2015 Recap

2015 is coming to an end. I can't believe it. Every year flies by faster than the previous year. Craziness! I am ready for 2016. New beginnings as always! Here's the traditional year in review for 2015.

January

 Jackson visited Crystal Bridges museum for the first time this month. He also went to two birthday parties. Busy boy! KK also came to visit this month. Too fun!

February

 Look at this sweet boy's cheeks! We celebrated Jackson's first Valentine's Day with hundreds of hugs and kisses. :) XOXO!

March

 Happy Spring! We celebrated Springtime in the daffodils, went to South Arkansas to visit family, and more.

April

 We celebrated Jackson Randolph's 1st birthday!!! He had a Poky Little Puppy party complete with birthday cake, ice cream, strawberry shortcake, and chocolate custard. :)

 Oh, how precious. Jackson loves smiling for sure!

May

 We had several walks with the wagon. It's one of our favorite things. :)

June

 We took advantage of Russell's weekends off and went on a couple of road trips. This was taken in Eureka Springs. Oh so fun!

July

 Jackson's first train ride! We got to spend time with family on this fun adventure. We love his little conductor hat. :)

August

 I started my own business, "Baked with Love" selling homemade cinnamon rolls.

 Also, friends and family surprised me on my 30th birthday with an 80's theme party. So special!!!

September

 Russell and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary at one of our favorite places downtown.

 I also got to go to a Kelly Clarkson concert with my sister, Kelly, Whitney, and more friends. We had a blast!

October

 Jackson's first haircut. He did great and was so well behaved the whole time. My handsome boy.

 Met Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, for the.......fourth time. No lie. I would meet her again and again if I could. She's the sweetest!!

November

 It was a busy month. Jackson and I went to the library for the first time and had such fun. His favorite part were the puzzles.

 Thanksgiving with family...Russell took this picture. We loved fall so much!

December

 We went to Journey to Bethlehem with Amy, Tony, and Leighann. It truly was wonderful.

Christmas 2015

Jackson is now 20 months old and learning new things every day. Time flies. We say is often, but time truly does fly. Wow!! Here's to a blessed 2016!

Happy New Year!

 

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17

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