Party Time!

Jackson has been counting down the days to his birthday for months now!  Once he woke up on Tuesday, we were finally able to answer 'yes' when he asked if it was his birthday!

He started off with a candle and some presents!

He was sweet and let Katherine help him open some of his gifts.

 Jackson started making a birthday gift list a couple of months ago . . . one of the Super Soakers he's been requesting!

I had some errands to run, so Zach took Jackson and Katherine for some doughnuts!  Later in the afternoon, Grandma and Grandpa arrived.  Their arrival meant more presents!

Godzilla cake!

Grammy and Grandpa made it and brought even more gifts!

Talk about a loved and spoiled little boy!

It was finally time for Jackson's party at Chuck E. Cheese.  He went to a party there in December and has wanted his party there ever since.

Partying with one of his friends.  

I'm not sure where Jackson learned the guitar stance!

Jackson was wired the entire party!  He was having so much fun with his friends and running around that he was red-faced and covered in sweat by the time he sat down to eat.

Chuck E. Cheese came out to celebrate!

They both loved seeing him, but Katherine was enthralled!

Getting down to business!

Jackson has been looking forward to getting into the Ticket Blaster, and we've been talking about how he was going to catch the tickets and cram them into his pockets.

Buutttt, the lady turned the blaster on and Jackson almost froze!  It was loud and the wind inside was a lot more forceful than any of us expected!

Thankfully, he didn't let it bother him and freak out!  He didn't get too many tickets while in it, but not to worry, he had 1,900 tickets by the end of the night!

We had a wonderful day celebrating Jackson 

and are so happy he had such a memorable day!

Six!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACKSON!!!

Five One Last Day

Jackson's big day is tomorrow!  I wanted to get a few pictures of him today, so we headed to the park after running errands.  It was hot and muddy, so we didn't hang around too long.  Each year I can't believe how fast time passes and how big he is getting.  He is definitely not a baby anymore, but each time I look at him I can't help but see the 5 lb. 12 oz. infant we brought home {who turned out to be an insomniac}.

 Playing "tattoo"

 He kept talking about wanting to go fishing today, so Zach came home early and took him.  Once Katherine woke up from her nap, we joined them.

 The last time Katherine was here, she didn't fish.  She had just started walking and each time she started toward Zach and Jackson, she would fall and roll down the bank toward the water.  There wasn't much relaxing going on that afternoon.

 Two peas in a pod.

They both had a fun day, and Jackson is ecstatic about his birthday!  He's been saying he is 6 since his school party in May!  We're excited for him and can't wait to celebrate tomorrow!

July

July is quickly slipping by, so here's an overdue recap of some of our month.

We traveled to Alabama to celebrate the 4th and ended up spending most of the time inside due to the rain.  The clouds did part in time to shoot off some fireworks!

The next day Jackson went fishing and

had a great idea of what to do with the leftover worms!

The following week we were back home and took a trip to the zoo and splash pad.  Katherine didn't like the splash pad last year and on this visit it took her a little while to warm up to it.  Jackson can be so sweet to her at times and help her try new things.

With Jackson's lead she warmed up and started to realize this thing is pretty fun!

Grandma came over for a few days and we went to the aquarium in New Orleans!

Jackson loved the penguins . . . so much so that he's constantly asking for one!

After the aquarium, we made our way over to Cafe Du Monde!  We've been 2 hours away from New Orleans for over 2 years and it was about time Jackson and Katherine had their first visit!

We ended the day with a trolley ride!

This past weekend, Grammy and Grandpa came down.  Katherine is obsessed with horses right now, so Grandpa made her day!

And now we're nearing the end of July and that only means one thing around here-
JACKSON'S BIRTHDAY!!!

Flashback

It's July and that means one thing around here . . . Jackson's birthday!!  Last night I looked at posts from 2008 that I did and found these gems.  These pictures are from June 30 and July 1, exactly 5 years ago now!  My dad took the first picture and it's about the only picture that we have of Jackson crawling since he never did really crawl.

 He still loves the water!

Zach and I both remember this day 5 years ago.  I had filled the pool up for Jackson, but he decided to stand up, take the hose, and just play with it.  He was being so cute that I called Zach and he came home from work to watch him (remember Zach's office was only 1/4 mile from the house then!).

 Drinking from the hose is still a favorite pastime!

 Not so happy once hearing it was time to go inside!

From time to time, I'll look back at these old posts and am so happy to have pictures and memories written down.  This blog started as a way for family to see pictures of Jackson, but it's also become a scrapbook of sorts for us.  Looking at our almost 6 year old little boy now compared to these pictures seems almost a lifetime ago, while in other ways it seems like last week.  The time really does fly.