Getting Ready for Baby

A friend of mine let me borrow some baby gear. The boys saw it this afternoon and immediately had to try it out.




We are getting closer and closer to meeting our baby girl!

Happy 4 Years, Jackson

Dear Jackson,

My first born. I can't believe you are now four years old. I just can't believe that it has been four years since your daddy and I laid eyes on you for the first time. That day changed our lives forever and it has been a wild ride ever since.

There are so many things I want to remember about you at this age. You are a sponge. You are inquisitive and always yearning to learn more, especially about animals. Your favorite books are encyclopedias and we read them all the time. You especially love ocean animals and dinosaurs!

You are very smart. If you hear something once you will remember it forever. You know almost every dinosaur that ever lived and plenty of facts about each of them and plenty of other animals as well. You are learning how to read and know all the sounds that letters make. You are also starting to do math- by practicing adding and subtracting.

You finished preschool this year and you had a great year. You learned a ton, made some friends, and enjoyed your teachers. You are talking about moving into Junior Kindergarten next year!

You are also very strong willed and like to test boundaries frequently. But, I think you come by this trait honestly, if all the stories I hear about my childhood are accurate. You are also quite the negotiator and will attempt to negotiate anything- even something you don't care that much about.

You are a wonderful big brother...most of the time. You love Brady very much and are always introducing him to all of your friends at school and anyone else we may meet. Hopefully you will be a great big brother to your little sister when she arrives in June!

You love to play on the I-touch and are really good at it. You also still enjoy puzzles and can put together 25-46 piece puzzles really well. You love to ride your bike and have gotten pretty confident and fast on it. Maybe we can take the training wheels off soon. You are still a water baby and love to swim. The pool opens soon and hopefully you will be able to really learn how to swim this summer. You are adventurous and fearless and always making your mommy very nervous- but your daddy loves it!

You still do not like to sit still for long periods of time. We need to work on coloring and arts and crafts projects and on writing. But, I am confident those will come soon.

Jackson, you are an overall delight and joy. Thank you, Jackson, for four of the most exciting, love-flooded years of my life.

We love you,
Mommy, Daddy & Brady

Jackson's Birthday Party

We had Jackson's 4th birthday party at Monkey Bizness. I needed a place where I would not have to clean or do much work. It was a success! Jackson and his friends had a great time. There was so much running around, I got very few pictures.

But, I did manage to capture a very few moments.

Jackson sliding down the huge slide:



and playing air hockey:



And everyone enjoying dinner and cupcakes:






After we got home the boys opened all the presents:




Jackson had a great birthday party! Thanks to everyone for celebrating his big day with him!

Watermelon

Jackson loves his watermelon!!

Botanic Gardens

Digging for Dino bones and having fun at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Batman

Soccer- The Fab 4s

Jackson started soccer this spring. At first he did not like it and it took everything to make him participate. But, he warmed up to it and enjoyed it more and more every week.

Jackson seems to enjoy playing soccer and kicking the ball, but does not really enjoy the group activities and lessons. We will have to see if that changes.

However, when they played their last "game" Jackson sat in the middle of the field for a little while picking grass and flowers!

Warming up with Daddy:




With his team:




Brady wanted in on the action:




Overall, a good experience and we will get Jackson playing again beginning in the fall.

Potty Trained and a Big Boy Bed

Brady is completely potty trained. I am so proud of him. We still have to remind him to go, but he is getting better and better at just telling us that he needs to go. He loves the treats and all the praise he gets, especially from Jackson!

And, I am thrilled to not have two kids in diapers come June! Good job Brady!

Plus, I could juts eat him up in his little underwear!



Brady has also moved into a big boy bed in anticipation of his little sister's arrival. Here are the last pictures of Brady in his crib:





I need to get one of him in his new bed. He has no less than 40 animals in there with him.

Brady loves his big boy bed and has done amazing sleeping in it. He stays in his bed at night and nap time. We are so proud of Brady!

Grandma Visits

Grandma Savino (MJ) came to town to visit everyone and help me with some sewing for the baby's nursery. Really, there was no help from me, she did all the sewing. Now, the baby's nursery is coming together and I getting very excited for this little girls arrival!

Grandma also got to spend some time with the boys.

Brady and Grandma:



Jackson and Grandma:



And one she got of the boys together in the swing:



Grandma got a couple other cute photos while she was here. It is a good thing she took out her camera, because I am pretty sure I never did!





Thanks so much for all of the help! We had a great time and can't wait to see you again soon!

Snow Day

We got some snow today. After nap time, Jackson put on his boots to go outside. As it was freezing, I did not join him. But, then I decided I should check on him and this is what I found:






Seriously, the kid loves to eat snow. I guess I should be happy it is the clean snow. And, don't mind the mini potty...we were thinking of getting Brady started on potty training with it. But, it never made it inside.

Museum

We frequently go the the Nature and Science Museum. The boys both love it. Today, Jackson and I went to see the IMAX- "Under the Sea" and Brady and Dustin visited the exhibits.

As always, the boys had a blast.

Jackson in his 3D glasses, waiting for the movie:



Brady dressed as an astronaut and a pirate: