The Akins Family

We're making progress

2012-01-24T13:52:00.005-06:00

in all areas!

1st- Matthew is doing SO SO good with potty training. He RARELY has an accident (like 1 every 4 days). Who knew potty training could be so easy....hmm ME bc it wasn't this easy with his brother! We are still in pullups when we go out (bc who wants to deal with that mess) although he tells me he has to go so we haven't had any accidents and of course he is still in a diaper at nap/night night time, but wakes up dry most of the time.

2nd - We have moved the boys into their own room together. Bunk beds are in and up. They both LOVE them. Matthew has done good about staying in bed and he no longer takes a paci (it had to stay in the crib bc that was for babies and not big boys). So we have been paci free for almost a week! Although he tells me "Baby Shelby DO NOT get my paci". He knows she will be going into the crib! lol I need to post pics of their new room, but I'm not quite finished getting things on the wall. And let me tell you - bunk beds are a PAIN to make up, let alone change the sheets on!

3rd- We've got some work to do to get the nursery in order. We need to take down Jackson's twin bed and store it. I have plans to paint it white for Shelby in a couple years to use. Then I need to get a fresh coat of paint on the walls, just to clean it up. We bought her fabric today and this is what it looks like:

Nana Akins is going to start working on her bedding and curtain once she gets home! I just LOVE this fabric.....girly, but I adore the blues and greens also!

Then I have been talking to my friend, Jaime, and she can paint, stencil, etc and I think we (SHE) is going to do something like this on the wall:

I am not sure if we will keep the leaves blue, maybe do the green in the bedding and hoping to add some of the simple flowers in the bedding to the tree also in the variety of colors! Love it! :)

So that's what we have been up to as of lately!

My current goal

2012-01-16T14:21:00.003-06:00

is to get this stinker potty trained!
Wish me luck or better yet....Pray for both of us! :)

He is pretty cute in big boy undies though, huh???

22 weeks, 2 days

2012-01-10T19:38:00.002-06:00

The belly is a growing! I am finally getting into more maternity clothes, but I really do despise them, so I am squeezing into regular clothes as much as possible! The sickness seems to have subsided at about 20/21 weeks, but the tension headaches have been in full force since about 18/19 weeks! I had them with Matthew, but this go round I seem to have them EVERYDAY compared to once a week or so with him. It also seems the meds aren't knocking it out this time around either! I still am getting sick once in a while, but I think it's bc of the headache pain when they are severe.

I have gained 3 pounds since finally getting back to my start weight. I have another appt in about 2 weeks and then they are going to do another ultrasound around 28 weeks. Nothing came back abnormal, but they didn't get a good look at her lips (checking for cleft) and the aorta bc of her position. So that's fine with me! Let's make sure she is A-OKAY and check one more time that she is in fact a SHE!

As you can tell by the picture I have a sidekick! He has completely become a Mamma's boy lately! This could be trouble for me once baby arrives!

Our 2011 Photobook

2012-01-09T16:25:00.002-06:00

I just finished our 2011 Family Photobook (I still need to go through and make sure I don't have any mistakes and order once I get an AMAZING coupon from Shutterfly)! I am loving doing these to remember the year without having to print out a ton of pictures, scrapbook, etc! Now to get started on Baby Shelby's First Year book and begin our 2012 book once we do something fun!
Enjoy!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly offers exclusive photobook layouts so you can make your book just the way you want.

The Akins Year in Review- 2011

2012-01-04T14:36:00.007-06:00

I was sitting here thinking about 2011 - how it drug by at times and then flew by other times. We had a great year I think, but it was a hard year for us - lots of separations and some sadness, but we also made great memories and vacations to etch in our minds!

SO here's the rundown of what I can remember! :)

January: We took a trip to NC to visit with family and share in a late Christmas. We also survived living 3 days in the Atlanta Airport due to cancelled/delayed flights!

February: We faced our first deployment of the year, but #3 deployment all together.

March: Jackson turned 4 this month and we had both sets of grandparents come in to celebrate with us.

April: David turned 31 while off in the desert.

May: I turned 31 right behind David. David returned home from deployment in early May. My mom came out to visit. Harley (our Yorkie) turned 11. We also traveled to CO in late May to visit with family. While there we discovered we were pregnant.

June: Sadly after we returned home from CO, we lost the baby we were so excited about. This was just an all around tough month for me. David deployed again (#4) for a thankfully shorter deployment. Jackson also began his first year of T-ball and LOVED it!

July: I don't remember anything major this month besides single parenting it, swim lessons, splash pad, play dates, etc.

August: Bailey (our Great Dane) turned 6! David's Gma, Aunt and Cousins came down for a visit. David returned from deployment #4. We traveled to NC once again just to get away and see family! Jackson started Preschool and his first year of soccer!

September: Matthew turned 2! We found out that I was pregnant again after miscarrying! Jackson started his first year of AWANA and David (when home) and I became leaders as well! I began co-teaching the 4/5 year old Sunday School class at church.

October: We faced yet another deployment (#5). The tempo last year was just about unbearable! We finished out soccer, had a field trip with school, Trunk or Treating and enjoyed the cooler weather. Nana Akins came to visit also.

November: We just kept on keeping on! We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends.

December: My dad and brother made a trip out to go hunting. David returned from his deployment. We had our first snow! Baby #3 turns out to be a GIRL! We travel to CO for an early Christmas. My parents traveled here for Christmas week! We rang in the New Year with friends, food and fellowship!

Happy New Year from our family to yours! Here's hoping that 2012 for us keeps us together as a family more, welcoming a healthy baby girl into our lives and memories that will last a lifetime!

Christmas at our house

2012-01-04T12:48:00.006-06:00

We celebrated Christmas Day at our house and my parents made the long journey all the way to be with us! We have been so blessed to have never spent a Christmas alone (or without Daddy) in our 5 (Christmas) years in this military life! Here are just a few of the pics from our day!

Christmas Eve Night

Santa came

Even the one on the way got some things!

And this is how it ends when a little one is woken up way before he wants to be up!

Our CO vacation

2012-01-03T12:48:00.013-06:00

As I am trying to get caught up from the holidays and looking through pictures I am noticing that we took A LOT of them....so I will try to make this short and sweet!
We had a great time in CO visiting family and seeing my inlaws new house!
Here is just a little of what we did:

We made cookies- mmmmm

We had an early Christmas with Papa and Nana.

The boys went on their 1st General Aviation flight with Papa and Daddy and Mamma didn't have a heart attack! Jackson loved it and Matthew fell asleep..

We saw some wildlife.

We went to the Flying W Christmas Show (David and I have been to the Flying W in the summer several times pre-children, but this was also great!)

We traveled to the CO Railroad Museum and rode the train.

We had a BIG family get together and a white elephant exchange...all while watching the Broncos play!

Jackson and Papa & Nana built a Gingerbread House.

And then we were delayed coming home bc of this......

but bc of the joy and fun the boys had it was ALL WORTH IT! :)

Shelby Alexandra

2011-12-22T15:53:00.002-06:00

Here are her ultrasound pictures:

She was bent in half- you can see her feet on top of her head here!

Her feet

Proof she is really a girl!

It's a.....

2011-12-13T17:57:00.002-06:00

Yep our lives will be turned upside down! We are excited, but all this talk about bows, dresses and tights makes me a little nervous! :) I guess we'll just learn as we go!

Thankfully baby looks great and healthy! She has all her parts and in all the right places!

And her name will be: Shelby Alexandra

Made it through Deployment #5

2011-12-06T15:15:00.003-06:00

David made it home today despite one delay and then a slight delay on top of that delay! We are so happy to be back as a family of 4....err 5 for the holidays! Here's just a few pictures- but it was cold and snowy, so we headed back to the bus quickly!

Seems as though things are slowing down, so we are hoping to keep him home for a while this go round! :)

Jackson's Christmas Program

2011-12-06T15:08:00.002-06:00

Jackson had his Christmas Program last night at his Preschool! The sang a few songs and told the Christmas Story!

Please excuse that he is in his baseball shirt- umm loser mom didn't think about putting him in a Christmas outfit like most of the other kids had on! Yeah it didn't even cross my mind! Oh well- at least it was red right??

Here is his speaking part- he cracks us up! Love that kid!

And here is him singing a version on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.....God love him and his loudness!

Santa Baby

2011-12-04T15:25:00.001-06:00

Here's our picture with Santa.....pretend Daddy is in the plane back there!

Santa came to the Base!

2011-12-03T19:20:00.003-06:00

We headed to base today to see Santa! What fun we had! Santa arrived in a firetruck which was enough for Matthew! They had it in a hanger this year which turned out SO MUCH BETTER! There was so much more room and it didn't feel crowded at all! We saw lots of friends out there and played lots of games! We even had a yummy doughnut and some juice!

We were even first in line to see Santa and get our picture taken! The pictures should be up soon on the website for us to download!

Jackson asked Santa for a remote control car (hmmm first I heard of this) and Matthew asked for snacks (haha I love that kid)! I was surprised that Matthew even sat on his lap, but he was all about him this year. Last year- not so much!

Playing a game!

The boys and their swords...that didn't survive very long! :(

We had a lot of rain last night and this morning, so the boys had fun jumping in ALL the puddles on the way to the car. I had to strip them down for the ride home bc they were so wet!

I'll have to post our picture with Santa when they get uploaded to the site! I am excited to see how it turned out!

O' Christmas Tree

2011-12-02T17:13:00.002-06:00

We got our big tree decorated a week ago and all the other trees up since. I only took pictures of the boys decorating the big tree upstairs! They have their ornaments on a tree in the basement and then they both have little trees in their rooms! Ah - Christmas time is here!

Crazy Hair Night

2011-12-01T16:59:00.002-06:00

It was Crazy Hair Night at AWANA and you just can't do too much with little boys whose hair is a half inch long on their head! So we went with GREEN! I was just going to do Jackson, but Matthew wanted to be like brother, so they both looked like leprechauns!

15 weeks, 4 days

2011-12-01T16:54:00.002-06:00

I finally took a shot of my starting to grow belly! I'm still fitting into my regular clothes, but it won't be long before maternity is all I can wear- ughh!

I also had an appt this past Tuesday and I was 16 weeks, 2 days. I heard the heartbeat- 150 bpm, so a strong one! We head back on the 13th to see if baby is healthy and to find out if it's a boy or girl! :)

The good news is I am sick less often than before, but it still comes and goes. And my weight is back up to my original weight, so from here on out it is on the positive side for me!

Elf Yourself

2011-11-27T20:01:00.001-06:00

We elfed ourselves again this year! These NEVER get old! Click HERE to see!

Babies, Babies and more Babies

2011-11-27T16:39:00.002-06:00

We found out on Thanksgiving Day that my brother and his wife are expecting a baby! Wait - they lied.....TWO babies! TWINS folks! My cup runneth over with happiness! Can you even imagine my mama's cup?? :)

And these sweet ones are due just 6 weeks after our sweet one! But you know those twinsies will be born no later than 38 weeks, maybe earlier and heaven forbid my little one wants to stay put for a while.....we could have babies darn near close together! What would my mama do if all 3 came on the same week and we are 22 hrs apart?! Well let's just hope that doesn't happen b/c I'm not interested in going over and those twinsies need to cook as long as they can so they are healthy, healthy babies!

We are beyond happy for you Dee and Robin!

It's that time of year!

2011-11-22T12:51:00.004-06:00

Oh I love, love Christmas and I think getting Christmas Cards in the mail ranks up there as one of my highlights! So how can you not love a deal to help get those Christmas Cards in the mail!

Tiny Prints is giving away 50 (FIFTY) FREE Christmas Cards when you blog about their site. Oh my- looking through all there cards, I can already tell I am going to have a hard time choosing! Crazy thing was I was on websites THIS MORNING looking for the best site to order our cards from and I was actually browsing around Tiny Prints! This will be my first order from them, but I am excited to see the finished product! Thanks Tiny Prints for the great promotion!

Hmmm, I do love this one:

or maybe I love these cute little girls! You know we find out in 3 weeks if we will FINALLY be adding a girl to this family OR boy #3!

So once you have blogged about how great Tiny Prints is, go HERE and fill out the form. Then they will send you a coupon code to get your FREE 50 cards!

Merry Christmas from Tiny Prints and The Akins Family!

The Round Up

2011-11-20T14:11:00.005-06:00

Today our church had a Round Up- it was a community outreach to reach those unchurched. The kids sang the Round Up song (below) and then we had chili and fixins, along with a chili cook off if anyone wanted to participate!
They also had the fire department out, the police department to do Identi-Kid (which I did, so don't steal my boys, bc I have their prints on file now), games, a bouncy house, and our Pastor had his horses out for us to ride!
The kids had a blast regardless of our 35 degree temps!

Here is Jackson singing Round Up (Beware: it is long, but I knew grandparents would love to see it)!

Jackson and I on a horse- umm yeah he was NOT a fan. I'm actually surprised he even rode. Pastor Don eventually got him off.

Then their's our little cowboy! Matthew with Bethany- our Pastor's daughter. Yeah he LOVED it! Could my boys be any more different??

This whole day was a great for Matthew- he is in LOVE with firetrucks! They even turned the lights on for him after I told them what a big fan he was!

Getting to drive!

And the boys on the tire swings.

Baby McKenna

2011-11-17T08:40:00.004-06:00

I think some of you know about some friends of our, The White's, and their little McKenna that was recently born. If not- here's a quick rundown. She was born 2 weeks ago and everything went great. They brought her home, but after about day 5 or 6, they noticed that her breathing was off and she wasn't nursing well. A trip to the pediatrician landed them in the NICU for lots of tests that determined Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. This was not determined in utero or post delivery, which I have read is common. So off to Michigan she goes the next morning with a team from Life Flight to undergo the first of three heart surgeries that she will have. The White's started the long drive later that day (I just can't imagine having to send your baby off and not being able to ride along).

She had her first surgery yesterday, which is proving to be successful. The first 48 hrs are still crucial after this surgery, but doctors seem very happy with the results so far.

Here is a link to their Caring Bridge Website - click HERE
If you have never visited this website you will need to create a username and password. Then you should be able to see updates and pictures of sweet McKenna! Please keep them in your prayers as this family continues to go through this and for McKenna and her recovery.

Here is a picture of McKenna pre- surgery! What a little doll she is!

Hold Your Hands

2011-11-16T12:09:00.002-06:00

I've had this video for a while, but it is the one that they sing at Preschool before snack he says! I thought it was cute! I'm just hoping he isn't this wild while he does it at school!

I also just got a note home saying what Jackson's part in the Christmas play is (it's only 1 line- Praise The Lord!) I am sure it will be an interesting night!

Jackson's School Pics

2011-11-09T12:20:00.003-06:00

I'm thinking he is getting too big too quick! School pics already?? :( And he looks so much older then 4 1/2 to me!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T17:19:00.004-05:00

We had a fun time Trunk or Treating at our church with Spiderman and a Dragon (or as Matthew thought a dinosaur)! We got enough candy, played some games, won some prizes and had popcorn and hotdogs! We even had Nana Akins here with us to share in the fun!

We saw the Byer's out there and Darin found great joy in filling Matthew with chocolate!

Matthew, Sidney, Jackson and Savannah

PreSchool Fall Celebration

2011-11-01T16:54:00.004-05:00

Jackson's class had their Fall Celebration Monday and they were able to dress up in their costumes while the parents came in and helped with snack and games. I had an OB appointment, but we made it back in time to catch a few pictures and my favorite was seeing them sing their end of the day song!

Here is when the teacher has them raise their hand to get everyone's attention- I was surprised at how quickly Jackson obeyed!

And here is there goodbye song! The door is always closed until we can come in to get them where they are always sitting at their tables. As you will see- they sing this song and they run to their seats afterwards (Jackson slowly inches his way there through the song)!

Upward Awards

2011-11-01T16:44:00.003-05:00

Jackson has finished his first season of soccer- and thank goodness bc the weather is being to turn colder! I think he had a GREAT season and he had GREAT coaches who helped teach the basics of soccer and teamwork to these little ones! They had an end of the year celebration where they all got prizes for finishing the year!

It was really hard to get a picture of them with so many teams going up and then back to there seats.

Matthew enjoyed getting a little soccer ball to keep him busy during the ceremony!

Jackson afterwards with his medal and his new soccer ball!

All About Jackson

2011-10-26T15:29:00.003-05:00

At Preschool the kids had to tell all about themselves and it is hanging outside their classroom! I am not too sure about some of Jackson's crazy answers and what in the world is that face he is making in his picture!

Then they drew their family and this is what he drew! Somewhat to scale except I am kind of as big as Daddy. Maybe I will be soon in his eyes since he told me the other day, "Mommy, when the baby gets bigger you are going to be a giant!" Wow- thanks Jackson!

Field Trip

2011-10-19T15:35:00.004-05:00

Jackson had his first ever field trip! They all went to the Pumpkin Patch and mommy had to go too, taking little brother for even more fun! I didn't realize how exhausting field trips were.....or maybe it was just me trying to keep up with 2 boys going in 2 different directions! I should be use to this by now!

On the way out to pick pumpkins!

Matthew picked a baby one!

Jackson's was a little bigger!

Jackson and his buddies- Dillon and Kambree!

Danielle was nice enough to snap me and the kids!

The boys played in the bounce houses FOREVER!

Pumpkins

2011-10-19T15:28:00.004-05:00

I am somewhat behind on posting anything! Between being a mommy to 2 busy boys and dealing with the "afternoon/evening" sickness of baby #3, not to mention church, preschool, speech, AWANA, and soccer- this lady is pooped! I am not too far behind the boys at bedtime and please, please don't just drop by unless you don't care about seeing lots of dust on all the furniture, toys scattered, and laundry piled! Yep that's were I'm at and I'm okay with it- it's just a stage I'm passing through! Luckily just a couple more weeks and I will have my appetite and energy back!

Here are a few pictures of Daddy and the boys making their pumpkins! Can I tell you how much I LOVE these Mr Potato Head Pumpkins! So easy for kids and less accident prone!

The finished product- a pirate for Matthew and a vampire for Jackson!

Ups and Downs of Life

2011-10-05T09:55:00.006-05:00

Well I haven't blogged about this, but I do think I have gone through something that may help someone else in the future. I didn't really understand it at the time, but looking back I have clearer eyes.

So back in May, we were excited to learn that we were expecting Baby #3! Life was GRAND, but somewhere deep in my heart I think I knew something was wrong. My test didn't appear positive fast like the other two did and with each passing day I was expecting to begin feeling sick and just never did. Then it happened (early June)- worst nightmare ever- MISCARRIAGE! We wanted that baby and I couldn't understand why it was being taken from me?? I wouldn't wish that on anyone. To me losing that baby at 6 weeks- was well, losing a baby! No other way to put it.

I do feel that that baby is up in heaven right now- hopefully being rocked by great grandparents and loved ones. And I believe in my heart that I will meet this baby again one day! But from here on out I don't want to hide my "story" anymore.....if the pain I went through can help just one other mom, then I want to share it! I want to share in her pain!

In the mean time- EVERYONE I knew was pregnant, getting pregnant, or having a baby! I had the "woe is me" moments a lot! I still don't understand why I lost that baby, but time has healed the pain.

Now we were faced with - Do we have another?? Will it happen again?? Can I deal with another miscarriage?? Lots of questions! Just when I thought I was satisfied with my 2 little monkey boys, I get this.....

Yep pregnant again! This time it was like the boys- bright right away! We told our parents but swore them to secrecy - just in case something went wrong. And then a couple weeks passed and I started the good ole "all day sickness". This was another good sign for me. 4 weeks pass and I finally go to the doctor (which happened to be yesterday) and we get this......

My doctor says everything looks good! Baby has a 172 heartbeat and all looks healthy! Praise the Lord! I am about 8 1/2 weeks along and Baby is due around May 13th!

So there it is - I'm going to be a mom of 3! And 1 Angel Baby! :)

Here ducky, ducky!

2011-09-12T13:33:00.002-05:00

This is what we wake up too all the time! (Please excuse our dirt yard- we seeded last week and the grass is just starting to poke through!)

Then the boys woke up and Daddy thought the ducks might be hungry!

And they were!

Bicycles

2011-09-12T13:20:00.004-05:00

Jackson has finally decided he LOVES his bicycle he got for his birthday! And yay he is really good at riding it now too! And little Mr. Matthew has taken to his "bicycle" too (Jackson's old tricycle) and he is starting to get the pedaling thing down! Luckily David figured out using the handle of a shovel as a pusher, so that our backs aren't dead from bending over when we get back from riding around the block!

It has been nice that they are enjoying this now bc the weather is getting bearable to actually play outside and we had our yard reseeded last week (yay I am seeing sprigs of grass poking through), so unfortunately the kids are having to stay off of it for a few weeks! It is just a muddy mess out there with twice a day watering! (On a side note: David killed another snake out there yesterday, so we may never play in the back yard again- grass or no grass!)

Matthew is obsessed with wearing Jackson's helmet! We do have another spiderman helmet around this house somewhere that might actually fit his head, but it seems to be MIA! ughh!

Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3

2011-09-12T12:46:00.003-05:00

We took the boys to see Toy Story 3 and I was rather impressed! I thought they put on a great show and they kept the boys entertained for 2 hrs! The only thing is DON'T give Matthew cotton candy late at night because it turns him into a crazy little boy!

Our Little Aliens

Woody and Jesse

Buzz Lightyear himself flying through the sky!

TWO years old!

2011-09-12T12:25:00.007-05:00

It's hard to believe that Matthew is already 2 years old! But he is and he is just as sweet as the day he was born......just a little more sass these days! We didn't really have him a big party this year, but celebrated a few little ones! We had the one with family in NC a couple weeks ago, then on his birthday day we took the boys to see Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3, and the next night we had some friends over and celebrated one more time with dinner, cupcakes and presents! I don't think he got shorted, but we hope to have a big friends party next year when he turns 3!

Here is Matthew with his beloved firetruck! (The photo is all messed up - not sure what happened)

1st Birthday

BIRTHday

First Day of Preschool!

2011-09-07T13:33:00.004-05:00

My baby has officially started Preschool! Yikes this is just the beginning of school - only 18 more years really! He had a great first day learning about the letter P and making playdough! He also said they played outside, had animal crackers and apple juice for a snack, and he played with lots of new friends and a few current friends! Little brother did okay - this time he didn't cry! He and I managed a few errands before going back to get his buddy!

Jackson and Daddy before he had to head to a class!

Matthew kept saying he was ready to go to preschool too!

Alright Mom, it's time for you to go!

First Soccer Game

2011-08-27T15:51:00.004-05:00

Jackson had his first soccer game today - goodness those kids are so cute playing sports at 4 years old! I think he had a good time. We had one boo boo, a few tears when he didn't get the ball as much, and a time when he was ready to be done bc he was hot and sweaty BUT we also had lots of ball time, an assist (not on purpose), an almost goal (he got it in but had crossed the line), and lots of new friends! So I call that a success!

Matthew wanted to play too, so Daddy found him a ball! :)

Here's Jackson's assist! :)

Matthew sings his ABC's.....so so cute!

2011-08-26T17:24:00.000-05:00

Matthew's little party

2011-08-26T17:12:00.003-05:00

We also celebrated Matthew's early 2nd birthday while we were there in the mountains! I still can't believe he is going to be TWO!

These boys

2011-08-26T17:06:00.003-05:00

While at Tweetsie Railroad, both the boys got cap guns - just what we needed....more play guns in this house!

Grandfather Mountain

2011-08-26T16:40:00.003-05:00

We also visited Grandfather Mountain and its beauty! The weather was not too great - we got rained on a few times, but it was worth it! I would live to go back sans kids and hike some of the trails!

This was on the swinging bridge! I braved it although I am NOT a fan of heights or bridges! My mom and dad remember when it was wooden and it really did swing - No Thank You! :)

We took advantage to snap a quick picture while up there too!

Mom and Dad

My brother and sil, Dee and Robin

Tweetsie Railroad

2011-08-26T15:39:00.007-05:00

My parents took all of us to Tweetsie Railroad (I had not been since I was a little girl) while we were in the mountains of NC/TN. The kids were at the perfect age to take them and they are both into all things trains, so it made for a great trip! I think the boys had a blast, but honestly I think my mom had the most fun! We were afraid we might not get to go bc we woke up to rain. It finally tapered off and I think most kids had started back to school, so it wasn't very crowded!

On the train!

All the fun rides!

We got in on the action too!

Yee Haw!

A little face painting - a dinosaur for Matthew of course!

And a train for Jackson!

The petting area with deer, goats, ponies, pot bellied pigs, etc!

Fun Family Day filled with lots of memories!

Fun Fun

2011-08-26T14:27:00.003-05:00

Playing at Papa and Nana's house

And at Big Gma's house

And at DeeDee and RoRo's house! (this is their new house by the way, bea-u-ti-ful!)

Off to NC

2011-08-26T14:06:00.002-05:00

We headed to NC for a short visit (making it back before Hurricane Irene decided to land as we speak)! And this is the way I like my boys to travel on an airplane - SLEEPING! They did really good and we got to fly with Matthew for FREE one more time! :)

Hanging out at the airport with our 3 hr layover!

Bailey turns 6!

2011-08-13T12:11:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Bailey! Today she turns 6!

Here's a little stroll down memory lane! Here is the day we got her - cutest puppy EVER!

This is the day she realized she was too big to go under our bed anymore....she got a little stuck!

Yikes

2011-08-13T11:59:00.001-05:00

My husband made it home just in time to find this "little" guy (and I use the word little loosely) hanging out in our back yard! YIKES! Thank the GOOD LORD he was here - I have killed one snake but I hope it is the only one I have to ever get near!
So he was hiding under our deck stairs right where all the kids toys are! Just thinking of it gives me the willies! But David (who is also NOT a fan of snakes) took care of our problem!

Here he is - almost as long as the shovel!

If you had asked me what it was I would have said this - an ANACONDA that was here to kill us all!

But it was in all reality a Common Garter Snake. The description here states that he is HARMLESS! That's fine and dandy Mr Snake, but to me you all all scary and deadly and I want nothing more to do with you!

Now here is hoping that all his buddies think he just left town and hopefully they don't come looking for him!

Another one down!

2011-08-08T15:59:00.004-05:00

Deployment that is! This makes for #4 in such a short time, but we were blessed with a short deployment, no delays and no quick turns! So that means all is good! We are all happy, happy and are going to enjoy the little bit of time we have together before it's back to work, school starting, and taking a peak at the upcoming deployment roster!

Bored and waiting on Daddy!

Kisses for Daddy!

Check out this little cutie!

Par-tay

2011-08-06T21:00:00.002-05:00

The boys had a birthday party for some friends tonight and I thought the "cake" was all sorts of fun! Jaime made ice cream cone cupcakes and Matthew was all over his! Such a cute idea for kiddos! He did end up with icing all over his face and even up his nose! I think he approved!

First Movie for Matthew

2011-08-06T20:52:00.002-05:00

I have been MIA lately! I have actually not been taking pictures either! Life has just been busy lately and we are surviving - that's all I can say! I see some excitement in our near future though, so I promise more pictures!

Until then here are a couple posts with pics from my phone (the quality is OH not so good!) :)

Matthew went to his first movie and he did OKAY! I had to take him out a couple times, but it was one of those $2.00 summer specials for kids, so all was fine! He was a big fan of the popcorn, drink and candy!

And here is Jackson with his buddies, Sidney and Savannah!

The Botanica

2011-07-08T15:18:00.010-05:00

We braved the heat this morning to check out our Botanical Garden and their recent opening of the children's section. What a fun place and just beauty all around! The new area for kids is great - water features, water pumps, a tree house area, music and much more! I think we will definitely be heading back!

First we headed to the Butterfly Pavilion.

The entrance to the children's area! I can't believe we got a picture of all the kids looking!

Just monkeying around!

Matthew was SOAKED from this fountain! But it didn't take him long to dry!

Playing a little tune!

Banging on the drums!

I'm not sure were he found the sword! :)

Jackson made a friend!

My attempt at just 1 picture of the boys together - and this is the best I got - sigh!

The lily pads were a favorite!

Just some of the flowers!

Airplane Daddy

2011-07-06T17:11:00.002-05:00

Every airplane that Matthew sees/hears he says "airplane daddy".....except of course on this video!

My boys

2011-07-06T08:08:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple pictures I took with my phone the last few days! It's how we have been spending our days!

This was not my brightest moment - I just wanted a picture, but I got a little more! I didn't mind too much since it was triple digits outside!

And then they got smart and decided to just lounge where it was cooler!

Matthew has NO fear

2011-07-05T21:10:00.002-05:00

I had my friend, Deanna, take this video to show how Matthew has NO fear of the water (and daddy wasn't able to make it tonight so I wanted to show him what they did...excuse her crazy comments at the end)! He loves to jump in and going under doesn't phase him! He must take after his dad and I!

Now Jackson on the other hand is scared to death! This is actually his swim lesson time with 2 of his little friends! I will have to say by the end of this session he was standing in the pool and not clamped onto his teacher! He is SLOWLY becoming more comfortable in the water!

But this seems to be the way it's going to be with my kids....Jackson is my cautious one and Matthew - well lets just say I expect to be in the ER with him first! :)

Our 4th of July

2011-07-05T08:04:00.008-05:00

We had a fabulous 4th of July! We started it off with the local parade!

The firetrucks were a little too loud for Jackson.

Matthew was just taking it all in - trying to stay cool!

Then we went back to the Byer's and the kids enjoyed the girls new pool!

That evening we spent with friends who have adopted us into their family for a cookout and fireworks!
The kids had a blast on the Slip n Slide!

I do love this picture - Matthew is looking very concerned for his brother!

This one- oh he didn't want his picture taken! But look at those baby blue eyes of his! Such a sweetie!

Jason was assisting the little kids in child friendly poppers! They had a great time!

We were not let down this year - the sky was lite and it was beautiful!

Here are a couple comparison pictures! What a difference a year makes!
Matthew and Emmy 2011

Matthew and Emmy 2010

The whole crew plus Jason and minus Kreslee who was sleeping in her carrier
2011

2010

Happy 4th of July from the Akins Family!
We hope yours was full of fun, food and fireworks like ours was!

Cannons

2011-07-04T14:48:00.002-05:00

Here is another current favorite of mine!

Today I am thankful for our country and our independence! I am also thankful for my husband and all the other brave men and women who have and are still fighting to keep this a great nation! Remember those that are currently separated from their families that would give anything to be with their loved ones cooking out and watching the skies light up! It is because of them that tonight you can rest peacefully in your bed!

Happy 4th of July!

104

2011-06-30T15:48:00.003-05:00

That's the temperature here this week.....I'm officially ready for Fall! But until then we have to keep cool somehow and that means lots of pool and splash pad time with our friends!

A little More T-ball

2011-06-30T15:40:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe we have only 3 more games until T-ball is over! Jackson is REALLY enjoying playing, so maybe we will sign him up for soccer in the fall to see if he likes that too!

Here are Jackson and his buddy, Dillon, going after the same ball! I think Dillon ended up with it!

Little man at bat!

Run, Jackson, Run! On his way to 3rd base!

He's ready! Just like Daddy showed him!

VBS Family Day

2011-06-26T14:09:00.003-05:00

Warning: LONG VIDEOS of Jackson singing and dancing! We had a few special people that I know would have loved to have been there including Grandparents, so this is for them! I didn't want them to miss a thing!

VBS was a success this year! We had 25 kids come to know Christ and accept Him as their Lord and Savior! Since it was a Beach Blast theme we had a Beach Party (Kansas Style) outside afterward! Right now I have 2 sleepy wore out boys napping!

It's a Beach Party!

Matthew enjoying his favorite thing in the world besides Daddy and a basketball - A Cookie!

Having fun at the Beach Blast Party!

Here is Jackson going down the big slide with his friend Addie!

And Heather's son, Bret, was nice enough to take Matthew down!

A current favorite!

2011-06-24T17:27:00.001-05:00

This is currently one of my favorite songs! Take a listen and see if you like it too!

VBS

2011-06-23T15:19:00.002-05:00

We are having FUN FUN at VBS this year! Jackson is loving being with his BFF, Ayden (who is in the videos too), everyday and they are both loving the songs we are singing during rally!

He comes home and sings "O Happy Day" - I love it! Thankfully I was able to keep quiet during this song, bc you really didn't need to hear me singing on here!

Here is the A(Admit you are a sinner)B(Believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior)C(Confess your sins to Him) song for VBS this year! We are doing a Beach Blast theme if you couldn't tell!

Little T-baller

2011-06-20T16:56:00.001-05:00

Matthew walks around ALL day talking about baseball! Too bad he has about 2 more years before he can play! :( Until then the back yard will have to do!

Fielding

2011-06-16T20:45:00.004-05:00

At practice tonight, Coach Jason, had the kids working on fielding and getting the ball to first base! It actually went over good and I think the kids are getting the idea of what to do! Here is Jackson!

Then Jason was hitting it to them a little to the left or right and was trying to teach them to get in front of the ball! So he would tell them to put their belly button "on the ball"! So Jackson took that literally and after missing the ball he ran after it and laid on the ball! LOL! At least he was listening, right??

More Tball

2011-06-16T07:50:00.003-05:00

Here is another video of Jackson hitting so you don't have to turn your head. Last night he hit the ball first try getting up to bat twice! He's learning how to use that big boy bat for sure! :)

Please excuse the Proud Mama Screams! :)

And so it begins

2011-06-07T08:45:00.005-05:00

T-ball that is! I L.O.V.E it! The kids are so so cute, so innocent, could care less about competition and being the best, but just having a good time! I am very grateful that Daddy was able to be here too - he seems to miss a lot of firsts! This one is especially important though bc David played sports growing up and is something he wants for his kids if they want it!

Daddy helping him with that no so broke in glove!

Here he is at bat.....grr that I had my camera turned! Sorry but you have to tilt your head! I will try to do it right at the next game! Oh he was SO SO proud running to 1st!

On third!

Daddy was trying to show him how to get ready in the field......and it led to

playing in the dirt! :)
He finally walked off the field midgame and told me he didn't like baseball anymore, then started to cry/whine a little. I finally got out of him that he wanted to get the ball! :) Of course as he was talking to me a ball would have gone right to him! So he got back on the field and thank goodness a ball came right to him and he got it! He held it in the air and turned to me with the biggest smile on his face! I guess he likes baseball again!

Jackson with some of his best friends: Dillon and Kambree!

Matthew praying

2011-06-07T08:07:00.001-05:00

Matthew will now pray "a little"! It's always for Mommy and Daddy, but let me tell you with this kid - Mommy needs all the prayers she can get! :)

First Fish

2011-06-06T14:49:00.003-05:00

We had our Summer Squadron Picnic this week and despite the heat I think everyone had a great time! It was hosted by our Honorary Commander at I am assuming their family "farm" complete with a bar-b-que and icecream. There was so much to do including miniature golf, basketball, shuffleboard, a bouncy house, paddle boats and of course fishing!

I think we did it all and Jackson caught his 1st, 2nd and 3rd fish ever! So So glad Daddy was there to not only bait the line, but to take the fish off too! :)

The North Pole

2011-06-01T14:46:00.004-05:00

We headed back to The North Pole - what a fun place for the whole family, but especially little ones! Here are just a few of the pictures I took!

A little Getaway!

2011-06-01T14:13:00.003-05:00

David and I were blessed with being able to go away one night while the kids had a great time with Nana and Papa! In fact - Jackson didn't want to see us the next day, so I guess he is okay spending some time away from us!

We were trying to figure out what to do bc we are always with our kids (this was actually my first night away from Matthew EVER and he will be 2 in about 3 months), but we managed to have a great time!

First we went to Garden of the Gods (my 2nd trip) and walked around - then found some trails to hike on! What an absolute beautiful place!

Here are the Kissing Camels

And this looks like a buffalo head

Then we managed to find the Olympic Training Center, but tours were already closed for the day.

Casa Bonita

2011-06-01T14:06:00.001-05:00

No CO vacation with the Akins Family is complete without a trip to Casa Bonita!

Family Pic

2011-06-01T14:05:00.000-05:00

Here we are in Granby! What a beautiful place!

Colorado Vacation

2011-06-01T13:57:00.003-05:00

We just returned from Colorado! What a wonderful, fun filled vacation! Now I need a vacation from my vacation!

The first couple days we spent in the Mountains at the YMCA Camp by Granby! It is a good thing we brought our winter gear bc it rained, hailed, sleeted and snowed! But the views are spectacular!

We spent most of our time indoors! And I think we pretty much had the camp to ourselves! NO one was there!

We are going to plan an Akins/Orr Family vacation there next year! I can't wait to go back.....but in the middle of summer for sure!

Happy Birthday to Harley and some other news

2011-05-21T15:18:00.003-05:00

Harley celebrated his 11th Birthday on the 18th! We celebrated big again this year with a trip to the vet and 2 shots! :( On a side note Harley's breath has become worse than anything I can think of......anyone who has been around him can agree! Come to find out he has major infection in his teeth and gums, so guess who is getting a major dental cleaning and most likely some teeth pulled?? He will be on antibiotics a few days prior and a few days after, but I am hoping for a Sparkly White Snaggled Toothed smile when we pick him up! Oh yeah and better breath! :)

On a completely different note - Harley's sister, Bailey, has been in and out of the vet's office also. We took her in a couple weeks ago for what we thought might be a swollen anal gland, but no - life can't be that easy can it?? Turns out the Doc didn't really know what it was and when aspirated - he couldn't get anything out. So a round of anti inflammatories later and still not better. But at least it wasn't growing - until yesterday! The area was swollen more so back in we went - this time with not so good news. I kind of felt in my heart that this wasn't going to be a good visit. This time the Doc was able to get fluid off and as he striped the cells down he found cells that looked "suspicious" to cancer cells. Man that was hard to swallow. He can't confirm without a biopsy and we can't really get a biopsy without surgery. And well there's no guarantee he can get it all in the area it is and he told us up front it could be a tough recovery for her. Our other option is to just leave it as it - the mass could grow, could not?? She isn't in any pain with it and as long as it doesn't get in the way of her bowel system she could live another year or so with no problem. So what do we do?? Right now my heart and David's is saying just let her be as long as she is comfortable. We just pray she has many more months/years with us!

I have been a mess and I continue to try to put in in perspective....she is a dog! But she is our dog and we love her so very much! We knew that Great Danes had shorter life spans going into it and they are prone to cancers/joint issues (which we have had with her), but it is still hard.

So as for now - I am going to love on my big brown eyed girl and pray she continues to be pain free and full of spirit for a long long time!

Last Day of MDO

2011-05-17T15:59:00.004-05:00

Today was Jackson's last day of Mother's Day Out ever!

In the fall he will start Preschool - 3 mornings a week! I think I may keep Matthew at home next year - the true test will be how having him all summer with NO break! He may make it back to MDO after all! I just hate to have Jackson in preschool M, W, F and Matthew in MDO on either T or TH - makes for a busy week!

Here they are at their little "concert"!

Here are 2 little songs they learned! Jackson gets really into it at one point and then almost gets into a fight with the little boy next to him! lol

Tour de Derby

2011-05-10T12:19:00.002-05:00

Now that Daddy is home, Jackson is probably going to be riding his bike more! Mommy isn't good at juggling Jackson on his bike and Matthew throwing a fit bc he wants to be on Jackson's bike too!

Summertime temps

2011-05-10T12:06:00.004-05:00

have hit the last few days, but luckily just for a few days and we can go back to Spring weather for a while!
So we broke out the new "little" pool for the boys to play in! They also got a new water table that I haven't taken a picture of, but between the two they should shay nice in cool on days we don't head to the base pool!

Cupcakes

2011-05-10T11:55:00.002-05:00

Every time my mom is with the boys they try to make time to bake cupcakes! yum yum!
This time Matthew was able to help out - wow when did he get so big!

Home Again

2011-05-10T11:36:00.003-05:00

We have successfully survived Deployment #3....all in less then one calendar year! Wowza - that's a lot of weeks gone! This was the longest one so far, but seems they may be getting a little longer from here on out! :( This world is in a mess and our guys/girls are busy out there!

We arrived a little earlier to the flight line than usual, so we actually got to see them taxi in (David was not flying this leg).

There he is - and no this isn't his bag! He was helping a Space A traveler get her stuff since she was busy with a little one!

Here is one EXCITED little boy

and here is the other excited one! Daddy has barely been able to leave their sight since he has been home!

All together again!

Happy Happy boys!

We are going to enjoy this week that Daddy has off, then back to work he will go! :(

Easter at the Zoo

2011-04-30T18:47:00.003-05:00

We spent Easter morning at the zoo with the Byer's...looking and feeding animals, finding Easter Eggs, and getting candy! Fun Fun Day!

My boys still love to feed the giraffes!

They are my favorite now too!

TROUBLE!

They spotted an Easter Egg.....Matthew is trying to keep up!

Family shot of the day!

The 4 stooges!

These 2 just won't do.

The newest edition to our zoo....I think he is about 2 weeks old!

Matthew LOVES feeding the goats!

My little chickens!

More of my boys pictures

2011-04-28T18:06:00.003-05:00

Here are some more of the boys pictures. I just posted some of my favorites, but I have them all on my Facebook page if you are interested. I also have 5 from a sneak peak that I blogged about earlier, so you can go HERE to see them if you missed them!

So family- let me know if you are interested in a purchase and I can get you more details! :)

Tie Blankies

2011-04-28T15:57:00.003-05:00

I have made these blankies for my nephews and my cousins kids, but somehow I kept putting off making them for my very own boys! But as of yesterday they have their own tie blankies too!

Jackson has robots

and Matthew has dinosaurs!

An Egg Hunt

2011-04-28T15:50:00.002-05:00

After David's parents got here and we had Easter Dinner, we braved our own Easter Egg Hunt in the back yard! The boys LOVE hunting eggs and LOVE the candy inside even more (and so did Papa)!

Easter Morning!

2011-04-24T12:39:00.002-05:00

Here are their baskets!

Jackson was pretty excited this morning! He had no idea he would have a basket full of goodies!

Matthew was quite the sleepy head when he woke up!

I have been going over the Easter Story with Jackson for the past few nights and he has been learning more and more at church from Ms. Jen! I love his innocence and his eagerness to learn! He is beginning to understand the story a little....we can begin filling in details as we go along!
But here he is:

Sneak Peak

2011-04-22T09:21:00.003-05:00

I had the boys pictures taken Monday and Calah has already posted a sneak peak for us to look at! I can't wait to see them all!

I hope she was able to get at least one of them looking forward....believe me it was a difficult task! When one was looking the other wasn't...or they were fighting.....of Jackson just said "no" bc he wanted to play! But I do LOVE this one - if you look they are in sync with each other! :)

Aww and I just LOVE this one too! He is getting SO big!

I'm telling you- this is Matthew to a tee! Can you see his little " ~~attitude~~" umm I mean "personality" showing??

What a beautiful park this was! I love how the trees are bending!

He's not looking so little anymore!

A Good Weather Day

2011-04-20T19:05:00.004-05:00

requires lots of playing outside!

So I snapped a few of the boys while they were playing!

They were checking out a butterfly!

Gotta love the "cheese" face!

Then it all became too much for Jackson and he needed a break!

Easter from afar!

2011-04-20T19:03:00.002-05:00

My mom and dad sent the boys "Easter Baskets" in the mail and they came today! The boys were super excited about all there fun toys, candy and money!

Thanks Nana and Papa Jackson!

Easter at the Squadron

2011-04-15T19:42:00.003-05:00

David's Squadron had their Annual Easter Dinner/Egg Hunt and it was lots of fun! The food was delicious and the company was even better! The kids had a blast! This is the first year Matthew really got to go on a "hunt" and it didn't take him long to get the idea! Then he realized there was CANDY in those eggs! SCORE! He was taking the candy out and trying to eat it wrapper and all! Thanks to all the Ravens who did such a wonderful job planning and preparing!

They were READY for some fun!

This was a HUGE hit! They had a professional face painter! Jackson was a bunny (check out his carrot finger)

and Matthew a puppy!

And the Easter Bunny made an appearance! Matthew was all over him - I was kind of surprised!

On to the Egg Hunt.....Jackson was FAST!

It didn't take Matthew long to figure out this game!

He finally decided to carry his basket!

Look at all those eggs!

Mommy even decided to get her face painted!

Another Zoo Day

2011-04-14T16:17:00.002-05:00

I do love our zoo! We are starting to take advantage of the year pass now that the weather is warming up! You can tell it is Spring there also because there are LOTS of babies being born! We saw baby ducks and this new baby chimp! S/He was very playful putting on quite the show for us! Word was that a new baby giraffe was born just this morning, so I hope we can see it in the next week or so!

Jackson and this monkey were having a staring contest!

Oh and Matthew was able to feed the giraffe this time! He LOVED it! I think this is all of our favorite part of the zoo!

Nothing is much cuter

2011-04-14T16:15:00.001-05:00

than my little ones in there rain boots! Note: on this day there was no rain and it was in the 80s! Wowza!

Bumps, redness and itching - oh my!

2011-04-12T13:05:00.004-05:00

Matthew has been dealing with some allergies lately: runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing and coughing, but I have been letting it pass hoping it would go away after Spring.

Then we played with some friends all Saturday morning - outside, in the water, play, play, play! That night I didn't notice anything unusual as I bathed and dressed him for bed, but Sunday morning I woke to a BIG surprise. He was covered partially in little red bumps. It was mostly the back of his legs, a little on his arms and on his belly. I thought we just got hit with another eczema flare after months of thinking he was over it. So I put his steroid cream on him and made him wear pants to help with the scratching.

With talking with some other moms of kids with allergies and eczema and doing a little research of my own I felt really sure that we had an eczema flare due to the pollen/allergies outside.

I called Monday morning was was able to get him into the clinic early afternoon. I felt sure he needed to be on some type of allergy med - even though I had postponed it as long as I could.

So here they are - waiting on the Doc....being pacified with lollipops!!

The Doc was WONDERFUL! He listened to my concerns and I gave him a rundown of his symptoms, ect. But when he looked at him he didn't think it looked like true eczema, but more of a contact dermatitis caused by allergies. Great! He also said it was going to be a trial and error thing with treatment though b/c he is most likely allergic to tree pollen which is out now. He said summer is more of the grass pollen, fall is a different pollen, and winter is usually dust mites/dogs,/cats, etc. So Matthew is on Zyrtec once a day now. If in 2 weeks all symptoms are better, then continue through June. I can take him off if I want and see how he does....maybe he will just have springtime allergies. But if it turns out he is very allergic all year round we can keep him on the Zyrtec if need! Let's just hope he doesn't have an allergy to dogs! :( I guess a lot of kids don't even start to develop allergies until they are about 2 years old.

So here is the back of his little leg - taken this morning. Believe me it already looks better!

And while at the Doc I asked him if I could get some more eczema cream just in case and he said SURE! Pictured below is what he prescribed (in the jar). The little one is what we were given before. Wowza! I think we have enough eczema cream for all of Kansas!

My new favorite thing!

2011-04-02T15:52:00.002-05:00

I have been looking at this table and chairs for a while now and I do love them so much! SO I decided I deserved them and I bought them this past week! My front porch has been bare for over a year and this set just completes it! Now if only my boys (well Jackson) would sleep in some, so I could enjoy my morning coffee out here - that would be great and a miracle!

Book Worms!

2011-04-02T15:48:00.002-05:00

Jackson wanted his brother to lay down with him and read books! How sweet are they!

I love that Matthew has his book upside down! And I LOVE that they LOVE books!

The beginning of a lot of yard work

2011-03-28T15:39:00.004-05:00

Our yard is in need of some TLC.....but it is going to be a lengthy project! I hope by next summer we have a yard that looks like our neighbors!

We underestimated what Crab Grass can do out here, so right now we are killing it off, but it is leaving bare areas in our yard- mostly the back. We won't be able to seed until the fall b/c of what we put down, so until then we will just have some bare areas unless we get a little sod!

The people that had this house before us just planted whatever, where ever! It drives me crazy! So beginning last fall I began digging stuff up/transplanting others.....and I am still on that mission! Also the weeds were CRAZY in the flowerbeds and I am not one who loves to pull weeds. So the last 3 weeks I have laid paper down on all the beds: back, sides and front. I have also gotten 1 truck load of mulch (Thanks Lisa) and finally got it all placed in the front! I think I am going to need 2 more truck loads! But I am happy to know that I won't be pulling weeds all summer!

Here is in front of Matthew room!

And this is in front of the porch! I did buy new bushes for the back there...3 Euonymous plants. I maybe should have gotten the bigger ones, but the smaller ones were $10 cheaper and it is a fast growing shrub! I have Daylilies in a circle around the flagpole and there is Monkey Grass lining the walkway. Oh there are also Easter Lilies in the corner by the driveway, but they are just barely popping out of the ground! I think it will be very pretty once the lilies start blooming in later summer! Now if it would get warmer and stay warmer so I can buy flowers for my pots! I think I will be going with RED again this year! :)

Just my boys

2011-03-28T15:35:00.001-05:00

I am definitely lacking in the picture taking area lately, but I had these 2 on my camera that I just saw!

4 years old

2011-03-18T10:08:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that 4 years ago today that we welcomed our first born, Jackson Garrett, into this world! He decided to surprise us and come about 3 1/2 weeks early - weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces and 20 inches in length! Oh the joy and laughter he has brought to our lives......I can't wait for many many more!

Happy Birthday Jackson - we all love you more than you will ever know!

His 4th Birthday Party

3 years old

2 years old

1 year old

Happy BIRTHday sweet boy!

Well Babies

2011-03-14T13:35:00.002-05:00

The boys had their 4 year and 18 month check ups today! Days like today make me glad that they are exactly 2 1/2 years apart so that I can get them BOTH over with at the same time!
But this is our last one like this since Matthew will just be on a yearly schedule!

Both boys are healthy....Jackson had a little more build up in his ears that the Dr wanted, so we have some drops to use to break up the wax. Other than that both boys received a good bill of health!

Jackson is now up to 30 pounds (which I think is about a 1 pound gain from his 3 year check up) and 40 inches tall (which is about 2 1/2 inches in growth).

Matthew is at a whopping 19.8 pounds (which is about 1 pound more than at his 1 year check up) and 31 inches (about 2 inches with with him too, but in a 6 month period).

Here they are CHEESING for the camera!

Jackson does has 4 shots to get, but I am letting Daddy do the honors! I have done all the other shots, so I don't feel bad one bit! 4 year olds are STRONG and I don't want to have to hold him down!

Snow??

2011-03-14T13:34:00.002-05:00

Can you believe we had snow again last night.....just a little before turning to rain! All is gone today and the temps should be back in the 70s by the end of the week! :)

Happt St. Paddy's Day!

2011-03-14T13:33:00.001-05:00

Dentist

2011-03-10T13:19:00.002-06:00

Jackson had his first dentist appointment today and he did SO good! I have been talking it up and he has been SO excited to go!

All ready to go!

He even got to wear cool sunglasses too!

His hygentist was super nice and so gentle with him! I wasn't sure what all they would do this first visit, but he got it all - x-rays, cleaning, flossing and fluoride!

No cavities for this almost 4 year old - but the dentist did tell me that bc of how his "bite" is that he will most likely have to have braces in the future! Sorry David - I guess that aiplane is on hold for even longer! :)

I fought the law and the law won.

2011-03-09T19:34:00.004-06:00

Remember that song??? Ughh that has been my week!

After a perfect driving record for almost 16 years (minus the warning ticket I received the day before my 19th bday).....I finally got pulled over and received my FIRST speeding ticket. Let me tell you - that can make a perfectly GOOD day turn BAD really quick!

I was on my way to get the boys from MDO (thank goodness Jackson wasn't in the car bc I can only imagine what he would be saying in the backseat), running a couple minutes behind and not really paying attention. The road to get them is a 4 lane and just seems like it should be AT LEAST 40 mph- right??? WRONG - it is only 30, THIRTY, really??? Yes I knew this, but going the speed I was going I still felt like I was creeping. So I see this cop kind of swing out of a nearby duplex a little faster than usual and still thought- they can't be after me as they get behind me. I proceed to turn left and so does the cop and then .....Blue Lights! UGHHH are you serious?? Then it gets worse.....out steps a WOMAN cop! Yep there is NO getting out of this one!

So I give her my license and insurance while she goes back to her car to run my history which is NOTHING and I "stay in my vehicle for her safety and mine" (or that's what she says anyway). So I break another law probably and text a friend to call the church bc I am running late to get my kids. Then all the other moms start driving by to get their kids.....and yes I just wave! :) Ughh how embarassing. She comes back and no warning from this cop - a nice little TICKET ($121 to be exact).....44 in a 30 which should really be 40 in which case I wouldn't have gotten pulled over in the first place.

Then I still have to get my kids and see all the other mommies that watched as I got my ticket! We had some laughs and then on the way home where did I see Miss Police Officer??? - running radar in the same spot. But this time I was going 29 in a 30. I wonder how many other criminals she caught yesterday???

After a few tears and feeling completely rotten, I pulled myself together and started figuring out Kansas Laws and what I had to do to get this taken care of......I certainly didn't want my insurance to go up. After several calls this morning to our Mayberry Courthouse, NC DMV, and my insurance company - it seems like I can get it reduced to a non moving violation which will still be on my NC driving record, but will NOT raise my insurance premiums. Now I am just waiting for a call back from Pam or Paula (who couldn't have been any nicer and yes I am on a first name basis with them now) for my additional fee to get this taken care of.

Hmmm I could think of better ways to spend this money than on this. Oh well - lesson learned and you will now see me with my cruise control on and in the slow lane where ever I go!

Birthday Song

2011-03-07T18:36:00.001-06:00

Here is Jackson's song!

An Early Birthday

2011-03-07T17:59:00.004-06:00

We had Jackson's 4th Birthday Party a little early.....oh the fun he had! Both of his Nana's and Papa's were able to come along with some of his good friends! We had it at a local little gym place for kids! It was actually perfect for Matthew's age too!

They had trampolines and foam pits.....

and all sorts of equipment to play in, on and around.

Matthew had NO time for pictures.

Mommy and the birthday boy!

Both Papa's playing with the kids!

Taking a little rest after lots of jumping.

Then it was time for pizza and cake....YUM!

It was all about Thomas this year!

Blowing out his candle.

Then to all the great gifts he got- moon sand, a remote control truck, 3D bubbles, a kite, a rescue-copter, etc.

Then home for presents from family- a cape, marble works, games, money, clothes, dive sticks, etc.

And then his gift from Mom and Dad - his first real bicycle!

What a special day for a special little boy!