Camp Fire

It's getting a bit cooler here, so we decided to do some cooking outside. Jackson has been looking for another chance to roast marshmallows ever since the beach. Marshmallows are his favorite favorite. As you can see here, he's enjoying every second of it. We made s'mores; Natalie almost fell off the wagon in the Biggest Loser Contest when she decided to make 3 s'mores for herself. But she more than made up for it on other days. We also made hot dogs, cowboys beans (canned), and a healthy fruit salad (no delicious 24 hour salad). It was a good night and Jamieson just hung out in his stroller.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween. I hope everyone's babies had a good time. And I hope they brought home quite a bit of loot for their parents. Pedro the Pirate's long lost grandson Captain Jackson Sparrow scored quite a bit of booty this All Hallow's Eve. He went door to door plundering and pillaging the good citizens of their candy. All was well until we ran into Leatherface with his real chainsaw. That freaked him out a bit.

I'd like you all to meet Fred the Friendly Hillbilly.

Twins from a Different Time

Just look at these two. Jackson is the one on top taken in his third month. And Jamieson is one month old when he decided to strike the same pose.

Go Ducks

For all you Oregono's out there, here's a couple of guys from down south getting ready for some tailgating to cheer on their Duck's vs. the Tojans. Hey what's that, It's a bird, it's a duck, no, it's Super Wildcat. His cover's been blown. Hope they don't ruin the Duck's perfect season in a few weeks.

For a moment there, Jamieson thought he saw a squirrel, nope, just Chaos. He got back into the football spirit and gorilla-thumped his manly chest giving props to the Duck's. How cool does Jackson look in the last pic with his "I don't care attitude," and the "I just woke up looking this good" look.

U-Pick Farm

As a family we decided to take the migrant farmworker challenge. When we got to Agua Linda Farm, the pumpkin patch was full of thorny bushes so we thought we'd get some freshly baked pumpkin pie instead. However, when we got to the stand, the sign said all out. We were devastated, what were we going to do now. Jackson took MoMo's hand and led her and mommy to go pet the goats. I fed Jamieson who then passed out and remained that way for the remaining hour and half we were there. To Jackson the tractor hay ride was almost as cool as the Disneyland shuttle bus. Jackson thought the farm was so cool, but we enjoyed it as well since they had grass fed beef burgers, home made onion rings with their homegrown onions and homegrown butternut squash with butter and honey. On top of that we came home with strawberry rhubarb jam, pumpkin loaf, zucchini loaf, sweet cup squash, organic apples and tomatoes, and butternut squash to take home.

Baby Lizard at the Park

I caught a baby lizard and tried to put it on Jackson but he was a bit hesitant at first. Eventually, he thought he was the coolest dude in the world. He was so excited. When it was time to leave he didn't want to give the lizard up. He eventually let the little guy go, but not before long he was hot on the trail of another little guy. He couldn't catch another and frankly I was worried he would smash one of these little fellas.

Jackson's Warming Up to Him

I'm not sure what Jackson's thinking in this first picture. Eventually, he thought "he's a pretty nice baby." Jameison must have told him a funny joke as evidenced by the laugh. Or maybe he just farted. Who knows.

Jamieson Day II

Jamieson's big bro Jackson came to visit yesterday with his Yaya. Jackson brought a balloon for him and was nice enough to give him a kiss. But he was more excited to see Daddy's car in the parking lot from the room.

Other than a little hissy fit at 1:30 in the morning, Jamieson has been sleeping very well. He's having some trouble with feeding, so we've been supplementing some formula. Daddy got a solid three and a half hours in a row last night. Not bad. However, they keep waking Momma up for her vitals. She started doing some walking around today though.

Enjoy the photos. He definitely has his Momma's mouth.

Jamieson is Here

Mr. Jamieson was born today, September 25th at 7:59am. He was 7lbs. 11oz. and 20.5 inches long. His momma was a champ and is doing well. If anyone cares, I'm doing well too. The C-section went smoothly. He had his first poop and meal, in that order. I will post more to the blog over the weekend, so keep checking in. Enjoy our little baby.

New Nursery

I know it's a bit late, but we finally finished decorating Newbie's room. I started feeling guilty about a month ago since Jackson got a chair rail, a base color, and 3 intertwined different color stripes and Newbie got 1 color, but Natalie says it's a nice green. So I took it upon myself to paint Curious George on the wall. We put up some decals and painted a nice frame behind it. The room turned out rather nice. We lost a storage space though; we're starting to feel a bit cramped but that could be remedied by losing some kitties.

Here kitty kitty!

Driving Miss Daisy

Jackson and Avery

Avery, who turns 3 in November, came down with her daddy to visit on Saturday. As soon as I opened the door Avery was as social as can be. Jackson, who woke from his nap took a good 20-30 minutes to warm up. Every toy she played with was returned after she was done playing with it. Every time she would ask for her daddy, Jackson would speak up and say, "My daddy." He was a bit confused thinking there is only one daddy, his. After dinner the two little people found a common interest, tormenting the cats. After having some chocolate pie, these two showed Natalie and I a glimpse of our future as they chased cats through the house laughing along the way. Jackson started imitating Avery's every move; crawling and meowing like kitties, laughing maniacally and cheesin it for the camera. Chocolate pie is like baby crack, wow!

Then the two decided to go for a drive. Avery took control of the wheel like a modern woman and Jackson kicked back and let the wind blow through his shaggy mop. With both butts firmly seated they closed the door, but, oops, their butts were too big and both doors were stuck open.

At the end of the night, Avery gave Jackson a hug but Jackson froze for a moment, then returned the hug. Babies hugging, way too cute.

Red Velvet Cake: Continued

One week later and Jackson and I baked another Red Velvet cake. This time he helped decorate the cake. As evidenced by his shirt stains, he also helped mix the red colored cake. I had him pour the buttermilk into the measuring cup which didn't go over so well. All in all the cake turned out delicious and Jackson had a good time making what he calls birthday cake.

LeBron-SchmeBron, Check Out This Hoopster

One boy, a ball, and a dream...Then Mommy added the last item; hoop and Daddy was hoopin it up making j's while falling on the couch, popping miraculous shots from the kitchen, and getting glares from the Commissioner when a brick would ricocet into the TV or some other sacred artifact. But back to the boy with a dream; while King James was trying to be modest making his decision on TV, Cholo-J here was dunking with the signature Jordan tongue.

4th of July Cake

I know, I know, this is Jackson's blog. But if you look at the bottom of the photo, you'll see a finger reaching in to steal a bit of the whipped butter cream frosting. I'm trying to get a dramatic over head shot of the cake with the black granite background and in the LCD screen I witness these sausages (gets those from his mother) sneaking in to snag some frosting. The cake turned out perfect, so I had to post it. It is Red Velvet cake that I made for a party and I was ordered to bring some home for the pregnant wife. We got so little I'm making another this weekend. Kathy, you better get the sweet making machine going because the powerhouse trio of desert eaters is heading your way shortly.

Corn

While he's no corn theif like Addyson, he did ask for my corn while I was enjoying it. He had never wanted to eat corn before, but he sure liked it this time. I'll just let you enjoy this minute clip.

I Like Disneyland

We went to Disneyland and California Adventure for 3 days with Yaya and PopPop. Jackson was so intrigued with the characters, he'd walk up, hand them his book and pen for an autograph, then turn around and book it. He came back for his autograph book but was reluctant to hang around for a picture. Lines were amazingly short; we walked on to several rides and never waited any longer than 15 minutes. Jackson got a bit ansty a few times, so we had to bribe him a few times with lollipops which worked like a charm. For the most part, he was really good. In the end his favorite rides and activities were the bus from the hotel to Disneyland and the swimming pool at the hotel.

The first night home he was up late since his nap schedule was out of whack. Before I went down, I checked on him to make sure he was still covered up and he mumbled, "Disneyland", then went silent and slept the rest of the night.

The Carnivore

Oh my oh my, does this baby make his momma proud. Natalie was gnawing into a ribeye steak bone, when Jackson said, "Mine, mine!" Natalie begrudgingly gave it up. I couldn't believe how he dove right into it and started tearing off meat like an animal.

Jackson's Trip to Flagstaff

Last weekend we all took a trip to Flagstaff to see Grandma. We did some eating and then some hiking to offset the eating. Probably not enough hiking, but who's counting. We also went to the deer farm where they also have elks, camels, boars, mooses, llamas, buffalos, and other delicious looking animals. If you didn't know Natalie was pregnant you would deduce the fact when she made the comment, "I hope they have venison jerkey at the deer farm." We took a walk along Flagstaff's 3 foot river. It's a biggin. We had a good time and Jackson did very well on the drive.

Jackson's New Big Boy Bed

Jackson has finally graduated to a big boy bed. It's a lot higher than we imagined so we put some railing on it (not pictured). He was so excited we were worried he wouldn't sleep in it, but like Gatsby, this boy has no problem sleeping anywhere. On the monring after the 2nd night, I found him standing at the foot of our bed. Because of the height I wasn't so sure he would attempt to climb down. With the railing it's akward, but I guess he figured it out. I thought being a former helmet baby he may have some difficulty. The bed has a trap door at the base but unfortunately the room is too small and cluttered. Some shifting around may have to occur.

Modern Day Gordon Gekko

He wasn't too excited to put the tie and vest on, but once he got the phone in his hand he started making calls and sealing deals. He's a natural business man. Afterwards, he removed the vest and loosened the tie to head out to happy hour. It was a hard day and he needs a glass of milk, neat, 2 fingers please.