friday news

1. Audrey is due exactly one month from tomorrow
2. Which means I have only 2 more weeks of work
3. Which means Jackson better get ready for a LOT of Mama adventures
4. The brick crew finished today- check that major item off the list
5. We also ordered the parts for the new heating/air conditioning unit
6. Dan is going finish the electrical wiring tomorrow b/c the inspector is coming on Tuesday
7. All of this means PROGRESS!
8. I have a LOT of fall fun planned for JP and I tomorrow while Dan works on the house- little man better rest up
9. It's funny how little big worries effect you when your faith is so strong- we learned this week that Dan's job is basically going to go away at some point in the near future and yet we're not stressed b/c we know we'll always be taken care of- God never shuts a door without opening a window.
10. More to come later...

Jackson Philip: 20 Months

Jackson hit the "20 month" mark this past weekend- that is seriously close to being a 2 year old which is way too far from being a baby. Good thing Audrey is only a month away to help fill that role! Although if you ask Jackson if he is a "big boy or a baby" he always replies with "baby." 


Since Baby Benjamin (our newest nephew) was born two weeks ago Jackson has been especially in love with babies and talks about them constantly. His teachers at church said that he gets very concerned when he hears a baby cry from the nursery next door and had a baby doll in his arms when I picked him up from class this past Sunday so I surprised him with a baby doll of his own last night and I don't think he put her down for more than 5 minutes all night. I asked him what her name is and he told me "Audrey" and he sweetly held Audrey on his chest all night as he slept. 


While on my mind I wanted to capture some more random Jackson'isms:
-While babies are totally on his mind, he is still 100% boy- he is Dan's shadow and best buddy and prefers to be outside "helping" Daddy above all else.


-We have been talking a lot about colors- if you ask him, his favorite is "bue" and if he doesn't know the color of something he insists that it is "bue" although he also knows purple, red, green and orange. 


-"Letters" and writing are a constant topic as well- he loves to bring me a piece of paper and crayon and he tells me exactly what to write and where I should write it- this little game goes on forever... words most written include: Pop, Nanna, Dada, Mama, Sammy, baby and tree. 


-And of course our learning time wouldn't be complete without shapes- he recognizes circles, squares, ovals and triangles. 


-Reading books continues to be his favorite thing to do with me- I can't even tell you how many books we read every week. He always has a few favorites that he asks to be read "again" and again and again. There are many books where I do little hand motions or funny voices and he knows exactly what's coming as soon as I turn the page. Last night I called him a "silly goose" and he immediately ran from the room into his room, opening one of his book drawers and found a book that had a goose in it- he brought it to me and went straight to the correct page and showed his mama a "goose." In these moments I tell Dan again and again how I am positive our little man is a genius in my totally-unbiased-motherly-opinion, of course.


-Papaw made Jackson a step stool and he LOVES everything it now allows him to do- "help" us do dishes and cook, wash his own hands, brush his own teeth, climb more easily up to where Sammy likes to hide on top of the couch. 


-He continues to be a great sleeper- incredibly easy to put down at night. We have our routine that we do every night which includes me arranging his 8 stuffed animals and 2 blankies in his bed followed by prayers and then lights out for a few minutes of cuddling and talking before putting him in his bed. A couple of weeks ago I had my back to him as I was arranging his bed and when I turned around he was standing in the middle of the room with his hands folded in the praying position patiently waiting fo rme to pray with him.


-With the new baby coming we haven't been pushing potty-training just yet, but Jackson initiates it on his own every once in awhile, telling us he needs to go potty and then doing so for a "treat" (a mini marshmallow). My plan is to focus in on the official potty-training once Audrey is here and I am home with them on maternity leave- I definitely think he'll be early to be trained versus most kids because he totally understands what it means and is clearly self-motivated.


-I always thought that Jackson acted just like Dan, but I think he's beginning to become more a more balanced version  the two of us (for better or worse!). He gets many things from Dan, but one thing that is clearly me is that he is so focused and somewhat serious when it comes to certain things- just like I was as a child- he is particular and knows exactly what he wants. This amuses Dan, but for me I am grateful that he has the balanced "Dan" side because from personal experience I know how exhausting it can be mentally to be that super-focused little kid who grows up to be that super-focused adult!


-One of the sweetest things that gets me every time is how Jackson signs "I love you." He seems to do this especially often with Dan. Every night at bed time he goes to tell Dan good night and to give him a kiss and then they give each other the "I love you" sign, but then the cutest thing is when Jackson walks to his bedroom he normally will turn around before shutting the door and give Dan one last "I love you" shout out. Earlier this week Dan dropped Jackson off at Mamaw's house in the morning which he never gets to do because I am always on "drop-off" duty, but he said that as Jackson was standing in the window waving bye-bye to Dan as he pulled out Jackson flashed Dan an "I love you." Seriously cute. How could you possibly have a bad day when you have that sort of send off?


I am sure there are a million more stories I could tell- and if you ask my friends at work I'm sure they would verify this as they have to listen to them all the time- but those are just a few that were on my mind. I love that little man more than anyone will ever understand!


Happy 20 months, Jackson Philip!

Breakfast with Jackson: Month 20

This morning you're having greek yogurt and a gluten-free waffle... and since you're a big boy now you're feeding yourself and sitting in a big boy chair- no more high chairs!

a (premature) before & after

Our little complete home renovation/addition project has officially been in progress since we bought our little cottage 4 years ago this past month. The first years, however, were very much so focused on the inside- and to be more exact, the first floor. So, when today the brick layers had officially finished one side of the house with the newly bricked exterior I couldn't help but look back to see how that side of the house has evolved since we began this long road... hopefully the "official" before and after shots, including the interior, won't be too far behind.

The Journey: 

October 2007- the "what did I let Dan talk me into buying" photo...

October 2008- About a year later and very little progress on the outside- our focus had been on the inside, leaving a lot to be desired in the 'curb appeal' department. We had spent a lot of time on tearing out all of the old landscaping and putting in new that we were waiting on to mature, but it never had a chance. Bing, our new puppy at the time destroyed almost all of our hard work. Oh, furry children...

January 2009- Finally, a little improvement- we had our house painted... getting rid of the blue with white shutters and replacing with a temporary white with black shutters, knowing that hopefully sooner or later that would be replaced with an all brick exterior. 

February 2010- Another year by and still little progress on the outside. At that point all of our efforts had been on renovating the first floor in anticipation of Jackson's arrival in the midst of one of the many snow storms in February 2010. 

March 2011- We just learned we were pregnant with Audrey, Dan was beginning 3 months of working 7 days a week and so we decided that would be *perfect* timing to begin the next major phase of work, this time finally attacking the outside. Goodbye, nasty old sun room, tiny garage and ancient stone landscaping!

April 2011- The next month or so was spent reconstructing the back foundation of the house to combat the years of pressure the house had endured from being built into a hill. This was definitely one of the not-so-glamorous or exciting parts of the project.

Late April 2011- Work beginning on the new addition while still finishing the foundation. Dan and our concrete guy, Greg, are prepping the footers for the new room. It was at this point when we realized Jackson was seeing more of Greg than he was of Dan since there was so much concrete work happening on the project and Dan was still stuck at work literally all hours of the day and night. 

May 2011- Once the footers were poured, work began on the future garage and patio floors as well as retaining walls below where the addition would sit. 

June 2011- The month we found out we were having a GIRL and this pregnant mama was happy to be able to once again park near the house. No more carrying Jackson, diaper bags and computers bags across makeshift sidewalks and losing her heels in muddy construction messes every morning. 

July 2011- Finally a little excitement- we began framing the addition! Of course, it was one of the hottest summers in recent memory so it made for some pretty trying days for our work crew, but it was well worth it (easy for me to say from the comfort of air conditioning)!

August 2011- August brought a less hectic work schedule for Dan (thank goodness!) and more progress, including finished framing, roof trusses, a roof and windows. Things were moving quickly, just the way I like them!

September & Early October 2011- The start of fall brought a big hold-up as we faced our first big set back (and hopefully our last) when our brick guy had to quit on us after his crew quit on him, so we spent time looking for a new crew to hire and then a lot of rainy days slowed down progress, but slowly we are seeing the exterior come alive with the new brick makeover. At this point 2/3 of the brick has been laid. 

Hopefully in the next few days we'll be ready to share the finished brick exterior! Meanwhile, Dan has been busy inside running all of the electricity for the addition- the phase of the project I'll remember as the one that officially burnt him out. I'm hoping it is finished ASAP so we can move on to other projects that he won't have to be as hands-on with... the new HVAC, drywall and flooring. Did I mentioned Audrey is due in 39 days!?!