Candy

There are plenty of mothers who disapprove of bribery as a parenting technique. I am not one of those mothers. In fact, I wholeheartedly embrace it! I credit bribery for the success of Jackson's potty training (Skittles), sitting still at church (stickers), and getting out of the house on time (Hershey's Kisses). The photos below demonstrate the power of bribery. After trying (unsuccessfully) for five minutes to take a decent picture of the kids to give to their great-grandmother for her 86th birthday, we broke out the chocolate:

Sitting still - and holding hands - at the prospect of candy.

The moment the candy hits their taste buds (and we manage to snap our first decent photo).

The kids are thrilled - and so are we (and if you look closely, you can see the chocolate in Jacks' mouth)

Quick update

Ugh. It's been sooooo long since I've updated my blog. I feel like I've been cheating on my blog with Facebook! For those of you who still bother to check - despite the fact that I haven't contributed a post in almost FOUR MONTHS - here are a few quick updates and several new photos:

1) Scott and I went to Outside Lands over the weekend. AWESOME. I was *this close* to Ben Harper. I wanted to touch him, but I'm pretty sure his security goons would have intervened...

2) Sweetest Jackson-ism ever on Monday, August 25, while I was pushing him on the swing at McKinley Park: "I love Mommy, I love Daddy, I love me and I love Abby." Completely unsolicited. What more could a parent want (especially the "I love me" part)?

3) Abby says about a zillion words these days. Among my favorites: elbow, mole (random, I know), Jackie (pronounced Ja-ee), butterfly and lasagna. She has a Spanish-speaking babysitter who asks her, "Donde esta la nina (I don't know how to put the accent over the second 'n' in 'nina')?" Abby answers "I am nina" and then points to all of the girls/women nearby, calling each one a "nina." She also says cabesa, boca, ojos, nariz, and numerous others.

If you're on Facebook, "friend" me!

On to the photos...

Jackson in Old Sacramento - click on this photo - it's animated!

Studmuffin

Blue-eyed boy (who was desperately in need of a hair cut)

If Abby and Jackson were in a band, this would be their album cover. They're so very "cool."

Taken from my camera phone - nothing better than pigtails on a baby girl!

At the Gilroy Garlic Festival - that event was pure, 105-degree hell!

Heaven

We love them when they're awake, but there's nothing better than two sleeping children!

Time for the Birds & The Bees?

The other day, Scott was getting the kids ready for a bath. In the three seconds between removing Abby's diaper and plopping her in the tub, she peed on the floor. Jackson's face was a mask of confusion as he watched the pee trickle down her legs and form a puddle at her feet. He said to Scott, "Abby doesn't have a pinker (our pet name for Jackson's you-know-what). Abby pee-pees from her tummy." Abby's tummy is so lovely and round it hangs down to her knees, concealing her "parts" from view, and it DOES look like she's peeing from her tummy.

This was too funny to include in my "Jackson says" column - it deserved its own post!

Abby's tootsies

This is probably the third (fourth?) post about Abby's delicious feet. Please forgive me. They're just too precious. Every time I change her diaper (and pretty much every time they're within reach), I kiss her feet. As a result, she now kisses her own feet when she takes off her shoes and socks, as if this is simply the natural thing to do when her bare toes are exposed. SO CUTE. This evening, she took her Crocs off in the car. I turned around and saw her kissing her feet - one right after the other. I can't say I blame her! I have never seen such perfect, plump toes. :)

Weekend in SoCal

We drove to Southern California Thursday night for my cousin's missionary farewell. The five-hour drive was rather uneventful, unless you count Abby's midnight wakeup during which she screamed inconsolably for 52 minutes. Fun. All improved from there, with a quick visit with Scott's mom Friday morning followed by two full days of aunties, uncles and cousins. SoCal is supposed to be warm and sunny year-round, right? Wrong! We had to bundle our kids the entire weekend, as it was cold and windy and miserable! Lucky for everyone, the wind subsided during the farewell dinner, which took place at the beautiful Capistrano beach (my aunt bought Tiki torches and everything - sooooo OC - it was an incredible party).

I've always had a crush on my Uncle (by marriage) Chris. Is that wrong?

Chris' wife - my Aunt Pam. He's *almost* hot enough for her!

I can't help but post pictures of my babes' feet.

Jackson is smiling delightfully in this picture, but only after I promised him a drink of Sprite!

Sad Abby...

So, my dad asked me yesterday if Abby ever smiles anymore. He lives in Wyoming and doesn't have the opportunity to see her on a regular basis. We send lots of photos to make sure he doesn't miss a pound or an inch!

Lately, Abby has been less than thrilled with the camera. As such, every photo my dad receives is similar to the shot below. Unlike her diva brother, she doesn't enjoy posing for a camera while numerous adults shout "smile!" while making stupid faces and loud noises. Instead, she assumes a blank expression, like "why are all of my big people acting like such idiots?" She also becomes very curious about the camera itself - we have several pictures of Abby reaching for the lens.

In any case, this post is intended to prove that, yes, Abby DOES indeed smile. The second picture was taken on Easter. The blue thing on her cheek is a sticker. I'm pleased to report she's a giggly, happy girl (when she's not screaming bloody murder, that is).