Friends and Family

Once again, we got to enjoy a nice weekend balanced with both friends and family. My parents were in town for a few days visiting Jake, so of course, he was spoiled with lots of love and attention as well as a few new toys. Here he is showing off... On Sunday, we headed to Brenham, TX, where my dad grew up, in order to celebrate my great uncle's 100th birthday!!!! Here's Jake with his great, great uncle Herbert.I've often heard it said that "Behind every great man, stands a great woman." Well, the case is true with Uncle Herbert. He is still happily married to his wife of over 70 years (sorry, I don't know the exact number). Aunt Meta is the young age of 91. Uncle Herbert likes to joke that he robbed the cradle! It's amazing to see a couple celebrating so many years together and to be in a room filled with people who love them. They will truly leave a legacy that displays love for each other and family.
On the friend side of things, our good friends, Wade and Wendi, came into town last minute to hang out. Somehow I didn't get a single picture with them, but you can check out Wendi's blog, and you might see some pics from their Austin weekend. The guys, Cody, Wade, Kevin, and Stephen cheered on the Longhorns in the hot sun. Go Horns!Jake and I spent some time with the girls, but the only picture I ended up with is this one...

The Dishmans' two dogs, Taco and Queso, LOVED licking Jake. It was hilarious! I think they were licking the remnants of Jake's dinner, or maybe they think he's just super sweet all by himself. Either way, Jake handled it well and it made for a good laugh.

Weekend Happenings

We had a very nice weekend. Good family time, some down time, some adults-only time---a good mixture of everything. After dinner Friday night we took advantage of the nice weather and walked down to our neighborhood park. Mostly, Jake just swings and sometimes practices going down the slide, but with both Mommy and Daddy to cheer him on, he was adventurous and tried rock climbing!!
The Leander cross country team competed in a meet at Cedar Park HS Saturday morning, so Jake and I went to cheer on the Leander Lions and see Daddy hard at work. I have to say, cross country isn't the best spectator sport, and it's hard to get action shots, but here's Daddy and Jake as the Varsity girls prepare for their run.On Saturday night, we were invited by our friends, David and Merry Culp, to attend the Central Texas Children's Home benefit dinner. Other friends, Nick and Beth (thank you, thank you, thank you!!!), watched Jake for us, so we could enjoy a nice evening out. The dinner was at the Texas Disposal Systems Exotic Game Ranch and Pavilion in Creedmoor, TX. Don't let the words "disposal systems" in the title fool you...the place was really nice, and as we drove to the pavilion we saw all kinds of cool animals. Some of the animals included elk, deer, zebra, rhinos, and giraffes. We even encountered buffalo crossing the street as we were driving by. It was amazing how close we got...

As Kevin was doing yard work on Sunday afternoon, Jake and I spent some time hanging out in his room playing and listening to music. He was pulling for the baskets on his changing table; one of which is full of shoes. I will admit before I had a baby I thought baby shoes were super cute and was happy to get lots of adorable shoes as gifts. I will also admit that after having a baby, I feel like baby shoes are too much effort for the cuteness and I hardly ever put Jake in shoes. My philosophy is he really doesn't need them until he starts walking, so I'm just saving myself time and energy. Well, since he pulled down his shoe basket, I thought we should give some a try, especially since walking is just around the corner. He definitely wasn't a big fan of having something on his feet, but he didn't cry, so I feel like it was a step in the right direction.

As you can see, Jake is pantless in these pictures. I really love the fact that babies can get away without wearing pants and it's perfectly OK. Plus, I LOVE chubby baby legs. I usually dress Jake in shorts or pants when we're out, but he's usually in just a onesie around the house. So, after church we lost the shorts and hung out in shirt only. Look at these adorable legs!
It's definitely only a short time in one's life when legs like these are considered so beautiful, so we're going to live it up while we can!

Earlier today I met some friends at a park for playtime and lunch. We were swinging when a friend suggested sharing one swing. I've never seen two babies sharing a swing, but it was adorable and the kids loved it. You have to admit, they make those things awfully big. Here's Jake and Eliana enjoying the ride.


We were having a bit of a rough morning at home prior to our park trip, but the combination of the great outdoors and great friends provide the perfect recipe for happiness!

My First Ballon

Jake and I went to HEB yesterday for a little shopping. The cashier asked if Jake wanted a balloon, and I said sure, why not. I was honestly thinking we could take it or leave it b/c he wouldn't really know the difference. Well, I'm glad I agreed to the free balloon b/c it was a big hit. He immediately grabbed on to it with both hands as he was sitting in the shopping cart. It then kept him entertained in the car, and then for another 30 solid minutes at home (and in case anyone is wondering; 30 minutes is a LONG time to have his attention focused on one thing). Here's Jake and his first balloon...

He was even taking it with him wherever he went. He just kept the string in his hand and crawled away! He made it to the back door still holding on.

A New Season

Football season is here. I'm not too excited about it, but I know there are many people who are. Here's what my two guys were doing this Sunday. Actually, Jake stayed in that position 10 minutes tops, then crawled all around and played. To Kevin's dismay, he's not very interested in football quite yet.This outfit is borrowed from Cohen, and the hat was a gift to Jake from my parents before he was born. He was definitely stylin' and exited to cheer on the Cowboys in his official gear.

What an adorable face and cheeks...

Our play group that met on Thursdays has now moved to Mondays, so yesterday we met a group at the park. The weather was AWESOME!!! Jake and I stayed there for about 2 1/2 hours because I personally couldn't get enough time outside in the cool breeze.

A day filled of fun with friends meant two shorter than normal naps. I knew Jake had to be exhausted, but he was handling it like a trooper until....

he fell asleep right in his high chair at 6:30!!!! This was the first time he's done this and it was so precious. We didn't want to let him go to bed 2 hours early (mostly because I don't want to wake up 2 hours earlier), so we woke him up with a nice bath. Somehow, that re-energized him and he was happy as can be until his regular bed time. What a great day!

A Lenz Family Sandwich

Last week was filled with family fun. We started off visiting the Lawsons and celebrating Cohen's 2nd birthday, then Jake and I spent the week with my parents, then this past weekend, Nana and Big T were here visiting us....therefore, it was a Lenz family sandwich!

Things started off with Cohen's 2nd birthday party. He pretty much loves all sports, but has been an especially big Rangers fan this summer, so the party was Texas Rangers theme. The cake and decorations were super cute. About to blow out candles...

There was a Rangers pinata too. It was fun to watch all the kiddos take swings. Here's Cohen giving it his best.
We gave Cohen a scooter. Here he is opening it up.
Giving it a try....he looks super excited...well, maybe not. Maybe he'll enjoy it more after his nap.

Cute Cousins...

One of the best parts of being around grandparents is all the extra loving and special story time. Jake got LOTS of love and special time from all 4 grandparents. Here's Nana reading bedtime stories.
My parents took us to the zoo. It was Jake's first visit. He got to ride a train and even the merry-go-round. He held on like he was an old pro--I was so proud.

Jake and Papa in front of the monkeys. He really liked watching them swing around and make their funny noises. Thanks Grandmama and Papa for the trip to the zoo! We had so much fun with you!

First Thing's First...8 Months

We've been having lots of fun with family this past week; and the family fun isn't over, so I'll share about that later. So, first thing's first, Jake turned 8 months old Wednesday, September 2. Here are the monthly birthday pics. We were at Grandmama and Papa's house, so there's a change of scenery. I think 8 months has officially brought the beginning of the many bruises and bumps Jake is sure to get over the course of growing up boy. Jake is crawling all over the place, and he loves to pull up on things. The pulling up is getting easy, but he hasn't quite learned how to always get back down safely, resulting in battle scars. In this picture, you can see a bruise on his forehead and underneath his eye--there were all sorts of new things to get into at Grandmama and Papa's house!

I love my toys!

A collection of faces...

Jake's even reading on his own at 8 months!!! Well, maybe not, but he takes an active interest in his books, especially enjoying new things to touch. He played with this touch and feel book on his own for quite a while, turning back and forth and feeling all the different textures.

It seems like this month has brought about the most changes thus far. He's now crawling, pulling up, and eating small things like Cheerios on his own with his first two teeth. For some reason, out of everything, the teeth are what makes me think my little baby is slipping away, and my little boy is taking over---wow, what a month!