4th Birthday!

I'm a little behind in posting so I'll quickly catch up:

Last weekend we took the Lake Express Ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon and threw Jackson an early birthday party. Jackson has never had a big family celebration before so we thought it was about time.

The ride to Muskegon was a little bumpy and I spent most of it out back in the fresh air, trying not to use the little sickness bags that they had handed out. Thankfully Brandon and Jackson both made it without any problems.

Brandon's sister, Heather, was able to be home at the same time so we spent all day Saturday together. She took Jackson to build-a-bear for his birthday and he made a turtle, which he named "Turtley". He and Auntie Heather even picked out clothes and flip-flops and a firefighter outfit. Then we went to Barnes and Noble to look for a book. They had a few people playing live music and as soon as we walked in and Jackson heard it he started dancing. It was SO funny! He even went up and started to "shake it". Heather and I were nearly in tears. Of course he picked out a Thomas book and had to play with the trains for a short while. That evening we took him to play putt-putt and he took his first go-cart ride with daddy. He loved it!

Sunday was the party and Brandon's mom and I went early to decorate. It was a beautiful morning, a little cool and a slight breeze but not bad. When it was time for the party later that afternoon it had warmed up a little but the wind had picked up a lot! We ended up moving most of the tables out of the pavilion and tried to stay warm in the sun. We had lots of great food and family and friends and that's all that really mattered. Jackson was a little shy, which he normally is around so many people, but eventually came around and he even ate cake! That was a first. Normally he'll look at it and maybe put a finger in it but he never has tried it. I guess he was just holding out for grandma's cake or maybe it was because it was Thomas. :) It was great to see everyone and have them all help celebrate Jackson's birthday. THANK YOU!

We were able to spend most of Monday visiting because we had taken the boat and didn't have to worry about getting stuck in traffic around Chicago. Brandon, my dad and my grandpa went out fishing and Jackson and I hung out at my parents for awhile playing with Cam and Austin. Then we went to the park and met my grandma and Joe and Tyler for lunch. The boys had a wonderful time playing together and it gave me a few more minutes to spend with grandma and mom. Then it was back to the ferry for the ride home. This time I was prepared with Bonine and Sea-band wristbands. Luckily the waves and swells weren't as big this time and I was able to spend the trip inside. The 4 of us, Brandon, Jackson, Turtley and I played cards and cars and just enjoyed the ride.











Now that your up to date...

Today is Jackson's 4th birthday! We traveled up to Green Bay and visited the Train Museum. Jackson was thrilled about it since he woke up and couldn't wait to get there. Once we arrived he wasn't sure which direction to go first. We went to get our tickets to ride the train in the gift shop and of course they had a HUGE section of Thomas. Jackson was in awe. The birthday boy ended up with a new Thomas T-shirt, a poster for his room and a couple of new trains, we got off lucky. After the gift shop we took a train ride. It looped twice around the property and even went over a couple of bridges. After that we toured the sheds and the trains. They had quite a few that we were able to go thru and he could even sit in the engineer's seat on the engine. I made the mistake of calling it the conductor's seat and Jackson corrected me. Of course he had to tell us which trains were steam trains and which were diesel trains and he was always looking out for Thomas' friends. He thought he saw a few while we were there including Percy, Donald and Douglas.

After the train museum we took him to Bay Beach Park. It's a park on the bay that has carnival rides and yes, even a train. He rode them all! Even the bumper cars with daddy. They were by far his favorite. Brandon said he thought Jackson could have stayed on them all day. It was a beautiful but HOT day and on the way back down we decided to stop at Kohler-Andrae State Park and play a little on the playground and the beach. It was amazing that we all made it back home without falling asleep. We ended the day with an ice cream cone, vanilla of course, and a ride around the block on his tractor.

Each year on this day the memories of the day he was born come flooding back to me. Maybe it's the same way for every mother, I don't know. I don't remember a whole lot of what happened that day because of the drugs they had me on but what I do remember is so clear it's like it was yesterday. He was SO tiny and look at him now. He's such a big boy and doing so many things on his own. All I hear is "I don't need help, I can do it all by myself". It's amazing just how fast they go from needing you to doing it alone. I'm grateful that he is where he is and doing what he is doing and feel so blessed to have such an amazing, strong and healthy little boy. But no matter how big he gets he'll always be my little boy.

son (sun) n. [[ME sone <>>]] 1. a collector of treasures and heroes 2. a source of found objects in laundry (e.g., rocks, twigs, etc.) 3. his father's pride and his mother's heart.
SYN. -- an ad ven ture (ad ven`cher).

Weekend Getaway

His bike (the streamers were taken off) :)
Going for ride w/daddy
Hanging in the pool
Playing soccer
The boys at the beach
climbing the dunes
giving great nana a blow kiss
chasing Jake
hunting for bugs

Last weekend we made an unscheduled trip to MI. We stayed the first night w/Nana and Papa Luban. Jackson actually got on and rode his bike that Nana bought back over Memorial Day weekend. At that time he wouldn't even touch it. Brandon and Jackson stayed and visited with Nana and Papa for the night while I went on to my cousins anniversary party, where I enjoyed good food and company. Congrats Nicki and Chad!

Sat morning Nana and Papa headed out of town and we stayed the rest of the weekend with my sister. Jackson had a blast playing with his cousins all weekend. They played soccer, jumped on the tramp, went swimming in the pool and at the beach, played in the sandbox, chased Jake and caught bugs. Definitely a boys weekend!

It was also nice not to have anything planned for change. We came and went as we pleased. We'll be back again in 2 weeks for Jackson's birthday, so it probably won't be as calm. Can you believe he's going to be 4?! And I received his pre-school packet today. He's growing up way to fast! Anyway here are a few pics, the rest are posted on shutterfly. They sure beat the pics posted last July 30th. What a difference a year makes.

Washington County Fair

Last night we checked out the Washington County Fair. This was Jackson's first fair and he was so excited about it. He was dragging us everywhere and kept saying "Oh my goodness" and "I don't believe it!" Actually he was more like yelling it, it was SO funny! I don't know what he liked more the chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, cows, goats, sheep, horses, they had them all and we had to go in each barn. Except the llamas, he wasn't interested in them.

After the animals he drug us over to the tractors. As much as he loves them and would drag us to them he was a little scared to get on them. Brandon however was not. I guess it's a boy thing.

Next they had a great exhibit set up where kids got to be a farmer and do little chores around the farm. Jackson was able to gather eggs, milk the wooden cow, and pick vegetables out of baskets in a little garden. It was very cute.

Then he saw the carnival rides and I think his eyes got as big as softballs and he continued the "Oh my goodness" and "I don't believe it!". Once we found the kiddie rides and got tix he went on the train and the jumpy cars by himself. I went on the teacups with him and daddy joined him on the roller coaster. I was a little afraid of him on this but it turned out to be his favorite and the smile on his face was priceless! We ended our visit with ice cream cones and are looking forward to the Ozaukee county fair in a couple of weeks.

(I've posted the pix on the shutterfly acct, you can get there by clicking the photos of Jackson link on this page or clicking on the following: http://jacksondeanbarnett.site.shutterfly.com/)

4th of July trip

For the 4th we took the carferry from Manitowoc, WI to Ludington, MI. From there Nana and Papa Barnett picked us up and took us up to Northport to spend the weekend with them. We spent a lot of time on the beach and even took the boat down to Grand Traverse Bay to see the air show and the Blue Angels. We had such a wonderful and relaxing time that we hated to go home. It was a great weekend and we look forward to many more trips up there. There were too many pictures to post but you can view them at http://jacksondeanbarnett.site.shutterfly.com/.

Breakfast on the farm

Sat morning we went to the annual Breakfast on the Farm. Being our first time we really didn't know what to expect but thought it would be fun since Jackson is really into barns and loves animals. There were so many cars that they had a police officer directing traffic. We had to park out in a field and then took a wagon ride to the farm. They had around 6 tractors and wagons going so we didn't have to wait long. Once we were on the farm Jackson couldn't wait to see all the cows and go in the barns. They had everything a little boy could ask for. From tractors and combines to fire trucks and a petting zoo. They even had a kids ride which Jackson did all by himself. For me that was a little much, his first ride alone, he really is getting older. The line for breakfast was a little long and so we opted for the ice cream instead. What could be better than being on the farm and having ice cream for breakfast?! We'll definitely do it again next year.

A Well Deserved Break

Last weekend my parents took the Lake Express ferry across and helped us move all of the boxes and such that were in the garage of the townhouse. Dad also built shelves in the garage, changed out the outside lights, helped w/the sump pump and built Jackson a sand box. THANK YOU! They worked their butts off for us and we really appreciate it.

Since then we've been priming and painting, getting new carpet in, mowing the lawn and trying to sort things out. Through it all Jackson has been great! He's played with his toys, and in his sandbox and just kept himself busy so that we could work.

Today Jackson and I took a well deserved break from the house and enjoyed the beautiful day. We went down to Bayshore (the mall) and our first stop was to Barnes and Noble to play with the trains and pick out a new one, he got Mighty Mac. Then we stopped to pick up some pizza and went down to the plaza to watch the summer concert and the kids playing in the fountain. After our lunch we went down and got our feet wet with the other kids. It was exactly what we needed!

Tomorrow Steve and Marcia come in to help us move the rest. We're praying for no rain and no surprises.

Memorial Day Weekend

Jackson and Leah (he was pretty sleepy here)

At the park
Watching baby ducks w/Nana Luban
His pitching stance
Great Grandma Barnett
Jackson and Daisy

Roasting his first marshmallow
Getting uncle Dave's nose
Riding the tractor at Nana Driesenga's
Great Grandma VanOveren

Brandon riding the "Hog"

Eating ice cream with his cousins

Hello! As you can see from the pictures we had a great Memorial Day weekend. The weather was gorgeous, probably the best we've had yet this year and it allowed us to grill out each night while we were in town. We were able to spend lots of time with family. Each day we went somewhere new and each night we had to fight to keep Jackson awake until we were able to get back and get him into his jammies. He really enjoyed playing with everyone and all the animals. He played with Leah on Sat (thanks Leah) while we grilled out at my aunt and uncle's. He had so much fun with her he wouldn't let her out of his sight. He also enjoyed her bunny, horses, chickens and baby kittens. Sun Marcia and I took him to the park to play and we saw 30 baby ducks, they were so cute! Then that evening he got to play w/Daisy, Jeff and Susan's dog, while we grilled out at their house. Mon he played with his cousins Cam and Austin. They all chased the chickens and baby pheasants and Jake, a goofy hound dog, at my parents house. Between the chasing, jumping on the trampoline and just being outside I think he had a great time and it was a nice way to end a perfect weekend.

We drove back home on Tues and then had our final walk thru Wed morning. Everything went well and we closed this morning, YEA!!! The previous owners won't be out until the 8th and after that we'd like to change out the carpet and maybe do a little painting. Then we get to move in and finally unpack, I can't wait!! We'll post pictures once we get some.

Zoo Pics

The past couple of weeks have been a little tiresome. We were suppose to meet Brandon's dad & Patty in Detroit for Mother's day weekend but had to cancel because Jackson wasn't feeling well. Turns out he had a sinus infection. They prescribed some meds but they weren't quite strong enough and we had to go back in this past weekend and get something a little stronger. He seems to be doing much better and is finally starting to sleep more, YEA! We are planning to go to MI for the holiday weekend so we've been taking it very easy this week. I went out and rented 6 Thomas movies, which we watch over and over and he still doesn't tire of them. Last week we had a couple of really nice days and we packed a picnic and spent the afternoon at the zoo. These are a few of the pictures from then.

Checking out the bridge

He liked the Tiger so close.

When the goats got a little pushy he told them "Easy Fellas".

I don't know where he comes up with it sometimes. :)

He liked to feed the goats.
Sleepy Bear
Elephants
Baby goose
Polar Bear
This was after oinking at the pigs.

His favorite, the train!

We are planning to go to MI for Memorial Day weekend and we close on our house May 30th. For those who haven't heard yet, we bought a house a little north of here in Jackson, WI. Our house is just off of Jackson Dr, down the street from Jackson elementary and across from Jackson Park. We'll never have to worry about Jackson forgetting where he lives. :) We'll have most of June to move in so we'll be able to paint and won't be rushed. As soon as we can we'll take and post some pictures of it. We can't wait to finally unpack!