Sunny Weekend

We went to Driftwood to visit my mom and brothers this weekend. It was very relaxing and being out in the country for a few days is just refreshing. We spent Saturday swimming and then went into Austin in the evening to play beach volleyball at Zilker park. I haven't played in a while, but it was fun and Jackson of course had the time of his life in the sand...grabbing it, throwing it, probably eating some of it. We drove back for church this morning and have catching up on rest this afternoon. Brandon and I made sure Jackson was covered, but the two of us got plenty of sun.

Jackson has become a little speed-demon in the crawling department now, and he is starting to stand up on his own and just hover for a minute. I know he is thinking about walking...it is only a matter of time.

July at home

This week has been full of exploration for Jackson. As soon as we got home from vacation it seemed like he realized that there are all kinds of things in our apartment he has never seen before. Drawers, cabinets, trashcans...nothing is safe. And he is pulling himself up to the computer and trying to type as well. Even though we have to be very vigilant with him now, it is still a wonderful age because he is so curious and excited by everything. It is raining like crazy here since hurricane Dolly hit the coast yesterday. We need the rain, but it pretty much confines us to the house. I guess that is a good thing because I have many projects to work on here. Jackson is up to 6 teeth now and is eating all kinds of things. I made lentil soup which he loves, and we gave him some rotisserie chicken which was also a big hit. I am glad he can begin eating more of what we eat. He is definitely passing from baby to little man very quickly.

Summer Vacation 08

We spent the morning of July 4th in Midland with family and then drove to Santa Fe, NM to celebrate that night with my brother, sister-in-law, and mom on our way to Colorado. It was beautiful weather and a relaxing holiday. We spent about a week in Pagosa Springs, Colorado with my family which was really fun and a much needed break from the heat, etc. in SA. Besides one daytrip into Durango, we mostly spent our time hiking, swimming, and exploring the area. Jackson's first trip to Colorado was officially a success.

Grandmommie and Jackson before we hit the road July 4th.

Brandon and Jackson at the plaza in Santa Fe after dinner. Jackson had his patriotic threads on.

Brandon grabbed some lunch for us on the way out of Santa Fe and Jackson took the opportunity to practice his driving skills while we waited.
After hiking five miles in to a campsite on the Piedra River, we enjoyed the river and then left my family to camp while we hiked back out. Thought it was a little soon to try Jackson in a tent overnight!

Geared up and ready to hike out. Jackson rode in a backpack on Brandon's back which he loved. I carried it a few times, but Brandon took that for the team most of the trip.
Jackson snoozing on Daddy's shoulders after a long day of hiking.
And we are awake again...ready to check everything out. We discovered his love for drinking from the camelbak tube while hiking as well. He drained all of our water in that pack like it was nothing.

We put our feet in the hotsprings that flow into the river in Pagosa Springs. It felt awesome after hiking for a few days.

Jackson down by the river wishing he could jump in. I let him get in a warmer spot and he would have stayed all day if we let him.

Hiking on Four Mile Trail to see some waterfalls.

This was a beautiful hike and well worth it.
Jackson and I just below the falls.

Peek-A-Boo

Jackson started this on the flight home from California and now it has become a regular game for him and Brandon.

California Beach Video

Stinson Beach, California June 2008

San Francisco 2008

Here are some pictures from our trip to San Francisco. The two weeks went by so fast, and we had a lot of fun showing Jackson a whole new world. Stepping back into the 100 degree weather is enough to make all of us have California withdrawls, but it has been nice to be home and catch up on rest. Jackson has been sleeping in an extra hour, so I am soaking up that trend until he gets back to his normal schedule. Other than that we are getting back in the swing of things and gearing up for our next trip...we will be going with my mom, brother, and sister-in-law to Colorado this coming weekend. It is a lot of traveling in one month, but we want to get some restful vacation in before Brandon starts school in August. Here are the pics...

Jackson's first airplane experience went well. We had a direct flight to San Francisco from San Antonio, so it was pretty smooth. He of course made friends with the people all around us and had all kinds of fun grabbing the stuffed animals that the little girl behind us had brought.




















We don't have a bathtub in our place in SA, so this was his first bath as well...needless to say he loved it and would stay in there forever if I let him!

Brandon and Jackson at Zachary's Pizza in Berkeley.
Matt and Jackson enjoying the view of the city from our window.


Brandon's first day on the ships.


















Walking down to Fisherman's Warf after eating in North Beach.



Down by the bay prior to getting dessert at the Ghiradelli factory









Jackson napping in the car with Matt's GPS on the drive up the coast.


Jackson's first trip to the beach here at Stinson Beach just north of San Francisco...he loved everything about it.







Brandon put his feet in the ocean and Jackson did pretty well with it even though it was chilly.






The real fun started when we let him go in his diaper...he was crawling around so fast and throwing sand all over the place. Obviously we have a beach baby!





Jackson's new past time involves pulling everything out of our drawers and/or climbing in and out of them.
Wine tasting in Sonoma Valley.







We went hiking in Muir woods and Jackson was rotated back and forth as we went.

Matt takes a turn.

We ate at the Crab House on Fisherman's Warf one night and although it was chilly, it was beautiful on the bay.