Jackson's First Easter

We took a long road trip for Jackson's first Easter. We went back to our old home town (Durant Oklahoma) where Kit and I went to college and he was a youth pastor. Jackson did really well on the 10 hour trip (each way) and we had a great time hanging out with some old friends there. Jackson went to his first Easter egg hunt and got himself an egg with chocolates in it. Mom and dad enjoyed those! On Sunday, we went to our old church and enjoyed seeing the new building they are in. We spent the rest of the day in the car driving back to New Mexico, but I did get a shot of his Easter Sunday outfit. It was raining and cold so I had to put him in jeans instead of his cute matching khaki shorts. He still looked cute and grown up!

Jackson and our friends at his first Easter Egg hunt.

Dressed in his Easter Sunday best.

Rollie Polie

Jackson is rolling around like crazy now. I have to keep a close eye on him or he'll roll right out of the room onto the hard wood floor. He's also starting to try to crawl. He wiggles his arms and legs around like he's trying to get somewhere. I got a good video of one of his latest attempts in which he also shows his screeching talents off. Enjoy!

Baby Cousin!

Last week, Jackson got his first baby cousin, little Charise Elizabeth Young! She is so cute and perfect and we are all in love with her, especially Jackson. He was quite taken with her from the start and can't wait for her to get big enough to play with. For now he just watches her and tries to grab at her. It is really cute to watch how interested he is in her. He'll be a good big cousin and watch out for her as they grow up together.

5 Months Old

(The shirt says it all!)

Jackson turned 5 months old yesterday! I can't believe how quickly he's growing and the milestones he's already reaching. He's already eating cereal and will have his first vegies next week. He's rolling over both ways now and likes to pivot around on his exercise mat. He's starting to sit up but can't quite hold himself up for very long. If he holds himself up he's bent so far forward it looks painful, but he seems to like it.

When we moved home, our family had a little "Fiesta" party for Jackson. It was kind of a welcome home party and belated baby shower. We all had a really good time (Jackson slept through most of it) and he got so many great toys. When we left Thailand we could fit all his belongings in one small suitcase and diaper bag. Now he's got bouncy seats, swing, bumbo chair, strollers, and all sorts of other gadgets to keep himself entertained. He's gotten a little bit spoiled, but that's OK. One of his favorite things to do (and ours) is to get into his new jogger stroller and go for walks around the neighborhood or down to the river. We sometimes take our dog Roxy too and we all have a good time together. We love just being able to walk out our door and safely take a walk. We lived in a 14 story building in Thailand in the middle of town, so taking a walk wasn't quite as easy or enjoyable as it is here. We were constantly dodging pot holes in the sidewalk or scooters and lightposts. We are thankful for those simple convenient pleasures that we have here, but we still miss a lot of the conveniences of Thailand too. (Like $5 foot massages and a house helper to do the mopping!) So we're learning to be content wherever God takes us and count our blessings in each circumstance.

Here are a few recent pictures of Jackson:

"I love taking a bath!"

"No, my parents did not buy me anything purple...I'm just trying out my little cousin's bumbo chair until she decides to get here. I fill it up pretty good, huh?"

"Having some tummy time with my favorite toy, Elbert."

"Hanging out with my mommy in my very own big boy room." (Mommy still hasn't decorated it though!)

"New Mexico is COLD!!!"
Enjoying some cereal

Playing and drooling.