Happy 1st Birthday Jackson!

Jackson awakened this morning around 1:25 a.m. He was born last year at 1:24 a.m. It was a sweet moment to remember his rather dramatic entrance into the world and how much joy he's brought into our lives since then. I've been thinking about how to celebrate his first birthday for months. Many people tell you that you don't really need to do anything special because they don't remember it anyway. But, I know I will remember it and I wanted this day to be special for our little boy. We got off to a rocky start as Jackson was fussy and nothing we did seemed to please him. He wore his special birthday t-shirt and ate his favorite oatmeal for breakfast. Then, he went to the gym where he played with his friends. By the time we left there he was over due for a nap and shed a lot of tears. Not the way I'd envisioned his birthday morning. But, he rallied later on with a visit from his friend Amita who was born on the same day. He ate a yummy grilled ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Then, Jackson, Theresa and me went to the Iowa Children's Museum. It's the first time we've been. He loved the farm exhibit, especially chasing after those onions on the floor. He went down a slide for the first time and drove the tractor. He also enjoyed the table wind display in the aeronautics section. He finished his fun tour of the museum by going grocery shopping. He loved that little cart! He worked up such an appetite we had to stop at Arby's and by him a sandwich. He had two-thirds of it. Big boy! We made a quick trip to Cedar Rapids for a last minute birthday gift purchase then home for some fun with his toys. We went to the gym again then hurried home to meet dad and the pizza delivery guy. Jackson ate his favorites for dinner: sausage pizza and watermelon. He also tried to blow out his candle, for the first time, eating a chocolate cupcake. He didn't seem to excited about it. Boy, he does not take after his mom there! Afterwards he took a fun bath and watched his favorite animal DVD before falling fast asleep. All in all, I'd say it was a great first birthday. Jackson is such a fun-loving little boy. His smile and laugh are contagious. He's a risk-taker, curious, and smart. We are so thankful he's part of our family and look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with him. Love you Jax!

Formula

Say goodbye to formula...and hello whole milk! Jackson has loved formula. This was the last container we purchased. Finally!

Salzburg, Austria: Mozart, Sound of Music, Hitler

Tuesday we went Salzburg, Austria. There we toured Mozart's birthplace. I have always loved his music so it was especially thrilling for me. We ate at another fun little sidewalk cafe. Jason and I love these types of places to eat. We topped off lunch with the largest chocolate covered pretzel I've ever seen. Seriously, we split it four ways and still had some left over. While in Salzburg, we also went to see the gazebo used in the Sound of Music. It's as beautiful in real life as it is in the movie. Then we were off to Berchtesgaden to tour the Adolf Hitler museum. I left there feeling such sadness that a man could have such a warped sense of how to treat people. We finished the night visiting this quaint little resort community complete with a lake. Jason got excited looking at all of the ski runs that surrounded it. Boy, does he miss snow-skiing! After driving back to Munich and getting a little sleep, we went to the airport and flew back to the United States. Loved our time there and can't wait to go back!

Neuschwanstein Castle

After Oberammergau, we went and visited the beautiful Neuschwanstein castle. It is the most amazing castle/residence Jason and I have ever seen. My dad was in love with it. Then it was off to Innsbruck, Austria. We stopped there for lunch at a little Italian sidewalk cafe. It was yummy! My brother Jim said he's never had such a delicious calzone. We finished the day by driving back to Munich where we met with Jason's parents who were staying with cousin Michael Sneddon and family.

Our little bug

I used to sleep like a stink bug. Apparently, Jackson likes to sleep that way, too. I caught him like this a couple of nights ago. And, he seems to prefer to sleep this way now. He's such a cute little bug.

Jackson visits his cousins in Wisconsin

While Jason and I went to Europe, Jackson stayed in Wisconsin with Eric and Amy and their four (soon-to-be five) cute boys. Boy, did he have fun! I think once he learned that he wasn't the only little boy who needed attention, he adjusted well. He liked going to the park and on a bike ride. He especially loved the baby walker which actually helped him learn how to walk better and take more steps. We're so grateful our family took such good care of him and that Jackson was able to spend time with Jacob, Zach, Michael, and Adam.

Our whirlwind tour of Germany, Austria

Over Labor Day weekend, we joined my dad and brother and Jason's parents for a whirlwind - can you say two countries in two and half days - tour of Germany and Austria. We primarily went there to attend The Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany. This production is put on every 10 years. It's a six hour live play about the life of Jesus Christ. We decided to go the night we arrived. It worked great in that we were able to buy tickets on the spot (that's rare), but boy it was cold and the jet lag hit me like a ton of bricks during the performance. The play was so inspiring. We loved Oberammergau. I especially enjoyed the little Christman boutique where we purchased a couple of ornaments. It's a tradition for us to collect a Christmas tree ornament from each place we visit. I got the idea from my Uncle Chad and Aunt Pam.