Happy Birthday Jackson

On October 5th, Jackson turned SEVEN years old! I'm not really handling this "time going by so fast" thing that well - just yesterday he was my little 9 lb 3 oz baby, with a dimple in each cheek! He is now a nurturing boy and loves his friends, playing games, puzzles, playing outside & riding his bike, sports and is always eager to learn, with determination on his side!!! On his actual birthday, my parents arrived here from BC for a two week visit & to put our basement back together!

We had Jackson's party the Sunday before (October 3) @ Amazing Gymnastics Adventures. They run a great party and keep everything right on schedule... and hour on the floor doing activities, geared towards the age group involved, followed by half an hour in the party room... we had a Star Wars themed party but Safeway only had a Star Trek cake, Jackson said it was close enough :)

Happy Birthday Jackson

brothers & friends

SEVEN!!!!

Star Trek cupcakes :)

foam blocks

Cole kept wandering off to find other fun things!

Jackson amazed me on the rope!

trampolines

Ethan in the foam blocks - apparently really hard to get out of!

Cole jumping into the blocks - when he landed he was bent right in half, with his feet by his head!

climbing wall

parachute - then they all went under it and sang happy birthday!

Happe Berthday Mom

It's my 37th Birthday on Monday but the boys were so caught up in making us anniversary cards etc today that Jackson (6 yrs old) also made me a birthday card! On the front it said 'Happe BerthDay Mom' (the D was backwards) and on the inside it says:

I Love you
you Love me
Wier a Happe
FAMILY With a
Grat Big Hug
anD a cis From me to you :)

Happe Birthday
I Love
MoM
From jackson

I thought this was so precious... I read it out loud & then he asked if he got the spelling all right? I told him it was so close that I could figure out all the words! It was the most sentimental I've ever gotten over a Barney song :)

pARRRRty time...

Here's some pictures from Jackson's 6th birthday party - a pirate theme... we just invited two other families, who both have all boys, making the total to 11 boys (ages 8 yrs and under). We were going to BBQ something but then E&J both ended up having hockey in the afternoon, so ordering pizza worked for me :) Being that it is October and close to Halloween, I thought it might be fun to have a costume party too - everyone did bring costumes but it was so hot with them all running around that it didn't last!

The cake - I used a Wilton cake pan and sort of followed the pattern - sort of did my own thing!

Blow!!!... not really fair that the candles are split up :)

Birthday boy

Ethan

Each family had a gingerbread haunted house to decorate (thankfully they came pre-assembled)

Home Haunted Home...

Our creation

Cupcakes - there were some cute wrappers with flags that I couldn't pass up, so made some cupcakes too! The faces are made from sugar cookies that I iced

Yay! Cole cheering for himself - like Ethan said last week, "who needs TV when you can watch this crazy clown!?" He's got a real little sense of humour already :)

Cole gets some official birthday candles too! Arrrr! (looking pleased that daddy blew them out for him - he didn't even try!)

Mmmmm - Black icing is always best!

Balloons

My bargain!!! I went into Michael's because I knew they had some pirate stuff, only to find it all at the front door on clearance! 25 cents for each package - plates, napkins, banner, decorations, goodie bags... you know how I heart sales!!!!

Rider Pride

Our provincal CFL team is the Roughriders and Jackson has talked about getting 'Rider stuff' all summer! We told him he could get some things for his birthday so here he is sporting a hat, bought with money from Grammie & Papa, as well as a shirt and some fun 'fan' things from us! Now you see why his football cake was so appropriate :)

While on the sporting note... we went and got hockey equipment, skates and helmets tonight and come home broke! Talk about expensive! If all four are going to play, I think I'll need a part time job in a sporting goods store, just to get the discount!

Happy Birthday Jack!

The birthday boy is in da house!!!! Jackson is the big #6 today! Just seems like yesterday he was our little 9lb 3oz bundle of baby! Unfortunately, it WAS a school day & he did have to GO to school but I took in some cupcakes to make the day seem more festive. We haven't been feeling great & daddy is especially not doing so good, so we will do our birthday supper another night - hopefully tomorrow. Jackson will get to pick where he wants to go... um providing it's not McDonald's or Chuck E Cheese! Kidding! (well, not really!!!) Miles did pick up a DQ ice cream cake on his way home from work though & it had a football on it, which was very fitting since that was Jackson's fave thing to do this summer! Note: after this post was writen, he did ask... "is McDonald's an option?" He ended up asking just to go to the local golf course, near our house.

Blow....

Not sure if you can see it but the flames are coloured too!
(something I got in my stocking that was useable!)

All out = NO girlfriends! Good job!

Six years old

And a little walk down memory lane... it'll be short though because I've only got the lap top and my photos are limited! Sorry! Happy Birthday Jackson - WE LOVE YOU! XO

Bahamas... 2006 (just turned 3 yrs old) - love how the sand just stuck to him!

Starting to feel more comfortable in the water... no lifejacket! Mexico '08

On the Buccaneer Queen - Mexico '08

Mexico '08 (5 yrs old)

one brave boy

Last November, we noticed that Jackson had a bump on his left cheek. It didn't go away, so after a visit to our family doctor, he sent us to the pediatrician who said that it was a 'fibroma' (a lump of fibrous tissue). We were then referred to a plastic surgeon and put on the wait list to have it removed. I got a call on Thursday to see if we could come in on Tuedsay, so we did & Jackson missed the first day of school. We didn't get home from camping until 12:30am and had to be up at 5:30am, inorder to have Jackson at the hospital admitting for 6:30am. We asked if he wanted mommy or daddy to take him and he opted for daddy, which worked out well because it was Ethan's first day of school and well... daddy would probably manage being at the hospital a bit better, if you know what I mean :)

On the way home, they stopped at Booster Juice - a great treat after not being able to eat since midnight!!

He was given this cute monkey at the hospital & said that he was giving it to Cole! The verse around the monkeys neck says: "Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away"

Cole needed some Booster Juice too (mommy shared) - he went & stood beside Jackson when he saw I was taking a picture!

Up close - the stitches are on the inside. On the outside, they just put a liquid bandage. Jackson has not complained once about it hurting & even declined tylenol when I offered it to him! He was given the option (at the plastic surgeon consult) to have just local freezing or to have a general anesthetic - Jackson opted for the latter & all went well!

last game... take two

Jackson's last day of soccer was Wednesday... we have a tourney this weekend and then we're done! Swimming this summer and then on to hockey in the fall... I helped the coach out a bit with this team and was responsible for keeping track of kids coming and going off the field! I don't feel like I was worthy of the 'assistant coach' title but nevertheless they made me sit in the team photo :) GO PANDAS!!!

More soccer....

Jackson has been at soccer for a couple weeks now & plays on Monday's and Wednesday's. He loves it & constantly asks, "do I have soccer tonight?" Last night was the first time I had the camera with me... (any pictures with spots = the two seconds that it tried to rain!)

Warming up...

Having a turn in goal...

Good save :)

Kicking it back out...

Being artsy - too bad it was the other coach & not his though!

PS: anyone wanting a sneek peek of our family pictures, taken in Victoria, can visit my sisters blog HERE. Photography credits go to Katrina Esselink over at A Definite Possibility.