Sun, Sand and Surf

We headed to Florida last week for a long-awaited vacation. We spend the first couple days at Cocoa Beach with Matt's parents and grandparents, then Matt and I headed to Key West with a few friends for some baby-free time. Big fun was had by all, but one of the best times was taking Jackson to the ocean for the first time. He hesitated for about half a second before running straight into the waves on Cocoa Beach. He found it hard to walk in the wet sand, and was knocked down by a few waves, but it didn't deter him in the least. He loved watching the parasailers, kites, and people fishing. I think its safe to say he shares dad and mom's love of the ocean.

Fall Fun

Fall has definitely arrived in upstate NY. After Jackson's doctor's appointment yesterday (second round flu shot) we spent the afternoon playing in the leaves. He loved the new textures and sounds...but mostly just running through the piles.

Niagara Falls

In order to make the most of this upstate NY experience, we decided to take a day trip to Niagara falls. Its only about an hour and 20 minutes away so it was easily done. We started with lunch at Hard Rock Cafe - mainly because we were starving and it was right next to our parking lot - and dined on burgers while listening to none other than Elvis over the sound system. There's a little bit of Memphis everywhere we go. Then we walked down to the falls which are situated in beautiful Niagara Park. We walked along the rapids, then headed to the observation tower for some breathtaking views. Afterwards, we rode the elevator down to the "Maid of the Mist" ship, where we donned blue ponchos were able to take a very up-close tour of the falls on both the American and Canadian sides. Matt and I loved it - Jackson fell asleep...possibly the only tourist to fall asleep less than 100 feet from one of the (if not the) largest waterfall in North America. All in all - pretty spectacular.

game day

well, we may be far removed from the tailgates, BBQ's, and house parties that accompany every college football season in the south...but that doesn't mean we forget our home team.

Jackson's Blue Period

Before you even ask, no, I'm not brave enough to turn my 1 year old son loose with blue paint. This masterpiece you see was done at school (very brave teachers). They stripped all the kids down to their skivvies and let loose with the blue paint. Suprisingly the only evidence left behind was some blue paint under his fingernails...and of course these pics :)

Fun Day at School

Jackson has transitioned very well into his new school. He's made lots of friends and I do believe he's a teacher favorite. Case in point, I went to pick him up from school yesterday and Ms. Keiyana and Ms. Ann had practiced their hairstyling skills...and mohawk baby was the result. He looked pretty awesome, I must say. Check out the pics...

A Day at the Beach

On Labor Day, we decided to take a trip on one of the local beaches (yes, there are beaches up here!). We headed out to Lake Ontario beach, where Jackson got his first taste of sand and surf. He wasted no time heading right into the water - even though it was a little chilly. He's almost mastered walking, so he had no trouble going from beach to water and back again. Afterwards, we walked down the pier and looked at all the boats out for the holiday weekend. Then we took Jackson for his first carousel ride. He absolutely loved it and there were a few tears when the ride was over. We ended the day with Strawberry frozen custard cones from Abbott's. All in all...it was a great holiday.