Start the car!!!

This was exactly how I felt after I checked out at Toys R Us the other day. Only it was just me and the kids and there was no one to start the car. So it was more like "Just get the merchandise out to the car and drive away before they realize they've made a mistake." I really could not believe the deal I had gotten. My immediate thought was..."That was such a good deal. I should probably buy more than one." But really, who needs more than one of these....

Yes, we are now the proud owners of 'a jumpy thing'. As if I needed one more outdoor toy to find storage for in my garage. I don't want anyone to pass out after learning what I paid for this, so let's just say that I got it for about 80 % off. I had been debating for about a month on whether or not we should invest in one of these. And after the other day when Jackson head-butted Luke to the ground 5 times before lunch, I said, "Get in the car boys, we're headed to Toys R Us." I thought that spending the money on a jumpy thing was probably more affordable than what a concussion for Luke might run me. I was more than pleasantly surprised, and shocked even, when the cashier told me my total. I quickly signed the receipt, abruptly ended Jackson's 50 cent ride on Pumba, and hurried to the car. I thought, 'Just get the kids in, start the car, and get out of here!' And all my girls can probably guess what my next thought was...'I spent soooo much less than the amount I had budgeted and what Brad and I had agreed on...which means......Ok, well, Brad reads this too, so I'll have to tell you later what I did with the surplus :)
Here are some pictures of one happy little boy in his 'jumpy fing'

Luke, on the other hand, did not enjoy the jumpy thing so much...

He was much happier as an observer in his walker, enjoying a piece of toast.

Another plus to the jumpy thing...it finally gave me some time to put together one of Luke's Christmas presents :)

He was quite happy :)

January randomness

So much has occurred in our lives since the last post, but nothing that could really be put into one, big, cohesive post. So you're just going to get one, big, random post instead.
Luke has changed so much. He is crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything, and really letting his personality come out. We have always called him Monkey (or Monk Monk) and he is living up to his name. He has developed his own personal impression of a monkey which basically consists of short, very loud, shrieks. His favorite place to do his impression is, of course, in public...usually as I'm shopping in the grocery store or when we are out to eat. While it is amusing at first, it can be quite disruptive and gets lots of stares :)

Who does he think he is? He's supposed to be my baby :( He still only has 2 teeth, but is working hard on getting some more...hence the drool all over his shirt :)

I love that this is what I get to see when I go into his room each day. He is so very proud of himself and his newly learned skill...it is just too cute!

Couldn't you just pinch those little cheeks?

I love to laugh. And Jackson keeps me laughing all the time. I think kids say the funniest things at this age. Sometimes he is meaning to be funny, and other times he doesn't even know how funny he is.

Example:

Most nights it is a bit of a struggle to get him to come up with what he wants to thank God for in his prayers (some of you may think that is a bit of a high expectation for a 3 year old, but Jackson is a smart kid). But the other night, there was no hesitation. I didn't have to coax, didn't have to remind him of what he did that day that might serve as a good idea, gave no suggestions, he simply got on his knees, bowed his head, closed his eyes, and in his sweet little voice said..."Dear God, Thank you for the song 'Let's Get It Started In Here'. Amen."

Yes, God. Thank you for the Black Eyed Peas. I'm sure He gets that one a lot ;)

Another thing about being a 3 year old boy...he is BUSY! There is no down time. Jackson is either on or off; there is no in between. He is rowdy, he is rough, he is dirty...but he is sweet, he is tender, and he is polite...and did I mention smart? I am so proud of him :)

He has been into Mr. Potato Head lately (which is funny because he got a bunch of Mr. Spud stuff for his 2 yr birthday and has not really been interested in it until just lately). He likes to create 'potatoes' and then come show them to me.

He created this masterpiece and said to me "Look, Mommy. It's Picasso!" (Toy Story is one of our current movies of choice)

He brought this one to me today and said "Look, Mommy. This guy has a pistachio!"
Mustache, pistachio...who doesn't confuse those two words?

Every night, Brad and I make "rounds". We go in and look at each one of our little angels as they sleep. We re-position, re-tuck, re-kiss...it is such a sweet time as parents that I look forward to each evening. Jackson, like most 3 year olds, sleeps with an army of things. He has G, baby G, Mickey pillow, Gray Cat, Mickey cubbers, Georgia cubbers, Football cubbers, and Swakey Swake...a giant 6 foot long stuffed animal snake...and all in a twin bed! So as we made "rounds" the other night, this is what we walked into. I promise there was no re-positioning before this picture was taken...this was just as we found him, and we couldn't resist the photo opportunity as we chuckled in the dark :)

A few weeks ago, we went to Atlanta to celebrate some Morgan family birthdays...both of my brothers, Kenny and Nicholas, and Nicholas' wife, Ashlyn. My parents cooked a wonderful dinner and we all enjoyed great company, food, and of course, wine. My favorite thing about the evening (other than the never ending "that's what she said" comments by the entire family) was that the cousins got to play together. Jackson and Allie are 15 months apart and Luke and Jake are 9 months apart. They had such a great time playing together. Jackson and Allie were the funniest, walking around hand in hand the entire night like long lost little buddies.

Hanging out at the top of the stairs

Sweet picture of Luke playing with Grandpa

The fam...I don't think Brad likes it that I dress the boys alike sometimes, but I love it!

Whew, that was a lot. Is anyone still reading....?

Finally!

I am way past due for this post, but here it is anyway. There were so many pictures that I decided it would be easier to put them into slideshows.

The first is from all of the Christmas festivities. We had Brad's family over to our house for Christmas Eve dinner and presents and had a wonderful time. There were so many presents to open that Jackson got tired and Brad opened the rest :) After celebrating Santa's goodies Christmas morning with just our 4, we loaded the car and headed out for our annual Christmas tour of metro Atlanta. First it was to Teddy and Grandpa's for Christmas brunch where Jackson and Luke got new chairs. Then we were off to Acworth to Brad's Aunt Sue's where Jackson had a great time riding around with cousin Tate in his new gator. Our last stop was in Roswell at Great Grandma and Grandpa Lucas' and then back to Macon....whew! A very busy but fun day :)

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As a trade off for getting a week's vacation at Christmas, Brad had to work the entire week surrounding New Years...so the kiddos and I headed to the beach with Teddy and Grandpa! Although this was Luke's 3rd trip to the beach house, it was really the first time he got to experience the beach, sand, water, etc. Thankfully we had a day of amazing 80 degree weather so both of the boys had a blast. Luke enjoyed feeling the sand, eating some, and even semi-crawled a little bit. Jackson had fun playing with his dump truck, burying his hands and feet in the sand, and building a feather castle with Grandpa.

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We are finally back home and trying to put everything back in order (although I STILL have yet to unpack my suitcase). We are so blessed and can't wait to see what 2009 will bring :)