A Daniel Tiger Halloween

Hope y'all had a safe and fun Halloween this year! We had lots of fun. It was not hard deciding on a costume for Jackson this year. He has adored the character, Daniel Tiger, for months now. He loves the music they sing on the show, and claps his sweet little hands every time the show is on.

Here is our little "Daniel Tiger" at Daddy's work. They always love for kids to come and show off their costumes every year. Special thanks to Aimee, who made the ears and also to Maureen, who made his tiger tail. :) 

So cute!

He loved sharing his candy at Daddy's office as well. Too funny.

Here is Jackson checking out his loot. 

Friday night, we lit the jack-o-lantern that Russell and I carved for sweet J. It was so cute watching his reaction to the light inside the pumpkin.

Playing around and laughing. It's what we do best!

I love this one of my boys!

Sweet boy

Russell worked so hard for the past three weeks to build Jackson a "trolley" to fit over the wagon we have. I enjoyed painting some of the pieces, but he did most of the work. Here is our Daniel Tiger in his trolley. Ding, Ding! 

Our family with the trolley at Fall Fest. 

It was so good to see our friends, Kelsey and Abbey there too!

Fun activity to try! 

We also went to Laynette and Rusty's house to trick-or-treat and to visit for a few minutes. Laynette goes all out for Halloween, so it was fun to drop by.

Our little tiger was getting sleepy. :)

We still made time to stop by Starbucks and get a "frappula" for Halloween. Did you know they only make these Frappuccino's one day a year? 

How I love my little pumpkin. It is so bittersweet to look at these pictures. Time truly flies.

Last night, when I was putting Jackson to bed, I held him and sang, "Great is thy faithfulness," "I love you, Lord," and more. Jackson rocked back and forth and clapped his hands and gave me the biggest smile. It was the perfect reminder that no matter what you are going through, good or bad, God is faithful!! It brought tears to my eyes. Cherish every moment with your babies, kids, teens and adult children! :) It's worth it for sure!

 

If you honor your father and mother, things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth. Ephesians 6:3

Mer's Like Totally Awesome 80's Surprise Birthday Party

So on August 30, I turned 30!!!

It has been a great few weeks in my thirties thus far and looking forward to more fun and adventures for sure! I was looking forward to by birthday weekend because anytime spent with Russell and Jackson is time well spent. Our plans were to maybe go eat somewhere, family time, and go to church. I was very surprised on August 29th, when Russell and friends helped throw an 80's surprise birthday party for me!

Here's how it went down:

Russell told me earlier that week that one of my best friends, Mandy, was coming to babysit Jackson so we could go on a date night. First I thought that was extremely sweet of her, and I just went along with Russell's plan. "I'm just here to babysit," Mandy said. :) We had a date with just the two of us at Abuelo's Mexican restaurant. It was SOO good!!



I walked in our front door, and I was so surprised to see balloons, 80's decorations, and Mandy's daughter, Eden right by the door. :) When I walked around the corner, there were my amazing friends! OH my word, it was so fun to see them and such a surprise!

I got such a huge kick out of the cake! It's a cassette tape with an 80's mix. 

I thought this was "totally cool!"

Then, minutes later, my sister, Kelly, and my nephew and niece walked in the door!! OH MY WORD!!!! I was brought to tears for sure. I cannot say enough how much I love them.

Oh, how I sometimes wish Logan and Lauren could be little again, like Jackson. ;) 

Me and my boys! Love love love.

My whole heart! 

Helping me blow out the candles. Precious moments.

Mandy actually decorated and everything while we were on the date. So sneaky and sweet. :)

A fun and totally 80's group pic!

Mandy, Kelly and me

Meredith, Kelsey, and Kari with her sweet girl, Rylie

Lauren even fixed her hair the 80's style. 

Chad and Logan chatting

*Disclaimer: The big white box is actually a cheap babyproof from the fireplace. EEK!

Carolyn, Etta and me! 

Russell and I are so beyond blessed by Mandy, Chad, and their kids. They mean the world to us!

More decorations

So funny! Mandy attached pictures to VHS tapes!

This pic makes me wanna sing, "I think we're alone now" by Tiffany! Too funny!

Family picture!

 

It truly was a wonderful night with family and friends. I love them so very much!

 

I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people Psalm 52:9

Jackson's Poky Little Puppy Birthday Party

We celebrated Jackson's 1st birthday with family and friends last Saturday afternoon. This was the most fun party to plan. Now, I cannot believe it's over and can't believe my baby boy is one year old.

WARNING: Tons of pictures! TONS! Haha!

 Display with framed picture and invitation. We got so many balloons. What's a birthday party without balloons? :)

 I found the plush Poky Little Puppy on Amazon. I also added fake bugs and greenery.

I really wanted the book, The Poky Little Puppy, to come to life. My father-in-law, Ricky, was so nice to make miniature fences for the party. This is what guests saw when they arrived at the door. The rain was hard on the balloons, but it was still cute.

 The first sign said, "Don't ever dig holes under this fence!" The second one said, "No desserts ever!" If you have read the book, you get the idea. It was such fun working on the signs. I actually wrote the words with my finger!

 We used green and yellow plates and utensils.

Most every table and counter had framed pictures of Jackson throughout the year, mostly his month to month pictures.

 Jackson's chalkboard stats!

We don't have a chalkboard and I am terrible at writing with chalk, so I just used paint pens and black foam board. Jackson certainly has grown a lot and certainly loves many things from stroller rides to giving kisses.

 Poky Little Puppy birthday cake.  The top layer was vanilla cake with chocolate mousse filling. The bottom layer was strawberry filling. And let me tell y'all-it was VERY tasty!

 Everyone got to take home favor bags. I added puppy paw stamps, "dog tags," and raffia to each one. The kiddos got cute sunglasses, bubbles, and a color sheet, and every bag had a dog treat for their little puppy, along with flower seeds.

Photo collage! Russell's mom, Jackie, helped with this.

Russell, me, and our little miracle, Jackson.

 Jackson had no idea what all the decorations were for, but little did he know, he was the star of the day!

 Cookies! My sweet friend, Robin, made them and did an amazing job. Just perfect!

 There's the birthday boy! He was so happy and that made us happy too. :)

 Aunt Kelly, Logan and Lauren gave Jackson adorable Poky Little Puppy books before the party. We displayed them at the party. This picture cracks me up because it shows how much Jackson moves at all times! He didn't want to pose for a pic! He wanted to crawl and cruise to see what was going on! We chase after him at all times. :)

 Lauren and Kelly!

 KK (my mom) with her three grandkids! Logan, Lauren, and Jackson. It's pictures like these I think about my Daddy. Always thinking about him. So special for sure.

 Most of the food served went along with the theme of the book. This is "pupcorn."

 We served rice pudding, strawberry shortcake, and of course, chocolate custard. The Poky Little Puppy loved his desserts! We sure weren't running low on sweets the day of the party!

 We also served Kibbles n Bits (BBQ snack mix), fetch sticks (pretzel rods), and spinach dip. Mama made the rice pudding and strawberry shortcake. Thanks, Mama!

 

 Jackson and Leighann loved their party hats. :)

 We love our sweet friends Julia and Harper! Harper is just three months older than Jackson.

 We had all of Jackson's big toys in his room so the kids could play. They had fun!

 Logan took so many pictures for us. He took this of Belle. So sweet!

 

 Jackson adores his awesome Aunt Kelly! YAY!

 Time to open presents!

 Jackson in his big boy chair. So precious.

 Tap-a-tune!

 Jackson loved the cozy coupe!

 Jackson and his loot.

 Aunt Kelly got to light Jackson's birthday candle.

 The first bite of cake.

 He really got into it. Let's just say it kept him occupied for a while. Ha!

 XO!

 Great Aunt Molly and Jackson

 Cake, anyone?

 Do y'all think he enjoyed it? Thank goodness for Dreft stain remover. :) Jackson went straight in the tub for a big bubble bath soon after this.

 So thankful for our friends, Mandy, Chad, Eden, and Ezra!

 Amy, Tony, and Leighann. So blessed to have them as family.

 Ricky and Jackie with their grandson!

 BA and KK! So glad they got to stay with us for the weekend.

 This picture absolutely warms my heart. Logan and his buddy, Jackson.

 After the birthday party, our family went for a walk and took Jackson on a wagon ride! Thank you, KK and BA for the wagon! I think we walked a mile or so. It was fun.

Look at this. Can you tell our sweet boy is asleep? I think the party and wagon ride wore him OUT! :)

It was a wonderful day, fun party, and so special to share it with family and friends. We just love celebrating.

So we have had our miracle, Jackson, for only a little over a year and it has been the best year. I have learned SO much as a mom, and know that motherhood is a journey where I will continue to learn new things. So thankful.

 

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9