Jackson (+) 5 equals KINDERGARTEN

We can still hardly believe it, but Jackson turned 5 at the beginning of the summer. Justin and I (especially Justin) had a bittersweet day on Jackson's birthday. How could he already be 5---and soon to start Kindergarten? We love this kid so much, and we are excited for all that comes with growing up.

One thing is for sure: Chuck E. Cheese throws a fun birthday party! There was pizza, drinks, games, endless tickets and tokens. And to top it off, Chuck E. comes to dance and sing with the kids. Jackson loved his birthday party and loved having his friends celebrate his birthday.

Jackson and his soccer birthday cake. Jackson LOVES sports and was particularly into soccer at the time of his birthday. He played soccer all winter and summer! Charlie, Will and Mickelle watch and wait anxiously for cake. Actually, cute Will blew out the candles for Jackson, so this is Round 2.

What happens after you turn 5, but before you head out the door to Kindergarten? Pre-school graduation! Jackson loved preschool and his "graduation ceremony" was so funny. Check out the cute caps!

FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!! Jackson wanted Bowen to share in the glory of his first day and insisted he be in his picture. Aren't they a handsome pair?! Jackson's teacher's name is Mrs. Dunn. After a 2-day adjustment, he is loving school. We are working on his reading at home, and he loves it. He sometimes has to remind me that we need to do it. He gets better and better everyday.

I am loving my time alone with Bowen. He is always making me laugh. But I can tell that he is ready to have Jackson back home after a couple of hours. Now, when we pull into the parking lot at Oak Hollow, Bowen says, "Let's get Jackson Mauss."

Here are a few fun facts for my 5 year-old:

Favorite Food: white noodle salad (he loves it best when my mom makes it), cheeseburgers, and vegetables. Seriously, he loves carrots and steamed broccoli.

Favorite Color: green

Favorite sports: right now he says golf and football. He starts coach pitch with the 1st and 2nd graders this week, so I'm assuming baseball will make the list soon.

Jackson and Bowen play together all day. Jackson makes sure Bowen is included with whatever friends he is playing with. They love to play outside with anyone in the neighborhood. Usually, there is a game of baseball, kickball or football going on. Or, recently, they've been into setting up stores and trying to sell "used items" to people.

We love having a big Kindergartener (is that a word?) around!

Kick Off, Riding Bikes, & Back-to-School!

It's an exciting time of year around our house! The BYU shirts, flags, car decals, and footballs are out. I actually don't know who is more excited about the start of college football--Justin or Jackson! Justin took Jackson to BYU's opening game last Saturday. They had a great time. Justin said Jackson chants, "Go Cougs!" pretty much the whole time. Add all-you-can-eat treats and its definitely a great time! I wonder if I'll ever be invited to go to a game...

That's right! No training wheels! The past couple of weeks, Jackson's training wheels kept sliding back so they weren't being very useful. Eventually, we realized he wasn't even using them. Justin took the training wheels off, and immediately Jackson was riding around our circle doing tricks: riding with his eyes closed, trying to do wheelies, and going down everyone's steep driveways. There's something about the first time your child rides a two-wheeler bike...we were so proud of him! And who do you think he wanted to tell first? BLAKERS!

Bowen got so caught up in the excitement of Jackson riding his two-wheeler bike, that he decided to do something new himself--go down our pretty steep driveway on his bike! It was actually a pretty scary moment. He usually stops halfway down, so I took a picture when he started his descent. After the picture, I had to step in and stop his progress at the bottom because he was losing control. If you can enlarge this picture, you can see the panic starting to seep into his face. Poor guy!

Jackson started his first day of pre-school yesterday. He was so excited! His teacher is Miss Kristi at Corner Canyon Academy. He's excited to make new friends and learn how to read. We went to the mall last week, and he picked out a "first-day-of-school-shirt." Weird that he chose football... When I picked him up, his teacher said to me, "Is he sweet enough! I love him!" I love that he loves to go to school. We are so proud of him!