Beach fun

SO HAPPY! Mum FINALLY brought me a bucket and spade to play with at the beach!
Now Jackson no longer has to hover around other children hoping for a hand out.

So I couldn't decide on which were my favorite pics. We don't usually - well I don't usually - bring the camera to the beach - but on this day Brad came with us and I enjoyed getting some shots of our time playing in the sand. Alas I am in one - sorry - but it is to show a moment when Jackson was running for his life (I was chasing him) and then - plop - face first into wet sand. I am actually laughing, but you can't see my head - I do have one. Oh and yes - I am braving togs/ swimmers/ swim suit whatever you want to call it. I had thought these were a winner - until I saw some other photos which you will never see - that liken me to my grandmother - and not in a good way. Lets just say I have some wobble issues in the leg area. That is the last we will mention it.

sand.... everywhere.
scaling the rocks

At this point I wondered .... why did I buy that bucket?



I have like a hundred more photos - these are just a few to put a smile on your face - who ever you may be.

Science Museum

A few posts ago I mentioned Jackson saying "smile" and holding the camera to his face. This is him wanting his picture taken.
I just have to say the Museum of Science in Boston is the best I've ever been too! We only managed to get through one floor - then headed for a late lunch, some shopping and home again. We have passes so I can go with Jackson anytime.
Finding fossils.
He was convinced Grandma Vicki was on the phone and kept saying Vicki Vicki.

weekend highlights

We had a big weekend - Stacy came on Thursday eve and we all spent the next few days chilling out - went to Animal Planet show - Farmers market - had ice cream at Far Fars - a great local joint - and the absolute highlight, the day Brad and I have waited for for over a year - A summer afternoon with beers in the backyard. During trips to the beach Jackson finally started walking into the water - up to his waist - then it got cold and we're pretty sure he didn't like the whole wet nappy thing either.

watching Sesame Street the Movie. He gets this excited every time! and likes to sing along to the grouch song.

super cute boy
Is that a nanna I see? Jackson in the rudie nudie -
Our car - and Jackson drinking his coffee while brad applies his 5th coat of sunscreen.
The summer afternoon of dreams.
Its all fun and games till it ends in beers.
Rudie nudie time and getting around in mums sheepies.

If you havn't noticed the weather here can be unpredictable - some days it is so hot - then the next you need your uggs on. Crazy. Also - if this post doesn't make sense it is just the past few days of randomness, and I can't sleep- it is one in the morning. I shouldn't have had that afternoon coffee - but at the time it seemed the only alternative if I was to get through grocery shopping on a Monday. Hope everyone who's reading this is well.

Aquatic Adventure

Meeting sharks up close....
Meeting the fish. It was hard to try and get an 18month old to understand not to touch to glass. We gave up. He had a great time - most of the photos are not so great due to me not really knowing how to capture both fishes and humans in the same shot - but I can tell you Jackson was full of amazement - constantly wide eyed and seems to have a renewed lust for fishes letting us know - "water - fishes - shark" and pointing to fish on his p.j's and repeating over and over "water - fish fish fish fish fishhhhhhhhhh - water". Oh and turtles - we got him a turtle book and he's pretty keen on it. Turtle is another word he seems to like to say - it is a neat word.

Randomness from the past weeks

Going to see the fishes..... it was 98 degrees - not a great day to be in a stinky aquarium. more photos to come from this outing.

Out and about in Boston.
Brad and Jackson in Boston Common with the city behind. The swan boats were out this day and we enjoyed just strolling around and checking out the local hot spots. In fact this day we went to an outdoor concert - Brad wanted to see Cake play. Stacy joined us and later we had drinks at the Ritz - I had a great champange while Brad and Stacy drank some coffee concoction that looked to die for - so they had two. By the time drinks were done it was way late and Jackson, Brad and I headed home on the train. Yes - we took Jackson to drinks - what else are we supposed to do ? no one ever seems to mind wherever we take him - he is pretty good about sitting and watching the action so long as he has a book or drink of his own.

I seem to be having trouble uploading photos through blogger right now - so here is just one of our first train ride into Boston - as you can see Jackson loves to ride the train. In other complete randomness he has just now taken to holding our camera up to his face and saying "smile" while he tries to press buttons. It is too cute. He is doing this right now as I try to blog - now he is pushing it into my face to get me to take his picture....... i just did and I will so have to blog it as he is smiling HUGE.

Things he is doing which make me smile are - sitting in the pram and saying "ready!" this of course means we want to go to the beach.

The other day I made a friend - a real life friend - and we headed down the beach with our toddlers and her 12 week old little girl. I put both boys into the phil and teds, Jackson in back. It was the first time I'd used the second attachment - and Jackson LOVES it. He pretends he is driving and when we got to the beach he spent almost the whole time just sitting in the back. In fact when Stacy came down for a few days last week - we just kept the second attachment on and Jackson rode in the back and we carried all our stuff in the front.

I think Jackson has advanced language skills - i am sure all parents think this of their child. But he just says so many words so clearly now. I have taught him all his grandparents names and have pictures of them in a book so we can point and he says their names. My dad and mum were pretty happy to hear him say Gungy and Lollie. He also now says thank you rather than "ta".
I have started to potty train him - have been for a while now - just getting him to sit on the toilet and play and read. He likes to put the toilet paper down between his legs and then flush while he sits on the seat. I got him two plain white potty's you put on the floor. I put him in elmo undies and of course he wet them - but right when he did he then sat on the little potty and said pee pee. Before bath time/shower time or as it is now referred to screaming time - I let him run naked a while and then try to get him to sit on the little potty. He will usually just pee on the floor next to the potty and then say "oh oh" or "pee pee". He likes to read the potty book that came with the potty's - he carries it every where we go.

He hates time out - i make him put his nose on the wall. He screams and then tries to hug me to say sorry. Sometimes he does something naughty and tries to bypass time out by going straight to hugs and kisses. Our number one rule - no hitting. The number one reason he gets a time out - hitting. He will go to hit me or brad if he is frustrated and tired, like around dinner time. He has gone to bed with no dinner like twice. he has learned pretty quick he needs to sit and eat.

He love to give hugs and kisses - i get most - and I am pretty happy with this arrangment.

Now to try and get some of these photos up!

randomness and no photos - sorry!

Wanted to let everyone know we are still alive and well up here in Marshfield....

Can't seem to find the camera cord .... again! I am busting Brads balls about it all the time. I hope I havn't stashed it away somewhere 'safe'. anway....

I went to see sex in the city - my first night out without my boys since my arrival to America. It was SO GREAT! Everyone was dressed up - I went with about 10 others - our friend Stacy being my main connection followed by Rick and Phil (who kindly offered for us to spend the night just as we did memorial day weekend being the drunken admirals that we are) . The whole audience clapped at the start and ooohhh'd and ahhhhh'd together then at the end - everyone clapped and hollard again!

I actually do have some kind of life outside of this house.... as this Friday a woman I met on a plane is comming to town and we are having dinner while I admire her new baby - though he is around 5 months now.... how do I get this off italics? hmmmmm not sure what I did there. Oh also I may be going to meet her in NYCity .... you know - just because I like live near New York and all. One bonus of moving.

to continue....

next week I plan on shopping with Stacy as she is starting a fab new job at MIT. Stacy also sent Jackson two tickets to the aquarium in Boston along with a GIANT box of cheerios - i can't wait to take him/me to see the fish! I do belive Jackson has a crush on her - as as soon as we say "Stacy" his eyes light up and he keeps repeating her name. too cute.

Family must be missing my boy - as he has recieved all sorts of Elmo things in the mail - I have a shrine going. He has taken to Ernie and Bert a lot of late too - which is a nice change from the norm.

I have started going to a FAB new mothers centre - Jackson goes to the 'Terrific two's class" he is not big on the water spraying cool-aid project we do each week. But loves to put stickers on a bucket and climb on the padded squares - but his fav time is story time and he sits near Miss Kate and pays such close attention that today she let him read the book after she had finished reading to the class. The place is called "mama move" they have a web site but basically it is an ultra plush place for mums. We have coffee/tea read a mag while the toddlers play with fancy organic/eco friendly toys - and the layout is like being in a rich friends lounge room - with a nice divider wall from the two's and you. they also have a massage room that you can go too - and they will watch your kid while you get your massage or attend a yoga/dance/excersize class. The centre is new and the owner said she wanted some place that mums could go too when they have both a newborn and a toddler. Most of the women in the class I go to have newborns or are pregnant with number two or three.

Well - I must go eat some more almond m&m's - my mother in law is sabotaging my weight loss - just as I do hers - so we call it even and I indulge without guilt as they are SOOOO good!