Houston Livestock Show

So remember how we were having perfect outside weather? Today was FREEZING cold and raining, but we roughed it and went to the livestock show anyway. We met our friends the Leesers there and had a great time! Jackson and Lincoln loved looking at all the animals, making animal noises, eating yummy rodeo food, and running around the petting zoo. We will definitely be taking Jackson back every year. (I think I'll enjoy it more when I'm not pregnant- the smells are a little overwhelming!) Here's some pics of the little buckaroos:
















Hi Goat!

Outside

We have had BEAUTIFUL weather lately! We pretty much live outside these days, and it's so nice! Jackson will bring me his shoes and tell me "put on, go outside." Here are some pics of him where he is the happiest- outside!

Feeding the ducks is SO MUCH fun.

Ryan teaching Jackson how to fly his new kite

Jackson flying his kite (sorry I didn't acually get the kite in the pic-oops)

Best Buds

He LOVED the sprinkler!

Some Non-Jackson News:
1. Ryan and I were able to go on 2 dates in the past week and a half!!! Ryan & Kathryn had Jackson over for a sleepover last weekend, so we went to dinner and a movie- awesome! Thursday night we were given rodeo tickets to see Clay Walker, so Jackson had a slumber party with his GranMartha & Pops while we went. I kinda like dating my husband! :-)

2. I am 31 weeks pregnant. Yay!!! I went to the doctor this week and had ANOTHER big weight gain month- OOPS! Oh well. I had to take the 3 hour glucose tolerance test to check me for gestational diabetes (which I had with Jackson), so I'm pretty sure I'll be put on a strict diet once the results come in. I realized that I haven't been putting belly pics on here, so I'll do that soon.

That's all. Jackson is 20 months old tomorrow...can NOT believe it!

What a Big Boy!

Jackson is very interested in his potty these days...no luck actually using it yet. He likes to sit on it and clap for himself! He also got his first haircut this week. It was really just a little trim to calm down his crazy curls in the back. I wouldn't say he enjoyed it, but he was a good sport to sit there and eat LOTS of treats while she cut his hair.

P.S.- sorry for the lack of blog posts lately. Ryan's sweet Granny passed away last week, so we went to Abilene for the funeral. This week we've had the lovely stomach virus.

P.P.S.- I am officially in my 3rd trimester!!! WooHoo! Can't wait to meet our baby boy. :-)

Valentines 2009

Our Valentines weekend was WONDERFUL!!! Friday night Ryan came home with gifts and told me he was taking us out for dinner. He brought Jackson a red Hot Wheels car and brought me a dozen roses and 3 new Tyler candles (my fave). So my boys took me out to Escalantes and to walk around the town center...so fun! Saturday we had a bday party and then my parents hosted an elegant Valentines dinner for us and Ryan and Kathryn. They went all out, and we had a great time! Sunday was a good day of church, lunch with our small group, and relaxing at home. What made the weekend even better was Ryan had today (Monday) off work! We got an extra day to hang out, go to lunch, shop, and play with Jackson.

Jackson did 2 VERY special things this weekend for the first time:
1. He said his first prayer (longer than amen)... "Dear God, thank you, In Jesus Name, Amen"
I wish I had this on video, b/c it was PRECIOUS!
2. He said GranMartha's name! He had been calling her "HeHe" the past couple weeks and finally said GranMartha "GanMaka" this weekend.

playing at Lupe Tortilla

He likes to get REALLY close to the camera now!

jumping at the bday party

can't get enough of the elephant at Katy Mills

my beautiful roses, candles, and Jackson's car

For GranMartha:

Jackson's Fun Weekend with Nana & Papa John

Jackson had the BEST weekend!!! His Nana & Papa John came to visit. He was so happy they were here and is really missing them today. I think his favorite part of the weekend was going to the zoo. He keeps talking about the animals and pretending to be a monkey!

This was a tunnel to crawl through under the aquarium

The zoo is exhausting!

Jackson says "thank you" for his new Valentine's I Spy book.

What a fun and BUSY weekend!

Picture Update

Our little boy at 18 months old

Checking out his new bedroom (not painted or finished yet)

Trying out the bed frame...I think he likes it!
(don't worry- he won't have to sleep on purple sheets for long)

We love the 75 degree weather in January!!! Our patio is the new playroom!

Jackson's friend Laurie came over to play. I was wondering if nap time would actually happen?

YES!!! They wore each other out!

Helping Dad paint his new bed

We're hoping to work more in Jackson's new room this weekend!

One last thing: Jackson has now discovered that he can have fun WITHOUT his mom and dad. I don't know how I feel about this! haha We went to pick him up from my mom the other day, and he ran away from us. He wanted to stay and play longer. Then Wed night we went to pick him up at the nursery, and he didn't want to leave! He was having too much fun playing! I'm so happy that he has a great time, but I'm also kinda sad he is growing up so fast.

YUMMY

Last night was our weekly family night at my parents house. As always it was so fun and super delicious. We tried a new appetizer recipe for fried ravioli, and we all agreed it was amazing. Even Jackson loved it! I thought I'd share the recipe...let me know if you try it out. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients

• Olive oil, for frying
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 box store-bought cheese ravioli (about 24 ravioli)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 jar store bought marinara sauce, heated, for dipping

Directions

Pour enough olive oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F.

While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Working in batches, dip ravioli in buttermilk to coat completely. Allow the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Dredge ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining ravioli.

When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.

Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan and serve with a bowl of warmed marinara sauce for dipping.