True Colours

Jackson has shed some of his toddlerness this week and become more boy-like, looking for adventures every day and taking the bull by the horns.  When I pick him up from nursery and hear about his risk-taking ways, I try not to have a heart attack, but I also know that this is how our little boy is going to be for life.  He loves to try everything and push the limits as to what is allowed in order to discover something new.  I truly admire his zest for living on the wild side, but I'm not exactly sure where he got it from.

The most outrageous story of the week came about when Jackson and his nursery friends were on a dinosaur hunt in the woods (as far as I'm aware, they had no luck in finding any).  He had no problem pushing through sticks and wet leaves and loved to get messy.  But, that wasn't the Action Jackson moment.  Sporting a head-to-toe red waterproof outfit and rain boots (wellies, UK), Jackson noticed that a large portion of the front yard of the school's property had been turned into an ice-skating rink because of the unevenness of the land combined with the heavy rain and freezing temperatures this week.  He decided that he would lead an expedition out onto the ice, step-by-step, to see how far he could walk before the ice cracked beneath him.  I believe he had one follower behind him and was confident about leading him into the great unknown.  Jackson got quite excited when the ice finally started to snap apart and wasn't afraid in the slightest.  He even waited until his wellies started sinking into the muddy, watery sludge beneath the surface.

I have definitely softened my reactions to stories about Jackson's adventures because, with each new story, my worry lessens and my appreciation for his true personality grows.  There are times that we have to rein Jackson in to keep him from misbehaving, but this is different; this is Jackson's way to show how much he loves life.  I am excited to see where this little boy goes in life and where his adventures take us.

We'll begin with the best one--which was also the last one--we took for our holiday picture.

We almost stopped with this shot because Jackson was crying, but it looked like he was smiling and we weren't sure that we would get a better shot than this.

Jackson wanted one on his own.

 

For comedic effect ... we were defying gravity here.

The day of the Arctic climb (Jackson has the blue trapper hat)

Hunting for dinosaurs and getting messy

Seconds before the trek

Developmental updates:  Jackson is beginning to see what this potty business is all about.  We've had two choices of potties at home for a year or so, but has he been interested in either of those?  No.  At nursery though, they have a red potty which he calls the 'McQueen potty' and he thinks it's cool to sit on it.  Although he is still fully clothed, he is making a huge step in the right direction toward conquering yet another milestone.

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