One day, Jackson went with his momy & daddy to see his grandma and grandpa in a fun palce called San Diego.

“Grandma & Grandpa are taking us to the zoo today, Jackson,” said Jackson’s mommy. They had talked about the zoo. Ths zoo is a place where animals live. Jackson didn’t know what exactly that meant, but he was excited to find out because he loved animals.  …

The first thing they saw at the zoo were some bright pink birds that were standing on one leg.

“Those are called flamingos,” Jackson’s daddy said.

The zoo was very big and full of wodnerful animals. Jackson saw a peacock, elephants, monkeys, brown bears, polar bears, giraffes… all kinds of animals! Jackson can’t wait to go to the zoo again.

There are lots of things you can see on a wagon ride. There are trees and bushes and dogs and cars and houses… even fire hydrants. Sticking out your tongue to taste the wind is the best from a wagon. You can also get a better look at the sky and the undersides of trees when you’re being pulled along in a wagon because you don’t have to be so careful with your feet. Sometimes, Jackson likes to lay down in his wagon and really study all the things above him.

There are so many things to be curious about and being in a wagon makes them that much more exciting! Wagons are the perfect toy for curious little boys.

Even the messiest little boys sometimes decide to help clean up. Jackson is curious about how things like brooms and mops work, so sometimes he experiments with what they do. Jackson’s mommy likes that he is so interested in learning how to clean the floor.

Jackson is also curious about other things his mommy and daddy do around the house. He is very curious about the dishwasher – but he is not allowed to play with that. There are more things he can help with outside! Jackson figured out he can sweep the patio floor just like the inside floor…

One day, while Jackson’s daddy was watering the trees, Jackson asked to help. Pretty soon, he watered all the trees all by himself. 

One of Jackson’s favorite things to do while staying with Miss Stefanie and Hannah is to wave “Hi!” and “Bye!” to the man who goes back and forth mowing the lawn. One day, Jackson thought he would pretend to mow the lawn. There isn’t really grass in Jackson’s yard yet, nor does he have a mower, but he had lots of fun anyway.  

Jackson is very good at helping!

One day, Jackson learned that if you bite the top of a yogurt container enough times, there will be a hole! And then, you can drink the yogurt just like you drink juice or water. Unfortunately, a lot of the yogurt can end up on your shirt.

On another day, Jackson learned that when you make pudding, you can lick the mixers! This is fun, and delicious, but a lot of the pudding ends up on your face.

Jackson also likes learning to eat by himself. He can use a spoon and a fork sometimes. One of his favorite things to eat is noodles – they are nice and messy! 

The best kind of messes can be made outside. Why? Because there is wonderful, messy dirt all over! If you mix dirt with just a little water, it makes mud. Mud is so fun to play with. 

Jackson’s mommy taught him a new thing they can do outside. It is called painting. There are little toys that have special hair that paint comes out of. Jackson’s mommy showed him how to make the color come out in lines and dots onto paper. It was hard for Jackson to remember not to put the paint in his mouth, even though his mommy ket telling him that was a no-no. Jackson got a lot of paint on his hands, face and shirt… and even a little on his paper.

Making messes is a lot of fun, but it also makes little boys very tired.

Today, Jackson’s mommy and daddy took him to a place called Oak Glen. There were so many things to see! There were tractors and ponies and pumpkins and apple trees. There were people and dogs and other kids everywhere! Hannah came too with her mommy and daddy and so did Mr. Adrian and Ms. Sarah. It was a fun day to be outside.

Hannah helped Jackson find some interesting things to play with in the big field of grass. There was a long red scoop and a tennis ball and old apples. Then they went for a walk and saw an old barn, a bridge, a catfish, and bear poop! So many new things in one day. 

Jackson’s mommy and daddy took him to a candy store too. There were lots of apples that were covered in different kinds of candy. His daddy bought one called the monster that was almost the size of Jackson’s head! Then they saw a lady with a real owl that says, “hoo hoo” and some ponies that say “pppp”. 

What a busy day. Jackson was very tired after such a busy day. Jackson decided there isn’t much he likes more than a fun sunny day in the great outdoors.

Jackson is a very friendly little boy. He makes friends wherever he goes. He is lucky to have many friends his age. But of all his friends, his bestest friend is Hannah Claire. Hannah was having her first birthday party, and she invited Jackson to come.

Jackson was very happy to celebrate such special day for his friend. He went with his mommy to pick out a present. When they arrived at Hannah’s house, the two friends played and were happy. Jackson made everybody laugh by making faces on the window – even Hannah thought he was so funny!

As a very extra special treat, they went with their mommies and daddies to Build-A-Bear Workshop. Jackson was so excited to see all the different animals. He picked a puppy of course. Hannah is more eclectic than Jackson, so she picked a koala.

After they watched their friends come to life, Hannah and Jackson were very sleepy. But, it was not time for sleeping yet. They went back to Hannah’s house and had something great… cake! Hannah’s mommy made yummy mini cakes and topped them with strawberries. They sang to Hannah and she blew out her candle in one breath. Jackson watched as Hannah grabbed her cake with her fingers and got it everywhere. He didn’t want to get messy so he ate his cake more carefully.

After their cake Hannah and Jackson were even more sleepy. They played a little more, then slowly drifted off to sleep. 

Today, Jackson’s daddy came home just when Jackson missed him most. Jackson liked playing inside with his toys, but when his daddy came home, he was ready to do something new. Jackson’s daddy had an idea. “Hey, let’s go outside!” Jackson thought that was a very good idea.

When they got outside, Jackson’s daddy showed him a big ball that was orange with black stripes. “It’s a basketball,” Jackson’s daddy explained. “You bounce it like this. This is called dribbling.” Jackson’s daddy dribbled the ball up and down, between his legs and threw it in the air. Jackson was excited. Playing with a basketball looked like fun!

Jackson’s daddy let him play with the basketball. It was very big for Jackson. He couldn’t dribble it like daddy. But – he could throw it, roll it, and… taste it! 

Suddenly, Jackson heard a noise. He knew that noise… it was an airplane! “Airplane!” he shouted as he pointed excitedly at the sky. Jackson wondered how the airplane flew in the sky. He watched and watched until it was too small to see any more.

Then, Jackson heard the noise again. There was another airplane, and then, another! Jackson wondered why he got to see so many airplanes in such a little time. “We get to see so many airplanes because there is an airport nearby,” Jackson’s mommy explained. Jackson thought he was lucky to see so many airplanes. When he couldn’t see any more airplanes, Jackson played some more.

He remembered that he liked the climber that he got for his birthday. Jackson loved to open the little door and climb inside. There was just enough room for one little boy. Little boys like to open and close things, and that is exactly what Jackson did with the door. 

Jackson also liked to go down the slide. He tried to climb up to the platform, but it was hard! Jackson was frustrated. He whined for his mommy to help him. “You can do it, buddy,” his mommy said, “Keep trying!” So Jackson tried harder, and harder until he made it up! Then, his mommy helped him go down the slide. Playing on the climber was so much fun!

He was a lucky little boy to have so many wonderful things to play with.

One day, Jackson went to visit his great-grandparents, great-uncles and aunts and cousins. They went to Uncle Bob’s house. Jackson was so surprised – the ocean was in Uncle Bob’s back yard! And at the dock was a shiny new boat. Jackson had never ridden in a boat before! “Come on Jackson,” Jackson’s mommy said, “We are going to go for a boat ride!”

Jackson, Mommy and Daddy stood on the dock while Uncle Bob and Aunt Paulette got the boat ready to go. Suddenly, Cousin Taylor pointed to something white and billowy in the water. “Look, Jellyfish!” she shouted. 

“Jellyfish?” thought Jackson. He had never heard of a jellyfish before. “Oh!” his mommy exclaimed. “Do you see the jellyfish Jackson? Jellyfish can sting you – ouch!” But Cousin Liz explained, “Actually, those are moon jellyfish and they don’t sting – isn’t that cool?” Everyone agreed it was.

When the boat was ready, Jackson had to put on a life jacket. He did not like it! It was bulky and squished his cheeks. He whined about it a little bit. “You have to wear it,” Jackson’s daddy explained. “It will help you float if you accidently fall out of the boat. So Jackson tried to get used to it.

Everybody climbed into the boat and they set off through the harbor. They went very slowly at first, looking at all the other boats resting near their houses. When they got to open water, Uncle Bob started to go faster… and faster, and faster! The boat, and Jackson bounced through the waves. Jackson was a little nervous. He held on tightly to his mommy. “It’s ok Jackson,” she said. “Just hold on tight – it’s so much fun!” Pretty soon Jackson was having fun. The wind blowed through his hair and tiny droplets of water sprayed his face. 

Then, they saw something big and white floating on the water. “It’s a buoy,” shouted Cousin Nic. And on top of the buoy were two big sea lions! They were resting. Below them, there were more sea lions playing in the water. “Wow!” said Jackson.

They went further around the harbor and pulled up next to some very large ships. “Honk, honk,” said Jackson, remembering that that is the sound a ship’s horn makes. There were cranes and shipping containers all over the ship. It was amazing! Then, they saw a very famous ship, the Queen Mary!

After a long boat ride, Jackson was very tired. Jackson, Mommy & Daddy said bye-bye to aunts, uncles and cousins got in their car to ride home. Jackson thought about how much fun it was to ride about… and then… he drifted off to sleep.

If Curious George were a small person and not a fictitious monkey, he would be my son, Jackson. From the moment they cut me open and extracted him from the womb- this kid has been wide-eyed and exploratory. This page exists for our friends and loved ones to follow him on his many adventures.

If you need to catch up on Jackson previous to August 2008, visit my myspace: www.myspace.com/latergator.