What I am thankful for. . .

I'm taking a page from Annie's book. . . and I'm going to make a conscious effort to reflect on the things that I am thankful for in my life.

As much as I complain about going back to work on Friday, I really do love my job. I work with great people, in a great community, and most of all with terrific kids. I really do look forward to going to work on most days. I am sure I will remember this once I am adjusted to being away from Jackson again. There are so many people in this world who do not enjoy their jobs, and I really do feel fortunate to have found one that I love so much. God was really looking out for me when he guided me to WEBO.

I am also truly blessed to have such a wonderful family, both my family and my in-laws. I hear so many people complain about their mother in laws, and I could not have found a better mother in law. I feel very fortunate. In today's world there are too many families that do not have strong ties. I think Kurt and I are both very lucky to have the family support system that we have in our lives (both immediate and extended).


I am thankful that I have the kind of job that allows me to spend 2 months in the summer, two weeks in Dec./Jan., and several other days throughout the year at home with my little guy. This summer has really made me realize how fortunate we are and how much God has blessed us by giving us this beautiful, precious baby boy. I am so thankful that he is so happy and that he has so many people who love him. I want to ALWAYS be able to provide him with a happy, loving support system. I believe this has a huge impact on the development of a child, and I have seen first hand what can happen when children do not have this. Again, God blessed us by allowing us to have such loving family and friends. I am extremely thankful that I have such a wonderful husband. While Kurt and I argue (like every married couple), we really have a wonderful relationship. He is a terrific husband and daddy, and I could not have found a better man to spend my life with.
I am thankful that today was a sunny day (although it was hot as hell and humid humid humid). I am thankful that Jackson was such a little angel in the bank and the dentist office today (oh and at BW3s). I am thankful that Kurt and I are in a financial position to have a savings account for Jackson. I am SO thankful for all of Jackson's kisses. While it feels like he is sucking my cheek or my chin or wherever he chooses to kiss at the moment, it is the sweetest thing in the world that he wants to give me kisses. I hope I never forget how that makes me feel, and I hope that he never forgets how I hope it makes him feel when we give him kisses. I hope he always knows how much we love him. Finally, (and this is silly, but) I am thankful that I was able to watch Wipe Out with Kurt tonight. It was hilarious, and we both just laughed and laughed. I am thankful for all things that make me laugh.

Enough sap from me. . .take a moment to reflect on the things that you are thankful for today.

Final days of summer. . .

I'm trying my hardest to enjoy my last three days of summer, but in the back of my mind I keep worrying about being away from Jackson. He has become very attached to me, so much so that he even cries when Kurt is in the room with him and I leave. I know that taking him back to daycare will be what is best for him, but I am going to miss him so much. Oh well. . .nothing I can do about it so I better just enjoy the time we have left.

Anyway, we've just been hanging out having fun. . .here he is swinging at the park. . . he loves to swing. When I tried to get him out of the swing at first, he started to throw a fit. He was so tired that he fell asleep within minutes of getting in the car.


After his nap, we played in his pool. . .well, he played in his pool. I played with him from outside. He had lots of fun. . until he got so excited that he vomited on himself. . yuck. Needless to say, at that point, playing in the pool was over.

Today, I caught him giving Wrigley a kiss. It was the sweetest thing. . .he loves Wrigley so much and Wrigley is so good with him.

He is starting to not enjoy his exersaucer as much as he used to. . .I think it might be almost time to put it away. . I make sure I take pics of him in it whenever I see him smiling. . .

On another note, Jackson turned 8months old yesterday. I would post a picture, but the only one I got of him yesterday was one with him crying because he was so sleepy. . . I felt really mean taking a picture of him when he was crying but he looked so pitiful. Anyway, today was a better day. He was so happy all day long. . .Looking forward to another good day tomorrow. :)

Sitting up and a jelly sandwich

Jackson has been sitting unsupported for several months, but when he ends up all the way on his tummy or back he cannot get back to a sitting position. Well, today, when Kurt and I went to get him from his bed, he was sitting up playing. He is getting so big. . .Maybe this is a sign that he will start crawling sometime soon. He gets so close, but he just can't figure out how to stay up on those knees. Soon. . .hopefully by next Thursday. . .or I am going to miss another milestone until after someone else sees it first.

On to other news. . . we have been working on giving Jackson table foods. . .he has mostly just had fruit (cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, watermelon - which he hates, and banana). Well, today, he ate a jelly sandwich. I just broke it up into small pieces for him and he loved it. I know this does not seem exciting. . .but I am so excited about it. He is growing up so fast. . .

We have decided to keep him at Dover Angels and if I can carpool, great, but if not, I guess we will find a way to make it through. Hopefully the girls will not mind carpooling with me and Jackson. We'll see. The closer next Friday gets, the more sad I get because I am going to miss out on spending so much time with him. I knew I would enjoy being home with him this summer, but I never knew how much!!

Sunday

Mom, Dad, and Hunter came up to see us on Sunday. It was a good day. Hunter was really excited to see Jackson and he kept wanting to hold him. . . he can be such a sweet little guy . . and he is so stinkin' cute. . .
I think Jackson really likes his Pop Pop. Dad was worried that he would not know them, but he does. . .then again, all babies love my dad.
Here he is with Mom Maw (I have no idea how to spell that. . .sorry Mom). She was really excited to see Jackson. . . I think it is really hard on them being so far away. . .after all, their other grandchildren either live with them or on their property.
The boys played with Jackson's toys. . . even Wrigley tried to play with Jackson's new ball.
Then, Jackson decided it would be a good idea to try to pull up on the coffee table. He did not make it all the way up, but I have a feeling we are not far from him moving all over the place. All in all, it was a pretty relaxing weekend. . .which is the best kind if you ask the Cantlons. . . at least these Cantlons. :)

Saturday

Saturday was a busy day. We woke up early (after a late night with the neighbors) with Jackson. Jackson played with his new ball, which he loves. He can't figure out how to crawl yet so he just lunges forward after the ball with one leg in front of him and one leg behind him. . Soon, hopefully, he will figure it out.
We fed Jackson his lunch, where he acted silly as always, and then we took him to Dani & Scott's for them to watch them while we went to my friend (and former roomie) Amy's wedding. Dani and Scott kept him until Susie could get there and then he spent the evening with Susie. I felt like we did not really get to spend much time with him on Saturday. . .I guess it is good preparation for when I get back to work. . .
Amy & John's wedding was nice. . .here is the happy couple during their first dance.
Beth, Amy, and me at the reception . . . doesn't Amy look beautiful . . . she's usually a t-shirt and basketball shorts kind of gal so she stood out even more than the typical bride. She was just gorgeous.
We had a lot of fun. . .it was nice to hang out with some old friends. . .and we even caught Kurt smiling in a picture. . .It was a good day!!

Friday

We always look forward to Daddy getting home from work, especially on Fridays. Life is so much easier on Fridays. We did not do much this Friday. Jackson and Daddy played with Wrigley. . .
We are so lucky to have such a good dog because Jackson just climbs all over him, and he does nothing. Great dog!
More climbing on Wrigley. . .
After too much of Jackson's climbing, Wrigley gets sick of it and rolls over. . .a couple weeks ago he rolled right over on top of Jackson. . .oops. . .
Jackson decided he wanted to read the newspaper . . .Maybe he can tell me and Kurt what is in it because we have about 15 papers that we have not even had a second to read.
On to the books. . . doesn't he look cute here. . . I hope he likes reading when he gets older. . . it's so good for kids. . .

We ran some errands to WalMart and Blockbuster. . .bought Jackson a ball and his own cell phone . . .rented 3 movies.

After Jackson went to bed, we were getting ready to watch our first movie, and our neighbors came over to see if wanted to hang out so we went over to our neighbors house across the street (with monitor in hand) to hang out. . .we haven't done this in a long time. It was really fun. . . but boy, were we tired on Saturday. Not too exciting. . .but that's how we like it.

Finally, after almost 3 years, God has answered our prayers.

Mom and Dad went to court today for the Initial Termination of Parental Rights hearing. Amanda did not show up, and the papers were served to her on Friday by a Clark County Sheriff and Vicky, the DCFS caseworker. She knew she should be there, and she chose not to show up. I just cannot imagine how someone cannot want to be with their children every minute of everyday. It has been nearly 3 years since Phillip was killed. It has been 2.5 years since Hunter, Farrah, & Austin were taken from Amanda. Those poor children have been through so much in the last few years. Well, as of about 10:00 today, Amanda no longer has any parental rights to them. She has 30 days to appeal, and if she does not appeal, Mom and Dad will adopt Hunter. Jeannie and Keith will adopt Farrah and Austin. We are so grateful that our prayers have finally been answered. Keep our family (and especially the children) in your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully in about a month, we will no longer have to deal with Amanda Helton (at least not for a long time). I feel awful for the kids because they have to go through this, but I really think this will be best for them. . . at least they will be safe and know that they have a loving and supportive family to take care of them without the worries and fears of being taken away and given back to their mother. I really wish things could have been different. I wish she had straightened up her act 3 years ago. Maybe then, my brother would be alive. Maybe then, Austin, Farrah, and Hunter would not have physical and emotional scars from her. I truly wish she was capable of taking care of her children. After all, they already lost Phillip. It is a shame that now they have lost her too. It's what is best though. She is really missing out . . .they are great kids (even though they can be a handful sometimes). And, now we can sleep better at night knowing that Hunter is where his daddy would have wanted him to be. . .for good. What a good day!!

Our visit with Aidan and Sue

My friend Sue and her son Aidan, whom I used to babysit during summers (until Jackson came along), came up to visit today. It was really nice to see them. Aidan is getting big, and it is always so much fun to talk with Sue. We used to work together at Greenwood. . . she is another blessing from God. . .put in my life when I needed a good friend.


Jackson had so much fun watching Aidan. . .

Aidan was so sweet. . .he got on the floor to play with Jackson. I think Jackson (and Aidan) really enjoyed it. It was really nice to see both Sue and Aidan. It made me miss them since I usually see them at least one time per week during the summer. . .oh how life gets busy when you become a mommy. I wouldn't trade it for the world though.

Our Happy Kiddo. . .

Jackson was up at 5:10 this morning , and he was screaming. He was really rubbing his gums so we gave him some Tylenol, and he had gas so we gave him some Mylicon (which we have not had to use for a very long time). Anyway, I rocked him and sang to him and talked to him and walked with him, etc. He still screamed. Finally we gave him his bottle, which he drank between screams. He usually wakes up at around 6, but for the last couple days he has slept until almost 7, which is why waking up at 5:10 seemed out of the ordinary for him. Anyway, he finally fell back to sleep at around 6 and he slept until 8:45!!! I could not believe it. Well, when he woke up and we started breakfast. . .this is what I got. . .I could not keep the camera away. Seriously, is this not the most precious face. . . he was laughing and I was laughing at him. . .it was so funny. . . I'm not even sure what we were laughing at, but it was fun, nonetheless.

It is times like this, when his precious little smile and laugh just make my day, that I thank God SO MUCH for letting me be a mommy to such a beautiful and wonderful little guy.

August 1st. . .

August 1st is quickly approaching. . .and I think I am going to cry. Don't get me wrong. I love my job, but today when Jackson and I were hanging out, napping, playing in the yard, etc. I just couldn't stop thinking about how much I would like to be able to do this everyday. He is such a little blessing, and I have so much fun with him. Plus, the cost of gas is ridiculous so we are considering changing daycare locations so I can carpool. I love his daycare and so does he. I also love having him across the street from me while I am at work, but if we are going to be able to afford for me to work at WEBO we have to do something. Ugh! I don't know what to do. If he is not across the street from WEBO, Kurt will be the one they call if he gets sick. If I am carpooling, I can't really just leave school if something happens to him. I know that won't happen very often, but when it does I want to be there to take care of him. Kurt is a fantastic daddy, but I want to be there when he is not feeling well. Anyway, that's what's new with us right now. I'm sure we'll figure it out and it will all work out in the end, but boy, it would be nice to live closer to work and not have to worry about this at all. Keep us in your prayers that we figure out what will be best for all of us and our bank account. :) Until then, I am going to enjoy every minute that I have at home with my little guy.

So stinkin' cute . . .

I just had to post some of my recent favorite pics of Jackson.

Our little stud muffin. . .
First day in the grass. . . hanging out outside while Daddy worked on the deck. . .
I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!! Kurt and I were outside this weekend working in the yard, and well, I got a little caught up with taking pictures of Jackson while Kurt did most of the work. THanks, honey!! Anyway, I absolutely love this picture so I thought I should share.

Daddy and Jackson enjoying the boat. . .

Okay, no more picture overload. . .next time I will have something to say. I promise.

For Uncle Juan

So, Juan bought Jackson this outfit on a trip to Canada because it had a moose on it (and Jackson is about as big as a moose. . hee hee). It is a 12 month outfit. I put it on him at 6 months and it was so tight I could not snap all of the snaps. Big Boy!! Anyway, this is for Uncle Juan and Aunt Niecy. Enjoy!!

Some of Jackson's many Firsts

Jackson has had several firsts this summer. . .

This was his first trip to the park. . Mommy and Grammy took him and we parked on the wrong side of the park so we had a really LONG walk up hill, pushing the stroller that was loaded down with baby and diaper bag. . .just to have Jackson play for a few minutes and then fall asleep. . . oh well, it was GREAT fun while it lasted.

His first trip out on the lake on Uncle Matt's boat. . .He loved Daddy making him fly. We have since been out on the boat again, and he loves it. I think we'll have to get one someday. . oh wait, I forgot, we're both going to be high school guidance counselors. . .can't afford a boat on that. :(
His first of MANY (I am sure) Cubbies hats. . .seriously, isn't that the cutest thing you have ever seen???
First biter biscuit. Mommy had so much fun watching him enjoy this biscuit. . .he is such a riot. Too bad I can't put all of the pics on here. He was a MESS by the time he finished it.
First lime. . .it's funny because he LOVES lemons, but made this awful face for his first lime. . .this was also his first real vacation as well. We went to TN to visit Aunt Jackie and Uncle Scott Cantlon. It was great fun!! We just relaxed and hung out with the family. . .our kind of vacation. Thanks for letting us stay with you Scott & Jackie. We always have such a good time down there.
Jackson's first trip to the zoo. . .this is Daddy and Jackson in the dophin viewing area. . .the reflection won't allow you to see it but there are dolphins swimming right over the top of them. . .it was so cool.

I am sure there will be many more "firsts" for us to share. . .This summer has been so much fun. ..I am really going to have a hard time going back to work in the fall. Good thing I love my job. More to come. . .

New to this. . .

Okay, I have jumped on the blogging bandwagon. . . I thought this would be an easy way for us to keep everyone up to date on what's going on with Kurt, Jackson, Wrigley, and me! I'm still playing around with this, but I am sure I will soon be addicted. . . More to come. . .