It's hard to believe that Jackson is already 3! When we asked him what he wanted the theme of his party to be, he quickly replied "George!" He absolutely loves anything Curious George lately. He likes to pretend he's The Man In The Yellow Hat (as well as George) and nothing makes me laugh louder than hearing him yell "George!" just like the Man in the Yellow Hat. I really think he could be an actor someday. He's also been re-enacting the scenes from Toy Story. He's got the accents down pat! Jackson, you sure make us smile.
Instead of a birthday cake, I was adventurous and decided to make cupcakes decorated like monkeys. I'm pretty proud to say they turned out well! We used bananas to hold down the balloons. We decorated while Jackson was napping. When he came out, he was so excited to see everything for his birthday. When he saw the bananas, he started laughing and told me that I was funny.
Jackson has been so excited for his birthday. Every time someone has a birthday at school, he comes home telling me that he sang Happy Birthday to them. All this week, we've been telling him it's going to be his birthday, and he asks "they sing for me?". I love these pictures below because you can just see the joy in his face as he listens to everyone celebrating Jackson.
Jackson and Reese - Monkey 1 and Monkey 2
We didn't learn our lesson from last year and went overboard again....
The big theme this year was Toy Story. He got all of the main characters, including Bullseye, another Woody, Buzz and Jessie. He also got a Lightening McQueen "computer laptop". Jackson is going to love playing with the soccer goal, too, and he'll also be able to start practicing his croquet skills once it gets a little cooler (while also learning numbers and colors!). Jackson opened Bullseye first, and he was so excited by it that he didn't want to open any more presents!
After opening presents, we sat down to eat dinner. Jackson and Reese had their own table, and they were so happy to be sitting all by themselves! We weren't quite sure how Reese would do since she'd have the ability to get up all by herself, but she and Jackson entertained each other great during the meal. I see many holidays and family traditions at this table in the future! Jackson refuses to go anywhere without Woody and Bullseye....here he decided they needed to eat, too.
Jackson loved having all of our family come to celebrate
That night when it was almost time to go to bed, Jackson dragged in his computer and told us he needed to do some work. Jackson quickly figured out how to turn it on and switch between the games. He's even learned how to use the mouse (which is actually one of the wheels attached to the car). Jackson said he had so much work to do that he needed to work on it in bed. Here's how we left him that night:
I wonder where he learned that from? Oops!
Jackson shares his actual birthday with one of his friends at school, Joseph. We had a joint Thomas the Train birthday party at their school, complete with a Thomas the Train cupcake cake and Thomas party bags (even with an engineer's hat inside!). Once again, Jackson loved being the center of attention as everyone sang to him. I love how happy he is!
Snack time was quickly over, and we watched them all play together. They are so cute! This is how I typically find Jackson at the end of the day when I come to pick him up (playing Fireman with Cort and others in the loft).
Here the gang is cooking up some more birthday food for Jackson.
Jackson's daycare also had a Fourth of July party and parade again this year. Tom arranged for a few of the kids in his band to lead the parade with a drum cadence. All of the kids (and parents) loved it! Thanks for taking the time to do this for the daycare - it really makes the parade! After the parade, each class had a party in their room. Here you can see the colorful shirts they decorated for the parade:
Jackson found the blocks again, so Tom and Jackson became architects. Here is the first house for Buzz:
They then decided they needed a bigger fort for Jackson to fit in with Buzz.
Finally, Jackson decided it all needed to come down and start from scratch (he did this several times!) Notice he's wearing his hard hat - safety first!
The final multi-level (and multi-wing) house:
Our neighborhood pool had just opened, so we all took a short walk down to the pool. Jackson thinks this is the way to travel all of the time now.
Dad was in a bit of a hurry to get into the pool....like your shirt, Dad!
After swimming, we had a quick cookout before going up to the Kiddie Park. Jackson and Reese really seemed to enjoy cooking together in the kitchen and then sitting down to enjoy their meals.
Jackson and Reese waiting patiently for their turn. This is the cutest pic!
This is usually Jackson's favorite ride. Reese isn't quite sure what to think yet. I think this one was her favorite, too, by the end of the night. 
I'm not too sure who had more fun - Jackson and Reese or the rest of us watching them have so much fun! 
Snow cone and popcorn break. Jackson's trying to get Reese to try the snow cone. 
As I was uploading the pictures today, Jackson saw this one and said that he wanted to race with Reese. He told me he was telling her to go and drive! 
This is such a cute, tiny Ferris Wheel. At first, Reese was content to sit opposite Jackson...
but towards the end, she kept trying to sit by Jackson. Each time she would move, the balance of the car would move, and they'd be a little lopsided. Jackson kept moving to try to go to the other side, and Reese continued to follow him. When it was time to get off, Jackson was so sweet and put his arm around Reese to help take care of her.
Jackson's first ride on the roller coaster (note the long sleeves - this was the first weekend and it was actually chilly! Weather sure does change quickly around here!). 
Tom's parents came up to celebrate Mother's Day, so we decided to take them up to the Kiddie Park, too! 
Jackson's becoming quite the planner. We're learning that when Jackson is really quiet, we need to go looking for him. He left behind the evidence....this chair frequently seems to end up either in front of his dresser, the living room by the TV or in our room so that he can reach whatever he wants. 
What wipes?? I'm starting to become slightly concerned that Jackson is going to grow up with OCD. He hates to be dirty. He absolutely loves wipes! 
It's hard to believe Jackson's almost 3. He's certainly able to do a lot more things on his own. I had told Jackson that he couldn't have any Fruit Loops right then as a snack. 5 minutes later, he took matters into his own hands. 
I had a vision of what it's going to be like in a couple of years. Tom was away on one of his consulting trips, and I was busy getting ready in my room, thinking Jackson was asleep in his bed. As I was walking out of my room, I heard voices. At first, I was a little concerned....until I saw that Jackson had turned on the TV and was walking from the kitchen holding the box of "popcarts" for his breakfast. This is going to be what Saturday mornings are like in just a year or two, I'm sure! 
Jackson's school had an Easter party with an Easter Egg Hunt. I'm pleased to say that this year I actually remembered to bring eggs that were already filled with candy (that I bought myself with my own money....rather than having to borrow money to buy Starburst from the vending machine). When it was time for the hunt, all of the kids tore off to find the eggs. Jackson's first egg was a soccer ball egg, which totally enthralled Jackson - he forgot to go look for more eggs until they were almost all gone! He was pretty proud of that 1 egg, though! 
