Happy Thanksgiving

We headed to my mom's house on Thursday morning and had our meal later in the day. It was nice to relax and take our time putting everything together. Jackson  tried on his first pair of real boots so he can brave the rough Texas terrain at my mom's place without getting any cactus or burrs in his feet. At first he just stood there because they are a bit clunky, but then he got the hang of it and was outside with the boys playing football in no time. He obviously has Midland in his blood looking so sharp in his boots and jeans. My mom is going to keep them at her place for him to have when he visits, so that will be convenient. 

Friday we went into Dripping Springs and helped my mom get her Christmas tree. Jackson tried on  some cute hats while we were at it and seems to enjoy all of the lights and decor that will soon be up everywhere. We set up her tree (mostly Brandon) and then headed home Friday afternoon to rest and get our own Christmas decor out. My dad and I used to  go the day after Thanksgiving each year and pick out a tree, just the two of us. So we kept that tradition alive and got a little four foot tree ourselves that will fit on the ledge next to our stockings. It is really cute and high enough to keep Jackson from getting into the ornaments.  He did help us put one on, but we took over from there. That is one nice thing about having a small place, it doesn't take long to get lights and decorations up!  So Thanksgiving was very restful and Christmas will be here before we know it. As for Jackson, he loves everything about Thanksgiving dinner, especially sweet potatoes, the dark turkey meat, fruit salad, and of course whatever bites of pie Brandon would give him. And in addition to all the excitement of Thanksgiving, he also said his first word (other than mommy and daddy): Puppy! I got it on video but have not been able to upload it yet...pretty much the cutest thing ever though, I can tell you that much. I have a feeling that more words are on the way because he sure is proud of himself for learning that one.  Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Cold Weekend

This is the first weekend that Jackson and I have stayed home when Brandon has class. Normally we are gone for at least Friday and Saturday to Austin or elsewhere. But we stayed here, and it went by very quickly. Friday I was cleaning and Jackson was pulling out every toy he owns and then moved on to his clothes...quite the masterpiece in our living room to say the least. His new favorite activity is climbing, so boxes, chairs, coffee tables, etc. are all fair game. He works hard to get on top of them and then yells to get our attention and cheers for himself for a while.  I heard a story this weekend from an older woman who said her son was a climber and she found him on top of their fridge one day. What on earth? Jackson better not be doing anything crazy like that to me.  

On Saturday, Jackson and I met one of my roommates from college for lunch and that was fun. She is in graduate school in Boston but is dating a guy from the Valley, so she flew in to SA to spend Thanksgiving with his family.  I enjoyed catching up with her very much and Jackson flirted away. He definitely comes alive when we anyone other than Brandon and I are around. Brandon only has three more weeks of class and his first semester will be over. It is flown by for both of us, and he has done really well...makes me proud. Other than that we are gearing up for Thanksgiving...I will update on how that goes. 

Growing Boy

Well, we are about a week from Thanksgiving which is very hard to believe. It is getting "colder" in SA, but that doesn't mean much to anyone who doesn't wear flip flops 11 months out of the year I guess. Jackson seems to have a high cold tolerance like his daddy, but I still layer him whether he likes it or not. He is wearing these tennis shoes more often now because he brings them to me everyone morning along with my tennis shoes. I guess he realizes that we both have to get our shoes on and then he can go outside and start the day. 

Last weekend, we went to my mom's house so Brandon could help her with some work on the property and I could get some writing done with Jackson preoccupied. Matt and Rita came out for the day on Saturday which was fun and Jackson showed off accordingly. He especially liked to wear Brandon's eyepod shuffle clipped to his shirt and listen to the music through the headphones...he loves music and dancing to say the least. We grilled out on Saturday night and headed home after church on Sunday. It was really pretty out there with fall settling in...this is my favorite time of year. 

Other than that we are plugging along. I have been giving more massages with the marathon being in SA this past weekend and even though I am 22 weeks, I am feeling really good. I try to exercise each day/keep up with Jackson, so that is keeping me in shape. Jackson had his 15 month check up yesterday and is as healthy as they come. He got a few shots which were not fun, but he took it like a champ. I got the flu vaccine too, so I felt his pain at least. He is weighing in at 22lbs. 8 oz. now and jumped from the 10th to the 75th percentile in height! He has Brandon's strong build, but we will see how tall he gets. I knew he was feeling heavier even though he hasn't chunked up.  

Jackson doesn't know what he is in for next week with Thanksgiving dinner, but everything he loves from turkey to sweet potatoes will be available in abundance...he may think he is in Heaven. We will see. 

November News

For those of you that didn't know, I am pregnant with #2.  And yesterday I found out that not only am I already 20 weeks along (I thought 16ish), but we are having a little girl! Oh, I am excited to say the least. Don't know if I am ready for the drama that we ladies bring to the mix, but at least we can even things out in the Hill household. Jackson doesn't understand that he will have a sibling, but he does kiss my belly and loves little babies. At least he is very affectionate and not overly rowdy or we would be in trouble. Due date of March 24th, so ready or not, here she comes! 

Other news around here...Brandon is churning out papers for school and gearing up for the end of the semester projects, etc. Jackson is loving life and exploring everything. The pots and pans are a new favorite or should I say anything that is hidden behind a cabinet or drawer and within reach  is fair game. He especially likes walking on his own to the car when we leave the apartment and normally gathers plenty of rocks and leaves along the way. He wears Bobux shoes because they allow him to move his feet better, but the other day they were wet so I put some regular tennis shoes on him. Well, he suddenly couldn't walk anymore and when he attempted to, it looked like he was walking in snow boots! He kept lifting his feet way off the ground and stomping around the house. I think we will keep him in his Bobux until they are worn out and then go back to "the clunkers." And we have apparently moved from taking everything out and spreading it around the floor to putting things inside boxes and other containers. The other day I went to put him in bed and found a pile of Brandon and my shoes waiting for me because he had transported them from the closet to his bed during the afternoon.  You never know what you are going to get.