Airshow

We went to the Airshow at Tinker today.  Jackson has been soooo excited all week!  He loves any vehicle, and has been playing with his airplanes a lot this week, to get ready for the airshow.  He woke up this morning and got dressed immediately (which he NEVER does.)  He chose his camouflage shirt "because it is what the soldiers in the airforce wear."  He also chose a hat to wear to the airshow.  The one he chose was his #88 Dale Earnhart, Jr NASCAR hat.  I didn't realize until we got to Tinker that it was, specifically, the Air National Guard hat.  This boy doesn't miss a THING!!!

Check out his salute.  I LOVE when he does that.  He picked this up all on his own over two years ago and is very respectful of military, the flag, patriotic holidays, etc.

Uncle Jeremy's plane.  Jackson was so pumped to be able to see it, stand by it, inspect it.  You can't tell, but he is continuously making plane noises while looking at the plane!

Sitting in Uncle Jeremy's seat.  He was "flying the plane" and "bringing it in for a landing" ("it's gonna be a bumpy ride, folks")

Well, Jackson and I had a wonderful time.  It was hot.  Super hot.  But, Jack didn't even seem to notice.  (I did.)  Anyway, I mentioned to Grandma later on that they should consider moving the airshow to October.  It would be much cooler then.  She said "well, I kind of think it's a Father's Day kind of thing."  Oh.  Hadn't thought of that.  But, now that I consider it, Jackson and Chris would have had a BLAST.  Even more fun that I had.  So, I feel a little sad that Jackson missed that opportunity with his Daddy, but I am also glad that we had the opportunity together, and am grateful to Uncle Jeremy who took us with him on Father's Day weekend when he was showing his own son "his plane"...

Happy Father's Day, we love you Daddy!  And PaPa.  And Grandpa.  And Uncle Jeremy.  And Uncle Jason.  Thanks for stepping in for us cause Daddy can't!!

Things #675-677 that I mis about Chris...

675.  I miss the time that Chris would spend with Jackson.  He loved nothing more than to spend as long as it took to teach Jackson something, show him how to change a tire, hammer a nail, cook some rice, pump gas, and on and on.

676.  I enjoyed spending time with Jason and Jami this weekend.  While I was hanging out with them Friday night, I caught small glimpses of Chris in Jason's smile, laugh, and humor.  So nice to spend that time with them, and it was surprising, but also comforting to remember the fun times I had with Chris...

677.  Jackson and I went to a swimming party tonight, my Sunday School class gathered for a cookout and swim.  The guys were all taking turns jumping off the diving rock and catching footballs in the air, and making cannonballs and huge splashes.  I couldn't help but think about Chris and the fun he would have had with his friends tonight.  And how much fun he would have had in drenching everyone while splashing from the diving rock.

Jackson-ism

This weekend, Chris' brother, Jason and sister-in-law, Jami, and our niece, Aubrey came home from West Virginia for a visit.  Jackson really loves spending time with Aubrey, they play and play and play.  He also likes hanging out with his Uncle Jason...and jumped at the chance to "help" Jason change the turn signal in my car.

Jason and Jackson went to the auto parts store to buy the bulb...here's how the trip went:

Man at Auto Part Store: Can I help you?
Jason: Uh, yeah, we need a signal light for an Explorer.
Man at Auto Part Store: What year?
JACKSON:  It's my mom's car.  It's a 2002 Ford Explorer.  We need the turn light, not the brake light.

Jason said he came up with that all on his own...and told me he didn't think I needed to worry...Jackson would pretty much be able to take care of things around here!  He's so much like his Daddy!  Glad some things don't have to be taught or learned...Jackson just seems to naturally be just like Chris. 

Maybe Jackson absorbed the skills from his Daddy during this first trip to the mall when he was just 10 days old.  We went to the mall for a short outing...that turned into a very L-O-N-G outing when we got out and discovered the battery dead on the Explorer.  So, poor Chris had to work in the August heat to replace the battery...Jackson never knew about all the excitement...and even got to enjoy his first ever trip to Don Pablo's (a Paul family favorite) afterward.  But, perhaps, he was paying more attention to his Daddy than we thought...