Jackson--Our Red-shirt Kindergartener
In preparation for our brief appearance on Casey's blog We Took the Road Less Traveled in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd spend the next few posts introducing (or updating in most cases) everyone to our family "cast of characters". I'm going to begin with Jackson, for no other reason than I just took some cute photos of him and wanted to share.
Jackson is our third child and our second boy. He will turn 7 in August and is currently in Kindergarten with Mrs. Tramm. We decided to have Jackson repeat Kindergarten again this year because he was the youngest kid in the entire school last year and was clearly struggling. We moved to Italy from Ft. Campbell in the middle of the school year and I had a feeling that Jackson might have a learning disability. It's a decision I'm glad a made and don't think I'll ever regret. It wasn't a easy one to make...well-meaning friends and family kept telling me I was wrong, that he was just a boy, that he would catch up, that repeating kindergarten would hurt his self-esteem, etc, etc....But I stuck to my guns, and am proud that I did. Jackson was able to return to Mrs. Tramm's class this past fall and is thriving. He loves school, his classmates--especially Audrey--and art class. Jackson continues to tell us that he wants to be an artist when he grows up. He enjoys living over here in Italy and loves to travel around and see Europe, although he did tell Mrs. Tramm that all he saw over Spring Break last year were statues of naked people (The David). He totes around an old Vera Bradley bag of mine filled with his art supplies and coloring books. When it's not in use, he keeps it at the foot of his bed. I have a feeling this is because he is reluctant to share withDelilah his siblings.
If I were to sum up a description of Jackson in just one word, it would be "kind". Steve and I always say he is the nicest of our 4 children and the one who is the most concerned with making everyone happy. He always makes sure everyone has a special present from him even on the smallest holiday, usually something that he has made by hand. For her birthday, he brought Audrey, his classmate at school, a pink plastic bracelet that hestole from Delilah found laying around the house, along with some pretty rocks that we found in Tuscany. He is always coloring me pictures and taping them to my wall, the bed, the inside of my purse...
Jackson is also the most sensitive of our children. He is the most likely to whine and the most likely to cry if he doesn't get his way, if someone teasing him, if the wind is blowing or the tv is too loud, if he doesn't like what's for dinner, or what we happen to be doing that day...Stuck in the middle, he is likely the kid to get left out. In secret, where no one else can hear, I tell each of my children, "Don't tell your siblings, but you're my favorite." Jackson just knows this is true about him. He is CLEARLY my favorite in his eyes. At school, when he was asked what he was most thankful for at Thanksgiving time, he said, "That Mommy likes me the best." (In his eyes, this is clearly why I picked him to post about first)
In preparation for our brief appearance on Casey's blog We Took the Road Less Traveled in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd spend the next few posts introducing (or updating in most cases) everyone to our family "cast of characters". I'm going to begin with Jackson, for no other reason than I just took some cute photos of him and wanted to share.
Jackson is our third child and our second boy. He will turn 7 in August and is currently in Kindergarten with Mrs. Tramm. We decided to have Jackson repeat Kindergarten again this year because he was the youngest kid in the entire school last year and was clearly struggling. We moved to Italy from Ft. Campbell in the middle of the school year and I had a feeling that Jackson might have a learning disability. It's a decision I'm glad a made and don't think I'll ever regret. It wasn't a easy one to make...well-meaning friends and family kept telling me I was wrong, that he was just a boy, that he would catch up, that repeating kindergarten would hurt his self-esteem, etc, etc....But I stuck to my guns, and am proud that I did. Jackson was able to return to Mrs. Tramm's class this past fall and is thriving. He loves school, his classmates--especially Audrey--and art class. Jackson continues to tell us that he wants to be an artist when he grows up. He enjoys living over here in Italy and loves to travel around and see Europe, although he did tell Mrs. Tramm that all he saw over Spring Break last year were statues of naked people (The David). He totes around an old Vera Bradley bag of mine filled with his art supplies and coloring books. When it's not in use, he keeps it at the foot of his bed. I have a feeling this is because he is reluctant to share with
If I were to sum up a description of Jackson in just one word, it would be "kind". Steve and I always say he is the nicest of our 4 children and the one who is the most concerned with making everyone happy. He always makes sure everyone has a special present from him even on the smallest holiday, usually something that he has made by hand. For her birthday, he brought Audrey, his classmate at school, a pink plastic bracelet that he
Jackson is also the most sensitive of our children. He is the most likely to whine and the most likely to cry if he doesn't get his way, if someone teasing him, if the wind is blowing or the tv is too loud, if he doesn't like what's for dinner, or what we happen to be doing that day...Stuck in the middle, he is likely the kid to get left out. In secret, where no one else can hear, I tell each of my children, "Don't tell your siblings, but you're my favorite." Jackson just knows this is true about him. He is CLEARLY my favorite in his eyes. At school, when he was asked what he was most thankful for at Thanksgiving time, he said, "That Mommy likes me the best." (In his eyes, this is clearly why I picked him to post about first)
Jackson has a great smile and the longest eyelashes known to man
He loves Stitch
And loves to have his picture taken in front of random places and things
Like the waterfall at Disneyland
A flowerbed next to the Louvre
Some random place in Paris
And with a strangely dressed Donald Duck
With his siblings at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris
With his sister in front of the most famous painting in the world that he just doesn't understand why it is so famous because it's just some lady
He's pointing because his own middle name is Alexander
He is writing his own book about these little mice, Garcia and Mousey (Garcia is the girl....go figure)
This is an sample of his artwork that is hanging in Mrs. Tramm's classroom. It is supposed to be Corduroy the Bear, but it looks like a stylin' mouse to me. Check out those glittery eyes.
I love this one...
Clearly, he is incredible.
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