Missing Fall

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I know you are all gearing up for Christmas (as am I). We have been having too many sick days recently and I long to get my boy outside to play at the park again. Luckily, I recently got some great shots of Jackson on the trail behind our house right when the leaves were changing. I LOVE Fall and I feel like it went by way too quickly this year! I look forward to receiving everyone's Christmas cards (hint, hint) and seeing how much you've all grown this past year! :) In the meantime, we are decorating and snuggling and watching as many Christmas movies that we can get our hands on!

Pumpkin Patch '09

Today we went to Berry Patch Farm a.k.a. the Punkin' Patch! We went with our small group buddies from church! They have become like a second family to us! We LOVE you guys! The kids had a blast (and the adults had a pretty good time too)! Jackson had a few meltdowns while we were there. He is VERY passionate about tractors and was bugging us the whole time to go on a hayride. Then he didn't want to get off of the hayride and had a fit! Whew! Fun times! :) I had a hard time getting some photos but then he was in his element as we got out to the pumpkin patch and he was able to roll the pumpkins around and sit on them. The day was perfect for a trip to the pumpkin patch. It was chilly and we had to bundle up! We had popcorn, fried blueberry pies, and boiled peanuts! YUM! I just LOVE Fall!

Crazy Week!

Whew! It has been a crazy week! My wonderful husband went out of town to sunny California and left me to hold down the fort. With the flooding and being in survival mode with Andy gone, it has just been a bit crazy around here. Thankfully, we were not affected by the flood waters, but are saddened by the amount of devastation that affected people all over Atlanta. We pray for their quick recovery and that God would provide for those who have lost everything. We watched the creek behind our house swell to a raging river. That was quite the sight. And it is always humorous to see ducks swimming on top of the baseball fields at the park down the street! What a week!

Earlier this month (Sept. 6th), Andy and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary (and almost 11 years together)! Six years of marital bliss!-(ha ha! close, but not quite). The birth of our little boy two and a half years ago was enough to sap some of the marital bliss out of our marriage. But none the less, I am still madly in love with my big strong man! He continues to stand by me through all of my mommy melt downs, struggles to grow spiritually, and emotional female outbursts. He listens intently while his eyes glaze over and I go on and on about some issue I'm having trying to be a better mother or to have a more positive attitude. God bless my sweet husband! You have really earned at least half of the Sundays you spend watching football (wink, wink)! I love you, honey!


Then


Now

My Big Boy!

Well, Jackson is officially a BIG BOY! We moved him into his new room (that is still unfinished) a few weeks ago and he has done pretty good besides a few escapes. We were forced to do this because one morning I went to get him up and he was holding one of his crib spindles and said "I broke my crib, mommy". So, we scrambled and got his room ( mainly his bed) ready so he could go ahead and sleep in there. Of course, the other day I did wake up to find him playing in the hallway, having climbed over the baby gate. There is just no keeping him in! So we must close the door now and watch him on the video monitor as he creeps out of bed watching the door closely to see if we come in! It is so funny!!!! Andy and I have had a couple of good laughs watching him! Enjoy the pictures!

Life's A Beach!

Wow! I haven't been on in a while, but the time has come to update you all on our exciting life...well it's exciting to us anyway. We just came back from Myrtle Beach a week ago and had a fabulous time! We went with the other Torberts (Jeremy, Pam, Luke, and Sarah). They were kind enough to let us tag along and it was just the getaway we needed. Jackson had so much fun playing with his cousins Luke and Sarah and also had a blast jumping the waves with Daddy! We had a blast driving around in the golf cart (a.k.a. a farm buggy to Jackson) that came with the beach house. The community we stayed in also had a TON of ducks and some had a face only a mother could love! They were ugly! I got to eat my crab cakes and enjoy a little lounging on the beach too! It was just a wonderful time together and will be a cherished beach memory! More pictures below!

Oh My Swelling Heart!

We were outside playing the other day ( after many days of relentless rain), and Andy and Jackson decided to have a round of "baseball". Jackson has been attending his cousin Luke's baseball games recently and is now spreading his legs like he is "up at bat" and swinging his own baseball bat-this is very cute by the way. So I snapped these photos of Andy teaching Jackson how to hit the ball and then run to the chalk-drawn "bases". It was so sweet and Jackson was so tickled that I felt as though my heart would burst from my chest! Toddlerhood is tough but the little moments where their faces light up with joy makes it all worth it! Oh my swelling heart!









Safe!

Happy Birthday, Honey!

Today is my big strong man's birthday! The big 29! Yes, the years begin to pass by at warp speed after you have kids! I am just so very blessed to have this amazing man to share my life with. He is SO GOOD to me and I do not deserve him. As if that isn't enough, he is also an AWESOME daddy and Jackson absolutely adores him. Yep, we sure sure love him and without him Jackson and I would probably kill each other!!!! He comes in at just the right time to rescue me from a Jackson tantrum. And rough houses with Jackson just when he has had enough "cuddle time" with mommy. He is the chocolate to our milk, the cheese to our macaroni, the cream to our coffee...well, you get the picture! Happy Birthday, Honey!

Easter-A Little Late

I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter! I am just now getting a chance to post on our wonderful Easter weekend celebrating the Risen Savior! We had a wonderful church service at our church in Acworth, followed by yummy down home cookin' in Barnesville, GA at Nanny's house, Andy's grandma. Most of the Torbert clan was there partaking in the yummy food and gorgeous weather! Jackson got to hunt Easter eggs with his cousins Luke and Sarah and run around in Nanny's yard. The day before, we went to Andy's parents' neighborhood and Jackson participated in their Easter egg hunt as well. He found the prize egg and won a stuffed bunny that he fondly calls "Bunny" and sleeps with it every night! We are hoping for continued good weather and are looking forward to summer!!! Time to slather on the self tanner and SPF 30, woo hoo! I like to live on the edge you know.







Happy Spring everyone!

Birthday Boy!

Oh my! What a week! Today is Jackson's 2nd Birthday!!!! I know everyone says it, but I can't believe my baby is two! We had a birthday party with family and friends this past weekend at the Gymnastics Academy of Atlanta, where Jackson takes a class once a week. It was so much fun that I think even the parents had a blast! Jackson was in his element and had a huge grin plastered to his face the whole time. It was just pure joy to him and it made me want to bottle him up so I could carry that essence of him with me forever. They ran around and jumped on the trampoline, jumped in the pit, and did an obstacle course. But the real fun began when the instructor brought out the parachute! The kids just couldn't get enough of it! After an hour of tumbling and jumping we headed upstairs to have pizza, cupcakes, and open presents. The whole party went so smoothly with 15 kids mostly under the age of 4. We feel so blessed to have so many amazing people around us and miss those we don't get to see. Thank you to everyone for making Jackson's day such a great memory! We love you!

Boy Bonding

I don't know what we would do without the Napper boys living next door! Jackson LOVES Carter and Caleb as if they were his own brothers and is simply lost when they go "bye bye" and can't play. We got a special treat this past week when Stephanie invited Jackson and I to go to the park at Lake Acworth with her and the boys. Jackson was SO excited! We fed the ducks, played on the dock, walked on the trail, played on the playground and then...they found a big puddle to splash in and got wonderfully filthy and had a BLAST! It was so much fun! Stephanie and I had to contain our swelling hearts watching our little guys enjoy each other's company (even though they see each other almost every day) and took a bunch of photos to capture the memory. How I love days like this. They remind me that childhood is very precious and we must treasure these beautiful moments with our growing cherubs. My heart aches as Jackson's second birthday nears and I long to hold him for a moment and squish his once chubby belly. Until then, I will keep dreaming of lazy Spring afternoons at the lake with our friends!

Crazy Days!

I think this picture pretty much sums up our recent days!  Jackson has become so much more energetic and crazy the closer he gets to the terrible two's (so it's not just a clever name?), and Andy and I are bracing ourselves for what is to come. Here Daddy is pulling him in a diaper box by a plastic fishing pole and Jackson has his Lala blanket hanging out of his mouth.  It really is entertaining to watch!

As some of you know, Jackson is also crazy about anything trucks!  He is especially fond of garbage trucks (a.k.a. trabidge trucks) and loves to run to the window when our trash is being picked up and wave to the "boys".  Today was no exception!

I am just amazed everyday at the joys, sorrows, and plain old exhaustion that comes with raising a toddler.  This boy keeps me on my toes and can even reduce me to tears at times.  But I sure love him with all my heart and try to take time each day to enjoy the pockets of sweetness that trickle out from time to time.  I must share a sweet moment we had with Jackson this evening.  We were blessing our food before dinner and Andy started to say the blessing and Jackson actually said it along with him and then proudly said "Amen".  We both looked at each other astonished that he recited the whole thing by himself and I felt my heart melt again, the way it used to when he was a baby and everything was so amazing and new to him.  He seems so big to me now.  Lately we have been doing pre pre-school activities to help fill our day and keep my little guy busy.  I included them in the slideshow below along with some other recent funny things that we have come to expect from our wild and crazy boy...enjoy!