Jackson rides the bus.

After 3 weeks of school we finally let Jackson ride the bus home from school. He was so excited. He knew his bus number (246) and also knew that another kid in class rode his bus. Jason, Nathan & I headed out to the front porch to wait. Nathan didn't know what was going on but he tried to get all the big trucks to honk their horns. Jason had the camcorder & I had the camera. The bus arrived & Jackson leaped off the bus. I froze up & only got 1 picture but Jason got the whole thing taped. He loved it & asked if he could ride everyday!!

Happy Anniversary Jason!!

8 years. We have been married 8 years. It really doesn't feel like it at all. It's been rough at times but as I sit back & start writing this I realize how lucky I am. I have a strong, supportive, patient, helpful man. He had put up with me when I could not even stand myself. He hasn't been the perfect hubby but who has? I know I have not been the perfect spouse but everyday I try to tell him I love him & appreciate him. I am willing to bet that the next 8 years will be better than the past because I am learning everyday.

Jason- If I don't say it enough, I LOVE YOU!! You are my rock, my sounding board, my partner in crime. I love you more today than I did yesterday and the past few months have been eye opening & I have learned so much. Thank you for loving me & I look forward our future TOGETHER.

Family Hike

Jason & I decided to take the boys to Sweetwater Creek Park to hike some trails & play in the creek. I went there alot growing up & knew the boys would love it. Especially Jackson. Anything in the outside and in the woods he's a happy boy. So we got up Sunday morning and packed a picnic & headed to the creek. Jackson was so excited which made Nathan excited. Once we got there Jackson darted to the map & picked out which trail he wanted to do. They had a red trail (beginners) white trail (next step up) and blue trail (not for us since we had Nathan with us). He chose blue & we quickly talked him into red since Nathan couldn't handle the blue. Honestly Jackson probably couldn't either. So we took off into the woods. Jackson wanted to look for snakes, bears and deer. Good Luck. We hiked for about an hour and then took a break at the creek & I pulled out water shoes for the boys to play in the creek. Jackson was shocked that he was getting to do this. They played, got a little wet, threw rocks and then wanted to keep hiking. I thought it was good idea to take a "short cut" up a hill. Jason didn't argue but I could tell that this wasn't his idea & did not agree with me. It was steep and Nathan was already tired so this was pushing it for him. At the top of the hill we found out that we were now on the blue path. So I told Jackson he could now tell everyone that he hiked 2 trails in 1 day!!! At this point Nathan was exhausted & had to be carried either by me or Jason. He almost fell asleep on Jason's shoulder. It was cute. This was our sign we needed to head back to the van to eat lunch. We had been hiking for almost 3hours at this point. We found a nice quiet place for lunch and then headed home. It was a wonderful day with the family and one we will do again.

First day of Kindergarten

Jackson is in kindergarten. Or as he says the "real big guy school!" He was not scared or nervous at all. He was so excited and ready to go. We went to open house the night before to meet his teacher and see his room. He thought it was cool. I warned him when he went to bed that I might cry but I wasn't sad or upset. Just proud. He told me that he would be fine. He is strong & not to cry or worry about him. He is a big boy. I didn't cry at open house or even after we dropped him off. I was proud of myself. I held it in. (Nathan on the other hand, cried for awhile. He held onto the door knob when we got home & kept calling Brudder) I am still in disbelief that he is in school & Nathan in 2. Where does the time go? Right now I drop him off & pick him up but he really wants to ride the bus so next week he gets to ride it home. Pictures of that will come.

Nathan turns 2

Nathan is 2 and the time has flown by. I can't believe my baby is 2. He has such a little personality & it seems like it all hit on his birthday. We had a small water party in the backyard for him surrounded by our close friends. We had a water slide, slip-n-slide and a couple pools. The kids seemed to love it. Jason grilled for everyone & it was very laid back & fun. This year he was into opening his presents. He knows the drill now I guess. He got tons of great presents but his favorite was his Woody costume from Aunt Mac. He had to put it on as soon as we got inside & cried when we took it off for bed. He was upset but that's ok because at the end of the night it showed he had a great day. He fell asleep fast & slept a little later the next day.

Happy Birthday Nathan. Mommy & Daddy love you very much!! Hope you have many more incredible birthdays!!!

4th of July

We spent the 4th of July at the beach again this year. We were hoping this was gonna be a much needed break but it didn't turn out quite as great as we wanted. It's ok. The 4 of us had a great time together & nothing could ruin that. We were gonna spend a week but came home a little early which ended up being a great idea. We spent the rest of our vacation as Mom's pool & got some much needed work done around the house.

Nathan enjoyed the beach alot more this year. Which made going to the beach alot more fun. He would play in the sand all day if we would have let him. Jackson too loved the beach but we knew that because of last year. They had a great time.

We had a small party on the 1st night we were there for Nathan & Jonathan's birthdays. Aunt Cathy & I got a cake for everyone. The birthday boys got over sized cupcakes. Nathan really like his green one. After dinner he opened a few presents. It was a nice dinner.

The 4th was a busy day for us. Jason & Jackson ran a 5K thru Mexico Beach. This was Jackson's first 5K & the nerves started to hit him right before it started. Aunt Mara made him an ipod with all his favorite songs so he could listen to music as he ran and we all know how much he likes music. He has run a 1 mile fun run before but this was the "big guy" run as he called it. Jason told him not to worry, he wouldn't leave him & that he would be fine. It didn't take long to get over the nerves because he was gone as soon as they said go. Jason said that at one point Jackson left him but turned around to come back because he was worried about him. Such a sweetie. Nathan & I waited at the finish line for the runners. When we saw them coming Nathan took off to meet them & crossed the finish line with his Daddy & Brudder. Jackson didn't get a medal for this race but finished in 48 minutes. Great time for his 1st race.

After the race we headed over to the fishing tournament. I wasn't really excited about this because last year we didn't catch one fish. This year much different. Jackson caught 9 fish!! He really caught 10 but gave one to Nathan so he can say he caught a fish. They really enjoyed fishing which will make a very happy Grammie!! When they passed out the awards Jackson got 3rd longest fish & Nathan got the youngest fisherman award!! Way to represent Dunn boys!!!

The evening ended with fireworks. Wasn't really sure if Nathan could hang in there but he did & seemed to like them. Once they were over it was off to bed. And let's just say they fell asleep fast & slept great.

The next day we decided to go out & have a nice family dinner. We went to Toucans & had an awesome meal, took a walk on the pier & then played on the playground on the beach. It was a great day with my family. I am so blessed.

Mohawk Time

So on the last day of school Jackson went with me to get my hair cut & his. He asked if he could have a mohawk. Knowing that Daddy would say no, we did a faux-hawk. So if he needed to look nice he could or if he needed to be crazy he could do that also. He was pretty excited about it.






I then took him to the bank to open his 1st account. He received some graduation money and needed a savings account. He walked in & told the banker he wanted to open a savings account. He took his money to the teller & waited for his receipt. The teller stepped away for a minute & when she came back she asked Jackson if he wanted to come behind the teller line & see how it all works. He was shocked & said I sure do. It was a great moment especially when I told him that I used to be a teller. He was a very happy boy.

W*I*L*D* A*N*I*M*A*L*S

First stop of the summer. The zoo. We went with Amy, Brock & Breea and had a great time. We packed a picnic lunch & just took our time looking at all the animals. I wasn't sure how Nathan would do. I knew he would want to hang with the big kids and not rest but he surprised me. He would walk for awhile & then get in the stroller & rest. His little legs just can't keep up with the big kids. He passed out as soon as he hit the car seat.

Pre-K Graduation

Jackson is officially in kindergarten. He graduated from Pre-K. I really thought I would cry but didn't. I think I was ready to be finished with that school and to get on with the summer. We have alot planned for the summer. I surprised him when we went & picked up his bestfriend Brock to go with us which he was excited about. Jackson received a certificate, sang a few songs & we then had cake & it was over. Quick & easy.