Boys, Toys and Dirty Dishes

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:33:00.011-05:00

Due to the warm weather, we had to modify costumes for trick-or-treating. Luckily we have lots of play clothes around the house. The kids had a great time at the Halloween potluck with their friends and then everyone went trick-or-treating together. It was a fun evening for all!

Sheriff Brady keeping an eye out for candy thieves.

I've got my eye on you.

The line up. I think the witch did it with the candlestick.

Hey Mom! More candy!

Brady pushing the wagon home.

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider

2010-10-31T15:46:00.002-05:00

Candy Inspector

2010-10-31T15:39:00.004-05:00

Spidey-Sense

2010-10-31T15:35:00.003-05:00

This was taken at Jackson's superhero birthday party in September. He was about to tackle me in this picture.

Splish Splash

2010-08-15T12:26:00.011-05:00

Took the kids to the Rogers Splash Park this morning and they had a blast! No one else was there, so we had the entire thing to ourselves. Brady loved it! We'll definitely have to go back before it closes in a couple of weeks.

St. George Island, FL

2010-08-01T18:13:00.022-05:00

When we were in St. George Island, FL a few weeks ago we had family pictures taken on the beach. We weren't sure how the pictures would turn out since the photographer and his wife were arguing in Spanish during the photoshoot. It was very awkward, but alas, they turned out great. Here are just a few out of the 500+ pictures he sent us.

Oh yeah... we even ran on the beach. My sister blames me for this. :)

Backyard Campout

2010-07-04T17:24:00.004-05:00

Jackson and I had an impromptu slumber party in the new clubhouse last night. He slept really well, I did not. Here are my observations from our clubhouse campout: Jackson is a bed (cot) hog, the sounds of crickets are very relaxing at night, drunk neighbors can indeed be louder than fireworks, I love my son very much (and I'm glad he didn't have any accidents last night!)

Peanut Butter - Raisin Spread

2010-01-17T11:59:00.003-06:00

I seem to be all about food lately. I'd gotten kind of lazy about cooking (think box meals, frozen stuff, etc.) in the past couple of weeks, so I'm on a mission to cook more and eat healthier. I wanted to make this spread last week, but Jackson left the brand new box of raisins on the couch and the dogs devoured it, so I had to wait until I bought some more. I got this recipe from my friend Robin and it is soooo good! I could just eat spoonfuls of it! It makes a great snack or breakfast spread. I like it on bananas (my favorite!), apples, graham crackers, or by itself. It's a big hit for the entire family, especially Jackson. Good thing about it is you most-likely already have all of the ingredients at home. Here's the recipe. I highly recommend making it right now... don't delay!

Peanut Butter - Raisin Spread

1/2 apple juice

3/4 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups peanut butter (creamy)

2 Tb. honey

2 tsp. cinnamon

Bring apple juice and raisins to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes (or until raisins absorb juice). Then mix with peanut butter, honey and cinnamon.

I must go get a spoonful now. That's all.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

2010-01-17T09:14:00.003-06:00

First of all, I need to learn to read the instructions before making anything in the kitchen. The first batch I mixed up was all wrong because I just started throwing ingredients in there that weren't even supposed to be in there. After I threw that out, I started over, carefully reading the cookbook. It took a lot longer for the pancakes to cook than normal pancakes, so we were really hungry by the time they were ready. Overall, I thought the taste was really good. Sweet and yummy. The texture, though, was not so great. They were a bit mushy in the middle from the sweet potato puree. I also added some cinnamon for added flavor... loved that! I might give these pancakes one more try to see if I can improve the texture somehow. Might try to use Bisquick instead of Hungry Jack pancake mix.

Here's the recipe if you guys want to try it:

Sweet Potato Pancakes (from Deceptively Delicious)

1 cup water
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup pancake mix

Mix water, puree and cinnamon. Then add pancake mix. Pour batter onto pre-heated skillet or griddle (med-high heat). Cook until bubbly and a bit brown, then flip.

Charles liked the pancakes, but thought the texture was a bit off as well. Jackson wouldn't touch them. He said he wasn't in a pancake mood.

I think I'm going to try the eggs with cauliflower tomorrow morning. He'd better be in an egg mood tomorrow because that's all he's getting. :)

Deceptively Delicious

2010-01-16T15:54:00.005-06:00

OK.. I need to eat more vegetables. My children like veggies way more than me, but they could always eat more too. I borrowed Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, "Deceptively Delicious" from my friend Karly. The idea is to puree veggies and then mix them into recipes so no one will know that what they are eating is filled with a vegetable. Here was my shopping list: 3 sweet potatoes, 3 squash, 1 butternut squash, 1 head of cauliflower, 1 head of broccoli, 3 guacamole's. I spent about 3, yes THREE, hours cooking, baking, steaming and pureeing all of these vegetables. It took so long and had better be worth it! Some proof my children love veggies more than me... Jackson was actually eating uncooked cauliflower while I was cutting it up to put in the steamer. It wasn't even covered in ranch! Anyways, I wanted to do some carrots and bananas too, but couldn't take it anymore after that long. I'll just stick to recipes that have what I've pureed so far. I figure if it's a success, we'll be healthier for it. If it's not, Brady will have lots of fresh, pureed food to eat. I put all of the purees into freezer Ziploc bags. I put a few into the fridge for recipes this week and the rest in the freezer for future use. I'll be blogging about what I cook and how it turns out... so stay tuned.

By the way, I'm going to be doing an entire re-branding of this blog. I'm expanding it to include stuff about my cooking experiments, training for the half-marathon and whatever else is going on. I know you're all really excited about that. :)

Look Who's Sitting Up!

2009-12-07T09:01:00.003-06:00

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

2009-12-07T08:31:00.005-06:00

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

2009-11-30T11:16:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-11-17T14:44:00.004-06:00

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

2009-11-17T10:38:00.007-06:00

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!

2009-11-05T15:32:00.010-06:00

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!

2009-11-05T14:56:00.016-06:00

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

2009-10-26T11:03:00.011-05:00

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

2009-10-26T10:34:00.014-05:00

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

2009-10-24T16:11:00.019-05:00

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!

Channeling Martha

2009-10-18T14:14:00.003-05:00

I love to be crafty, but I often don't have the time to do any projects. In fact, I saw this witch's broom goodie bag on an episode of Martha two years ago! I've been wanting to make it since then, but October always came and went before I had a chance to make it. So I finally made one today. For my first one, I think it turned out pretty good! The crooked stick was the only one in our yard, so I'm going to have to scour the neighborhood for more, straighter sticks for the broom handle. My goal is to make the goody bags for Jackson's friends, but since it took me two years to make one, I may end up giving them to his 2nd grade class by the time I finish!

Mad Scientist

2009-10-18T13:56:00.010-05:00

My sister Pamela, who is an organic chemist, would be so proud of us... we turned our kitchen into a chemistry lab this weekend and it's all thanks to Chick-fil-A. Yesterday we stopped by to get something to eat (after we left the grocery store.. of course... we're always too hungry to make it home to cook!). Anyways, the toy was a flask with instructions on how to conduct your own science experiments. We just did one yesterday. We mixed vinegar and baking soda, then watched it bubble over the flask. Jackson loved it! We're going to try some more experiments, but I didn't have all the ingredients at home... so it will be back to Wal-Mart, then probably Chick-fil-A for more science toys! :)

Nom, Nom, Nom...

2009-10-11T16:56:00.006-05:00

Brady did another first today... he ate his first meal... very liquidy rice cereal! He wasn't sure what to think of it at first... it just kind of dribbled right on back out, but after a few tries, he was opening right up. Hopefully once he really starts eating cereal, he'll be less hungry during the night! Ever since we moved him to his crib, he's been waking up 2 or 3 times a night and seems to be starving every time! The boy definitely loves to eat! Once he got a hold of the spoon, he forgot all about actually eating what was on it... he just wanted to chew it! To watch an adorably cute video of him 'eating' just click here.

Right Choices Farm

2009-10-05T12:48:00.000-05:00

Last Friday we headed to Southwest City, MO to the Right Choices Farm. It was so much fun and well worth the 1 hour drive (well, two hours for us since we got lost!). There was so much to do.. from a pumpkin patch and corn maze, to a hayride and cow train! Not to mention all the farm games like pumpkin ball, hay jump and the corn box (instead of sand it was corn kernels). Here are some pictures from our day at the farm. If you go, pack a lunch because you can spend hours there!

Jackson had a blast sliding down the hill slide on the potato sack. There was also a slide where you sat on a board and went down rollers. I tried that one and it was really fun!

Here's the cow train! Jackson wanted to sit in the caboose, so we was really far back from the rest of the group. Brady sat on my lap as we rode through rows of corn.

Here we are on the hay ride. Brady only made it through half the ride before falling asleep in my arms. The bumpy ride knocked him right out! We learned all about corn and even got to see some 50 year old farm equipment on the ride.

Here's the group we went with. Jackson and his friends had a great time!

Charles is showing Jackson how to pump water the 'old fashioned' way. You could race rubber ducks on the wooden slides.

And here is Charles changing our flat tire on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. We saw three older men drive even older tractors by while Charles was working on the tire. At least it entertained Jackson for about 5 minutes... the other 25 were spent whining about wanting to get out of the car to help Daddy.

If you want to learn more about the farm, go to http://www.rightchoicescornmaze.com/

Brady's Big Night!

2009-10-01T08:54:00.000-05:00

So I finally cut the cord last night and moved Brady to his own bed. Here he is sleeping soundly this morning (although I almost woke him up by snapping a hundred pictures of him sleeping!) I loved having him sleep beside our bed, not just for convenience, but because he's just so darn cute to watch sleep. He was on the verge of having his legs hang over the moses basket, so I knew I needed to make the move. He woke up a couple more times than normal, but other than that, he slept pretty good! In fact he slept until 8 am this morning, which is an hour later than usual... I have a feeling that is due to the fact he couldn't hear a noisy 3 year old playing downstairs!

Today was bath day, so I thought I'd get some new bath photos of him. Don't have any since his first bath almost 5 months ago! Here's the happy little guy playing with his feet!

All clean!

Happy Birthday Jackson!

2009-09-28T16:19:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my Jackson is already 3 years old! It just doesn't seem right that he could be that old (because that makes me older too!). We recently celebrated his birthday weekend (yes, he gets an entire weekend... if it were up to him, every day would be his birthday!) We celebrated the big '3' on Saturday at Fast Lane. We'd never been before, so we thought we'd check it out. It was great! We bowled and played games (the prizes were way better than Chuck E Cheese, although it cost a lot more to play). It was his first time bowling and he almost scored better than me and his Granny! Saturday night we picked up his Aunt P from the airport and opened presents. This was the first holiday where he really tore into the presents and wanted more! He was adorable! Sunday was the big birthday party. We invited his friends over here for a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cookout. He prayed the night before the party that all his friends would come and they did! It was a beautiful afternoon. The kids got to play in the sand, on the swing set and in the bouncy. At the end of the day, Jackson asked if he could have another birthday because it was so fun! I'm glad everything turned out great and his family and friends were able to celebrate with him. Now that his birthday is behind him, he's already started compiling his Christmas list. Oh boy!

Fair Time!

2009-09-28T15:58:00.000-05:00

It has been a very long time since I posted anything... so I figured I'd better get back into the swing of things since the boys seem to be growing faster than ever! We had such a busy summer, I hardly had time to work on the computer... but as long as those boys continue to nap at the same time, I'll have time to sneak in some blogging. I just downloaded 145 pictures from my camera from just the past couple of weeks (we've been super busy!) and wanted to share some here. We recently ventured to the Benton County Fairgrounds for our first county fair and boy did we have a great time! We saw all sorts of animals from cows and pigs to camels and zedonks (zebra/donkey). Jackson wasn't afraid to pet anything! The exotic animals were there thanks to the animal safari in Gentry. After the kids finally tired of the safari animals, we finally made our way to the show animals. I've never seen such clean cows, goats and pigs! They were all very pretty animals. Jackson was challenging the goats to a staring contest... he won. :) We also got to see the farmers milking some dairy cows (which I kind of feel like these days!). What would a fair been without checking out the tractors. Not sure they were meant to be played on, but Jackson sat on just about every one of them pretending to be a farmer. He loves his tractors! We all had a great time and will definitely go back next year so Brady can enjoy it with out. Brady enjoyed the view from his stroller, but hopefully next year he can do some petting of his own.

Brady is here!

2009-05-26T13:36:00.000-05:00

Brady Hudson has arrived! He was born Tuesday, May 12th at 1:43 a.m. He was 6 lbs, 12 oz. and 19 1/4 inches long. So far so good with the new family! Charles has been on paternity leave for the past 2 weeks and we've had lots of help from family, so it's been a pretty busy 2 weeks. Charles heads back to work tomorrow and Jackson will be back in school, so it will be just Mommy and Brady in the mornings until we pick Jackson up.

Today we had family pictures taken by Photo Alli. I can't wait to see the proofs. What I got a sneak peak of looked great! Brady and Jackson both did pretty good. Jackson decided he wanted to show Alli how he can do somersaults and roll around the room... then he ran in and out of each room laughing the entire time... but I think he sat still long enough to get a couple of family shots. Brady was actually awake for some of the pictures... crying, but awake. When he fell asleep, Alli was able to get some amazing pictures of him curled up in his room.

Jackson loves his little brother and likes to help do everything involving Brady... including giving him baths and sharing tummy time on the blanket. Unfortunately, as much as Jackson loves being a big brother, he also wants the perks of being a baby... like being held all the time. The poor child wants to be carried everywhere. I didn't realize just how heavy he was until I only had a 6 lb baby to carry around! Other than that, he's doing really well with all the changes. Hopefully once things get back to normal and we get into a routine, I'll have more time to post pictures of the new family.

Weekend at Devil's Den

2009-03-10T17:10:00.000-05:00

The weather was so beautiful this past weekend, we just had to go camping. Jackson had been asking about the trailer for weeks and was so excited to be able to 'help' pull it out of the backyard. He even told me Thursday night he didn't want to go to school because he wanted to go camping. Luckily Charles got Jackson off to daycare the next morning without any major issues... well, besides the normal ones anyways. :) Jackson hasn't stopped talking about the trip since we got home and keeps asking if we can go again. Hopefully we'll get lots of nice weather this spring before Brady gets here so Mommy can go too! Here are some pictures from our fun weekend at Devil's Den.

Jackson just mastered pedaling, so most of the weekend was spent riding his tricycle. He actually met a little girl named Caroline as soon as we got there and was smitten the rest of the trip. He chased her (she's 6) on his bike the entire weekend. I guess he likes the older ladies!

A camping trip wouldn't be complete without giant bubbles! Too bad this activity only lasted about 5 minutes before the bubble stuff was dumped out. Mommy will remember to bring extra next time!

Abbie thinks this is her chair, but Jackson wasn't so sure about that. Sharing is such a hard thing to learn!

Last year, they seemed to fit much better!

What better way to enjoy the weather than take the dogs for a walk? Jackson did a great job walking Snoopy... or pulling as Jackson liked to say, although Snoopy did the pulling, not Jackson!

We hiked down to the river so Jackson could throw some rocks into the water. Our hikes are getting much shorter the heavier Jackson gets. Of course, I was hiking with a lot of extra weight this time around too, so I was pretty exhausted myself! :)

This is from one of our first hikes with the backpack in the fall of 2007... oh, how Jackson has grown!

And finally... Jackson is the perfect height for this secret sliding window that he thinks was made just for him! As I'm writing this blog, Jackson is repeating "I want to go camping again" over and over, so I'm sure we'll have a lot more pictures to come!

Snow Day

2009-03-01T18:06:00.000-06:00

We woke up on the last day of February to find the ground covered in snow. Since we never had the chance to go out and play during the ice storm, we were excited to get another snow before winter ended. After Jackson and I examined the snow for a very long time from the comfort of his window seat, I promised we would head out to play as soon as it warmed up, but considering it never got above freezing, there wasn't much of a warm up! When it hit 28 degrees (with a wind chill of 18!), we bundled up and hit the backyard. His first order of business was the clear the slides of all snow, so he took off running for the swing set. Next up was the toddler slide... a much shorter ride, but still all the fun! Snoopy and Abbie were having a great time chasing each other, so Jackson got in on the action for while too. Then it was back to the swing set for more fun. Surprisingly, it was Jackson who decided it was time to go in after only about 15 minutes in the snow. He said it was cold and wanted to go inside, so he took off running to shed the layers. To his surprise, Daddy was waiting inside, just back from the grocery store, with a surprise for him! He's now the proud owner of a plastic baseball bat and ball. He's already got a pretty good swing, but unfortunately, he aims for the dogs more than the ball!

Happy Birthday Elmo!

2009-02-23T07:39:00.000-06:00

Elmo turned 3 this weekend, so of course, we had to celebrate. Borders Books in Rogers has a toddler story time every weekend and this weekend their theme was Elmo's birthday. Jackson talked about it for days leading up to the party. He told us that he wanted to see Elmo, Big Bird, Grover, Ernie and just about every other Sesame Street character he could think of. He also told us that they would all be driving their cars to the party and would eat birthday cake. He had an entire story planned out of how things would go... I hope he wasn't disappointed when none of the characters were there. I told them they were celebrating on Sesame Street... but then he asked if we could go there instead! He did get to make a birthday card for Elmo and eat some sweets... plus we read lots of books while we were there and he got to play with his friend Lydia... so overall it was a sucessful party! We'll have to go back for another Saturday story time... not to mention, I just read on their website that there's a free coffee tasting during that time for parents.. yummy!

Granny, PawPaw and I recently cheered on the hogs at Bud Walton Arena (Daddy was on a business trip). Although we lost that game to Kentucky, we still had a great time. Jackson was so excited to see Big Red, Pork Chop, Sooie and Ribby (Boss Hog). He has a Razorback book at home, so he is familiar with everything Razorback! Besides for losing his hot dog on the ground after the bag finally gave out from moisture, he did great! He actually watched the entire game and especially loved the time outs when the cheerleaders and mascots would dance. He of course had to take a time out to drink his Sprite.. which did not have a lid or straw, so I was a bit nervous, but we made it out of there without any major messes... mission accomplished! Next year should be even more interesting since there will be another little boy (and diaper bag, carrier, etc.) in tow! Thank goodness Granny and PawPaw will be there with the extra hands to continue our yearly tradition!

Great place for playdates!

2009-01-19T17:40:00.000-06:00

Jackson should sleep soundly tonight! We've been getting a case of cabin fever every afternoon since it's too cold to go out and play, and there's only so much physical activity we can do inside... but we found a fun place to get out all that energy today. We went to Jump Zone in Bentonville this afternoon. It's a big building full of bouncy houses. Jackson wasn't sure which one to jump in first, but as soon as he saw some of his friends there, he climbed right in and didn't stop for almost 2 hours! It only cost $5.50, which is a small price to pay for 2 hours of uninterrupted fun... and some adult time for Mommy! It was fun catching up on girl talk while all the boys played. If you haven't been, I would highly recommend it.. and give me a call before you go!

Potty Time!

2009-01-16T10:21:00.000-06:00

I am so excited! Jackson just moved up to a new classroom and will start potty training at school next week! We've been trying at home and he'll go when he wants some candy, but not on a regular basis. I'm just hoping we can make it happen before little Brady gets here in May! The other night he told us he wanted to go poo poo on the potty, so we gladly helped him strip down. All of a sudden I hear this loud fart in the bathroom and then Jackson comes running into the room, happily telling me that he farted on the potty and wanted some candy. Not quite how it works, but he's kind of getting it! His teacher said they pick it up pretty quickly when all their friends start doing it.. so let's hope so!

Jackson just started swimming lessons a couple of weeks ago and he loves it! He's learned to blow bubbles in the water and he can kick really well! His favorite part is when we do Humpty Dumpty and he gets to fall into my arms from the side of the pool... he yells, again, again! He even has a friend from his daycare class in there with him. Jackson will definitely be ready for summer now that he has some new tricks for the water!

Jackson's Favorite Things!

2008-12-19T08:38:00.000-06:00

I have to give credit to Kara for this post. What a cute idea to list Gavin's favorite things... so of course, I just had to do the same! So here it goes...

His Rollback

This is his favorite toy and despite its large size, he must take it to bed each night! He even includes it in his night, night list before prayers. His Pawpaw bought it for him earlier this year and he hasn't stopped playing with it since. It's a good thing he has a rollback since Lightning McQueen, police car, and school bus are always breaking down and in need of a ride. In fact if there's any sort of accident, Jackson's Towing and Recovery is there to help! Plus, Charles likes it too... boys!

Movies

Mommy especially loves that he loves movies! He loves Cars, Monsters Inc., Toy Story, Shrek, Ratatouille... gosh, just about any Disney movie really. Even though these aren't movies, he also loves the Backyardigans and the Wonder Pets... he even sings the theme song to them when they come on. Is it bad that he also says "coming to theaters soon" when the movies start? Maybe we should cut back on the movies... nah... Mommy needs time to cook (and sit!)

Bath time with Daddy

Jackson loves his Daddy time each night while in the tub. From downstairs, all I hear is laughing and splashing, so it must be a good time! Plus it gives Mommy some time to relax! (Do you see a theme here?)

His grandparents
Just mention Granny and Pawpaw or Nana and Grandpa and he gets all excited! Jackson actually loves talking on the phone with them (don't know where he got that from?!?). This week he keeps saying he wants Granny to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with him... so I call her up (he actually called his Granny on his own this week after he stole my phone and ran upstairs!) and they sing together... it's so cute! I know he's looking forward to Christmas so he can see everyone again! Even Aunt P is making the trip and he loves some Aunt P too! Just wait until he learns they will be 'bunking' together... neither one will get any sleep over Christmas! I can't forget the dogs here either. Jackson snuggles, lays, kisses and sits on Snoopy and Abbie on a regular basis. I'm so glad they are gentle and loving dogs... Jackson's 'affection' can be pretty rough some times!

Us!

I love the way Jackson runs to me when I pick him up from school every day. It is the highlight of my day when he jumps in my arms for a big hug! Then I get to see his face light up again when he hears the door open when Daddy comes home... repeating over and over.. Daddy's home, Daddy's home! He is just a joy to be with and we love our time with him even more!

He loves to be loved

Jackson loves to give hugs and kisses and we love it too! He loves cuddle time each night and sitting on our laps during movie time. He is a very affectionate little boy and we cherish every moment because I know some day he won't even want to be seen with us in public... ugh, the teenage years already scare me! So for now, I'll take all the kisses he wants to give (and receive!).

The outdoors

Boy am I glad he likes the outdoors! Of course, he really didn't have a choice since that's about all we do when it's nice... swim, hike, camp, swing, etc. We're already missing General Pepper and can't wait to take it out as soon as it warms up! Jackson misses it so much he wants to go play in it while it's parked in the backyard.

Being silly

Finally... he loves to be silly! He likes to dance, sing, put funny things on his head... whatever it takes to be funny! I can't imagine what side of the family this came from (Charles anyone?!?). I hope he never loses this part of his personality because he is just a blast to be around and that's why I did fall in love with his Daddy! Whether it's pulling all the toilet paper off the roll, tissue out of the box, or Tupperware out of the cabinet, he'll find a way to have fun and make a mess!

Lights of the Ozarks

2008-12-14T19:09:00.000-06:00

This weekend was all about Christmas! Friday night we drove around looking at lights in Benton County, then on Saturday we drove down to Fayetteville to enjoy the Lights of the Ozarks on the square. We went to eat at U.S. Pizza first. I got a salad for an appetizer and it ended up being Jackson's salad. I couldn't believe he was eating huge chunks of lettuce and loving it! After dinner we went down to the square and the first thing we had to do was go for a pony ride. After that was over, he saw the camels being unloaded and started running after them saying "I wanna ride camel!" He has a memory like an elephant! When Granny and PawPaw took him to the safari in Gentry this summer, he got to ride a pony and camel there, so he was so excited when he saw them. Of course, he didn't want to get off when the 60 second, 10 dollar ride was over. After a trip or two around the square, we made the trek by our old house in Johnson to look at the lights, but unfortunately there were only a couple of houses with lights on. I think it should be a requirement if you live on a street with a holiday-like name, i.e. Silver Bell Trace, you should have to put lights up! Overall, we had a great time and enjoyed looking at all the lights. It was a very fun evening for all of us!

Where's Santa?

2008-12-10T18:02:00.000-06:00

We finally went to visit Santa today. This is about as close as we got... if you look really close, you can see Santa in the background. Jackson got distracted by the rides as soon as we got there. Then as soon as he saw Santa, he ran back to the rides screaming "No see Santa Claus!" So basically this is our "Santa" picture for '08. Oh well... at least we tried! :) Jackson does like to include Santa in his prayers, so as long as he doesn't have to see him, he'll believe!

2 years old and already blogging

2008-12-08T17:18:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Sebourn family blog! Jackson has already taken to this blogging thing... it's amazing how fast kids learn these days. When Jackson starting showing me how to change the layout, I knew I was in trouble! Through this blog, we hope to update all our friends and family about what's going on in the Sebourn family.. which means all things Jackson since he pretty much rules the household right now... or at least he thinks he does (although sometimes I think I agree with him). He's already wearing a spot in the carpet on our bottom step since he sits there so much for time out!

We're all looking forward to Christmas around here and Jackson can't wait for Santa to come for a visit. In theory, he thinks Santa is great, but in reality, he's a scary, scary man! We saw Santa in Walmart yesterday and Jackson just about jumped out of the cart when we got close, ready to run the other way. We'll see how it goes when we visit him at the mall.

Jackson has been very "helpful" when it comes to decorating and wrapping presents. We've got some very saggy branches on our tree. Jackson has been redecorating the tree for the past two weeks and likes to hang as many ornaments as he can on the same branch. Today while I was wrapping gifts, he wanted to help put them under the tree. Well, to a 2 year old, everything is taken very literally, so he was stuffing everything, no matter how big or small, under the tree. I actually only got 3 things wrapped before he'd lost interest and was begging me to dance to Jingle Bell Rock. Maybe we'll get a couple more wrapped tomorrow... at this rate, hopefully I'll be done by Christmas!

One final note to end the day... Jackson found some "band-aids" in the bathroom and decided he needed to put them on... enjoy!