Jackson's Early Christmas

David's parents came in for Thanksgiving and we did an early Christmas with them since we will be in NC for Christmas Day. They bought Jackson a "manly" kitchen that we thought he would like since he loves the one at church. It was a great price on the kitchen and the reviews were good besides that there were a billion pieces to put together. But they got it anyway and got it put together as well with not any trouble, just a little time!
When Jackson got up the next morning we had the kitchen in front of the tree and he went straight for it! He also liked unwrapping his presents, but his other toys and clothes from them didn't match up to his fancy kitchen! Last year he wasn't into it since he was only 9 months, but I think he is going to be SO MUCH fun this year! We got some pictures of him and a video....check them out!

Look at all those parts!

The finished product! And we got him the basketball goal, but he loved his kitchen so much more!

First glance.....look at that hair!

Already cooking

Ripping the paper!

A cement truck!

Here is his video cooking us breakfast! Oh and we went Friday and got him food for his kitchen, so he can really cook now!

2008 Christmas Tree

We put up our Christmas Tree and some other decorations this past Friday! Jackson was quite the help as always! I wasn't able to put everything out since we don't have a lot of space in this house. I am actually surprised that we found a spot to put our tree....we did have to move a chair out of the den though. But here is a picture of our little Christmas Tree.....we have red and green lights on it, but I don't think you can see them. And of course Bailey is posing next to it so nicely!
Jackson is not messing with the tree as much as I thought he would, but he is trying to mess with some of the ornaments (we only put a few on there and only NON breakable ones in his reach)! So he will now point to them and say "see" since we are telling him that he can only see them - no touch. Let's see how long this will last! :) And no presents under the tree since I don't want to rewrap them about 10 more times!

Little Climber

Just a couple pictures of my little climber.....I was actually having a conversation with a friend about how her son was climbing EVERYTHING and I was saying how Jackson wasn't doing that yet. Then we get home and look at what he starts doing. I guess I spoke too soon!

Half Marathon Home Stretch!

This week was my last full week of training! The race is on Saturday in Memphis! Word is that all 3 races (5K, Half, and Full Marathon) are sold out - 14,000 people! Wow!

Monday - Cross Training
Tuesday- Rest
Wednesday - Cross Training
Thursday - 8 miles
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 11 miles

I feel like I am prepared for this race and I am still hoping that I can make it under 2 hrs....I am going to have to take 10 minutes off of my time! ughhh

This week I am going to do a 5 miler and take the rest of the week easy! Stay posted for finish times and pictures! I am excited! And thanks again for all of you who sponsored me!

Week 14 - on the home stretch!

This week was full of my longest runs ever in training and I will have to say I am glad it is over. This is taking a toll on my ole knees! :) I only have 2 more weeks! WOW! And you may notice I no longer run my 2 milers....I figure - What's the point? :)

Monday: rest
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: Cross Training
Thursday: 10 miler
Friday: Cross Training
Saturday: 11 miler
Sunday: rest

This week is Turkey Week! Yummo! I have to run on Thursday, so that is my free pass to eat WHATEVER and HOW EVER much I want right?? :)

I am Thankful because.....

Thanksgiving is upon us- only one week away! I have been thinking lately what I am Thankful for?? So here goes....

- that I am a child of God and that I know his love and his goodness, first and foremost!
- for my wonderful husband, that he loves me through my crankiness and quirkiness and will always be by my side til death do us part!
- for my son, that although he is in the stage of rebellion and testing his limits....that he is a sweet, loving, healthy toddler.
- for my extended family; that I have 2 sets of great parents now that stand by and support me, that through marriage now I have another brother and 2 sisters, for Grandparents that can guide me through with their wisdom, and all the other family that I have and how much we actually get along!
- that my brother finally found "the one" and they are getting married in May!
- that Jackson has gotten the chance to meet 4 biological great grandparents and Gma Ruth too!
- for being able to live my dream of being a stay at home mom and LOVING it!
- for my health
- for nap time at 11:30 and bedtime at 7 for Jackson
- for being able to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with family this year!
- for the best friends ever....those that are far and those that are near.
- for MOPS and the women that let you know "you are not alone"
- for my Bible Study and all the Frazzled Females that they are
- for Mt Vernon being the best church ever!
- for Stroller Strides that keeps me motivated in working out.
- for getting up this morning and running 10 miles.....ultimately sticking with a goal.
- for running with 14,000 people in a couple weeks for a reason and all the money raised for St. Jude's Children's Hospital
- for KLove.....I love me some Contemporary Christian Music
- for inspirational blogs
- for the military
- for my husband's choice to serve this great country
- for the freedom to vote (although it may not end the way we wished, we the people have a voice).
- for the price of gas being less than $2.00
- for chocolate!
- for whoever decided to fry a WHOLE turkey.....probably Paula Deen, right?? :)
- that I am done with all of my Christmas shopping except for one gift and I just have to get it

And I know there is SO much more......
This was actually kind of fun, so all my fellow bloggers - blog your list too so we can see!
Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels!

I Tip My Hat.....

Jackson has received two hats in the last couple days....one from his dad and one from his Aunt Steph and Uncle Steve......here are the pics!

David brought this one back from San Antonio this weekend! I think is is just as much a toy for him as it is for Jackson!

Looks like he has some growing into it!

And this is his first REAL hat and it is the cutest- Carhartt! I hope he will learn to love to wear it! He isn't much for hats right now. :( Oh and we need to work on forming that bill!

Week 13 and the Countdown is On!

I finished this week out with a bang! I am glad to say it is done and tomorrow I can relax!

Monday: rest (only b/c I had to wait for maintenance to come and fix my plumbing - loving these old houses)
Tuesday: 8 miles (I switched my week up since David was off)
Wednesday: Cross Training
Thursday: 2 miles
Friday: Cross Training
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: rest

It was kind of cold out today and I was dreading it, but it turned out to be a nice run and gives me confidence in my running in the cold. I am assuming this will be the weather on Dec 6!
Thanks Tara for watching Jackson for me since David is out having fun in San Antonio! :)
Have a great week everyone! Keep warm.
Oh and does everyone have their turkey bought??? I do! YIPPEE!

Half Boy/Half Dragon

Here is my big boy dressed in his usual these days....half boy, half dragon! He cracks me up always wanting to talk on the phone, so here is Mr. Vocal!

Fall is here!

It was a beautiful day out today, so we went out for some fun! I actually grabbed the camera to take some pictures of Jackson in the leaves! Here you go!

Through the eyes of a little boy!

Eating dirt (I think)

Driving that fancy car of his!

Raking the pile out! I have a lot of teaching to do!

Playing in the leaves!

Misc Pictures

Here are just some random pictures that I have......

I just like this picture of Jackson picking berries.

Oh and I think this is such a sweet picture!

Bailey was a ballerina for Halloween!

Here is the new hoodie from Uncle Dee and Aunt Robin.

And I really like this picture of my boy and me!

Week 12- My Lazy Week

This was my last down week before the Half Marathon, so I guess it is on from here! I actually took it easy this week, only running once, because I was getting a little burned out! So here is my slacker week:

Monday: rest
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: Cross Train
Thursday: rest
Friday: Cross Train
Saturday: 5 miles
Sunday: rest

Wow I didn't realize how bad that looked until I wrote it. It's over now and I do feel re-energized to get through these next 4 weeks!

David did ask me on Thursday how I felt since I wasn't running this week and my response was simple! I felt LAZY! I guess I am going to have to keep this up after the half....or find some sort of additional goal to keep me motivated since I can get lazy quick! I hear there is a Half in Starkville in February, so we will see!

Happy Saturday! Kung Fu Panda comes out Sunday......everyone should get it! It is super funny and Family Friendly! :)

I've been tagged

I was "tagged" by Liz (The Behm's Family Blog) to tell you 6 interesting things about me. I think this will be rather hard, but I will give it a try! I now tag 6 more: Amy, Olivia, Meghan, Kelly, Stephanie and Tara.

1. Well I have to start with that I NEVER thought that I would be living in anywhere other than NC. I knew David wanted to serve his country, but I didn't think it would really ever happen. All of that to say that I LOVE being a military wife.....I think we are some of the strongest women in the world. We sometimes have to play the role of mommy and daddy, we have to make new friends every few years, we have to be good with directions b/c of all the moving, we have friends ALL OVER the world (free vacation spots).....
But I wouldn't trade it now for anything! I think that being away from "home" has made me more independent and appreciate being "home" more! Thanks to computers and phones - I never feel too far away! And let me add that I am so proud that my husband serves this wonderful country!

2. On a similar note, I love my "new" job as MOMMY! I always knew that the business world wasn't for me. When I did graduate from college, I worked up until I had Jackson and I did enjoy it. I didn't love it, but it was just something to do. I have a great degree, but I don't know if I will ever use it again.... if I want to - it is there. No regrets though! I am also lucky to have a husband who supports me being at home and realizes I do "work"! I think this job is harder than any other out there - even being a pilot! :)

3. I am a SUPER organized person, even having a child I have kept this skill. Things have to be so so. My checkbook has to be to the penny, toys have to be put up at nap time and bed time (and I pick them up throughout the day), my kitchen can't have crumbs on the counter, most of my things are organized, blah blah blah. And if things aren't how I like them I can't sit down until they are! So I am putting me in that OCD category with Liz!

4. I love to bake! My favorite things are sweets and breads! I don't do it as often as I would like since we would eat it all, but it is something that I truly enjoy!

5. I love to keep the windows open in the Spring and Fall, but I have this huge fear of someone kidnapping my kid. Crazy I know! So even if the windows are open in the house, Jackson's window is always closed at night. When I shower during his nap all the doors are shut and locked. When David is gone through the night, I lock and put the security latch on all the doors, close all the windows and sleep with the bathroom light on. I am not generally a scared person, but I have a problem in this area.

6. I am a huge dog lover and have been since a little girl sharing my ice cream with our family dog! And I think you would know it looking at my back yard! We have a Yorkie and a Great Dane! I LOVE Danes! They are the best dogs ever! Bailey is so good with Jackson and such a protector of our house! (This helps me in my fear of kidnappers!). But on the down side - she is HUGE weighing in at 131 pounds. We bought our Trail Blazer making sure that it would fit our dog when we moved. She is a great traveler, but causes issues when we need to store our luggage somewhere. David and I will most likely have another Dane or two throughout our lifetime!

So that is a little bit of info on me....kind of boring, but that is the life I live and love!

Week 11 and counting down!

I can't believe that I am almost done.....I can't wait. Although I am afraid when it is over, I may get in a lazy phase. I guess I will have to come up with another goal.

Monday: Cross Training
Tuesday: I didn't run b/c it was COLD and it was only 2 miles.....slacker I know
Wednesday: Cross training
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: Cross Training
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: Rest

Saturday proved to be a great run mostly b/c I ran during the departures of some great airplanes. We had a Career Day here for the students, where we all got to go into the airplanes, ask questions, etc. It was so much fun....kind of like our own little Mini Airshow. We went in the KC-10 (HUGE), KC-135, C-130, and the C-17. That is about all we had time for, but they had a B-1, F-15, two F-16's, a Helo and a couple more out there for you to look at. But anyway, I planned my run by the runway and was able to see many of them take off. I was really surprised at how quiet the Cargo's were and of course the Fighters were amazing!

This next week is a down week for me again (the last down week).....so I think I am going to take advantage of it. I may not run all three of my runs, who knows. My right heel has been hurting some, almost like it is bruised. I guess I need to invest in a good pair of insoles. Other than that I have been felling good and I feel like I will be ready for this race! But also praying for a nice WARM morning on Dec 6th in Memphis!

Trick or Treating!

Jackson and I went around Trick or Treating with the Avery and Evan this year and David met up with us after he got out of his SIM. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun, although they aren't quite sure of this whole Trick or Treating thing yet. They did however get the hang of taking candy from people by the end of the night. We brought along Jackson's wagon for them to ride in which turned out to be a lifesaver. We gave the kids some candy to hold on to and it also kept them busy.....something we thought they couldn't get into. But what do you know Mr. I have 13 teeth now proved me wrong. Traci looks at Jackson (who had an M&M pack) and said - look at all the chocolate around his face. He had been munching on them for who knows how long - no wonder he was so happy! I took it from him which was a disaster, so I gave him a sucker which he ate managed to eat all of by the end of the night. The twins had a sucker also, leaving them all a sticky yucky mess by the end of the night. All in all we had a great night of fun!


This was in front of someone's house that had great decorations.....that lady back there scared me for sure, but the kids liked it!

Check out that mouth and all the chocolate on his costume!

More candy! No wonder he was WILD!

Also David's class had a Halloween party right across the street basically and he went as Ace Ventura - Pet Detective. (I stayed home with Jackson, but it sounds like they had a good time.) Traci showed me how to make the tutu......he will kill me if he knows I put this on here! :) hehe