Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Christmas Came Early!

Christmas came early at the Berg house in the form of a large cardboard box. Let this be a reminder to parents that all kids really need are the SIMPLE things in life... love and the freedom to be a kid. E and J spent a good hour just being two kids in a box... (unfortunately I will have to hide it Christmas morning so they can enjoy what Santa brought them.) I realized in that moment that I love their age difference. They really do love each other and Jackson came just in time, so that Emerson never really got used to life as an only child. She wouldn't know what to do without her "little bother."



Friday, December 4, 2009

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The Berg's are officially having Christmas fun. Emerson is at the age where EVERYTHING about Christmas is so exciting. I mean the girl loves a good birthday party and since she knows this is Jesus' birthday ALL MONTH LONG she is over the moon. 
  • The day after Thanksgiving we headed out to Dewberry Farms and picked out a tree and played till the sun went down. I wish Jack Jack would walk more than 5 steps because he would have really had a blast. Miss Independent loved it because she could be independent.  
  • The next day Michael put the lights on the house and we played outside all day. J is OBSESSED with being outdoors, as most boys I know are.  He cries when we go inside and points to the door for a good 30 minutes after we have come in, so on a good day we just live outside. 
  • The ELF on the SHELF has made his appearance once again this year and is a family favorite. E is very concerned with how he flies from spot to spot and she even wakes up from her naps thinking he should have moved already. 
  • The snow in Houston was fun, but cold and we realized our children just don't have the clothing for winter weather... good thing Santa's coming! We lit the fireplace for the first time in our new house and love how cozy it feels. These days in our house there is no TV, just some Christmas tunes and us playing with the kids.
  • Tonight before Emerson went to bed we drove around the neighborhood to look at some snowmen and some lights. That little girl is amazed by the lights and could care less about the snowmen. She is such a girl and a sweet one at that... we saw a Christmas tree through a window while we were driving  and she said "all the trees are beautiful!" She was so excited at every turn. 
  • Next on the Christmas agenda is the Second Baptist kids Christmas show... so good! And in a few weeks we will head to College Station for Santa's Wonderland... so worth the drive!
At this point we have no gifts under the tree and I kind of like it that way. It is amazing to watch the joy and wonderment of a 3 year old as they fall in love with everything Christmas. At this point, the only thing Emerson has asked Santa for is a jewelry box with a spinning ballerina. This month has already been great and surprisingly our tree has survived having a one year old boy in the house. Once I wrap the gifts, we will see how long it takes him to open all of them when we aren't looking.

Jackson wishing he could get in the snow

Emerson eating the dirty snow

We don't smile at the camera anymore, so we take what we can get

The Cool Bus


The wittle wittle

Our mantle... 
the extra stocking is for our other child, Aunt Michie

Friday, November 27, 2009

What I am thankful for... Jackson Ryan Berg


On October 10th, 2008, the Lord blessed us with one amazing little boy! Knowing how our precious Emerson had touched our lives we were excited to experience life along side a little boy... and boy is life different! We call him "our little man" and he is definitely that. Unfortunately he is vocal and opinionated like his mama and a picky eater like his dad. The only good traits we can take credit for our his big blue eyes and his blond hair, all his other redeeming qualities are purely his own. He is a lovey dovey little boy who likes to snuggle and gives kisses all the time. We already know he will be the comic in the family because he knows how to play to an audience. He can put on quite a show making silly faces to get a reaction out of you or cocking his head to the side when he wants something he knows he shouldn't have. He knows about 4 words in sign language and most of the important body parts, but his favorites are his tongue and his feet. He can say the vital words that will get you thru most situations in life, like "mama," "dada," "down", and "boo!" and the always classy tongue fart. If you sit by him at a restaurant he will smile at you and make you fall in love with him, and your meal will be completely disturbed. He has picked up many women this way, including all of the ladies at the pediatricians office. He is patient, but not when it comes to food. He LOVES his big sister and thinks she is the funniest person on earth. His favorite parent right now is Dad because he wrestles and is fun in so many ways. Mom is good for hugs, kisses, food, and diaper changes. So far Jackson is the opposite of Emerson's perfectionist ways, he throws food, throws tantrums and at this point will only consume fruit. He is tough, and completely a boy. He loves hammers, balls and anything with wheels. He already has a great arm and he gets a lot of throwing practice in, despite being unable to stand on his own for significant periods of time. Right now he takes 4 or 5 steps and decides he likes to crawl, since he is much better at it. He loves Dakota and likes to pull at her fur, ears and paws- we are lucky Dakota likes him too. At one year old Jackson is definitely growing into everyone's favorite little boy. He is a great mix of sweet, smart, handsome, strong and tough. We love him more and more each day and we can't wait to learn what God has planned for him. We know this perfect angel will make his mark on the world because he has a way of touching the heart of everyone he comes in contact with.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

October... Jackson turned 1, pumpkin patch, Halloween

If I was a good mother I would have multiple entries this month. I just downloaded 300+ pictures from our 2 cameras and realized that we have had a lot going on. The BIG event was Jackson turning one (he will get his own post soon) and the joint birthday party we had to celebrate. LOTS of kids and LOTS of bouncers. Next was the pumpkin patch... cute as always, as long as Jackson didn't actually ingest the rotten pumpkin pieces on the ground.. And then there was Halloween and boy did we have fun! What I know to be true (this month) about my kids... Emerson has a rhyming song for every event in life and Jackson eats more food than humanly possible. Enjoy the pics...

The Halloween crew... The Berg kids and the Barrett kids.

Jackson along for the ride


The bee and her ferocious dinosaur

Jackson was a monkey for the school halloween parade
because the tail didn't fit in the stroller.

Waving to his peeps at the zoo

E and J at the pumpkin patch

Our surprise guest at the birthday party... Camdyn Finch!

Jackson loves to push his sister around

Damage done... we loved the cake

Jackson's boy cake

Emerson's princess cake

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Our first baby is not a baby anymore...

Emerson turned 3 on September 25th. The last 3 years have flown by and E just gets more and more fun by the day. She definitely has a silly side, but mostly she is a sweet cuddly little girl. At this point she is pretty close to perfect... and boy does she love perfection! She is so organized, remembers everything- nothing gets by her. She is meticulous about her activities... currently it is collecting seeds on the school playground (we come home with at least 20 a day and have to plant them every night). She says sweet, yet funny things like "good dinner pizza man" (very polite, but usually she thanks Mom and Dad). Her baby brother is her best friend and she is a lot of help with him. She knows she shouldn't touch ANYTHING until her hands are wiped down. She always wears dresses, she likes to decide how her hair will be and she doesn't want any help washing her hands. Miss Independent. She is the definition of the first child and we are thankful for that. We love her more than life itself and could not have imagined a more beautiful baby girl, both inside and out.

Emerson 3 months old

Emerson age 3


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Our yearly ritual

For the past 3 years our great friends, Davy and Ellen, have invited us to Rockport to do a little relaxing on the beach, fishing, dominos playing and of course eating. This year was no different. We loved the people, the waves (or lack there of), the sun and the house. The time away is something we cherish once we come home and get into the usual routine again. Here are a few pics from our Labor Day weekend...

Mom and her sweet baby girl

Jackson's daily nap on the beach... tough life. (Emerson took this picture- not bad.)

Dad and his crew

Men are just born this way... he was a natural!


I am pretty sure Jackson ate a few shells and plenty of sand.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Finally a vacation!

Well summer is over, so what does that mean for the Berg's (who work all year and have no concept of time)... it's VACATION time! We decided a few years ago that busy places like Sea World are much better after the school year has begun and we got a heck of a deal at our favorite family hang out, the Hill Country Hyatt. We had a GREAT time floating the river and swimming with the kids. We even got to ride on a horse drawn carriage and of course enjoyed a movie on the lawn. You know your baby girl is growing up when she is glued to High School Musical 2 and could care less about Bolt. So sad.  Even Jackson had a fun time. The man is addicted to the water and he loved Shamu. He pointed at the whale the entire show. It is amazing the difference a year makes. The last time we were at the Hill Country Hyatt I was pregnant with Jackson and it was our last hoorrah as a family of 3. This was vacation #1... #2 to follow.