A day in the life of our little man...

January 2, 2010 ~ We had a wonderful holiday season in 2009! We traveled to Mississippi for Thanksgiving and even though Gran Gran got swine flu and Papaw ended up in the hospital for a few days, we still were able to visit with everyone and eat tons of turkey! We even ventured to Hattiesburg for a quick visit and a look at our old house, church, and saw a few friends. It was nice and relaxing. We were thankful for Gran Gran's quick healing and Papaw's too! Jackson loved seeing everyone and hopping from house to house.

December was busy as always but very peaceful. Our little guy turned "5" this year. He's such a big kid! He decided on a bowling party. Gran Gran, Pop, and Uncle Zack were able to come and celebrate with us. Jackson loved having them here to make his day extra special. We had a great time at the party! Thank you to all who came to celebrate! Now, to tell you a few of five year old Jackson's favorite things...loves animals, especially wild animals...can name what continent they live on, what they eat, if they are endangered or not...loves learning new facts about our planet and the solar system...new interest in Star Wars and can't wait until he's old enough to watch all the Star Wars movies...is still a fan of dinosaurs...enjoys doing crafts of any kind, play dough, stickers, painting, coloring, drawing, etc...also has started reading and loves non-fiction books about animals (this is about the only thing he'll read)...still wants to marry mommy and thinks his daddy is the coolest ever...really cares a lot about his friends...loves preschool and learning...mommy's banana bread is his favorite food ever...wants to learn Kung Fu and be an animal conservationist when he grows up...all in all he's one awesome kid that we're really proud and blessed to call ours. He teaches me new things each and every day about the world and myself. I am amazed by him and thankful I'm his mommy!

Christmas was so fun this year! Papa and Mimi came to Tennessee to spend Christmas with us. It was fun having them here to be apart of our family traditions. Even Thelma and Louise (their puppies) seemed to enjoy themselves! I loved that we were able to relax and enjoy the day in our pjs. We cooked, we ate, we laughed, we opened gifts, we played Lego's, we decorated a gingerbread house(a first for Papa), and just enjoyed each other and the time we had together! We made wonderful memories!

We ended December with a visit from Chad, Erin, Bekah and Rachel Lynn. They are dear friends from Mississippi and passing through our way to spend New Years with family in Kentucky. We were able to host them at our house one night and enjoyed the fun and fellowship! Jackson loved playing with the girls. They put on musical performances for us and played chase through the whole house. Laughter filled the house! We ended our visit the following morning with a delicious breakfast at Merridee's in downtown. We loved having them here, and hopefully they'll be passing through our way again soon!

We celebrated the start of a New Year with our pals, the Tons! It was very last minute, but we are so thankful they invited us "across the cow pasture" to their house to bring in the new year! They just recently moved to a neighborhood near us...only a cow pasture separates our homes. Jackson loves playing at Drew's new house! He was thrilled when I said we were going there to celebrate New Years. Kristina out did herself with dinner and we played board games while the boys totally entertained themselves upstairs in the playroom. Dan and I are the Cranium Champions! Michael and Kristina had the lead, but our Humpty Dumpty question and the gardening question put us ahead to gain the lead! We're thankful for their friendship and had a great time counting down to a new year. Even Jackson and Drew stayed up to count down and blow their noise makers with us!

An added bonus to our holiday was a visit from Leah (mommy's high school best friend) and Braden. They were heading back to Ohio after a trip to visit family in Mississippi. We were thankful they stopped by for one night. Braden is getting so big! He is the happiest little man. He loves playing ball. My favorite thing is to watch him dance. He moves his little hips from side to side and shakes his little bottom. It's a hoot!! I was so glad to visit with Leah again. I'm so thankful that we still have our friendship after all these years and still get to visit with each other. We'll be their halfway point as long as they'll keep coming our way!

We are excited to start this new year and hope it holds many wonderful new memories. We will remember that each day is a gift and live each one of them to the fullest! We hope the same for you. May you have a wonderful new year and thank you for all being such blessings to us!!!

November 2, 2009 ~ Honestly did I just type November of 2009...where is time going...how cliche' but how true?! We are loving fall in Tennessee. By far, this is my favorite time of year and Jackson's too! He is obsessed with nature walks and treasure collecting (leaves, pine cones, rocks, etc...). We have enjoyed many walks through our neighborhood and a few hikes down the Natchez Trace. It's so beautiful here that it's hard to stay indoors.

Jackson has really grown up this year. I am amazed each day by him. He loves animals...all animals. He loves learning about all God's creatures...land and water. He already has all the continents memorized and where many animals live geographically. His ability and eagerness to learn is so contagious. I find my curious about new animal facts and excited about teaching them to him. We make many trips to the zoo. Recently we had an Asian day. We went as a family to eat Asian for lunch and then to the zoo to find animals that are from Asia. It's hard to keep up with him sometimes.

October was a big month for us. Jackson read to me by himself for the first time. He is still learning and trying to read more things on his own. I think he truly realizes that a whole new world of learning has opened up to him in reading. I am one proud mommy and so excited for him!! Also in October we visited our pals the Teagues and had so much fun with them in Asheville, NC. We visited a local apple farm. The boys loved going around picking and trying yummy apples. We loved their company and fellowship. We were excited that Gran Gran, Pop, and Zack came to visit us in October. We ate at Loveless Cafe, had a fun day at the zoo, and enjoyed lots of down time at home! Our Halloween was a treat! We spent the early part of the day at Pumpkinfest in Downtown Franklin. Jackson loved all the games, the pony rides, and the candy! We had a block party that afternoon to see all our neighbors. Everyone was dressed so cute for Halloween! Then our pals, the Keiths, came over for our annual trick-or-treating. We had tons of fun getting and giving candy. We loved having them here!

Michael is getting ready for work and tells Jackson, "Hey buddy guess what...daddy gets to come to your school today for Fall at the Farm". Jackson looks at him up and down and replies, "Are you going to wear that?" (Michael wears dress shirt, tie, and slacks to work) Michael answers, "Well yes I have to go to work first." Jackson responds, "Well I think you should wear something else." And he's only 4...what's going to happen at 14.

Jackson's teacher, Ms. Ann, approaches me one afternoon with the biggest smile. She says, "Jackson cracked me up today. He looked up at me and said, Guess what Ms. Ann I know a lot of bad words." Side note...his idea of bad words are stupid, shut up, oh my gosh, etc... She said, "You do. Well you know we only need to say things that are pleasing to God." He responded, "Yea I know. I don't say them, I just know them. I know a new one. Do you want to hear it?" She said, "Oh no thank you." Then he walks off like oh well too bad for you. That kid...what's a mom to do?!

Last but not least...my sweet moment with my little man. I ask, "Jackson when you grow up and travel where do you think you'll choose to live?" He says, "Oh mommy I'm going to marry you and live here forever! I have to visit a few places first though." I'll never grow tired of hearing his love for me!

September 8, 2009 ~ It's been a wild and crazy summer! We had a blast taking trips to Chattanooga and Mississippi. We enjoyed our long visit with Caitlyn and Crystal...what fun we had with them! In August, we stayed put. We enjoyed trips to the Nashville Zoo, the park, and relaxed during pj home days. Check out our pics to see all the fun our summer held!

As school time approached Jackson began getting very anxious. He doesn't like change, and he knew from last year that school was going to be a big change. Then every Sunday at church he began crying very upset about us leaving him. He was truly afraid. I prayed so hard about this because I know Jackson, and I knew he wasn't doing it for attention. He was honestly going through a sort of separation anxiety. Then my buckeye came to mind. I remember my daddy and Papa having a buckeye. I was told to rub it to get out any stress. So, I found an old buckeye I still had. I pulled it out and told Jackson that he could keep this in his pocket and every time he needed love he could rub it. We also came up with a reward system to help him overcome this anxiety. You can see pictures of Jackson with his jar. He is sooooo excited about it! We bought a tube of small animals. Each time he goes to class without tears he gets to put an animal in the jar. When his jar is full he gets to keep all the animals and add them to his collection. He has done wonderfully earning his animals! What a blessing that God laid these ideas on my heart. His anxieties are a thing of the past!

Which brings me to today...our first day of PreK! What a big kid he is! He was so excited about his new backpack this morning. He practically ran out the door to go to school. His teachers are precious, and he loves them! Today I had to remind him to give me a hug bye...what a turn around. He loved his first day at PreK! He had many stories to share tonight at dinner...his drawing he did during center time...playtime outside with his friend, Hannah...he let everyone at his table during lunch feel his cold ice pack...he got to serve himself snack by pouring water into his own glass from a pitcher...he got two tokens for kindness (a reward system they do in class)...and the list goes on. Michael and I both are so thankful this year has started off so positive. We look forward to many stories of his school day and lots more fun to come!

June 21, 2009 ~ June has been such a treat! We've had more fun this month than we can stand! We started off the fun with swim lessons with Miss Elizabeth. Jackson did wonderful and each day progressed into quite the little fish. By day five he was jumping off the side of the pool with no flotation and doggie paddling to her. He can pull himself up out of the pool and float on his back like a pro....something I think he inherited from Mimi. He loved Miss Elizabeth and loved his pool fun each day. We're going to do another week's worth of lessons at the end of summer to refresh and see how far we've come.

Next was our Sunday school classes' "Annual Father's Day Canoe Trip" down the Harpeth River. We had Jackson so pumped and excited about this year's canoe trip. He was counting down the days. We had a great time floating down the river and enjoyed the fellowship of friends. On our way down Michael spotted a rope swing tied to a tree. He quickly paddled us over. In minutes, everyone was paddling over joining the fun. Even Jackson decided he wanted to swing off by himself. We call him "No fear Jackson". He honestly doesn't seem afraid of much. He swung off like a pro and doggie paddled over to our canoe with a big smile on his face! We had a great day and finished it with ice cream and a nap!

A few days later we headed south to Destin, Florida for our family's first beach trip. Jackson was beyond excited!! We've been doing ocean and beach crafts, reading books, and watching movies about the ocean to get ourselves prepared for the fun! When we arrived at our condo he begged to go see the sand and water before we unloaded the car. We didn't make him wait a minute longer. His smile said it all! He was so happy and ready to begin the fun.

That night we met our friends, the Fruetels and family, for dinner in Grayton Beach...only 30 minutes from us. Jackson loved seeing his friends, Carter and Hannah. We enjoyed dinner and stroll through Seaside...where we topped off our night with ice cream and a visit to a fun book store. Once we arrived back to our condo we grabbed our flash lights and headed to the beach to hunt for crabs. We didn't find any that night, but it made Jackson so excited for the next day's beach fun.

On our first beach day, Jackson wanted to go into the water first thing. He grabbed his kick board and his daddy's hand and off they went. He rode the waves like he's been doing it forever. In the first ten minutes of wave riding the life guards called everyone out of the water. They spotted a bull shark close to shore...yikes! It didn't scare "No fear Jackson". He was ready and waiting for the call to go back in the water. Mommy and Jackson built sand castles while we waited. Then he and daddy enjoyed more wave riding. We brought our lunch to the beach and enjoyed our picnic. Then it was time for some ocean treasure hunting (aka seashells and such). Jackson and daddy put on their goggles and headed for the water. They came back with handfulls of shells and sand dollar pieces. Daddy was an awesome treasure hunter...he even found sea life. We had a sea snail, a hermit crab, and a few other small crabs or shrimp (not quite sure) in our bucket before the day was done. We let Jackson keep the hermit crab over night...which he named "Poppy" because it kept popping in and out of his shell. That night we had family movie night. We watched "Nemo" and enjoyed a big bowl of popcorn.

The second day we stayed at the beach all day long. We enjoyed another day of sandcastles, wave riding, treasure hunting, and this day we buried daddy in the sand. Sweet Jackson even napped at the beach under our umbrella. It was so relaxing and wonderful to be there. We made wonderful memories on our first family beach trip. Jackson told us, "This is the best beach vacation ever!!!" We agreed...it was!

July is right around the corner...it'll be a busy one. It starts with Vacation Bible School at our church. Then Jackson and mommy are headed for a long trip to Mississippi to visit family and friends. Looking forward to the fun!

May 17, 2009 ~ We've had a very busy April and May. It seems we had a birthday party for a friend or a baseball game every weekend. Jackson enjoyed every minute of it! May started off with a visit from Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Mike, and Nana. It rained and rained, but we still had a great time. We were able to stroll through downtown between rain clouds. Jackson's favorite part of their trip was spending time at home with them playing and watching movies. We are so thankful that they take time each year to come our way. We had a great time making more memories with them and look forward to their next visit!

Daddy and Jackson spoiled Mommy this Mother's Day. On Saturday, I started the day off with delicious breakfast at Panera Bread. Then we headed downtown where I got a hour long massage, while Daddy and Jackson watched the Franklin Rodeo Parade and ate ice cream. On Sunday, before church I was given a new jacket...great for rainy spring weather in Tennessee. Then after church they took me to my favorite restaurant, Saffire in the Factory. I felt very loved and appreciated by my guys! What a great Mother's Day!!

It's hard to believe but our preschool year is already ending. It seems like it has just begun. We had our year end program and school wide family picnic last week. Jackson did so great on stage! He sang and danced with his friends. We truly miss having family around to come celebrate little moments like this. Jackson was so happy to have his Daddy there for the family picnic and program. It was a very special time for our little guy! This Tuesday is our last school day and with that begins our summer. Up next...a visit from Gran Gran, Pop and Zack and our first family beach trip in June...bring it on!

April 18, 2009 ~ Jackson and Mommy spent spring break in Mississippi. We started our fun off at Papa and Mimi's. We dyed Easter eggs, went on a Easter egg hunt, got the tractor stuck in the mud on the hill top, fed the cows, played with the puppies, and just had a good time playing and visiting. We spent time with Nana and Papaw next. We enjoyed yummy french toast and playtime with Jackson's army men. Next we headed to Gran Gran, Pop, and Uncle Zack's where we road the four-wheeler, rode the red jeep, had scooter fun, ate Gran Gran's ham, and enjoyed a beautiful day outdoors. We had fun with you all! Thanks for all the memories! Jackson and Mommy are planning our next trip down to see you all again real soon!!!

Easter Sunday we enjoyed our morning at church celebrating the true meaning of the day. Jesus is risen!! We ate lunch after church with our friends, the Keiths. Then came home for a nice nap. We woke up just in time to go celebrate the day with our friends, the Walls. There we hunted eggs, played at their park, ate lots of delicious food, played volleyball, and enjoyed the fellowship! What a day to celebrate and what a way to do it!! We're so thankful for the blessing of friendship!

April 5, 2009 ~ We've had a busy weekend but a fun one! The weather was beautiful and perfect for Jackson's first baseball game. The Rockies played great! It was so fun to watch all the little ones get familiar with the game. Jackson had trouble with the coach pitches but finally hit the ball off the "T". Once his coach hit Jackson's hand with a pitch. Everyone held their breathe waiting to hear Jackson's response, but he just shook his finger at his coach and said, "Don't do that again, ok?!" It was a hoot! While playing short-stop he got the ball twice and threw it to first base. We were glad that he had fun and that's all the matters! He loved Ms. Kristina's baseball cookies and juice box at the end of the game...what a fun treat!

After the game, Drew hosted a "First Baseball Game Party" complete with an Easter egg hunt. His little friend, Emma, joined the fun. The kids had a great time celebrating the season and enjoyed hot dogs, cracker jacks, and more baseball cookies. Thank you Ms. Kristina for always remembering to celebrate life...even the little things like the boys first baseball game!

Now that Sping has arrived we are excited to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Jackson and our neighbor, Will, have really bonded and become big buddies. We joined them for a pizza picnic while the kids played on Will's playset and in Jackson's sand/water table. We are so thankful for such wonderful neighbors! I'm sure the Spring/Summer will be filled with many more picnics and playdates between the two of them.

Our Sunday School class also hosted an Easter egg hunt for the kids. We are so thankful that God blessed us with such a great group of families. Jackson had a wonderful time hunting eggs and playing with all his buddies. Now, we're making plans to head to Mississippi for Spring Break. Looking forward to seeing all of you there!!

March 25, 2009 ~ We recently made a trip to Asheville, North Carolina to see our pals, the Teagues. It is beautiful there! We loved spending time with them in their new home and neighborhood. Jackson had a wonderful time with his buddy, Campbell, and even played well with little Coleman. We can't wait to visit again. Thank you guys for your hospitality and all the fun you showed us.

While we were there, Jackson woke up with pink eye. Sweet Haley didn't make a thing of it and was so understanding. Jackson did a good job of keeping his hands off his face. I'm still hoping none of them wake up with pink eye. Today I did. It's life...I know.

Around lunch Jackson started complaining that his throat hurt. He looked teary eyed in the back seat. Then I saw him close his eyes and start talking. I said, "What's wrong buddy?" He said, "I'm praying Jesus makes my throat feel better." What precious faith. As we walked into Target, I promised him some spray that would make it feel better. We didn't make it down the first aisle before he grabbed me and said, "Mommy let's pray for my throat please." We stopped right there and prayed that God would take Jackson's pain away. I also thanked God for Jackson's faith in knowing God was able to do just that. We ended up in the doctor's office this afternoon to find out that the virus that caused his pink eye also gave him a sore throat and an ear infection. When we got home he said, "My throat doesn't hurt one bit...thank you God!" Because the virus caused an infection and a pretty bad one (per the doctor) he's on his first oral antibiotic in 2 1/2 years. Other than Zyrtec and eye drops he's been medicine free since we moved to TN. I'm a bit bummed about that, but understand that his infection needs to heal. I'm so thankful for Jackson and what he teaches me each day. Today his faith believing in God's healing was such a blessing!

March 1, 2009 ~ Just like last year, it snowed today on March 1st. We woke up early and headed outside to enjoy it. Jackson couldn't eat his raisin nut bran fast enough. We bundled up, grabbed the sled, and enjoyed our morning. Jackson loves for his daddy to pull him super fast on the sled. They started in the backyard and quickly ended up in the large common area behind our house. They each made a snow angel while Mommy took pictures of all the fun! The cutest part of the day was Jackson giving his "Imaginary Friend" a ride on the sled. He pulled his friend and cheered for him the whole time.

About two months ago Jackson came home telling us about his "Imaginary Friend". Mommy asked him what his imaginary friend's name is and his answer is always the same, "Imaginary Friend". He talks to him, lays out a napkin at dinner time for him, includes him in story time, and has recently started blaming him for things that go wrong. Mimi says Mommy had an imaginary friend when she was a little girl. So apparently he inherited her imagination. We love this little stage he's in. Looking forward to seeing what new things "Imaginary Friend" will do with us next...baseball maybe?

February 5, 2009 ~ January was a fun and busy month at the Novoa house. With school starting back, Daddy's birthday, Nana's visit, and Mommy's trip to Colorado we were busy bees this past month. Jackson and Mommy adjusted well with our return to preschool. He truly missed his routine and his friends. We celebrated Daddy's 29th birthday. We made him a turtle brownie with cream cheese icing and strawberries. Jackson realized that most of our Willow Tree Angels were of me and him. He had the idea of getting one of him and his Daddy. So that was our gift to Daddy this year. Nana came our way to spend some time with Jackson. Then she and Mommy left for Colorado to visit Aunt Crystal, Uncle Mike, and Caitlyn. Jackson had a wonderful time with Daddy while they were gone. They visited toy stores, went out to eat a lot, played with dinosaurs, and had movie night more than one night. Jackson loved his time with his Daddy! Mommy and Nana had a great time in Colorado. Little Caitlyn is so big and so precious! Aunt Crystal and Uncle Mike are terrific with her. It was so nice to see where they live and just relax with them in their new home. We're very happy for them!

February has not been as eventful. We're decorating for Valentine's Day and enjoying our inside days because of the cold. Mommy is ready for it to warm up a bit. She's getting cabin fever and needs some exercise. Here's to hoping...

December 30, 2008 ~ We had a very blessed Christmas this year! It started on Christmas Eve...we began by celebrating God's gift in His Son at our church's Christmas Eve service. We made banana bread for Santa that evening because Jackson said everyone gives him cookies. "Maybe he'll want something different, mama?!" I thought it was a great idea! He topped it off with a few m&ms and some milk. We woke up on Christmas morning with an excited four year old ready to dig into all his gifts. We began our usual traditions by opening gifts, then singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, and reading the First Christmas Story. Jackson gets three gifts just like Jesus did and then his stocking full of goodies. This year he asked Santa for a jungle complete with animals. Mommy and Daddy got him a keyboard and his much requested Leap Frog Tag. We finished our day by playing outside in the beautiful weather. We went for a bike ride and playtime in our neighborhood park. It was a wonderful relaxing Christmas Day!

We headed south to Mississippi the day after and spent time with our families. We enjoyed each of our visits with them. We're so thankful for all their love, time, and gifts. It was a great way to end our Christmas season. Now as we began this New Year our hearts are filled with gratitude for the blessings of the previous year and the excitement for the memories we will make in the year to come!

December 16, 2008 ~ Our little guy turned four years old today! He woke up and said, "Mommy am I really four today?" I smiled and said, "Yep, buddy you are!" He jumped up and ran to his growth chart to see how much he'd grown overnight...too precious!

The theme of the day was dinosaurs! His new love! We started the party off with a dinosaur dig. I used little plastic containers, filled them with sand, and buried four small dinosaurs in each container. They each had a small craft brush to push away the sand. There you have it...little paleontologists! I also found some dinosaur stickers for them to decorate their dinosaur dig container. This was for them to take home as a party favor. It went over well. Jackson loved it! I had to make him get up from the table to start the next activity. Next we played pin the horn on the triceratops. I drew a large triceratops, put it on an open wall, and each child had their own horn. It was cute to see them all blind folded and taking turns. After that game we came back to the table for cupcakes. After singing to Jackson, each child got a cupcake and a small amount of dinosaur sprinkles to decorate their own cupcake. Some ate the cupcake and then ate the sprinkles...it was fun to watch who did what. We then all made our way to the living room for dinosaur free play (a pile of dinosaurs laid in the floor to play with), while Jackson opened his gifts. I must say everyone knows him so well...he loves each and every gift! After the gift opening fun, we lined up for pinata time. Jackson and I filled the pinata with dinosaur fruit snacks. I underestimated the bat hitting skills of these preschoolers. Wow did they give that pinata some good whacks!

It was a wonderful day!! We are so thankful for our friends who came to celebrate our little guy. He loves each of you and you all add something different to his little life. Thank you for all you mean to us!

October 9, 2008 ~ He's got it all figured out. Jackson and I were reading a book about a little bear who was trying to decide what he wanted to be when he grew up. After the book was over, I smiled and asked Jackson if he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. He smiled back and said, "Oh yes Mommy! I want to be a writer and illustrator like Eric Carle." He is in love with all of Eric Carle's books and his water color illustrations. I had no idea how much until he voiced his future plans. What a dreamer we have...I love it! Even today I got a note from his preschool teacher that read, "Jackson really enjoyed reading all the Eric Carle books in the book center today!" I hadn't mentioned his love for Eric Carle's books, but he proved his obsession by spending most of his center time with his nose in a book. I love that he is a little book worm! I'm now a big reader, and I hate it took me until my adult years to appreciate a good book. What a great little guy we have...I'm so thankful for his imagination and ability to dream!

A day in the life of our little man... Jackson Walker Novoa

Home Pictures Stories Family Guestbook	Last Updated: Feb 01, 2010

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