Audrey is 15 Months Old!

So technically Audrey is 15.5 months old now, but we've been a little busy. Without a doubt, Audrey is part of that business! She is constantly on the go right now. If there's something around to climb on or to go in and out of, you can count on her doing it over and over and over and...

Audrey and Jackson both had their well child checkups this week, and the doctor was pretty amazed by what she called Audrey's "receptive skills." If you've spent any time around Audrey, you understand what that means. From early on people have commented on how she just seems to have a greater sense of understanding. We are both constantly amazed by what she understands from the way she answers questions to following instructions.

On the growth scales, Audrey remains at the 50th percentile in height and has dropped from the 75th to the 50th percentile in weight...that's how on-the-go she really is! Her language is beginning to develop, but it's obvious that she seems to be more on the analytical side, whereas Jackson was more verbal at this age. We still think she's just waiting until she can speak in full sentences. ;-)

Here are a few more recent pics of Audrey. Like we said, she loves trying to figure things out...like this puzzle.

As always, there are a few more pictures in the album.

Broken Leg Update

We took Jackson back to the pediatric orthopaedist on Friday. We walked in, answered a few questions, and then they cut off his cast...with virtually no discussion with Jackson beforehand. Needless to say, even though we'd spent a couple of days talking about the "cool saw" they would use to take off his cast, he got pretty scared and upset. After it came off, he quickly said he wanted another one back on.

They x-rayed his leg, and the doctor declared him healed! This is two weeks earlier than we were originally told, and we are so thankful! Apparently, it can take twice as long as he had the cast on before he will walk completely normal without a limp, which means up to 8 weeks...another reason we are so grateful the cast came off early.

The skin on his injured leg was very irritated and sensitive, and since he didn't even want to bend his knee, we opted to keep him home for the day. Since then he's done great! He stood on it briefly a few times the first day, and each day he is doing a little more. As of today, he is bending his knee when he feels comfortable and was able to walk just holding my hand for shorter distances.

We ended up getting a causeway pass for the last shuttle launch, which is coming up in a few weeks, so we are again thankful he will have the extra time to recover before we travel! Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

Jackson's 3rd Birthday

Last weekend was Jackson's 3rd birthday! It's hard to believe, but it's true! We originally planned to have a party at Jump N Jungle, but plans changed when Jackson broke his leg. Instead we had a Dinosaurs Rock party at a local park, which was a blast!

Texas Avenue Park's pavilions are first come, first served, and since all the other park pavilions were already booked, we decided we'd risk it. We arrived at 8 AM to find people had shown up at 4 AM to save the tables. Fortunately, there was another pavilion without any tables (it's a covered basketball court) where we were able to set up, and it worked out great! The kiddos had lots of room to run and play in the shade.

Walt, the dinosaur guy, started the party by having the kids help him make a volcano with play dough. The different colors represented different things, and after putting dinosaurs around the volcano, they even crashed purple meteors into everything. Jackson had the honor of making the volcano erupt, which he thought was pretty cool!

Then Walt captured their attention for over 30 minutes talking about different dinosaur facts and fossils he'd brought with him. It was a very hands-on demonstration, and the kids loved being involved.

After learning about the fossils, they got to go on their very own dig. They found all kinds of special rocks and fossils, which they got to keep!

While they were digging, some dinosaurs laid eggs in the grass by the pavilion. There just so happened to be enough for every kid to get one! Inside each egg was a stretchy, sticky dinosaur. What fun!

Finally, it was time to eat! Here's a picture of the cake. Apparently, I stopped taking pictures at this point, so if I get pics from someone else of JD blowing out candles or the kids running around, I'll make an update.

I ordered some dinosaur printables for the favor bags, banner, and signs for the food. This one was my favorite. ;-)

We gave the kids dinosaur stamps, tattoos, and silly bands as a thank you for celebrating with us, and they were a hit. Jackson even decided to put a stamp in the middle of his forehead! He was pretty excited about it, but didn't really care for me taking a picture of it...

Jackson had a great birthday weekend thanks to family and friends. There are more pics of all the fun in the album.

Stone Family Reunion

The annual Stone Family Reunion was held over Memorial Day weekend this year, and just about everyone was able to make it this year. It was great!

Before the actual family reunion festivities kicked off, Ross and I made our way to Mudbug Madness with Leslie and all of the kiddos. I used to work at Mudbug Madness with my Dad when I was growing up, so it was fun to be in town while it was going on. We enjoyed some great food and music and look forward to future years when JD is able to participate in more of the kid activities. Having a broken leg kept him from being able to do some fun stuff. He did get to make some sand art and get his hand painted though, so he did have fun! The festival plaza was packed, so we ended up finding a shady spot on the ground by one of the bands to eat our food. The kiddos enjoyed some fried fish while the adults had some crawfish. Then we introduced them to gator-on-a-stick, which was a hit! Audrey especially loved it. Here they are just before we left. I think they were all tired and full!

Saturday evening the family reunion fun began. The schedule of events was the same as previous years. We had dinner at Aunt Dottie and Uncle Jim's on Saturday. Then we had brunch at Susan and John's on Sunday morning, and we headed out to Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Laura's for an evening of swimming, soccer, food, and karaoke! There were a little over 40 family members in attendance this year with almost half that number being kids.

Jackson's favorite part of the weekend was the puppet show Aunt Carol and his cousins put on. Jackson got to be a cow and a pig, and Aunt Carol was sweet enough to let Jackson take his nap with the pig that day. Audrey's favorite part seemed to be swimming. This was her second time in the pool this year. Her first trip was a little cold, but she LOVED it this time! Here are a few pictures from Saturday including one of Ross' Grandfather, Jim Stone, who is the head of this incredible family. There are more pictures of the puppet show and other fun activities in the album.

Full of Color

We made our way to Shreveport this weekend for Ross' family reunion, but before the festivities kicked off, we got to visit a little with some of my family. Great Granddaddy and G.G., which is short for Great Grandmother, drove over from Ruston to spend the morning with us. They always have the best surprises for Jackson and Audrey, and this time was no exception. They got some great clothes along with some colorful toys!

We also got a great picture of G.G., Great Granddaddy, Audrey, and Jackson.

There are a few more pictures from their visit in the album.

Get Well Soon!

Monday morning we got in to see the pediatric orthopedist where it was determined Jackson indeed had a broken leg and needed a long leg cast. The break is just below the knee. The cast will be on for 6 weeks, and he can't walk on it at all!

Jackson did great getting the cast. He cried a little as they were taking off the splint, but he laughed and joked through most of the casting process. He chose a blue cast, which you can see below, and he's thoroughly enjoyed all of the attention he's getting! He still seems to be in pain, but as long as he's had some medicine, he's in great spirits.

Ross and I both took Monday off to be with Jackson while he got his cast, so after his nap that afternoon we decided to take him to his second movie, "Rio". His first was an IMAX 3D movie on the field trip with his class last month. He was a little scared and overwhelmed at first, but as soon as the birds started dancing, he decided it was fun and told me, "I'm not scared anymore." We really enjoyed spending the afternoon together.

Tuesday was Jackson's first day back at daycare after breaking his leg. We spent a good bit of time talking with his teachers on Monday trying to figure out the best way for them to help take care of him. We decided to bring our wagon to school for them to wheel him around when they were leaving the classroom, which has been a hit. His friends even take turns pulling him around outside. In the class he's scooting all over the floor and having his wonderful teachers help him get into chairs, etc. when needed. He's really adjusted well and has definitely enjoyed the attention. If you see him, he's likely to tell you, "I got hurt" in a very pitiful tone.

We've started writing on his cast, which he's enjoyed. Here are few of the messages that have been left for him.

We are so grateful for everyone's prayers and concern for Jackson. Some days are a bit of a roller coaster ride right now, but I think that's to be expected as he gets frustrated and scared. Overall, though, he's still his happy self and finding plenty of ways to get around and get what he wants!

There are a few more pictures in the album.

Sleeping

Here's our sweet baby girl napping last weekend before we headed to the zoo. I love how peaceful and sweet she looks. She was resting up for lots of fun!