0 HOHOHO!!!

Today I prepared all day for a late night visit to Santa's workshop.  We talked about Santa all day, snuck in a second nap for a rested little one, and pressed a mini man outfit for the cutest little toddler. 

I tried to get a few snapshots before taking off but without bribery, staged photos are impossible to get with Jackson.  He did do a few spins for me and gave me a good laugh or two.  We tell him to turn around and let us have a look and he spins in circles until he is dizzy.

Here he is doing the GQ spin around and look over the shoulder thing.

Then we ventured off to Santa's play land.  We LOVE Santa's play land!!  So much to see, so much fun to be had.

We DO NOT however love Santa... 

I'm proud of my brave little man for at least meeting Santa Claus and even giving him a high five.  Santa didn't seem too hurt.  Actually I think  Santa may get that reaction a lot and he knew just what to do. 

After telling Santa what he wanted for Christmas we got to eat at the train restaurant and Jackson was in awe.  He is train obsessed!!  Even woke once in the middle of the night to the sound of a train and needed to tell the world all about it.  At Fritz's he sat patiently and watched as each train delivered food to others waiting and his eyes lit up when the train finally delivered our food. 

He is serious business about this train stuff!

The night was such a blast and a reminder to me that this season isn't about the hustle and bustle I have been feeling lately but about taking time out to just enjoy a night with the ones we love.  The giant Mayor's Christmas tree was our last stop.  It is a magical sight all those lights, the fountains, and the music.  Puts me in the Christmas spirit and makes my heart happy. 

Jackson has become quite a fan of Christmas as well.  He loves our tree and hanging ornaments, looking at each one carefully and smiling with excitement.  We read his Christmas story book every night and have been learning the real meaning of Christmas.   I am so thankful to have him and to see him light up like he does with Jess and I amongst all of these new discoveries.  It is just a magical season...truly magical.

 

Merry Christmas!!!
XOXO,
The Ryans

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0 18 months & The Pumpkin Patch

Warning: BE PREPARED FOR A PHOTO BOMB!!!

Today we abandoned the mile long to-do list and retreated to the country for an afternoon of fun.  The afternoon quickly turned into the evening and bedtimes were added to the list of things we abandoned by the time we made it home.  It was a wonderfully perfect day and oh so refreshing, like food for the soul. 

This picture is one of my favorites of the day.  It describes our little man perfectly.  He is so crazy these days, all over the place, making his mark on the world. 

And we can't forget about this photo either.  Totally defines him!!  He is just too busy for this picture taking business...he has places to go and things to see!!

He is soooo in love with trains!! The pumpkin patch we went to has a train and he was so very excited to ride this with his Mamaw B and his Great-Grandma. 

Waiting to get on the train...

 

He moved from place to place soaking up all the fun, nudging in next to the "big kids" and then spotting something else he liked better, only to take off running again. 

It was such a beautiful day and we soaked up every last second, catching the very last hay ride of the day to see the sun set.  Our little independent toddler insisted on sitting alone like a big boy. 

This place had it all and although our families had decided to visit a new pumpkin patch every year we all decided we would be returning to this one year after year for quite some time. 


 

 

oh yeah, and no I did not plan our outfits because if I had we would not have been
wearing three different uncoordinated plaids, LOL!!!

Our little boy loves trikes and jumped on this little trike first thing.  We are thinking of getting him his own little trike for Christmas this year. 

Jackson was in love with this little cow and kept petting him and then saying "awwww" with his little head tilted to the side.  So cute!!

Most of all we just enjoyed being together, watching him run from place to place and be so very happy to be outside. 

I am sure it is the same for all toddlers but he is always so incredibly happy to be outside.  I'm not sure what we will do this winter when it is cold but I guess I will have to brave the temperatures. 

Watching the pig races...he was a little nervous about the pigs...

I love the fall and all the fun it brings like playing in the leaves, carving pumpkins, and dressing up in costumes but I am so looking forward to Christmas this year.  I can tell he is going to be a blast and I have already started thinking about all the traditions I want to indulge in this year. 

@18 Months:
-You are growing like a weed.  You wear all 18 month clothes and a few 18-24 month items. 
-You can be a picky eater but you love all fruit and you really love pizza just like your Daddy.
-You continue to learn at an alarming rate.  You have started to piece words together into little short sentences.  You really like to say "Go school!" when we are leaving for your school in the morning.  We are trying so hard to get you to say "I Love You"
-You are so funny and make the cutest faces.  You are a ham and love to make others laugh.  You will do just about anything to get someone to laugh and it gets you giggling so loud. 
-We are playing lots of games these days.  You like to play hide and seek, catch, and bowling.  You also have a little mini cart Daddy gave to Mommy to use for the post office and you like to put some items in a basket on the cart and wheel it around the house.  Always a little busy beaver!!
-You weighed in at    lbs 15 ounces and were  inches tall.  I was so glad to say good bye to the last shots you will have to get until you are five years old and though you don't realize it you are glad too!!
-You are getting good at counting and love to practice when we are playing. 
-You make some funny faces!!  Your surprised face is the best!
-You like to climb on anything!!  You scare me and I can not leave you for a second because you will climb on chairs, desks, bookcases...you name it you will find a way to get on top of it. 
-You are still my little sweet boy and you will come over just to give me a hug or a sweet kiss.  You are very choosy about your love but when you dish it out we soak it up!!  I love those little moments and they make me feel so proud that you love me so much you have to take a pause out of your play to tell me about it. 

Love you baby toddler boy!!

Thanks for reading!!

XOXO,
Jenn

0 17 months...Learning Curve

Posts have been few and far between.  I wish I could say things will get better but at this stage in life posting may just continue to be this way.  We are enjoying every spare minute we can together because well life is very busy these days.  I will continue to post about Jackson and some of our big important family things but not much more for now. 

Jackson turned 17 months last month and while I didn't have much time to get a post up or take many pictures life was just as beautiful as ever!!  We relished in moments of fun and laughter as our little baby grows into a little boy.  He has us cracking up daily. 

Jackson's 17th month can only be described in this video.  The amount of learning that took place in that one short little month astounded me!!  As a worried Mama I was stressing when my little one seemed slow to say words.  Our pediatrician reassured me that when he started learning words he wouldn't stop and his vocabulary would grow at an alarming rate.  Well he wasn't kidding. 

So cute!!

This month was all about learning!!  He is exploring his world every day in new ways.  Sometimes this involves being cute and funny, sometimes sweet and caring, and other times a holy terror of ornery.  He keeps us on our toes!!  He is playing like a little boy; throwing things, zooming cars all around the room, wrestling, and making wild noises. 

He loves choo-choo trains and can hear them a mile away.  His eyes get all big and he gets super excited!!

He also loves dirt and bugs!! 

Nothing much else has changed about his little guy.  Still wearing 18 month clothes, eating like a horse when he isn't as picky as ever, and sleeping like a champ.  He continues to be the highlight of our days and the reason we leap out of bed when we hear him up for the day. 

Have a great week!!

XOXO,
Jenn

0 16 months...A letter to my little boy

Jackson,

Life with you is stunning.  You are sweet and fun and you have such spunk.  I look at you and can't believe you are ours.  Our little boy. 

I wish I had words to describe how much your father and I love you.  You are the biggest blessing in our life, you make us better, you bring us closer, and you complete our family. 

As you grow and mature you loose a little bit of baby every step of the way.  But I still see it...mostly in these fleeting moments.  These moments that are forever embedded in my memory and tied to a string that leads directly to my heart. 

These moments...

• In the still of the night when I grab you from your crib because I just can't stand to go all night without holding you close for a snuggle.  You are so sleepy but you can't help lifting your head every few minutes to give your Mommy a sweet paci smile.  You may be bigger but you still have those chubby baby legs that stretch across my lap. 
• The way you grab onto my finger when we walk together reminds me of the very first moment your hand ever grasp mine and the overwhelming feeling of love that hit me as I smiled at your Daddy.  One of the most perfect moments of my life!!
• The way you cling to me for a hug, lay your face against mine and let out an awwww, just as you have since you learned "hugs" at 9 months old. 
• The excited look you get on your face as you look at something new or surprising and then to us.  We are hooked on that face!!  I hope you never loose that excitement for life, that passion.
• The way you are in constant motion reminds us of all the times we would watch you, before we even knew you, bounce around in my tummy and dream about meeting you. 

 

You are growing and changing and blowing our minds.  I want you to always know that your Daddy and I are so proud of you, you are all we can talk about when we are together or apart, and you truly make our family whole.  We have a love so deep for you. 
We can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the future but you will always be our little boy and we will always think of these moments you have given us.  Little gifts we will never forget as you grow.
Love Mommy and Daddy

16 months
*Brought on lots of jabbering.  You are saying sooo many words: bye-bye, thank you, bubble, frog, turtle, nana(banana, or your Grandma Karen), shell(Michelle), and many many more.  You are repeating everything we say these days.
*Eating and sleeping routines are the same.  You are getting really good with utensils this month.
*Growing: 18 month clothing
*You love to do new things like craft projects, watch science experiments, or help me cook and clean up.  You want to be involved in everything Daddy and I are doing.  You even like to wear Daddy's shoes around the house. 
*You love pretend play like driving your trucks on roads we make out of masking tape.  Daddy says you make better car noises at 16 months than Mommy ever has.  I think this must be some kind of gene men are born with because he is right. 
*Lots of new teeth: all your molars are in and three of your four canine teeth.  We will all be glad when you have finished this stage of development because it makes you so miserable. 
* YOU COUNT!!  Yes you can count from one to three as long as Mommy gets you started.  So smart my little one!!
*You know all of your body parts including your belly button, which is your favorite.  You even try to say belly button, which is adorable!!
*You discovered your shadow and we like to stand and wave to him.

All in all you are brilliant and perfect and we love you!!  I know why couldn't I have just said that and been done with it...

Thanks for reading!!

XOXO,
Jenn