Look Who's Sitting Up!

Brady finally got his balance just right so that he could sit up on his own a couple of weeks ago. Yea!

Here he is just as happy as can be... chewing on Pinky the bunny.

He loves to sit up in the cart now too. I love this picture... too bad I can't find that hat any more! I think it got left behind at swim class and I'm guessing it's on another child's head now. :(

Since Brady is sitting on the floor a lot more now, his toys are just sitting empty... but thanks to Jackson they are still getting some use. My little tiger loves to play with Brady's toys. I've found him sitting in his bumbo, bouncy seat, jump-a-roo and exer-saucer in the past couple of weeks. He's a silly boy.

Christmas Train

Every year the Arkansas-Missouri Railroad hosts a Christmas train ride with Santa. It was Jackson's and Brady's first train ride. It was a long, very cold wait for the train, but we finally boarded the train and rode from Springdale to Lowell and back. On the train we got to see Santa and Mrs. Claus, but Jackson was careful not to get too close after the debacle at the Promenade... see picture below. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Here's the train we were on. It was built between 1914 and 1917 and was used in the movie Biloxi Blues filmed in Van Buren in 1987.

Jackson and Daddy waiting to board the train.

I LOVE this picture of Brady. He so happy all the time and is just giggling away here in his warm teddy bear outfit. It was a COLD morning... I think he was the only warm one!

Jackson is checking out the sites as we rode the rails. He was so excited!

Jackson is keeping his distance from Santa here. He loves Santa, but only from a distance.

The day before the Christmas train, we visited Santa in the mall. It didn't go over well with either child.

Nana and Grandpa's House

The boys and I recently visited their Nana and Grandpa's house in Fort Smith for a little fun... well, a lot of fun! Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Jackson and Brady's cousins, Emma and Dakota, came over the first night we were there and had the best time! Here they are pictured in a rare moment... sitting down. They ran all over the backyard and house until it was bedtime and they were worn out!

The birds were out of food, so Emma and Jackson decided to fill up the feeder. I think more landed on the ground than in the feeder... at least the squirrels will be happy!

Brady rocking and relaxing with his Nana.

Jackson talking to his Daddy on the phone. Obviously he was excited to hear from him!

Before we left, Grandpa played his guitar for all of us. He used to play for Charles when he was little too. Jackson loved it! He danced and sang along... it was just adorable!

No More Peas Please!

I don't know what I was thinking when I gave Brady his first taste of vegetables and chose peas. I don't like peas, Charles doesn't like peas... obviously Brady doesn't like them either. Luckily we've moved on to squash and sweet potatoes and he likes them both. He tried some applesauce this week and that went over pretty good as well. He's not as big of an eater as Jackson was. Jackson pretty much liked everything he tried. Brady is going to be a much pickier eater I can already tell...oh boy! --this coming from the person who lived on hot dogs and applesauce growing up... I shouldn't complain. :)

Random Stuff

Things have been busy around the Sebourn household! I've been meaning to blog for a couple of weeks, but haven't had time since Jackson has decided he doesn't want to take naps anymore. I guess I'm okay with that since he's fully potty-trained again. I'd much rather him give up naps than still be in pull-ups! This past weekend was our last camping trip of the year. It was a perfect weekend too... couldn't believe it was mid-November! It did get pretty cold at night, so we bundled up and sat by the fire, which Jackson helped start. Here are some picture from our camping trip... and other random stuff.

Brady nice and warm... isn't his hat cute?!?

Jackson helping Daddy start the fire. We made smores after dinner... they were delicious! I need to remember not to shake my stick though when the marshmallows catch fire. One of my marshmallows flew off the stick and landed on the box of graham crackers, catching it on fire. Whoops!

Brady playing in the trailer while I got dinner ready. He loves his excersaucer now that he can reach all the toys.

I hosted a Pampered Chef party in October. When all of the stuff arrived, it came in several big boxes... which were perfect for a train. I think it made a pretty awesome train if I should say so myself. :)

Here's a cute picture of my favorite boys. Brady looks so big!

A couple of weeks ago we went to Johnny Brusco's with some of Jackson's friends. They let them make their own pizzas and then take them home to eat them.

Here's Jackson putting on the cheese. I had to ask for more cheese because he kept eating it before it made it to the pizza. Typical Sebourn... loves him some cheese!

Swim, Swim, Swim!

Jackson has been taking swim lessons for a couple of months now and is quite the little swimmer. He just jumps right in, goes under water, and pops back up without hesitation. We swam a lot this summer in the neighborhood pool, so he was used to getting in and climbing out on his own. They have a great time together and actually listen to the teacher too! Parents get to watch class from a dark room upstairs where the kids can't see us... that way we're not distracting them. Here are some pictures from Jackson's most recent class.

Jackson with his friends in class... Evan, Maddie & Kate

Waiting for class to begin.

Miss Jo teaching them how to kick while floating around on the mat.


Picking out a toy to throw and swim to.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was so much fun this year! Jackson was excited to dress up in his pirate costume. He actually got to wear it three days in a row... Thursday, we hosted playgroup at our house and had the kids dress up... then Friday was the Halloween party at the Walmart/Sam's home office... then of course, the big event on Saturday. Brady looked adorable in his lion costume. He filled it out nicely with his cute little chubby cheeks and belly! Charles and I got into the spirit too and dressed up. I was a witch and Charles was... well, if you've seen Saturday Night Live.. you'll know. Brady started out the night very lively, but between the warmth of his costume and the darkness, he was out like a light! Jackson ran into his friend Lilly while we were out and I just had to get a picture of the two little pirates together! Here are some pictures from our big night out.

Krispy Kreme Tour

I think it was a dream outing for me and the kids today. My friend Leslie set up a tour at Krispy Kreme so we could all see how the donuts are made. Jackson always loves to watch from the window, but they got to go behind the scenes and get an up close look. Jackson was about to grab a whole bunch of donuts once he spotted the trays stacked on top of the each, but luckily I stopped him just in time... disaster averted! The Krispy Kreme employees were very nice and even gave the kids a couple of Halloween donuts to take home with them.

Learning how the donuts are made and where the dough is put in so it can rise.

Watching the dough rise into yummy donuts!

The donuts are ready to cook in the hot grease. Almost ready to eat!

Pittman Pumpkin Party

Sunday night we headed down the street to the Pittman's house (The Pittman Post) for a pumpkin carving party. I wish I would have taken a picture of the food because it was so cute! There were donut hole eye balls, carrot fingers, ghost nutter butters... all ideas I'm totally going to steal next Halloween! :) After eating all the wonderful food, the carving began. Jackson helped pull the gooey stuff out of the pumpkin, but then lost interest. He decided running in the rain was much more fun. He ended up going home in just his undies and a shirt because his clothes were soaked! We decided next year we are taking a much smaller pumpkin because it took Charles forever to clean it out! It was like the Mary Poppins bag of seeds! While the boys were outside carving, I was inside playing with Brady and chatting it up with other moms. Charles did a great job on the pumpkin.. we now have a spooky ghost to light up our porch for trick or treating this weekend. Thanks Pittman's for the very fun night!

Trip to Granny and PawPaw's House

Since we have lots of time to do what we want (staying at home is great!), we decided to head to Heber Springs to visit the grandparents for a few days. It was a very fun and relaxing trip! Of course, the first thing we had to do when we got there was stop by the station for a hot dog and to say 'hi' to PawPaw. Then it was off to school to sneak into Granny's classroom. We finally made it home and before I had even unloaded the car, Jackson was in the backyard ready to play. The weather was gorgeous, so we stayed outside all afternoon until Granny and PawPaw got home from work. After playing on the swing set, we headed to the pond the feed 'the girls' (coy fish) and play in the water. Jackson decided the rocks were dirty and was washing them off in the waterfall. The mosquitoes finally got the best of us, so we headed indoors for the night.

We had a busy day on Wednesday. We went to Granny's classroom to help them make witch's brooms filled with goodies for a craft project (see blog post below). I think they enjoyed it... I know Jackson did. He got to help pass out scissors and candy (he ate all of his before we ever got it into the bag!).

Brady had fun too... getting loved on by all the kids. Although I was a bit of a germophobe while we were there. I kept wiping his hands and mine with a wipe every time someone touched them. Those hands go straight to his mouth... I didn't want anyone else's germs getting in there!

After we left school, we had to head to the station so Jackson could 'work' on my car. He had a blast lifting and lowering my Jeep. He thought he was so cool!

I had yet to try my luck at the new Arkansas lottery, so dad bought me some tickets to scratch off on the 'scratch off table'. I won $2 total, but spent $10 or so to play... maybe I'll be luckier at powerball when it starts next week. :) Dad had one guy there for hours.. and I mean HOURS.. scratching off tickets... sad, but true. I'm hoping he'll buy some underwear if he wins... I'll spare you the picture because it wasn't pretty.

Thursday, my friend Alesha and her daughter Lynnlee came over for lunch and a play date. They had a great time playing with puzzles, books and cars. They are both stubborn and strong-willed, so Alesha and I decided marriage might not work out between them... but they sure do make a cute couple!

Jackson discovered Granny's radio in her closet and insisted we have a dance party, so we put on silly hats and danced to Jimmy Buffett. We all had on beach hats and were dreaming about our next trip to Florida!