8 years strong

Today is Jason's and my 8th anniversary. We have never been ones to buy each other gifts or cards for anniversaries, Valentine's Day, or Christmas. So, this is my anniversary gift to him. Here are a few of the reasons I love him more today than I did the day we got married:

1. He makes me laugh. Jason and I have very similar senses of humor. Some people may call us goofy, but it sure makes life fun.

2. He believes in me more than I believe in myself. He is always encouraging me to do more than I think I can do. I have recently taken over leading worship in our church, and although I am constantly feeling insufficient, he gives me sincere support, encouragement, and feedback.

3. He's a great dad. These days, his time is very precious, yet he always takes time to play with our kids. Jackson loves to wrestle and play basketball with Jason (things that I don't do). Selah is obviously enamored with her dad, too.

4. He reaches stuff on the top shelves and opens jars. Seriously, he does stuff that I can't. God designed us to be similar enough to share interests yet different enough to compliment each other. Where I am weak (or short), he is strong (or tall!). Where he is weak, I am strong. Last night we went to a leadership meeting where we did the DISC personality test. We discovered he's a D/C and I'm an I/S. Complimentary! I truly believe this is what makes our marriage work. (sniff, sniff...you complete me)

5. He sacrifices for our family. At the end of 2008, Jason and I were having a date night and were discussing life at dinner. I told him how I felt stretched too thin and really wanted to be able to quit my job to stay home with the kids. I cried right there in the middle of the restaurant. He saw how much it meant to me, and he made it happen. Even though I know he has to sacrifice a few things he would like to do or have, he does it with a smile on his face.

6. He loves God, even if it seems foolish to others. He has really thought out his faith, and has a very personal relationship with God.

7. He doesn't care what people think about him. Not in an arrogant way. Of course he wants to be liked, but he doesn't let popular opinion influence his decisions. He'll play in the sprinkler with Jackson despite what the neighbors might think!

8. He's so competitive. But he's not a bad sport. This makes playing UNO (and any other game) really fun. Especially when I win!

9. His favorite "tools" are White Out and Shoe Goo. So, he's not a handyman. It's entertaining to watch him try! He's come a long way since we were first married. He installed two ceiling fans in our house last summer! Without Shoe Goo! And they're still working!

10. He loves me. And he reads my boring blog.

I love you sweetie! And after 8 years, I still absolutely love being married to you!

Fun Things to do with Your Child

This weekend we had a child-centered weekend. Actually, it was a Jackson-centered weekend, and Selah was just along for the ride! I wanted to blog about it because the primary purpose of this blog is just to document my kids' lives (and my life too). Secondarily, I want to get some thoughts out of my head so that I can feel like I have communicated myself without bombarding my husband with every boring detail of my day when he gets home (love you, sweetie!). But I guess a tertiary reason for blogging is to connect with other people and share ideas. So, if you're looking for something to do with your kid, here are some recommendations!

Friday, Jason came home from work a little early and stayed with Selah while I took Jackson to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

Jackson has been asking me to see this movie since seeing it advertised on TV. Jackson is a connoisseur of movies and TV (just like his dad). This is embarrassing for me as a parent to admit, but this kid loves his TV and movies. Going to see a movie in the theater is a real treat for him. Our theater offers a kid's meal: a kid sized-popcorn, fruit gummies, and kid-sized drink for a decent price (compared to the rest of their stuff, that is). It is worth every penny to see the enjoyment he gets out of the whole movie experience. He's glued to the plot and literally on the edge of his seat for the entire hour and a half, roaring with laughter during the funny parts and yelling at the characters during the "scary" parts. Our theater also offers free movies (G and PG) during the summer every Tue., Wed., and Thurs. at 10am. We saw the VeggieTales Pirates Who Don't Do Anything there a few weeks ago. We love free entertainment!

Saturday, we went to the Greensboro Children's Museum with some of our friends. We haven't been there in two years, and they have made some great additions! Jackson loved flying the jet plane dressed in an astronaut suit and playing on the fire truck. The plane, fire truck, police car, gas pump, and race car are the REAL thing, just modified for museum use. It was so nice to be in a place where you didn't have to constantly say "don't touch that, stop doing that, put that back, etc." because everything there was meant for kids to use - not just look at! The play town had a post office, play house, camping area, stage, market, and pizza parlor. Jackson loved being on stage (big surprise, I know!) playing drums and making a show. There were dress up clothes, instruments, and even a booth for them to really run the sound and lights. It was awesome. Too much to take in for one day. I wish I had known about their summer special for unlimited visits for your family for $60 from June 1 through August 31. A little late to take advantage of it at this point, but hopefully they will offer this great deal next summer. Great place to go on rainy days, hot days, Saturdays, or just get-out-of-the-house days. FYI, they have half-price admission on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

Sunday, we went to church , rested, and played "dogpile daddy". It's rare that we get to rest on Sundays, so we really enjoyed it. I saw on the news that the international space station (which the shuttle is on right now) was supposed to be visible in our area at 9:28pm, so I let Jackson stay up just for the occasion. When 9:28pm rolled around we went outside only to be disappointed by the cloud cover. We couldn't see a thing. On the positive side, we did get some much needed rain from those clouds.

I declared today a "No TV Day" in our house. As I mentioned earlier, Jackson loves TV, and lately it's been creeping into our day more and more. I have noticed recently that anytime I'm not able to actively play with Jackson, like when I'm doing the dishes or putting Selah down for a nap, he asks to turn on the TV. I have been giving in to his requests too often. I wanted to remind him of all his toys, books, puzzles, and computer games that he can play by himself; hence the "No TV Day." I have been pleasantly surprised at the lack of whining, crying, and begging. I really expected much more opposition. In fact, this morning I think I missed him watching TV more than he missed watching it! It made me wonder Who really is the one addicted to the TV?

This morning, we went to storytime at the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library in Greensboro. Although we go to the High Point and Jamestown libraries, too, we love going to the storytime at this library the best! The librarian is the FANTASTIC! I'm amazed at her ability to command a roomful of preschoolers and toddlers! She always reads 3 stories, tells a story on the story board, shows a storybook movie, and does activities to get the kids moving (get their wiggles out) between each story. It is well worth our drive to this library. They also have a little play house in their children's section.

So, there you have it! A full update on our weekend with lots of suggestions for activities! Another great place to look for activities is the free monthly Piedmont Parent magazine. I usually find these in doctor's offices and libraries, but I'm sure you can pick them up other places that kids go. Happy exploring!

One Fish, Two Fish

Last week our family took a beach vacation with some friends. Much needed. This was the first week-long vacation we've taken since Jan. 2007. Jason and I enjoyed getting to talk to each other about more than just day-to-day business. For example, on the ride home we discussed the finer points of the interstate mile marker numbering system. (We know, we're dorks.) Jason argued that it doesn't make sense to start the numbers over when you cross the state lines. I tried to explain that the system makes sense to everyone but him. It was a spirited debate. =)

Anyway, the kids absolutely loved the vacation, too. This was Selah's first trip to the beach outside my belly. I was pleasantly suprised at how she immediately took to the beach. She sat in the surf splashing the water, smiling at the waves, and digging her hands in the wet sand.

Jackson has always loved the beach, but this year he was much braver in the water. He played hard in the water and the sand. He made an X on the beach and pretended to be digging for burried pirate treasure. He and his friends played all kinds of pretend games.

They both loved the pool, too. Now you may be thinking, "Sure, all kids love the pool." So perhaps I need to give you some background on our kids. I wrote earlier about Selah's first pool experience in our backyard which she enjoyed for all of about 2 minutes! And Jackson? He freaks out when I get a few drops of water in his face in the bathtub. In years past, Jackson has cautiously liked the pool....as long as I was holding him and he didn't have to get his face or head wet at all. BUT THIS YEAR (cue the superhero trumpet music) I made a fabulous investment - a life jacket! (bought at a half-price consignment sale, I might add) All of a sudden Jackson's level of confidence went through the roof. He started by "swimming" all by himself - doggie paddling around with his life jacket on. Then he was jumping off the side of the pool into daddy's arms. Next thing you know, he was jumping off the side and didn't want daddy catching him. He was going under! Of course his life jacket popped him right back to the surface. By the end of the day he had shed his life jacket and was jumping in without daddy catching him. He would paddle to the surface, then Jason would hold him for him to catch his breath. By the end of the week, he was practically swimming with some assistance. I was amazed.

My little fish!

Other cool stuff: Jason playing tag with the kids at the playground

Bicycle rides to the beach

And finding tons of starfish!

What a great trip!