The Cooks

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-06T13:35:00.000-06:00

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

#2

2011-04-15T15:22:00.000-05:00

This is probably old news to most of you...

I don't know if anyone noticed Jackson's shirt from Christmas, but that's how we told the Coston crew that we're expecting Baby Cook #2. Now that I'm 7 months, like I said, most everyone knows now. It's not like I can exactly hide it anymore. I do have a couple (literally) of pictures to post with updates, but I didn't take any pictures until 20 weeks. I have been so tired with the pregnancy and new job that I have barely touched my camera in the last few months. More to come...

Snow 2011

2011-04-15T15:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it snowed sometime in January this year. I don't remember exactly when, but we had a good time while it was here.

Ready to go, but we can't leave doggie behind!

Riding the tire sled with Pop I

Clint pulling the sled. (I got sidelined when I almost flipped it on top of myself. Not good.)

Our little snowman. We really went all out with rocks for his eyes, nose and mouth. Jackson wanted him to have "horns."

Christmas 2011

2011-04-15T14:53:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to update the blog and I have a ton of pictures from Christmas, so I won't be adding a lot of narrative. I figure that most of you probably only want to see pictures anyway!

Our elf "Pepper". I only took one picture of the things he did while he visited us, but he also drove Jackson's tractors, brought snow from the North Pole and hid in the Christmas tree.

Coston Christmas

Christmas Play at church

Jackson didn't really participate in the play. He was a "wee wise man." He was supposed to walk with the other two wise men down the aisle to the back where I was waiting, but he saw me and ran to the back. Then, he decided that he wasn't going back on stage to finish the play. (Jackson's in purple in the pictures)

Cook Christmas

It was a green and yellow Christmas...

Christmas Morning

It snowed and Jackson got a gator from Santa! He still rides it every chance he gets. He loves to collect sticks from the yard and "haul" them.

Hamilton Christmas

Christmas at Grandma's

I was too tired by Christmas night to even remember I had my camera with me. I didn't get very many pictures.

Pop I and Griffin

Holli and Rowan

Isom Christmas

Jackson and his tool set...big hit!

Trying to get a picture with the grandkids is always fun!

Tillie waiting on her mom to open the ring that we gave her.

Okay, I think that does it for Christmas. Just so you know it only took me two weeks to complete this post and get it published. Whew! Now, on to the next.

Lawson turns 5

2011-01-18T21:49:00.000-06:00

Lawson turned 5 this year! Where has the time gone??? He had the best party...a four-wheeler party! Jackson and Clint absolutely loved it. Jackson did not want to leave.

The Birthday Boy

Tillie was there too!

There they go!

Clint and Jackson

Jackson loved Lawson's four wheeler and wanted to ride it "all by himself." Great...I guess purchasing one of these is in our future.

Jackson's 3rd Birthday

2011-01-18T21:28:00.000-06:00

I am way behind on posting, but I am going to try to play catch up this week. Jackson turned 3 back in November and we had a small family pizza party at home and cupcakes at school. I didn't get any pictures of his school party, but I do have his school pictures:

We also took Jackson, Lawson and Tillie to Early Works. They all had a ball. Jackson didn't want to leave Biscuits Backyard where he was "fishing."

Here's some pictures from the party. He got lots of John Deere attachments for his tractors, which is all he asked for.

The feller buncher from me and Clint. It's a log cutter for those that don't know. I had to learn. He watches Swamp Loggers with Clint and that's how he discovered it.

Parent's Day

2010-12-14T15:54:00.000-06:00

Jackson's school hosted a Parent's Day in November. Parents were invited to come eat soup, hear the classes sing a couple of songs and view their artwork. Jackson came in with his class and sang the first song really well. Our table was in the back so I couldn't hear the song. I was able to use my zoom lens to get some up-close pictures.

Then he noticed us...

He decided not to sing the second song, but cried instead. He was all smiles afterwards to take some pictures with his class.

John Heath and Jackson

John Heath, Tristan, Brynn, Jackson and Katie

Arab Homecoming Parade

2010-11-10T10:54:00.000-06:00

B-I-B-L-E

2010-11-10T10:27:00.000-06:00

Versions 1 & 2:

Halloween

2010-11-08T13:54:00.001-06:00

Just an FYI: This is my 100th post!

This year instead of just visiting family, we took Jackson for some "real" trick-o-treating. After the first couple of house, he practically ran from house to house. He said "trick-o-treat" and "thank you" and had a ball. He's fascinated with sharks right now and I lucked up on this costume from Old Navy. I just wish it would have been a little colder because it was fleece.

Doing his mean shark face

His was a little apprehensive about the adults who were dressed up.

This lady thought he was just adorable.

I agree.

P.S. Thank you Papa and Granna for the pumpkin light. It made me feel a little better once it got dark.

Fall Family Pictures

2010-10-29T11:00:00.001-05:00

Painting

2010-10-27T10:56:00.000-05:00

Last night, I went to a painting class! I had so much fun. Granny Ham, Kristi, her mom, Paige and Aunt Donna were there along with many others. Kim Hunt instructed everyone on what to do and I am pleased with how mine turned out. Everyone's looked so good too and different. It's amazing how each one can look completely different. Here's mine:

She's going to do a Christmas theme class later. I think I will definitely be there!

Another addition

2010-10-20T13:41:00.004-05:00

Here's ~~our~~ ~~newest~~ another addition to the neighbor's "farm." They have added some others since I took this picture. I'll introduce you to them soon.

Kitnens

2010-10-18T12:57:00.000-05:00

Jackson got two "kitnens" a few weeks ago. Clint assisted him in naming them Smokey and Bandit.

Jackson and Smokey

Bandit, which sounds like bandaid when Jackson calls him.

Unfortunately, we had to replace Bandit with a look-a-like within four days and within five they were all gone. Mean neighbor dogs. We ended up having to tell Jackson and he took it well. It was a little hard for him to understand because he didn't know why the mean neighbor dogs couldn't just bring them back. But he's fine. We'd like to get him more, but the neighbors will have to quit feeding the stray dogs first.

Pumpkins

2010-10-16T08:00:00.003-05:00

This week we finally decided we needed to get our pumpkins to get ready for Fall/Halloween. I don't know if we're going to make it to a pumpkin patch this year, so we opted for Wally World pumpkins. Jackson picked them out and helped me carve them (with a butter knife). He actually did a really good job at getting the "guts" out.

Sorry for the blurryness. It's hard to get a picture of pumpkins at night.

Happy Fall!!

P.S. Mom and I are running in the Liz Hurley 5K this morning. Please pray for us! We haven't been running as regularly as we used to and we really just want to finish!

More pictures

2010-10-15T12:56:00.000-05:00

Tractors, Tractors, Tractors

2010-10-13T12:53:00.004-05:00

I'm BAAACCCKKK!!

2010-10-11T12:47:00.000-05:00

So apparently I decided to take a little bloggy break...

It started when I was auditing at a client's office who doesn't have a wireless connection. Yes, I could do it from home, but who has the time. I have a child who loves, loves, loves to be outside...where there are no computers. And Clint's usually on the computer after Jackson goes to bed. So, I said all that to say this: I've been busy.

I have lots of pictures to post, but not necessarily a lot of commentary. It's actually amazing that I have pictures because I always forget to get the camera out. I think I will spread the pictures over a few days instead of all at once. I'm not promising to get them in chronological order.
Here are some from Jackson's days at Papa and Granna's:

Spring Valley Beach

2010-08-05T08:48:00.000-05:00

BB wanted to take the kids to Spring Valley Beach last weekend and they had a blast! Can't wait to do it agin next year! Thanks Mom and Happy Birthday!!

Miss Priss

I know, I know...UA hat...best I could do that day. Tillie was borrowing Jackson's hat.

Love this pic of the little stinker

Shucking corn

2010-07-28T12:27:00.000-05:00

Jackson loved getting to help shuck the corn this year. I'll remind him of that in a few years when he thinks it's torture! He kept telling us that he was a big boy and was doing it all by himself. We had to make him stop or he would have shucked it all.

We backed the trailer up to the fence and fed the shucks to the cows.

Everyone please write this down: MY HUSBAND SMILED FOR A PICTURE!

Potty trained!!!!

2010-07-27T09:52:00.000-05:00

Jackson is potty trained!! A couple of times over the weekend I caught him going to potty by himself. I'm so proud! One day last week, he started telling us when he needed to go and now he even sleeps in underwear.

We had Tillie's birthday party on Sunday afternoon. I didn't get many pictures because we were late and then a storm blew up.

It wasn't raining when we got to Arab, so I let Jackson talk me in to taking him to the park.

Well, I'm off to find the little stinker a hay baler to pull behind his tractor. That's the prize he picked for successfully making it through 5 days with no accidents.

Clean and dry

2010-07-13T12:46:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Jackson's teacher told me it was okay to start sending him in "big boy underwear" to school. I knew it was coming, but I was a little shocked that day. I asked her if she was sure, like real sure. He is pretty good at not wetting them, but he dirties them about every day. He has made it to the potty a few times, but only when I catch him in the "poop pose." BUT, last Tuesday he stayed dry all day long AND pooped in the potty when we got home. So, I thought he deserved a treat. Knowing his love for chocolate runs as deep as his momma's, we went to Arby's to get a chocolate shake. He loved it! He is still not completely trained, but he's getting better. My goal is August. I'll let you know!

Visiting

2010-07-09T08:42:00.000-05:00

Monday Jackson and I went to visit my Granny Lois. Jackson says that Granny is his friend. He had a ball playing in the grass and pretending it was bread that he was loading into his tractor and truck.

And just because I know that you all are totally interested...here's our newest neighbor:

Our neighbors, for some unknown reason, have gotten themselves a donkey. A loud and annoying donkey named Herbie. Apparently he's very friendly because he comes to the fence braying when anyone pulls up. Personally, I think he's sick or something. Herbie just doesn't sound right. And it's a little startling when your outside, sitting peacefully, watching your child play and Herbie decides to say hello.

4th of July

2010-07-07T10:27:00.000-05:00

We had a laid-back, easy-going holiday weekend. Saturday we went to Pop I and BB's for Grandma's 75th birthday fish fry. Yummo! After church on Sunday and a very long nap, we met Papa and Granna in Guntersville to eat and watch the fireworks on the lake. Jackson had a blast playing with the bubbles and getting dirty, but I don't think he cared very much about the fireworks.

Making friends with the neighboring car

And he ate his fair share of Granna's chocolate ice cream. No wonder I couldn't get him to sleep!

Happy Friday

2010-07-02T13:02:00.001-05:00

Blackbirds don't raise bluebirds...

2010-06-30T08:00:00.038-05:00

First, he came to ask me if he could take his shirt off. Then, I watched him go over to his daddy and ask him something. I continued to watch as he slipped his Crocs off, just like he'd seen his daddy do, and take his time to get them just right. Then he called out, "Wait for me Daddy!" I grabbed my camera.

Daddy noticing it was raining

The End

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-29T08:26:00.000-05:00

I thought I would post Clint's Father's Day gift from Jackson. He made these at school and his teacher, Ms. Jennifer, wrote the commentary for him on the back. After reading the poem on the yellow page, I couldn't help but take pictures this past weekend of Jackson following Clint around in the garden. I'll post those later!

Odds and ends

2010-06-01T15:17:00.000-05:00

I've been a bad blogger and have failed to post some pictures from the last couple of months. I also haven't taken any pictures in the last month, but that's another story.

Jackson was the ring bearer in Clint's cousin Andy's wedding. At the rehearsal, Jackson was perfect. He even held the flower girl's hand and talked to her while they walked down the aisle. By the third run-thru, he'd had enough. At the wedding, he wasn't so perfect, but he did come down the aisle and he gave some comic relief. I also managed to get the pillow flung in my direction when he reached my pew. A true Cook! Like his daddy, he performs the first time he's ask, but once is enough. Some of the pictures are blurry because I was laughing and couldn't hold the camera straight. Also, I borrowed some of them from Alison's Facebook page.

Clint and his dad took Jackson to Farm/Ag Day a while back. It's at the Snead Ag Supply and they have a bunch of tractors to climb in. Jackson was in heaven! I sent my camera with Clint so he could take pictures.

Okay, I think that's all the pictures that I had not posted. Except these from earlier this year of Ms. Addison. Makenzi, Anna and I were trying to get a picture of the great-grandkids with Daddy Jack. It was near impossible. I don't know if any of us ever got a picture with all of them looking in one direction!

I just saw these pictures too! Whew, I'm totally behind. Clint built me a sidewalk and I am thrilled! No more walking through the grass to my car. I was ruining my shoes. Jackson loved playing in the new gravel and "helping" until he retreated to the garden to dig.

Now I'm done. Hopefully, it won't take me a month to post again!

Chattanooga

2010-05-05T14:08:00.001-05:00

***LOTS OF PICTURES***

This past weekend we took Jackson to Chattanooga to "meet" and ride Thomas and visit the Chattanooga Zoo and Tennessee Aquarium. We were worried that the weather wasn't going to cooperate and that we'd end up drenched before it was all over. Thankfully, it barely even sprinkled on us the whole weekend. Not so good for those in Nashville. I can't believe how close we were yet it never rained and they got hit hard. Please remember this city in your prayers. My friend Tara lives there and has posted on Facebook some of the devastation and how we can help, mainly by donating to Red Cross.

When we got there Friday evening, we ate at Sticky Fingers, a BBQ joint. It was good, but my husband is the best grill wizard I know. Nobody can beat his ribs. After dinner, we ventured down to the river to get ice cream at Coldstone and walk around. Jackson had his water seeking senses on and he ended up soaking wet.

Saturday morning we had to be up bright and early to get to Thomas. I had not thought about my phone converting to eastern time and set it to get up at 5 CST. Ha! I was up by 5 all right...eastern time. UGH! We didn't have to be there until 8 so we definitely weren't late. I don't think Jackson slept well with me up moving around and he was grouchy. He didn't seem all that excited to see Thomas or ride the train. We ended up not staying that long after our ride, just long enough to pet some very stinky animals and see Sir Topham Hatt.

After Thomas, we decided to head on to the zoo for fear that the rain was about to set in. Jackson dozed on the way there (9:30 CST), so I know he was sleepy. He enjoyed the zoo, but we will have to take him to a bigger one. He kept asking about tigers, lions, bears and giraffes. None of which were there. We did see jaguars, which he thought were tigers. My camera battery died at the cougar exhibit so I all I have from the rest of our trip are on my phone.

Do you see that jaguar in the corner staring out of the fence? He was watching the t-ball game that was going on right on the other side!!! Creepy thought.

Last camera picture

We came back to downtown for lunch at Mellow Mushroom and then went back to the hotel for a nap. Ha! Jackson never went down. So, we decided to head on over to the aquarium. Jackson loved the aquarium. He was geared up to see sharks, so any long, skinny looking thing that moved was considered fair game. Luckily, he was completely entertained until he actually got to see sharks. I didn't think we'd ever get away from that tank and he cried when we left for good. I have one picture from the aquarium and one from dinner. With no nap, Jackson was pooped out.

That's it! We came home Sunday exhausted and ready to sleep in our own beds, but we had a blast. It was good to get away just the three of us and have time to ourselves.

Disney Live

2010-04-15T15:58:00.000-05:00

Kristi and I took Jackson, Lawson and Ethan to see Mickey's Rockin' Road Show in March. I think they all enjoyed it, especially the Rowe boys. Ethan joined right in with the loudness. Jackson got a little tired towards the end and he kept going up and down the aisle between me and Kristi (to "check" on Ewii), but I think he had fun. For days afterwards, he talked about going home with Ms. Kristi to see Mickey.

Kristi emailed me that morning to say she had forgotten her camera. I replied "No, problem. Mine's in the car and I got the zoom lens!" We got seated in the civic center when I realized I had left my camera in the car. This is the only picture we have. I took it as we were leaving, but we were there!

Easter 2010

2010-04-15T15:50:00.001-05:00

Easter this year was so much fun now that Jackson can hunt eggs. We went to the church egg hunt Saturday and he had a blast. Next year I hope to do something like Kristi did to teach Jackson the true meaning of Easter. This was our year to be in Arab, so we had lunch at Daddy Jack and Granny Ham's with another egg hunt. The adult grandkids had their own egg hunt with money prize eggs, but since I participated I don't have any pictures. And if you're wondering, I found three eggs with no money. Bummer!

Hunting eggs at church

Decked out with fireman boots.

Our "good" picture, but there's a spot on my lens and it gives Clint a black eye. Jackson didn't smile for any of them, plus my husband was squinting.

Strike a pose

The Sweats

Tillie and Jackson never cooperate for a picture together.

See. Always going in two directions.

He came back to tell her something. It probably wasn't nice.

Talking it over with Pop I.

Hunting eggs with Cousin Steph.

An afternoon with Jackson and Sam

2010-04-15T15:26:00.002-05:00

One weekend a few weeks ago, Jackson decided that he wanted to play in Jake's pen (Don't worry. Jake doesn't live in there, just eats, so there's no poo.) Jackson decided that Jake's doghouse was a cave, with a bear, but I forbid him to get in it. He had an absolute blast playing in there and he had no idea that I was standing at the edge of the house with my zoom lens. Here's what I captured:

New Bed

2010-04-08T19:49:00.003-05:00

We decided to move Jackson from a crib to a “big boy bed” this week. He totally surprised me and went right to sleep and stayed there. When I got up this morning and checked on him, he was sideways in the bed and totally uncovered, but he was still in bed. I considered it a success! Now we just have to keep it going.
He loves his Thomas comforter and he quickly ditched his favorite blanket that he used in his crib. He’s growing up!

Funny Boy

2010-03-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

Oreos? What Oreos?

Thomas PJs

2010-03-11T13:11:00.004-06:00

.

This is just for Aunt Charlotte. She sent Jackson some Thomas and Friends pajamas. He loves them! Thanks Charlotte!

Elephant Walk 2010

2010-02-24T13:46:00.000-06:00

The circus came to Huntsville this month and I remembered to find out when they would be unloading the elephants for the Elephant Walk. I was disappointed. They were running late to begin with and then there was only 6 elephants. I heard alot of people grumbling on our way back to the car about it not being as good this year. Jackson enjoyed seeing the elephants, but what cranked his tractor was all the police cars that were blocking off the roads. They had their lights on and Jackson was pointing out each one.

Pointing out police cars

Still waiting...

Here they come!

We decided that Jackson wouldn't sit through the circus this year, so we'll have to go the next time they come. Maybe the Elephant Walk will be better then!

Cheesin'

2010-02-24T13:35:00.000-06:00

Clint cannot stand to have his picture taken. He hates to pose for pictures. I was thrilled beyond words when Jackson told me the other night at the dinner table to "take my picture." I asked him if he was going to smile for me if I got the camera. He said "Yep, cheeeessee!" Here's what I got:

Christmas Day

2010-02-03T15:59:00.002-06:00

Christmas morning this year started off at Pops and Nana's for breakfast. So yummy! Biscuits and red-eye gravy!

Jackson and Aunt Beth looking at pictures

Pawpaw and Jackson (I got a new zoom lens for my camera!!!)

Granna and Jackson

More Thomas stuff

I've never seen so much Thomas stuff in my life and we don't even have a fraction of it.

Clint got a new range something or other. All I know is: you use it to hunt and it hurts your eyes when someone uses a camera with a flash while you're looking right at them. Oops!

Alison and Jackson playing with the bubble maker.

Christmas Eve

2010-02-03T15:33:00.000-06:00

We started off Christmas Eve at Pop I and BB's house for brunch.

Tillie and Jackson helped Pop I hand out the gifts.

Jackson is into Thomas and Friends and had been asking for the Sodor Fire Station since his birthday. Pop I and BB got it for him.

He loves it!

The JD tractor and wagon from Grandma and Janet.

We went to visit Daddy Jack and Granny Ham that night and he got another tractor.

Thomas books from Aunt Charlotte, but that's not all...

Aunt Charlotte made Jackson a Thomas table (so that I could get all of that track off of my coffee table). It's huge! Jackson absolutely loves it. It's the first thing he plays with in the morning and the first place he goes when we get home. Thank you Aunt Charlotte!

Christmas with the Costons

2010-02-03T14:01:00.000-06:00

We had Christmas with my Dad's side of the family on the 19th. Jackson's favorite gift by far was the John Deere loader from Uncle Frank and Aunt Martha. He didn't even want to open anything else.

Ms. Tillie opening gifts

Jackson and his loader

Opening one of the many firetrucks we now own. He's a bit obsessed.

Here's his "papooter" from Grand D and Melody. He didn't care much about it that night, but now he LOVES it. He was on it just last night repeating the letter sounds.

Ms. Tillie again in her cute little outfit.

I'm Back!

2010-02-03T13:46:00.000-06:00

Finally.

We've had computer issues since the end of December, so we decided to bite the bullet and order a new one. It finally arrived on January 26th and we've just gotten all of the pictures, programs, etc. off of the old one and onto the new.

I'll be posting separate entries instead of doing one huge post.

Joy

2009-12-18T13:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, so Kristi challenged her fellow bloggers to blog about what gives them joy. Right now, my biggest joy comes from quiet, peaceful moments. Although, I love when my moment is interrupted by "Momma, come see me." That's Jacksonese for "come here." He also thinks a whale is going to come get him every day. Sorry, just a side note.

Here's some of the things that bring me joy:

-Giggles
-"Yep"
-"Momma" instead of Mommy
-An uninterrupted night of sleep
-My dishwashing hubby
-Rocking Jackson while singing his "requests" and watching him mouth the words
-Catching him singing to "John Deere Green" in the car
-4:00 p.m.
-Physically receiving my certificate and taking it to get framed. I'm giddy!
-"He's half Jewish, half methodist"

My first posed smile:

What brings you joy! I pass the challenge to you!

Have a great weekend!!

Noccalula Falls

2009-12-18T12:25:00.000-06:00

Sunday night, Clint, Jackson and I picked up Granna for a trip to see the Christmas lights at Noccalula Falls. They have a ton of lights everywhere, but the big attraction was the TRAIN.

See my husband telling me to get in before I get left.

He loved the train and would have stayed all night and ridden. We didn't think we were going to get to see the deer, but one came up to greet us before we left.

She even licked Jackson's fingers.

Father and son. Don't they look thrilled. When I pull out the camera, all smiles disappear.

Arab Christmas Parade

2009-12-09T20:05:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday, Clint and I took Jackson to the Arab Christmas Parade. It was a last minute decision and freezing outside, but I'm glad we went out and braved the cold.

Clint and Jackson waiting on the parade to start

Although he doesn't look like it, Jackson was so excited because look what we saw...LOTS of fire trucks. And they were LOUD!!

Snow and our tree

2009-12-09T19:28:00.000-06:00

How wonderful to wake up to snow and on the day that we went to get our Christmas tree!

Jackson played outside, but really didn't know what to think of the snow.

Jackson helped me build our little snowman

We ran out in a rush to play before the snow melted, so we didn't bring snowmen supplies. He had rocks for his face and buttons.

Jackson with our "Charlie Brown" tree before Clint cut it down.

Merry Christmas!

Vaseline...

2009-12-07T11:28:00.001-06:00

I thought I could get a quick shower...

I was wrong. As I was getting out, he came into the bathroom and said "Got somepin on my fangers." Hum, let me see. I'm thinking maybe he got into Clint's chapstick. I didn't have my glasses on, but when I got them, this is what I saw.

Ha! Can't turn my back for a minute! I didn't take pictures of the two fire trucks that got covered. I didn't notice them until I had after I put the camera up. I also didn't take pictures of Clint's bible that got smeared. Hey guys...vaseline doesn't clean up easily! Just a heads up.

Stitches

2009-11-24T15:33:00.000-06:00

Not even two whole days after his 2nd birthday, Jackson needed a trip to the E.R. He went over the handle bars of a ride-on toy at Ms. Linda's house Monday. She called me before lunch, with Jackson wailing in the background, to tell me that she thought it needed stitches, but I needed to come see for myself.

After a couple of hours in the E.R. and the worst experience ever, we left with two stitches. I don't wish that on anyone. The hospital staff chose to bind him down to a backboard so that he wouldn't fight them. Huh. He fought them with everything that was in him. I don't think I have ever heard that child speak so plainly. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" I didn't even know he knew that phrase. I held it together until they let him go, then I lost it. Horrible. Before they got started, I asked if he could be sedated, but the nurse told me that "they" didn't like for kids his age to be sedated. "They" must not have had to watch their two year old get stitches.

I took the stitches out Sunday night and Jackson never flinched. I think he would have been much better if they hadn't strapped him down.

Next time, I'll know better. Yes, there will be a next time, I'm sure.

Happy Birthday Jackson!

2009-11-24T15:15:00.001-06:00

Jackson had a blast at his birthday party. We had it at Dairy Queen because they have an indoor playground. I tried Chick-fil-A first, but they were booked that entire weekend. I spent most of the weekend working on his cake, since I decided I was going to make it myself. Crazy! I don't think I'll do that again. It took FOREVER!

I thought it turned out pretty good, but the icing tasted funny with all that coloring.

Here's Jackson blowing out his candle:

and opening some gifts...

This firetruck was easily in his top 5 gifts. He loves it and I've caught him trying to ride it.

Paw Paw and Granna gave him a wagon.

Jackson has been pulling all of his toys around the house in it.

I can't believe he's two! I hope the next year goes by a little slower.

Catch Up Post

2009-11-13T15:54:00.000-06:00

I have so much to post and I'm very late getting it done. So, sit back and grab a snack because this one could be long!

In October, we went to Tate Farms with the Rowes. We had a blast! The weather could have been a little better, but we made the best of it.

Jackson on the tractor.

Swinging

Riding with Daddy on the corn train

On the hayride with Lawson (who was enoying some Laffy Taffy!)

Checking out the fire truck

For Halloween, Jackson was Woody from Toy Story. He was all about that movie when I bought the costume, but then moved quickly to the Lion King and now Ice Age. So, he wasn't all that into being Woody.

He refused to wear the hat and he didn't really like his bucket either, but I managed to get one picture with it.

His second sucker of the afternoon.

There's Woody with his pal Raggedy Ann (she'd lost her wig already, but she was too cute!)

On Veteran's Day, Jackson got to do one of his favorite things. Play in the puddles! It had poured on Tuesday so we had great puddles for jumping.

I had to tie a bandana around his ears. The wind was blowing and he didn't want to wear a hat.

Lookin' like Aunt Jamima with his Frog boots

The four-wheeler MUST be pushed in the water

...then ridden in it.

Soaking wet and totally loving it!

We had to go in soon after this. It was getting a little chilly outside and Jackson had to go down for his nap. He wasn't very happy!

Tomorrow, my baby turns 2! Where has the time gone? He's talking in sentences and understanding and learning so much. Before I know it, he'll be driving. I'm a little sad, but excited about his party. I'm decorating his cake this year. I'll let you know how it goes!

Picking tomatoes

2009-10-26T14:07:00.003-05:00

Last week, Jackson and I were playing in the dirt in the garden and he spied some left over tomatoes.

"Mater, mommy"

"See it?"

"Ew, mommy!"

"My fangers are dirty!" (Yes, we're raising a country boy with a bit of a country accent)

Riding with Daddy

2009-10-26T14:02:00.003-05:00

Jackson has an obsession with tractors and riding with his daddy is easily his favorite pastime. These pictures are a couple of weeks old and I've been meaning to post them for some time.

Ignore Clint's weird expression. He's got a little wild-eyed look to him!!

Liz Hurley Results

2009-10-26T13:48:00.005-05:00

Here we are after the race. Don't we look lovely?!! Mom beat her last race time, Anna came within seconds of hers and I was a 1.5 minutes slower. It was so cold and rainy that morning, but I'm so proud that we completed it together. Our next race is the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we're thinking about doing the Rudolph Run in December.

Thanks to everyone who donated! We really appreciate it!

Liz Hurley Run

2009-10-02T14:34:00.005-05:00

I just registered with my team for the 6th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run. Mom, Anna and I have joined the Union Grove Elementary team and we have a goal of raising $500 for breast cancer awareness and research. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness and you can help us meet our goal by visiting our team webpage and donating. Hurry! The race is October 17th!

5K, Beach and more!

2009-09-15T14:39:00.008-05:00

Lots to post about!

First, let me proudly show off my very first pictures of refrigerator art:

So cute! Of course, he colored a tractor. Speaking of tractors, I ran across this picture not too long ago.

That's me and my momma a long time ago riding my Papa Coston's tractor. Guess Jackson gets it from both sides, huh? And check out my momma driving a tractor bare-footed! Linda gave Jackson this gator recently.

He loves it because it's just like Daddy Jack's. And he loves to fill it with "men" and then dump them out. Then he'll come ask me for "nother men momma".

Mom, Anna and I completed our 5K on September 5th. You can check out Anna's pictures. Let me just warn you though, pictures taken of someone while they are running are not pleasant to look at. We had great times and I think we surprised ourselves at was we could accomplish. I'm so proud that we finished this goal together. Leigh and LeShell (our coaches) are sponsoring another group training program starting this Saturday, if anyone is interested. It will be for another 5K in November. They are also going to have a group in January training for a 10K.

And lastly, we just returned from a beach trip with Pawpaw and Granna (Clint's parents).

This is our first day after driving in. We took Jackson down to the beach before we ate dinner. See the sun...that's the last time we saw it.

Loves his "big 'ol boodin".

Telling the water "no, no ater." Look at that face. He wasn't very fond of the water this year.

This is the second day. As you can see, overcast and yuk. It started to rain mid-morning so this was the last time Jackson got to play on the beach.

We had a good time, but we were all hoping for some better weather. And I really wanted some good family beach photos!!

Nothin' much

2009-08-27T12:13:00.003-05:00

I really don't have anything in particular to blog about. That totally explains why I haven't posted in, what, 3 weeks. Whew!! I'm behind!

Well, I'm still running. I had shin splints one week and turned my ankle the next, so this is my official week back at it. I declined quite a bit in those short two weeks. I went from running 42 minutes at a time to 25. I'm trying hard this week to increase, but my legs feel like lead. The race is September 5th!!! Just around the corner!

Jackson is a tornado of a two-year-old. He's going through a bit of a testing stage. Testing Linda and myself to our boundaries to see how long it takes to get into trouble or get caught. The kid is mischievous!!! I know he's into something when it gets quiet. Just this week, I was folding clothes and noticed that the house was too quiet. I went to check on him and he was dumping his travel size bottles of baby shampoo, lotion, powder, etc into the toilet!!! Fun stuff!!

He has started attaching my name onto the end of all of his phrases: "Owside, Momma?", "Traktur, Momma", "Diddy Jck traktur feeild, Momma", "Down now, Momma" "John Deere gaatur, Momma" and my personal favorite "Ew, Momma." Clint taught him that one. He loves to say that if he sees me in the bathroom.

We had a bout of sinus issues at our house this week too. Jackson had to go to the doctor Tuesday and thankfully, all is well with his ears. Both tubes have grown out, so we will have to see how this winter goes. I pray he is over ear infections.

We have finally found a house that we are interested in. It needs LOTS of work. I knew that going through this process would not be easy, but, whew! It's tough and we're not even in the thick of it yet. Please pray that we would follow God's direction in this situation.

A post with no pictures. Bummer! I haven't had my camera out in forever!

Boo Boo

2009-08-11T09:19:00.006-05:00

Warning: Do not read any further if you are a grandmother who doesn't want to see pictures of your hurt grandbaby or if you are anyone who doesn't want to see pictures that you may consider "gross."

We have our first bad boo-boo. Sunday evening we were all outside. Our corn has come in and we were washing the ears and preparing them to freeze. Clint tilled a row in the garden while Jackson played on the other side in the dirt. When Clint got to the end of the row he stopped, turned the tiller off and went to check on the corn that was cooking on the porch. I was probably 15 feet from Jackson and the tiller when Jackson came over and stood behind it playing like he was "driving" it. I glanced up every few seconds from washing to check on him. He came under the left handle and I thought he was coming towards me so I went back to washing. The next thing I knew, he was screaming, holding his hands out and coming towards me. I got up quickly and rushed to him thinking that he had be stung by a wasp. Then it hit me, he had touched the muffler on the tiller and had burned his hand. I rushed him inside to clean and treat it and when we were finished, he wanted to go back outside. That evening it was just red and slightly swollen. This is what it looked like by Monday night:

Ouch!! We are keeping it bandaged and treated while he just keeps playing in true Jackson style. Please pray for fast healing and no infection!

Weeks Five and Six

2009-08-04T07:42:00.002-05:00

I'm combining these posts since I've failed to keep my blog updated. The last two weeks have been rough for me. I've been tired from all of the traveling and family events that we've had going on and there's barely anything left to run. I've discovered that my first 5 minutes running are the hardest and if I can push through those, I'll finish.

Here's my stats for the past two weeks:

Waist: -0.5 inches
Chest: -0.5 inches
Upper Thigh: -0.5 inches
Weight: -1 lb.

This week we are walking 1 minute, running 12 minutes for two sets. This Saturday it goes up to 15 minutes and we will be running in downtown Guntersville. Honk if you see us!!

Potty

2009-07-29T11:13:00.003-05:00

Guess who went pee-pee in the potty yesterday...yay for Jackson!!

With no prompting, when Linda was changing his diaper, he motioned for the bathroom. She took him in to see what he would do and he went! Before his bath last night, I asked him if he needed to go potty and he nodded "yes" and went again. We rewarded with a Hershey's kiss, his favorite. We'll see how it goes!!!

This is what happens when you're not looking

2009-07-27T13:48:00.003-05:00

What Momma? I'm not doing anything...

I just discovered that there are these little sticky things in my book!!

Week Four

2009-07-17T10:18:00.003-05:00

OH. MY. GOODNESS. This has been the hardest week by far. I am finishing all of my running, but it's killing me! I have no idea how I'm going to move up to 8 minutes tomorrow. EEK! I'm so thankful that the weather is cooling off this weekend. I think that will make it easier for us to run in the morning. Plus, we have a family reunion in South Alabama (I would tell you the town, but I promise, you've never heard of it) and it is usually miserable down there.

Here's my stats for loss this week. I didn't write last weeks down, so these are two weeks worth. Remember, I did have a lot of wedding activities in these two weeks, but the Fourth of July cookouts!!!

Waist: -0.5 inches
Hips: -0.5 inches
Mid-Thigh: -0.5 inches

These are obviously just the areas that had change and I've updated my totals to the right.

Have a great weekend! We're headed South!

Just because...

2009-07-15T12:36:00.005-05:00

I thought I would post a picture of Jackson just because I haven't in a while.

Here he is sharing his four wheeler with Tillie. Pause and enjoy this sweet moment. It won't last long!!

Week Three, a wedding and a certificate

2009-07-13T14:42:00.005-05:00

Week Three went well. It gets easier to increase the time and length, but I still dread Saturdays when we go up even more. I have to be honest...I skipped my cross training day this last week and it made my increase on Saturday extremely difficult. Well, that and the Bridesmaid luncheon, rehearsal dinner and wedding food that I ate this weekend.

Speaking of wedding...Congratulations to Alison and Patrick! They got married Saturday in a beautiful ceremony in Birmingham.

Mother and Anna had to run without me this weekend. I called to see how they made it and they both survived. We three get to run in South Alabama this weekend. We are attending a family reunion and will miss the group run. I am totally not looking forward to the hotter temperature and humidity for the weekend.

For all of my out of town family and friends who haven't heard. I passed my CPA exam and I am officially certified!! Yay!

Week Two

2009-07-08T09:04:00.002-05:00

I never did post about Week Two and now I'm half way through Week Three. Last week wasn't as bad as I expected. We were all dreading the Saturday increase to walk two, run two, but we all finished and nobody passed out! Ha! This past Saturday (the 4th), we increased the run time to 4 minutes. Anna and I wondered if we would come out alive, but we completed the whole thing (1.7 miles) and were very proud of ourselves. I ran last night and it wasn't easy, but I think it's because I went to bed late the night before and all of the food I consumed over the holiday weekend. I thought I would update with my progress of inches and pounds lost.

Chest: -0.5 inches
Waist: -0.5 inches
Thigh: -2.0 inches
Hips: 0 inches (this is the area I want the most!!!)
Weight: -1 lb. (I haven't at all dieted. I know I should...)

I can tell that my legs are toning up as well. This Saturday I will be attending the wedding festivities of Clint's sister Alison, so Mom and Anna will have to run by themselves. I plan on running on Alison's treadmill or in her neighborhood. We increase the run time to 6 minutes. Lord help us! I can't wait for the day when I am running for 20 minutes at a time. Six minutes will look like a cake walk!

Blog Hop

2009-07-07T13:39:00.003-05:00

How fun!

I saw this blog hop on my sister's blog and on Kelly's. From what I understand, it's really easy to browse all the blogs without going back to your starting point. Does that make sense? The link is below.

My favorite picture, right now, is this one of Jackson playing in his pool. Notice the mud on him and the muddy water. Plus, he was tickled pink because he had just gone down his slide. He has the best smile. This picture completely sums up my son. He is 100% BOY!

Over the Weekend

2009-07-05T19:04:00.002-05:00

I finally have a video camera that will allow me to easily upload my videos and I am so excited. I played with my new Flip camera at Grandma's birthday party Friday night. Here's Jackson and Tillie:

Unfortunately, I forgot both my camera and camcorder for our Fourth festivities. I will have to get some pictures from my mother in law to post. Hope everyone had a fun holiday weekend!

Week One

2009-06-25T11:41:00.002-05:00

So, I updated my blog and I stole the idea from my sister. Sorry! I just thought her makeover was too cute!

Speaking of my sister, Anna joined a running group with some girls from the school where she works. She told my mom all about it who then wanted to join, but...needed a partner. Hmmm, guess who her partner is...me! Although it doesn't sound like it, I am extremely excited about this new challenge. I have always wanted to be a "runner," but I haven't exercised seriously since I got out of college (and I only dabbled in exercise then). I am thrilled to have a program to follow and some guides to lead us on this journey.

How has week one of the program gone? Whew! It's been difficult, but rewarding. We meet on Saturday mornings and run. So, this past Saturday, I met the group and we ran in intervals (walk 3 minutes, run 1 minute) until we completed a mile. I followed the same routine Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday and Friday are off days and today is a cross-train day (anything aerobic except running). I feel pretty good about my accomplishment and I even upped the running time to 1.5 minutes last night to prepare for this Saturday's increase. We will walk 3 minutes and run 2 and add a quarter of a mile. Oh me, I am "trippin," as my mom would say.

At the almost end of week one: sore, but feeling good!

Stay tuned!

Storm damage

2009-06-18T10:34:00.003-05:00

That "severe" thunderstorm that blew in Monday night left some severe damage to Clint's truck!

How's that for a fun-filled evening? Since our house is basically a refurbished barn, we went over to my grandparents house to escape the wrath that might occur at home. We never expected it to be worse at their house and NO damage at ours. Thankfully, the only damage was to Clint's truck and their yard, no house repairs. Praise the Lord!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-03T12:21:00.004-05:00

Edited to add: Has anyone even noticed the extremely muddy water in the pool? I just knew somebody would comment. Here's what he was doing before he took his swim:

Original post:

Run Sam!!

2009-06-02T08:04:00.003-05:00

Memorial Day Fun

2009-05-26T12:35:00.003-05:00

We had a fantastic Memorial Day! We spent the afternoon with the Rowe's and Jackson was in hog heaven. Lawson has so many things that Jackson wanted to play with and I wondered if we would ever get him to leave. He fell asleep before we could get out of the driveway!

Finding joy in the small things...

2009-05-26T12:31:00.001-05:00

Eighteen Months

2009-05-14T14:17:00.003-05:00

My baby...my precious, sweet baby boy is eighteen months old today. Oh my, where did the time go? It makes me so sad to realize that he won't be little much longer. This revelation just hit me as I was reading Kristi's post about becoming a mother again, Jeff's post about Grayson's 2nd birthday and then Anna's post about how grateful she is to have a healthy baby girl. Needless to say, my red face and watery eyes probably look a bit odd to my coworkers. It seems just yesterday that I was getting ready to move him from his cradle next to our bed to his crib in the nursery and getting up all night to check on him. And still, my first thought every morning is about Jackson. How did he sleep, did he get cold/hot...

Just last night, Clint and I were having a serious conversation while Jackson played in the floor between us. He stopped us right in mid-sentence when we realized what he was doing. He was talking to his daddy on the phone (which happened to be the remote control). "O, daddy, oooh. Bye-bye." And he punched a button and was done. He doesn't say hello well, mainly just the "o" comes out. We immediately started laughing. What would we do without him? Linda, who keeps Jackson during the day, has told me that he calls his daddy regularly on the toy cell phone. He's got that cell phone figured out, makes me very aware of what else he's picking up on.

I am amazed to see how quickly he is learning and growing. He's also figured out the time-out mat. Since I bought that mat (a vinyl place mat) to mark the timeout spot on the floor, he's not been to time-out. I also found it waded into a ball in the corner a few nights ago. Sneaky little rascal!

Wordless Wednesday...again

2009-05-13T09:13:00.003-05:00

I've really got to get better at posting. Oops! I guess this isn't wordless after all.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T08:32:00.001-05:00

Missing

2009-04-20T12:06:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had a serious case of the "missing pacifers." We went from having four, to just two, then down to one. I happened to find one almost a week later. But, this one pacifier caused me to think that I was losing my mind. Jackson had gotten up around midnight moaning, but not really waking up. I went in and gave him his pacifier and blankie and he dosed back off. He got up at 4:30 (ugh, I know!) doing the same thing. So, I went back in to give him his pacifer. I usually have to feel around the crib and sometimes up under him to find it. But, I COULD NOT find it. I was beginning to think that in my sleepiness that maybe he didn't have one but that couldn't be true. He ALWAYS goes to bed with one and I had found it and given it to him at midnight. I ended up grabbing one of the backups from the basket and going back to bed. The next afternoon I hunted all in, under and around the crib for that pacifier and still didn't find it. Look what I found when I changed his sheets a few days later:

Ha! I'm not crazy! I had to pull the crib out from the wall to finish putting the sheet on and saw this. (Disregard the dust, it is the back of the crib.)

Easter 2009

2009-04-15T11:21:00.005-05:00

I'm a little stunned that on Tax Day, I'm finding the time to post. I know where my priorities lie! We had a great Easter with the Cooks this year and Jackson had a blast hunting Easter eggs.

Sweetest little boy ever!

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T08:03:00.001-05:00

Mmm, cookies...

Playroom

2009-04-01T07:59:00.006-05:00

Last week, Lindsey, asked if anyone else had a messy playroom. Lindsey, you are not alone!!

Laminin

2009-03-31T10:50:00.000-05:00

WOW! You have to go to Kelly's blog and watch this video!!!

Jackson's Spring Break

2009-03-25T09:46:00.003-05:00

I think that Jackson enjoyed his time with Papa and Granna. What do you think?

Stellan

2009-03-24T13:03:00.003-05:00

There's another baby who's sick. Stellan from My Charming Kids is having heart problems and is in the PICU. His condition is very serious. I read this blog daily and I can't imagine what his mom is going through. Since I started this blog, I have read about so many sick kids; kids with cancer who are struggling or died, complications after birth or during pregnancy, miscarriages, etc. It really makes me stop and count my blessings that I had a healthy pregnancy. I took it for granted that I would get pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby with no problems. I never worried, not even when Jackson had fluid on his lungs when he was born. The nurses told me that it was completely normal. Brayden was born with fluid on his lungs and ended up in critical condition. I have really been kicked in the gut for being so naive. A healthy pregnancy and delivery really is a miracle. I don't fear being pregnant again, because God is in control, but I will enjoy and appreciate every moment.

Oh yes, he's definitely mine!

2009-03-20T08:15:00.003-05:00

CDO...It's like OCD just with the letters in alphabetical order, like they should be.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-11T12:20:00.002-05:00

Snow. Flu. Grade.

2009-03-09T20:04:00.003-05:00

Edited to add: I am such an idiot. I named my post snow... and didn't even mention it. I wanted to say that we enjoyed watching the snow, but Jackson napped through most of it. When he got up at lunch, it was gone. So, he missed his first snow!

WARNING: This post has the potential to be a boring rambling mess! I am trying to keep everyone updated on what has been going on since I last posted.

Whew! It has been some week around here! Jackson came down with the flu last Tuesday and we have been out of daycare/work ever since. Everybody at daycare ended up with it, including Linda (Somehow Clint and I got lucky). So, we were closed today for her to recoup and tomorrow for her to disinfect. Anna ended up catching the worst case I think. We hope she feels better soon!

The weekend was gorgeous and Jackson felt well enough to get out a little. Saturday he didn't feel much like playing on his own, but Daddy took him for a ride on the four-wheeler. Sunday he felt well enough to play and he helped me pick up some limbs in the yard. No pictures, sorry! I have been forgetful with the camera lately.

I received my score from the latest portion of my CPA test... I passed!!!!!! ONE MORE TO GO! I will take my last section April 18th.

We walked down to the pond this afternoon just to kill some time and let Jackson get out. To my surprise, the little stinker wanted in! There is a spring that feeds into the pond at the end where we were, so the water is clear and shallow. I took his shoes off and let him check it out. I totally expected him to think the water was too cold and the bottom too mushy. Oh, no. He wanted to play and against my better judgement, I let him. I really thought the water was just too cold. He loved every second!! And screamed when I took him out. Of course, I didn't have my camera, so I missed a good kodak moment!

Timeout

2009-02-18T12:06:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to say "hi" and give a little update. I'm in the middle of tax season, which is a little stressful, as usual. Jackson has added a new phrase: "Daddy here?" Cute as all get out. He is totally infatuated with his Daddy (who, by the way, is still trying to lobby for being called Papa). Jackson is also starting to add some new foods to his menu (strawberries, green beans and he even tried some deer burger). I'm glad that he's finally eating something other than potatoes!

Jackson received his first timeout at Mrs. Linda's yesterday. Actually, it was a series of timeouts. He was climbing up onto the couch and chair and jumping up and down. I've told him so many times at home to "sit down or you're getting down" that when he's climbs up onto the couch, he'll stand up and proclaim "'it ouwn." He knows...but he was testing Mrs. Linda. She said her heart just couldn't take the thought of him falling, so she put him in timeout. When I arrived to pick him up he was confined to the pack-n-play, for the third time. Hard-headed, that one. Clint sternly told him that "if you get in trouble at school, you get in trouble at home." Let me just tell you, I had to stifle a giggle.

Well, there's not much else happening around the Cook household these days. We're just counting down until April 15th!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-18T09:42:00.003-06:00

Weekend Fun

2009-02-10T12:08:00.002-06:00

Jackson was so excited this weekend that it was warm enough for him to finally play outside for an extended period (He isn't content with 30 minutes, then back inside to warm up). We played with his Tonka trucks, dug in the dirt and most importantly, rode the four-wheeler. I am with Kristi on this one. It scares me to death! Here's some pictures of our cool dude!

Happy Birthday!

2009-02-03T08:54:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

No more BabySmash for you!

2009-01-28T14:40:00.004-06:00

Remember the BabySmash program that I thought was so great. Well, it is. Just not for my child. He's a little too hard on the keyboard. A few weeks ago, he popped the Shift key off (while being properly supervised). I still have no idea how he did that.

So, Tuesday night, as I was cooking dinner and Clint was packing, things got quiet. Too quiet. Clint came through the kitchen to ask what J was doing just as I was thinking the same thing. We discovered our young one standing in the chair at the desk pointing to the computer screen. "Sei judg cue de ese" he says in a very excited tone. (That's Jacksonese for those of you who don't know.) Clint laughed and I removed said young one from the chair to the sounds of hysterical screaming. Hhhmm...Maybe I should turn on the BabySmash just in case he climbs back up in the chair? Why, you ask? Because I was cooking and Clint was packing. Therefore, I knew that J could slip back in there undetected. So, I turn on the BabySmash and go back to the kitchen.

I was right. In just a minute or two I heard the sounds of the computer talking in letters and colors. Young one was in the chair. By the time I reached him again, the computer was shutting down into hibernation mode. How? I have no idea. This program is supposed to keep kids from damaging files and getting into places they shouldn't on a computer.

When I rebooted, I was missing three desktop icons and the about 8 keys in the "backspace" area were not functioning. How? Again, no idea. I found the icons in the recycle bin (one of which he managed to rename), but I ended up having to run a "system restore" to get the keys to work.

Moral of the story: Maybe BabySmash is for older kids, or maybe it's just not for Cook kids.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-28T11:44:00.001-06:00

One year ago...

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-21T09:23:00.002-06:00

Not Me! Monday

2009-01-19T12:49:00.003-06:00

Okay, this is my first Not Me! Monday, so bare with me. Hop over to MckMama at My Charming Kids for more Not Me! Mondays.

I did not pretend to still be napping when Clint pushed the bedroom door open so that I could have a few more moments of peace.

I did not cry like a baby when I snapped my fingernail off in the quick and ran to find my husband. My husband did not avoid my crying self because he thought it was something insignificant, like I found a spider. What?

I did not thoroughly enjoy cuddling with Jackson while watching a short kid's movie. And Jackson certainly did not sit still while watching, that would have been perfect.

I did not get tickled by said movie and wonder "Do kids actually watch this?" Apparently so.

And lastly, I did not pour Jackson a sippy cup full of milk just to gulp half of it myself and pour him more.

Don't forget to read the other posts at MckMama's!

Doughnuts!!

2009-01-16T13:09:00.003-06:00

Hallelujah!

Krispy Kreme is giving away a free doughnut on Tuesday!! And, yay lucky me, we have one just a few blocks over. Here's what their website says:

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is honoring American's sense of pride and freedom of choice on Inauguration Day, by offering a free doughnut of choice to every customer on this historic day, Jan. 20. By doing so, participating Krispy Kreme stores nationwide are making an oath to tasty goodies -- just another reminder of how oh-so-sweet "free" can be.

Wordless Wednesday...on Friday

2009-01-16T13:02:00.003-06:00

I am totally aware that it is in fact Friday and not Wednesday. But, I had intended to post this on Wednesday and had a few issues with my home computer. So, let's pretend.

New Years

2009-01-16T12:57:00.002-06:00

Jackson finally learned how to drive his four wheeler over New Years! No more back-breaking, button-pushing rides from Mommy (or Granny)!

The Bet

2009-01-07T13:51:00.003-06:00

Don't bet with my husband. He just might win. My cousin, Will, found out the hard way.

Clint is an Alabama fan. While the Hamilton family was gathered together to watch the Auburn-LSU game, Clint and Will discussed the Alabama-Auburn game and its outcome. Clint, of course, thought that Alabama would win and Will, an Auburn fan, thought that the Tigers would prevail. Clint bet Will that Alabama would win and if they did Will had to pull for the Tide for the entire next year.

I myself am an Auburn fan, but Roll Tide Will!!