Seven Months Going On Eight Months...

Today we did Jackson's 7 months pictures, might as well have been 8 months.  He will be 8 months on September 12th which is this  Sunday!

So Jackson's new things...  Labor day weekend he finally got his first tooth and than his second one came in right after it.  Now he has two bottom front teeth.  He has been very needy and fussy this past month and especially so last weekend.  I am happy to say he is much better right now... or at least until the next tooth decides to break skin. :o)  Not my most favorite stage, but he is so dang cute it makes up for it!  He is just starting to learn to clap.  I got him to do it once and since than he kind of claps, he is still trying to get it.  That or he just starts shaking his head back and forth.  He has that one down.  That was not something I wanted to teach him, but oh well it happened.  And I am convinced he knows what shaking his head back and forth means now!  The little stinker does that to me when I try to wipe his nose or do something he finds irritating.  Sheesh...

We also got him to start waving now.  That's his newest thing.  We are working on that one with him.  Not sure if he knows what it means yet.  I think he just likes copying us.  He is still not crawling or flipping over.  He is very content to stay there and chill out.  I keep working with him, but he has absolutely no desire to crawl much less be on his stomach.  One day he will...  That or he will be a permanent fixture on our floor.  That was a NOT joke!  Anyways here are some of our pictures today.  Some of these were taken in front of our house and the rest are inside our living room.  I was practicing with my flashes for the inside ones.

He looks like Gollum here...  "My precious... Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses. Wicked, tricksy, false!"

I just started a flash photography course this past week and I was practicing with these pictures in the house.  I used two flashes and placed them around Jackson and fired them all off at the same time.  I was having fun with it. :o)  I can't wait for the rest of the classes this month!!!

These pictures I used a flash behind Jackson for some back lighting.

Jackson's 6 Month Photoshoot

Jackson is 6 months already and it has gone by so fast.  I am so sad he is growing so quickly but I am enjoying each and every stage with him.  It's amazing to think in another 6 months he will be a year old!  That's just crazy to me...  Technically this Thursday he will be 7 months, but hey I was a little late in trying to get his 6 month photoshoot done this month.  Better late than never!

Jackson's new things right now is sitting up all by himself.  It seemed like one day he was trying to sit up and with in a few days he was a pro at it.  He is not crawling yet... he is kind of lazy when it comes to that. He HATES being on his stomach so I don't see him crawling any time soon.  We still make him do tummy time, but it always ends with him crying.  Sheesh... what a baby! :o)  But he is starting to push himself up so he will eventually get it.

He is also fake coughing now...  A few weeks ago Don came down with a cold and naturally Don was coughing.  Apparently Jackson thought that was funny and started mimicking him.  And might I add, Jackson does a horrible impression of it which makes it even funnier!  He totally forces it out!  I added a video of that to this blog.  Turn up the sound to hear it.

His other new thing is when I have him on his back I will get real close to his face and shake my head back and forth so my hair tickles him.  He will laugh and laugh over that.  One day when I was changing his diaper he started shaking his head back and forth.  Than it finally dawned on me that he learned that from me.  It never ceases to amaze me how much kids watch you and will copy you.  I finally got it on video so I attached it to this post as well.  

Fake Cough

Shaking Head

Father's Day Weekend

This past weekend was definitely busy!  My whole family came out to San Diego.  We haven't all been together in a few years.  Not since my brother Dave's wedding.  It was awesome seeing everyone and spending time together.

On Saturday we all drove up to a picnic in LA for my Dad's high school reunion.  Than on Sunday we all went up to my Father in law's house to celebrate Father's day and we were able to get some family pictures done.  Note to self... maybe in the future I should hire a photographer to do family pictures than try to do it myself.  It was a bit of a nightmare trying to put the whole thing together and than trying to take pictures as well as be in them.  Thankfully I had some help from Don's Dad and my Aunt for the ones I was in.  But I now have sympathy for my clients that try to set up family pictures for a big group.  I am definitely humbled by that experience and can sympathize with them.  Especially with last minute changes/unexpected things.  It really kept me on my toes.  

Than Sunday afternoon/evening we went to Seaport Village and walked around/took pictures.  That was so much fun.  I think that was my most favorite part of the weekend.  I could try and describe it all here, but I like pictures to go with my stories so here they are!

My siblings and my parents

I was setting up this shot and caught this one.  Apparently my brother's are part monkey

All the Grandkids!!!

The whole family

No kids!!! We ditched them all!!! I mean oh how sad... ;o)

I am not sure who took this shot but this tree branch looked like a dragon.  It was kind of cool.

This is at Seaport Village.  This guy was balancing these rocks and he didn't use anything to make them stick together.  It was amazing.

Dave & Meagan

Addison strangling her Uncle Joe

Got a little Captain in ya?

There were a bunch of parrots at Seaport Village too.  They were gorgeous!

Miss Addison with her balloon animal Joe got her

Joe was standing by the parrots and this white one just landed on Joe's arm

Addison found a new best friend with her Uncle Joe

Mom and Dad with Jackson

Mom and Dad

Dave & Meagan

We loved this carriage that goes through Seaport Village.  It's so pretty!  It was rightly named Cinderella's carriage.  Too bad it is a minimum of $40 to ride in it. :o(  It seems over rated...

And last but not least, a short video of Jackson.  He is growing so fast.  He is holding his bottle already.  He has been doing this for awhile, but this was the first time I had a video camera to record it.  He is so funny when the bottle pops out of his mouth.  It cracks me up.  I know you guys can be honest.  I am probably the only one who finds it adorable. ;o)  He is also starting this spitting noise with his mouth.  He seems to do it when he is bored.  I notice it more when he wakes up in the morning and when he is in the car in his car seat.

Kelly's Graduation & Family Pictures

Kelly Graduated High School last week and we celebrated with her yesterday.  Pretty much the whole family lives in San Diego with the exception of Paula.  Paula lives in Florida so we were all excited she made it out and she got to meet Jackson for the first time too!  Since she was here, we all decided to do a big family picture.  Here are a few pictures of everyone in the family.  I am hoping this year that we will get family pictures done of everyone on Don's Dad's side, his Mom's side and my side.  In a few weeks my side of the family will be coming out (hopefully all of them) and I am hoping to get pictures taken of all of us.  Than on Don's Dad's side hopefully we will get pictures done around October or November since that will be when the newest edition of our family will be born.  As of right now that's the last Grand baby to be born so we have to wait until our family is complete.  Here are a few of the family pictures on Don's Mom's side for now.

The whole family

The Rowlands

Paul, Kris, Joe, Grandma Krafft, and Gina

Three generations

The Boys

Cousin Kelly and Jackson

Uncle Mike and Jackson

Great Aunt Paula and Jackson

Uncle Jon and Jackson

Great Grandma Krafft and Jackson

Aunt Paula... I liked this picture of her.

Our comedians.  Jon must have said something really bad for Joe to react like that!