Bedtime Miracle

Jackson is not usually hard to put to bed. I usually just wait until he acts sleepy, and then I put him in bed and sing a few songs while he falls asleep. The hardest part is waiting until he's sleepy, because he doesn't need much sleep (unlike his mother). If we put him to bed at 7 PM (like most kids his age), he wakes up at 5 AM which is MUCH too early for Mommy and Daddy. He generally is sleepy between 8-8:30 PM, but sometimes as late as 9:30 PM.

Now for the bedtime miracle: Jackson put himself to bed for the first time tonight! I was watching TV with him, when he suddenly turned to me and said, "Night-night!" I thought he was kidding, because likes to pretend to go "night-night" by laying his head down wherever he is for a few seconds and then getting back up. But then he climbed off the couch, walked confidently in the dark to his room, and climbed in bed! I sang a couple of songs for him, since he didn't fall asleep right away, and then left him sleeping soundly. *sigh of contentment*

Southern California Vacation -- Part II

Jackson and Luke chillin' in their matching car seats, on the way to the El Centro Fair.

Jackson's first pony ride. He didn't cry, but he wasn't too sure about it at first. By the end he was smiling and enjoying himself.

Chris, Jackson, and Matt petting animals at the fair.

Me, Jackson, Lucky, and Chris all packed up and ready to spend a few days in Vegas. We were all especially ready to spend a few nights outside of the motor home.

Jackson feeding carrots to wild horses and burros, with Simon and Kira Peters, in Ridgecrest. My cousin, MiriLou's, house in Ridgecrest was our last stop on our 2 week vacation.

Jackson's Actions @ 18 months

Speaking: 

nana = banana

bah-boo = peekapoo

bah-boh = bubble

bah-bah = bottle, sippy cup, jar, glass, or anything resembling such

bee-bee = blueberry

bye = I want to go outside OR telephone, depending on which one he's pointing at

eye = eye, glasses, and sunglasses

no = no OR nose

doggie = any animal with four legs (except cats)

meow = cat

roar = lion

quack/duck = bird

Southern California Vacation -- Part I

Lucky and pregnant me at Avala Beach.
We spent the first few nights of our vacation at Matt's cousin's (Scott) house, near San Luis Obispo.







Matt and Iban get eaten by a shark at the Birch At Scripps Aquarium in La Jolla! :-)








Dan, Iban, Chris, Jackson, and Matt at the Birch At Scripps Aquarium. We spent 2 nights in Del Mar with Dan and his family.







The whole gang after a great day at the San Diego Zoo.

Christmas Train

Here are some pics from our first annual ride on the Woodland Christmas Train:

Jackson and Matt writing a letter to Santa

Storytime

Fred Claus, Santa's brother, leading Christmas Carols

Jackson was terrified of Santa, but we finally got a picture where he's not screaming!

Our token family photo

Our Little Pirate (and Friends)

Our latest MOMS Club of Davis field-trip was to Atria Covell Gardens Senior Living. We went during the residents' lunchtime, and walked our little guys around in their Halloween Costumes. I knew that at least some of the residents would be excited to see them, but ALL of the residents were excited to see them. They waved, smiled, and talked to the kids and asked us moms all about them.

More friends: Jack, Jackson, and Colin

I can't believe how difficult it is to get 3 toddlers to hold still long enough for a picture!

Walking Update

Within the last week, Jackson finally started walking more than crawling. He used to crawl away as fast as he could, and laugh crazily, when he was doing something wrong and he saw me coming. Now he TRIES to run but hasn't quite gotten the hang of it, so he falls down and THEN tries crawling away as fast as he can, laughing crazily. What a character!