Jackson's 1st Independence Day

Happy 1st Fourth of July, Jackson Joseph! What a blessing you are! You have the sweetest nature, and Mommy loves you dearly!
(I spent hours looking for my lost camera battery to no avail. I tried not to stress over it, but I just couldn't stand knowing today was Jackson's first Independence Day. And capturing memories is SO important! So I made a mad dash to Wal-Mart and purchased the Nikon Coolpix camera. I was pleasantly surprised that it did so well! All the pics today were taken with our new little Coolpix camera, until I can order another battery online. )
Isn't my sweet Baby Jackson just precious?!? LOVE this little guy!

Jackson's 1st Independence Day~ July 4, 2011

J

Happy 4th of July 2011

Fourth of July 2011~ Our first fourth as a family of four! Pretty cool!

Michael and I both worked today, but we had a family party at the house when we got home. We sang Happy Birthday America and had cupcakes, swam, and started to do sparklers, but it started lightening, so we went inside. I went upstairs as I heard the Hollytree Country Club fireworks going off, and I was amazed to see that I could actually view their fireworks from our covered upstairs porch! SWEET!!! No waking the babes! I just listened to the rain and watched the sky light up. I didn't see the whole show by any means, but it was a nice, unexpected surprise. Happy Birthday America!

Mr. Personality (AKA Noah)

Noah is just Mr. Personality. He has so much enthusiasm and passion for life. It's truly astounding. He says the funniest things in the funniest ways. Take today, for instance:
He said to Michael, "Dad'N, you're my best friend."
He said to me, "Mommy, I have a really big penis!"

And the newest thing he says, that I just love...."Mommy, I had a really big, big time today!" (And then he tells me all the things he did. For example, two days ago, he said, "I had a really big, big time today. I helped Mommy decorated, I went swimming, I saw Marcy. I had a big, big time!")

4th of July Party Pics from Marcia

Thank you to sweet Marcia for getting me these INCREDIBLE pictures of Noah & the boys jumping in the water! My battery was dead and I felt so sad that I missed capturing the moment! Yay for good friends with good cameras!

4th of July pictures from Roni

Here are some of the pictures that Veronica sent me from our 4th of July party this year. Thanks Roni!

4th of July Party Decorations

I did a lot of decorating for our 4th of July party this year. June 2011 was a rough month, and I was ready for some fun. Unfortunately, my battery ran out and I couldn't find my battery charger, so I didn't get pictures of all the decorations. What I want to note is that I decorated using a lot of the things my dad brought back from Michigan that once belonged to my maternal grandmother (Grandma Kreger). He brought back old scarves, bandanas, and gloves...and I used them all. It's funny. When Denise walked in the door, I noticed right away that she used one of grandma's red/white/blue scarves as a belt. Great minds think alike, I guess.

Fourth of July party 2011

This year's 4th of July party was lots of fun! It was hot, of course, but the kids had a great time swimming in the pool. Noah swam for HOURS! He LOVED swimming with the big boys---Connery, Andrew, Joseph, and Daniel. And the big boys were SO sweet to him. They watched out for him and helped him...especially Connery and Joseph. They were so sweet! They held Noah's hand and jumped in the water with him! It was so fun to watch! Noah eventually jumped in on his own. He's getting to be so big! Michael tended the bar and kept the margaritas flowing, so that's always a plus! Jackson was as sweet as ever...even without an afternoon nap. He is such a honey. Everyone enjoyed looking at his precious baby bottom rolls. He's just delicious! The kids had a pinata after swimming, so they had a good time. It was so nice having some ADULT time to visit with our friends while the kids were occupied. I really want to make a concerted effort to GET A LIFE! Sometimes I get so bogged down with working and caring for everyone else, I forget to take care of myself! Time to get back on track, Mommy!

The only bummer was that my camera battery ran out and I couldn't find my battery charger, which to me is a REALLY big deal! Veronica took pictures and said she'd get them to me, so I won't worry. Happy Birthday America!