Happy Halloween!

Love, Alison, Jackson, and Brenna (hiding behind the peapod costume in the stroller)

(thanks, Nick, for taking this picture for us!)

Children of the Lord

I am so blessed to have two, beautiful, healthy, easy-going, loving children. I ask myself all the time why God chose to bless us with the sweetest children. I am so unworthy of this gift (ask my mom - I was a horrible baby!!). I believe that, in return, we are called to raise our children in a church family so they may have the opportunity to know and love Christ. When I was baptized at age three, my mom told me that it was her promise to God that she would raise me in the church.

In the United Methodist faith, we don't believe that Baptism is required in order to enter Heaven, but we do believe that it is a sacrament that Jesus calls us to continue. In our faith, we also believe that baptism is symbolic of God's grace, a gift that cannot be earned, it is given freely to all of God's children. Because of this, baptism is a sacrament that the Methodist church recognizes once in a person's lifetime, regardless of age or denomination. We also do not require a "believer's baptism" because God's grace is not chosen by the recipient. Jackson was baptized when he was 10 months old, and Brenna was baptized yesterday at 2 1/2 months.

Our sweet family members in the Dallas area all came to Brenna's baptism. We are so lucky to have such a great support network in Dallas! I can literally count on one hand the number of times we have had to hire a babysitter - our family is always willing and usually able to watch the kids for us. Steven's grandmothers (the Memas I mentioned last week) were able to make it, as were Steven's parents, my parents, and Steven's brother and his fiancee. I am so glad we got a family picture - the only person missing is my sister, who lives in Brooklyn. She is coming home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas and I am so excited to see her!

Three of our pastors participated in the baptism - Todd, Brian, and Adam. Todd (holding Brenna) is the senior pastor and was one of the associate pastors at the church I grew up in. He is a genuinely nice, caring person and such an excellent leader for our church. He is always smiling and stops to ask how everything is going every time I see him at the church. In fact, when we started looking for churches, we came to FUMC first because I knew he was a pastor there. It was such a great fit, we never visited anywhere else. Todd also conducted Jackson's baptism two years ago. Brian is the executive pastor, and he is so funny. He has a love for music that really shows and he is also always smiling, but his smile somehow has more mischief in it than Todd's does. He is the type of person who can become friends with anyone and always makes me feel so welcome. Adam (red hair) is the Youth Pastor and since we volunteer for the Youth program, our family is very close to him. Adam also has a big heart for music and he has a wife named Maridyth who I just adore. She is so sweet and she stuck around to witness Brenna's baptism too.

Brenna was so perfectly behaved during the entire ceremony. She just laid in Todd's arms and chilled, even when the holy water was placed on her little head. I was so scared that she would spit up all over the place, but she was relaxed and happy the whole time. She is such an easy baby for about 23 1/2 hours a day. Almost every night she has a half-hour meltdown right after Jackson goes to bed, which honestly, I can deal with since she is so laid-back the rest of the day.

After the service, we moved the party to our house for food and cupcakes. I forgot to get a picture of the cupcake cake, but it was so cute!!! We ordered 24 chocolate and vanilla cupcakes in the shape of a white cross with light pink frosting around the edge and "God Bless Brenna" written on it. It was really cute and, more importantly, really delicious! We also served fruit salad and mini-quiches, which the men gobbled up because I made the mistake of letting them sit at the food table. Oh well, at least we didn't have a lot of leftovers! Steven realized when we got home that we had forgotten to pick up drinks, so he and my dad went to get some. They returned with two liters of Coke and a case of beer. This is why we shouldn't let the Canadian help pick out drinks (Dad, if you're reading this, I know Steven had a hand in picking the beer too!).

The whole celebration was lots of fun and we were so lucky to have our families there with us. Here is a picture of my mom holding Brenna - she is so thrilled with being a Grandma! Brenna's dress was perfect for the day - just the right amount of sweet and not too fussy. And hallelujah, she didn't spit up all over it until AFTER the baptism. I found the dress at Old Navy last spring before Brenna was even born, and I thought it would be perfect, so I snapped it up, not even knowing for sure if it would fit her! When I put it on yesterday morning, I knew it was perfect! (Side note: how precious is Jackson in his little button-down and khaki pants? My big big boy!)

Congratulations, Brenna! I pray that this is just the beginning of your life-long relationship with Christ.

Mummies, Pumpkins, and Memas - oh my!

I have never really been into holiday shirts for Jackson. I always thought of them as a waste of money, since they can only be worn during a certain time of year. And they can be so cheesy. I always made him a birthday shirt, but that was about it. Last year though, Jackson was in a class with all girls and every holiday he would be wearing the same old thing, and they would be all dressed up in cute little outfits to mark the occasion. I felt a little bad that he didn't have an outfit to wear too.

But now, I think I might be coming around... having a little girl has changed me.

This year, I decided to make pumpkin shirts for the kids. In a perfect world, I would have an embroidery machine. In the real world, I do it by hand. I really enjoy sewing by hand, I think the look is unique and fun, but it is very time-consuming. It's also nice that I don't have to drag out my sewing machine. We don't really have a good place to put it, so it usually ends up on the kitchen table.

I just love how they turned out. The kids wearing them are pretty adorable too.

We also received some Halloween outfits from friends who had outgrown them. Funnily enough, Jackson's shirt and Brenna's sleep-and-play outfit both have mummies on them. Jackson's says "Mummy's boy" and Brenna's says "I want my mummy."

I had a hard time explaining to Jackson what was on his shirt. He asked me, "What is it, Mommy?" and I told him, "It's a mummy." He then said "No, you are Mommy, I am Jackson. What is it?" After a few attempts at trying to explain the difference between "mummy" and "Mommy" I finally gave in and told him that it was a Jackson. He seemed satisfied and he hasn't tried to wrap himself up in toilet paper yet, so it seems like a win-win.

Today, we debuted the shirts I made at his Great-Mema Haynes' home. She had us over for lunch and Jackson had an awesome time. Mema Haynes also invited Mema Smith, who lives close by. They are Steven's grandmothers and usually we see them at family functions, so it was nice for them to have Jackson and Brenna to themselves, without everyone else around.

Mema Haynes lives in a community for seniors. Since she is so active in the community, she knew everyone we ran in to and was able to show off her great-grandkids. Everyone was so nice to Jackson and Brenna, it really warmed my heart. One lady asked Jackson if he had his trick-or-treat shirt on and he replied, "No! It's a pumpkin!" Silly boy. He is super-excited about trick-or-treating this year, especially after I told him that he would get candy! I think we will go to trunk-or-treat first, and then probably go in our neighborhood as well. Last year we tried trick-or-treating and it was fun, but not a huge success. After 3 cul-de-sacs (about 9 or 10 houses), Jackson was pretty tired and ready to go home. I wonder how it will go this year.

Jackson's favorite part of the visit was putting together jigsaw puzzles with his great-memas. Mema Haynes got a book of Cars puzzles for him. He loves all things Lightning McQueen right now and just cannot get enough of puzzles in general. I think Santa might have to bring him a puzzle storage rack for Christmas so he can keep all his puzzles in order. Or maybe he'll bring the organization stuff for Mommy and Jackson can just get more puzzles, whatever works. Mema was so happy to see that Jackson loved the puzzles so much and I was so proud that he could put together the 12-piece jigsaw puzzles! He's never tried them before and he caught on so quickly. I am so proud of him.

So now I am working on an Owl shirt for Jackson (so he'll have just as many Halloween shirts as Brenna) and then it's onto a 3rd birthday shirt (Mickey Mouse), and turkey shirts. Who wants to bet I end up BUYING Christmas shirts versus making them?

Let's go to the Barn!

A couple weeks ago (I feel like all my posts start that way - I'm not very on top of it!), I picked up Jackson from preschool and he asked me if we could "go to the barn." I started to tell him no because I had an errand to run, but then I remembered that there is a little historical museum in Plano set on a former farm (the Heritage Farmstead Museum - if you grew up in Plano, you've probably been there!). Since I only had to pick up thank you and sympathy cards from Hallmark, I decided we could get that out of the way, and then head on over.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the museum was closed on Mondays, so we had to come back on Wednesday afternoon.

Since we knew ahead of time that we would be going, I remembered to bring my mother-in-law's "fancy" camera. Since we don't have a DSLR, she lets me borrow hers in exchange for pictures of the grandkids, which is so nice of her!

I made a mistake - I should have taken my Moby wrap with me. Instead, I brought Brenna in her car seat... and lugged it all over the property. Oops! I am developing some pretty impressive callouses on my hands, especially right under my wedding band. I don't remember having callouses when Jackson was a baby, but maybe I've just forgotten.

After peeking in on the chickens, Jackson, Brenna, and I went over to the school house. It was a cool little place for Jackson to explore, and he had fun checking out the desks. He looks so innocent here - hard to believe that he is already more than half-way to entering Kindergarten. When I think about that and the fun times we've had together, it makes me so happy that I decided to stay home with him (and Brenna too!)

We took a picture on the porch too. Sweet Brenna slept the whole time we were there. She is so easy-going so much of the time, but this week she has been more vocal about what she wants. Often, she wants me over anyone else, and she wants me to stand up while I hold her so she can look over my shoulder. It's amazing that such a little girl can have such big opinions!

Can you spot a ghost in this picture? She's a hot (mess) mama taking a picture in the window on the right. Jackson was so cute - posing and saying cheese between running off to explore the farm. His shirt doesn't really fit in with the nineteenth century experience. I let him pick out his clothes every morning and this is a present from his Mimi from one of her (many) trips to the aquarium. It's very cute and he loved the animal-shaped letters.

Here's Jackson on the front porch of the gorgeous house. I didn't dare take him inside. I remember coming to this museum when I was in elementary school. Actually, my middle school was named for one of the women who owned this property. Anyway, I remember a lot of directions not to touch, and lots of ropes with signs reiterating that command. This is also why we didn't pursue a White House tour when we visited DC. I just don't really want to put myself or my kids in that situation. It was fun playing on the porch though, and we got a look at the mules (I think??) next to the house.

We almost.... almost forget that we were in the middle of the suburbs until the cars rushed by and I caught a glimpse of the nail salon across the street. I don't think I could live out in the middle of nowhere anyway, I really REALLY hate 2-lane highways. I beg Steven to avoid the one behind our house at all costs.

My sweet kids. Seeing them get along so well (even if it may change one day - I hope it doesn't!!) makes my heart melt.

Next, we headed over to the turkey shack. It was so funny to listen to them - gobble gobble gobble. Of course, I was playing helicopter Mom - "Jackson, look at the turkeys, do you see them? DON'T PUT YOUR FINGERS IN THE CAGE! Oh no, honey, it's ok, you can see the turkeys, just don't try to touch them." Oh it will be a wonder if I can raise this boy without a complex. Poor first child.

We came here when Jackson was little - about 9 months. One of my blog headers is from that day (obviously, I am desperately in need of an update - groaaaan). Oddly enough, I realized on the drive out that I was wearing the same shirt I had worn the first time we came. It's a grey shirt with "University of North Texas" written on it in turquoise. Steven and I support each other's schools for two reasons - 1. We are married and we love and support each other and 2. UNT's football program is basically non-existent. I can't say much though, CU has had a tough time since the 2005 season. And by "tough time" I mean "I stopped following them because it was so depressing."

On the other hand, this is not at all depressing. Jackson thought the chickens were pretty cool, but he really wanted to see a cow.

Solved.

Even though Brenna slept through the whole outing, I felt like we all had a good time. It was fun, inexpensive, and not too far to drive. I've always wanted to do family pictures here, maybe one day we'll be able to make that happen.

Play Park

Favorite TV Shows in this house (in order):

1. Dora the Explorer
2. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
3. Go Diego Go

Then it's a toss-up between: Handy Manny, Bubble Guppies, Chuggington, Backyardigans, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and most recently, Team Umi Zoomi.

Think we watch enough TV?

Anyway, the point is that Dora sometimes talks about going to "Play Park," so that's what Jackson calls every park.

A few weeks ago, Jackson's (and now Brenna's) friends went to play at one of our favorite parks. The park is pretty remotely located, so it's usually just us. It also has some cover over the playground (to protect our kiddos from the hot Texas sun) and restrooms nearby. There is a soccer field right there too, which is a great place for our little future-Beckhams to practice.

About half of the kids in our playgroup now have younger siblings, so the Mommies found a tree and put down a blanket for the littlest kids to hang out.

Here are the sweet little ones - Bryn and Sophie are the oldest of the second wave of kids (11 and 12 months) and Logan and Brenna are the youngest (so far..!). Logan was born in May and he's the only boy of the little ones. Cate, Mia's sister, is the only one missing from this picture.

Speaking of Mia and Cate, their sweet Mom, Ashley, took this picture of Brenna and me at the park during another play date. I love this photo and I love how it truly portrays my experience as a Mother - my hair is a mess, I have a burp cloth (or spit up!) on my shoulder, but I'm so happy to finally have my sweet baby Brenna in my arms.

Sometimes Jackson asks me "You happy, Mommy?" and I tell him "Yes I'm happy! I have my Jackson!" and he reminds me "and your Baby Brenna and your Daddy?" and after I agree that I am happy to have Brenna and Daddy, he tells me, "And I have my Mommy!" Oh my gosh, he is such a big sweet heart, and such a wonderful big brother.

Soccer

This year, our Friday Play Group friends got together and decided to sign our kids up for their first organized sport - a soccer league for two year olds! The games have been hilarious (and sometimes stressful). Jackson scored his first goal during the first game and I just happened to get it on video. Yay Jackson! It was an exciting moment. I looked over at my parents and Steven's parents, who had come to watch the game. They were all cheering and my Dad mouthed "his first goal!!" to me. It was so great to share that special moment with our family.

Some of the Dads have volunteered to coach the team and we had 2 practices before their first game. The team name is TNT (Tough N Tiny - and they are!!) and their color is red. Even though we have lots of college recruiters at the games already (haha - kidding!!), our coaches make sure everyone has equal playing time and we don't keep score. Good thing too, this weekend Jackson scored on the goal he was supposed to be protecting!! To his credit, he turned around and ran the ball down the field to score on the opposite goal as well.

One of the kids on the team, Davey, is our "ringer." This little boy could probably run circles around kids twice his age (which is only 5, but still!). He is really impressive on the field and probably one of the only ones who understands the point of the game.

I love the above picture. It represents exactly what happens at the games. Parents all over the field, some of the kids paying attention, some crawling/running/rolling/whatever and some kids standing or sitting, but not paying attention. At one point (during the game), Jackson was lying down on the turf while two kids sat over him, tickling him. With only 5 players on each team, that put TNT at a slight disadvantage... good thing this league doesn't keep score!!!

Here is one of the only pictures I got of the kids in their uniform. Jackson decided that he didn't really want to play soccer during the first (and second) game, so I spent a lot of time holding his hand and, finally, just picking him up and running after the ball up and down the field. I figured that as long as we were on the field, he might as well participate any way possible.

It has been so much fun cheering on our little ones!