Christmas "Whites"!

Jackson is even more interested in Christmas "whites" (aka lights) this year, so last weekend while he napped, Corey put our lights up.

By the time J woke up, it was just getting dark, so we told him we had a surprise for him outside.  We gave him a remote and walked outside so he could check out Daddy's work.

He loved them!  He also loves being able to turn them on and off himself each day. 

Say What?!

Nearly every day, Jackson cracks us up with a new phrase.  Sometimes he's stating something just slightly incorrectly, which is what makes it so cute.  Other times, he is saying the phrase properly but just hearing it come from his mouth for the first time makes us smile. 

Here are a few my recent favorites:

"Love you back" - we tell him we love him all the time, and sometimes he just says "uh huh" and other times, he'll say "love you" if we prompt him.  But the other night, Corey kissed him good night and told him he loved him, and J responded back with "Love you back!".  Not sure where he picked this up, but it was the cutest thing ever.  We've heard it a few times since, so hopefully it's a phrase we'll continue to hear.

"Oopsie daisy" - I didn't realize how much I say this until he started saying it, always in proper context (he's dropped something, etc).

"Look at all the frosting!" - It's been very cold this week, so one morning on the way to school, I pointed out how there was white stuff on the trees and grass, which was called frost.  We turned a corner and he was impressed by the amount of frost he could see.  If only it really were frosting, buddy.

"Actually", "probably" and "maybe" - always used in proper context.  Each day, he gets to choose our route home from school and there are times he'll say "left today...actually let's go straight".  Or "after dinner, I can have some candy maybe", and "daddy's probably watching Dora".

"I had a good sleep"/"I had a good nap" - we've asked him how he slept enough in his life, that now, unprompted, he will tell us this when he wakes up occasionally.

I love this kid more every single day.  Just can't get enough of him.

I couldn't end a blog without any photos, so here is one from our recent family photo shoot with our friend Jen (thanks again, Jen!!).  I am only sharing one for now, as I don't want to spoil our holiday card, which should be in a mailbox near you within a few weeks.

Our Dental Rock Star

Jackson had his first dentist visit yesterday and was a total super star. We talked a lot about the visit and I tried to set his expectations over the last week, but I had no idea what to expect.  I have to admin, I assumed the worst, but I'm happy to report that he greatly surpassed my expectations.  There were no tears, they were able to do a full cleaning, he didn't once say "I don't wanna say hi!", he talked to his hygienist, dentist and the receptionist, and it was all around an enjoyable visit (as enjoyable as having your teeth cleaned could be).  It helped that everyone was wearing their Seahawks jersey, which is something Jackson has just gotten really into (he hated his jerseys for awhile, and wouldn't even think about putting them on, but over the last few weeks, has begged to wear them multiple times throughout the week).

The hygienist was great - she started the appointment off by turning on Toy Story for him to watch, showing him all the tools (which all had special names, like "Mr. Thirsty" (i.e. the spit sucker) of course), and then letting him feel and touch the tools.  She mentioned that sometimes, they don't do anything more than this on the first visit, but Jackson willingly let her clean his teeth, including using the plaque scraper and floss.  He did a great job laying very still, keeping his mouth open wide and listening to her directions.  The dentist said everything looked good so far, and was impressed at how well behaved J was, considering many of the 2-year olds, especially boys, don't tend to cooperate much. 

I'd say the thing that made him the most nervous was when the hygienist went to tip the "big boy" chair back...he didn't quite know what to do, except sit straight up as the chair went back.  Oops.

His favorite part was using Mr. Thirsty - he loved that thing, mostly because I think it resembled a straw, which he thorough enjoys.

He was rewarded with his choice of toothbrush and bath toy, some jelly beans, and a trip to Starbucks before I took him into school for the day.  He must have known he was extra good and deserved a special treat, as he picked out chocolate milk with his mini scone (he normally just gets plain milk).  Poor kid - he definitely has his mama's sweet tooth. 

 

 

Happy (Belated) Halloween!

Clearly I'm a bit behind, but I figured it was better late than never to post about our Halloween, even though it feels like eons ago.

All in all, we had a great time. Jackson wore his costume (including the hat, which we were shocked about given how much he hates things on his head) during the fall festival at school and again for a few minutes at home while trick-or-treating. (Perhaps telling him that he had to wear the full costume in order to get candy helped?)

Leading up to Halloween, we'd practice saying "trick-or-treat" and saying "thank you", but he needed some reminding at each of the four houses we made it to. He definitely understood the concept much more than last year though, and was a lot less shy. After the fourth house, we headed home to enjoy some candy. He also enjoyed opening the door for the many trick-or-treaters we got.

Corey picked up gobs of candy this year, after we ran out last year in an hour with 100+ visitors, so we were much more prepared this year, but we just didn't see nearly as many trick-or-treaters as we expected.

Jackson, who enjoys desserts and sweets as much as his mama, has thoroughly enjoyed snacking on a bit of candy each day. The day after Halloween, he had to have a piece after breakfast, but luckily that hasn't become a habit (he's definitely learning the concept of a "special treat").

Holidays just get more and more fun the older he gets - I look forward to them even more now than I used to!