Substitute Teachers and Other Miscellaneous Stories

Jackson and Brian have been spending some great time outside playing t-ball! Jackson loves to play with Brian and it is wonderful to have that special one-on-one time. We also got to see Jackson perform at his Joy Notes recital! The kids sang, danced, and played their songs on the piano. What a treat! Jackson played "Fog" and did a wonderful job. He even took a bow at the end of his performance. Ms. Diane has such a wonderful program and Charlie is already on the wait list for the 2011 class.





Speaking of Charlie...he is growing like a weed! He's standing by himself and taking a few steps here and there, but then decides it would be faster to crawl. The kid is fast! He has a ton of hair and most people think he's two, rather than almost one! Here are a couple of before and after hair cut pictures:





School is coming to an end soon. The other day, Jackson informed me that he's had a substitute teacher the past few days. I said: "really?" (Not really caring much). He said: "yeah...she's really catholic too". I asked what he meant by "really catholic" -- thinking she prayed more than Mrs. Carlson, but instead he said: "she'll send you right down to the office--without even turning your number over!".

Good to know that even at age 5 almost 6, Jackson is equating strictness with being Catholic.

Along the lines of being Catholic, Jackson has informed me he wants us to have 4 boys and 2 girls. Today...he added onto that number and said he wants us to have 10 kids. At that point, I told him that we're most likley going to be satisfied with three, but that when he finds nice girl to marry, he and his wife can have 10 children if they wish. I'm not sure he grasped that concept...but that's okay by me. He has plenty of time to worry about getting married and having children.

is the last full day of school. The children have mass tomorrow and then are dismissed for the summer. Thankfully, the weather is reporting a sunny and 80 degree day tomorrow, so I'm packing up the car in the morning and taking the kids to the pool after school gets out.

June will be a busy month for us. Brian and I celebrate our 7th anniversary on June 8th. My mom arrives on the 9th just in time for Jackson's oral surgery on the 10th. On June 11th, Charlie turns one! My...how time flies. Just after we've recovered from Charlie's birthday, Jackson will turn 6 on the 22nd.

We have several trips planned for the summer. We'll head back to WA to visit with family and we're hoping to make it to the Lake of the Ozarks one weekend and the Iowa State fair another weekend. Beyond that, we're hoping the weather cooperates and we can spend a quality time at the pool.

Play Ball! Jackson's first t-ball practice

Along with soccer, Jackson now has t-ball twice a week (and soon summer swimming too!). His first t-ball practice was on a beautiful spring day in Peoria. Mom, dad and Charlie came to help and cheer him on (despite the feet of freshly mowed grass, which was killing mom's allergies!).

Jackson is playing t-ball through the Christian Center. It is a wonderful program. They start and end with a prayer and also have bible verses to memorize each week. They also encourage parental involvement and practice. It was great. As parents, we learned drills to practice with our kids to help them with the fundamentals of t-ball.

They divided up the kids into two teams: the Rays and the Pirates. We were thrilled when Jackson got assigned to the Pirate Team! Ahoy! He got his new shirt and cap, and this weekend we'll be getting his pants, batting helmet, bag and other necessities.



Jackson's coach is a member of St. Vincent's and plays Basketball with Brian on Sunday evenings. There are a few other classmates of Jackson's on the team, which makes it fun.

Charlie is fascinated with Jackson and his friends. I've noticed that Charlie loves to play with balls -- in the bathtub and elsewhere. He also likes to throw things and then chase after the object. The baseball was an instant hit with Charlie and he had a blast playing "catch" with mommy while Jackson and daddy did their drills.

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We are having fun with all of Jackson's activities and we are trying to stay on top of his busy schedule. T-ball goes through June and summer YMCA swim team starts up soon. We can't wait. Jackson will have practice every morning (except in cases of thunderstorms). Looks as though our summer will be swim team in the morning, pool in the afternoon and t-ball practice/games in the evening. Not a bad life!

S'more fun and Mother's Day

Brian and I decided to get a patio set this year so we could really enjoy the warmer Midwestern springs and summer. In June the fireflies grace us with their fiery dances and Jackson spends hours trying to chase them down. We also splurged on a new fire pit, which has turned out to be the best decision we made.

Every night Jackson begs Brian to light a fire so he can make s'mores. Despite the wicked allergy season, we all venture outside for our new evening ritual. The ipod comes outside and Jackson usually shows us his new "moves" while eating s'mores. The dogs also join in the fun and chase each other around the house while we have our family time.


The other night after soccer practice, Jackson really wanted to light the fire. We agreed and the s'mores ensued. We were all enjoying ourselves when Brian noticed Jackson furtively trying to sneak off to his "special" spot in the yard, where he relieves himself in emergency situations. Brian told Jackson that if he needed to use the potty to go inside. Jackson denied having to use the potty and instead informed us that he "was just looking for a quiet place to pray." Needless to say, in less than 5 minutes Jackson was running to use the toilet inside. I sure hope he had a good conversation with God.

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On Mother's Day, Brian took us to the Pere Marquette Hotel for Mother's Day Brunch. We had a fantastic time. While waiting in line, Jackson informed the hotel staff that he was wearing a tie that his Grandma got him. "It has bees on it and she loves bees." He also told them all about Grandma's favorite color and his school. Later that night on the phone with Grandma, Jackson told her she could be called the "Queen Bee". No doubt this kid understands how to score points!





The brunch was amazing! They had every type of food imaginable! Jackson immediately identified the items he wanted -- waffles and cheesecake. Since he eats well during the week and never has issues with his vegetables, we are more than happy to indulge him on special occasions. And boy did he indulge!

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I quickly started to lose my appetite watching Jackson inhale his waffle followed by TWO pieces of cheesecake. I waited...and finally, after taking a few bites of his chocolate eclair, Jackson informed me he didn't feel well. I can only imagine! Those types of lessons are best learned first hand.

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Charlie opted for a more savory than sweet menu and enjoyed his first omelet with Brian. He also loved the hash browns and bacon!

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Despite the sugar coma induced by so many sweets, Jackson did not lose any of his own sweetness. He was polite to the staff and sweet to his mommy. Both Jackson and Charlie are quite the little charmers! Whenever Charlie gets attention, Jackson promptly stands up and introduces himself as Charlie's big brother and waits for his own compliments. I'm happy that he is no wall flower.

Brian planned the entire day, which was a gift in and of itself. However, he also surprised me with a diamond cross necklace and made the day extra special -- especially after our recent Cursillo weekends.

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Sitting at church and at brunch with my three boys -- Brian, Jackson and Charlie, I truly felt blessed. This time next year, God-willing, I will have another reason to feel blessed! The question is will I have three little boys or a little girl? Only time will tell.

May Flowers

It is hard to believe that we survived the Midwestern winter. Locals say this year was "brutal", but I believe the past three winters have been less than kind to us Northwestern transplants.

By February I start looking for signs of spring. I can't help it. I'm use to the Northwest springs that come early. In Peoria, spring literally does not arrive until LATE April (if it's a good year), or May at best. However, this year's winter did produce one great thing -- another baby! We are expecting baby #3 in late November/early December of 2009. We are thrilled. Charlie and the baby will be 18 months apart, keeping me very busy -- but extraordinarily blessed.

Now that spring has sprung...we are enjoying it full-force! Jackson is playing soccer twice a week. Brian is the coach and we are having a blast. Charlie and I get to cheer on the sidelines, while Jackson and his school buddies have fun. In another week, Jackson will start t-ball. I'm anxious to participate in some more cheering.



We decided to buy new patio furniture now that we have a new grill and are looking forward to eating outside. We also bought a fire pit, which Jackson promptly injured himself with the first night we tried it out. I'm sure Jackson will not touch the top of a fire pit again. Some lessons have to be learned the hard way!

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Charlie and I are taking advantage of the warmer weather. Rather than hitting the gym every morning, we're hitting the pavement and taking nice long walks through the neighborhood. It's so nice to get out early before it gets too warm. I love seeing everyone working in their yards and catching up on home improvement projects.

It is hard to believe that there is only a few more weeks left of school! I'm excited for the pool to open up. Charlie seems to have taken to the water like a fish and Jackson loves playing with all his friends at the pool.

We are also excited for a visit from Grandma Marshall! Jackson has to have surgery on his mouth in June. He has two extra upper teeth, which need to be extracted. He will have to be put under for the operation and they will remove his other upper baby tooth. No doubt this will be painful...so we're bringing in the best pain medication known to mankind -- Grandma! With all her pampering, story reading, snuggling and love Jackson will surely make a full recovery in no time flat.

Cheers! Happy Spring!