One Year Photos

Here are a few of the gorgeous shots from Jackson's one year photo shoot. Photos were taken by Nichole Marie Photography:

Mommy love! 

Daddy love! 

Our big 1 year old!

Reading some books in his room :)

Some of his very first steps! So glad the photographer was here to capture it. 

Cake smash! Love the third one where is is in a "cake coma!" 

Bath time after the cake! 

Nichole does such beautiful work! She also did Jackson's 6 month session which we were equally as pleased with. Cannot wait to work with her again in the future! 

Bring on toddlerhood!!

We have a full blown toddler on our hands! It is still hard to say it, and I most definitely still refer to him as my baby; however, it's inevitable that Jackson is becoming a big boy. He is far from a baby at this point. Our little man turned 13 months today. Like the previous 12, there sure have been a lot of changes this month! Here is a quick update on what jacks is up to:

• We now have a fully walking little boy! He walks non stop and now that he has the confidence to do so, he rarely crawls. He thinks he is big stuff too and does NOT want help from mommy or daddy when it comes to walking. 
• This boy is constantly chatting! I wish I knew exactly what he is trying to communicate because he always has something to say. I can often figure out what he wants from pointing or whining, but other time he repeats words (like "bo-coo"?) over and over. He is saying a few more things this month. His favorite word at this time is "uh-uh-oh." He also says a lot of animal noises in reference to the correct animal! 
• Jackson is all boy for sure. He is starting to climb on anything and everything. He is very much attracted to stairs. We do have a gate on our stairs, but just yesterday he learned he could crawl through the cat door on the gate to get upstairs. We are in trouble! 
• Independent. This kid is becoming more independent. Not to be misleading, he still cannot technically do anything for himself, but he wants to do what he can for himself. He doesn't want anyone to hold his hand when walking. He likes drinking his milk alone. If he is trying to accomplish a task he wants to do it without anyone's help. 
• With that said, he continues to be a very determined kid. When he wants to do something, such as climb in his chair with a giant stuffed dog and three other toys at the same time, he will work until he gets it all by himself. 
• Jackson has begun to show off for company. He seems to enjoy when people come over and is always happy. When a new face walks through the door it almost gives him an extra burst of energy! He begins walking all over the house just smiling and playing hard. He doesn't stop to visit just moves like crazy! 
• Listening is getting better. He will follow some commands and is learning a lot of words. He knows "no" but doesn't usually listen to it. We are working on redirecting him so that we are not constantly telling him no. 
• He is a little sponge just learning and observing so much. He is picking up on eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and hair right now. He also picks up animal sounds quickly. Sometimes he will repeat colors but I don't think he is close to really knowing any. Little smarty! 
• Jackson is fully weaned now and seems to love his milk. He continues to be a good eater most days but does have a picky day every now and then. 
• Sleep and naps remain the same. 
• No new teeth, although he has molars that are very close to cutting through! 
• His favorite toys/objects include books, his chair, his big stuffed dog, any ball, his car, tupperware, the laundry basket, and kitchen utensils. He also still loves our pets and is obsessed with ALL animals. He loves seeing other animals on walks, reading animal books, and playing with his toys that are animals. We've even caught him trying to share his milk or toys with the cats a couple of times! 

We sure do love this happy little fella!

Jackson loves riding on this car so we try to take a stroll through the neighborhood with the car every morning. 

Just sitting in my big boy chair, playing on my lap top. 

Playing with the barnyard animals!

Drinking his milk while lounging on his big puppy. 

Enjoying some outdoor time!

This sweet face melts my heart. LOVE. 

Playing with his little friend Charlotte. Man, I thought it was hard to try and capture one kid sitting still - try two! Every picture I took of these two, at least one of them is blurry!! ha

Watching daddy and Cooper out the window. 

"Mom, this spatula is way too big to eat with!!" 

Cruising through the neighborhood, hair blowing in the wind. 

Sharing his toys with Jack (Jack is a friends dog that stayed with us last weekend).

As you can tell, he is being very helpful with the laundry. He is keeping a pair of socks and the basket warm!

Drinking while driving....at least it's just milk. Silly boy. 

Impromptu Trip

Jacks and I made a last minute trip to TN this past week/weekend. Daddy was going out of town for a long weekend so we decided we needed to do something too. I was hesitant at first of the idea of driving all the way to my parents house alone with Jackson (and Cooper). Jackson did not enjoy the car very much during our summer trips and I didn't know how I would be able to handle it if he got upset for a long period of time and had no one to help (or how I could make a bathroom stop without someone to hold him?!?! ha). Anyway, I decided to face my fear and make the trip. We left first thing Wednesday morning and made it to Sparta, TN (5.5 hours) without stopping! I must say that Jackson did much better than I expected! He fought his nap which caused a little fussines, but other than that he was great. We joined Corey and my friend Pistol for lunch before completing the final hours of the trip. He was even better on the way home! Again, we made it about four hour before stopping in Asheville to meet a friend for lunch. He only made a little noise through some of the curves in the mountains. Other than that, he slept, drank a couple bottles, and just chatted with Cooper! :)

It was a quick trip but fun to visit with family and catch up with a couple of friends. We had a low key day with Grandma on Thursday. Friday we visited with our friend Jenny and her boy Hayden. We took a walk, the boys played, and we had lunch with another friend, Brittany. Brittany is expecting her first baby in February - can't wait till we can add her little one to play dates! Kylie, Grandpa, and Corey all came home on Friday so we got to spend some time with them. Abbs and Galen then dropped in for a while Saturday to visit Jacks. We finished off the trip with a delicious fall meal of chili, cheesey bread, and apple cake. Yum!

Here are a  few pictures from our play date with Hayden and time at the grandparents:

Cooper also joined us on our visit. The dogs were being a little crazy so we locked them on the stairs. Of course the boys then wanted on the stairs where the dogs were! 

Oh, just reading to my buddy Hayden! 

I can't wait until they get a little bigger and can interact even more! Wish we lived closer so we could have more play dates. 

Jackson got to play in the pool one more time...sad to say it, but it will probably be the last water day for the summer. This boy loves it though! He crawls all over the shallow end and even sticks his face in the water!

Cooper invited himself in the pool to cool off after some fetch.

It's 5:00 somewhere....wine time with Grandma!

Just reading a little Hot Rod magazine, no big deal. 

Checking out Gigi's new recliner! 

Morning cuddles with Gramps and his grands!

First time riding the tractor! He did not want to get off! 

The boys waking Grandma up one morning. 

Having a little milk before bed with Uncle Galen!

Reunited and it feels so good! haha This is the first time Cooper has seen Galen since he returned home. Although it takes the strange dog a little time to warm up, he always loves Galen!

Some more milk with Auntie! From these photos, it looks like all this kid does is drink milk! 

Our lunch date in Asheville! I haven't seen my friend Allison since our wedding five years ago! It was great catching up with her and glad she got to meet J! 

Bring on Fall!

I cannot believe that summer is over (almost) and that it is already fall time! I do love summer, but also enjoy the spring and fall too. With the season change comes not only a change in weather, but in some fun activities too! Jackson and I were invited to go on a hayride and apple picking this past Friday. We joined another mommy friend and her 3 year old son at a farm in Mooresville. We took a short hayride out to a petting zoo area. The kiddos were able to pet a cow, some goats, and some piggies. Jackson just loved the animals, especially the little pigs (he has been drawn to a few pig toys lately). From the petting zoo, we ventured over to the orchard. We picked a bag of apples, which I must add is pretty challenging while holding a 20+ lb child on your hip! When we returned to the farm they gave us some delicious apple cider. It was a fun day and now I need to use my apples to make some sort of delicious fall dessert or homemade applesauce for the boy!

Here are a few pictures:

He really enjoyed his first hayride, but of course he didn't want to sit still! Don't worry, that isn't hay he is eating. :) 

Jackson and Merrick on the hayride!

This little guy absolutely loved the animals and cried when we had to leave them. I love that he loves animals so much, but we have to be careful because he has no fear of them. Poor Merrick got bit by a pig and of course they were Jackson's favorite. He kept crawling right back to them and sticking those little fingers through the fence! 

See what I mean? Look at him pointing at the pig! Can't wait to take this boy to the zoo! 

Just watching the goats. 

Picking apples with mommy!

Merrick and Tracy with their bags of apples. Thanks for the invite guys!

Fall time also brings on football season! We traveled to Chapel Hill for the weekend to go to the first football game of the year. We got to the Modlin's Friday evening and had dinner and watched a movie. Saturday we all went to the game while Jackson stayed back with his great Aunt Rosanne and great Uncle Ron. Cousins Jennifer and Derek also came over to play. The Heels were playing Middle Tennessee, which is kind of funny since MTSU is located in the town where my parents live! They got their first victory of the year - woohoo! It was a beautiful sunny day, which also means that it was very HOT!! We look forward to attending another game when it is a little cooler out. Jackson and I met some of my old work friends for dinner and frozen yogurt Saturday evening. We then finished up the trip on Sunday with brunch, shopping on Franklin Street, and ice cream at Maple View Farm.

Some of Jackson's new Carolina apparel:

We had a fun weekend and are looking forward to more fall festivities!