Surfside Beach

Although we took Jackson to the beach when he was only 2 months old, this was the first time that he really was able to play and enjoy the beach.  Needless to say, Jackson loves it!!  From the moment we left our little tent/towel, he charged full force for the water!  He would coo and smile in anticipation of the waves rushing up until they crashed around him.  There were a few times that he got water in his face and it hardly seemed to phase him.

"Let's go out to the big waves, Daddy!"

Catching waves with Momma!

He would squish the sand in his fingers and splash in the waves...

...then he decided that he would taste a little sample.  But the jury came back and it's decided that he's not such a fan of the salt water and sand combination.  Look at that face!

After all his fun in the sun and water, Jackson slept all the way home and then fell asleep again after a bath and some dinner.  It was a great day to spend with the family!

Movin' & Groovin'

Jackson is a little mover and shaker these days!  He has pretty much a 5 second attention span and wants to constantly be exercising his new skills at getting around the house.  This means that when Jackson is awake, it is pretty rare that is is just contently sitting and playing with his toys.  If I want to get anything done, I have to place him at his toy chest where he can walk around the perimeter, throwing out all of the toys, or in the living room making laps around the ottoman.

Here are a few videos highlighting a few of his favorite toys and his new moves:

Today, He was more interested in dancing than walking!

First Trip to the Zoo

We took Jackson to the Columbia Zoo, hoping that he may actually get something out of it as he is still so young.  It was obvious that Jackson is a huge fan!!  If the animal was colorful, moved around often or was big, he was all smiles and was pointing.  Sadly, the monkeys and the large cats were all sleeping in the heat of the day, but Jackson really enjoyed all the animals that he did get to see!

The giraffes were his favorite animal to visit! He got to pet them and feed them lettuce.

  

  

This ostrich was very active as she kept pacing and snapping at all the people.  She was guarding her newly laid eggs that were about 30 feet in front of the fence.  Jackson even managed to point out the zebra standing under a tree towards the back of the pen.

He also enjoyed feeding the goats and llamas....that is until the llama nipped him a little bit.  He got over that very quickly and wanted to feed and pet them again!  The tricky part for dad was trying to keep Jackson from feeding himself as well!  It's probably a good thing that Boosie's food is never available for Jackson to sample. Haha

Those two blobs to the left of the window are two massive brown bears.

Watching the seals and seal lions!

We can't wait to go back next time!

Messy Little Eater

Jackson is going through a phase where he will only eat if he feeds himself.  He no longer eats pureed foods except yogurt, oatmeal...things like that.  He pretty much eats anything that we eat.  For example, yesterday he ate eggs, strawberries, muffin and cheese for breakfast.  For lunch he ate quesadilla, watermelon, peas, and a cracker.  And for dinner, he ate pork chop, broccoli and pears.  It has been really nice, not having to prepare anything extra for Jackson, but there have been two negatives that have come out of this new development; It takes Jackson an hour to eat every meal and the disaster left behind requires me to clean the child, the tray, the floor and every nook and cranny in his highchair seat.  Boosie likes to help with this task!    

11 Months Old!!

Jackson is changing so fast as he grows from a baby into a little toddler!  He is climbing down off the couch and our bed, he scoots along any piece of furniture at his level, will walk all over the house if you lend him your hand, and no longer eats pureed food anymore.  What a big boy!!  He is starting to form gibberish sentences.  Of course, he fully expects us to understand what he just said and can somewhat clearly say Mom, Dad, Papa, Hey, Ball and "Cha" (which is yes).  

One thing that has never changed, though, is the fact that he is a little clone of Bryan.  No matter where we go, we constantly get, "I know who your daddy is." or "you look just like your daddy!" or "Bryan certainly marked that one!"  So, in honor of Bryan's first Father's Day in a few days, these pictures are a little homage to Daddy!

And this picture is just to capture my little man as a baby one last time! 

Look at strong he is getting on his feet!  We think he will be walking on his own sometime in the next month.  Sometimes he will surprise himself by standing all by himself until he realizes what he's doing and freaks out.