Yes We Don't!

So the latest thing is Jackson's polite defiance. He learned that although it pleased Mommy quite a bit when he said it, "No thank you" was not always effective in getting what he wanted. So he has moved on to trying "Yes we don't" to see if it yields better results. Here's an example of the catchy phrase in action:

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Jackson: I need to hold my DVD

Daddy: No, Jackson we need to put it away

Jackson: No thank you

Daddy: Yes, we do

Jackson: Yes, We Don't!

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So you can see that by the time we are beginning to crack up he siezes the opportunity to divert our attention and usually end up getting what he wants.

Speaking of what Jackson is interested in, he made Daddy proud this past weekend while we were at Halloween Express, a store run by some close friends of ours. They were kind enough to invite us to a pre-hours opportunity for the kids to run around and try on different costumes without having to fight the crowds. Before leaving, we had to change Emily in the back room, and Jackson was a little too curious to just sit there and wait. His curiosity led him to a gigantic pair of fake plastic breasts that one would use for a nice adult gag costume. Upon examining the enormous mammaries, Jackson was perplexed but intrigued: "What are these? These are BEAUUUUUUTIFUL!"

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Datra's Pictures From Halloween Express SnapFish Album

Free Coupon for Halloween Express

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Mamo and Nana are Back in Town

This week we have been fortunate enough to see both Mamo and Nana for both planned and unplanned reasons. You see, Emily got really sick for pretty much her first time ever last week. So, Mamo was here taking care of Emily and Jackson during the week. Thanks so much to Mamo for once again coming to the rescue at the drop of a hat! We really appreciate all of the times she has helped out when things like this unfortunately come up.

Nana had been anxiously awaiting her planned visit to Katy, and our weekend together began on Thursday when she came in from Salt Lake City, Utah. While here, Nana has enjoyed seeing how much Emily has grown and playing with little J-Man. Jackson was eager to show off his awesome golf skills to Nana outside in the gradually cooling Texas summer. Most of the weekened has been spent at home due to the sick kid(s), which has given Nana even more time to get to know Emily. She commented that Emily now seems to always be moving, kicking, cooing, and just trying to get familiar with her surroundings. Right now Emily is showing off how well she can grab her little orange fishie on the Aquarium take-a-long swing.

This picture here was taken on Saturday while Nana and Jackson were playing with the carnival fun park thingie. Jackson was hamming it up and getting a kick out of Nana laughing and clapping her hands when the little cars would zoom around the track.

...like scary smart!

OK, so we have always known that Jackson is pretty amazing. Sorry to all of you that we often brag to, but we just love the little guy so much that we can't shut up about him .

He is now a few months past 2 years old, and we continue to be amazed by the things that he can do. Here is a list off the top of my head

• Count to about 15


• Count to 10 ... in spanish


• Identify any color


• Melt mommy's heart with a smile


• Hit practice balls with his plastic golf clubs


• Pick out over half of the US states by flag (and many by shape)


• Fly through wooden puzzles


• Read ~20 page books from memory (ie Just Keep Swimming, Bubble Hunt, etc)


• Read a few small words randomly written like red, dog, blue, etc.


• Pedal his tricycle by himself


• Make deals with daddy (sealed with a handshake, of course)


• Match up all of his DVDs with their cases (although he likes the cases more )


• Recognize every one of the letters in the alphabet & their sound

What's Happening To ME?!?!?!??!!?!?!

So Jackson really loves to have pictures taken of him. The only thing he loves more is taking pictures with his family. So when he and Emily were laying down together in their portable gym, he asked Daddy to take a picture. While Daddy was grabbing the camera from the office, he heard a cry from the living room where the children were playing together. "What's happening to me... WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!?" I ran in to the living room to see what was the matter and Jackson was laying on his back with a petrified stare on his face repeating the phrase over and over.


I was pretty scared myself because I had no idea what the answer was to his frantic inquiry. Almost immediately I noticed that nothing was wrong with Emiliy, however she had a fistful of Jackson's hair in a playful attempt to get her big brother's attention. Apparently Jackson didn't think this was a very fun game, but with a bit of coaxing I was able to convince Emily that this was not a good way to get Big Brother's attention. To this day, any time we repeat the "What's happening to me" story Jackson usually spoils the punchline by commenting that "Emily pulled my hair!" before we get to the end of the tale.