frequently after our Tuesday morning Bible study we often go to eat with some friends and William has come to expect that these days. Today that did not work out, so I decided we would get some drive thru McDonalds and that would make everyone happy. So as we pull out of the drive thru William asks me, "Mom, did you get me a happy meal?" I explained that no I did not, but he did get a cheeseburger and we would share some fries. In a disheartened voice, he responds, "So you got me a sad meal today." I could do nothing but laugh at the wit of this child!

Also this morning, when I picked up Elizabeth from her class, her teachers asked that I please bring more snacks for her. They claim she devours what I send for her, then spends her time trying to get everyone else's food. I can hardly believe a few months ago we were worried about her weight. She has definitely made up for any lost time. I am anxious to see what she weighs at her next appointment.

Catching Up

2008-01-21T12:39:00.001-06:00

I didn't even realize it, but it has been almost 2 months since our last post. So I will do my best to try to recap this time. December was awesome, but just flew by. I worked a little more than usual making the busy holiday time even busier. One of the nurses I work with was out with surgery so I was working as close to full time as I have in a while and it completely wore me out. Thinking back, I'm not sure how I did that every week before Elizabeth was born. Anyway, our Christmas was spent in New Mexico with Heath's family. We had a great time seeing all of his family. The first few days were in San Jon with Heath's dad. We had several inches of snow there which gave us our "winter fix" for the year. William loved the snow, Elizabeth not so much! William also loves to go with Pop to feed the cows when ever we are there.

Christmas Eve and day were spent in Clovis with Heath's mom and extended family. This was the first year for William to really become interested in Santa. It was so much fun! The children all went for a ride Christmas Eve evening to look at lights while Santa came to the house. It is funny, but this is the same tradition my family would do each year - after Christmas Eve mass, we would all go for a ride with my grandparents while Santa came to visit. William was overjoyed with the number of presents after Santa's visit. Even I was completely amazed - Heath's family really goes all out for Christmas. Elizabeth was still mostly interested in bows, wrapping and boxes. The one present that did capture her attention was a riding pink unicorn which would light up when the ears are pressed. She hopped right on and instantly loved it.

For New Year's, Heath and William went to our housing development's recreational area and roasted marshmallows and shot fireworks. This was the first day of the past 3 weeks of cedar fever suffering for me. It has not been any fun. Last week, I developed a sinus infection and felt miserable all week. After antibiotics, I'm starting to feel a little better.

I have started another semester of bible study on Tuesdays and am anxious to get back into that routine. And now that the Cowboy's season is over, our weekends have a little more time. So hopefully it won't be another 2 months befor I catch up again!

William the Smart-Ellick

2007-12-04T21:45:00.000-06:00

Sometimes your kids make you so proud that you can hardly stand it. Heath has made an unfortunate habit of being smart to William when he asks a question that we know he already knows the answer to. The other day, William looked at a bench and asked what it was. Heath immediately said, "a plane." William said "no its not, its a bench." Heath then said, "so why did you ask?"

Innocent enough, right? On the way home, William was acting up (not unusual.) Heath asked him what he was doing. William said, "flying." Heath said, "no, you are misbehaving." William said very gently, "so why did you ask?" I love that kid!

Happy Thanksgiving and Early Christmas

2007-11-27T20:01:00.000-06:00

We are very thankful this year for being able to spend another great Thanksgiving with family. As long as I have been able to remember we have followed the same routine for holidays - we go to Grandma & Grandpa Pahls for lunch and out to Grandma Jewells for our second feast of the day. This year was no different. I have learned to have even a greater respect and appreciation for my grandmothers and their preparations for these big days. I can barely manage organizing a meal for the four of us, much less 20+. They are amazing!

Thanksgiving and Friday were especially special because we were able to spend both days with my parents, Julie, Tommy and their families. Since none of us children will be able to be in Fredericksburg for Christmas we did our family Christmas the Friday after Thanksgiving. We celebrated at our house with everyone gathering in time for the big football game. William has learned that yes, there are days that we do like the Aggies (especially when Grandpa, Uncle Tommy and Aunt Stacie are around!) Uncle Tommy was the center of attention during marshmallow roasting time. He had four children climbing, yelling and clapping for each marshmallow.

Elizabeth was able to get a few pointers from her brother and cousins on opening presents.

Here a few more pics of the day. Elizabeth had fun with the trucks - no doubt she is the only girl in the family so far!

Caribbean Cruise

2007-11-12T13:35:00.000-06:00

Well we have been a little out of touch lately since we were on our first family vacation to a destination other than visiting family. We spent 8 days on a cruise ship and had a wonderful time. It was certainly different not having cell phones or Internet privileges for that length of time. Of course, we could have used both, but we opted not to pay those heavy charges. We traveled with my parents, Billy and Clarie and my Grandmother Jewell. I am so thankful they were all able to come with us. They were a huge help with the children. Although, somehow William could manage to wear all five of us out each day.

Goodbye to Galveston!

Day 1: We departed from our house that morning and headed to Galveston to board our ship, the Carnival Conquest. By that afternoon we were on board and exploring our new home for the next week. One of William's highlights was that his "bunk bed" came down from the ceiling. He thought that was so cool and had a great time each night climbing the ladder into his bed. That evening, my parents, grandmother, Elizabeth and I went to our first dinner. The food was amazing, I know I gained a least a few pounds. Elizabeth also ate very well - I'm anxious to see if she has now bumped herself up a few percentiles. William and Heath stayed in the room that night to watch the Cowboy's game and ordered room service. The room service was another ingenious invention for William. He mentioned it many other times on the trip, "Let's order some room service, mom!"

Our room

Day 2 & 3: These days were sea days. We ate, relaxed, and ate some more. I have always heard about the food on a cruise ship, but it was just amazing. We had many conversations wondering how they possibly prepare to feed 4,000 people at least three meals a day. I would not want to be responsible for that! William spent some time at Camp Carnival. This was a wonderful service, and I know we are all grateful for it. It was free of charge each day and they had so many fun activities for the kids - they painted their faces, scavenger hunts, crafts and lastly a talent show.

William painted as a pirate.

Day 4: Our first stop, Montego Bay, Jamaica.

We left the ship very early and were almost the first people off of the ship. We decided to buy a full day pass for the bus that takes you all over town. As we got off at the first stop (a little shopping area), we realized that we were the only tourists about to be bombarded by 50 merchants each wanting to sell us their stuff.

It was a great stop and we ended up at Margaritaville for a little dancing from Heath. Click here to see that video.

Day 5: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands:

This was quite a bit bumpier than the Jamaica stop, as we had to take a 5 minute boat ride to the shore. However, the little boat did not take waves like the cruise ship. We were all about to be sick. Elizabeth slept through the entire ride.

Another great destination, as we made it to the beach and could not get William to leave the water. The water is so clear!!

Again, we ended up at Margaritaville so that William could go down the famous slide. He was about 6 inches too short, but Heath finally talked the lady into it and away he went. And again!! Kinda scares me that nothing scares him.

Day 6: Cozumel, Mexico

Definitely the best stop of the trip. It was very commercialized and safe, but it was easy to find some side streets for good deals on whatever you were looking for. We found a great Mexican restaurant off the beaten path with awesome music and scenery. Like father..like son. It was William's turn to jam with the staff. He was not as bad as dad, though. Here is the video.

It was kinda sad that all of our stops were over. However, I think we all agreed that it was more fun on the ship anyway.

Day 7: Showtime! Our family was very fortunate to have been entertained by our own family, William and Heath in two different shows. First up was William. The Camp he went to each day had a Talent Show program. Initially Heath and I did not sign him up because he was one of the youngest and we weren't really sure what talent he could perform. However, that morning I went to pick him up and his counselor said, "We'll see you at the talent show!" I told her that we hadn't registered him and she replied, "William signed himself up. He will be singing the ABC's." Heath and I were very nervous because he wouldn't practice for us and even had a tantrum minutes before the show. But once we got to the show he was ready and did awesome.

William in the Talent Show from Heath Jackson on Vimeo.

Act 2 for the day was Heath as Garth Brooks. For the final show of the cruise a Legends Concert was performed. Heath has never sang in front of 1,500 people, but he did very well and the crowd went crazy. I think my family finally welcomed Heath to the family.

Carnival Legends Performance from Heath Jackson on Vimeo.

Day 8: Back to reality. It was a very fun time and we all grew closer to each other, but it was nice to get home to sandwiches and a big living room.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T21:02:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-30T14:04:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-19T17:48:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-10T14:48:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-07T23:13:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-02T19:59:00.000-05:00

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.

Go Cowboys!

2007-09-23T18:59:00.000-05:00

Go Cowboys!

Elizabeth's One Year Check-up

2007-09-22T03:59:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth had her one year old check-up with pediatrician this week. Everything is going well, except for her weight. The pediatrician is a little concerned because she has not gained as much weight as desired in the past couple of months. She weighs 16 pounds and has fallen off of the chart as far as percentiles for her age. She is eating everything in sight these days, so we really don't understand how this can be possible. However, she is very active - crawling as fast as she can to keep up with big brother! We will go back in 2 weeks for a follow-up, hoping she has gained a little and we won't have to worry about this too much. Looking back at William's records, he weighed 17 pounds at 4 months! Otherwise, we have all had a wonderful week!

Elizabeth's First Birthday

2007-09-16T17:11:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Elizabeth's first birthday yesterday. We had a great time. We had a little party for her at our house with family and a couple of friends. It was so funny to see the difference in how William and Elizabeth devoured their first cakes -Elizabeth was much more delicate and cautious in her process. Elizabeth is not walking yet. She walks along the furniture, but would rather crawl or be held than take any steps at this point. Here is a link to view more pics from the big day.
http://heath.jackson.googlepages.com/media

Week of Firsts

2007-09-11T17:39:00.000-05:00

Hello. This is my first blog. I have been wanting to take this on for some time after seeing the work of friends, Angie and Sarah. Your awesome work has encouraged me. In addition, since I haven't been the best mother with keeping everything updated in William and Elizabeth's baby books, I figured this would be a way to help keep up with their lives.

So a week of firsts it is. Sunday - the first Cowboy game for the season. Heath (and now William!) were so excited. Throughout the day, Heath was counting down the hours until kick off. Heath's passion has quickly influenced William. William knows several of the Cowboy player's names - Tony Romo is the favorite these days. William sat beside dad cheering and booing throughout most of the game.

Monday - William started his first day of his 3 year old preschool. He loves school. I know I need to savor these moments of his excitement with school. He will be going two half days a week. He is working on spelling his name. He is doing great so far, occasionally puts a "y" instead of "i" in his name. He also had his first dentist appt yesterday. He was a little scared of the idea of going, but loved it once we got there. There were video games older kids were playing, he got to pick out a toy to have out of a treasure chest, and the most exciting for him a new toothbrush.

Tuesday -Today was our first day of this semesters ladies' bible class. I was so excited to return. In a way I felt like it was my first day of school. I am so blessed to able to come study Him each week surrounded by a wonderful group of friends.

Finally, we will celebrate Elizabeth's first birthday Saturday. I will hopefully return then with pictures and an update from the party.