I'm officially....

...a SOCCER MOM!

I couldn't be prouder.  And yes...I do dream of owning a minivan one day.  I went online and watched the 360 degree tour of the Toyota Sienna just for my own enjoyment.  When the day comes when I can upgrade, I may want to look at the Tahoe's etc...just to see what all of the fuss is about but as of right now, I'd like to complete my soccer mom status with a good ol' minivan.  And...if it is raining, and you see me open doors with a push of a button and hop in...just know that I'm secretly chanting, "na na nee boo boo."  I'm just sayin'.

Let's get back to the real reason why I am now a soccer mom.  The common minivan daydream got me off track.  Tuesday, I took Ava to her very first (hopefully there will be many more) soccer practice at Christ United.  Kevin is the head coach of her little k4 team.  It is adorable.  The kids were bouncing all around.  Ava was very interested in what was going on around her and making sure people saw her pink shin guards.  Need proof...check out the video.  Make sure your volume is up.


First Soccer Practice from Lena Jackson on Vimeo.

The only thing that was missing was Kevin.  Before we had children, he would talk about how excited he would be to coach his kids.  So, it was heartbreaking when he found out he had to go to TX for work and miss her first ever practice.  I'm absolutely thrilled to watch Kevin coach the kids.  He was a big part of the kids soccer program at UMS when he was the assistant varsity girls coach there and he was amazing.  The parents adored him.  He will be a great coach.  Kids just flock to him.  Me...not so much.  He just has the magic kids touch.  So get ready...this will be just the first of many soccer posts!  Check out some pictures of our future soccer star (as long as she wants to play) and for an added bonus...there's one of my man Owen, who is by far the most adorable 4 year old little boy on the planet.  According to his mommy, he would do a full body jump out in front of the ball as if he was a super hero.  So stinkin' cute.

As for the minivan...donations are being accepted.

Ok...so maybe it is wrong of me to post this one but seriously, well, boys will be boys right?

Life...

....is good.
We are having fun, and here are a bunch of pictures to prove it.

Last week was a fun filled and busy week. We crammed in as much time with friends and family before they went back to school. We started with an impromptu lemonade stand at my sister's house. It was about 150 degree's outside so kids ended up drinking more than selling but they had a great time.  She was very proud of her $3.  Ava spent the night with her "Aunt Mewwy." She was having so much fun that we had to beg her to call to say good night. She didn't miss us one bit.

Nora was the first customer.  About .25 cents worth of the lemonade went down her shirt.

Next up...the Wiggles!  I took Ava while Daddy stayed home for some Nora time.  Ava was so excited! She danced most of the time and wore herself out.  About half way through, she kept telling me how tired she was.  It was a good show but the guys are much older than I expected.  I don't know why I didn't figure that out considering the show has been on TV for ages.  

Ava was squealing!  She was so excited!

Next we had an amazing time with our sweet friends, Amanda and Joe Comer, at the Exploreum.  The kids loved seeing the Reptile exhibit and spent most of their time in the play area while Amanda and I got the chance to catch up.  It has been approx. 3 1/2 years since I followed God's prompting to quit my job and I have never looked back.  During my time at Televox, God put some amazing women in my life and their friendships are so important to me.  Amanda is definitely one of those blessings.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share of our play-date.

Last but definitely not least...my sweet Nora bug.  This precious child has so many expressions!  I can never catch them on camera.  Here are just a few of her sweet faces when she was enjoying some time with Nana on the tire swing.  It is amazing to us how well she communicates with her eyes.

Who says you need a boy to be a "Daddy's helper?"  What would have taken Kevin just a few minutes to fix on the dryer, took a little longer considering he had two helpers that were determined to not leave his lap.

Thanks for checking out the pictures and I hope everyone has a blessed week!

Gettin' Dirty!

Oh my! We have so much fun in our backyard. It has been so unbelievably hot lately so we only get to spend a few minutes at a time outside. Sometimes, I blow up the pool and prop up the beach umbrella for a little shade. The pool and popsicles are really the only way to bear the heat right now. Yes, I normally end up in the pool with them. The best part is that Nora's cute baby tooshie is almost always exposed. When I put a bathing suit on her, she tugs at it and cries. If we go outside and there is any water in her play sink, she gets in. It is her pool. So, most of the time, her clothes are soaked and the easiest thing to do is just strip her down to her birthday suit. Then, she is one happy baby. Not to be left out, Ava (the one who started our nudist backyard), well, she likes her birthday suit too. I don't fight it. Let's be honest. It is so stinkin' hot that if I could be butt naked and be as adorable as they are, I'd be shedding my clothes too! The latest naked adventure....MUD PIES! Get ready for some cuteness (pg I promise).

BTW...sorry about the plain layout. I'm trying to work on it. :)