sweety siblings

my babes..we are so blessed!

potty time

i finally sucked it up, took a deep breath and dove head first into potty training with jackson.....and so far SO GOOD!!!
last week i made the decision, jackson and i are ready to potty train and from that point forward, we did great! i say "we" because i am not one for stress and process, but jackson was so ready and has done far better than i ever gave him credit for. He had only one accident so far and has told me every time when he needs to go both #1 and #2!!! Never was there a prouder moment then when i hear those sweet words, "mommy, I need to go potty"!!
jackson is so proud of himself and has now started asking everyone if they are potty training which has made for some interesting conversations and laughs....for instance, yesterday, jackson came in while i was on the potty and said, "oh mommy, i so poud of you....you go peepee on the potty! you pottytraining...good job. i wish daddy was here to see you do this!" i just about fell off the toilet with laughter.....

girly time in "o" town

I went to visit maren last week to get in some much needed girly time and also to meet mr. william in person.....we do not get enough times like this, but any bit we do share is wonderfully fun. Liam is a precious littleman and i was so happy to share some flirts with him....cannot wait for him to meet his girl olivia. Happy Birthday Maren!! wish i could have been there today, but i am glad to have had our girls night the other day.

olivia...aka

jackson is so sweet to olivia. he just loves her and is so gentle. lately, nathan and i have been noticing that he is coming up with other little names for her which just make us smile and melt...for instance, sissy-love, sissy love-train, beautifully, my sissy, sweety, sweeties. it is just so cute to see him run over to and call her by one of these names he has thought of....i can only hope that he always loves her so fondly.

father's day fun

this father's day was perfect....a nice relaxing day with the family at the beach condo for some fun in the sun......sand castles, fish hunting, swimming and a summer lunch. the kids and adults had a wonderful day and all went well. to my nathan: Happy father's day! you are a wonderful hard-working father and husband..... thank you for making this life of ours the best it can be. we love you and are blessed to have you to share these days with.!
xox
nicole, jackson and olivia


fishy foursome-wesley, alyce, jackson and olivia

jackson and kiki trying to catch some guppies

olivia's 1st trip to the beach....and the first time the toes touch sand


olivia and daddy sporting the beach look

mommy and her other man

doughnut day

summertime is making me think of some fun new adventures to do with littleman, so on saturday i thought he might enjoy watching donuts being made at the krispy kreme shop in mandarin. we invited em and shelley to share in the fun. it was a blast....what can be better than sugar filled donuts to start the day. we soon realize, however, we needed to follow this up with a bit of park time to burn some energy!

this has to be the most colorful donut ever!

yummy yummy in the tummy

future doughnut chef

tender times

here are to those (shawn, wink) that think littlemiss is serious......she really is the most laid-back, happy girl ever!!! just you see...

our olivia....5 months old!

happy two-some

my angel baby; her hair is growing back, fast

face full of food

i decided the other day to introduce some "real" food....baby bananas, to olivia for the first time. overall, it went well....it took her a few scoops to get the idea of swallowing and to get used to the spoon in the mouth. she seemed to like it, but i do think we may have gotten more food on her face than in the belly....if nothing else, it gave me a chuckle for the day!

caught off guard

last week jackson finished up his summer camp at his playschool....it was christian based, similar to vacation bible school and every day jackson learned stories from the bible. he had a wonderful time and i loved hearing jackson's interpretation of the bible story of the day. it really is amazing to see and hear all that he absorbs.....so in prefacing with that, i cought jackson chatting to "sissy" about god and how much he loves everyone (so cute)...and when i turned around to SEE what i was hearing, i about fell over!! see below......

jackson made "god" gifts everyday at camp, one of those being a stuffed turtle with a pouch....inside the pouch was this heart. it is supposed to remind him of how close god is to us & to always keep him close to heart. after learning this, jackson was intrigued with where the heart is inside us, so i showed him...pointing to his chest, inside here, i told him. next thing i know, this is what i found......jackson placing this heart on her and whispering...."see sissy. this is where your heart is and where you are supposed to keep god!!
man, i could have melted...where is the pause button when you need it to savor the moment

sweltering summertime

we have been laying quite low these days, due in part to scheduling conflicts between jackson and olivia and the horribly hot weather we have been experiencing..... we have tried some park outings and swim time, but nothing other than inside with the AC really works to relax. jackson has been going a little stir crazy trying to understand, and work around, olivia's numerous nap times. he has been a sport about it the best he knows how and mommy is trying to keep her patience....but we have been blessed with a two week summer camp at school(whahoo).... between that and a wonderful helper named Kaleigh, mommy and the kids are surviving for now. never has having two kids been so difficult than now.....we are thankful, though, for the time we get to share everyday and all the smiles we are given in between the tears and tantrums!

Happy birthday Gran

we love and miss you very much!! wishing you a wonderful day.......xox