Feeling Nostalgic

So it's around this time of the year that I get a little nostalgic. Yes, Jackson turns six in two days. This is what he looked like days after he was born.

Oh, so very little! He came into this world nearly 6 weeks early...a shock to us all (including sweet friends who had a baby shower planned for me the day after he was born...and I was beginning my stay there at the hospital with a preemie baby and myself who was not allowed to get out of a wheelchair =) Memories...!! Well, I have to say that that little kid has grown up. I'm so proud of him. God gave us a perfect blessing...and I love that blessing to pieces!! He stole my heart nearly six years ago. He now knows he came early, and can tell you his real birthday and the birthday he was supposed to come on. He is growing so much and learning so much. I am amazed at all he knows and love to watch him discover new things, and play with cars, and create masterpieces of art, and read, and play, and love on others, and care for people, and just be a child of God. It makes me smile and gives my heart a little flutter when I hear him talk about Jesus and the things that remind him of Jesus...like the treasure he got from the treasure chest the other day. It was a stretchy heart with arms and legs. Pretty pointless to me but a treasure to a 5 year old. That is, it seemed like a piece of junk treasure to me until he told me why he chose it. "It reminds me that I have Jesus in my heart! That's why I picked it Mom!" So, now we are entering the time in his life that I've been praying for...he's so very close and understands it but I continue to pray for the confidence he needs to ask God in prayer to come into his life and for me to know when that time is and how to help him. And that stretchy heart? Well, it's thrown on the floor now, and as I clean up today, you'd better believe that heart will not get thrown away. It's become a treasure of mine too! Memories... So, in two days, my baby will turn 6...6!! I cannot believe it...6 years old!! I'll post some pictures then of him on his birthday, but I just wanted to share my heart right now...and this picture of the athlete in him. He stopped for two seconds to smile for the camera after his basketball game.

I love that smile.

The Pumpkin Patch

One of my favorite pictures of Jackson is from the Pumpkin Patch last year. He's holding up this huge pumpkin from his school's pumpkin patch. Imagine my excitement when we had the opportunity to go out to a real pumpkin patch this year!! A real one, where the pumpkins were still lying IN the patch and we picked them up!

It was a "Trips and Tours" event arranged by the one of the spouses of one of the students in Cody's class. We didn't really know that many people, but it was kindof cool, because the farm closes at 6pm, but they stayed open beyond that for us, lit 5 bonfires and we went to town roasting hot dogs and marshmallows for smores! Prior to dinner, we enjoyed the many activities that the Farm had to offer to include Jackson riding the "Cow Train", going through the corn maze, a hayride, picking our pumpkins and Jackson getting to expend some energy jumping around on the inflatable playground!