beach bums

We headed down to the beach for an extra long weekend with my parents and Aunt Natalie. The sun was shining, water felt great, wind was blowing, food was plentiful and Charlie lost in putt-putt... it was great!

would someone please wipe my nose and get me a bro...

check this stuff out...!

me and my mom have matching haircuts, when will she stop??...

wish some ladies wanted to go on a late night swim with me...

yippeee!

We sold our house, we sold our house, fingers crossed, we sold our house! We had a wonderful 1st house with lots of great memories but looking forward to moving towards Chapel Hill and being nice and close to the best subs money can buy...

snacks

Any good snack ideas for a growing 13 month old? I fixed him some 'kid' trail mix, but it seems he is not interested in the cheerios...

Jackson is hoping to bring back the 'jorts'

its gettin real...

I am a sucker for a good dorky 'rap' video, and this is so true.

Disney!

My parents went to Disney World and all I got were some lousy sunglasses. Yep, we went to Disney without Jackson. In all fairness it was for a Jersey Mike's conference and we did not go to Magic Kingdom 'where dreams are made.' FYI - if you are planning to go anytime soon then start saving up some money! We had a great time and learned about all of the awesome things that Jersey Mike's is doing to support many great causes throughout the country, very motivating. We also took in some sun at the Yacht Club Resort and visited my aunt, uncle and lots of cousins. Jackson had a great time with Charlie's parents in Wilson, hitting up all of the local hot spots. I missed him even more on this trip and I think he missed us too, he has not stopped hanging onto my leg since we got back... h-e-l-p

Hit up your local Jersey Mike's and support Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

Happy Father's Day!

"A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society." -Billy Graham

pets!

A new study suggest that living with pets may protect infants from allergies. That is good to know because Jackson and Greta are all up in each others business. Hopefully an even newer study will come out promoting the consumption of dog food.

Here you go Greta, try this one...

What mom? She wants me to help her...

Here, would you like a bite?

Little Gym

The secret is out on how Jackson gets his bulging muscles, he has been hitting up The Little Gym once a week since January. This past week was his last class and it was funny to think how he used to just sit there the first few times we went as I secretly prayed he would not cry the whole hour. Now I cannot get him to sit in the group circle for anything. I would highly recommend doing a group class if your little one is to young for any sort of Parents Morning Out. It got Jackson to interact with babies his age and me with some adults. The only negative side of The Little Gym is the price and that Jackson now thinks everything is super safe and soft and he can jump from one thing to the next at ease.

Hey ladies... Just working on my fitness.

100 degrees.

It's hot 'round these parts. We try and keep our cool (and my sanity) by walking to the park right after breakfast in the mornings to play. Jackson loves the park, almost as much as Greta, and copies anything other children do. During the heat of the day we lay low inside and play or hit up Barnes & Noble where they have an awesome children's area or the Science Museum. I like to get him nice and tired in hopes of a good long afternoon nap. In the evening when the temperature cools off to a nice 95 we head out to watch the Durham Bulls of hear some outdoor music. No matter how old I am I still feel that excitement of a 10-year-old on the last day of school when the freedom of summer time rolls in.

1 year-old presents!

So what do 1-year-olds want for their birthday? Jackson was a big fan of cake, tissue paper and big boxes you can climb in and out of... Really he did not need a thing but try telling that to friends, family and grandparents! Some of the 'in' gifts for a 1 year old -

-Fisher Price Bubble Lawn Mower - 'in' as in Jackson got 3 of these bad boys. So don't be surprised if you invite us to a party and get one of these. The bubbles don't work but did we really expect them to?

-Tunnel - I really like this b/c it pops open and you can jam it back in the case when it is not appropriate to have spread out in the kitchen - yes we are still having house showings.

-Little Tikes Sandy Lagoon Waterpark - Apparently nothing is cooler than than pouring water into sand and then eating it!

- Little Tikes Climb & Slide - Jackson is slowly figuring this out. So far he likes to turn the wheel and try to knock it over. Guess its a boy thing.

- Playskool Busy Poppin' Pals - On a side note, does anyone else find it annoying that they spell it 'playskool' and not 'playschool.' Cut us bad spellers some slack.

-Musical Birthday Cards - Jackson's favorite gift. He is still walking around opening and closing cards, bobbing up and down.

-Books - Ones that can stand sticky strong fingers. Jackson still enjoys 'reading' you just have to read fast, he is a busy boy.

- Clothes - big clothes, my 12 month old is fitting nicely in 24 month old clothes, wahhhhh...

from jackson

just another manic monday, i wish it were sunday, cause that's my funday

blueberries!

Jackson loves blueberries. I have to ration them out because his digestive system does not love them and he must be swallowing them whole if you know what I mean. On that note, I recommend you make this Blueberry Crisp as soon as possible. Even the die hard chocolate dessert lovers like myself will be going back for fourths.

Well good mornin' mama, perhaps some blueberries with breakfast?!

If your going to Sannn Frannncisco...

Well hello there June, my favorite month of May just flew right by. We had so much going on including our first big trip without Jackson. I was nervous about it. I wasn't worried about leaving him, but more worried that he would not want to come home! He was in very good hands and living it up in Wilson with his grandparents and aunt Natalie. I tried not to think about him because I knew I would get sad and I didn't want to ruin the trip being all sappy.

Charlie and I were also in very good hands, Sarah and Kyle were the hostest with the mostest! I leave you with a few highlights.

We checked out their cute town of Sun Valley. Did some good eating, shopping, hiking... spotted this hot guy.

We headed to Napa for a day for a little bit of wine tasting. Our favorite was Alpha Omega, too pricey for my palate but if someone wanted to give me a bottle I'd take it.

The infamous Sutter Home, originator of THE white zinfandel. My moms tried and true favorite of all time, I know such a wine snob...

Before dinner at Angele Restaurant & Bar in Napa, delicious!

Kyle met up with us in San Fran, I told ya to smile...

Last minute tickets to the Giants game, sure why now. Charlie and Tim Lincecum...

On our way to bike the bridge, someone was out of shape, I will not name names.

Boat ride back from Sausalito, my favorite little city.