BIG NEWS!!!

So I have some news...and I know this is an extremely impersonal way of getting it out, but the chances of seeing you all together anytime soon is slim, and I would hate for you to hear it from someone other than me, so here goes! Chris and I are expecting our second child! No it was not on the cruise :) We are very excited! I should be due around the end of April. Things are going great and I feel wonderful...just tired! So I'm sure we will talk more about it when I see you all, but I just wanted to get the word out!

Bermuda

June 21st - 26th, 2008

Our cruise to Bermuda!

Our ship left from Norfolk, which was so convenient. We were able to get dropped off right at the ship and walk right to the boarding area. We were through security and on the ship within 30 minutes. I highly recommend cruising from this terminal.

Here are some pictures of us leaving port.

I celebrated my birthday on the cruise. One of the nights, our waiters sang "Happy Birthday" to myself and one of our table-mates, who was also celebrating a birthday. It was really yummy!

Here we are getting off the ship in Bermuda. It was so simple to get off and on the ship throughout the two days we were there. It was like having your hotel right there.

Our first stop was the capital city of Hamilton. It was a bustling city. We did a little shopping here. One of the things that surprised us the most was the business attire of the men. They would wear short sleeve dress shirts, ties, shorts and...KNEE SOCKS! It was so funny looking!

I loved this little alley. There were shops all along the way up. The whole island is rocky and hilly. It really surprised us.

A beautiful church in Hamilton.

A scenic spot!

A pretty little park in Hamilton.

One of my favorite things was how people with houses on the top of these rock cliffs would carve stairs out of the rocks to get down to the water.

After touring Hamilton, we went on a snorkeling trip. We snorkeled around this little island and the coastline. We saw some amazing fish and the most vibrant purple coral. The trip also included a scenic hour long trip around the island. One of the crew told us all about the island. We got to see sea turtles and the world's smallest drawbridge. It was so much fun!

On the last day in Bermuda, we struck out on our own and headed for this lighthouse. We climbed to the very top. You could see the entire island from the top. Unfortunately, the window were foggy because it was so hot, so none of the pictures turned out. But it was beautiful!

After the lighthouse, we cooled off with a trip to Horseshoe Bay. It was gorgeous! The sand here is pink due to a type of coral in the water. When the coral dies, it breaks into pieces and washes up on this beach. The water here is also the third saltiest in the world. The pictures below are if you walk a little farther north of the main beach. Over there, these rock jut straight out of the beach. Were we able to climb to the top of a couple of them and get some amazing pictures.

One of the last nights on the ship. This was our first real vacation with just the two of us. We had such a great time and can't wait to go back again. Maybe next time you all can come with us! There was so much more to see and do there!

May

May was a great month for the Jackson family. Here are some of the highlights:

Chris graduated from Virginia Wesleyan College with his undergraduate degree! I could not be more proud of him. He really worked hard to make it happen. It was so good to see it all come together for him. After the ceremony we celebrated with a family lunch at Olive Garden. It was a great day! Thank you to Mrs. Jenn, Erin and "Baby" Anna for letting Cody come play at their house during the ceremony. I know he had a lot more fun there! It wouldn't be a Jackson family event with out the Maggiores present! We are so blessed to have friends like them!

He looks smarter already!

Chris' dad, mom and granny.Mmmmm, Lunch!

That same weekend, Chris and I chaperoned the ASBC's Bible Drill Team on their reward trip to Great Wolf Lodge. I got up there early to set up the rooms and got a chance to get a couple hours in the water park with Cody and Chris. We had an amazing time and were so impressed with the park. We can't wait to go back.

Cody (above) waiting for this (below) to happen

MONSTER TRUCKS!

The spring after Cody was born, Chris and I struck out on one of our first "baby-free" evenings. We went to oceanfront expecting a quiet moonlit stroll on the beach and instead found "Monsters on the Beach"! It was so much fun and we decided that night that when Cody was old enough, we would take him to see them. So this year, Cody made his first trip to the monster truck show and was totally enthralled. He didn't move off Chris' lap the entire 2 hours, his eyes were glued to the beach. He wouldn't even look at me if I asked him a question. The months that have followed have been filled with truck noises and sending toy trucks over "ramps". I could probably count 100 times that he has asked me if it's time to go see the monster trucks again. We can't wait for next year!

The Month of April

The month of April has come and gone and it's time for my monthly update! It's been another busy month, but we got a glimpse of summer time weather and it was glorious!

Thanks to Craig, Cody was able to go to his first Hockey game. He loved it and talked about nothing else for at least a week. He'd walk around saying "hockey....ice....hat (patting his head)....BOOM!

It made quite the impression. My dad was also thrilled with Cody's excitement. Being a northern boy, he really would like to stick it to Chris, if Cody were to choose hockey over say...basketball :)

I really think Cody and Erin's favorite part was the snacks and climbing over the chairs. Oh, and the the floor was so sticky, I literally lost my shoe mid step leaving the row. Yuck!

These pictures are of a really fun warm day. Cody loves the hose. This is the Jackson's version of a wet t-shirt contest! They are in order so you can see how they progressively get more dirty.

Just some cute sleeping pictures I couldn't resit posting. He fell asleep watching Curious George.

Every Saturday of this month, Chris has been playing in a work football league. It's been really fun getting to know some of the people he works with.

And of course, his team is in first place!

This is Chris' partner, Steve. They went through the academy together and are so excited to get to work together on the street as well. I call him Chris' other wife. They are at the movies right now. They are hilarious!

Last week, Cody had his first taste of Cold Stone! It was a hit, as if it wouldn't be :) The Maggiore's joined us and it was a blast, although I think the whole place breathed a sigh of relief when we left. The kids were more than a little rowdy. Oh well it was all in good fun!

My friend, April passed this costume on to me after her kids outgrew it. She though Cody might like to dress up in it for play. Well after the Halloween, monkey costume disaster, I decided to throw it in the stuffed animal trunk and had totally forgotten about it. On Saturday, I walked into Cody's room to find every animal on the floor and he was holding the Tigger going "think, think, think". He wanted to put it on and I obliged. I though it would last a minute, but it was on most of the day while we were home. When I finally peeled it off of him for his bath, he was dripping sweat from this head. Gross!

This was the reaction I got when I told him that Tiggers don't need Binky's.

In other news, I found out that my best friend since elementary school, is going to have a baby! I'm so excited for her. She is due on Halloween, but I told her not to worry, the baby would most certainly come on Hallelujah Harvest night. That's just the way life works!

Also, Tricia was released from the hospital on the 22nd. She is still close by and does about 4 hours of physical therapy every day, but she is getting to sleep the whole night with the man she loves by her side and after 6 months of not getting to do that, I'm sure it's wonderful. Baby Gwyneth is doing well! Her due date was the 24th. Its hard to believe she's been here so long when she shouldn't have been. Praise God they are both doing so well and please continue to lift them up to our Lord daily!

We also found out that our church has selected a pastoral candidate. He is coming this Wednesday and Sunday to preach. I am so excited. I know this means that Rob, our executive pastor, is not getting the job, and I do love him and his family very much, but I am happy to see all the things this new guy could bring to the table. Most of all I'm just happy to be moving on and getting back to the business of ministering to our community and not worrying about interviews and rumors and all the nonsense. I'm ready to move forward!

Cody said his first 4 syllable word today, "macaroni" and it actually sounded right!

I got to so see Sue's new baby girl today! She is beautiful. I totally thought it was going to be a girl and think it's hilarious that God gave her the shock of her life. That's what she gets for guessing!

Love to you all and I'll blog you next month!