Time to play catch-up

To say that I haven't been very good at keeping up with the blog is an understandment!  It's been really busy lately and with the beautiful weather finally arriving in Minnesota, it's hard to make myself sit in front of a computer any more than necessary.  I do want to share some wonderful pictures from Jackson's baptism weekend in Iowa though. 

We all made the trek down to IA at the end of April for the big event.  Jackson was just getting over the croup so I was really nervous about how it was all going to go but he was wonderful!  He sat through almost all of the service and made his Mom and Dad very proud!

Both sides of the family made it for the celebration.  What a wonderful day!

We drove down to Iowa on Friday after work so that we'd have all day on Saturday to just hang out and relax.  It was a gorgeous day, a perfect day to play outside for a bit.  Despite the fact that Jackson was still not feeling himself, we thought a trip to the park would be fun.  We went to Spring Lake Park in Cherokee, IA.  It a beautiful place with a nice walking path around the lake and some playground equipment.  You can even rent paddle boats in the summer.  My grandmother often took me there as a child to feed the swans.  Well, there weren't any swans on this particular day but we did see some geese.

This is Jackson's first time in a swing.  He wasn't so sure about the whole thing.

Getting ready to do go down the big kid slide with Dad.

After the park and a nice nap, we hung out out on the deck and checked out the grass in the backyard.  Again, Jackson was a little cautious with the grass.

This is one of my favorite pictures!  He looks like such a little boy in his jeans and barefeet.

His onesie says "I crawl the line."  Ha!  When I saw it I just had to have it being the Johnny Cash fan that I am. 

The rain finally chased us in but it was a really great day to explore outside! 

Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching which means the first trip of the season to the cabin!  Yeah!  It's going to be really fun to take Jackson up there this summer.  He's such a curious little boy that watching him take everything in is going to be great.  He's also much more mobile so it's going to be more work for us to keep up with him.  He crawls everywhere, goes up stairs and walks along furniture with ease.  I wouldn't be surprised if he is walking by his first birthday (yikes!  I can't believe he's going to turn one soon!).  He is also doing really well with food.  He loves fruit and vegetables!  I think he's gotten to the point where he's not too excited about the jar baby food anymore.  He knows what real food tastes like and that's what he wants.  He has six little teeth with which to eat all that food too.  No more cute gummy smile!  It's all teeth!

Anyway, that's about it from our neck of the woods.  It will be another busy weekend with cousin Zachary's birthday celebration on Saturday and then, hopefully, a trip to Minnehaha Falls on Sunday.  Busy but fun, that's how we like it!

Happy Mother's Day!

Wow, it's been a busy couple of weeks, capped off by a wonderful first Mother's Day!  Scott, Jackson and I celebrated Mother's Day with a yummy brunch with the Carter clan and a trip to the Como Zoo.  It was a beautiful day and we had alot of fun! 

There is a gorilla in there although the picture didn't turn out so great.

Happy Jackson!

Mom, I'm not so sure about that Zebra.  I think he's giving me the eye.

Jackson seemed to have fun at the zoo but I'm not sure he was very impressed with anything.  He mostly acted like he's seen it all before.  Ha!  Oh well.  We're planning a trip to the Minnesota Zoo sometime this summer.  Maybe he'll like that a little better. 

When we got home we set up Jackson's new walker.  He is really a boy on the move now!  He loves it and I think it's really only a matter of time before he is walking.  (The bib is for the drool, which is really just constantly pouring out of his mouth these days.  There is some serious teething going on.)

Jackson took to the walker instantly.  It's one of those that can convert into a little scooter for when he's a little older.

My first Mother's Day was truly wonderful.  I never realized how amazing it would be to be a mother.  I never knew you could love so much, hurt so much and feel so much joy that it overwhelms every ounce of your being.  On Friday, Jackson's daycare had a "Muffins with Mom" deal where you could have muffins with your little one before leaving for work.  It was a great event and all the kids had gifts for their moms.  I had been excited about it all week.  Jackson and I sat at a little table eating our muffins.  I was sitting on one of those little chairs built for a 5 year-old, where your knees come up to your chest and the table was about at mid-calf level but I loved every minute of it.  Yes, we could have sat at a larger table but I wanted to sit somewhere that would suit Jackson.  We had a great time eating our muffins.  I couldn't believe how quickly he devoured his!  After about 20 minutes of hanging out with Jackson and the other kids in the infant room, I thought it was time to head to work.  As I left, Jackson was waving good-bye with a big smile on his face.  It was adorable!  His teacher said "Happy Mother's Day" as I walked out and the emotions just came boiling up.  By the time I got to my car, I was in tears.  It was like his first day at daycare all over again.  I just wanted to turn around, scoop him up and spend the whole day hanging out with my little man.

So, as my first Mother's Day has come and gone I want to say this: Thank you to my mom for showing me how a mother lives and how a mother loves because through your actions, you have shown me how to be a mother.  I only hope that I can give Jackson what you have given me -- an unconditional love and support that I feel everyday.  I also want to thank my wonderful husband who has seen me through many tears and fears over the last 10 months (and the previous nine months).  Finally, thank you to my beautiful baby boy.  One smile, one hug from you fills my heart with so much joy.  I will do my best to give you everything you deserve!  Thank you for blessing our lives!