I Knew This Was Going To Happen!!

I just knew that the holiday season would hit and I would lack any motivation to do anything other than Christmas and birthday planning, hence me being MIA from the blogging world. I feel like I have so much to share, yet I know that I have forgotten many of the things that I wanted to blog about. So excuse the huge post, but I have a lot of bloggin' to do.

Let's seen....where to start. Thanksgiving! This year we celebrated Thanksgiving 3 times!!! Yes, three times!! On Thanksgiving morning Jackson and I watched the beloved Thanksgiving Day Parade. Granted, it went on a little longer than what I would have liken, but he seemed to enjoy it. Drew built him a tent...more like a cave...in which he watched the parade. The weekend following Thanksgiving several us caught an evening showing of the Polar Express at the IMAX theatre. That was a bit much for Jackson, who started crying on several occasions because it was too loud and too big.

To kick in the holiday season, Jackson and I attended the light parade hosted by the City of Grapevine. It was really chilly that night, and I was unprepared. My feet were freezing by the end of the parade, but we had such a good time that I didn't care one bit.

The holiday season continued with the weekend packed and every spare moment of time occupied with planning or shopping. Jackson enjoyed his very first experience with Chuck E Cheese...he was invited to his friend "little Brendan's" birthday party. Needless to say, he had a great time and he and Brendan reconnected after not seeing each other for almost a full year. They enjoyed riding on the kiddo version of simulated roller coaster ride, which they are pictured riding below. It was fun!!Lets see...so the holiday season continued with us finally getting our Christmas tree out. We were over a week late in putting up the decorations, which was really a bummer for Jackson. He was dying for us to have some Christmas "stuff" on and in the house. Things have been so crazy for Drew this month at work that it was hard to have a moment that we could all be together to trim the tree. Well, we finally found a moment to breath, play some Christmas music and decorate the tree. I think Jackson did a pretty good job putting Santa on top of the tree : )

Next big event was the annual Christmas concert at Jackson's school. It was an interesting evening, to say the least. Jackson had a really bad day at school the day of the concert....I actually found him in the office when I went to pick him up. Little mister man decided that he was going to be mean to one of his friends and refused to apologize. Let me tell you, the night only got worse leading up to the time we were supposed to be at the school for the concert. Let's just say that some time was spent in time out and a little someone named Jackson really cared less. Whew...it was an evening!

We arrived at the school for the concert. After putting a lovely Christmas tree on his head, Jackson refused to get his picture taken. He then also refused to sing with his class. Oh, he was standing with them...but he refused to sing. He was too busy walking around, playing with the back drop and waving at his grandparents. I swear, he wasn't my child that night!!

The next big event was an evening with the family at the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. For the past few years the organization has hosted a Polar Express ride at Christmas time. We had so much fun!! As they boarded the train, they had the ticket holders que through a forest of pine trees (fake, of course) with snow falling all around (also fake). The music from the movie was playing as everyone boarded the train. We were with a huge group of people....all of the cousins were loving being together for the ride. I think the adults had a lot of fun too! And finally....last, but certainly not least, was Jackson's 4th birthday party. Jackson and his cousin Mikayla, who will be turning 5 this year, bot decided that they wanted to celebrate their birthdays at The Great Wolf Lodge. So Drew's sister and I decided to have a combined party for them at this is a huge indoor waterpark / hotel. We rented a room for a night and decorated the room with balloons and banners. Jackson wanted a Transformers and Mikayla wanted Barbie...so they both got their wishes with their own cake and balloons. Friend and family member gather together in the room for the party and cake. After cake and present, those who were staying headed down to the waterpark. Jackson and his friend Brendan spent several hours going down the slides and swimming together. It was so much fun and I think that the birthday kids really enjoyed themselves!!

Now, on to Christmas in Corsicana this weekend and then we head home to CT!! We can't wait to have a break and spend the holidays in CT!!

First and foremost, Coldplay was awesome!! Drew and I had seats the were dead center facing the stage. While they weren't floor seats, we were only three rows back in the first section (right behind where the mixing boards were...let me tell, watching those guys work the sound and visual effect boards was almost as entertaining as the concert itself).
The band treated the audience to a little in-audience performance, which I thought was pretty cool. They went to one of the back sections and actually sang 2 songs surrounded by all of the fans (picture included in this post). Oh, and before I forget....no, I don't have totally awesome camera skills or the ability to fly around the venue to get these awesome shots. These are, however, pictures that were taken from the concert last night in Dallas.

Oh, and one final note...besides the fact that the concert was awesome...Gwenth Paltrow was there. She was a few feet in front of us, hanging in the area with the mixing boards. While I am not a celebrity hound, it was still pretty exciting to see her. Drew wasn't nearly as impressed with her sighting as I was. All in all, though, we had a really fun night. Thanks again Layla for making this night happen by taking care of the little man!!

Nothing To Blog About....Really???

It is hard to believe that I just went through the last week and didn't take a single picture of Jackson!! I was a big dummy and didn't hand the camera over to Drew when he took Jackson to the Backyardigans Live show....nor was I there, so I am unable to share the experience with you : ( All that I do know is that the show was fun, it cost $30 for a few drinks and 2 bags of popcorn (ridiculous), and that the show was about knights.

What I can tell you is that in the course of one weekend the vacuum broke, the seal under the shower broke, and our kitchen is still a work in progress. The hood we ordered for the kitchen is still not in, which keeps us from being able to finish the work we not to complete on the wall for the vent...without finishing the wall we can't paint...without paint we can't have the cabinets installed...without cabinets we can't use our brand new dishwasher and stove that we recently purchased. Oh, and did I mention that our vacuum cleaner broke and the the seal under the show broke too. Did I mention that the way the j-hole builder put in the plumbing under the shower that we have to rip out the current shower in order to fix the problem. While we had planned on redoing the master bathroom (yes, we still have just concrete floors in there right now), the little shower incident is forcing our hand and our pocketbook for immediate repair. Luckily we have two other bathrooms with showers in the house...so we are able to buy a little time until the master bathroom project commences. Please, can't we just finish one project at a time!!!!!

Fall Leaves...And We Thought We Wanted A House With Trees!

We always look forward to Fall in Texas. It means cooler temperatures (our electric bill last month was $65 since the A/C has been off), a slight change in leaf color (nothing like CT, CO or UT), and the beginning of the holiday season. What it also means, especially now that we are in the house in Grapevine, is that we have to deal with massive amounts of leaves in our front and backyard!!
This past Saturday Drew and I decided that it was time to begin the process of fall cleanup. Mind you, during the summer we were out in the yard at least once or twice a week raking up the pine needles that would cover the lawn. So, we are no stranger to the rake and bags / garbage cans full of lawn debris. Long story short, we ended up with about 20 bags full of leaves. Yes, we were Eco friendly and bought Home Depot bags that will decompose along with the leaves, as opposed to 20+ plastic bags that would sit in a landfill for who knows how many years.

Normally Jackson loves to help us when we are working in the yard. While short lived sometimes, the fact that he offers to help is just so sweet. While he did pick up a few handfuls of leaves, most of his time was spent either riding through the piles on his bike or his electric "car movie" car. At one point he ran head first into a pile with his car, and then proceeded to drive all of his other vehicles (bikes, trucks, etc) into the pile too. Drew and I didn't have the heart to be mad, even when he started loading up his large dump truck with piles of needles and leaves and began making his own new piles : ). He was a kid being a kid!! The good news is we got the yard cleaned up and looking good. The bad news is that there are a TON of leaves still on the trees....this was just one of many yard-work-leaf-pickup weekends : (

Another Successful Season

A week ago Jackson officially ended his second season of baseball...or as Grapevine likes to call it blastball (modified version of t-ball for 3 and 4 year olds). The season ended on a high note with a pizza party and award ceremony at one of Jackson's teammates home. The kiddos were more interested in playing with the mass amounts of cars than in the coveted baseball trophy. But, in the end it was a fun night and a fun season for the boys. Go Braves!!!

This Is What Happens When Mommy Is Sick.....

...and Daddy isn't around...

I asked Jackson to get himself dressed, by himself so that I could remain comatose in bed. The madras shorts and tie dyed shirt are the combination that he came up with. Gotta love this kid!!

NASCAR...Really???

This is not a joke....Drew, Jackson, Drew's Father and I braved the redneck crowds and headed out to the NASCAR race this past weekend. Those funny movies, like Talladega Nights, aren't far off in terms of the crowd that attends one of these races....especially in the great state of Texas. People were shirtless, toothless and had hair in all the wrong places. I was in AWE! Drew and his father did their own impersonation prior to leaving for the race (no, they did not wear their garb to the race...thank goodness)!!

Now, I do have to say that I understand the fascination with the race itself. It is full of pomp and circumstance prior to the beginning of the actual race. They roll the cars out and line them up. Then they drive each driver around the track in the back of a pickup truck so that they can wave at the fans prior to the beginning of the race. Finally...the moment that those cars start their engines the crowd really picks up and the heart starts pumping with anticipation of the pending race. Even though we were wearing ear plugs, there was a moment during the race when it was a little too loud for Jackson...Daddy had to cover his ears and comfort him a little bit. Other than that, Jackson LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the race!! It was Lightening McQueen in real life...what little kid that loves the Cars movie wouldn't love a day at the race.

All in all, it was a fun afternoon. We managed to avoid most of the traffic by leaving with over 100 laps left to go (there were 330 in total, so we saw more than 1/2 of the race). Thanks to Otto for the tickets!!!

1st Black Eye

Well family, Jackson got his first black eye. I would love to tell you that he received it during a rousing game of baseball or wrestling around with Drew. The truth of the matter is that Jackson received his first black eye from a GIRL!!!

Many people thought that the black eye was part of the costume...that Drew and I had used some sort of makeup in order to get that effect. Alas, it is a real black eye delivered by a little girl in his classroom (he was bending over and met her elbow on the way up...all very much an accident). It certainly did add to his pirate look : )

Halloween Fun

Another fun Halloween has come and gone...and more importantly my son continues to shy away from any kind of candy with chocolate. Score one for the parents!!! I am sure any parents would be happy beyond belief to have a child who only cared about the "suckers" and other chewy-fruity candies : ), and left the chocolate alone (since most people hand out chocolate candy).

The week leading up to Halloween was really busy for us. I spent a half day getting our kitchen cabinets ordered and assorted problems that arose with that order (missing pieces, etc). Jackson had a Halloween Carnival at his school on Thursday night, so we had to carve our pumpkins on Wednesday night. I was afraid about the pumpkins holding up until the big day, but they did just fine.

So the pumpkin carving began. Jackson wasn't too keen about pulling the "guts" out of the pumpkin...in fact he wouldn't even try : ( Don't worry...Drew and I got him with a few seeds and strands of "guts" during the course of the pumpkin carving session. I went with a more traditional pumpkin look, while Drew and Jackson went a little more non-traditional with added bats and snakes attached. We had a lot of fun!!

The Halloween Carnival was a big success and Jackson really enjoyed himself. His teachers really enjoy him so much, which as a parent is so nice to see. It was a trial run for his pirate costume, which was a big success. Several of his little friends called him Captain Jack Sparrow, which I really think that he loved (even though I am not really sure if he knows who Captain Jack Sparrow is).

Halloween night was really a blast for all of us. First and foremost, how great was it that Halloween fell on a Friday night!! There was no need to worry about wrapping things up early in order to get the kiddos home to bed. The cousins were all together for the night and were treated to a hay ride around Ma-Ma's neighborhood making periodic stops for trick-r-treating. It was another fun and very successful Halloween, costume and all!!

Coldplay...Here We Come!!

The countdown has begun!! I am so excited for the upcoming Coldplay concert that we were lucky enough to get some free tickets for. Have I mentioned that Drew and I are so spoiled that we REFUSE to pay for tickets to go to a concert. Shoot, we almost missed the U2 concert last year because we didn't want to buy tickets....so spoiled : )

So, have I mentioned how I excited I am about going to this show?? Our wonderful cousin Layla is going to watch Jackson that night in order to make this little weeknight date night happen. Otherwise only one of us would have been able to go. Thanks Layla....we love you!!

Last Stop - Creede, CO

Last stop, Creede, CO! After a lovely 6 hour car ride from SLC to CO, we finally arrived in Creede at Per-Pa's cabin. He had been there for several weeks, so the house was all toasty and warm upon our arrival. We arrived 15 minutes after the debate had started, so we tried to catch what we could while unloading all of our bags.

We were pleasantly surprised by the new room that Per-Pa had built. While we knew he was working on it, we had no idea how much had been done!!! It was awesome!! Thanks Per-Par for all of your hard work to make that happen prior to our arrival.

Our time in Creede was spent hiking, off-roading, biking (for some), and eating some rather crappy town food (all of our favorites were closed....come on Kipp's, you could have stayed open a little longer for us : ( We did, however, cook dinner one night over the campfire...hot dogs and packets of veggies cooking in the fire. It was wonderful even though the veggies got a little over cooked.

It was a wonderful family vacation!! We were so thrilled that Jeff was able to join us...it had been too long since we had some one-on-one time with him. It was also so great to have that time in CO with Per-Pa. Jackson loved spending time with his uncle and grandfather. We love you guys!!

4th Stop - Moab, UT

We picked up an additional traveler for our trek to Creede, CO. Jeff had previously decided that he wanted to go with us to CO for the 4 days that we planned to be there. On our way to Creede we stopped in Moab, UT.

Drew and Jeff took off into the early morning light and left Jackson and I in the parking lot : ) Jackson and I made the most of it, though. We went on a little hike in search of dinosaur footprints. While we didn't make it to the footprint portion of the trail, we had a lot of fun writing letters in the sand and exploring plants and rocks on the trail. Jackson insisted that I take his bike out of the car so that he could go "biking" like Daddy. He did get out on the trail, although he didn't go far before he turned around and came back. It was so much fun, and Jeff & Drew had a great time too!

Our Stop in SLC

Our time is SLC was a lot of fun! We arrived at Jeff and Leah's house during a little snow fall...what a treat since we don't get to see snow in TX very often. While Jackson wanted to play in it, it quickly melted the following morning.

It was good to spend some time in our old stomping grounds, since Drew and I both lived in SLC for several years prior to moving to TX. One of the highlights of the trip was being able to see some of our old friends whom we don't get to see or talk to very often.

Jackson loved being able to ride his bike up and down the sidewalk and at the vacant school behind Jeff's house. We had a really great time and can't wait until the day we get to return.

2nd Stop - Mesa Verda National Park

After our wonderful night in the yurt, we headed out on our journey to SLC. On our way we made a stop at Mesa Verda National Park. It was a cold and very windy day, but we decided to brave the elements and go on one of the cliff house tours. Our choice was Cliff Palace.

There was a steep decent and ascent to and from Cliff Palace, but Jackson did a wonderful job. It really was an interesting tour and Jackson did his best to stay focused and out of trouble (there were a few sand throwing incidents...but luckily the sand didn't actually hit anyone and mostly blew back into his own face : ).

After the tour was over we proceeded onward with our journey towards SLC and a few nights at Uncle Jeff and Aunt Leah's house. The drive was pretty easy and only 6 hours as compared to the 14 hours from the day before. We passed through Moab on the way up...Drew was chomping at the bit to get out on his bike and do a little riding. But, I promised that we would stop on our way to CO so that he and Jeff could do one of the rides there.

Here we come SLC!!!

The Journey Begins - 1st Stop Mancos State Park

Our journey to UT and CO began almost a week ago. While we returned home this past Sunday, it took me a few days back home to recuperate and have the desire to get on the computer. I will do my bast to recount the fun experience over several posts.

A few days leading up to the trip our family had a little family project. Within the last few months Jackson has really gotten into building different cars, airplanes and helicopters with Lego's. Drew and I came up with an idea to build a Lego box for the trip. It all seemed to come together when I found a flat Lego building board at the store. Drew built a wooden box with a compartment to hold Lego's or cars, and Jackson stepped in to paint the box. It turned our awesome! And, it provided HOURS of fun in the car for Jackson.

OK, back to the trip. After 14 long hours in the car we arrived at Mancos State Park. We departed from the house at 3am in order to make it to the park prior to sunset. Boy, am I glad that we did so that we could have a few daylight hours at the yurt.

Our stay in the yurt was really neat. We had the entire park to ourselves, as you can imagine not many people want to camp when it is 30 degrees out at night. The yurt, however, had a propane heater that kept our little room warm and toasty...almost too warm. We cooked hot dogs over the fire and roasted marshmallows. It was a great first day for our trip.

Road Trippin'

"Road trippin' with my two favorite allies. Fully loaded we've got snacks and supplies. It's time to leave this town, it's time to steal away. Let's go get lost in anywhere in the USA."

Drew, Jackson and I are hitting the road tomorrow for what should be a really fun family trip. Nothing is better than being stuck in the car together for hours on end knowing that the beauty of UT and CO await us.

1st stop, Mancos State Park where the fam is going to experience something new. Anyone ever heard of a yurt...well we have, and that is what we are going to stay in Friday night. Can't wait! More updates to come as the trip progresses.

This Mommy Is SOOO Lucky!

There is no doubt in my mind that I am the luckiest mommy on this earth. Who couldn't ask for a better kid or one cuter than mine. Of course, though, I am biased : )