The Moore Family

I Can Swim!

2009-04-26T18:54:00.001-07:00

I'm thrilled that we're done with lessons again for this year and he can actually swim now. These aren't the best videos but my memory card was full. Jackson's now able to save himself (Lord willing) if he fell in a body of water and can do a simple freestyle. He's so sad to not be going to Miss April's house every day anymore but I'm glad to have that time each day at home. It's amazing how much he learned in 10 minutes a day for 3 weeks.

Random Family Time

2009-04-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

We've had some fun family time in the midst of our crazy work and school schedule. We weren't able to get a culture pass for the library but had a coupon for the Arizona Museum for Youth and visited there for the first time. It's great for the kids. There were kitchens, a slide, art area, building room, library, story time, and exhibits. We went when it opened which ended up being perfect. By the time we left, there were some bigger kids there and the toys were everywhere. I forgot my camera, but the pictures from my phone actually turned out ok.

Cooking in the kitchen.

"Grandma DaDosa-I found middle C!"
Serving Daddy some yummy treats.
Picking corn.
Deciding whether or not to pick the carrots.
Serving up some bread in another kitchen area.
We read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and stamped Jackson on the tree.
This was a cool box that was lit up. Jackson had fun building.

Lounging in the library area and petting the kittens.
Drawing and cutting.
Spinning in a fun chair!
One thing Jackson likes to do it pretend that he and Daddy are sleeping. They 'snore' and Mommy has to come and wake them up.

Easter-long overdue!

2009-04-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been 2 weeks already since my last post. Life has been incredibly crazy recently and I'm praying that this week will be easier for our family. Swim lessons finally finished this week which is 2 hours in the car (going from work to pick Jackson up, head to lessons, and drive home) and Shane's softball season ends this Tuesday. That will mean our evenings will be family time again. Praise God! In the past 2 weeks, we've had some fun though. I'm going to do a few posts of some of the things we've been up to beginning with Easter.

Easter: We had an amazing service at Tempe Town Lake that morning. It was perfect weather after a rainy Saturday to praise the resurrection of our Lord with our church body. It was Jackson's first Easter that he had a slight understanding of what Jesus did for us on the cross and how He rose victoriously from the dead. Of course it's a 3 year old understanding, but it's a lot more than last year. I'm excited to watch him grow and learn more about the great God who entrusted us with him.

When we got home, we had an Easter egg hunt in the new backyard-he has an eagle eye and needed NO help at all from Mom and Dad.

Spending a rainy Saturday coloring eggs for the first time.

Swim Lessons

2009-04-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

Jackson took ISR swim lessons last summer and learned how to save himself if he fell into a body of water. He learned to turn over, float, and cry until he could be rescued. He cried daily during the 5 weeks of lessons but it was worth it to have the peace of mind. Plus, the lessons are only 10 minutes everyday. Not unbearable to hear your child crying. :)

This year, we've started the refresher lessons. They are only 2 weeks since his float is perfect still. He's learning now how to flip over, kick and swim, flip back over when he needs to breathe, and continue until he gets to the edge. He LOVES it this year, which has been so nice. He talks about swimming with Miss April and loves spitting out the 'yucky' water he gets in his mouth. She said he'll be doing strokes by the end of next week which will make our summer near water a lot more fun for him. We're allowed to take video on Fridays so here's what he can do so far.

It's Done!

2009-04-10T22:55:00.000-07:00

Our backyard is finally finished! We've had dirt in our backyard since we moved in and it's limited our time outside. God blessed us and we were able to have a company come in and design something in our limited space. Here are some shots of what we have now and how Jackson celebrated with his new baseball T.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

The acrylic over the concrete.

It's been nice already to open the door and let him play outside without having to worry about how much dirt he's going to track in when he's done. It's not a large yard, but it's great for us considering we have the park as our front yard. We're overwhelmed by God's goodness to us and blessing us beyond our wildest dreams and expectations.

The Three Moore Men

2009-04-07T21:26:00.001-07:00

Don't they look thrilled to be taking this?

This One's for Grandma Frank

2009-04-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

For anyone who knows my grandmother, she loves children and giving them gifts. She told us that everyone needs a little red wagon and was surprised that Jackson didn't have one yet. So, she found one at a thrift store for $1 and gave it to him. (Only it's a little pink wagon) Jackson knows the difference between pink and red, but is convinced this is a red wagon that "Gramma Fwank" gave him. Shane has put it in "toy time out" several times (when we need a break from certain toys) and Jackson found it again this week. He's been dragging balls, money, toys, etc around the house and it's not quiet. Here are a few shots for Grandma. I love you!

Spolied for a Week

2009-04-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

Shane's parents came and spent a week with us over their Spring Break. I don't know who has more fun-Jackson or his grandparents. Since he's the only grandchild at this point on the Moore side, he is showered by all with attention. He got to spend the week with them while Shane and I worked. Actually, I worked. Shane came down with strep the day his parents arrived and was home in bed until Wednesday. I've since lysoled everything in the house and no one else has had any symptoms, Praise God.

We've been having our backyard landscaped over the past two weeks which is a major blessing. It will be so nice to let Jackson go outside and not come in filthy from all the dust and dirt (since that's all he's had to play in for 15 months). They covered the concrete walls with stucco but we had to paint it since we're too frugal to pay what they charge for that service. Shane's parents brought a sprayer and did it for us and it looks amazing. Of course Jackson wanted to help, but I was a fun spoiler for him. We pulled out some water colors instead so he could paint while grandma and grandpa did.

I'm so grateful that I have amazing in-laws who love helping with our home improvement projects.

"I painting!"

He added more color to the water than the paper.

Potty training?

2009-03-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

So Jackson has showed little to no interest in potty training so far. I'm not planning on pushing it because there are enough other things to work on right now without adding this. At his well check, our pediatrician told us that he definitely has the capability and is smart enough, it's just waiting for him to choose to do it. I was giving Jackson a bath tonight and he stood up, crossed his legs, and said "I need to go potty." I was thrilled! I stood up, went to grab him and put him on the toilet, when he sat down and said "All done. I done in my bath". Wonderful! I guess we'll stick to plan A-wait longer.

Golden Birthday Party

2009-03-18T20:58:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from Jackson's Golden Birthday party. The kids decorated pet rocks and dug for gold. Jackson LOVED having friends over, but was too overwhelmed to open any gifts on his own. He finally did with some help, but he preferred playing with everyone.

They turned out really cute. Jackson named his 3-of course.

Digging for gold, weighing it, and 'buying' goodies.

3 Is Here!

2009-03-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been way too long since I've posted anything. It's all I can do right now to even check my email each day. Since the last post, Jackson turned 3. It was his golden birthday (he turned 3 on 3-3). It was funny because we kept telling him all day, "You're 3 today!" The next day, we said, "How old are you?" "I'm 2" was the reply. It took some convincing that he wasn't just 3 for his birthday, but was now 3 for a while. He picked up on us saying he was 3 for today and therefore thought it was a 1 day thing. Here are a couple pics of that day.

The ice cream cake!

"CHEESE!"

Don't spit on the cake!

2009-02-11T19:57:00.001-08:00

So I thought blogging was going to be this easy thing that I would do every couple days, and it's obviously been a while. I was looking back at pictures I took recently when Jackson had an infected lymph node, ear infection, etc. He doesn't get simple illnesses, it's always something more dramatic. We went to the going out of business sale for Kay-B toys that week and saw these punching bags. This was Jackson's first time taking on Batman.

Setting up...

Get ready...

The side-arm...

"I love you Batman!"

As I look at our crazy schedule right now and think of the limited precious time I have with Jackson, I have to say that one of my favorite things we do together is read the Bible and The Very Hungry Caterpillar before bed. Jackson LOVES hearing about Jesus each day. The children's Bible we have ends each short story by focusing on how it relates to God's ultimate plan to redeem and save His children. It's awesome because the focus is always on Him rather than anything else.

I have to get Jackson reading on tape, but that's his newest thing. He can read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and has to for either Shane or I every night. It's a riot. It's the best!

A quick funny story (it may not have been so funny if it happened to me). We don't have baby powder in our house, because honestly, I don't know what to use it for, but my sitter, Dee does. Jackson got a hold of it today while she helped her son in the bathroom, who is potty training. When she came out, Jackson had poured powder in all the toys, the play kitchen, and all over the floor in her living room. It still smelled like powder when I got there after school. I felt bad for her having to clean it all up, but I'm sure Jackson had fun. Hopefully, he now knows that it's not a toy and will stay away from it. We'll see.

Box Tops

2009-01-25T10:21:00.000-08:00

Our school collects Box Tops (the pink 'tickets' on many things) and receives money to purchase items for the school. We've been able to purchase computers and other much-needed items for our kids. If you aren't already clipping them for others, I would gladly take any you have. They're on ziploc, betty crocker, general mills cereal, yogurts and juices, kleenex, toilet paper, etc. Thanks!

"Sure did!"

2009-01-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

Shane is taking classes 2 nights a week now so I have more time in the car with Jackson than usual. I was asking him the other day how his day was, what he did, learned, etc. I looked back and he was laughing. I asked him what was funny. He said "I tooted! 1 tooted, 2 tooted, 3 tooted" as he counted on his fingers. I said "You tooted?" and he said "I sure did!" I laughed so hard. He now says that for everything. I sure did and I sure do are his new favorite sayings. It's so funny.

Day at the Zoo

2009-01-19T18:02:00.001-08:00

We got to spend an awesome day at the zoo as a family over break. We have a membership and go several times a year, but this one was the most fun so far. Jackson had such a blast feeding the ducks, saw more animals than he's seen in one trip before, and the weather was perfect. Radio Disney was there too so he climbed a pile of snow and got to throw some. He wasn't that fond of it-he doesn't get to see it often enough.

Love this age!

2009-01-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

I'm absolutely loving the age Jackson is at (2 months and he'll be 3). I never thought I'd say that after listening to many people talk about the terrible 2's. It's not all perfect, but I love everything that Jackson is learning. I'm amazed that he can completely spell and recognize his name, LOVES TO COUNT, and wants to do everything himself.

Last night after church, I asked Jackson what he did at church. He told me "God fixed the eyes". I thought that he was talking about his eyes being fixed since he's been getting a lot in his eyes recently for some reason. When we got home, I saw his paper from class about God healing the blind man's eyes and it all made sense. Just as Theresa shared, it's encouraging how our church is ministering to our son. Our time with him is limited and precious and I'm grateful for all the teachers who have shown such patience and are teaching him about God's love for us.

Shane usually takes him to the sitter each morning because I have to be at work earlier. This morning, I actually had the chance to take him myself and it was a blast. He was in the back seat sining into a purple sand bucket and laughing the whole way. We prayed for his day, our sitter, and the other kids and it was awesome. I love watching him pray. He kept telling me to close my eyes (but obviously I couldn't do that while driving).

One last thing, Jackson loves collecting change and putting it in his bank. He found $1 in my purse and I told him he could put it in his bank. He cried because he did NOT want that in there. Only coins should be there. I wish change was all I still needed!

Christmas

2009-01-03T11:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas was so fun this year for our family in that it was the first one in our own house and Jackson had a better understanding of what was going on. We didn't travel for the first time in several years, which ended up being nice considering the weather our country was experiencing. It was special because Shane's parents and grandmother were able to join us. She has never been here before so it was really great to show her what life is like here for us. Even though none of my family members were here in person, I got to see them all on Christmas day with our webcam. I talked to NY (my parents, grandparents, and sister & family), Alabama (my brother and new fiance), and Alaska (my sister & family). It was awesome to 'see' them all. Jackson loved seeing all his cousins and other grandparents.

Jackson knew how to open presents this year, but it took an incredibly long time. Everything he opened he wanted to play with and wasn't interested in opening something else. We finally got through it and he was on stimulus overload. :)

According to Jackson, every Christmas tree should have a star on the top and he loved lighting ours up every day. He knew it was Jesus' birthday we were celebrating, but it threw him off when we told him it was also Grandpa's birthday. That was hard to understand. I'm looking forward to each future Christmas and his growing understanding of the reasons for the celebration.

I know there are a lot of pictures but we had a lot of fun over our break!

January 2, 2009

2009-01-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

I finally have a blog! I love reading everyone else's and hearing the awesome things that are going on in my friends' lives so I decided to finally start my own. I thought it'd be fitting to begin with the new year so here we are. I'm so excited to see what God will do in our family this year. Jackson is getting so big! He can spell his name, loves to sing the ABC's, count, and best of all, pray. Twice this week while being disciplined or going down for a nap, I didn't pray and he cried until we did. I'm grateful for his reminders and appreciate God using the scriptures and teachings we use with Jackson to convict my own heart. Every time I say "All the way, right away, and with a happy heart" to him, I know I should be saying the same thing to myself.

New Year's Eve was really fun. We hung out at our friends' house and we all made it until 12:00. At 12:01, a switch went on and Jackson broke down. We've been trying to catch up on sleep since that point. We tried taking pictures of our family, and as you can see, never were able to get both boys with eyes open and smiling! Oh well.