Hayden's Big Day

November 26 was the day that millions of people across the country celebrated Thanksgiving. However, for our little family November 26 was the day that we celebrated the momentous second anniversary of Hayden's day of birth! That's right- look out world- HAYDEN IS TWO! We still had a very yummy Thanksgiving dinner with our friends, but we must say that Thanksgiving was a bit overshadowed by Hayden's birthday. Justin and I decorated our apartment the night before so that Hayden would wake up to a festive little party- and that he did!

The second he saw the family room he screamed "BALLOONS!" He played with those balloons for a very long time. Never mind the presents from family in Utah (you are all the best!) on the couch for him to open- he has balloons! Guess we know what Santa is bringing him this year...




I even made him a car cake, which is quite the feat considering last years cake fiasco. I made Hayden a Lego / block cake. Unfortunately no one could tell what it was. One brother-in-law said the following when he saw it- "Uh, what is that? An upside down cow?" It was bad. Not good at all. So I wasn't sure if I would give it another go this year, but I finally decided to. It wasn't hard deciding what kind of cake to make. Hayden is all about "driving daddy's car!" Pretending to drive is hands-down Hayden's favorite thing to do.




Now don't look too close. Had I known how long it would take for me to make this cake, I don't think I would have even attempted. But Hayden sure loved it and that's all that matters. We couldn't even get him to take his eyes off the cake long enough for a picture. Can you see him drooling?

We finally quit torturing him and let him DIG IN!

After all was said and done!

Hayden is still a sweet little boy for the most part, but he is definitely into the terrible two stage when he wants to be. That boy can throw a fit. But we still love him to death! Hayden is honestly my best little buddy. I LOVE to be with him. He keeps me smiling. Thanks to that little guy this move to Memphis has been fun and gone very smoothly. Simply put- We can't live without him!

Thanksgiving break was probably our favorite week here so far. We got Justin back for a whole week! A week that went by way too fast. Now we have given him back to school. Hayden and I are just waiting until Christmas vacation when we get him back again. We also can't wait to see our family and friends in UTAH! The countdown has commenced- mission "Beehive State" will begin in two weeks, one day, nine hours, twenty.........

Autumn Time

This is a splendid time of year. Don't you agree? This past week has been the first without rain ever since we moved here and it was beautiful. We got a pass to the Memphis Zoo and we have been lots. There are several other families that have passes as well which makes it nice. It is a perfect way for Hayden and I to spend the day while Justin is stuck at school taking a million tests. Poor guy! I feel so bad for Justin because school is crazy- full of stress and tests. The highlight of his day is when he finally gets home. It is the highlight of my day too.

Halloween was super duper! Hayden was the just the cutest little buzz there ever was! Ha Ha- My sister, Amber, saved the day and let us use this amazing costume. Everyone kept commenting on how "authentic" it was. I wanted to take credit, but I couldn't.

Don't those gloves fit so well?

Don't worry- the kid on the railing was alright after a few minutes.

Truth be told Hayden was pretty unsure about the whole Halloween thing. After going around to some of the cars at our ward's trunk-or-treat he only had one thing on his mind.......

"Drive Daddy's Car" was all Hayden wanted. It is all he ever wants. We have spent so much time sitting in the car just letting him pretend to drive. Nothing makes him happier. So what kind of parents would we be if we deprived him of his only wish on Halloween? If things keep going the way they are, Hayden's Christmas present from us will be one full day in the car!

Hayden has been sleeping in his "big boy bid" for the past few weeks. He is doing great in it- that is as soon as he decides to quit sneaking out of his bed and opening his door to see what we are doing. It always takes about three or four times of us putting him back in his bed before he stays. (The first night he snuck out Justin told me that we need to handle this like the Supernanny handles it- don't say anything just put them back in their bed. I am still giggling that he referenced the Supernanny. How did he know that? We don't even watch that show. Well, apparently he does. :)

As for me I am just peachy! I have enjoyed every minute of staying home with Hayden. I was worried that when we moved here I would have a hard time staying at home all day after being so busy this past summer. There was no need for my worry. I couldn't be more thrilled that I get to stay home. If ever I get bored or have a rough day all I have to tell myself is "You are done with college!" and instantly my outlook is better. Works every time!

Lately I look forward to Tuesday and Thursday nights because that is the night that I go to a Zumba class at the local Baptist church. There is a group of us that go and we LOVE it. Sure, we love how fun the workout is and that we are getting exercise, but this is not what makes us love Zumba. It is the deep southern women that make it so great. (For further explanation you will have to contact me.- Those of you who I have told about this know what I mean!) So between school, zumba, the zoo, good friends, and everything else, this is starting to feel like home.

It's Official!

Justin is now a Student Doctor and he has the white coat to prove it!

We went to Justin's White Coat Ceremony where each first year student was presented their white lab coat. Hayden and I are so proud of Justin. It was so exciting to see him in his official white coat with all the other students.

We are sad that none of our family could be there--- So this is for them!

I know what you're thinking- "How was Monica able to film and keep Hayden quiet and under control?" I guess it's a combination of good parenting and having a great child.

This couldn't have anything to do with it...

Gotta love Barney! The funny thing is that before we had Hayden we swore that our children wouldn't watch Barney or other annoying children's shows. I only wanted him to watch things like Baby Einstein videos. Now I can't decide who loves Barney more- me or Hayden. That dinosaur is a sanity saver sometimes. (I feel the need to point out that this is the only time we have ever taken that DVD player somewhere like this. Really.)

It is so exciting getting a little bit closer to the day when Justin will be done. As for now we are just enjoying the ride!

Another chapter of our lives!

This is a look into our new life in Memphis:


This lovely building is what brings us here to the South!




This is how Justin spends most of his time...




And this is how I spend most of my time...

Many a day has been spent at this park when the weather allows us to be outside without sweating to death. (gotta love the humidity) "Slide" is Hayden's favorite place.






Hayden also loves the ducks that live in the pond right outside of our apartment. When he sees them he immediately asks for "bed" to feed the ducks.






Although Memphis has some, shall we say, less than favorable areas... oh who am I kidding- honestly Memphis has some SCARY neighborhoods! But we were happy to find that there are still some fun and safe areas as well.


While Justin's parents were still here we went to Mud Island, which is an island in the middle of the Mississippi river. There is a park with a model of the Mississippi river that you can play in. This is just a small section of the model river, which goes on for a long time.
I tried going back this week with a group of other mothers but the weather had other ideas. Justin and I both agree that we didn't know what rain was until we moved here.



We also went to the Memphis Children's Museum with a friend and her kids. It was so great. I'm certain Hayden could have stayed there all day.


Right now Hayden constantly asks if he can "bribe" - which means drive. One day we let him sit in the driver's seat- when the car was off, of course- and now that is all he wants to do.

Needless to say, Hayden was in complete heaven when he saw this police car at the museum! His favorite part was when I would sit in the back seat.






Fed Ex headquarters is in Memphis so there was part of a Fed Ex plane in the museum. Hayden couldn't get to all of the switches and buttons fast enough.



We can't believe that we have already been here for almost two months. It has gone by so fast. We are really enjoying ourselves. The transition has been much easier than I thought it would be. It is very different here, but different in a good way. There are lots of other families that are here for optometry school so it has been easy to meet people and make friends. It's nice having lots of other moms stay at home with their kids so Hayden and I have friends to play with. Justin is doing well in school. School is getting more and more demanding each week so Justin is studying, studying, studying. Although he has not said this, I think Justin is loving every minute of school even though it is a lot of work. Overall, we are settled and life is great!

We made the move!

The Jackman family has officially made the big move to the South. Justin and his parents made the long drive to Tennessee last week. Hayden and I cheated and flew out a few days later. Justin's parents are the greatest for helping us with the big move. Thank you grandma and grandpa! So far things have gone really well. We have been busy getting settled in and getting used to our new life here. We live right on the border of Tennessee and Mississippi. Things are very different here. Take for example the accents- which are so contagious- I keep kind of slipping into the southern drawl. Southern hospitality can't be beat- for the most part everyone is so friendly and very respectful- lots of sir's & ma'am's. I have been called 'Miss Monica' several times. Everything is so green, lush, and beautiful. The only bad thing is that we are afraid to play in the grass too much because we have been warned about chiggers- (dun dun dunnnnn). Our new ward is going to be great. Even though we have only been once we can tell it is going to be a whole new experience! Our only complaint is the humidity and the bugs. The humidity is something I don't think I will ever really get used to. And as for the bugs- they are everywhere! There is a great pond in our backyard. Hayden loves to feed the hundreds of ducks that come to our door, but it makes for some nasty mosquitos. I think it would be a little easier to bear if I could finally get to see a firefly but so far I have had no such luck. Although we miss our families and friends in Utah we know that we are right where we are supposed to be!

Stay tuned- pictures are coming

Some good news and some BAD news...

Well I guess I'll start with the good news. I finally finished my student teaching! HURRAY! HURRAY! HURRAY! There were so many times that I never thought I would actually get to this point. This has been a LONG road but I made it! Although student teaching was hard and challenging at times, I learned so much. I will miss the students like crazy. I student taught in a third grade class and a fourth grade class and I honestly loved them both to death! I was so lucky to work with two fabulous classes and two fabulous mentor teachers.

This is on field day with the fourth grade class I student taught. I had lots of fun with this class!

This is the only picture I have on this camera of the third grade class I student taught. They were absolutely great! If I could choose which grade to teach I would choose third grade.

Now for the bad news- Our sweet little Hayden got the swine flu :( And on top of that a severe case of pneumonia because of his weakened immune system due to the swine flu. It has been absolutely awful. Our poor little guy was soooooo sick. Hayden was admitted to the hospital on Sunday because his temperature was 107 degrees (Yes- you read it correctly- it was 107 degrees.) We stayed in the hospital until Wednesday. The whole time we were there Hayden was not allowed to leave his hospital room because of the swine flu. Keeping a 19 month old little boy entertained in the same room for three days was no easy task. But we are finally home! We are so grateful to wonderful doctors and nurses that helped Hayden get better. And I can't forget our amazing families who fasted and prayed for Hayden. He is one loved little boy! Hayden is finally doing well and is pretty much back to the same playful little boy. This past week was the worst for Hayden- and for us. Thank heavens that is all over.

It was so sad to see him so sick. He was a trooper through all the pokes and tests and x-rays and everything!

We are now just trying to enjoy our summer and the few weeks we have left with our families. We move to Tennessee in four weeks. Holy cow- WE MOVE IN FOUR WEEKS! The more I say it the more real it becomes. I think it best I take my sister's advice- "No saying the 'M' word- The 'M' word is now a swear word."

Alas.....

WE GRADUATED!!!!!!!!!!

After working our little tails off, WE ARE DONE!!! (Technically I am still finishing up my student teaching, but that didn't stop me from enjoying every second of graduation.) I am so proud of us! Justin graduated in the top 10% of our graduating class. I wish I could say the same for myself, but I'm just glad to have graduated at all. :0) I have to admit that there were many times that I NEVER thought I would graduate from college, but here I am. We had such a great time with our families on graduation day. Thanks to all of you for coming down!

Life has started to slow down just a little bit, but things won't really settle down until we are in Tennessee. Now that it is getting closer to moving, I have to admit that I am getting nervous. I am so sad to leave our life here in Cedar City. We have made so many great friends and love this little town. I'm sure there are many adventures that await us in Tennessee, but I know it will be difficult to leave family and friends. Until then, we will enjoy our time in good old Utah!

Look Who is Walking!

Hayden is walking! Hayden has been walking for quite a long time but I haven't had much time for blogging- This semester is crazy!

Hayden loves being able to get around and into everything. I actually love it too. Hayden is much happier. Justin and I have just gotten used to putting our apartment back together each night after Hayden goes to bed.

These aren't the best pic of Hayden walking- but after our computer crashed last week this was all I could access.

It is hard to get Hayden to wear hats, but he loves this cap thing. It makes me laugh because it looks so goofy.

Hayden wearing chemistry goggles---- a dream come true for Justin.