Beware of Dog

Most of the time this 21 month old cute little puppy is so sweet and cuddly.  But every now and then this little puppy BITES! He's been to the "principal's" (aka Mrs. CiCi) office twice this week for biting his friends.  It seems that his new favorite toy to play on is a pink unicorn rocking horse that just arrived in his classroom.  His incidents have revolved around friends trying to take their turn on it while he was giddy upping.   To make matters worse, he's been very non chalant about his behavior.  Thankfully, Jackson is in a school where he receives correction for inappropriate behavior! Since Jackson has never tried to bite Mommy or Daddy we've been perplexed about how to correct this issue.  We've been told that biting is a normal phase that a lot of toddlers go through.  We've decided our plan of attack is going to be a stronger emphasis on sharing and taking turns in the Sklar household.  Hopefully it will rub off at school! Chris reminded me "like son like mother".  I had to laugh because the severest punishment I ever received was when I bit my sister.  I didn't get spanked.  I didn't have to wash my mouth out with soap.  I didn't get grounded.  It was way worse.  I had to wear a sign (that I had to make myself) around my neck that said, "Beware, I Bite!"  It was so humiliating walking around the house with this sign around my neck in front of my sister for what seemed like hours.  Thankfully, I didn't have to go out in public.  That was enough to keep me from ever biting my sister again.  I'm sure Jackson will grow out of this phase before we have to resort to sending him to school with a "Beware, I Bite"sign around his neck.........................right?

Blowing Kisses and Silly Faces

  At one and a half, Jackson is full of personality.  He is best known for blowing the biggest kisses (thanks to Nana Jana's excellent training) and making silly faces.  He love to make everyone laugh!

Rite of Passage: Jackson's First Haircut

Jackson was a trooper with Mr. Greg when he got his hair cut at Big League Barbers.  Such a big boy!

Happy Birthday Jackson!

Wow! Jackson turned a year old on February 17th. We celebrated with a "one cool dude" luau themed party at the house.

 I mentioned in his very first blog that we looked forward to his story unfolding before us and indeed, it has.  He started walking just in time to show off for his first birthday and got lots of really cool gifts.  One of his favorites were his baby Chucks (as in Chuck Taylor-he told me so himself).  He now prefers to walk everywhere, but still assumes a somewhat "drunken" stance when doing so.  He likes to  make us laugh.  He'll crash in to his bean bag Hummer and roll with it across the floor.  He tries to climb in to the bathtub and hasn't quite figured it out yet.  He leans over the tub with his feet off the ground and flails his legs trying to catapult himself over the edge.  Talk about living on the edge!

He delights us each and every day and we are so blessed that God has chosen us to be parents to this sweet, delightful, adorable, bundle of joy!!

All of the family were able to make it except for G who was sick as a dog, unfortunately.  Aunt Sis brought lots of goodies to help decorate for the party and gave Jackson his own personal cupcake plate.  We will enjoy using it for special occasions such as this for many years to come! We wore our koi beads that we got from Papa Ray and Nana Jana during our last visit to Maui.  We had many friends who came by to celebrate his special day and for that we were extremely grateful.  The day was a day to remember and we look forward to telling Jackson about it in the years to come. Aloha!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I think it's every child's rite of passage to have professional photos taken on their first birthday and Jackson was no exception.  We met our friend, Ashly Tucker, at the river for a really fun time of picture taking and lunch.  It's amazing to me the emotions that are elicited through the art of photography.  I think you will agree that Ashly captured some really awesome moments that make Chris and my hearts smile with joy! The up close shot was taken as "Curious George" crawled towards Ashly to explore her camera.  See the river rocks? That was taken just before Jackson attempted to eat a handful of them. And the Radio Flyer red rocket (which Jackson's friend, Carson, let us borrow)?  Every time I sat him on it for a photo opportunity he promptly hopped off like he was dismounting a horse and looked at me like I had two heads!  I guess this means we won't have a space cadet in our future.  Here are some of our favorites:

Wanted!

Normally, Jackson wakes up in a great mood, but this afternoon he woke up on the wrong side of the crib, and I couldn't resist the chance to snap a photo of him.  I call it priceless.  Jackson will probably call it ruthless, but that's alright because........I'm the Momma!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Happy New Year to everyone! What a fun way to bring in the new year with a little snow in Hotlanta which has been frigid lately.  Jackson wasn't quite sure what to do when we went outside to walk around in it!  It's hard to believe, but his first birthday is right around the corner.  His favorite thing to do these days is walk.....not on his own just yet.  He's also mastered climbing the stairs in record breaking time!