Monarch Magic

Jackson's class has been learning about Monarch butterflies and their migration to Mexico. They presented what they learned to their parents this morning. Each student recited a fact about Monarchs; showed us a movie they made about Monarchs; retold the story, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle; and presented all they learned about the country, Mexico. After the presentation we all enjoyed some caterpillar and butterfly themed refreshments. Jackson loved the caterpillar cake. I felt sorry for his teachers the rest of the day after the kids had loaded up on all the sugar.

Jackson is reciting a poem about caterpillars and butterflies.

C is for Chrysalis... Jackson told us all about how the caterpillar forms a chrysalis.

At the end of the program they sang a song.

Soccer Awards

Jackson's soccer team had their end season celebration last night. The whole team along with their parents and siblings met at Chili's for dinner. Each player received a medal. Here are pictures of Coach Travis giving Jackson his medal.

Halloween Sneak Peak

Jackson and Adam wanted to try their Halloween costumes on for Aunt Emily and Uncle Joe. We were surprised that Adam actually put his whole costume on. We only got his legs in it a few days ago before he begged us to take it off. I had to take a quick picture just in case the monkey costume doesn't get to come out for Halloween.

Jackson is a Clone Trooper from Star Wars and our monkey is, of course, a monkey!

Love From My Big Brother

I gave Sarah a bath tonight, and Jackson got a bit if an anatomy lesson. He wanted to know where her wee-wee was, so I explained that she didn't have one because she was a girl. Then he wanted to know if Adam had his when he was born. I was glad that his next question referred to her umbilical cord stump (which has yet to fall off!) and then he asked to hold her. Adam just couldn't understand why she wasn't going "night-night" since she'd just had a bath.

And the Games Begin...

Adam has been using the potty at bathtime and sometimes in the mornings for quite some time now. But we officially started potty training yesterday afternoon. He has done pretty good. He stayed dry all of last evening, had a rocky start this morning, but then stayed dry from his nap time to his bedtime. Jackson has been very involved in this process. He told Adam, "If you have to go potty tell Mommy, Jackson, or Daddy and we'll help you." In fact, Adam has actually used the potty every time Jackson took him. Kevin and I think that maybe Jackson is better at this potty training thing than we are!

Adam sitting proud on his potty.

Lucky the Lobster Comes to Visit

Jackson brought Lucky the Lobster home from school today. Lucky is supposed to journal about his visit with each family in the class. I felt like the pressure was on to do something exciting after reading the other entries. I guess going to Blockbuster and McDonald's is an exciting adventure according to a 6 year old.

We got home from getting haircuts, and it was time for Sarah to eat. Lucky and Jackson fed her. Lucky is about as big as Sarah!

Jackson and Adam received a Blockbuster gift card from a teacher at school as a big brother gift. Jackson has been begging to go pick out a movie ever since he opened the gift. We let Lucky pick one out, too. He chose Flipper because it had some of his friends in the movie.

We stopped by McDonald's on the way home to get chicken nuggets for dinner. Since it was such a nice evening we had a picnic outside on the porch.

Lucky is now sleeping soundly on Jackson's night stand. I think we wore him out!

Sleep When She Sleeps

They always tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps. I was holding Sarah on the couch and fell asleep. I guess she did, too! She is now 3 weeks old as of Monday. She finally had a decent night last night in baby standards. She woke up, ate, and actually went back to sleep! She has been waking up for 2 to 3 hours sometime during the night. That makes for a very tired mommy in the morning!

These are just some fun pictures we have taken in the past few weeks.

Adam is wearing his "driving goggles".

This is my new favorite picture of my sweetie pies!

Nearing the End of the Soccer Season

Jackson had his last soccer game on Saturday and they took team pictures on the previous Saturday. He will have his end of season party on Tuesday. What are we going to do with all the upcoming free time on Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings?

Adam wanted to pose with "his" soccer ball, too!

Story Time

Jackson brings home a book to read every night. After finishing his homework this evening, I had him read his book to Adam and Sarah. Sarah is in her swing listening intently. Jackson was even showing her the pictures, too. I was surprised at how long Adam sat listening. I was able to get the dishwasher unloaded and reloaded.

We All Survived...

Sarah's first week at home, that is. I guess it's more important that Sarah survived than the rest of us. Each night has gotten better. She is waking up every 3 hours to eat and typically either goes right back to sleep or will sit quietly in her bouncy seat. This allows me to drift in and out of sleep checking on her often until she falls back asleep. We have gotten into a little bit of a routine. After her 6 or 7 am feeding she will usually sleep until I wake her up which is about 10 or 11. So, after Kevin and the boys leave I can get some good sleeping in. The only bad thing is I am eating breakfast at lunch time and then lunch in the late afternoon. I'm not generally hungry for supper. This could be a good weight management plan, but I think I'd rather sleep during normal sleeping hours.

We went back to the doctor on Monday for a weight and Jaundice check. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces and her coloring looked better. She now weighs an ounce more than she did at her birth.

It has taken a week, but I can now wear my tennis shoes and my rings. Of course, I am still wearing my maternity clothes but they are definitely getting looser. I'm ready to get out of the house but am scared of all the germs, so I think Sarah and I will just stick to our daily walks when the weather is nice.

When Jackson and Adam got home today we all stayed outside enjoying the beautiful day. Sarah woke up around 4:30 and stayed awake until 7:00. I think this is a record! I'm hoping maybe this means she will sleep better tonight.

So Many Visitors

Sarah has gotten to meet almost all of her family. Grandma and Papa Jack, Aunt Jamie, Nana, Gramma, and Aunt Emily came to see her in the hospital. Granddad stopped by last Thursday. On Saturday, the rest of the clan came to celebrate Mom's birthday. We decided that this would probably be her "last" birthday celebration. Sarah will probably take all the attention next year. Sorry mom, but I have to say she is worth it, isn't she?

Jackson has Sarah and Gramma has "her baby".

The Men in Sarah's Life

Every day after school, Jackson runs to Sarah's side. He usually sits there and pats her on the head saying, "Hey girl!" He was quite surprised to find her awake on Friday. He got in her face and started talking to her. She listened so intently. However, she isn't going to know her name. Jackson calls her "Girl" and Adam calls her "Baby".

I think this is Sarah's most favorite spot to sleep.