The Jackson's Journey

Aubrie's First Day of School!

2010-01-06T08:09:00.001-08:00

Aubrie's first day of school is today! She is 4 1/2, and we didn't start her in K4 in the fall because I just wasn't ready for her to go! I knew that after Christmas she would be ready to go for the remainder of the year. She only goes 3 days a week, so it doesn't feel like she is officially in school yet. I still get to have her home with me 2 days of the week. She was so excited about going to school. Aubrie is a social butterfly, and she really needs to be around kids her age. I know that she will LOVE it, and I am excited for her to come home today and tell me all about it. Here are some pictures of her this morning.

Eating breakfast before school.

Aubrie and her new HUGE backpack. She loves it because it is pink.

All ready to go!

Aubrie with her sweet teacher, Mrs. Brunton.

Aubrie's cubby with her things.

Her spot at the table.

Bye mom and dad! I am going to do great!

Christmas Time!

2009-12-15T18:52:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again! I love it, but we are always so busy and on the go all of the time. Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to lately.

Our Christmas Tree

Aubrie and Kirk

Kirk and Aubrie in their Christmas outfits.

Me and Beau before a Christmas party.

All of the girls at the party. So fun!

This at Silver Dollar City. This is our special bench we have our picture taken on every year.

Me and my girl at the Nutcracker ballet.

Aubrie and Mimi at the Nutcracker. Thanks Mimi, we had so much fun!

The kids and their gingerbread girl and boy.

We have had fun so far. The best is yet to come!

Boot Scootin and Birthday Fun!

2009-11-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Friday night, the young adults from our church had a Barn Bash. It was so much fun. We ate BBQ, rode a mechanical bull, square danced and did some line dancing too.

Me and Beau before the Barn Bash

Me riding the bull. I didn't stay on very long.

Beau stayed on for a while.

Still hanging on!

The next day was my mom's birthday.

We all went out to lunch for her birthday.

Mom's birthday dessert.

She had plenty of help eating it!

Happy Birthday Mom! We had so much fun celebrating you! Love you so much!

Fall Fun

2009-11-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

We had such a busy, but fun weekend. We went to Branson to visit Beau's parents and have some fun. Friday night, my family and Beau's family went to see the new show at the Sight and Sound Theater. It was called the Miracle of Christmas, and it was so good. Aubrie got to go, but Kirk didn't. He stayed with Nana. (Thank you Nana for watching Kirk for us! Love you!) Aubrie loved the show. She does have a hard time sitting still, but she managed to be somewhat still and watch the show. She said her favorite part of the show was when the angels came out and when Mary had baby Jesus. I think Aubrie learned a lot about the Christmas story and what Christmas is really about. Here are some pictures of us while at the show. Of course, I couldn't take pictures of the actual show, but here is what I was able to take.

Me, Aubrie, and Beau

The theater

Mimi and Aubrie

Me and Aubrie

Aubrie sitting on the stage before the show

The next day we went to Silver Dollar City. It was the most perfect day. The weather the beautiful and we had so much fun. Aubrie rode all of her favorite rides, and Kirk rode his very first ride ever! He rode the frogs, and he didn't love it or hate it. It was still cute to watch him bouncing along. What he enjoyed the most, though, was pushing his stroller all around. Of course I took some pictures in front of the fall decorations. Kirk isn't in any of them because he wasn't there yet. He came later with Nana and Papa after he woke up from his nap.

Aubrie with Kirk on his first ride ever!

The kids with mommy.

Beau and Kirk

Kirk pushing his stroller.

Saturday night, we took Aubrie to a fall carnival at a church in the Branson area. She didn't go trick or treating, but got to jump on blow up things, slide down slides and play games to get candy. She had so much fun, and ran around like a crazy person the whole night. She just wore herself out, but had so much fun doing it. We didn't go all out on her costume. I wanted her to wear something that would be easy for her to play in and not something that would get in her way. She didn't mind at all.

Look closely at Aubrie's face as she is being pulled back. So funny!

Getting her face painted. Of course she chose a Hog!

Being silly!

The Pumpkin Patch Kids

2009-10-20T19:29:00.001-07:00

What a fun day we had. I love taking pictures of my kids, and what better place to do that than the pumpkin patch. They both loved it so much, I had so much fun watching them enjoy. Aubrie has been going to a pumpkin patch for a few years now. This was Kirk's second year to go, but his first year to LOVE it. Last year he was just a little guy. I had to sit him in his Bumbo seat and put pumpkins around him to take his picture. This year, he was ALL over the place. All I did was chase him around calling his name over and over again trying to get his attention so that I could get a good picture of his face. Rarely did he look right into the camera. Thankfully, Aubrie always loves getting her picture taken so I was able to get great shots of her. The kids not only got to look at hundreds of pumpkins, but they also got to see chickens and go on a hay ride. I can't wait to go back next year and do it all over again.

Sweet things

2009-10-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is my 5th year to be a member of a MOPS group. I LOVE MOPS and have enjoyed leading crafts for the two different groups that I have been a part of. My favorite craft of all time are these key chains. I found this idea a few years ago, and did it with my group. It was so much fun that I had to share it with my new group too. Today I went to MOPS and we did this craft. I just think that they are so cute, and they make finding your keys in the bottom of your purse so much easier.

Another craft that I love are these magnets. They are stylish and you can make them to match your kitchen and the decor in it. So fun and so easy too!

Cute button magnets

My craft table at MOPS

I know you must be thinking that this is Aubrie playing dress up....well it isn't.

Kirk loves to wear shoes. Any kind of shoes. Today, he wanted to wear Aubrie's princess shoes.

He needed some help putting them on.

He got REALLY mad when they fell off.

I think these pictures will come in handy one day! :)

What could be sweeter than this?

Family Pictures

2009-10-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

So, we had some family pictures taken. I have to say that it wasn't the easiest thing we have done lately. Aubrie is 4 now, so she handled it pretty well. I just had to keep reminding her to look at the camera the whole time. Since we did the pictures outside at a public location, there were distractions that kept her interest sometimes more than the task at hand. Kirk, on the other hand, didn't cooperate as well. He saw this as an opportunity to get down, and explore this new territory. He didn't want to sit still, or stand still, or be still at all. All of the pictures were taken between his fits and crying. The poor photographer had to literally run around just to take his picture. It was like a race. He won. We did get several good shots, and overall it was a fun experience. Here are a few pictures from the shoot.

Thank you Blaire for taking the time to capture our family!

www.bperryphotography.com

Apple Pie

2009-09-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

Today I took the kids to Apple Town in Lincoln, Arkansas. They have been growing and selling apples for years. In fact, I remember going there when I was a little girl. We didn't just buy apples, but we also bought apple butter, and apple cider. Of course, the first thing I had to do when we got home was make an apple pie. Who do I turn to when I want to make something really yummy? Well, Paula Deen of course! I have several of her cookbooks, and I knew that at least one of them would have an apple pie recipe. I found the recipe and made the best apple pie that I have ever eaten. I will admit, though, I didn't make the crust. The dough boy helped me out on that one. The kids also had fun playing with the pumpkins.

Kirk managed to swipe an apple when I wasn't looking. Thankfully, they said he could have it!

Aubrie had fun looking at the big pumpkins.

Fun day!

Pop's Cabin

2009-09-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

Perched on the side of a mountain, deep in the woods in Northwest Arkansas, sits Pop's Cabin. It started with a dream to have a quaint cabin to escape to and "get away from it all." The land is rugged and the location is far from civilization. However, that is what makes it so perfect. The only other living things that can be seen while at the cabin are deer, squirrels, and maybe the occasional bear. The exterior of the cabin is made from old barn wood and tin. It is the perfect location to be when you just want to escape the hustle and bustle of life. Who doesn't want to do that from time to time? Even though the land is primitive, the cabin has a cozy, comfortable feel to it that draws you in and keeps you coming back. The dream of the cabin belonged to my dad. He placed the cabin on the same mountain that provided a home to his father, grandfather, and great grandfather many, many years ago. His ancestors put their blood, sweat and tears into the same mountain when they homesteaded there so many years before. Now it was his turn to do the same. He put his heart into building this cabin, for he built it with his own two hands. So much love has gone into this project, and to say that he is proud of it would be an understatement. Here are some pictures to show the cabin from start to finish.

This is the view out the front door of the cabin.

The beginning of the cabin.

The sign above the door that my mom made. Pops is what Aubrie calls my dad.

A close view of the porch and some of the old tin used to cover part of the cabin.

Pops with Kirk and Aubrie.

This is the "road" leading up to the cabin.

A picture of the inside of the cabin.

The wood stove that will be used to heat the cabin as well as to cook on.

The "kitchen"

The door into the bathroom.

A view of what the outside looks like now.

The steps of the cabin.

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

Gymnastics fun!

2009-09-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

Aubrie loves to go to her gymnastics class. She looks forward to Mondays more than any other day of the week. I love to watch her learn new things each time and have so much fun doing it. Poor Kirk, he gets a little bored watching big sis. Now that he can walk, he wants down so he can go, go, go. I have to contain him in his stroller.

Stretching

Entertaining himself

Flip

Listening to directions

Still happy

Swinging

Monkey

Resting

Can we go now, please?

Cini Minis

2009-09-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Poor Beau awoke to a yummy smell coming from the kitchen. However, it wasn't what he thought. He thought I had made cinnamon rolls for his breakfast. Unfortunately, he was only smelling the Pumpkin Spice candle that was burning in the kitchen. Needless to say, he was disappointed and I felt bad. So, I went to the fridge to see what I could find to make some quick and easy cinnamon rolls for him. The first thing I saw was Crescent Dinner Rolls. I knew they would work perfect. This is what I did:

Roll the dough out in a rectangle shape on a well floured surface.

Drizzle melted butter on the dough.

Sprinkle a cinnamon sugar mixture onto the dough.

Roll up the dough.

Cut the dough into small sections.

Lay the cinnamon rolls into the pan.

This is the result after baking on 375 for 25 min.

I also drizzled a powdered sugar glaze over the rolls before serving.

Enjoy!

Friday Night Lights

2009-09-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Most people go to a football game to watch the game, but not Aubrie. She goes for one reason, and one reason only, to watch the cheerleaders. In fact, one of my favorite Aubrie quotes as we were watching the game a few weeks ago is, "Mom, I can't see the cheerleaders! I DID NOT come to watch football!" Needless to say, we found new seats front and center. To say that she is obsessed with cheerleaders would be an understatement. She will even watch football on TV just to catch a small glimpse of the cheerleaders. We have taken her to all the Shiloh Christian School home games this year, and now she is hooked. One of the sweet girls even gave her an old pair of pom poms, as you can see in the pictures. She brings them to every game and cheers right along with the big girls. By the time we go to the next game, she will have a cheer uniform to match theirs as well. I love to see her confidence as she stands in front of a few hundred people and does her cheers. I pray that she is always this confident in life and never lets anything stand in the way of her dreams and goals.

It was a special night for our littlest Jackson too. It was Kirk's first football game! Now, if you know anything about Beau, you know that football has been and still is a passion of his. He played from the time that he was a little boy and while he was in college. He is now ready to pass the tradition on to his mini me, Kirk. Ok, I know he doesn't look very happy at the moment, but he really did have a good time running around at the game. There is nothing better than watching your kids enjoy life. Even the simple things can make them so happy.

House Divided

2009-09-24T21:19:00.001-07:00

You discuss many things before you get married. For instance, it is important to know your future spouses views on politics, and religion. When I met Beau, we talked and discussed the fact that we were both Christians and we were both on the "right"side of politics. Great! This is going to be a match made in heaven. We agreed on so many things. We liked the same movies, foods, had similar hobbies, and so on. Well, there is one thing that I guess we left out. How did we let this slip through the cracks? How could we have been so careless? After we got married, we realized the consequences of our mistake. The reality began to set in, but it was too late. Which team will our children cheer for? Arkansas or LSU? I guess only time will tell!

Once upon a time...

2009-09-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

I still remember every detail about my wedding. So many people told me that I wouldn't remember anything that happened. That it would all be a blur by the end of the day. I made a promise to myself before my wedding that I wouldn't let that happen. I decided to make an effort to cherish every moment and to take it all in. After all, you only have one wedding day, right? ;) Our wedding was simple, yet beautiful. I didn't fuss over every detail because I didn't want to stress over the wedding since the marriage is what really matters anyway. Deciding on an outdoor wedding was a decision that was easy for me to make. I prayed for months for beautiful weather and that is exactly what we got. I wanted both of our families to be a part of our day, and they were. I wanted the perfect music, and we had it. I wanted a simple dress, and I found it. I wanted the perfect husband for me, and the Lord blessed me with him. It has been quite the journey so far. We have been through things together that I couldn't have faced alone. We have been blessed with our 2 children, and we raise them together as a team. We take each day as it comes, living by faith and counting our blessings. I still stop and wonder what life would be like without the perfect mate. I am so glad that I will never know.

Beau, I thank the Lord for you everyday.

I love you!

This picture was taken on one of our first dates. I can't believe how young we look! ;)

Ok, this might not make sense to some of you, but I wrote this little poem for Beau before we got married, but we were engaged at the time. We were still in college, and when I wrote it, we were sitting in the computer lab on campus. Beau was doing homework and I was playing around on the computer. I was bored and tired of waiting for him to finish his work, and all of a sudden this popped into my head. I typed it out right then. Literally took me 5 minutes to come up with. That is why it isn't very good! I still wanted to share, so here it goes...

A Poem for Beau

Once I met a boy named Beau,

He became my friend, not foe.

We began to talk and hang out,

He was cute without a doubt.

Sometimes basketball we would play,

We were on the same team, and we liked it that way.

As the days went on, our friendship grew,

We liked each other, but no one knew.

One night, Beau decided to give me a call,

He asked me out, he did not stall.

I said "yes" to his invitation,

We went out the next night with no hesitation.

No kiss that night, but not long to wait,

That happened on our second date.

We would talk for hours in the cold,

We didn't care, and it didn't get old.

Time went on and we stayed together,

I know that this will last forever.

I can't wait to be your wife,

I will love you for the rest of my life.

I love you,

Michele

Aubrie Faith

2009-09-23T20:35:00.001-07:00

My first born is the beautiful Aubrie Faith. She was born May 9, 2005. She is a drama queen and she LOVES to be the center of attention. She has lived life to the fullest in her 4 short years. She gets the most out of every single day, and she doesn't miss a beat. I have enjoyed being a stay at home mom with Aubrie and I cherish every moment with her, even the not so fun moments that arise due to her personality. There really are no words to describe her and the things that she comes up with. I can't wait to see what she becomes and I can't believe how she is growing up before my eyes. She isn't a baby anymore and I see her turning into a lady more and more by the day. She loves being active. One of her favorite things to do is gymnastics. She has just started her second year in gymnastics and she LOVES it. Her class is every Monday, and she must have the perfect leotard on to go. She has improved so much and has learned so much. She is working on perfecting her cartwheel at the moment. She almost has it, she just needs to work on keeping those legs straight. She makes her way around the gym and runs from event to event. Her class is only 1 hour long, but I know that she would stay all day long if I would let her.

Every day, she expects to go somewhere. She wakes up asking me what we are going to do that day. She loves to go, and it doesn't really matter where. She just wants to go. I love to dress her up before we leave the house, and fix her hair. It is like having a live doll to play with.

She is the best girl and I love her so much.

Kirk Samuel

2009-09-23T20:34:00.001-07:00

My sweet baby boy is Kirk Samuel. He was born June 28, 2008. He is such a joy and a wonderful addition to our family. Before he came along, I couldn't imagine life with more than one child, but now I couldn't live without him. He lights up the room with his smile and makes my days brighter. He has such a sweet spirit, and he is full of love. He loves to be held and rocked. He would let me rock him all night long if I wanted to. He does, however, have a stubborn side! He just recently learned to walk. Yes, I know what you are thinking. He did walk a little late. At 15 months old, to be exact. Believe me when I say, he is making up for lost time! I think he is going to be a neat freak like his momma because he insists on throwing his diapers away after every change. When I don't let him throw the dirty ones away, he lets me know how mad it makes him by screaming at the top of his lungs. I am working on controlling that, though. He is a work in progress. ;) He is also a climber. He will climb onto anything and has no fear, of course. I have to close all the bedroom doors to keep him out and to keep him from getting into trouble or hurting himself. His favorite word to say is "bye". He knows when to use it, and never forgets to tell someone that he is leaving. I am happy to say that his first word was "momma". I will always remember that moment. He is ALL boy, and he is so tough. If he does hurt himself, he cries only for a second and then moves on to the next adventure. He has only been on the Earth for a short time, but he has brought joy to so many people. I look forward to what each day brings, and I can't wait to see what his future holds.

I'm new at this

2009-09-23T17:32:00.001-07:00

Ok, here it goes! I am not sure what I am getting myself into, but I will do my best. It is inevitable that I will write a lot about my kids, and I will post A LOT of pictures of my kids as well. I will share bits of my day the good, the bad and the ugly. I will use this as an outlet to say what I want to say and I might speak my mind and voice my opinion on occasion. I am known to do that from time to time. ;) I don't know who is going to read this, and I don't really care if anyone reads it at all. I am doing this for myself more than anything. Also, just so you know, I am not a writer...