Lots of Love

Jake always gets lots of love, but this last week and weekend, the love for him was multiplied with visits from both sets of grandparents. Unfortunately, Jake came down with a nasty cold just as my parents came in town so he was not the best of hosts, but being under the weather made the extra love even more needed and deserved. There was lots of cuddling interspersed with lots of crying throughout the week, but also moments of smiles and laughter.

We were gearing up to go for a walk when Jake took hold of Skylar's leash. He was insistent on walking her, so that's what he did. He made it about halfway around the entire block---much further than I expected--until he decided it was fun to drop the leash over and over. He then lost his dog walking responsibilities, but still gained "big boy" status once again!

We celebrated my Mom's birthday on Friday and with Jake still recovering from his cold, we thought it best to stay in for the evening. The guys grilled steaks, and we had fresh corn and roasted potatoes. A delicious meal!!! Jake got a new 2 step stool so it made him just tall enough to see over the counter; therefore, able to help out. He was the perfect guy to pull off the corn "hairs."

Because Jake loves music so much, one thing we like to do is have "Lawson family band" time. Jake usually plays drums or guitar, and he passes out the rest of the instruments to complete the band. With family in town, we were able to double the band size and we played with both my parents and Kevin's parents. Jake LOVED the cool new tunes our additional members brought to the band!

His special guitar-holding technique...
We also tried out the sprinkler again. This time, we had a much more successful experience. I didn't get any pictures of sprinkler time, but I couldn't resist posting another pic of my babe in his bathing suit...
Time with Big T wouldn't be complete without bringing out the bubbles. Not only did Jake learn to blow (sort-of) bubbles, he also said the word "bubble" for the first time!!! Here he is practicing his blowing skills. Please excuse his crazy, post-bath hairstyle.

I'm not sure if he's trying to blow or taste the bubbles here, but as most things around here, it's a work in progress.

Jake also created a new game this weekend. First, he completely dumped out one of his toy bins. Then, he filled it back up with his balls. Next, he dove in head first straight into the ball bin until both he and the bin ultimately toppled over. He LOVED his new game and played it for almost 30 minutes straight!Now, this is total and complete BOY!

Sprinklers

When I think of growing up in Texas summers, one thing that's definitely a necessity is playing in the sprinklers. Kevin and I bought this special play sprinkler for Jake and we tested it out for the first time yesterday. It was a slow progression getting used to the sprinkler and finding his comfort level. It went a little like this: First, I ran ran through the sprinkler with him in my arms to show him how fun it is. You can't see well in the picture, but his face is one of laughter; he loved this...

Next, we progressed to me holding his hand while we both ran through the sprinker. He did not like this. I think the water was face level for him and he did not like the water directly in his face.

Next, we let him explore on his own. He was very brave and went up to the water spouts, but by the looks on his face, he still didn't like it too much...

Next, Kevin showed him that it's OK to touch the sprinklers.

That's when Jake found his niche in the summer sprinkler department. Hold on to the spouts and direct water AWAY from self. We let him spray us, and we both ran right up to him and jumped over his head. This was his most fun of all! Not exactly how I imagined him playing in the sprinklers, but playing nonetheless.

No Shoes, No Shirt, No...

Pants!!! Summer's here--at least it feels like it already--and that means you gotta do what you gotta do to stay cool. On this particular evening this week, it meant down to just diaper for playtime in the sand. There really is no other way to play in the sand, right?

No need for modesty or self-consciousness when you've got this great bod~!

Swinging is just that much better when you can feel the breeze on your skin!

Photo Shoot

A couple weeks ago, a good friend of ours, Charis Dishman, took some much needed family photos of us. We met south of the river to try to capture the Austin skyline. It was VERY windy, but Charis was amazing and still captured some great shots. We also headed a little bit down the road to a pretty area of Zilker (with much less wind) that showed off the lake in the background. If you're looking for someone to take some pictures for you, you must check out Charis at www.charisdishmanphotography.com. She recently started her photography business, and I have to say, she's off to a great start! Here are a few of my favorite pics from the day...

I think the ones of Jake on Kevin's shoulders turned out the absolute best...it was the only definite time Jake smiled during the entire session.

See, not quite as happy in Mommy's arms, but cute nonetheless.

Check This Out!

Are you a mom? Have you ever felt the need to re-energize, learn new parenting ideas, connect with other moms, or take a little mom "break"? If so, you're in luck! There is an incredible opportunity coming up this fall called Project Mom Summit created with those things in mind and more! Please visit www.projectmomsummit.com to check out this great opportunity.

There's several ways to get involved:

1. Take a look at the website and while you're there, enter for a chance to win some awesome giveaways. Click on the "blog" link for these opportunities.

2. Register for the Summit, and mark you calendar for Saturday, September 25, 2010. Don't live in the Dallas area? Don't let that stop you! Grab a few of your closest mom friends and make it a weekend trip. Remember the days of road trips with the gals chatting and listening to your favorite tunes instead of crying, hungry, or whiny kids? You can re-visit those good ol' days once more and get some time just for you!

3. So, you're absolutely, positively sure you cannot attend the Summit? Well, we'll miss you, but that doesn't mean you can't share this opportunity with friends. Please send your friends to the sight to check it out!

4. Finally, do you have your own business or make your own crafts that are perfect for the everyday mom? Please become a vendor at the expo and share your wonderful resources with others!

Hope to see you there!

Popsicle Progression

A few weeks ago, we gave Jake his first popsicle (at least at our house; I think he's already had popsicles with the grandparents!). Our intent was for him to share a popsicle with Daddy after a hot and busy day. Once he discovered the joy of the popsicle though , he wasn't so aggreable to the "joy" of sharing. Anyhow, this is how it went:

"Yum, yum! I think I like this thing. Grape tastes pretty good" "Ooohhh, Mommy let me try her cherry one. That's pretty good too. Whatever should I do?"

"I guess I should let Daddy have a taste. Mommy told me to share with him, afterall. It won't be too bad if he gets a few licks."
"Ummmm, I see Daddy eyeing my popsicle. I'm not so sure I like this. What's so great about sharing anyway? I wonder what I should do."

"YES! I made a quick escape. Now it's mine; all mine!"

"It still tastes awfully good, but it's kind of lonely keeping the popsicle all to myself. Daddy does look kind of sad back there. Plus, Mommy is right here telling me to share with Daddy. Should I listen to Mommy?"
"I'd thought I would go back to 'sharing' with Daddy. Don't tell Mommy this, but the real reason I went back is because I needed help with this pesky stick. Man, I sure liked that popsicle! Maybe I can have one everyday."

Why is this a special day?

It's not really because of who I am or something I've done; it's more about a special gift from God. It is because God gave me this beautiful boy that I am honored to be among all the incredibly strong women who have the title, "Mother." I am both humbled and proud (a bit oxymoronic, but completely sensible) to have this title, and I pray daily I can be the Mom to Jake God calls me to be. He brings me so much joy. Much of that joy also comes from my wonderful husband who treated me to a wonderful day. The day ended with laughter as my two boys were up to their silly shenanigans. I've posted once about trying out new hairstyles during bath. Let me share a couple more. Can you guess what we call this?

Here's a clue...
Yes, it's the Eddie Munster look! What about this one?

Another clue....
We have our own little triceratops (two-horned dinosaur) lurking about!

It was hilarious watching Jake check himself out in the mirror. "Hey, who's that guy?"

"Lookin' pretty good, if I do say so myself!"

An Austin Day

We spent a wonderful family Saturday in gorgeous Zilker Park in Austin. I love, love, love living in the Austin area and am fully aware we don't take advantage of all Austin has to offer. This weekend, for a happy change, we headed to Zilker Park. There's lots to do at Zilker, but there's only so much we could get in before nap time,so I know we'll be headed back another weekend to continue our Zilker adventure. For this time, we....

watched all the crazy...um, I mean dedicated...swimmers in Barton Springs pool. Although we had hit the water the day before, the temperature dropped nearly 20 degrees on Saturday! I was getting the chills just watching the swimmers doing laps! got up close to the Zilker pigeons. Jake has been fascinated and tried to chase birds at other parks. I think he didn't quite know what to make of the fact these birds didn't fly away upon his excited arrival.

Rode the Zilker Zephyr miniature train....Enjoyed beautiful views of the lake...

Practiced driving skills on the old Zilker fire engine...

Posed for a picture with Mommy...

Played in the rocks and the dirt (this perhaps being the most fun of all)...

Making Jake a very, very dirty, but also very, very happy little boy!

Can't wait to hit the Botanical Gardens on our next visit!