Category Archives: jackson

Summer camps – basketball and power tap

One of the first weeks of summer Jackson got to go to a basketball camp. He had been looking forward to this for a few weeks – he and his cousin Max were pretty sure they were going to slam dunk the ball and make lots of shots.  Jackson had been so excited for the camp for so long that when he woke up on the first day and felt really sick it didn’t matter – he was going! I kept asking him if he was going to throw up, he said no but he was trying to be tough so he could go to basketball. Finally we got there, coach Jerry came and said Hi and told him to grab a ball and warm up, and almost as soon as he ran out there he ran back over to tell me he was going to throw up.  I happened to have a bag in my diaper bag – we caught it all and quickly excused ourselves. It was so sad to walk him out of there – he was so bummed, but we came back the next few days much better and really had a great time! Coach Jerry did a great job of helping them feel successful. He knew just the right time to pick them up to help them “dunk” the ball to keep them excited to play. Most of the time he would let them shoot until they made a basket and gave a lot of praise that made the boys feel like they were stars! It was so fun to watch and Jackson learned quite a bit. He really was just so happy to be there!

Last week Lacey got to participate in a power tap class! She could not have been happier! Lacey loves to dance – ever since her dance class ended way back in December she’s been talking about dance – she would show us her moves she learned, and every Monday during FHE during our family business she would still tell us that she was going to her dance class on Tuesday. So she jumped right in and learned a cute little power tap routine. Her teacher was my cousin’s wife, Veva  (she is part of the Fab5 sisters that participated in America’s Got Talent a few seasons back). Lacey really enjoyed it (except for the blisters on her heals from the shoes). It was so fun to watch her face as she learned her dance. Veva is awesome – she has so much energy and the girls loved learning from her.

Two perfect activities for us this summer!

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The big movie

Micah and Jackson decided to have some fun one Sunday and create a video. We love the kid history movies – if you haven’t seen them yet, they are pretty entertaining stories that grown men/brothers/friends told to their kids about their childhood. Then they had the kids retell the stories and they acted the stories their kids told.  Anyway, this is sort of a long the same lines except just a story Jackson made up! They sure had a great time making it! Without further ado…

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Jackson’s Big Day!

Jackson had an awesome birthday this year! In the morning we let him open a few presents and then Micah took him out to breakfast. That just started the day right for him. He had preschool and was sure he needed to bring one of his favorite snacks to share with everyone, which is mini powdered donuts. School was great and they treated him well there to help celebrate his day. After school we had a few things to get done to prepare for his party – so he played his new basketball and baseball video games while I got to work setting a few things up. I had made a star wars cake for him with an edible printed cake topper like this one the night before (which really was so easy and I would definitely do again), and I followed the instructions that said to cover it so the light didn’t fade the colors, so I gently laid a piece of foil on it for the night. Well, I think they meant put it in a box or something, but don’t lay anything on top of it, even gently… when I went to show Jackson his cake the next morning this is what happened as I peeled the foil off:

Bummer! Luckily it was early in the day and I found a nearby store that had a star wars cake that didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Then came party time! Jackson had thought about several themes we could do for his party – Star Wars, Sports, Water games,  and then finally he asked to have a water slide like the one we had at a family reunion last summer. We were so glad that some cousins had this slide and were so nice to let us borrow it! It was awesome! Everyone was so excited about it. The weather, of course, had to be a little cooler and windier than it was supposed to be but all the kids would get in for as long as they could last, get out, warm up, and then get back in! It was a lot of good play time. We had the big water slide, beach balls, squirt guns, sidewalk chalk, our play set, etc for them to just play, play, play! After about an hour we brought out the pizza, cake and ice cream, presents and the pinata. We still had about 15 minutes left at the end so we let them play some more – they all were dying to get back to the slide! As parents came I was not as organized as I had hoped, I had tried to keep picking things up and putting things back together, but towels were everywhere, shoes and clothes were everywhere, people’s bags of candy were everywhere – it was quite a site, but amazingly not one thing got left behind! It was a really easy clean up too – just hose everything off and we were done!

Jackson was in heaven! We had the big water slide, a football pinata, star wars cake, star wars table cloth and star wars plates, and regular old “happy birthday” cups, preschool friends and cousins  – it was everything he wanted. Thanks for all the gifts, phone calls, and cards!  There is something so fun about celebrating your child! Its the best to see their little faces so excited and so happy! I love the excitement of birthdays.

I love Jackson. He is really growing up. He is a good helper. He hates hearing Rachelle cry and tries so hard to help with her and make her happy. Most of the time he listens, responds, and obeys. He LOVES church and school and learning in general. He likes to figure things out and teach himself how to do things – like chess and checkers, video games, legos, football and any sport, etc. The other day he sat at the table and wrote 1 – 100 on paper. I was pretty sure he could count that high, but I wasn’t sure about writing.  He is kind of a picky eater, unless I can keep snacks away from him – then he eats almost anything. I’ve even convinced him that he loves spinach! He loves to do things before he is asked and surprise me with the end result. Many of his friends’ parents from school have told me that their little boys talk about Jackson at home all the time and think he is so fun and his teacher has told me he is happy, makes cute and intelligent comments, and a friend to all in class. One of his favorite things to do lately is smiling with crossed eyes – he thinks he’s pretty funny! He is such a great little guy! Happy Birthday Jackson!

 

 

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Go Cheetahs

Our first soccer game was a success. Almost all the players were able to score and the kids really enjoyed getting in there and playing. I was curious to see which kids would really get it and some of them actually surprised me. Sarah got a couple of Jackson’s goals on video. I was proud of Jackson and our whole team. The Polar Bears didn’t have a chance against our lean mean goal scoring machines. This league is interesting for this age group. Games are 3 v 3 with no goalie. Our team actually divides into two teams and plays simultaneously on two fields. Combined, our ten players scored 25 goals! It was fun and we’re looking forward to more games and practices.

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We’re learning the Articles of Faith

A couple months ago, Jackson was asked to give the scripture in primary. It was the 6th article of faith. So, I thought I was being ambitious to even try, but I decided we would try to memorize it. It has such big words and words that I know he doesn’t hear very often, but he learned it very quickly without a problem. Every night he would say it to me – he was so proud of himself.

So that gave me the idea … I decided this summer we would learn all of the Articles of Faith. I thought it would take all summer, but he is so excited to learn them. He loves it!

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