Santa

Jackson and Santa 2010

First Christmas Program

Jackson participated in his first Christmas program today. He did so great! He sang a word or two, did most of the motions and did not cry or run off the stage (but of course his hands were in his mouth). We were so very proud of him. Both sets of grandparents were able to come and watch his big show.

On the way to the Christmas program I was driving Jackson while others followed in different cars. Jackson was eating some raisins as a snack. He said "Mommy I have a raisin in my nose." I soon learned Jackson has placed a raisin in his nose and it was stuck. After freaking out and getting worried a pair of tweezers solved the problem and the show went on!

Mrs. Bridges- his preschool teacher

Cousins

We had Carlie, Kenzie and Camrie over while JJ went out to celebrate his 40th Birthday! TV was the only way these crazy bugs would have quiet time at the end of the evening. Also Chewy enjoyed some cuddles.

Plaza Lights 2010

One of my favorite memories growing up was going to see the Plaza Lights with my parents. It was always a fun trip to the "Big City" to see the lights. I was so excited to take Jackson this year knowing he will really get how neat all the lights are. So with much excitement and a little resistance from Justin we picked a night with wonderful weather to head out to the Plaza! Jackson loved the lights and most of all loved the horses. We were able to take a horse drawn carriage ride around the Plaza, see all the lights and ate dinner at 810 Sports Zone where there are built in games! It was really a great evening.

Just some fun in the leaves

These pictures are from a few weekends ago... but they are just too fun not to post. Jackson and Chewy have a special relationship. Jackson loves him so much... and Chewy well....

Thanksgiving 2010

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving in Kansas. This is a holiday we will probably always celebrate at home and just hope people will want to come to us. Justin always has a busy Friday and sometimes Saturday after Thanksgiving so traveling is not really an option for us. We celebrated this year with the Wilferth side of the family. We also spent the weekend running errands and having some fun. Jackson helped me decorate the house this year and seems really excited about everything Christmas. He gets it from me!

Lots to be thankful for....

Kalediascope

Today we ventured out to Kaleidoscope which is a kid fun art studio at Hallmark. Jackson's cousins met him there. It was a good time by all. We have been busy working on house projects and preparing for Thanksgiving these days. Jackson loves preschool and is really doing well.

Halloween 2010

Here are a few pictures from Halloween. The weather was nice and chilly. Perfect for Jackson's warm cheeseburger costume. For actual trick or treating Brody and Mason joined us. Jackson did great with saying trick or treat and most of the time saying thank you without being prompted. Lots of fun traditions on Halloween for us.
Also Justin and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary this weekend with a 24 hour trip to Chicago. It was a fun trip full of great food and shopping. My camera ruined the pictures so there are none of that!

Jackson's preschool

Jackson's preschool has a blog. He was recently in the blog which was great because the picture captured two of his favorite people: Mrs. Bridges his teacher and Allison his best friend at school.

He seems to really love preschool!!!

Biking with Dad

A new adventure for us is that Jackson is now able to ride bikes with us! We previously just walked while he rode but now he is turning into a super star bike rider. He can steer great, control his speed and brake really well. We are really proud of him. He seems pretty proud of himself when he rides too.

When we bought this house we knew we loved the trails that wind behind it... but never knew how much fun and time we would spend on them. Typically one morning a weekend we go for a run together. Justin runs off to complete 6 miles while Jack and I turn around and head for bagels and Mochas (Jack has chocolate milk as a treat). About 3-4 times a week we take Jackson for a bike ride and love our time together outside getting some exercise and talking about all the sights and sounds.

Fall Fun 2010

Celebrating Mason (and Brody's) birthday.
Fun at the pumpkin patch
Smores with Max
More fun at the pumpkin patch.

Just a few photos of what we have been up to this Fall.

A little more then planned

Take one guy with a pair of tree trimming shears

Add a HUGE machine

A Big Kid having fun

And a A little guy who is a BIGGER helper

And the result is a huge unplanned for for big project Saturday morning.
Justin started to trim trees in our yard and went a little over board. It actually all turned out great with the help of Pappa Freddie.

Up in the Air

We had a weekend of looking to the sky. On Friday evening we enjoyed a Hot Air Balloon Launch in south Overland Park. It was a little delayed but worth it to see almost 20 hot air balloons fill up with air and float away about 20 feet in front of us. We enjoyed the event with JJ, Gretchen and the girls.
On Saturday we joined Poppy at the Whiteman Air Force Base Wings Over Whiteman Air Show. My Dad is a retired Officer in the US Air Force so I have always thought there was something magical about the Air Force and all the special planes they fly. I grew up on or next to an Air Force Base until I left for college. My dad retired when I was 8 years old and we stayed right next to Whiteman which became the home of the Big Daddy B2 Bomber. Today they had a big show with lots of different planes you could get into and also some neat ones flying over head. They even had some dropping bombs in the distance! Although it was a little hot out on the flight line it was pretty neat to be there!

Just another packed Fall weekend for us!

First Day Of Preschool

Jackson started preschool on Tuesday, September 7, 2010. It was an emotional day for all of us. Luckily Justin arranged his travel schedule so he could be home the morning and evening of this big day.

For June, July and August Jackson was cared for by one of my best friends, Alli (along with 2 of Jackson's best friends BrodyMason), my sister in law Gretchen (along with Jackson's 3 favorite girl cousins in Kansas) and my parents. So he was spoiled with love, attention and lots of fun time over the summer. We were also spoiled with knowing he was in great hands each and every minute.

We searched and toured a few places before choosing Holy Cross Catholic Early Education Center for Jackson to attend this fall. The plan is for him to attend this school until Kindergarten. On Friday, September 3 we attended an orientation day. It was just an hour where Jackson went to his classroom while Justin and I listened to stuff we needed to know. Unfortunately they talked for about 15 minutes about the car line and it was kind of silly! Regardless I thought it would go great because we would be near. I was completely wrong. Jackson cried almost the entire time saying "I need my mom" It was heart breaking to hear him so upset. I would say Jackson is a mommas boy- and that is putting it mildly. He is with me so much that he is pretty attached. So after orientation day I was extremely worried, anxious and overwhelmed at the thought of sending him to preschool.

We made arrangements so that we could gradually transition Jackson into preschool over the week. The first morning we all got ready and traveled to preschool together. As we pulled in Jackson started to cry and say "I don't want to go to preschool." We assured him it would be so fun and that he would get to meet new friends and have snack. We also assured him I would pick him up right after preschool class. As we walked him in, he cried. As we left I cried. He did calm down a bit after our routine of Big Hug, High 5 and Knuckles.

His teacher, Mrs. Bridges reported he did pretty well with no tears after we left. Each day this week got a little better. By Thursday he did not cry when I dropped him off or picked him up and didn't really cry much during the day.

So we made it... Jackson is officially in PRESCHOOL!

Labor Day 2010

We enjoyed the Labor Day Holiday with Justin's family this year. We were actually able to all be together. It was a lot of fun. The little kids did great and the Big ones (us) loved catching up.Yummy Fruit Popsicle
Van Gundy Kids with their families
The whole family
Sweet Sweet Cousins

St. Louis Trips Begin

Justin's two sisters (and their families) now live in St. Louis so we see several St. Louis trips in our future. Last week Jackson and I visited Maxwell and Zoey for a little R and R while Justin was on a long business trip to Vegas. It was a good time. They have a fabulous new home complete with a pool and a "park." It was nice to get away. We are headed back this weekend for their official house warming party!

Machines

Today Justin and Jackson went exploring, a little bit... Justin found some construction trucks all lined up so he brought Jackson back to check them out. He loved them.

POOL FUN

We love mornings at the pool.