Big Brother!!

Jackson became a big brother on Friday, March 4th at 8:26am. Ethan Michael came into the world, 7lbs 2oz and 19in. long! He is perfect!! Jackson took to his new role with panache and even leaned in to give little bro a kiss hello! So far Jackson has helped feed and burp Ethan and he loves to watch him swing. Our family is complete and we couldn't be happier. We are so blessed and we are enjoying all the wonderful things our two boys bring to our lives! (Can you tell I am still getting the preggo hormones out?) More to come as Jackson turns 2 on Friday!!

Firetruck!!

Well January was certainly eventful!! We visited a few parks to ride the slides, went to visit the manatees at Blue Springs, drove a firetruck, and after all that excitement, had to take a break to watch Sesame Street on the Monkey pillow from Uncle Jordan. Jackson's vocabulary is ever expanding and one of his favorite things to tell you when the lights are out is "It's gark in here" we are still working on the "d" sound! So hare to believe #2 will be here in 4 weeks, but we are very excited and so is Jackson! See you next month!!

Twas the Season!

WOW! Christmas was spectacular! It's a good thing Jackson has a little brother coming soon because he was S-P-O-I-L-E-D this year!! From Grandma Kathy, to Nana and Papa, to Uncle Zach, Aunt Amanda, Uncle JoJo and Aunt LooLoo, not to mention Santa, our house resembles FAO Schwatrz!! One of the best parts was getting to play with cousin Avery! She was very patient as Jackson made sure to pronounced everything she touched "MINE" and we had several lessons in sharing! From discussions with Uncle Zach about the future of McDaniels coaching career with the Broncos, to driving his new car excitement was everywhere! Mostly though, he loved the visit with family and the wonder and magic of Christmas. Now that 2011 is here, we are looking forward to welcoming the newest addition to our family and the great changes this New Year will bring!!

Thank you to everyone who made our holiday so special!!

13 Days til Christmas!!

December has been full of fun! These pictures were taken at the Museum of Arts & Science where they had a few Christmas trees on display, and of course the big man himself... Santa. As you can see, Jackson was not at all sure of this man all dressed in red and eventually the tears came. Luckily, a candy cane can make everything better, and Jackson enjoyed his very first peppermint sensation (as did James when the sticky mess ended up all over his shirt and face from little hands)

Jackson was also very helpful in hanging the lights on our Christmas Tree and with wrapping presents. He especially liked the bows, which had to be tried out on his head first before making it to the present. 13 days and counting!!!

Mouse House!!

We decided to take Jackson to Disney for the first time last weekend and it certainly was a magical experience! He loved the rides and got to go on Aladdin's Magic Carpet, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Mickey Express and the Carousel. The lines were long that day, so we did a lot of sight seeing. The next morning, we had breakfast with the Characters and he got to meet (and give hugs and kisses) to Donald Duck, Goofy, Mickey and Minnie Mouse. He did ask for Elmo more then once, but Mickey didn't hold it against us.

It will be a while until our next trip to the Mouse House, but this was a trip that will stay with us always! M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!

He is putting words together in sentences and especially likes the phrases:
"My mommy" "Hi daddy!!!" "It's school....yeah!!!" It is such a treat to watch his little brain work and we can't wait to introduce him to his little brother! 3 more months!!

Baby you can drive my car...

These last several months have been filled with adventure!! From a wedding in Philly, to dress rehearsal for Halloween, to finding Nemo and, of course, our newest favorite activity... DRIVING THE TRUCK!! He puts the music on and grooves to the tunes while pressing every button in the car! It is quite a sight to see.
At 19 months, he started school this week and seems to like it a lot. His favorite thing to do at school is to go down the slide!! His vocabulary is ever growing and this week, we added "motorcycle" "Trick or Treat" and "Halloween". Halloween weekend should be lots of fun!
In addition to all of the excitement, Jackson was at the doctor with mommy, daddy, grandma and nana when we found out he will have (GRANDPA, DON'T READ THIS PART)... a little brother arriving in early March!!

Summertime.... and the living is easy!

Summer has been lots of fun!! JJJ spent lots of time with Nana and Grandma and has learned many new things: running, flushing the toilet, and how to say NO! His vocabulary is ever increasing as well. His favorite words include: truck, please, choo choo, and a variety of animal sounds. He loves to read books, play airplane, and watch Sesame Street. It is so amazing to watch him discover his little world and we can't wait to see where next month takes us!!