We put up the Christmas decorations the day that we got home. Jackson helped in his own special way:
It feels so good to have everything put away and the Christmas lights down!
We went to Incredible Pizza on Thursday. Jackson ate really well. In fact, he had 2 meals - once when we got there and another right before we left. They had just opened up Laser Tag, and Jackson had a lot of fun playing. Thankfully it was a really small area. Jackson kept going off on his own to get people, and before I knew it, he'd be hidden in the maze! He loves Laser Tag so much - that might be a fun birthday party for him in the future. In addition to the racing games, we also went on the race cars. I loved hearing his laugh as he and Tom raced around the track. When I passed them, he told Tom, "It's ok, Dad. It's just a game. It's not a race." How sweet! We can't wait to come back sometime with Johnnie, Casey, Reese and Emerson.
We've had such warm weather lately that we've spent a couple days at the park. It's so sweet watching Jackson try to find a friend to play with. He'll go up to a boy around his age and ask "will you be my friend? Do you want to play with me?" It's amazing how fast he makes friends and how outgoing he is. On Friday, we had a play date and a picnic lunch at the park with the Bentzes from soccer. Jackson loves playing with their kids, Jacob and Jaden.
Jackson was so excited to help make lunch. He made all of the kids "cheese/ham samwich rollups" as well as a heart-shaped cheese/ham samwich for himself. He also put in grapes, carrots and yogurt "for his body"....because as we all know, they're good for your body and help give you big, strong muscles. He then carefully packed everything into his new Superhero lunchbox.
Jackson's 2 favorite things to do at the park (other than playing superheroes and bad guys) is to play on the slides and climb the big tall ladder.
The 3 J's all had fun playing together.
They would all try to scare each other as they went down the covered slide. They'd be waiting patiently to shout "Boo" when the other kid slid down.
Jackson has just about conquered everyone at the park on his own (except for the fireman's pole...Mommy is too scared to let him try that yet!). This week, he learned how to do this one on his own, and he taught Jacob and Jaden during their playdate.
The merry-go-round also scares me as a mom. Looking at his face, I think he feels the same way!
We had so much fun at the park with the Bentzes and hope to do another playdate soon. All of the kiddos had a good nap that afternoon!
We have also been playing Superheroes galore. He plays with all of his superhero action figures all the time. His OCD seems to be kicking in as when he stops to eat, he has to line all of his superheroes up on the couch or chair, and there is a definite order to them. He can rattle them off to you if you ask about it. He has also been playing the new superhero video game with Tom. Jackson actually knows what he is doing. It's so cute to hear him tell Tom what they need to be doing. When I expressed my amazement that he was actually playing (and playing well), he just looked at me like I was crazy and said "uh, yeah!" I can already catch a glimpse of what the teenage years will be like.
We've also been playing quite a bit of Restaurant and Chef. We set up his own kitchen to be like Reese's new kitchen, complete with a table to order and his cash register. He even got a notepad so that he could take everybody's orders. Be warned, though. If you order something that is not healthy, he'll tell you and say "That isn't good for your body. You should have carrots." Which is really funny because when I first asked for the carrots, he said they didn't have any and recommended the mac 'n cheese instead! His recommendations for everyone included pizza, cheese and grapes as you see below:
He loved making the food and then running the credit card to pay for the food. He makes very gourmet food - all meals are $65. Makes the accounting easier, I guess! When the food was ready, he would speak into the microphone to announce the order number. When your number was called, you would have to raise your hand and then he would bring you the food. He makes a mean cheese/ham samwich and the lemonade is so refreshing.
We also played with Jackson's new Science Set from Johnnie, Casey, Reese and Emerson. I think we may have a future scientist on our hands!
This picture makes me laugh - he looks a little nerdy, don't you think?
He absolutely loved mixing the colors to make new colors. He took the swirling and mixing very seriously...
He also loved the eyedropper - he thought it was the coolest new tool! I have no idea how many beakers of water we went through, but we played with it for at least 45 minutes. He really had fun.
He couldn't believe how the water changed colors! He had to take a closer look.
Does my face look big to you?
We also want to welcome Ms. Emerson to our tribe! She was born on December 15 and is the tiniest little Christmas package. She is so cute! We went to Stillwater on the 16th to meet her. Mom and baby were doing great. Reese is such a good helper. Jackson was totally enthralled with baby Emerson.
Her hair is so soft! Jackson loved patting her on the top of her head to feel the softness.
Emerson is so sweet and her arrival made for an even more special Christmas. We're so glad you're here, Emerson!
We had a great break and are sad to see it end. We are ready for the new year, though, and all of the fun things that are in store. Jackson starts another round of swimming lessons on Tuesday and Thursday, basketball practices on Thursday and basketball games early on Saturday mornings. I start my new position on Tuesday (who knows where my boxes will be with all of the moves taking place!). The drywall and painting in our house is also starting on Tuesday and hopefully finished by the end of the week. The end is in sight!
Happy New Year!
