Air Show Minus Flying

This past week was insanely busy...insanely busy! I, along with another gal from church, had the privilege of baking every day for 40 Vacation Bible School workers. I love cooking and baking, and it was nice to serve my brothers and sisters in Christ with one of the interests God's given me. My days were hectic, my kitchen looked like my grain mill exploded and Jackson was running out of clothes, which is why I haven't blogged in over a week.

Yesterday, Jason and I got to watch our friends' little baby boy while his parents enjoyed an evening out. It was such a blessing to watch Micah so that Ryan and Kate could spend time together. Jace, Jackers and I took Micah to the base for an air show...only there was no flying. They had a bunch of planes on display and the pilots were there to answer questions and show us stuff.

After we looked at the planes, Jason's squadron had a picnic for all of the squadron members. There were games for adults and children and lots of good food. We didn't stay long because there was lightning within 5 minutes and it was extremely windy. We wanted to get the boys home.

Here are some pictures of our afternoon:

Jace and Jack in front of a C-5:

Going inside the C-5:

Inside the C-5:

Sweet Micah inside the C-5:

Adrienne and Jackson in front of the front of the C-5:

F-16:

F-16 Loaded:

KC-135:

The boom on the KC-135 that is used for air refueling:

C-130:

Jackson LOVES "baby" Micah. Whenever he sees Micah, he always wants to sign and say baby. Here he is signing baby (his way):

Jackson kept pointing out to us that Micah was wearing a hat:

The boys with the back of an A-10 (our friend Kevin flies these) in the background:

German Biplane:

F-15:

German Tornado:

F-4:

Jace, Jackson and Micah on the flight line just outside of Jason's office:

Jason's office window overlooks the flight line. It's awesome to watch the planes take-off and land. Whenever we eat lunch with Jason, Jackson loves to stand in the window and watch the airplanes.

P.S. Jason absolutely had to help me name all of these planes!

Another Trim...Cut

This evening, Jackson and I both got our hair cut. I desperately needed a trim and some shaping; and since I was going, I thought Achim (my hairdresser) could shape up Jackson's hair. I'm still sick that I didn't get one picture or video of the whole thing. It wasn't his first haircut, but it was so much better than his first that it felt like his first.

He got to wear the cutest robe/wrap/apron/whatever you call that thing. It was blue with large animals on the front. He sat in my lap the entire time and didn't squirm or complain. He did grab his hair every now and then, but only because he was trying to tell us that he was getting his hair cut! It was funny! Plus, he is fascinated with hair dryers and he kept looking at Achim's and then pulling up his hair as if to tell us that he wanted us to dry his hair.

I couldn't believe the amount of hair that Achim cut off. A lot of kids don't have that much hair on their entire head at 19 months. It turned out a little shorter than I had wanted, but he is so adorable and looks more like a boy than a baby. I love my sweet Jackers!

Cars

Jackson has never been interested in the television. For one, I never turn it on during the day and it is extremely rare that Jason turns it on at night. In addition, Jackson doesn't have the attention span to sit and watch something on t.v. He'd much rather be running around and getting into things.
A couple of weeks ago, Jason was watching Cars. Jackson is completely and utterly fascinated with anything that has wheels. Jason showed him the cars on t.v. In the very first scene, Lightning McQueen is racing in the Piston Cup and music plays throughout the race. Jackson also loves music and whenever he wants to dance, he stomps his feet.

Well, this morning, Jack and I were playing in the living room with trains and magazines. We found a photo of Crocs in the magazine and I asked him to get his Crocs. He then started stomping. I thought that he might want to dance, but I had a feeling he meant dance to the song in Cars because that's what dance has meant lately. I wanted to distract him because I'm not a fan of him being in front of the television, so I asked him if he wanted to put on his shoes. He stomped again, said, "This!", and then stuck out his tongue. I could not believe it and started cracking up! You have to understand that in the first racing scene, Lightning McQueen does a Michael Jordan jump through the air and sticks out his tongue. Jason always makes a big deal when this happens and I guess Jackson picked up on it.

What's crazy about all of this? Jackson hasn't seen the movie very many times. (He only watches the first scene.) Yet, he already recognizes Lightning McQueen (the movie was playing in a store yesterday) and he is able to mimic him (by sticking out his tongue). It gave me such a good laugh this morning and one of those, "Are you kidding me?" moments.

Another Random Post

We bought Jackson a swing for his first birthday. We were finally able to successfully hang it from our back porch on July 4th (long story about why it took so long) and he's been loving it ever since. In fact, he swung in it for 2 hours straight on July 4th!

Last Wednesday, Jackson woke up from his nap just as I was finishing my shower. I put my towel on my head and he kept tapping his head (the sign for hat). It took me a few seconds, but then I figured out that he wanted to be a 'towel head' (that's what Jason calls me when I put my towel on my head) just like me. He laughed and laughed when I put it on and loved looking at both of us in the mirror. The photo doesn't catch the excitement, but he was totally thrilled.

Thursday, I left Jackson in the bathroom to finish washing his hands while I ran to the kitchen to check on our food. When I came back, this is how I found him:

We've really been enjoying our summer. We've had the pleasure of making some new friendships and I've been thrilled to get to know some of the women at our church. Jackson says new words every day and is able to do more and more with his body (climbing onto things and into things, running, buckling safety straps, etc.). I'm sorry that the blog hasn't been very exciting to read. I've been working on a lot of stuff on the homefront and it's taken away from my time to blog. Jason is busy with work and searching for a job. We are all looking forward to our trip to Houston in September.

Play Dough!

We made homemade play dough this morning. Orange appears to be Jackson's favorite color since he always chooses an orange shirt if there's a one clean in his drawer, so we made the play dough orange. I used the Nature's Play Dough recipe and it made wonderful play dough. Jackson had a lot of fun smashing and cutting and digging with a fork. When I played with him, he always wanted what I had even though he had a tub full of it. It was a good exercise in sharing!

Back in Business

I found a store in Trier that sells power adapters for my Mac. Jackson and I drove there this afternoon and we are back in business. I added photos to the bottom of my previous post if you want to take a look. Isn't it crazy how we just "can't live without" our computers!

The Day We Met

11 years ago today, I met Jason for the first time. I knew of him from high school, but I had never officially met him before 9 July 1997. I'm feeling a little nostalgic, so I think I'll retell the story (in as few words as possible).

Ronald and Meredith had been attending Metropolitan Baptist Church's youth group during the spring of my freshman year of college and then into the summer. I had seen a major change in their lives, which I now know was the grace of God working in them. The Lord had also been working in me throughout my freshman year. I knew my life was not what it was supposed to be, but my mind and heart still had not comprehended my utter depravity and deep need for the Savior.

Jason was one of the youth group's summer interns, so Ronald had spent a good amount of time with him. He was convinced that if Jason and I ever met, we would get married. He asked me if I remembered Jason from high school. I could picture him and remembered that he played soccer. Melissa graduated with him and said she remembered him as, "the guy who always carried his Bible around." (I'd say that's a good way to be remembered!)

Several times, Ronald told me that I should go to church with him and Meredith. I didn't think it was right for me to go to church just to meet a guy. At that point in my life, I was not interested in being attached. At the prompting of my amazing college roommate and lifelong friend (Natalie), I had just read Lady in Waiting and really wanted to learn to be content with Christ alone. If I went to church, I wanted it to be for God and God alone.

July rolled around and I finally decided that I would go with them to one of their Wednesday night youth gatherings. I will never forget that night for the rest of my life. I was nervous getting out of the car. I knew that Jason was going to be there. Even though I'd told myself that I was going because of the change I'd seen in Mer and Ronald, there was a part of me that was really curious and interested in meeting Jason.

We walked into the building and I saw him. He was wearing a white t-shirt, khaki shorts, tennis shoes and crew socks. He looked good! I was wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and a sky blue shirt, which I still have! I can't let it go since it was the shirt I was wearing when we first met. Isn't that silly?!

After the service was over, Ronald and Meredith introduced us. Jace looked me straight in the eyes and told me that it was very nice to meet me. This is really embarrassing, but I could barely get words out. I was seriously captivated by his eyes, the sound of his voice, and his curly smile. We had a very short conversation, thanks to my nerves, over generalities (college - Baylor and UT, summer plans) and then we left. When I walked out that door, I was convinced that he was the guy I wanted to marry. I felt completely ridiculous even having that thought since I didn't even know him; nevertheless, that thought stayed with me (after MUCH prayer) until 21 December 1997 when he finally asked me to go with him and a group of people to grab pizza after church.

The 5 months in between were a gift from the Lord (a huge time of growth for me)...as have been the past 10 1/2 years. When I walked into the MFLC that night, I had no idea how life-changing it would be. Lord, thank You for choosing such an incredibly patient, loving, and merciful partner for me. And thank You, thank You, that even though I loved him first, he came after me all on his own. Jace, I'm glad you finally came to your senses!!

Here are some photos of our dating days. These pictures were taken before our digital camera days so the photos had to be scanned. I don't have time to adjust the color/contrast/etc. so the quality isn't that great. Enjoy...and have a nice laugh!

These first two pictures are from New Year's Eve 1997. We went out with Beau and Alli for our first double date. (We hadn't been out solo yet.) Beau and Alli started dating at the same time as we did. We absolutely cherish their friendship - dating days together, weddings, first babies, and looking forward to so much more!

First Valentine's Day - Jace came home from Baylor:

Seaworld - We met in San Antonio for my sister's dance competition:

Wall of Water at the Galleria area in Houston - I think every Houston couple goes here at least once:

June 1998:

4 July 1998 - Watching Fireworks with Beau and Alli in Friendswood in the back of Beau's truck:

16 August 1998 - Our engagement (Jace proposed after a church service at the Met...the place we met and the place we'd later marry):

Fall 1998:

1 October 1998 - The first cake I ever made for Jason:

P.S. Today is Allison's birthday - a doubly special day!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLI!!! I love you girl!!

No Computer!!

I'm so bummed! The charger for my laptop started sparking! I'm hoping I can find a new charger somewhere here, but if I don't, I'll be without my computer for a few weeks. I have a PC, but it's very old and nothing is on it. All of my photos and things are on the Mac. So if the blog is boring, you'll know why.

Blog Facelift

Today has been so great. I've stayed in my pajamas all day long! Jackson slept in late and took a long nap. Then, he and Jason went and grabbed dinner while I stayed at home. What a treat! Throughout the day, I've been giving my blog a facelift. It was in desperate need and I wanted something more personal. I found a website offering cute backgrounds and then decided to give Photoshop a try. It's not hard to use, but it took me a while to figure out layers and transforming the layer rather than resizing the image. It's not anything spectacular, but I think it's a decent start....and it was so much fun.

Cape Gooseberries

Yesterday, Jackson and I went to the grocery store and I saw this carton of fruit that I've never seen before. Since the name ended in 'berry' and I have a berry enthusiast at my house, I thought it'd be a good idea to try them. Plus, they weren't expensive.

When we got home, I didn't unload all of the produce and left some of the bags on the floor while I was juicing and cleaning the kitchen. I turned my back to wash a saucepan and Jackson started digging in the bags. He likes to help me take things out before I put them away. When I turned around, I saw him sitting on the floor and pulling off the papery pods of the gooseberry. My initial reaction was to tell him no, but then I thought, "What's the big deal? Let him explore."

I was able to talk him into letting me rinse each berry before eating it. He would have eaten the entire carton if I would have let him. They are really good and perfect for desserts or jams. They have a lot of flavor - sweet and tart. And they are a lot of fun for toddlers because they get to pull things apart. You should buy some!

Friends, Baby Seats and New Shoes

We are missing our family and friends in the States very much and are eagerly awaiting our trip in September; however, we aren't letting the days waste away. We are enjoying the summer weather! Saturday, Chris and Tasha came over for some fun time around the grill. Chris works with Jason and we met him the first full day we were in Germany. I tried to get a picture of these two lovebirds. They are smooching in every one of them except this one:

Jackson stole Jason's shoes (a current obsession of his along with cars, trucks, tractors, lawn mowers and telephones) and had fun walking around outside. He's been missing his daddy lately because Jason has had to work a lot.

Jackson and I have been spending time with Kate and Micah (Kate's 8-month-old) during the day. Jackson gets really excited about seeing the "baby" and loves to watch him sit in his seat, play on the floor, and eat. This week, I finally brought Jackson's baby carrier into the house. It's been in Jason's car or the garage since we got his new car seat. I would have never guessed, but it's been the favorite toy for the past two days. He kept wanting to get inside. Then he would lay back and make the sign for 'sleep'. I asked him if he wanted to go to sleep and he told me he did. Then, he signed 'baby'. I'm sure he's thinking about Micah. I asked him if he was Mommy's baby. He smiled and said yes, which sounds more like ah-huh, ah-huh (however you spell that) but with mmmmmmm sounds. The next morning, he woke up and went straight for his seat:

Even though this picture is totally out of focus, I had to include it because this is how Jackson always sat in his baby carrier - sucking his right thumb with his right foot crossed over his left:

Yesterday, we went and bought Jackson some new shoes. His Pedipeds were not meant for active, little boy, outdoor adventures. He rubbed a hole all the way through his right shoe where his big toe touches down. I have to say that the Germans know how to make good quality shoes and I found a pair at the first store we went to. Jackson was so cute. This is the first pair of shoes he's actually been fitted for. He sat so still while the man (who has probably owned that store and fitted children for shoes for 40 years) measured his foot and then tried on a couple of pairs. He was so excited too. It was cute to see him so happy over shoes! He wears a European size 21. I wish I had brought my camera to document the event, but I did get a photo of us initiating the shoes at the playground that afternoon:

We went to a playground that is attached to a kindergarten in a local town. There are houses bordering the playground. While Jackson was swinging, a man and his dog walked across the playground pushing a lawn mower. Well, 'mower' (it sounds like whoa-wer) is one of Jackson's most used words these days so you can imagine his excitement. He watched that man, his dog, and the lawnmower until they were out of sight. Not seconds later, another man started up his riding lawn mower. We could actually see into his yard because it wasn't completely bordered by hedges. We sat and watched the man mow his yard for 15-20 minutes. Jackson just stood there mesmerized. He probably would have watched the entire time he mowed, but I had to get home to cook dinner. Here's a photo of him watching:

We are looking forward to the long weekend. We haven't seen much of Jace the past two weeks, so good times are in the forecast.