A visit to the dentist

This morning we made a family visit to the dentist. Both Jackson and Aubrin were a bit nervous, but Todd and I assured them that it would be fine. Both kids were concerned that they would have to get a shot.



Once we got to the office and checked in, Jackson was called back first. He brought his good friend Woody with him for support. Jackson decided that he wanted Todd to go with him. Aubrin and I stayed in the waiting room coloring. Jackson was a champ. He had x-rays and a full cleaning without any problems. He loved having the water squirted in his mouth and then sucked out with the straw. Jackson came back out in the waiting room excited to show Aubrin what he picked from the treasure box. A few minutes later they called Aubrin back.

Aubrin wasn't as excited as Jackson was to go back, but she went. Aubrin didn't want to sit in the chair by herself so I sat with her. Melissa, the hygienist was great. She knew Aubrin was so nervous so she was very patient. She asked Aubrin if she wanted to take a ride in the chair. Aubrin thought it was great going up and down. Finally Aubrin agreed to sit like a big girl all by herself. She opened her mouth so Melissa could look in, but Aubrin said, "Don't touch." Dr. McNutt came in to see Aubrin. She said, "Hi Doc Nut." She didn't want him to touch her either. He was able to look in her mouth and see her bite. So, Aubrin didn't getting a cleaning today, but hopefully she will feel more comfortable next time. It was a good start!

Aubrin was excited to pick out of the treasure box and show Jackson what she got. When we got back to the car the kids were surprised to see that the Tooth Fairy left them both small treasures in the car for being so brave.

Welcome to the family, Mrs. Miller.

All summer we have anxiously awaited August 20th~ Scott and Katie's wedding day.
Although, it feels like Katie has been part of the family since she and Scott started dating, she is officially Aunt Katie and Mrs. Miller!
On Thursday evening was the rehearsal dinner. Even though the kids were invited we decided to have them stay home. We knew that the following evening was going to be late for them. It was also nice to have a night out for Todd and I. Tom and Gail came to stay with the kids and of course they had a ball.
On Friday Jackson and Aubrin both woke up excited for the big day. Jackson has been wearing his shoes and belt around the house for the past week and Aubrin has been practicing her dance moves in the living room. This is the first wedding the kids have attended. Todd and I explained to them that it would be like going to church and then to a big party. Todd had to leave early because he was in the wedding party. Even with all of the excitement I was able to get both kids to lay down and take a great nap. When they got up we got dressed and off we went. Jackson was in love with his tie. He has not worn one before. He kept saying, "Mom, I look so fancy."

When we were sitting in the church, the music started and Katie came down the isle...breath taking! She was glowing. My favorite part of a wedding is watching the groom watch the bride walk down the isle. I love looking at their facial expression and the pure joy. Scott had just that.
He looked happier than I have ever seen him.

After the ceremony we took pictures and then went to the reception. By the time the toasts were over and dinner was served it was a bit after 8:00 pm. Jackson and Aubrin are usually brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed by this time. They got a bit restless during the toasts, but over all did well during dinner.

Once the music started the kids didn't stop dancing. They both had moves that I had not seen before. They had a great time dancing with their cousins. At 10:00 our babysitter Kalynn came to pick the kids up to take them home. Jackson was having a great time and said that he really wanted to stay and dance. Aubrin was having a great time as well, but her eyes were closing as she was dancing. So Jackson got to stay and our little beauty went home for the night.
The favor that Scott and Katie gave each guest at the wedding was a box to fill up at the candy bar. There was a table that was filled with all different types of candy~ Jackson thought it was great.





As the night went on Jackson got a bit tired, as Todd and I did too! We called it a night and went home. When we were driving home Jackson recaped the night and said his two favorite things about the wedding was dancing and wearing his tie.

This morning we went to brunch at Todd's parents house for the final festivity of the big event.

Welcome to the family Katie! We love her so much and couldn't be happier for her and Scott.

Our big boy turned 4!

It's hard to believe that Jackson is 4!!!! Over the past year we have loved seeing Jackson mature and become more independent. As I have said before, he is full of energy and a lover of life.
We do bigger birthday parties every other year. This year we did two smaller parties. One party at Todd's parents house and another party at my parents house. On last Monday we went to grandma and papa's house for Jackson's first birthday celebration. It was an overcast day, but still very warm so everyone was in the pool having a great time. No one seemed to be bothered or even notice that it was raining. Once everyone got out of the pool for dinner the sun came out and the rest of the evening was beautiful. Grandma made Jackson a special Toy Story cake. Jackson was so excited when everyone sang to him. After cake and ice cream we opened presents and hit the pinata. Jackson went first because he was the birthday boy, but then we went by age. Everyone was able to take a good whack and Nate was the lucky one to break it. Poor Emma didn't get a chance, but she still was able to fill her bag with goodies.







On Sunday morning Jackson woke up early and came into our room. He climbed up on our bed and said, "I'm four today, do I look bigger?" He patiently waited for Aubrin to wake up so he could open his presents. Aubrin gave Jackson Jessie and Bulls Eye from Toy Story. He was excited to put them with his other Toy Story toys. Then we told Jackson to close his eyes for his next present. When he opened them he was so happy to see his very own bag bat filled with an aluminum "Big Boy" bat, helmet, hard baseballs (he is used to wiffle balls), and a new baseball shirt. The look on his face was pure joy. Jackson has been asking for a bag to carry all of his gear in like the players on Todd's team. He went right outside to hit a few balls and shortly after that he was dressed and at the baseball field with Todd. Before going to the field, Jackson put on his new Buzz Light Year costume and flew around the house.









Later that afternoon we had another celebration at my mom and dad's house. Erin and the kids came from Chicago (Uncle Jayson had to leave to go back), and Great Grandma Doughty was also there. We were sad that Great Grandma Olenech couldn't come, but she was feeling a bit under the weather. Jackson got many special gifts and was excited to open each one. As he opened each card he "read" what he thought it said. It was hilarious. One of his gifts from grandma and grandpa was a guitar and microphone. He is quite the rock star.

That night Jackson and Todd slept in a tent in the playroom. Jackson has been asking Todd to sleep in the tent. We thought we would start with a night in the playroom and if all went well they could move the tent outside for the next time. Aubrin joined the boys for a few minutes, but then decided her bed was more comfortable and went in her own room. Jackson had a great night with daddy and looks forward to doing it again.

It was a great birthday week and we enjoyed celebrating our little guy!

Our Morning with Tessa and Nate

A couple of weeks ago I called Krista and asked her if I could steal Tessa for a morning. Aubrin talks about Tessa all the time at home and is always asking to play with her. The girls do see each other often at family events, but it's always so busy and so many people. I thought it would be fun for the girls to have a quiet morning for just them. When I got to Krista's house today to pick up Tessa, Jackson wanted Nate to come over and play too! A little boy time for Jackson would be good as well. So we all jumped in the car and headed back to our house.
Tessa and Aubrin decided they wanted to play in the sandbox and jump in the bouncy. They bounced for a bit and then would blow bubbles. Then I would hear, "Come on, lets go", and they would follow each other to what they wanted to do next. It was so fun watching the girls play together. Although they are cousins, I see a beautiful little friendship growing between the girls.

Nate and Jackson spent their time on the water slide. They decided to create their own version of the show Wipeout. They made up their own obstacle course and cheered each other on. Nate's a couple years older than Jackson, but he is really patient with him and tries to teach him new things. Jackson loved that he got to play with Nate today. As Jackson would say, "Nate is my buddy. One day I will be big like Nate." We hope to play again soon!

Aubrin's First Tigers Game

Today we took Aubrin to her first Tigers game. Jackson has been to many, but we finally decided that Aubrin was old enough to join us. We all got into our Tiger gear and we were off. It was such a hot day. I made sure to pack a lot of water to keep us all cool. When we first got to the stadium Aubrin was a bit overwhelmed with all the people, noises and CLOWNS!!! It was circus day at the stadium.
She was looking all around, but still holding on very tight. Jackson thought it was great! Once we got down to our seats Aubrin got more comfortable. She was cheering for the players and dancing when the music came on. The give away for circus day was red noses. We didn't get there in time to get the noses, but the man in front of us gave each of the kids one. Again, Jackson thought it was great, and Aubrin was a bit unsure. Aubrin was on a mission to figure out how to get peanuts out of the shell. She was so proud when she did. After a few innings we went on the carousel and walked around. Just as we were getting ready to leave it started raining. Aubrin did great for it being her first game. I can't wait to do it again!

We Found A Beach....

On Sunday Todd and I celebrated out 7 year anniversary. A great 7 years it has been. We decided to spend the day as a family instead of just the two of us going out. Todd remembered a few of our friends in the neighborhood saying there was a lake near our house that we could walk to. Hmmm, how have we lived in our house for 5 years and not known about this? So we packed up the car and set out to find the beach. Sure enough the entrance to the beach was about a mile from our house if we walked. Driving we had to go around and it took a few minutes longer, but not much. When we got to the beach we were the only ones there. It was perfect. We made sand castles, played in the water and looked for special rocks to add to Jackson and Aubrin's collection. Just as we were packing up to leave more people started to come. It was a nice quiet way for the four of us to spend the morning.

A Morning Out On The Course

Last week Jackson woke up and asked Todd if they could go golfing. Todd always takes the kids to the green across the street to putt in the evenings.
That was not what Jackson had in mind. He asked Todd if they could get a golf cart and ride around the course and play. The course wasn't busy yet, so Todd and Jackson threw on some clothes and they were out the door with their clubs. Jackson was so excited to play like a "real golfer." They played 6 holes. Todd said Jackson was a great listener.
Of course Todd didn't take the camera with him, so I was happy when I saw them pull up on the 18th tee (behind the house), and I could snap a few pictures.
The perks of living on the course and knowing the guys that work on the course is you get to sit on the machines. This is a super perk when you are three! Just as Jackson and Todd were finishing up, our friend Mr. Roy pulled up on one of the mowers and of course Jackson had to hop on.
Jackson is excited to go out again with daddy!