4th of July Goodies!

I thought with Fourth of July coming up next week, I would share a few fun decor ideas and some 4th of July treats I've found on Pinterest, etc! 

Enjoy!

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Jackson's 35 and 36 Week Pictures

Jackson turned 36 weeks old yesterday, and since I'm a week behind, I'm going to post both his 35 and 36 week pictures.

These pictures are seriously getting harder and harder to take. Before I even snapped a picture last night I was sweating! Getting everything set up and trying to keep him on the backdrop is hard work! He does not like to lay still, AT ALL! Here are some of the outtakes from last night.

He started out with these bowling pins. In the first picture I had tried to take them away and get his attention on the rattle my sister was holding, but as you can see, that was a big fail! I finally just let him have the bowling pins for a while until he was done playing with them. After that he cooperated a little better. I didn't get any pictures of him crawling away, but believe me, he does not stay laying on his back very long, sometimes its just seconds and he's gone!

In the last couple weeks he's gotten another tooth and I think he might be starting on a third one. The first one he got was on his bottom right side in the middle. The second one he has now seems to be two teeth over to the left. I think the tooth in between those two might be starting to come in, but its so hard to tell. He doesn't like for you to feel in there and he won't let you look at them either! He's a little stinker when it comes to trying to look at his teeth. He will even press his lips together!

He's trying more and more table food. Last night he had little pieces of green beans, which he seemed to really like, and a few bites of mashed potatoes, which he didn't really seem to like. He's had ice cream, popsicles, yogurt, bread, noodles, watermelon and little bites of grilled cheese. He loves to eat!!!

 He's taking a step here and a step there. He holds onto the couch and walks all along it now. He can go pretty fast along the couch too. We were practicing a little with him last night and he would take a little step from my mom to me. I have a feeling it won't be long and he'll be walking! Which is so hard to believe.

He's been sleeping better these last couple weeks, which is GREAT for me. Last night he only woke up once!! Thank you Jackson! He's also been going to sleep a lot easier for me. When I've had to let him cry it out this week, which was only once or twice, he only cried for 5 minutes!

He stayed in a hotel for the first time this last weekend. He did great too! When we first put him down, he was so excited. He was crawling all around and smiling and laughing. It was really cute. He slept well in his pack n play (this was the first time he had slept in it) and was really happy and such a good baby the entire weekend! He did great in the car on the 4 hour drive there and back, only crying when he got tired. Thank goodness for the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse C.D. That puts him right to sleep!!

He's at such a fun age and we're loving every minute of it!! We love you sweet Jackson.

Embrace the Camera

Linking up with Emily at The Anderson Crew

Embrace the Camera is where you'll take a picture of YOU with your kids, spouse, friends, etc. The point of embrace the camera is to get in front of the camera and to document a bit of yourself.

At the wedding we attended this past weekend, Jake and I had a few pictures taken of just the two of us, something we rarely do anymore. I thought I'd save them and share them for Embrace the Camera.

Now its your turn!

Wednesday Loves and Pins

Its Wednesday so its time for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

♥ I'm loving that we only have 10 more days til our week long vacation to Mackinac Island, MI! I can't wait!

♥ I'm loving that next week is a 3 day work week for me. My "every other Monday off" is next week and we have the 4th of July next Wednesday!

♥ I'm loving these Instagram pictures of Jackson from last weekend.

♥ I'm loving these Baby Swiss Cheez-Its. They are sooooo good.

♥ I'm loving this check list that I found here.

♥ And as always, I'm loving my sweet family!

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I'm also linking up today for Oh How Pinteresting Wednesday. 

A few cute summer looks.

Ikea photo hanging display.

 Perfect idea for organizing your cleaning products.

Such a cute idea for displaying your child's newborn, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 12 month pictures.

Love this idea for displaying where you and your spouse have traveled to.

Cool way to display pictures.

 So true!

This little chart is helpful when your baby starts teething.

Random ABC's

I saw this over on Sarah's Blog and thought it looked fun.

Random ABC's

A is for age: 31

B is for breakfast today: English Muffin w/ Nutella

C is for currently craving: Something Sweet!

D is for dinner tonight: Tuna Noodle Casserole at my Parents' house

E is for favorite type of exercise: Aerobics

F is for an irrational fear: Bees/Wasps.

G is for gross food: Oysters

H is for hometown: St. Louis, MO

I is for something important: Friends and Family

J is for current favorite jam: Somebody that I Used to Know - Gotye

K is for kids: One- My sweet Jackson and my 4 fur-babies. ☺

L is for current location: St. Louis, MO

M is for the most recent way you spent money: A few needed items at Target

N is for something you need: A vacation!

O is for occupation: Receptionist for the Federal Court of Appeals Clerks Office

P is for pet peeve: People who do not take care of their animals. (This was Sarah's but I'm using it because I completely agree!!)

Q is for a quote: " No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich! " ~Unknown

R is for random fact about you: I love anything pumpkin flavored! Pumpkin bread, muffins, pie...

S is for favorite healthy snack: Apple

T is for favorite treat: Brownies

U is for something that makes you unique: My 3 tattoos


V is for favorite vegetable: Corn


W is for today’s workout: Does working in the nursery tonight at church count?? We will have 2 under 1, 2 that are 1 and one that is 2! Its always fun though.

X is for X-rays you’ve had: Dental and Kidneys

Y is for yesterday’s highlight: Coming home to Jake and Jackson!

Z is for your time zone: Central

Weekend Rewind

I'm linking up with Melissa @ Bless this Voignier Nest for Weekend Rewind.

As I mentioned on Friday, Jake, Jackson and I drove to Kansas City this past weekend for a wedding. Jake's mom, a family friend and his brothers and their wives came along as well. 

We stayed at the Kansas City Airport Marriott. This is where the whole family and wedding party stayed as well and also where the rehearsal dinner was.

The view from our hotel room.

We left home on Friday morning and got to the hotel late Friday afternoon. The rehearsal dinner started at 6, so once we freshened up, we headed down for that. It was a beautiful evening and the food was delicious. Here are a few pictures I took from that night.

This was of the cocktail hour before the dinner. The dinner was actually inside, but it was such a beautiful night that we spent a majority of the evening outside.

Grandma (Jake's Mom) holding Jackson. 

The view of the lake from the patio where the rehearsal dinner was.

Jackson having fun out in the grass.

Family picture at the rehearsal dinner.

Jackson and I.

After the rehearsal dinner was over, Jake and I took Jackson upstairs and put him to bed. Our room was right next door to his Mom's, where we all met up after dinner. We brought our monitors so we could hear if Jackson woke up. Jake's brothers and their wives met up with us in his mom's hotel room and we all hung out there for a while.

The next morning, we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After breakfast, we went and found a Wal-Mart because we needed to pick up a few things. Then we headed back to the hotel to take Jackson swimming. He enjoyed the pool very much!

After swimming, we headed back to our rooms to get ready for the wedding. The wedding/reception was held at the Weston Red Barn Farm.  It was super hot that evening, unfortunately, but the sky was clear and beautiful and the wedding was very pretty. It was a country/cowboy themed wedding. The attendants wore cowboy boots and we sat on bales of hay during the ceremony. The reception was in the barn on the farm. Here are some pictures.

The beautiful view during the ceremony.

Walking from the barn to where the ceremony took place.

The ceremony site.

They had their programs on fans and they had bottles of water for the guests because it was so hot out that day.

Pretty flowers lining the center aisle.

The view again.

Jackson during the ceremony.

The pastor, groom and groomsmen.

The bridesmaids. (Yes, she had 2 guys on her side)

The flower girl.

The brides father giving her away.

The bride and groom. 

Jackson playing with some straw during the ceremony. He was so good. ☺

The happy bride and groom. ♥

After the wedding ceremony, we walked back over to the barn for the reception. The barn was covered, but still open, so it was hot too. Thankfully there was a breeze and it was better as the sun went down. Here are some pictures from the reception.

The barn that the reception was in.

The front porch of the barn.

Around the property of the farm.

The barn all lit up inside.

Pictures of the bride and groom.

The sweets table.

Centerpieces on the tables.

The Smith Family at the reception. Down front its Amie and Larry (Jake's oldest brother and his wife), Pat and Liz (the middle brother and his wife), then Jake, Jackson and I above them and Jake's mom and Jim (a family friend) next to us.

Jake, Jackson and I outside at the reception.

"Uncle Jim" and Jackson. ☺

Jackson taking a little nap during the reception. So sweet. ♥

The Smith guys. Jake with his 2 brothers. 

The Smith girls (Me, Amie, my MIL Diane and Liz)

After the wedding, we headed back to the hotel. We put Jackson to sleep and then we all hung out in Jake's mom's room again. The next morning we all drove back to St. Louis, stopping for lunch in Richmond (the little town Jake was born in).

We had a great weekend! I hope you did as well! ☺