Pictures from yesterday's update

Don't judge this cake. I made it. It is NOT mold...it is multi-colored icing assortment melted and poured into the bunt pan

He does a complete 360 to hit the ball


This top picture is Jackson in the tunnel during his one year pictures. This bottom one is him in the same tunnel on his second birthday!

BCM...

It seems as if every moment of our life since last Wednesday has revolved around BCM and the craziness that is the first few weeks of the school year! It has been a lot of fun and great to be able to have Erin and Jackson right in the middle of it all.

Last Thursday was Jackson's 2nd birthday and I (Jonathan) was able to come home for a few hours to go to the park with Jackson and Erin, share supper together, and bake a cake for the boy. We had a great time. I then had to go back on campus for "Fusion" (a United Campus Ministries kick off worship service...I fell asleep). Friday was a fun evening of Pancake and 4-Square Fellowship at the BCM. Jackson was all over the place playing and meeting folks. He even grabbed a pair of scissors from my desk and as I wrestling them away from him, he clamped the scissors across the top of my thumb. He made me drip blood. I was quite proud of him. Saturday was a great family day and then an evening of Young Adult Sunday School Get Together. It was a load of fun and Jackson LOVED his time in the nursery with his new buddy, Ethan Hogg.

This week at the BCM was the week of firsts: First Journey, First Soul Food, First 56, and (my personal favorite event of the year), Church Road Trip (progressive dinner amongst 5 local churches). While I was leading that through the BCM, Erin and Jackson were at church setting up. Jackson made two new college buddies, Jurdon Thomas and Mark Whisenhunt. They played ball with him, loved on him, taught him to say "Rock-N-Roll." It was a great time and he LOVED them and HATED to bid them farewell.

So, that is about it. Erin left the camera at church, so no new photos at this point. Sorry.

24 hours later...Camera retrieved...photos now available!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKSON!!

Birth September 10th 2007

Jackson 1

Jackson 2

So today is Thursday and we missed our Wednesday update. We missed for good reason. Jackson, Ellie, Zoe and I all went to GA to visit my family. We went to see Jessie play softball and to celebrate Shelby's 12th birthday and Jackson's 2nd birthday. We had TONS of fun. We got back last night and were off to the BCM. Classes at Tech started today and that means that things at the BCM are up and running. Last night they had a block party and it was great to see all the old students and the new ones!!

Today is Jackson's Birthday! We are so blessed to have such an amazing son! He is growing up way too fast!! He has learned all of his ABC's and is learning his numbers. He loves to talk and tries to say everything we say. It is so adorable!! He also loves to color, watch TV, read books and just play! He really loves animals, outside and being with friends!

Talk to you next Wednesday!!




Jessie pitching!! She is awesome!! They won 3-0


Ellie. Zoe and Jackson at Collidge Park.

Jackson eating cake!!

Shelby blowing out her candles=)

One of the many toys Jackson got for his birthday

Blue Ice Cream = Green Poop

Erin has graciously allowed me, Jonathan, to update this post. The reason being: she has found some documentary on PBS.

So, the summer is quickly coming to an end. I am no longer working 9am-noon. I am back to full days in anticipation of the craziness that is about to ensue here at Louisiana Tech and all the BCM events surrounding it. What does all of this mean? It means I take FULL advantage of my time with Jackson in the morning and in the evenings as I jump in the tub with him almost every night and play. We snuggle on the bed together watching Blue's Clues prior to our family pray/singing/Scripture time before bed. He is so wonderful and definately my best little buddy.

Last Friday we enjoyed an evening together at home as a family and then decided to go to Wal-Mart and Maggie Moo's Ice Cream shop. Jackson is like a kid in a candy store when he goes into an ice cream store. He gets so excited. He only knows one color, "blue" (either he knows more and enjoys messing with us by calling every color "blue" or he has some weird eye disorder where he legitimately sees everything in blue). Anyway, he picks out some Blue Cotton Candy Ice Cream and we sit there and eat our $12.55 worth of ice cream.

The next day, I get an invitation to go play disc golf at SGA Park with some buddies. I decided to take Jackson, just because I love the time with him and I enjoy him living the adventure that comes with access to unlimited dirt, sticks, rocks, etc. Well, 4 holes into our 18 hole course, Jackson gets really still and his face turns red, which tells me, he's taking a dump. I figure since it is a hot day and he is running around sweaty, the last thing he wants is warm stool sitting snugly in his diaper, so I decided to go on home and get him changed.

I realize that this is no ordinary poo. It was massive. I was such the proud papa. We took him straight to the bathroom and I stripped him down as I noticed it was all up his back and all over his clothes. It was awesome. It was such a rich hue of green. We put him in the tub and hose him off (thanks to our mobile shower head) and the water turns as green as a crystal sea.

Since this has quickly turned potty-talk, Jackson's new favorite thing to say "ewww Daddy pooted...shoo wee." I am NOT hesitant to say that he also appropriately says "ewww MOMMY pooted...shoo wee" (I hope Erin chooses not to proof this post).

I guess that is all that happened last week: Jackson crapped a lot of green.

JClark

Oops, Erin says there is more to our week than just that.

• Erin made her grandmother's homemade cookies to take to church for an after-church fellowship. That brought back some good memories for her.
• Erin also sewed, which impressed the pants off of me. She MADE Jackson a pillowcase and a top sheet...and not even from a pattern! She just took some fabric and her sewing machine and voila! A pillowcase and a top sheet.
  
• We enjoyed a great time of fellowship with some church friends at a cookout. Jackson has a new buddy from church named Ethan. They are great friends and play well together.
• Jonathan fixed a mower.
• Thursday we got Jackson's 2-year-old pictures made by the very-talented, Donald Page out at Lincoln Parish Park. Jackson LOVED playing out there...and we got some great shots.
  
• ...and the same old same old

JClark




Green Poop



Erin's grandmother's cookies (which Jackson calls "dookie")



Jackson's new pillowcase and sheet



One of Donald's pictures (Erin made that shirt too!)

It is Wednesday=)

Since last Wednesday we have totally enjoyed some family time. We are trying to fill up on our time together before classes start and Jonathan gets really really busy! Jackson received a sweet card with some money from Patsy for his accomplishment of being "pappy" free. We made a trip to Wal-Mart to get him something really nice. We let him walk and pick out just about anything. He decided on a hard plastic elephant, a big ball, a book, and some numbers and letters to play with in the bath. We also went to out to eat with our good friends the Crawford's. We ate at a new pizza joint in town called Fox's Pizza. It was very good.=) On Monday, we got to go eat with Jackson's resident grandmother, Marmee. We love her and are so thankful to have her in Ruston! She is so good to love on us. While there, Jackson, Jonathan, and Zoe played in the sprinklers. They really had a load of fun!! We also made Amish Friendship Bread and beignets.=) What a great week=)

Wednesday's Window to our World.=)

Not much has happened since last week. I have been keeping Ellie all week and she has been a jewel! Jackson LOVES her and it allows me to get things done around the house. We also went swimming and shopping as well. Jonathan has been working as well as yard sale shopping. This week he went to 7 yard sales and brought home a wooden chicken, 3 balls, 3 books, and 3 shirts for Jackson and only spent $1.50. I got to sleep in which was GREAT!! Allyson Collins came to visit and it was so great to hang out with her. She will be a freshman this year and we can't wait for her to be here full time! Jonathan and I also celebrated 4 years of marriage. What 4 great, wonderful years it has been. We are totally looking forward to many, many more!!

PRAISE REPORT!
Jackson has been "pappy" free for 10 days now and doing FABULOUS!! When we got back from NM we just simply stopped giving it to him. He cried for about 6 minutes the first night and the second night was 1 hour and 15 minutes. But since then he has replaced the "pappy" with a magna-doodle. Even to the point of crying if we take it away when is going to sleep. I guess we can deal with the magna-doodle=)
p.s. 4 years of marriage is a praise report too=)

New Mexico=)

So last Wednesday we were in New Mexico for College Week and I was unable to make our Wednesday post. Since a couple of Wednesday's ago we have traveled to and from New Mexico, cut Jackson's hair for the second time, and started work again. New Mexico was great! We were so challenged in our walk with the Lord. We are really excited to get back home and put those things into practice. We would like to report that Jackson traveled so well. He never go upset or even cried on the 28 hour bus ride round-trip. He watched movies, looked for cows(there was A LOT in Texas=), and watched the other kids who traveled with us. Overall, we PRAISE the Lord because we know it is because we asked Him! Speaking of Jackson, yes, I cut his hair again tonight. It was getting out of control again. I must say that he is looking more and more like a little boy each day. The time flies and I am not sure that I am a fan of it!! Work has started to pick up. I am keeping the Stokes' girls after school this year and TOTALLY looking forward to it. I love those girls SO much!! Jonathan has had a slow summer at the BCM but is now really working hard to get things ready for the fall. He has also taken a new job at Emmanuel BC as the part time college minister. We are really looking forward to working with those students there! What a great few weeks it has been!