Jackson's phrases and "the list"

I have to write down some of Jackson's latest phrases on the blog so I don't forget them! This will be better than any baby book someday...I just need to get the blog printed into a book already!!!

People continually tell me how good his speaking and vocabulary is for a two year old, he puts together whole sentences and most of the time we understand completely what he is saying and sometimes it is down right funny...of course he has intelligent genes (from my side at least, ha) and I think the advanced language development and socialization is in large part due to going to school!! Here are some of the latest phrases:

"Here my is" when we ask him "where's Jackson"...we quickly taught him to say "here I AM" but the grammatical mis-step was pretty funny

"Mommy you're older than me but daddy is oldest" "Jackson is the youngest"

"Mommy only boys and daddy's have a weenie" Mommy you be a girl, not a boy, Jackson bes a boy" At least he is getting less gender confused and anatomically confused these days....

"Mommy/Daddy" when talking to either of us...half the time he forgets who he is with or who he is talking to so he says both of our names

"LOOK at that sing" (sing for thing)........Look at that monster truck (whenever he sees a regular size 4 door pick up

"Look, Look" when he sees anything...

"I not like this"

"Today is Saturday"...he tells us this just about everyday, we are working on days of the week and weather right now!


Ok, on to my holiday to-do list:

-gifts bought and wrapped for 4 nieces and 1 nephew-CHECK...Our family grew by THREE chidlren this year so there are A LOT of gifts!!

-Christmas photos and cards taken and ordered-CHECK

-Christmas lights and decorations out of storage and at the new house-CHECK

-St. Nick's day gifts bought, wrapped, and shipped-CHECK

-Visit with Santa and photos with Santa-CHECK (three times in 10 days)

Things still to do:

-finish all shopping and wrapping

-ship all gifts to Ohio

-decorate house

-bake

-mail Christmas cards

-PACK for Holiday travels

**I would say we are in good shape on November 30th!!



-finish all

Disney recap and a potty training update

So, now that I've started to regain some energy (not really after a crazy Monday at work after 5 days off, but I will pretend) I'm ready to do the Disney post! We had a great time at Disney and managed to visit all 4 Disney parks plus Sea World in just 4.5 days, and we took breaks each day for several hours mid-day into early-mid afternoon for naps and relaxation and down time in our room.

We did not stay anywhere fancy since it is high season at Disney now and it was a full house for the resorts! We can get such great Florida resident rates that we only take advantage of the nicest resorts in the summer and fall months when it is low season and our rates are the best. THis time we still got our resident rate but it was high in comparison due to the holiday so we stayed at the Pop Century Resort. The location of this resort is nice as it is just a few minutes drive or bus ride to all parks. It does NOT have all of the bells and whistles as some other places but the room was clean and adequate and there were several cool pools and nice amenities the resort offered in true Disney style. Since we stayed on property we got free Disney transportation anywhere but we were given a good tip NOT to ride the buses. As a resident and someone staying at the resorts we got free parking at all of the parks and when we booked our reservation the lady said DO NOT take the busses unless you have to, holiday time the waits can be like an hour so we drove our car everywhere which was just as easy, no lugging the stroller all over the place. We left it in the car each night and got it out each morning at the park. So, for location and value the Pop Century was not a bad way to go. We hit up Magic Kingdom a few times (Jackson's favorite park) and even stayed late one night for the Disney electrical lights parade, the first time we've seen this!! We also hit up MGM and had character breakfast at Hollywood and Vine with Oso, Little Einsteins and Handy Manny, a big hit but a BIG cost too, I have to warn about this! For two adults and a child who is two and FREE to eat the character breakfast buffet it was over $70.00!! It was fun but for what we ate, a rip off. Jackson also enjoyed the Playhouse theater show with the Disney characters and the HOney I shrunk the Kids playground and the Toy Story mania ride at Mgm!!

To put the cost of the character breakfast into comparison, we had a really fancy 5 star Thanksgiving dinner buffet at the really nice Dolphin resort on property and our dinners did not cost as much as the crazy character breakfast!!! Choose wisely or get the meal plan for those options is my suggestion! We also ate one dinner at Magic Kingdom at the Plaza Resttaurant and enjoyed that. We were overlooking the castle and got to catch fireworks and a celebration parade while we ate. This time we spent a lot of time in Tomorrow Land with Jackson due to the race cars, and buzz light year and people mover space ship rides there that he really liked. We also hit up Epcot one night where we ate inside at the San Angel Mexican restaurant in Mexico and we also spent a day at Animal Kingdom where we played in the Dino exhibit at DIno Land and met Pooh, Tigger and Eyor (SP??) along the way and there was no line to see them, amazingly we just happened upon them when they first came out! They were even dressed in their holiday best. We spent black Friday with Shamu at Sea World and got to see the Polar Express exhibit and of course SANTA which was really cool. It was a great mini vacation for us, even if I feel like I need a vacation from the vacation now:))

In other news, I am continuing to feel well with the pregnancy, these days I feel so good that sometimes I almost forget that I am pregnant! My belly is starting to show if I wear something with an empire waist but other than that it is still hard for people to recognize that I am pregnant. I will try to post a picture that shows the growing belly! I am 14 weeks and a few days now.

Finally, in potty training news, Jackson had his first full day in big boy underwear at school today with NO accidents. He continued the trend at home tonight until it was time for #2. I caught him in the middle of the act and took him to the potty but it was really too late so we'll work on that. Any advice on how to teach a two year old to poop IN THE TOILET??!! I hear this takes longer than #1!!

home sweet home!

We are home from our Disney Thanksgiving trip safe and sound...we are TIRED so a post with pictures is coming soon but Jackson had so much fun at "Disney World" that he cried crocodile tears the ENTIRE two hours home and repeatedly told us to turn around so he could go to Disney World!!! I think he likes it there!!! We had a good time at the parks, ate good food but most of all I liked the large amount of down time we got to spend together:)

Festival of Trees Breakfast with Santa

We went to the Festival of Trees Breakfast with Santa this morning at our local Children's Theater. Other than the fact that it was a bit dis-organized in the beginning and we had to wait in a line for almost an HOUR (an eternity to a toddler) once we got our pancakes and juice and got seated, it was great! We got to enjoy a pancake breakfast with fresh squeezed Florida OJ and fruit and pastries while listening to story time with Mrs. Claus. There were a lot of people there so we left the breakfast portion of the event and headed on over to the second theater where the Festival of Trees was set up to let Jackson and his friend Lola stretch their legs and burn off some energy. We saw all kinds of beautiful professionally decorated and themed trees up for auction to benefit the theater and we also found some good treats to bring home...cinnamon honey butter bread spread, and pimento cheese spread with an attitude! YUM!! I love home made good stuff like that in pretty jam jars...I need to get some TIME and learn to make my own "home-made" jarred goodness but for now I'll buy it from other people:)

As we were leaving the Festival of Trees, we swung back by the children's theater and got to see Santa at the end of that event with virtually no line! Lola was not a fan of the big man in the red suit but Jackson watched in awe while in line and then proudly ran right up with a big grin and a high five for Santa! What a great way to start our Saturday!!

baby #2 update!

We had our 12 week appointment this week (finally), it feels like it too forever to get to this point and we got to hear our baby's heartbeat which is always really exciting and the moment I think I actually begin to feel truly pregnant:)

The good news to report is that we both checked out well, I am happy to report that I LOST weight during my first trimester, thank you very much due to feeling LOUSY the entire time, likely, but still an accomplishment for me as I do not ever lose weight easily (the reverse happens) and I also have not been exercising just to be on the safe side this first trimester so I was pleasantly surprised. I know I have to gain weight in a pregnancy and just want to do so slowly and steadily this time with a goal of only 20-25 pounds gain this time. We'll see how I do but at least we're starting out right as I know it all goes on at the end and I want to try to avoid the swelling and mild pre-elcampsia issues I had last time at the end with Jackson, that was NOT fun.

The baby's heartbeat was faster than average and strong so good. We also found out that we will get to go for our anatomy ultrasound the week we fly to Ohio for Christmas so as long as the baby cooperates and is in good position, we should know the sex and will tell you all when we see you for Christmas!

We have lots of fun holiday things to do this weekend which we will post photos of. Tomorrow morning we have a special pancake breakfast with Santa along with friends Annabelle, Lola and Colton and their families at the Festival of Trees. We are also going to our Parish Harvest Festival this weekend.

FUN, FUN FUN, TGIF!!

why I like Florida!!

These past 4 days have reminded me why we live where we live and why I LOVE Florida!! The weather here is UNBELIEVABLE right now, high's in the upper 70's, low's in the upper 50's, the windows are open each and every day, no ac or heat running, just FRESH air and the bluest sky and brightest sun you've ever seen!! Even though I've been getting over a cold the past 4 days, I've enjoyed the first set of FOUR days in a row off since our marathon trip (I'm not ready to call it a vacation) to Ohio this summer!! The best part is I have spent the majority of that time at home relaxing and doing stuff around the house. Thursday I did do really well with the Veteran's Day shopping, Friday Jackson and I had a great day all to ourselves complete with an impromptu visit to the beach playground which we had all to ourselves other than the life guard on duty, followed by a lunch time beach picnic, just the two of us at our beach access!! It was the BEST day I can remember in a really long time. We played at the playground, explored a new beach at the park where the playground is (we discovered this park on a recent bike ride, it is just a few miles south of our neighborhood off A1A), and we had a picnic together, just the two of us and enjoyed the breeze, sound of hte waves, sand on our toes and sun on our skin. Did I mention how much I LOVE the weather this time of year??!! It almost makes you want to sleep outside it is so nice. There are also no pesky bugs which is really nice after our heat and bug filled summers we have here!! Saturday brought more outdoor time when we took Jackson to the Stuart air show just about a half our south of where we live. He loved to see the airplanes and it was just nice to get out and walk around in the nice weather. Today we're just home relaxing. We got out his fisher price car and took another walk to the beach to see the big waves the storm off shore up north is kicking up and we played in the driveway for a while so Jackson could "wash" his car and he also spent some time playing with his basketball hoop and with his water table from Aunt Erin.

On the baby front, I am still feeling well, SO much better than just a few weeks ago. While I am still tired, the extreme exhaustion seems to have passed for now ( I know it will return again at the end) and the nausea is also gone (Thank you God)! That was AWFUL. Like having the worst hangover ever for 6 weeks straight, ugh. I'm now entering the organizational/pottery barnish phase of the pregnancy wanting to desperately know WHO IS IN THERE so I can PLAN:) I have no idea what we will name this child, we've got a few names for boys and girls kicking around, but nothing has stuck yet for certain. I guess I'm not going to kill myself thinking about it until we know the sex for sure, that will either be right ahead of our trip to Ohio for Christmas or right when we get back to Florida. We see the doctor again this week Wednesday and will get to hear the heart beat for the first time at our 12 week appointment, yeah!! As long as all goes well, I will then announce the pregnancy on facebook and to the general public. I am starting to show a bit. I can wear most normal clothes, although jeans and tighter pants are a bit uncomfortable. I flipped my closet around last weekend so I am ready with all of my maternity gear and I found about 90% of my maternity clothes to be in good shape, ready to be worn again. Since the pregnancy is at the same time of year as my last one, I have holiday clothes, etc. and all of the seasons match with the size I am and will be throughout the pregnancy which is really nice!! Well, I'm off to get ready for another week, this will be a busy one but then the next week is short due to Thanksgiving which we will be spending at Disney!!

a wee bit under the weather but Christmas shopping continues none the less

Today as we celebrate Veteran's Day I am enjoying a day off since my office is closed (two managing partners who are veterans is NOT a bad thing)!! I had big plans for this day and despite having caught Jackson's latest virus (a nasty head cold) I did get up and going this morning, Jack went to school and Jon and I had a quick breakfast and then tackled Sam's Club and Target together. Jon hung in there for about half of the Target trip then he had to run and do some work (plus he is NOT a good shopper and was starting to drive me CRAZY so it was better that he left)!! Thankfully I knew that something like this would happen so we had driven two cars, lol!! 5 years of marriage and I have finally accepted that the man is just NOT a shopper, even when he says he will shop with me...it was good he had an escape route because I was nowhere near finished and he was rushing me. Everyone knows you cannot shop when you're being rushed!!

Much like the outlets last weekend, I did amazing with my coupons and stuck to my list. I also had withdrawn a set amount of cash before shopping and did fairly well sticking to that. No credit card was used for my shopping excursion which is a major bonus!! I saved over $50.00 at Target and walked out of there with $20.00 in gift cards, just for spending money I would have spent anyways on gifts and for remembering to bring my coupons with me to the store and actually hand them in!! After Target I headed to our mall (it is pathetic, I rarely go there but I had a few stores on my list to hit with more coupons)!! I hit up Bath and Body works where I saved over $30.00 and bought gifts for all of Jack's teachers. I also hit up Yankee Candle where I saved $90.00...I did not even spend that much!! I had a coupon for buy two candles, get two free...I bought 8 for the staff in my office and I only paid for 4!!! The lady let me use my coupon twice...I was loving it. The coupons I am talking about are all coupons I downloaded last weekend Sunday from the cite I blogged about earlier in the week!! I got all of the shopping done for our nieces and nephews, Jack's teachers and my co-workers. I've got some friends and family members left to shop for but we are getting there!

We also got a lot of Jackson's gifts. We have a much bigger backyard at this house so we got him a starter t-ball set and bases to learn and run, a lefty mit(NOT easy to find) and a little t-ball bat and also a starter soccer goal with cones. He loves to run around the yard and kick the soccer ball so we figured he might like the goal so he gets the hang of how to play. They can start playing here at 4 and we will be ready when that day comes! This boy is active and enjoys his outdoor time so we've got plenty of new fun things to play with come Christmas time! He got some other fun stuff too but I don't want to ruin all of the surprises!! Happy Veteran's Day everyone...I took tomorrow as a personal day (thank goodness now since I am NOT feeling well) and I think Jack will stay home from school with me and just spend quality mommy time with me tomorrow. He is still fighting his cold too so we will have a low key quiet day.

its beginning to look (and feel) a lot like Christmas!!

It has been cooler here this weekend (finally), lows in the 40's (that was a little cold for us) and highs in the low 60's so I took full advantage yesterday and got a start on my Christmas shopping! It was cold, grey and even spitting some rain, perfect for outlet shopping at its best! I had to blog about this as I wanted to share an awesome printable coupon site that I came across yesterday morning as I was preparing for my shopping expedition:www.mommysavesbig.com/printable coupons.

There is an alphabetical list of shops and when you click on the store, most of the stores have a variety of coupons you can print out right there, no need to give your email or sign up for anything! A few did require a sign up, but not most. I shopped at about 5 stores yesterday and at each store I had a 20% off (or greater) coupon, at the Carter store alone my coupon saved me over $100.00 plus the stores themselves had other reward programs and bonuses. It was amazing the savings I experienced just by spending ten minutes looking for coupons online!!

big boy bed update!

Just as I knew he would, Jackson was such a big boy yesterday helping us to transition his room to a big boy room! He helped us get the crib moved out along with the changing table and then for a few hours we sorted out clothing and toys that he has outgrown and we also sorted toys, pieces, parts, etc. of toys we still play with but could not really enjoy because the parts were all over the place! He now has an organized big boy bedroom to sleep and play in! He took his nap in his new bed without a problem and also slept through a peaceful night in his new bed without a problem. When I went in to get him this morning he was just lounging in the bed with his silkies slowlly waking up! What a seemless transition this has been! Just like when he gave up nursing and then the bottle, it was NO big deal at all. Now if we can just concur going number 2 on the potty and getting rid of that darn Paci we will be home free with him!!! All in due time I guess. I nearly forgot that it was fall back this morning, what a great surprise, an extra hour of free time! It is chilly again here this morning so we're moving slow and just lounging around. Jon and Jack are tackling cleaning up the garage in a little while and I am going to do some outlet shopping. I found all of my fun Christmas things I bought the day after Christmas last year and started making my shopping list and setting out each person's pile so I could see what I already had....its beginning to look like Christmas around here!!

Trip to the Circus

Phew, it has been a busy week. The funny thing is that the week started off looking like it would NOT be too busy. Boy was I wrong. I forgot that besides work, we had plans to take Jackson to the circus that came to town Monday night (none of us had ever been to a real traveling circus so it was pretty cool to see). Then Tuesday night we had family photos taken at the beach for Christmas. Wednesday night I had a Junior League board of directors meeting, and here we are on Saturday morning already!




















A cold front blew through yesterday and is sticking around for this weekend, lows were in the 40's (a 50 degree drop from last weekend when it was acting like summer here) and this morning everyone slept in about an hour longer (I like this cold weather after all) and now we're snuggled up under our down blankets in our flannel jammies on the couch. It is probably about 60 out now but again, that is COLD for south Florida!

I'm happy to report that on the pregnancy front, I AM STARTING TO FEEL LIKE A HUMAN BEING AGAIN and my normal type A highly motivated project oriented self, THANK YOU GOD! October was very rough as all I wanted to do was lay around and rest and sleep when I did not feel like throwing up at all times. Since I'm now 11 weeks and a few days, things are looking up!! We're going to transform Jackson's room today and get the crib out of there since we have no major plans this weekend. We've got to get a gate for his bedroom so he does not roam the house at night if he wakes up and I've got to clear our some other junk that he just does not need in there. I've also got to go through his clothes and get the summer stuff out of there that he has out grown and determine what we need for the holidays and the winter months ahead. Thanks to our wonderful Mimi and Grandma...he usually does not need much in the way of clothes but I've got to see what is fitting him right now. Pants are difficult as his waist is so thin.

Once I get the stuff sorted in the room (project to commence as soon as I get finished with this blog post) we will then do a run to our storage unit this afternoon after nap time. We've got to take the Halloween decorations back and the baby stuff we don't need right now and I've got to unearth my bins of maternity clothes and take stock of what is there, and what I might need on that front in the coming months. We're also going to start bring back some of our Christmas stuff to start getting organized for the holidays. Since we always travel north for Christmas, we tend to put our decorations up a bit early here so we can have some time to enjoy them.

We're also going to find some time to make a stop at the Sebastian Clam Bake in between the run north to the storage unit and coming back home. Should be a fun day! Tomorrow I plan to start my holiday shopping with a run out to our outlets during nap time...if I still have energy after today's projects. Next week the Christmas shopping will continue as my office is closed on Thursday the 11th for Veteran's day (the joys of having two managing partners who are Veterans) and I took a personal day Friday so I hope to get the bulk of the shopping done those two days. Jackson's school is open so for sure he will go to school Thursday so "Santa" can shop. I need to get a list together before any shopping goes on and set a budget. There are so many things that Jackson might like but toys are expensive and we have so much family so I'm going to go in with a plan of attack!!