Jackson's Big Boy Room

We're slowly working on collecting stuff for Jackson's big boy room. Our plan is to move our guest bedroom to the front room (where J's toys are now) and make the current guest bedroom Jackson's room. We want the room to be ready when 2.0 is born so we can get Jackson used to it over the first few months of 2.0's life. Then, when 2.0 is a couple of months old, we'll switch him from our room to Jackson's old room.

The theme is going to be trains, since Jackson is now in love with them. We didn't want to do a Thomas Train theme, but wanted something less cartoonish, since he isn't really familiar with Thomas yet. This is what we have so far, but we're still looking for more pieces and ideas!

This is his bedding. We bought the comforter, RR pillow, and color blocks pillow. We'll probably get the same color sheets, but from somewhere else.

While we were in Smithville this week (they are a train themed city) we found two lanterns like the ones below in an antique store. They are both red and they are different sizes.

Currently Jackson has two of these baskets that match his current room. He uses one for stuffed animals and one as a laundry basket. We bought two more for his next room. I think we bought orange and blue.

Finally we bought this train light. It really lights up and Jackson already loves it.

We know we want a RR crossing sign of some sort to put in there. Also, we have this organization system that isn't train themed, but will move from his playroom to his bedroom.

Oh yeah, and Santa brought him this bean bag chair. But, it doesn't say Aidan on it.

Other than that...we're still working on it. Ideas?

I just found this. I think I can make something like this!

Some "Different" Maternity Pictures

Do We Look Like Bank Robbers?

Do these innocent faces look like bank robbers?

I don't think so. But, apparently "big city folk" can make the "small town folk" a little nervous.

Rob booked a B&B, The Katy House, in Smithville for a quick overnight trip. It was our first night away from Jackson, who was left with Grandma Stockman. We knew he was in good hands, but it was still a little tough to leave him. Smithville is a cute, sleepy town that's between Houston and Austin. We've driven through it before, but never really spent much time there. The B&B is within walking distance of the main strip. After settling in, we grabbed Noelle's camera and Rob's toaster and headed towards the main strip. We were taking a few pictures on the way.

We were having fun taking silly pictures when an unmarked police car sped up to us. After some intense questioning we found out that we had apparently been taking our pictures behind a bank and were apparently making the bank very nervous since we were taking pictures. They ran some checks on us and our car and were very suspicious that we were visiting from Houston. "There are tons of bank robbers in Houston right now." Um, okay. I think that after talking to us for a few minutes he realized that we were very unlikely bank robbers. Rob with his toaster, me with my camera and preggo belly? What would our name be? The toasty belly bandits? Turns out the officer was from Houston (by the way - check out the boots and 'stache) and in the end chilled out. We even talked him into a picture with the toaster.
After some antiquing and whatnot, we looked for some dinner. We headed out to La Grange to try Bistro 108, but it was closed on Mondays, as were many small town restaurants, so we eventually ended up at La Grange's Pizza Shack.

The pizza was okay, but the family-friendly atmosphere might have been a little much for a couple away from their child. There were butcher paper rolls on the wall on which customers had drawn pictures and the TV was tuned to Nickelodeon playing lots of iCarly loudly. It was a dinner pretty much instantly regretted.

We slept until 8:30 in the morning and met the other characters at the B & B breakfast. One of them happened to be Noelle's old boss from her intern day at the Astros, Phoenix. Small world.

The B & B had a railroad theme going since Smithville is a big railroad town. They've purchased the oldest surviving caboose from the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas line (that Katy is named after) and are going to turn it into a room for the B & B. They've got a long way to go.
Across the street was an old ice house in which Rob had once ended up on a bike trip with his friend Jess. It was fun seeing it again, especially being as it didn't involve biker shorts and punctured tires.




While in Smithville, we bought a Bingo lottery ticket. We used to always get a Bingo lottery ticket on road trips. We won $100!
We had lunch at this awesome restaurant called Back Door Cafe. While we were at an antique store we asked the owner what kind of food they offered. She told us the owner offers a few different items each day and she guaranteed it would be good. He closes for three months each summer and goes to cook at a resort and then reopens each fall. We loved the place. The lunch was $7.50 and started with a salad, bread, and a cup of beans. Rob got the pork schnitzel and I got the chicken fried steak. Each came with two sides and iced tea. Not bad for $7.50, especially considering it was so good! We will definitely stop there in the future on the way to/from Austin.

It was good. Hey Rebecca - let's plan a weekend where we can meet halfway to each other in Smithville and eat here.

The town decorates large gingerbread men, but most of them are pretty cutesy and not at all terrifying. This one was different.

Check out this little girl who came running out of her house in a tiger costume. There had been tigers all around town being as Smithville High has tigers as their mascot, but this tiger was supercute. We thought it was particularly funny because Hope Floats was filmed in Smithville and this little kid in it was always wearing costumes.

On the way home, we also stopped at a painted Catholic church.

After that, we stopped briefly in Schulenburg to get some coffee and Blizzards, which were also immediately regretted. All in all we had a great time, but we were also happy to get home and see our little boy!

Christmas

Santa came.

Jackson really had a great time this Christmas. Leading up to Christmas he fell in love with everything Christmas (except Santa's lap) from lights to Santa to Jingle Bells to Ho Ho Ho.

Here's Jackson on Christmas morning. Santa brought him a broom since he loves using the real broom in the backyard. It was a hit!

The puppies got cute squeaky animals that were major hits...for about 10 minutes. They haven't touched them since. Ruffles got a duck.

After we had a nuclear Christmas morning, Grandma and Granddad Stockman and Uncle Stephen came over and Jackson continued to get spoiled. Here is his pile of gifts. He slowly opened the presents and took each scrap of paper to someone.

Mom and Dad got Jackson a baby boy doll so he could practice being a big brother. So far so good. On Christmas morning he fed the baby and gave him hugs and kisses. When we got home today he began asking about where his baby was. He fed him again, patted him saying, "gentle" and cried when we took him out of the room. Unfortunately, he also likes to poke the baby's eyes. Hopefully we can break him of that before the real baby is born.

Mid-afternoon we headed to Grandma and Granddad MacGregor's house for a third Christmas. Although we missed the Morris family, we had a nice time with everyone else. Jackson had fun all day long and was totally wired by the end of the night.

Penny - this picture is for you...

More Pictures from the Birthday and Christmas Eve

Until recently Jackson hasn't been too into dancing. All of that changed when he learned the song Jingle Bells. Now he loves dancing around the living room singing, "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells" over and over again.

Not the greatest picture of us, but we're all three in it. Jackson is counting to three for the camera.

Jackson had Grandma Stockman's strawberry cake for the first time and LOVED it.