Weekend with the cousins!!

What a weekend it was! Jackson spent quite a bit of time connecting with his cousins - Emma and Garrett. They went swimming in Jackson's new pool, went to the zoo, played at Grama and Grampa Anderson's, acted like jailbirds at the top of the steps, and then as you see in the picture of Garrett - spent some time resting.

I think these three have done it all together! Jackson learned a lot more about sharing - although he likes to yell and Garrett will grunt when they don't want to give something up. Emma has grown so much since we last saw her in Novemer 07. She is now 3 years old and more independent than ever! She loves to sing and can entertain all of us at anytime of the day. She loves to swim, although she does not like getting her head wet. Garrett has grown so much too! He is a little over a year and as much as he loves to be by his mom, he is very independent also! He loves to feed himself and loves his cheerios. I taught him the little spider game - when you walk your fingers like a spider and then tickle. He copied me and even made the doot doot doot noises! He loved the monkeys at the zoo and immitated the noises until someone laughed. Both Emma and Garrett are entertainers and love the attention they get from it. Always bringing smiles to everyone around. It was fun to see them again and to watch Jackson interact with them. It was fun to watch Jackson learn his way in the group - since Garrett is a bit bigger than him, Jackson at first gave in to Garrett, but toward the end of the day - they both put up a good fight for anything they wanted.

We will miss them, but there is plenty of memories to be made in the near future! Especially with another Peterson on the way - Jackson will have plenty of learning to come!

Birthday-Mexican Village style

I have moved a year closer to the big 3-0!! I am now 28 and although my metabolism has slowed down quite a bit - I don't feel any different than I did last year at this time! I do have more energy and I am in a lot better shape - thank you Jackson for keeping me on my toes! Jared took me to the cities on Saturday the 7th, because he had to fly out early on my birthday. I had a blast - we went to the zoo with Jackson and then Jared took me to Punch Pizza! The BEST Neopolitan pizza-ever!! Katie and Doran joined us at the zoo and for lunch! It was a really beautiful day and we all enjoyed the SUMMER weather! On the morning of my birthday, Jared took me out for breakfast before he left for his trip and I enjoyed spending those few minutes with him. He later surprised me at work with a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of PINK flowers - roses, peonies, carnations, and a couple pink accent flowers. It also came with a really neat square PINK vase. Thank you Babe! I loved it! I ended the night by going to Mexican Village - free dinner on your birthday! My parents and Jake came with and we (the legal adults) enjoyed Margarita night and a table full of fajitas. Note to all: DO NOT approve sitting at a booth with 4 adults and a highchair and proceed to order 3 fajitas. Get a bigger table! I burnt my thumb on the hot fajita trays and my mom got her arm and Jake got his hand. Those are HOT plates!! No joke!

All in all, it was a great day! I am very blessed to have another year! I am so thankful to God for my life and all that it has been and will be!

Caringbridge Sites

I have added Caringbridge Site links to our page so you can get to know our extended PPB family. Of course there are others out there, but these are the current sites available. Please check out the sites and pray for each of them! These families are all very dear to my heart and I look forward to seeing you all in August!!

Extended PPB Family

Yesterday I received a call from Kim Minks, her son Tony (8mos) was diagnosed with PPB at 6mos old. She called to tell me that they found more cysts in Tony's lung and the doctors weren't sure if they were cancerous or not. Today I read Tony's caringbridge site and Kim wrote that the doctors want to start Tony on chemo this Friday. They are going to watch the cysts closely and if they grow at all, they will go back in and remove that lobe of his lung along with the cysts. Kim and her husband, Jason, have a lot to think about these next few days, but their faith in God will get them through this. Tony is young enough that he will bounce back and kick this cancer in the butt. I know God is watching over him and the rest of the PPB family and kids. There are so many unknowns about PPB, but our faith in God will get us all through it! Thankfully, the Mink family has a great team of PPB scientists and doctors and a great support group through the PPB Family! Please pray for complete healing for Tony and strength and guidance for Kim and Jason. Also please keep Aleigha Sweet in your prayers. She is another PPB kid and has been battling a relapse for the last few months. She is a strong girl and with God's blessings and all of our prayers, all of these kids will be in remission within the year!

Keepin it cool with Mr. Lion

About a month ago while Jared was out of town, I took it upon myself to buy a walking toy for Jackson-seen in a lot of his current pics. I found this lion at Target and Jackson loved the roar it made. So I bought it, took it home and opened the box to get Mr. Lion out as Jackson fussed for me to hurry. Well... As a new mom, I found out quickly that although these toys are in a large box, they do not come assembled. Ugh! So to ease the fussiness, I gave Jackson one of the wheels and he was happy. Until he heard Mr. Lion roar and then he wanted all of Mr. Lion - NOW! Unfortunately it was not an easy task, but well worth it! Jackson loves to push Mr. Lion around everywhere! He walks with him, pushes him over like a boy and acts like he is fixing him. He loves to ride him for a few minutes, but then he slides off the back and walks with Mr. Lion again! Definitely worth the purchase and time of putting him together. Jackson keeps his cool with Mr. Lion and it helps a lot while Jared is travelling! A must for all parents!

National Lampoon's European Vacation!

I've finally done it. I applied for my passport and booked a 10 day trip around Europe for Jared's birthday. We go July 24th to August 3rd and we can't wait! We have talked about going to Europe for a long time, but I have been so anxious about leaving Jackson for more than an overnight. I finally got up the nerve and just did it. I wanted to surprise Jared by giving him my passport on his birthday, but I didn't want to wait too long to ensure it was a surprise - he is going to Memphis next week and since I had to email a few of them to ensure he has the time off, I want to make sure it doesn't accidentally get out. He arrived home from Utah on Wednesday and I handed him my passport application with the paid receipt attached. Jared was really surprised and I was thankful I could pull it off! We booked our airline tickets and confirmed the 10 day land tour. We are set to go to London, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Paris!
Now, we just have to figure out who gets Jackson for that time - most likely splitting time between both grandmas.

Swing Swing

Today, Jackson and I, went out on an hour long walk on the Red Jacket trail. We enjoyed the beautiful Spring weather and the birds and squirrels. Jackson's big on pointing at everything he notices. He just takes everything in. After our walk, we went for breakfast at Perkins. He tried orange juice for the first time. He wasn't quite sure about it, but said yum yum and pointed for more. I also gave him a bit of my chocolate muffin and he, of course, said yum yum.

I decided to take him to Spring Lake to check out the geese, but they were all very territorial because their baby geese were around. Instead, I put him in the baby swing and he LOVED it! He giggled the whole time. He especially loved when I got close and he would kick at me.

It was such a blast! Now we are back home. Jackson was so tired. He fell asleep in the car and when I got him in the house and changed his diaper, he never woke up. What an amazing little man! An absolute blessing!

Enjoying a night of relaxation

Tonight I went out and used my 2.5 hour spa package at Liv Aveda - my Mother's Day gift from Jackson, yes of course Jared helped him pick it out! Thank you Jackson and Jared! I didn't need this to know how blessed I am to be your mom, but it was nice to be pampered.
For all you moms out there - you HAVE to do a seaweed wrap and a Vichy shower! First I was exfoliated and then AApril (yes, it is spelled with two A's) painted on a very warm seaweed gel on my body. After she was done exfoliating and painting, AApril wrapped me in a warm blanket for 30 more minutes while she massaged my scalp! Then I had to wake up and walk across the hall to the Vichy shower - what a great invention! I laid down on a table with a towel over my body and the 9 heavy duty shower heads massaged my back for 30 minutes. I finished the night with a 60 minute swedish massage! So nice, so wonderful!
I can't say it enough - I am so blessed to be Jackson's mom! He is always amazing us with his daily changes of standing on his own (even for a second), playing peek-a-boo, calming down to watch the fan, turning on the lights... Everything! Jackson is an amazing little man! Full of love for everyone he meets! And you can see God in his eyes!
Thanks again for a great mother's day gift!

My First Mother's Day!

Today was my first Mother's Day and I loved it! Jared and Jackson surprised me with eggs in a frame for breakfast and then we spent the whole day together! At daycare on Friday, Jackson made me my first Mother's Day card! Okay so he scribbled on a piece of paper and the daycare ladies wrote Happy Mother's Day, but it is perfect! My son is perfect! He gives me kisses, hugs me, reaches for me, smiles when I come into the room, and giggles when I tickle his tootsies! I am so in love with this amazing blessing! His big blue eyes, his cute dimple, everything... I just love every bit of him! I am such a blessed mom! Thank you God for Jackson! Thank you for blessing me as his mom!

Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there! I pray that you all feel the love and blessings of being a mom to the most perfect creation-your children! May God continue to bless you to be the greatest moms!

-Trisha

Jackson loves his Sweet Potatoes and Corn

Hurry up and feed him! That's our game plan when it comes to Jackson's food! He is getting really good at getting what he wants - especially with his grandparents. Jared and I are pretty good at settling him down before we give him what he wants - he really does understand with us that he cannot whine if he wants something. He tries, but knows it doesn't work. EXCEPT when it comes to his food and bottles! He will scream, grunt, cry, throw himself down, kick, anything he can do to get his food. We've tried to calm him down before he gets his food, but he only gets worse. So - we make sure he eats by 5:30pm and we do not try to multi-task while we feed him. If we don't pay attention and he doesn't get his next bite right away, he starts to fuss and tries to grab his food - causing a big mess - see above picture. Lesson learned - feedings come before anything else! I have to admit, I will take his tiny tantrums over food anyday! Jackson is such a great baby - patient, well-mannered, an amazing blessing, and so happy-all the time! We can't wait to see what Jackson does next, but for now, we'll take in all the new discoveries, tantrums, and giggles he has to offer.