When Family Comes To Town

As you can probably tell Erin is making a post. I, Erin, like pictures over words:) Well, our families came to visit. My mom, dad, and nieces came on Tuesday and left on Friday and Jonathan's parents came on Thursday and left on Monday. It was so much fun just hanging out, eating good food, and just being together! We miss our families and are so thankful when they are willing to make the long trip to visit!!

Jonathan decided to draw on Jackson. He has Paw, Jonathan and himself on his belly. One day we went to Lincoln Parish Park. It was fun feeding the birds and just being outside.

The boys went on an adventure!!

Patsy always being suprises!!

We also visited the Tech Farm. It is always so much fun seeing and smelling the animals. Also petting the cows who give us our milk!!

Jackson LOVED this part of the trip!!

Mimi and PawPaw stayed at a hotel with a pool! We spent a lot of time there!!

Cookies!!!YUM

Our Easter Break..

We spent our Easter afternoon with the Stokes family. Jackson LOVES them and cried the entire way home! They will be missed TONS!!

We found a frog and Jackson is still talking about holding a little frog.

We went to Lincoln Parish Park and spent some good quality family time.

Jackson admiring his eggs=)

Dying eggs=) Jackson had so much fun and had even more fun hiding and finding them.

Jonathan took Lyndsay Claire, Ethan, and Jackson on an adventure!

Chuck E Cheese with Ellie and Zoe! So So much fun!!

Our neighbor got a duck. Jackson thought it was so cool!

At Meggie and John Michael's Wedding! So BEAUTIFUL!!

Daddy and Jackson have been going on "adventures" lately. Jackson loves being a little boy and getting dirty!

GO CATS!! Even though they lost we still love the cats!!=(

On the cool nights we like to build a fire and make s'mores. Jackson LOVES to eat s'mores and in doing so gets them all over himself!!

Making and eating homemade sugar cookies! They make me think of my granny so that it always a good time!!

Having fun in the good weather blowing bubbles!

Jackson got his "own" pair of scissors. He LOVES to cut only paper! He is getting really good at it and likes to cut daily!

The pollen in Ruston has been HORRIBLE! Everything is yellow. So we are constantly washing the cars and the backyard off daily. Jackson LOVES it!!!

Mission trip plus throw up =(

There has been a lot going on since our last post. I guess the main thing would be our Mission Trip to Mobile, Alabama with Emmanuel Baptist College Group. I'd LOVE for you to check out that trip in detail on that blog: www.EmmanuelCollegeRuston.blogspot.com. We had a great time and count it a wonderful opportunity to take Jackson on his 2nd mission trip in the last 4 months. He helped build a house with Habitat for Humanity, ministered to the Filipinos, hung out with the kids at the Alabama Baptist Homes for Children. It was GREAT to get to experience this together as a family again.

Most recently, Jackson got sick for the first time in 2.5 years of existence. It was this past Monday and he was in bed (the BIG bed). I (Jonathan) heard him stirring around and went in there. The stench was like strong Parmesan cheese. I turned on the light and witnessed the MOST throw-up I had ever seen compared to the stomach from which it came. I was so proud and disgusted all in one. We put him in the tub and had a few laughs about the ginormousness of his vomit while Erin cleaned things up. Erin, who, by the way is the most AMAZING wife and mother EVER, stayed up with Jackson all night and let me sleep to be fresh for work.

He eventually got better.

We are now in purge mode, which meant we took apart his crib/toddler bed, now that he is sleeping in a regular sized bed. We stored it away, which was sad for Erin.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Ever since Jackson was born, we have always taken a trip with Aimee (Erin's sister) and Michael (bro. in law) during Mardi Gras Break (in Louisiana, all colleges are out Monday-Wednesday of Mardi Gras). Two years ago we went to Gulf Shores; last year we went to a state park in Mississippi. This year, we decided to go to Flintstone, Georgia and stay with Aimee and Michael and do some of the touristy things of Chattanooga that would appeal to Jackson.

We were able to leave on Thursday evening prior to the break due to school being canceled because of snow. We made it to Tuscaloosa and then on Friday morning drove into Atlanta to see my BFF Dave's new baby, Eden. Jackson is betrothed to Eden. It was great seeing Dave and Brooke and meeting their sweet new, Eden. Jackson LOVED her.



That evening, we went on into Flintstone (just 7 miles south of downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee). There was quite a bit of snow, so we were able to play (and pee) in that. Jackson and his cousins built a rather large snowman. In Chattanooga, we went to the Aquarium, which Jackson simply adored. He was all over the place mesmerized by all the fish, stingrays, sharks, frogs, penguins, etc. The next day we went to the Children's Discovery Museum. That place was fantastic. I think Jackson enjoyed it too...I didn't notice, as I was enjoying all the neat experiments and artifacts. We finished our tourism elements by going to the IMAX theatre to see an ocean film in 3-D. Again, very cool stuff.




Jackson threw up more than average. I guess, mainly due to large amounts of junk food in short spans of time.

It was really refreshing to see family and still get a vacation and STILL manage to do some things we never take advantage of when we are there for other occasions. In all of our excursions, fast food outings, Dunkin' Donuts, car snacking, Mother-in-Law's home cooking, and bowls upon bowls of ice cream, I only managed to gain a half a pound.


stay tuned for more pictures=)