Quick Update

The past couple of weeks has been wild! Work has been busy for both of us, and things going on each weekend. We did have to go out to Odessa. Josh's grandpa, Wayne, passed away on August 5 after months of battling illness. We appreciate everyone's kind thoughts and prayers for Josh's family during this time.

I finally got my CFRE certificate, and I am "official," now. I was presented my certificate at our August AFP Chapter meeting. It is such a relief to have all of it behind me. On to bigger things!

Bigger things, as in, we are now entering into a Capital Campaign for Meals-on-Wheels. We are building our own kitchen facility in Midlothian. This past month we received our lead gift of $500,000 and our gift of land. Needless to say, we are THRILLED! Overall, we are raising $3 million. We plan to break ground in the Spring of 2010. I will keep you posted as things progress.

As for "Miss C," she is better with school. As most people assured me, it was a "phase." She really enjoys school, her teacher, and friends there. Her graduation is this coming Monday, and she will be promoted to the Two's Class with Ms. Christy.

Last weekend we took her to the circus. I was unsure how she would do...but she LOVED it! The elephants, tigers, acrobats...it was quite a show.

She still is not pottying on a regular basis, but we have had some "BIG" moments in the last few weeks. She has been so proud of herself. She even enjoys using her potty for more than its designed for!

She caught Me!

Josh & I are going to the National Meals-on-Wheels conference in a week. It will be in Pittsburg and we are looking forward to getting away for a few days, even if it is work-related. Mimi is going to be with Caroline. I know they will have a blast!

Enjoy the remainder of the summer.

Much love, The Jacksons

Look Who's Two!

I am sorry I have not blogged in over a month! July has come and gone, and we now have a TWO year old on our hands, and the "twos" came in with a bang!

Caroline turned 2 on July 20, and I cannot believe another year has come & gone. She is still into her babies and being a mommy. As you can see in the picture, she role plays most of the time--feeding, changing, and taking care of them.

She still is quite a little ham--playing dressup and always making us laugh. I recently bought her some "big girl panties," as we begin to talk about the potty. (Still more a game than anything.) Instead of wanting to wear them, she thought it would be fun to put them on her head!

We finally got our pictures back that we took in mid-June. It took us THREE times to shoot. We kept getting rain on the days we had scheduled. But it was worth it because they are precious!

You can view them still at http://thestudioinburleson.com/index2.php. If you are interested, go to "View Your Pictures," and use our last name to access.

We were able to get away early in July to the mountains. It was so nice out of the 100+ heat! I will post pics from Angel Fire in the next couple of days. I am a little behind in getting all the pictures off my camera.

Also, we were able to finally get together with some high school friends, the Wakefields & Walkers, during the month of July. It is so fun to see all the kids play together. Clara, Zach & Caroline are all the same age. I have to say Haden was a great sport with the little ones!

In the meantime, here are some pictures from Caroline's "Dip" party. We only thought it fitting to make this her theme because she loves to "dip" her food...whether it need dipping or not! I think she had a great time along with all the family & friends that came.

Caroline swimming

Cousins Haven, Rebecca & Gabe

Some of Caroline's Favorite Presents!

Sara Jane Shanks

Swinging with Gabe

Cousins Alex & Montana

Eatin' Cake

Recently, Caroline has decided that she does not want to go to school. I am not sure what triggered it, but I think she has figured "it" all out. It being that mommy leaves and doesn't come back for awhile. She now asks her teacher to "call mommy." The last week and a half has been a challenge. We got this book, and read it several times over the weekend. She really paid attention, and studied it. The characters are too cute, and quite fitting that they are "munk-chips." (Caroline speak for Chipmunks!) Today was the best its been. She did say several times "no school" on our way, but seemed fine when we got there. I think this has been harder on me than her!

In addition, I am going to ask for prayers for Josh's family. His grandfather, Wayne, is not doing well. He has been sick for awhile. We may have to make a trip out to Odessa this week. Please pray that he is comfortable in the final days, and our family can know God's peace and comfort during this difficult time.