Mountain weekend...will catch up soon!

WOW!! Jackson arrived July 24, 2012 and life has not been the same since. We are BEYOND blessed to have him in our lives...can't imagine life without him now. But this baby is a full time job leaving no time to post pictures and tell everyone about how cute he is :)

But cute he is! He is 11 weeks old and growing like a weed. He spends his days doing the usual baby things: eating, sleeping, and making dirty diapers. These days he is holding his head up pretty well. He has a contagious smile, and he loves to "talk" to anyone and anything including the air vent above his changing table, any fan, and the fall garland on our mantle. 

I have finally loaded pictures from the camera so I plan to catch up the blog as quickly as I can. But, I figured everyone would love to see pictures of him now...so here are some pictures from last weekend.

We took our first road trip with baby Jackson this past weekend. Dana's parents were so sweet to let us stay at their house in Sky Valley for a little mountain weekend with Jason, Dana, and Hampton (Garrett was at a retreat for the weekend).

Jackson was great! We were so proud of how well he traveled and he slept great in his pack and play. He LOVED sitting out on the patio near the outdoor fire place and look up at the trees and the sky...he just smiled and cooed the whole time (hoping I can figure out how to load a video on here). Saturday morning we went up to Highlands to shop around and have lunch. Then we spent the afternoon watching football outside on the patio...complete with a fire in the outdoor fire place. (We won't talk about the Georgia game against South Carolina, but we watched that too...well most of it).

It was so nice to have a change of scenery and to know that we could actually go out of town with a newborn :) It was also great to spend some quality time with family! Enjoy the pictures!

 Hampton snuggling with Jackson Saturday morning...two cute Georgia boys!

  

 Beautiful afternoon in Highlands, NC

 Jackson sleeping the morning away while we shop around town...such a good baby!

  

 Great company for the weekend :)

Jason, Dana, and Hampton

 This boy loved spending some time in the fresh air.

 

 Me and my little Georgia baby.

 Family photo :)

 Just hanging out...

 My two favorites ;)

 

The boys all ready for the game.

 

So precious

Love that sweet face.

Snuggling with Aunt Dana by the fire.

A whale of a good time!

First an update...today I am 38 weeks! We had a doctors appointment on Monday and everything is looking good. 2 weeks from now I will be holding baby Jackson in my arms...can't wait!!

 I am the luckiest girl in the world to have the friends that I have. These high school girlfriends and I have been through it all: drama of high school, boyfriends, break ups, moving away to college, weddings, and now babies! I don't know how I could have made it this far without them.
Here are some pictures from the whale themed baby shower they gave for Jackson and I in June...thanks Cori for the pictures because of course my battery died before the shower even started!
 

 Super cute welcome sign on the front door.

 Yummy spread of food...some of the best chicken salad ever!

  And delicious "blue velvet" cupcakes :)

Everyone wrote wishes on leaves to hang on the wish tree. This will hang in the nursery.

 Mimosas and blue lemonade!

Adorable onesies and burp cloths made by the hostesses.

Love these girls...missing Lauren and Sara!

So glad Ellen was able to come...Ellen, me, and mother-in-law Kaal

 Ellen trying to feel baby Jackson kicking...he wasn't cooperating very well.

Family photo: cousin Dayna, Aunt Brenda, mom Sandy, me, sister Lindsey, sister-in-law Clair, and niece Lucy (who was ready to go!)

More family! Me and Joel's step mom, Kathy.

Bear with me on these...we don't all get together enough, so when we do there is usually a photo shoot!

Me, Emilie who is expecting a surprise in October, and Stephanie who is expecting a girl in November! 

Hannah, Robyn, Katie (expecting in December), and Cori

 Aren't my friends beautiful?

This one is my favorite!

Sister, the photographer :)

Enjoying their hostess gifts.

Creekside Baby Shower for our Little Man

Joel and I are so blessed to be surrounded by our wonderful Creekside church family during this exciting time. Our Sunday School shower was on June 10th, hosted by Stephanie, Staci, and Elizabeth. They did a great job using "Little Man" as the theme...the decorations were too cute! Thank you all for your advice and love and support! We love yall!

 
Cute outfits for Jackson

Stephanie made a wreath for us to hang on the door at the hospital so everyone will know where Jackson is staying!

 

More fun decorations!

The bow ties and mustaches were a hit!

Everyone attending the shower had a bow tie to wear in honor of Joel's love of bow ties. And the chocolate mustaches were such a cute party favor!

A fun sign...thinking this may go to the hospital also :)

 

The girls made quite a spread of food!

Complete with cute cupcakes and toppers.

It's a little hard to see from this picture, but the cups were clear with mustaches on them so when you took a sip it looks like you had a mustache. Too cute!

 

Mom and I with our bow ties.

Jackson got his first blazer...can't wait!

 

I think this will be his Sunday bib :)

 

We played a game where everyone tore off how much toilet paper they thought they would need to go around the belly.

Some were very close!

But some were very generous...especially my mom!

Fun pictures with the mustache props!

Darden, me, Ashley, and Bree

Elena, Julie, me, Amy, and Anna

Kelly, me, and Stephanie

The hostesses:

Staci, me, Stephanie, and Elizabeth

 

Thank you girls!!

 

Christy, Stephanie, me, and my mom.

Me and mom

Jackson wanted to try out the mustache and bow tie too!