WHY??

Why does your dad continually do this to you?
Probably because it cracks me up every time!
Why is it that you love it so much?
I should probably be nervous by this, but I figure I can use these pictures as a form of bribery someday!
Last, but not least, why is it that you are so obsessed with your belly button every time we do this? You just can't get enough of it!!!
There is no answer to this one. It's beyond me!

Fun at the Park

We love having a park so close to home. It's so nice to be able to head down for a few minutes and not feel like we have to stay forever or commit a whole day to it. We usually take our lunch down and then stay and play for just a little bit. Grace doesn't eat, she just runs off to discover new things immediately. Her most recent discovery is that her legs are finally long enough to climb up the stairs. This means trouble for me because now I actually have to constantly follow her around as she is a bit fearless and still forgets about the whole "depth perception" issue. She used to be content just standing at the bottom of the slide trying to figure out a way to climb up (with no luck)! Those were the days! Oh well! Jackson loves every bit of this park. He just goes crazy and never seems to stop! Gotta love all the sound effects that boys make when they are playing though. Especially when pretending to drive.

*this is Grace discovering her new found freedom at the park. I think she is pretty proud of herself!

Our Sunday Bests

I love it when my family is all dressed up for church. I especially love it when Kelly gets them dressed while I am still getting ready. Mostly because, they always come running into my bathroom to show off how they look. Whether that's what they are really trying to do or not, I still love it! Gracie loves to wear her church shoes in my bathroom so she can hear them tap around when she dances and twirls. Jackson loves for me to tell him how handsome he looks and for him to tell me how he got dressed all by himself ... "except for my belt, because that is still too hard!"

Family Photos

I finally broke down and had family photos taken this year. It is on the TOP of my list of least favorite things to do. I love taking pictures of my kids or having pictures taken of my kids, but I never want to be in the action. I'm happier behind it! I guess all the peer pressure finally got to me. Here are a few of the best (a.k.a - most like our family). They truly capture what it is like to take our family pictures. Maybe this is another reason why I hate having them taken. I do have to admit, that they are pretty funny though!

Love that run

Little Miss Sunshine

Gracie has gotten to be the funniest girl! She is so happy and full of life. She spends her day running (literally) all around the house, just laughing, jabbering or dancing! She really is our "Little Miss Sunshine."

1st Day of School

The day has finally come! Jackson has started preschool! We can't believe it's finally time. He has been so excited for this for a long time (I wish I could say the same). I wasn't planning on putting him in preschool this early, but he was wanting to go so badly and I realized how much he truly needed it. His first day went off without a hitch. He had met his teachers the day before and seen the classroom, so he was all set. We got their early and we found his new "cubby" where he puts his backpack and jacket everyday. He walked in a bit bashful and apprehensive, but he warmed up and did great. He is growing up so quickly! How did that happen and where has the time gone?

*As a side note, if you know Jackson you will not be surprised to know that on his second day of school I picked him up to find a worried teacher with a note explaining an injury he received during the day. She was so concerned and explained how it happened, what they offered him to help make it feel better, etc. He had a pretty big bump on his head, but he told them he was fine and he wanted to play. They just were so worried and couldn't believe he could go on without crying and still want to play after that bad of an accident. Obviously, I had to explain Jackson and all of his clumsiness. I hopefully got through to them so that they don't have to worry unless he actually cries. If he cried every time he got hurt, well... then I would go crazy. Luckily because of the clumsy factor he is pretty tough. I think I will save the letter from the school though, and any subsequent ones we receive, and make a book of them. It may be a pretty big book by the end of the year!

You be the Judge

So, here's the deal. Every time I leave our house, whether it's to the gas station, grocery store, or any other random errand or outing, I get stopped at least 5-6 times on average from totally random people, to tell me that my daughter looks just like that little Shiloh baby. The younger stalkers tend to grab their other friends to point this out to them where as the older women don't know her name and I have to help them fill in the blanks. Such as, "it's that one actress with really big lips that had a baby with that other really good looking young man." "Yes, I know, it's Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie." Then the older lady says, "well, I don't know about that, but your baby looks just like her." It has happened ever since she was a baby and they somehow still look really similar. I keep waiting for when one of their looks will change and they no longer resemble each other. I thought for sure it would have happened by now. I'm not insulted by any means, I am just obviously partial to mine that's for sure. I just wonder if they really look as identical as everyone says. I think they look similar (especially when Gracie gives her super serious face), but maybe I am kidding myself. At any point, I want you all to be the judges. You know Gracie the best and maybe you will have a better insight into this. What do you think? As we all know, I will never be mistaken for or accused of looking like Angelina Jolie. I'm totally fine with that. How is it then that our kids look very similar? Maybe it's the Brad/Kelly gene (that's for you Jenni). The only thing wrong with that theory, is that most people say she looks more like me and my side of the family. It's a complete mystery! However, the only thing I've decided to start to tell these people that stalk my little girl is, that "Brad and I sure would make super cute babies!" Someone just needs to tell him that. I'll be waiting.