Our first road trip of the summer...

This past weekend we took a trip up to Virginia to celebrate my cousin Katie's graduation from highschool. Grandma and grandpa Miller were there as well as all of the Schroeders. It was great seeing everybody all together! I'm gonna let the pictures do the rest of the talking...

Delaney and Jackson eating breakfast, our first morning there

The kids working in the kitchen...

Silly Delaney decided to crawl in the dishwasher

Taking a break from all the hard work

Four generations!

Checking out the horses at the farm...

Playing with great grandma...

...And giving hugs!

Ladderball fun in the backyard!

The captive audience

Jackson watching the guys play some pool...

Playing with Katie

He loved pushing Delaney around on this cruiser

That's my boy!

Action shot!

Aunt Chris with her two favorite little ones

Great grandpa playing with Jackson

As you can see, we had tons of fun! Unforunately I didnt get any pictures of the actual graduation party. The pictures I did get though, give you an idea of how we spent the rest of the weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

We decided to take a little family vacation down to Ft. Walton Beach to see Toby's parents, and grandma Timmons (who was also there for a visit) for Memorial Day Weekend. We always have such a nice, relaxing time down there. This particular trip ranked up there as one of the best yet! We left Charlotte around lunch time on Friday, therefore we didnt arrive too late. Saturday morning we took Jackson to the beach. He has only been one other time and that was last November so it was a bit too chilly then to go in the water and play in the sand. This time we were prepared to let him take it all in.

In the car, all ready for the beach!




Unfortunately, I didnt get any pictures at the beach because I was too nervous to take my nice new camera out for fear of getting it all sandy or stolen! I will tell you though, Jackson was very unsure of the sand. He wouldnt come off of the blanket that we laid down. We took him down by the water, which I think he did enjoy after he got used to it. We stood on the shore and let the water rush up onto his feet. It was a perfect beach day, clear skies, warm water and a nice breeze in the air. After our little beach adventure we took Jackson home to eat lunch and take a nap. He woke up to a nice surprise....grandma and grandpa Reid were there! We have been trying to get them to come to Ft. Walton for years and it finally worked out for them to come this time. They came for two nights while we were there.

Walking with daddy

Swimming in the bayou with grandma Timmons and Sugar

Checking out the beautiful garden

Sunday after church, Toby's parents hosted a nice cookout at their house. We were all joined by Britt, Pat, and the boys, and Todd with Chandler and Speedo (his 2 Great Danes). We spent a wonderufl afternoon on the boat down at Crab Island. Jackson stayed home with his grandma and great grandma. We thought the boat trip might have been a bit overwhelming for him. Afterwards we had a delicious dinner outdoors on the back porch. We were so grateful that everyone was able to come!

                   Getting hugs and kisses from all of the grandmas...

                           Jackson loved playing with these beads

                             Playing in the kiddie pool with daddy...

                      Jackson with his cousin Wes, daddy, and Uncle Todd

                                Jackson with cousin Nate

                                                                

Group photo, including the 5 dogs!

 

Monday, Memorial Day, we decided to take Jackson on the boat to "test the waters". It was just me, Toby, and his parents so it was a lot less overwhelming and crowded. He ended up doing really well after he got used to it. He fell asleep in my arms on our way back home from the little beach that we stopped at. Overall, I would say it was a succesful first boat trip.

                                       

We had such a wonderful time. Both Jackson and Sugar traveled so well! We cant wait to go back for more fun soon.

Visitors

The month of May has brought a few visitors our way. It started with Uncle Ron from California. I do believe he holds a special place in his heart for Jackson because he was here visiting when I went into labor and had Jackson. He was one of the first people to ever lay eyes on our precious baby boy. Jackson warmed up to him very quickly this visit, giving him all kinds of hugs. We had a lot of fun hanging out with Uncle Ron while he was here. We hope to go see him in California the next time we get together! Here are some pictures from his visit....

Sitting with grandpa and Uncle Ron on the back deck

We spent lots of nights sitting around the campfire...

And many days and evenings sipping cocktails

One evening we had an early birthday celebration for Uncle Ron...

Jackson helped him open his present

The boys, the morning we took Uncle Ron to the airport

We also had a visit from our dear friends, the Schultze's. They have been living in Guam for the past year or so. They are temporarily back in the States and were able to spend two nights here with us so we could see them and meet their baby girl, Lena, who is now almost 6 months old! We had such a wonderful time visiting with them and look forward to the next time we get to see them. Here are some pictures from their visit...








Jackson thinking about sharing his toy with Lena...

"Ok, fine, here you go."

"I've got my eye on you though!"

Our best attempt at a photo of the guys with their kids

Pretty girl, Lena!

Amy blowing bubbles with Jack

The happy family!



Easter 2011

What a perfect day we had! It started off with Easter mass. Jackson did wonderful, playing quietly in the pew between Toby and I. He was partly distracted by all the other kids around us though, and also enjoyed flirting with the ladies behind us. After mass we stopped off at grandma and grandpa Reid's for a delicious breakfast. Jackson didnt waste any time finding the Easter eggs and basket that grandma hid. Right away his observant self noticed that there were "new things" in the house. He got spoiled with squirt guns, a golf set, wooden trains, and candy. The golf set was by far the favorite. After breakfast daddy even took him out back to show him how its done. Then we went on a family bike ride through some beautiful neighborhoods. Jackson never gets sick of riding in the cruiser while daddy pulls him along. After our bike ride we came back to our house for another Easter egg hunt and dinner. The weather was absolutely gorgeous so we enjoyed dinner out on the back deck.

For other news, Jackson is getting extremely good at imitating actions and following commands. He is saying more words now as well, such as: big truck, tractor, shoes, and cookie. Lately one of his favorite things to do is dance. It doenst matter what kind of music is playing, he finds a way to get his groove on. He even shakes his head to the organs at church.



Until next time....

Arriving at grandma and grandpas for Easter breakfast

Checking out the goodies in his Easter basket

Best attempt at a family photo

Playing around in grandma and grandpa's driveway

Daddy teaching Jackson how to play golf

The little golf caddy

Playing in our front yard



Easter egg hunt #2 at our house

Blowing bubbles with grandma