This year, Maddie was born, I graduated from seminary, and I turned 30.  Yet I never really viewed myself as old.  I’ve had some gray hair for years, but it’s still all there!  I’m still active in the Young Adult ministry here at church.  So, I feeling pretty good . . . until earlier this week.

Our Young Adult ministry (includes college, single, and young marrieds) is heading out on our retreat today.  Last week, I was asked to drive the church van (1st clue) but didn’t think much of it since I’ve done it before.  Then earlier this week I got the schedule and saw the first session starting at 11:30 pm and said out loud, “That ’s too late for anything.”

It was then that I realized, this retreat is not for me . . . I’m the younger old guy with the baby bringing the whole family who’s driving the church van.  When I was in college, we called them chaperones. 

I’m now a chaperone.  I’m feeling old.

We are off to our Fall Festival and wanted to give our blog readers a sneak peak at the Jackson’s theme for ‘09.  Enjoy!!

Last weekend, my parents and grandmother were in town to visit Maddie, and were so kind to give Beth and I a night out.  So after a tasty Chick-fil-A dinner, we headed to a seasonal favorite: the temporary Halloween store!  As we walked around trying to find something that wasn’t sketchy or shady, I thought to myself, “Where’s the Christian Halloween store?”  Now I realize that this may be an oxymoron to some; however, I began to wonder what all one might find in the Christian Halloween store.  Here’s some of our ponderings . . .

• Definitely masks of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and William Carey.  It is Reformation Day ya know.
• A shepherd outfit
• Probably some OT characters: Moses, David, maybe a prophet or 2
• Peanuts characters . . . Linus does quote the Christmas story, remember?
• Bob the tomato and Larry the cucumber
• Just say no to the Bibleman
• Got to have some ladies: Mary, Martha, Ruth, Esther, Rahab post fall of Jericho, Church Lady

You would also have to have some good accessories . . .

• Big Baptist hair wigs
• A Preaching Bible (KJV only)
• Youth pastor paste-on soul patch
• the armor of God (Eph 6) . . . gotta have that sword of the spirit
• offering plate

Anyway, we had a good time thinking of these things.  So now you tell us what things you would expect to find in the Christian Halloween store.

If you’re wondering who SCAL is – you’re missing out! It stands for Super Cool Aunt Lindsey and it’s her birthday today! She sent Maddie some awesome fun Halloween outfits (Yes, the outfit she’s wearing is one of them!) the other day and we wanted to say thank you and Happy Birthday! Love you!

We had a GREAT time at the beach this past week!  It was Maddie’s first trip to the beach and we got to see family and friends.  It was a sweet time of relaxation and encouragement.  Will and I got to play some Catan – it’s been forever, so, it was fun teaching my family how to play and having them beat us!  haha…we saw 3 of my best friends from SC (Anna, Taiter and Ashlee) and got to hear what was going on with their lives…we’re all so busy!  I wanted to post this pic for Anna b/c it’s her bday today and wanted also to let her see the bib she got for Maddie when she was born   I LOVE October and  Fall, and Anna only wanted to clothe my child in the proper attire to reflect that.  We love you Nonnie!!
Check out more pics of the beach here.  Also, check out some pics from Poppy and Momma Kay’s first time babysitting Maddie boo here!

We have been packing and getting everything ready for our trip to N. Myrtle Beach w/ my (Beth’s) family.  Maddie was helping us out…she said, “Do we need THIS many diapers, Mom??”  To which I promptly answered yes.  It’s going to be a house full of kiddo’s running around, sand on the floor, and precious pictures of family…I’m also looking forward to seeing some Flo-town friends – Anna P (soon to be Anna F), Taiter, and Ashlee!!  I hope it works out for them to meet Maddie and for us to catch up with each other.  Well, this is my last chance to get some sun for the year……ha!

We’re a few days late, but Maddie told me today that she couldn’t stand it anymore; we needed to make a sign and take a cute picture in honor of her friend, Asher’s 1st birthday.  It’s been so much fun seeing him grow up over this past year and getting to talk with his mommy, Courtney, about what to expect w/ Maddie in the future.  He’s such a precious boy and can’t wait to see him on the other side of the world sometime!  Happy 1st Birthday Asher!  ~ Love Maddie

Maddie loves to laugh, and I love to try and make her laugh. Luckily, Beth was able to capture part of this laugh on the camera for all to enjoy. The best part was that Maddie laughed at herself when she watched this on the computer!

6 months young!  Our little girl is 6 months young – well, she was 8 days ago…haha…over the past few days, we have had a time of “adjustment” after having folks visiting us in Louisville and going to visit family in TN all in 4 weeks!  It was fun seeing everyone   Maddie just keeps growing and growing…at her 6 mo appointment, she weighed 16 lbs 8 oz and measured 28 inches long!  She is learning how to perfect rolling from her tummy to her back, back to tummy, talking and making fun sounds, sitting up on her own, explore new toys and textures, etcetera, etcetera!  She has been an absolute joy and it’s been fun getting to share our little joy with everyone.
We’ve got a couple new pics up, but here are Will’s favorites from this month.  Love her!