Fun with Spring

We are having so much fun in this spring weather!  Although it is unpredictable, on those beautiful, sunny days we are out and about!  Here is a big sign of spring...

flip-flops!
Sissy got a bubble machine for her birthday and we love running through all the bubbles!

We swing every chance we get.  I especially love underdogs!

Ever since Sissy has discovered the joy of being outside, she just can't get enough!  She loves to explore everything!





Although Sissy has been to the park before, this was her first real "experience!"  She loved every minute of it!

You know how much I love to play at the park!

We recently had reason to smile and celebrate with UCONN winning the National Championship in men's basketball!

Here's a quick shot Dad took of Kendall in the bath and Iso wondering if he could join her!

Sissy is so loveable.  Here she is giving Mom a big kiss!

It doesn't look like we are going to enjoy much spring weather this weekend.  We hope you have a wonderful weekend, too!

Love,

Jackson

XOX

Happy 1st Birthday Sissy!

Sissy's birthday was on March 26th!  She turned 1!  We had a small party for her and had a blast celebrating her special day.
Uncle Bill flew in to spend a few days with us.  I keep asking about him because we have so much fun together.  He got me a new Wrigley Field shirt... I don't know who likes it more... Mom or me.

Auntie Nicole flew in to celebrate Sissy's birthday, too!  It was so wonderful spending time with her.

Here are some pictures of the people who made Sissy's day so special.

This is Mom's friend Katie.  They teach together and she is also Elliott and Gavin's Mommy.

Here's a good shot of Uncle Bill and Aunt Audrey.

Here's my cousin Cohen during lunch.  He looks so great in his glasses!  Behind him is Ellie.



The next picture is of Gavin... Eliott's brother.  He is about 1 month older than Sissy.  Oh... who's that handsome devil in the back?  Oh, wait... it's ME!

Here's a picture of Elliott and Gavin's Daddy with their Mommy.  Unfortunately he was blinking.

You probably know who this is by now... it's my Papa!

We didn't get to take a picture of Nana and Uncle David... they must have been hiding!

Here's Mom and Dad... proud parents of a 1 and almost 3-year-old (that'll be me!).

Mom and Dad decided to have cupcakes made for Sissy's birthday.  They were yummy!

Happy Birthday Sissy!

You'll be able to tell how much Sissy enjoyed her cupcake.

We were able to Skype with Ma Mac when we sang to Sissy! She was looking at her in this picture.

In case you want to watch it "live"...

Sissy had so many nice gifts to open.  Thank you very much for everyone's generosity!  She got everything from clothes to toys to books to jewelry to a homemade hat and scarf.  She was a lucky girl that's for sure!



Thank you everyone who came to Sissy's party!  Some came from far away, some from near, but everyone has their own busy lives and it meant a lot to have you there.  Thank you to everyone for your birthday gifts for Sissy.  You are all so thoughtful and kind.

A special thank you to Aunt Audrey and Uncle David for taking pictures and the video!  Also a big thank you to Nana for the delicious potato salad and Uncle Bill and Auntie Nicole for all their help!

Love,

Jackson and Kendall

XOX

1 More Week!

Good Morning!  Only one more week until Sissy turns the big number 1!  It's hard to believe she is already 1 year old.
She took her first fall while climbing stairs and hit her nose on the bottom of the railing.  Thankfully she's a tough girl and recovered very quickly.

Sissy loves to play peek-a-boo and I really like playing it with her!  Here's a video of Mom playing peek-a-boo with her after Sissy's bath.

Sissy and I have had our fair share of sickness lately.  Thank you, Nana and Papa, for coming to stay with us unexpectedly.  It was so helpful and fun!

Thank goodness for some spring-like weather this past week.  My best friend (and possible wife-to-be) Elliott and her brother Gavin came over Wednesday night.  Their Mommy is in graduate school now and their Daddy had to work... he drives an ammmmbYOUlance! 

We played outside first because it was really nice out.

Then we took a bath.  Mom thinks more water was outside the tub than inside.  I told her that's called "having fun."  Dad said after having the four kids for the night, he would definitely like to have more brothers and sisters for Sissy and me.  (I think you know my Dad better than that.)

Sissy is a walking fool these days.  (FYI - this video was taken before a bath.  Therefore, I am naked.  Eeek!)

Kendall loves to be outside exploring things as much as I do.  I have started to enjoy playing in the sandbox and of course still love my swingset.  She likes to walk around and touch everything like the grass and plants.  She finds swinging fun, too.  I keep asking about my tractor.  I can't wait to drive my tractor!  Mom and Dad keep telling me it's broken.  (Secretly I think they are not telling the truth.  I think my Dad wants the lawn to look really nice and doesn't want me to create a path of where I drive my tractor like I did last year.)  I am going to keep on asking until I get the answer I want to hear.  Maybe they'll let me drive it on the sidewalk.  We'll see.  I'll keep you updated!

We had Daddy Night Friday night while Mom visited with a friend.  Don't you think I have the best Daddy in the whole world?  He took a couple pictures of us.

Then last night Mom and Dad had Date Night.  We are slowly getting to know a new babysitter, Tricia.  She is amazing and does a fabulous job watching us!  I can't wait to see her again!

Now we are counting down the days until Uncle Bill and Auntie Nicole arrive.  They will be coming Thursday to help us celebrate Sissy's birthday next weekend.  We are going to have so much fun with them!

A very special Happy Birthday goes out to my cousins Mary Kate and Hannah.  We hope you enjoyed your special days!  Also, a BIG congratulations goes out to my cousins who are incredibly talented in so many ways.  We are blessed to be part of a family that is nationally recognized for their athletic accomplishments!  Please know we are VERY proud of all of you!

Love,

Jackson and Kendall

XOX

Sissy Drove A Bus

Hi there!  We hope you enjoyed your weekend.  Mom had Friday off, and Nana came to visit, so we enjoyed our Friday at the Children's Museum in Milwaukee.  We had a blast!  Here's Sissy driving a bus at the museum.

Late Friday night/early Saturday morning I woke up with croup and had trouble breathing, so Mom took me to the hospital.  They gave me just what I needed and now I am doing much better!  Mom and Dad say I was very brave and tough!

Sissy continues to crack us up!  She has started to growl.  It's too funny.

Sissy also gives kisses.

Have a great week.  A special Happy Birthday to my cousin Emmett!

Love,
Jackson
XOX

I'm Walking (slowly... but surely)!

There Sissy goes!  And she just continues to get more confident.  She's a lot of fun!

Sissy loves to play jack-in-the-box with Daddy.  She is very much "Daddy's girl." 

On Saturday our neighbors invited us over.  They have two girls about the same age as Sissy and me.  We had a lot of fun together.  It will be so nice to have some playmates so close this summer!  (Yes, we are already counting down until we can spend lots of time outside!)

A very happy birthday to my very special Aunt Audrey!

Love,

Jackson

XOX

Recent Videos

We decided to try to get some videos up and working tonight.  Here's Sissy exploring our little bus.

Sissy and I are starting to play together.

Sissy likes to watch me play outside.  Pretty soon she'll be out with me!

Sissy is ticklish when you give her a "zerbert" (blowing on her tummy)!

Here are some recent pictures of us!  First, Sissy is watching me play outside.

Mom went to Madison today to support teachers.  This is history in the making!  Mom got a kick out of this slogan:

Here's Mom with two of her colleagues at the Madison protest.

This is a picture of the capitol building.  Mom was listening to a rally.

Another picture of the capitol building.

This picture was taken as Mom was leaving.

Nana visited Friday and babysat Friday night.  Mom and Dad enjoyed "Date Night" and Sissy and me enjoyed fun playing time with Nana!  Thanks so much for playing with us Nana!

We hope everyone has a great week!  Happy birthday this week to my cousin Kellyn!

Love,

Jackson

XOX

Happy Valentine's Day

Hi there!  Last weekend we went sledding as a family.  Here we are posing with Daddy before we climb the big hill.

Here we are at the top of the hill... all ready to go down!

Sissy had fun watching all the action.  Maybe next year she'll enjoy the big sledding hill.

We had some warmer temps one evening last weekend.  I had fun playing late in the snow!

Meanwhile Sissy has found the "tupperware cupboard."

She is so happy to just be playing and where the action is... well, she really likes the stairs, too.

She likes to play with the fake food in our play kitchen.

Mom and Dad love to see Sissy and me "playing" together.  (Why else would they be crazy enough to have us 22 months apart?)

We had a playdate today with Isabella and Cohen!  It was so nice to see my cousins and Aunt Audrey.  With Cohen and I being only 2 days apart in age, we get along very well.  Thank you for all the fun!

The weather was warmer today, so I got to play outside a couple times.  It was nice to get some fresh air.  We keep thinking about how nice it will be to have longer days and warmer weather.  I am quite happy eating snow, but Mom and Dad are sure looking forward to spring.  I suppose I will too once it is here.

We tried uploading a few videos, but there is technical difficulty tonight on blogger.  We'll try to post them soon.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you.  We send our love your way!  Have a great week!

Love,

Jackson

XOX