Monday, September 13, 2010

Utah beats UNLV

We had a great weekend. We went up to Salt Lake on Friday night and went out to eat with Jeff's sister Adrienne and her friend Michelle. We ate at the yummy Cheesecake factory and spent way too much money but it was so good. Then we stayed at the U of U Marriott hotel because the game was on Saturday afternoon. Well I wish we had our camera because it is the hotel where the team stays the night before games and when we got up for breakfast it was like Christmas morning. The kids were going crazy seeing all the players everywhere. They had eaten and they had team meetings just outside of where we ate. The boys kept staring and pointing. We had a little manners lesson on pointing but they sure did have fun. Then we went to the local farmers market in Salt Lake. It is a great market. Tons of good food, samples and fun.

Ryan showing his U. And the boys being very patriotic. So cute.

Such love between brothers.


Ryan just woke up from napping under the seats and Alex slept most of the first half of the game. Amazing they can sleep with so much noise.

The gangs all here. We have so much fun all together.

Then we made our way to the game. We had so much fun. Wonderful weather. We anxiously sat for the shade to hit us and it was like heaven once it got to you. Adrienne got some good pictures at the game. She is my expert photographer. It made it an even better that we won. Go Utes.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Catching up

I have been told that I need to get going again and that people actually look at my blog. I have been very lazy..... well I don't think so but other people do..... and I need to get back on track and update our lives. I am going to do a quick update and then I will promise to try and keep up on things better. My goal will be once a week but I think that might be wishful thinking. Well here it goes. I will hit some of the highlights and of course I don't have time or room for everything but I will fill you in on most the good stuff.
Jake got baptized at the end of March. It was an exciting day. My parents came out from Indiana and of course Jeff's family was there. That always is a big crowd. Jake did awesome and we were so proud of him. Jeff about drowned him, I think he was more nervous than Jake but all went well. We went to disney on ice as a family for Jake's birthday. That is always fun. They loved it.

Zach had his first friend birthday party back in March and he picked to go to Build a Bear. They had a great time and Zach loved being the center of attention. He got his very on bear and then a special birthday bear that all the kids got to sign. It was a great day for him.

Jake got picked from the second grade to be in the school talent show. He was so excited. They only picked 3 kids from the whole 2nd grade and he was one of them. He did a dance to the Hoedown Throwdown by Miley Cyrus. We were so proud. He practiced and had an amazing performance. He can't wait until next year. He said he has to do it again.

Jeff had his big elk hunt last September and I think I posted about that but just in case I will update on that too. He had a fun time. His buddy helped him out and guided him on and even though the hunt time was almost over he hit a big one and you would have thought he hit the million dollar jackpot. He worked so hard for it that I am sure to him it was. Well now he is a permanent fixture in the family he now hangs on the wall above the stairs. He looks over us, literally, but we are getting used to him.

Alex and Ryan had their 3rd birthday in June. We were leaving for Indiana so we had a party for them before we left. I saw on a blog a cute idea for a cake so I decided it fit the boys perfect. I attempted the cake and they turned out pretty good. As you see from the picture, it was just perfect for them. If you can't tell, they are monkeys. They had a great birthday. We arrived in Indiana they day of their birthday, so they got to have another party there with my family. It was a great celebration.

We spent 3 weeks in Indiana again this summer. We had a great time staying with my brother and his family. They were kind to share their new home with my crazy family. The twins christened their home and wrote all over the walls with crayon. Needless to say, I spent a bit of time scrubing walls. All clean though. Hope I didn't miss any spots. My kids loved playing all day and sometimes all night. We had a wonderful time. We did so many fun things while we were there but the most fun probably was everyone going to Kings Island. My sister and brothers family weren't able to go, but everyone else did and we had a great time. Here are a few pix of that trip.



Jake had his first day camp this summer for cub scouts. He loved it. I was glad I got to go with him and watch him experience new things. He was nervous at first with some of the things but he ended up having a great time.
School started of course in August and Jake is now in 3rd grade, Zach is in 1st grade and Alex and Ryan started preschool. It is so fun to see them all go off to school with their backpacks on ready for the day. They are all doing great and really enjoying school. So proud of my boys.

Utah games have also begun again. We love going as a family and sitting with the other members of Jeff's family that go. We have a great time. Even better that we started the season with a win over 15th ranked Pittsburgh. Great win and we are looking forward to a great season.

I am ending with two random pictures that kind of show you what our summer was like. You might ask yourself, what goes on in that crazy Jackson house, well this answers it. Please don't draw any crazy conclusions or think bad of us. Just remember I have a house full of crazy boys and crazy things happen in the name of fun.