Pictures are now on a new site

We're not able to update here as often as we'd like, so for the time being you can see new pictures at http://jgatlin.elsewhere.org/pictures.html. We'll post new pictures there as often as possible, and may continue to update this site occasionally.

Happy Halloween!

Jackson needed a new raincoat and rainboots, so this year he got fireman-themed gear and got all dressed up for Halloween. It was far more successful than last year, which was comprised of about 15 minutes of costume time and a lot of tears. (Toddlers don't really like having their arms strapped onto big dragonfly wings.) This year Jackson was very excited about getting dressed up and even more excited to be allowed to eat M&Ms and Crunch bars. But even better than candy was the steady stream of people coming to the door (we got 200+ kids). Jackson loves visitors. Over the monitor after we'd put him to bed he kept saying in this pathetic little voice, "I want my people." How did this social little creature come from two introverts?

Baby tomatoes

Jackson has discovered cherry tomatoes. I grew too many this year - didn't have the heart to pinch off the weaker starts, and as a result we probably have 20 tomato plants. They're starting to get ripe and Jackson has been enjoying picking the "baby" tomatoes and eating them. That's my boy! He even likes the green ones. I'll raise a veggie-loving hippie yet... Pictures to come.

Camping with a toddler

Well, it was an adventure, to say the least! On July 3rd we arrived at Trillium Lake - about an hour east of Portland - and settled in. Jackson was thrilled to be surrounded by so many trees, plants, rocks, and bugs. Click here for pictures from the whole weekend. Our plan of having him sleep in the play yard changed when we realized he could vault himself out of the play yard with little effort. Just imagine tiny little fists banging at the tent walls and shrieks of joy as he used the inflatable mattress as a trampoline. Nap time was nonexistent, except for a brief hour of exhaustion when he fell asleep in an inflatable boat. Overall, though, the weekend was fantastic. Jackson voluntarily went into the lake up to his neck and even dipped his head under water. We went rowing, we caught salamanders, saw a bald eagle, watched osprey looking for fish, and enjoyed plenty of s'mores. And when we got home we slept. Now that we've recovered it's time to plan the next trip.

Our little old man

No pictures yet, just a story. Lately Jackson has been saying phrases that make him sound, well, old. He's been saying "Be careful!" and "Watch out!" for quite a while now, not surprising considering that he's been walking/running since 11 months and those are two phrases we use pretty often with him. But lately it's gone farther. Music on the car radio? "Too loud!" Windows rolled down as we drive? "Too windy!" Hot Italian sausage? "Too hot!" (To be fair, it was pretty spicy.) As he was griping about the wind in the car yesterday, we decided to teach him a new phrase. We are now the proud parents of toddler who can say, "Get off my lawn!" I can't wait to try that one out on the neighborhood kids.

Memorial Day Weekend

Jackson turned two on May 21st! He went to his 2-year checkup with the doctor and he is doing really well. He's tall for his age and she was impressed by how well he's talking. Yay, Jackson! We celebrated Memorial Day weekend and Jackson's birthday with a visit from Gram and Bebo. We went to Little Gym, the farmer's market, and the zoo. We even rode the zoo train. Jackson practically exploded with excitement ("Oh, train! Oh, ride train! Animals!"), but by the end of the ride he was falling asleep on Bebo's lap.

Gram and Bebo went home on Sunday, and on Monday we went out to Cannon Beach. It was a perfect day - warm sunshine, blue skies, and just enough of a breeze for kites. Jackson fell into a puddle almost immediately, but seemed unfazed by being soaked and covered in sand. All in all, a great weekend.

Gardening (or "Don't pull up the baby plants!")

Again, here's a placeholder post while we get ourselves organized and upload all the pictures from the last couple of months. Jackson is coming up on his second birthday here in just a couple weeks (5/21). It's hard to believe that he's not a baby anymore. He's been counting, saying the ABCs (or A-D in any case) and using multi-word sentences ("Jackson rip book, oh no!"). He's enjoying his new daycare and talks a lot about all his buddies there. At home we've been gardening a lot (see picture of Jackson helping plant squash seeds) and getting ready for summer. The yard is looking good. Little Gym has been fun - Jackson is close to being able to do a somersault on his own and loves swinging from the parallel bars and bouncing on the air track. We've also noticed he's getting a lot pushier about sharing (or not), so we're learning how to deal with fierce independence and stubbornness in a toddler. It's a challenge. More pictures to come, hopefully soon.