Fun in the Sun

Finally half-term holidays are here!  Since Lee took the week off, we all enjoyed a wonderful week of family time around Southport and working on the house.  And somehow, the weather has managed to be perfect all week, so we were able to get out every day much to Jackson's delight.

Tuesday and Thursday we went 'old school' and visited the children's centre for outdoor activities and a top tots group which is sort of a gross motor skill session for toddlers.  It was really nice to see how Jackson has come along from the last time we went in the summer, before he could even walk.  Now he plays chase with other children, performs his dancing skills on a stage, races endlessly up and down steep hills, and can even drink out of a milk carton with a straw without spilling!  We were really proud to see his new skills.

On Thursday, we also tried out a new place in Southport called Imagination Station.  This is a toddler's play place that has mini shops for them to play in, a playhouse with three different rooms, a room full of sand with construction toys, crafts every half hour led by an extremely nice lady, story time with props, and a painting room where anything and everything is allowed to be painted--including a shed, bushes, outdoor decorations, and the walls!  Even though Jackson could have gone crazy with the paint, we had to really encourage him to paint on things that he knows he's not supposed to usually.  He was very careful with the paint brush and neat with his brush strokes.  The Imagination Station is also connected to a cafe which is great for parents to transition to lunch time because as the children play, or when they are ready for a break, we can go straight into eating.

Today was the Ainsdale Gala Fun Day and Jackson loved riding the rides.  He's developed a new laugh and throws his head back in complete joy when he's having a good time.  It was great to see that so many times today.  Although, since Jackson doesn't understand that rides have time limits or a limit to the number of times they can be ridden, we had a major meltdown after each one.  We tried to pass by the rides, but it was hard to deny him what he wanted when we knew he would have a good time.

After a few rides and then a short break at home, we went to the one thing that I wait all year for:  The Southport Food and Drink Festival!  On the way there, Jackson looked like he was going to take a nap, but he wouldn't rest because he didn't want to miss a minute of the fun.  So, what used to be about an hour adventure, turned into a three-hour trip of following Jackson around, going on more bouncy castles, and then finally getting some food.  Everything is different, but much more fun, with a baby!

Helping mow the lawn with his new toy from Dobbie's Garden Centre

It was really hot this week so we washed down all of the outdoor toys and even broke out the old water table!

Lots of laughter and joy

Welcome to another episode of Home Improvement with Jackson

Finding the perfect spot that needs a bit of red paint

We're painting the roses red

After just a dab, he needed reassurance that he could continue painting anything he wanted to paint

Preparing a drink in the playhouse

We weren't sure how Jackson would react or if he would try to climb out of the mini aeroplane, so one of has to ride along.

You can tell by Jackson's windswept look how fast these two arrived at the bottom of the Helter Skelter

The six-year-olds who were quickly scaling the ladder for this bouncy slide made it look really easy to climb to the top.  It wasn't!  I only managed one out of four of the rides down while Lee took Jackson on the other three slides.  Both of the boys loved it.

Neither of us would fit in this one, so Jackson had to go it alone.  We were just happy that he chose the car without an open top and with a door that latched closed.  He did really well and loved every minute!  We had to peel him out at the end--I think he could have stayed in his little bus for hours.

Developmental updates:  Jackson's favourite new word is 'duck' for 'stuck.'  He loves to tell us when things are stuck and even likes to get himself into situations where he can tell us he is stuck.  For instance, this week, he purposely laid the laptop cable on top of his foot so that he could be rescued from being 'stuck.'  Today at the food festival, Jackson was eating with a fork and positioned the fork between his teeth, held it in place with his mouth, and then managed to mumble the word 'stuck' so we could 'help' him from his precarious predicament.  Jackson is going up and down the staircase, as he has done before, but now he walks up like an adult, holding the railing, and only using his feet to go one step at-a-time.  This worries us to no end, but he refuses to crawl up or slide down which would be much easier for his little legs.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.