Mr. Potato Head

On Thursday Jackson went to pre-school and played with his friends, but when he got home, he still wanted to play with Nana Jo while Mommy and Grayson took a nap. We played outside on his swings and dug in the dirt pile. Then we went inside and played Play-Doh (again!) and then played with Mr. Potato Head, the new improved version that has a kabillion pieces. Here is a picture of Mr. Jackson Potato Head!

Play-Doh and Bounc U

We have really had fun playing with Jackson (and holding Grayson). Jackson had a little tub of Play-Doh he brought home from Pre-school, but it was just one tiny tub, so Grampa and Nana Jo bought him a new Barnyard Pals Play-Doh set with 5 big tubs of different colors! He played with it until dinner time last night and woke up this morning asking for it again. Here we are playing with him .

Jackson is pround of his little brother, so when we put him in his baby papason chair, Jackson made sure he had some of his toys to play with.
This morning Meaghan had to take Grayson back to the hospital for another heel prick (ouch) for a jaundice check, so Grampa and Nana Jo took Jackson to Bounce U to play. After 2 hours we were all three pooped and sweating. After a trip to Mooyah Burgers for lunch, Jackson , Grayson, and Grampa all took a nap. Here's Grampa and Jackson bouncing.Even Nana Jo climbed up the big slide several times.Grampa liked throwing the basketballs, so he helped Jackson out a little so he could jump, shoot, and score!

Okey Dokey, Artichokey

Day two at the zoo...first things first, a little breakfast and cartoons to start the day

Then everyone got dressed and ready to take Grayson to the dr. for his checkup. Aren't these two handsome brothers, one in his Mickey sweater and the other in his shirt that says, "I get cuter by the minute"?

While Meaghan and Grayson were at the dr., Jackson, Nana Jo and Grampa went to the park to play, and boy! did we. Jackson ran non-stop around the deck with the toys only stopping long enough to say, "This way, Nana Jo" or "Here we come, Grampa!" We even went down all the tunnel slides (all 3 of us) and climbed the mini-rock wall. There was also a nature trail that we took. Jackson would say, "Let's run now" or "Let's walk." I tried to teach him to skip but he thought I was saying "ski" so that's what he did. Can you spot Grampa? Jackson did.

There were lots of nooks and crannies to crawl into and peep through. Jackson's phrases of the day were, "Okey dokey, Artichokey!" and "Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum!"

After a lunch at Chick-Fil-A where Jackson told us the cow says "eat more chicken" it was off to the grocery store. It took 2 buggies to go to the grocery store--Grayson up above, Jackson down below, and most of the groceries in the other one.

Then it was back home so Grampa and Jackson could take a nap, but for Grayson, what could be better than lying in the sunshine with very few clothes on (aka...light therapy)? He didn't seem to mind, and his jaundice is definitely getting better.

Day One with Jackson and Grayson

After our weekend in Santa Fe, we arrived on Sunday afternoon in Dallas to visit with Jackson and Grayson (and their parents). We had lots of playing and baby holding to do, so here are a few pictures:

Baby Grayson, 9 days old (one of the few times Nana Jo wasn't holding him )

Reading a new Veggie Tales book to her two boys

Grampa did a little holding of the baby himself.

Also a little swinging outside with Jackson and seeing all the cool new toys, like the dump truck

Jackson and Grayson got some new TTU things from Nana Jo's friends Linda and Jack. Jackson got a Red Raider puzzle which he played a lot, and Grayson got a Red Raider T-shirt that will fit him this summer. Go Tech!

In case you can't read the shirt, it says "Start 'Em Young, Raise 'Em Right"

Broadway Tunes in Santa Fe

We came to Santa Fe yesterday after school for the annual State School Board conference that Ed has to attend (and I always tag along to but don't attend). Last night we went to one of our favorite places on the Plaza, La Casa Sena Cantina. The food is great, but the best thing is that all the waitstaff are members of the Santa Fe Opera, so about every 15 minutes the lights dim and one or all of them will perform, usually Broadway showtunes. It is a fantastic evening of dining and entertainment. Last night all the songs were romantic tunes such as "Seasons of Love" (I think that's right) from the show "Rent," "The Street Where You Live" (from "My Fair Lady"), and many others. Here are a couple of pictures from the web (I forgot to take my camera when we went) to give an idea of the ambiance of the place.

Tonight we are going to another favorite place, a South American Tapas Restaurant. We originally called it a "tapas bar" but everyone thought we were saying "topless bar", so we've had to be a little more careful!

Church Valentine Dinner

Lots of couples from the church went to Cattle Baron's Restaurant in Ruidoso for our annual Valentine's Banquet. This year there was a total of 17 people, and we had a great time. Because we have several older couples, we rented a limousine (owned and operated by a fellow teacher) for three of the couples. They had a fantastic time riding to Ruidoso in style. The limo driver reported that those couples were hilarious, and she enjoyed the trip as much as they did. Here are a few pictures of people who haven't been in our previous years' Valentines pictures.Here is the sleek black limo, full of giggling couples, pulling up to the restaurant.My new "sister chick" Linda Greene and husband Jack, who recently moved from Snyder, TX. Linda is also a big TTU enthusiast.Darrell Brooks and his fiance Kristen. She is a high school teacher in Las Cruces who is trying to relocate to Capitan. Linda and I are busy planning a wedding shower for them this spring.Lisa, Dennis, and Gavin Rich. Lisa comes to our after-school exercise class and gives all us old gals hope that this stuff really will work (although I doubt we will ever look like her...oh well.)Leon and Darlene Snyder, also transplants from Texas like most of the other folks around here. You can just tell by looking at this picture that this couple is a lot of fun. Darlene also comes to our exercise class, and we count on her for all the funny comments throughout the routine.

Jackson and Grayson

Here are a few of the first pictures we received of Grayson Lee Wall, born 4:37 p.m. Feb. 6, weighing 7 lbs. 5 oz. and measuring 19 3/4" long. He definitely looks like Jackson's brother. I tried to post earlier, but we have had major internet problems (in Capitan America? go figure).

He is Here!!!

We were getting worried so I tried to call Michael's phone and there was no answer so we knew Michael was busy (he always has his phone on him). A little later I called the Hospital and they said she was in a room, did I want to be connected? I said yes and Michael answered, surprised it was me, he said they were still cleaning Grayson up, they had just gotten to the room.

Grayson Lee Wall 7lb 5 oz and 19 3/4" long.

Pictures will follow.

Stay Tuned for Grayson's Arrival!

Meaghan and Michael are in the hospital patiently(?) awaiting the birth of Baby Grayson. I talked to Meaghan this morning, and she said her water had broken and she was just "lying there contracting," so hopefully, it won't be long. In the meantime, Ed and I are doing what we do best--cooking. We are pressure canning homemade chicken noodle soup, so I guess it'll have to be called "Grayson soup" in honor of the day.

Come back later to see a picture of baby Grayson.

Emily's 2nd Birthday Party

Emily was excited when she got up from her nap and saw the balloons her mama had scattered on the floor for the party. She immediately started picking them all up and giving them to Grampa to hold.
She loves Elmo (as do most 2 year olds) so her cake was Elmo and Friends which she thought was pretty cute. She really didn't understand the whole "blow out the candle" concept, but with a little help from Mama, she got it done.....and then it was time to eat cake! She really had no problem with that one!
When we were shopping on Saturday morning we took her to Toys R Us and just let her play. She found a Sesame Street School Bus that has the alphabet and sings the alphabet song. She really played and played with it, so while I distracted her, Ed bought it for her since the main present we had bought for her birthday was clothes. She was so excited when she unwrapped the present and discovered the school bus. She was playing with it before I could get it completely out of the box.
Her mama and daddy bought her an Elmo laptop computer (among many other things), so she put on her sunglasses (one of the fun things in the box from Aunt Meaghan) and played.
After playing with all the toys, it's always fun just to be silly with Grampa. When we told her we had to leave and go home, she turned to Stephanie and said, "Bye, bye, Mama." It broke her little heart when I told her she had to stay. She kept saying "Seat buckle in Nana Jo's car" and ran to her room crying. When we left, she was standing at the front door crying. I wanted to just go back and take her home with us!

Weekend in Lubbock

We went to Lubbock on Friday morning to help celebrate Emily's 2nd birthday on Saturday. Her birthday is actually on Tuesday, Feb. 3, but Steph & Ken were having a small birthday party for her on Saturday. We ran lots of errands on Friday afternoon while Steph & Ken were at work and then met them for dinner at Olive Garden. Emily was so excited to see us, so we had a lot of fun with her at dinner. Here are a few pictures:

Isn't she cute with her ponytails? Stephanie says she never knows what Emily's hair will look like when she picks her up in the afternoon because Emily's daycare ladies love to fix her hair, and she actually will sit still and let them do it.

Emily loves lemons, but she started making "the face" and saying "sour lemon" before she even got it close to her mouth Her mama always liked lemons at restaurants too when she was little.

Since Stephanie & Ken needed time to get ready for the birthday party, we picked Emily up on Saturday morning and took her shopping with us. She was a good errand-runner except when we stopped to get gas. She kept saying, "Sit down, Grampa. Let's go." We met her Mama and Daddy for lunch at Manna at Cactus Alley, so she played in the courtyard until they got there. Then she just about crashed during lunch before they got her home for her pre-party nap.