Happy 6th Birthday Jackson!

It's official. The big man is 6 years old.

It's hard to believe that 6 years ago, he was born 6 weeks early, weighing 6 lbs and 6 oz (ok hold up, what's up with all the 6's?), and that he was taken to the NICU pretty immediately for breathing issues and an infection that turned out to be pneumonia (after it collapsed his lung).

But despite that rough start, he's surviving, thriving, jiving! He's our original rock star and resident know-it-all. And we're so proud of him.

Happy Birthday Jacks. We love you!

Birthday Favorites Quiz
Age 6

Book: Dinosaur Atlas, Magic Treehouse series
Song: You Know My Name (Casino Royale soundtrack)
TV Show: Sponge Bob Squarepants
Movie: Jurassic Park
Restaurant: Boston Market, Cheesecake Factory
Car: FJ Cruiser
Color: red and orange
Animal: elephant
Class in School: art
Place in the World: Colorado
Event of the Last Year: Losing first tooth

What are you going to be when you grow up? Zookeeper to lizards and snakes

The Many Faces of 5

His very last day as a 5 year-old! How can that be? He just looks so much like Anthony in all of these. Pretty soon it'll be impossible to tell them apart!!

Little Picasso

Jacks has been doing art camp this week, and he is loving every minute of it. The theme is rainforests, so he's getting to draw, paint, and sculpt animals to his heart's content. Above is his masterpiece from Day 1. Yesterday they worked with clay, so I'll share the finished product once it's fired and finished.

Jackson's Birthday Present, Phase One

The gravel has been rinsed, the water's in and heated and conditioned...and now all we need is some fish! Tune in Thursday, for Phase II!

Blast Off!

Well, these pictures are all terrible. I'll just put that out there right away.

Still, despite the fact that the Air and Space Annex made mincemeat of my camera's capabilities, we had a great time. This museum is basically a giant hangar out at Dulles Airport, built to house all the cool stuff they couldn't fit at the original downtown.

The first thing you see when you walk in is the Blackbird SR-71 (or is it the SR-71 Blackbird? I dunno...ask Jackson). You can't really see it behind the boys in this pic, but take my word for it, that's what it is.
Jacks was fascinated by a display explaining how engines work. He loved watching the pistons light up as they fired. (Don't I sound like I know what I'm talking about?)

This Space Shuttle is the most ginormous thing I've ever seen. Jacks pointed out the "bricks" all over it...the tiles that cover the exterior, the ones that caused the trouble a few years ago by falling off, remember?


It is quite possible that the boys' favorite part of this museum was the McDonald's. But when compared with the Dallas "airplane festival" at Love Field, Jacks declared this one, "way awesomer."So it was a hit, and a great way to spend our Sunday.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzz

Daddy gave both Jacks and Cody buzz cuts on Sunday. Jacks is an old hand at it, so he wasn't fazed at all, but although Cody was very enthusiastic beforehand, it took a lot of coaxing to get him through to the end. He did have more hair to being with, after all.

A look at the finished products...

Future's So Bright....Gotta Wear Shades

Welcome to DC

On our first Saturday in our new city, we decided to play tourist and visit a museum. We let the boys pick which one, so bright and early we headed down to the Natural History Museum.

We drove to Daddy's office in Dupont Circle to park in his garage. As soon as we got out of the car, the boys were ready for action.
Then we rode down the most gigantic escalator, which Jacks adored and Cody not so much, and hopped on a train. The most fun part about that was buying the tickets, sliding them through the machine, and waiting for the doors to open.
In front of all the Smithsonian buildings, they have all these white tents set up in preparation for a big festival at the end of the month. Part of this festival celebrates...oh, why don't you guess? Go on! No, you'll never guess.
You didn't guess, did you? Ha! I thought this was such a cool juxtaposition for us...Washington Monument meets The Texas Festival. :)

There was a line out front of the museum before it opened, so Jacks and Cody hung out on a bench while we waited.
And then, in we went to see the dinosaurs!

The boys posed with Daddy in front of a fossilized tree.
Making friends with a Woolly Mammoth.
The museum also had a butterfly exhibit going on. It couldn't possibly compare to the one at the Houston Science Museum, but since we had just done our own buttefly exhibit at home, we had to go in and take a look.
What a great day!

Last Night at Magic Time Machine

On our last night in Dallas, we went to the boys' new favorite restaurant, Magic Time Machine, for a special farewell dinner with good friends. We had a wonderful time, although it was terribly sad to say goodbye.

See, look at these miserable faces.

We love you guys!

Volcano!

Knowing how into science Jackson is, K-K brought him a volcano kit for his birthday. He couldn't wait to get started blowing things up!

First, they formed the volcano shape out of papier mache around a tube. To make it more realistic, Jacks added some blades of grass around the bottom.

Then, he painted the volcano, adding some "old lava" for fun.

The final step was putting some baking soda into the tube inside the volcano, and then Jacks poured in the vinegar.

There was an instant reaction, and lava came bubbling out the top. Note the dinosaurs added around the base for realism.

It wasn't quite the explosion Jacks had hoped for, so he and K-K tried a few times with greater amounts of baking powder and vinegar. They ended up with a lot more lava, but no more "boom." Regardless, they sure had a lot of fun! Great present, K-K!

No One's Cuter than Me!

Ok ok, maybe my 2 big brothers are pretty handsome fellas, too. But come on. You know I'm right. Just admit it. It'll be our little secret. ;)

Jackson's First/Last Days of Kindergarten

I'm not sure if it's visible to the naked eye, or only to someone who is wearing the special "I remember when..." lenses of parenthood, but Jackson has grown so much in so many ways this year. Between August 27 and June 4, he made new friends, got taller, learned to read and write, and really got more comfortable in his own skin. I'm so proud of everything he has accomplished. Awesome, dude!