Photo Book

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Really...another blog entry

Really, this is my 2nd blog entry within a week! I know that you are thrilled to be reading it! I weighed in at Weight Watchers tonight and lost 3.2 pounds. I am very pleased with 3.2 pounds and have worked hard this week. Hopefully this next week will go well.
I'm also pleased to announce that our family has gone another week without dining out!
Tyler is sick-- coughing his head off and just dragging around. Normally the rule is "no fever, you are headed to school", but his class is benchmarking this week. If you could hear him, you'd understand how difficult it might be for his classmates to focus with him in the room. I'm doing them all a favor and allowing him to stay at home tomorrow.
So, if you are reading this, please leave a comment. I blog for myself, but it is sure nice to know that there is at least one soul out there that takes the time to read it!

Completely Out of Touch!

So, it has really been a year since I have last added anything to my blog. Hard to believe! I want to be better about keeping up with it this year. I have decided that I just put too much thought into it- I want to always have something witty to say or something that will have you ROTFL, but I don't. If you want to have that, then check out my sis-in-law's blog at www.planetlinson.blogspot.com I'll just put that pressure on her! She won't let you down; she's always got something great to say.
So, for my own blog, I've decided I need a place to talk about life. 2011 is our year. Chris and I are making some changes to make our lives better. We are trying to make lifestyle changes that will have a positive impact** on our family in the long run.
I've also decided that I am going to use this space to post great recipes that I've tried and think that you should have. I'm learning some ways to make cooking for my family easier and might pass along some things I've learned. As of this post, we have not eaten out in 25 days. If you know my family, you know that is a huge accomplishment for us. It is part of the **above. I will admit that Kin and I did eat out when we went to San Antonio, but other than that- not a single restaurant.
I'm also going to want to talk about losing weight. Are you up for that? I need someone to know how freakin' hard I'm working on getting this weight off. I need someone to tell me how fan-friggin-tastic it is that I've been getting up at 4:40AM and running 3 days a week (thank you April!). And yes, I need you to tell me what a terrific job I'm doing even when I admit to carrying the bag of Oreos to bed with me!
I also want a place to brag about my kids. This is great for you too because now you don't have to worry about seeming rude when you want to walk away instead of listening to me ramble about KKT. I'll never know if you just close my page. Well on second thought, it just might track that in the Stats feature, so you better just read it to avoid an awkward conversation the next time I see you! :)
I will post pictures soon and I will be better at blogging this year. Stay tuned for more episodes.

+++++++++++++Got Braces?

Today was a big day at our house. Kayden got braces. Now I know that this is a very routine procedure and it happens to many children, but this is my baby girl! She was pretty excited about it (except for some little **** kid at school who convinced her that standard operating procedure for the correct installation of braces was to drill holes in all of your teeth!)> I was a the one that was nervous. I was amazed at how easily they went on and how quickly. Really, I think that I wanted more for my money, but was glad for her that it was practically painless (at least for today). Here are a few before and after shots. Really she is only 8 years old! I promise! I was there when she was born!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Chris' Family

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------------------SHE DID IT!

Pictures from Brandi

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.....................No words necessary...

MY LITTLE BROWN HEADED DAUGHTER

Check out her sassy new hair cut!


I am happy to announce that my daughter chose a bike ride with Mommy and Daddy over spending the night at Nana's. For those of you who know my child, you know that this is a big deal. I am looking forward to spending 18 hours with her by herself. The first thing we did was go for a bike ride- we rode almost 3 miles and she kept up with zero complaining. Tomorrow she wants to go for breakfast (she gets up by 6am or 6:30am) and we will see what the rest of the day brings!

Here's to you Davis!

Davis, we tried to call yesterday, but I know that you were busy celebrating. I mean 7 is a big one after all.
Pretend that we are with you instead of staring at you in a picture...
Here it goes...
uummm, hhmmm, okay, we were clearing our throats. Now we are ready.
Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Davis. Happy Birthday to you.

Well really we sang Happy birthday to you. Cha, cha, cha. Happy Birthday to you. Cha, cha, cha. Happy Birthday dear Davis. Happy Birthday to you.


Aunt Brandi stopped everyone before we sang about you living in a zoo. Love you!

I love my husband!

I love my husband for many reasons but here are 3:

**Being silly with Kayden
**In case you are wondering, those are mustaches.


**Enjoying Ty at the Rangers vs. Yankees game.


**Watching Kinsey tumble

WOW! I feel blessed that our children have Chris for a dad. He is a wonderful father and I am often amazed watching him interact with our children. He works hard and long hours, but still tries to find time and energy for them when he gets home.

Me: What is your favorite thing about Daddy?
Kin: "He does silly things with us." As proven by the above mustache photo

Ty: "He throws the baseball with me and even the football."

Kay: "I like it when he brushes my hair every night."
We love you Daddy.
I love you Chris.

Creamy Chicken and Pasta Bake

I prepared this recipe last week for my family and they LOVED it! Thought I would share it with all of you- it came from kraftfoods.com

What You Need!

1-1/2 cups multigrain rotini pasta, uncooked

1 small bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 3 cups)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, cubed

1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It!

HEAT oven to 375ºF. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding broccoli for the last 3 min.

MEANWHILE, heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 min. or until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Stir in broth; simmer 3 min. or until chicken is done. Add cream cheese; cook and stir on low heat 1 min. or until cream cheese is melted. Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella.

DRAIN pasta and broccoli. Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon into 8-inch sq. baking dish; cover.

BAKE 15 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake, uncovered, 3 min. or until melted. Let stand 5 min.

Family Pictures

Shout out to Kelly Hosch for taking our family photos. She is teasing me by posting just 2 on FB for me to look at and wonder about the rest. I cannot wait to see them all- she only took 740 shots on Sunday. No wonder she enjoyed a glass of wine in the kiddie pool on Sunday afternoon!

Super Saturday!

Some of you know that I have had a rough few weeks at school and that things at home have been crazy busy! Well, let me tell you about today...today was a day that I was reminded of how blessed I really am.
Kinsey is an early riser. Last night I asked her to please let me sleep until it was 8 something...well, she woke up and played quietly and did not come in my room until 8:01am. Thank you, Kin! She and her brother got up and played outside while it was still cool out. Kayden joined us. Nema came over and joined us outside.
Because we had a busy afternoon, I made KKT promise that if we went to the pool they would come home and rest in their bed with a book.
Nana joined us for a pool party at our neighborhood pool. All 3 kids played and got along.
They stayed true to their word when we got home- they even took a real nap! We got up and headed to Ty's baseball game. I got to watch Ty and his team (who are in 2nd place) beat the undefeated 1st place team. The game went into 2 innings of overtime! They won 12-11!!
We headed straight from the game to Kin's gym recital. She can back handspring like no body's business!
Kayden did not have anything going on today, but I cannot leave her out! She was a good sport following her brother and sister around today with minimal complaint!
Thank you God for reminding me of the blessings that I am surrounded by!

Flippin' Kinsey

Here is Kinsey at her last gym class for the spring season. She gets a week off and then starts the summer session. Sorry for the 'sideways' video- I was trying to watch and video at the same time. **I just had to add this thought from Kin- she was watching me upload video and update the blog. She said, "I think that it is cool that you can just put movies of me on the computer so everyone can see what I can do." Well, dear, I think that it is cool as well! The coolest part of it is that they make it easy enough that even I can do it!

Lesson Learned

I certainly enjoy reading all of the blogs that end something like this ...and they lived happily ever after... THE END. Most of the time my blog has a happy story or a picture of one or all of my beautiful, smart, clever children, but not today.
This is the short but not so sweet story that occurred about 2am in the Jackson house.
I also need to tell you that for those of you holding out on a dog (Staci and Beth) that you are smart. We have a new puppy, Roxy. Roxy awoke around 1:45 this morning with that I'm hungry and I need a diaper change cry-- or at least open the door and let me outside. I had just settled her back in when I look up to see my sweet little brunette standing over me. Mommy, I don't feel good. I immediately thought back to her dinner of grilled onions and peppers on a tortilla filled with pico, salsa and guacamole and assumed I knew why she did not feel so well. I say, "Honey, lay right here," as I patted the bed next to me. That sure seemed easier than making a pallet in the floor at 2:15am. I'll spare you the details. After it was over and the sheets were changed, I made a mental note to self ... next time make a pallet.

Happy Birthday, KK&T!

Tyler
Kinsey and Kayden

NOW! Look how far we have come! I always get emotional on the kids birthday because it is a reminder that time is quickly passing by. I want to remember each moment and I feel out of control that I cannot stop them from growing up. I want to protect them from as much as possible for as long as possible.They are great kids and I treasure the fact that they belong to us.

More Baseball!

Thank you Dudleys' for the Baylor tix! The kids, okay- the boys, enjoyed it. The weather was perfect for a day at the park!

My All Star

By the title you might think I was talking about my incredibly talented son who loves baseball more than most things in his life, but last night my all star was my dear husband. Now I have heard that he was quite the ball player in his high school days and he continues to play church league softball like there are agents in the stands waiting to sign the next Josh Hamilton. Last night I was going to snap a quick picture to post to the blog for fun. I started playing around with the camera and hit the video button as he was up to bat and what do you know...A HOMERUN! So here it is for your viewing pleasure. This video is exclusive to the Jackson channel because ESPN has not had time to review the footage and schedule an interview.