"Holmesmade" Holidays

I was feeling bad about abandoning my little blog, but it seems with all the holiday hustle that most of my blog buddies are neglecting theirs too. I wish I was doing so many exciting things lately that I haven't been able to sit down and reflect back on those times, but it's just the day to day stuff with the preppie-k kids during the day and Jackson at night / dinner / cleaning / unwinding and watching mindless TV over a glass of wine that has consumed my life for the past few months. I have a new found love: Pinterest. It has given my craftiness a whole new level to aspire to. Where do people get the time to make all this stuff, let alone blog and post about it. Geez. It did inspire my Christmas gifts for a few members though....

-We made homemade Play-Doh with Koolaid..smells so good and you COULD eat it if you were so inclined

-We painted with vanilla pudding and food coloring and Jackson for sure at that

-We painted clothespins for my dad's clothesline

-Made these cool shrinky dink ornaments with photos

-And the big whammy we made a 12 Months of Hand and Footprints for our Grandparents...made into a calendar on Snapfish by scanning in the pictures (so if any of you grandparents randomly check this blog you shouldn't read farther). I took Jackson into my classroom during the Thanksgiving break and for 2 days painted his hands and feet with many lego / dramatic play / white board breaks....

September

 November 

 March 

 May

 February 

 January 

 May

 October

 June

 August ... 3rd birthday

December 

July

Lobster...made an extra for August

The cover 

Happy having his foot painted 

Poser 

Pudding paint

mmmmm.....

Painting clothespins on a shower curtain inside

Thought painting meant painting his hands after our calendar experiment 

So we're been busy...but after yesterday...I have 18 days and no school so I know it will go by in a blink but I am THRILLED to have nothing on my to-do list but wrapping presents and enjoying getting reorganized and spending time at home and with family. Till my next blog...probably months later. Ha! 

 Mixing Kool Aid Play Doh

 Smells good enough to eat...dare you

 Buys me a good 10-15 minutes while I'm making dinner 

 My fav...made ornaments with Shrinky Dink ink jet film for photos I got on amazon---used gold wire and beads to make the loops 

My first attempts at homemade salsa...I give it a B. Not spicy enough for us here even with the roasted peppers and jalapenos. 

5 Little Pumpkins

Jackson's Halloween rendition of 5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate. Oh...and some counting.

It's all about Jackson...

My dino baby...I tried to dress up as a Paleontologist for our school's fall festival (which my sister said is so "Ross Geller" of me) but my hat kept blowing away.

Buddies....Jackson and Jake

Spooky Face

Showig his tail

So school is in full effect and Justin works at night so I have had a LOT of time just me and my little man. We have had fun riding his balance bike (LOVE this thing) at many parks, visiting the fire station, cooking meals together ("want MIX. want MIX."--that's Jackson's voice who doesn't let us cook without his help), getting used to his bunk bed which means he stays up till I go to bed (EEK...won't sleep alone), dragging him to PTA meetings and my school's Fall Festival, and he requests to "snuggle" every morning which I would drop anything to do.

Other than that things have slowed down here now that wedding season is over. We had a great time with all our friends at the UCLA vs. WSU game and loved having Auntie Shelby in town. I now have a kidney infection from not going to the doctor when I knew I had a UTI so it's totally my fault, but it kills. Justin took me to the ER on Thursday because my temperature was 103.3. I hate being sick when you have someone else to take care of. BUT as a get well present Justin bought me a new fancy refrigerator. Oh the joys in life. :) Happy week before Halloween!

Another First

"No. Don't cut it." My friends and family all encourage the absolutely out of control afro that Jackson sports. One of his curls even became a baby dreadlock and had to be cut out and we are stocked up on the sweet smelling detangler here at home. But, yesterday Justin decided it was time for a haircut. We went to Justin's ghetto $8.50 haircut place in north Huntington Beach and Jackson was a trooper. We only took off a half inch and it was fairly speedy but he officially (with a certificate to prove it) got his FIRST haircut. Jackson was bald until he turned one so that probably why it took us SO long. In my opinion the fro looks much classier.

What 2 Looks Like

Please summer...don't go

This is what being 2 looks like!

This makes mommy nervous but I LOVE skateboards!

I now have about 1,000 trucks and motorcyles at my house

Aunti Dana made me my own skateboard and got me pads that make me look like Robo-Cop

Mom threw me a "Stripes" party...I don't know why it was stripes, but the pictures turned out good and it was colorful and I know that's what makes mom happy

I've been trying potty training but I still like to pee on the floor and watch it make a mess

Woody is my best friend

I'm the birthday boy!! Crib full of balloons on my birthday morning. Mom and Auntie Dett joke that when I'm in a frat at WSU that we'll still come to the sleeping porch and put balloons in my bed and take my picture and they'll make one of those year by year frames of this moment. They're crazy.

My dad took me on the Bug's Life ride at California Adventure...it was so cool

They even let me get wet at the water park

We stayed late and watched the World of Color water and light show and it was the coolest thing ever! I highly recommend it. AND Dad and Mom can have a few beers at California Adventure (but not at Disneyland) so they like it here too.

How did summer just sneak up and disappear? Friends due dates came and passed (Yay! New babies), Jackson turned two, and all of the sudden I meet my new class of kids this Friday. I just want to stop time sometimes and hold onto all these perfect moments that pass too quickly.

I've been a lazy blogger (well pretty lazy at anything honestly) this summer, actually I don't think anyone can be lazy with a 2 year old. That's my excuse why I get nothing done because Jackson is quite demanding of all of my attention, and while I love to give it to him I see why people have more than one child so they have a built in playmate.

Jackson and I are great playmates. He now says, "Momma...watch this." and he'll do a cool dance move or shake his blonde fro around. We watch a lot of Toy Story and he has a stuffed animal Woody and Buzz that go everywhere with us in the car ("momma's truck). Jackson is great at riding his little balance bike from REI. It is the coolest little bike with no pedals...Jackson just coasts down the boardwalk.

Jackson talks a LOT all of the sudden. At Starbucks he repeatedly screamed, "want COFFEE!" while my mom laughed and I turned a shade of red. Jackson gives great squeezes and kisses, still hates his crib so we are thinking of going bunk beds so our guests have an actual bed to sleep on, and he is into everything.

He makes me laugh every day and I just want him to stay my baby. The temper tantrums can go their way, but this is a cute and tiresome age. Happy birthday big guy!

Summer Love

Eating up the pony ride...too bad he thought it was his pony and refused to get off

Getting way more comfortable in the water...swim lessons next year for sure

Surfs up in HB! US Open of Surfing this weekend

We've been keeping ourselves busy with beach days, bike rides, visiting Tutu and Papa's house and pool, and got to go to the OC Fair last Sunday. Jackson has been spending a lot of time at Drea and Kevin's house during the day because Justin and I have both been training most of this month to open Asada restaurant in Laguna beach that our friend Dave Bos is the GM. It will be really cool once it opens August 1st. Always nice to have a fun restaurant to work at for some extra cash in the summer. I don't want summer vacation to end but I do have a 2 year old birthday party to plan for next month so that will be something awesome to look forward to!

3 years....

Well actually we're going on 8 years, but it has been 3 married years with Justin. It's crazy to think how far we have come from meeting at Fred's Mexican Cafe (Bar) working as a hostess and a barback, to being responsible (most times) parents of an almost 2 year old. He makes me laugh always, can make friends and conversation where ever he goes (which I admire), and is the most genuine and optimistic individuals I have ever encountered. Here's to a lifetime of many more anniversaries.

I wish we could go back to July 12th, 2008 on the farm only to have a "do-over" because it was second to Jackson's birth the most magical and fun day of my life surrounded by friends and family dancing and laughing in the country sunset. I love this man.