Livin' with the Lawsons

Three!

2012-01-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

Jake turned 3 on January 2. There will be a few posts to commemorate this special occassion, so this one is just about his special day on Monday, January 2, 2012. Jake woke up to a very special birthday breakfast. I made homemade cake batter pancakes with sprinkles...

After our special family breakfast, it was time to open gifts before Daddy headed to work. Here he goes...Cool superhero costumes; with Spiderman, of course!Jake immediately wanted to wear his new Spiderman costume. He loves birthday party accessories, so here's what the birthday boy looked like while lounging on the couch...After some time at home with Mommy, we headed to Chick-fil-a for a special birthday lunch. I think Jake's favorite part was the ice cream cone...

My Superhero!After dinner, it was time to sing "Happy Birthday" and blow out the candles on his birthday cookie (cupcakes to be saved for the party). Jake was really excited...and yes, I put three candles on one cookie...One last surprise present with some more Spiderman goodies. He dug right into the puzzle. It was a great 3rd birthday, but the fun has only just begun...

Happy New Year!

2012-01-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

We celebrated a fun, family-friendly New Year's Eve. We invited some of our good friends over and rang in our first New Year's at about 8:00. Here are the kids ready to party! Eliza...

London...and Jake. In all fairness, Jake might have done Eliza's and London's partying for them...We even went outside for a little sparkler action. Jake loved seeing the sparklers...The girls, on the other hand, were not so sure. London's fist was more entertaining than sparklers...and Eliza might have been just a tad bit scared...

So, I didn't get one picture of a single adult. What is it about cute kids stealing the show? Well, we adults put the kids down after their celebration and rung in our New Year with games and snacks. Thanks Dishmans and Pimentels, for helping ring in our New Year with friends, laughter and fun!

An Aledo Christmas

2012-01-10T14:08:00.001-08:00

This year, Christmas morning was spent with my parents in Aledo, so all the special preparation went on at their house. We got special reindeer food at preschool, so after Christmas Eve service Jake spread it out across the yard to help Santa's reindeer find their way...

Making sure he's got it all...My family has a tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve night. Jake got Tinker Toys, so he got to building right away...and here's his first Tinker Toys creation: a swingset (with just a little help from Mom and Dad)...Christmas morning brought so many fun surprises. Here's Jake checking out what Santa brought him. This year he asked for "tools" and a "Spiderman watch." Santa definitely delivered!There's always fun surprises from Papa and Grandmama. Here's Jake jammin' on one of those surprises...He also got a cool miniature foosball table. Here are Jake and Daddy trying it out...

Christmas Day is all about trying out all your new goodies, and we did just that. Jake eventually got dressed, we enjoyed a delicious meal together, and he even used his new tools to help fix a stool. We were definitely blessed by two great family Christmas celebrations!

A G-ville Christmas

2012-01-10T14:02:00.001-08:00

We got to spend some great family time with both sides of our families for Christmas. We started things off in Gainesville, with the whole Lawson fam. It's always a blast when we can have all the cousins together. Big T took the kids (minus a napping Campbell) to the fire station. He's a retired fireman, so he has the inside connection....

Here's the best shot I could get of everyone in front of the firetruck...

They all had their turn spraying the fire hose...What handsome junior firemen!Silly face...The best part of our time was getting to be together, but Christmas isn't complete without at least a few presents. Here's Jake opening a cool new book...and I had to include Chan-Chan. She's loves accessorizing!

Cookies!

2012-01-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

Another fun Christmas tradition for us is baking cookies. This was my first year attempting home-made rolled-out cookies, and I have to say they tasted pretty good. It must be because I had a great helper...

I have fond memories of baking and decorating Christmas cookies with my mom, so I hope one day Jake looks back on our cookie baking days in the same way.

Presents begin

2012-01-09T14:08:00.001-08:00

We decided to let Jake open his presents from us over the last few days before we headed out of town. We got him the game Don't Break the Ice and he really loved it. There's just something about being allowed to hammer on something and watch it fall apart that that's so much fun...

His big gift from us was a collection of costumes or "dress-up" clothes. Jake has enjoyed dressing up and pretending for awhile, so I was really excited to see what he thought about his new clothes. He definitely seemed to love it. Here he's showing off a couple...

He wanted to put on this Lightning racing uniform immediately and wore it all day long. It was really cute. Please excuse his flash face. It's so hard to get a good picture of Jake when I need the flash!

Christmas Lights

2012-01-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas just isn't Christmas in our family without a trip to go look at lights. We're luckily to have some great lights close to us. There are even a couple that deserve parking your car and getting out to enjoy. Here's just a peek of what we saw...

A little calm...

2012-01-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

before the holiday storm. Christmastime and the New Year is such a busy time. Before we headed out of town to start all the festivities, we were able to spend a fun Saturday just the three of us. We headed to a UT basketball game. Jake genuinely loves watching sports. It's kind of funny b/c he seems so serious about it a lot of the time. Here he is supporting the Horns. His fingers stayed in that position about half of the game!

After the game we did a little exploring around Austin before grabbing a bite for dinner. We stumbled upon a graffiti park where graffiti is allowed. It was really cool and quite beautiful. Here are Kevin and Jake...

I really wanted a picture of just Jake, but he wouldn't agree until he took a picture of us first. So, here's the picture of Mommy and Daddy...and in return, here's the picture of Jake...

It was a great day with my two favorite guys!

The Reason for the Season

2011-12-19T14:37:00.001-08:00

Christmastime is fun for so many reasons. I love getting to share Christmas traditions and memories with Jake. This year is so much fun because he's able to participate and share in so much more than before. In the midst of so many fun Christmas celebrations, it's imporant for us to teach Jake what Christmas is really about...Jesus' birth. Luckily for us, there's lots of opportunity provided to do that. One Friday night while Daddy was coaching, Jake and I went to a nearby church to see the Christmas story. They had a petting area which Jake loved...

and they also showed a Christmas play every 20 minutes. Jake loved everything b/c he wanted to watch the play twice and we went into the petting area 3 times!The following day, we headed to another local church's "Walk through Bethlehem." They did an awesome job. It was so kid friendly and educational. Jake loved it. Here he is helping a woman dip water from a well...We even ran into the three wise men looking for baby Jesus...There were some animals to check out too. I thought the most exciting animal was the camel, but Jake was a little scared to get a picture with him. This chicken was much more his size...He got to make his own sachet by picking different herbs and grinding them together...Everyone volunteering was dressed for the occasion. Here's the woman who helped put together Jake's sachet...He made a cool mosaic...

He also got to touch and learn about different grains. Everything was so well done. Jake came home with tons of cool crafts, but also a real-life experience of the time of Jesus' birth. I'll definitely try to make it there again next year.

That evening we hosted a birthday party for Jesus at our house with a few close friends. We shared with the kids the reason for Christmas while having fun together and enjoying birthday cake. I didn't take a single picture, but I was happy with our little celebration.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-13T14:23:00.000-08:00

We had a really great Thanksgiving this year and were able to spend time with both our families. My dad always does the Lenz family turkey and this year he had some help...

Here's Jake in eager anticipation of the meal. His favorites this year were the turkey and rolls...

And it's not Thanksgiving without giving a tug on the wishbone. Jake and Papa had it out, but it was Jake that got his wish!

Next it was Lawson family time. This year we tried something new and played a family soccer game. The kids loved it. It was the Blue Bulls vs. the Brown team. Somehow the Blue Bulls ended up with the most fun team and were the winners. Here they are...The boys also played some clock with Memaw, which I know was super special for Kevin and Chad...

Here are the two that had the most fun playing soccer. Great cousins make a great team!

Gaylord and Ice! tradition

2011-12-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

Jake and I left a couple days early for Thanksgiving to spent time with my parents. It seems there's a tradition that's formed b/c this is the 3rd day we've enjoyed all the great Christmas decor at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine and enjoyed the incredible Ice! exhibit. As always, it was lots of fun. The night before we left, Jake was sporting his winter hat getting ready for the cold ice...

If you've never seen an Ice! exhibit at the Gaylord, I highly recommend it. The artistry is truly unbelievable. Everyone wears special coats to help stay warm. Jake's still a little small for the smallest size, but what a cutie!...

This year's theme was Shrek. Here's Jake with the oger himself...

Can you believe this is made from ice?

Jake started off doing a great job walking on his own, but then the cold started to get to him a bit. No worries, Papa was there to act as transportation...

Santa also visits the Gaylord, so we stood in line to see him. Here's Jake checking it all out...

and here he is happily waiting to have his turn...

and finally, here is Santa with an empty lap and a smile when Jake absolutely refused to go anywhere near him. It was OK. A few days later Jake and I wrote a letter to Santa instead of seeing him face-to-face. I'm pretty sure he gets the message no matter how it comes...Part of the decor includes some amazing train sets. Jake loves these, and I admit, I do too...

Thanks for treating us to a great day, Papa and Grandmama!

The Warmth of November

2011-11-28T12:59:00.001-08:00

I'll admit, I love the fact that I live in place where it's possible to sport shorts and a t-shirt in November and be perfectly comfortable. Kevin, Jake and I took advantage of this great weather and headed to the park. Being at the park with Jake is just one of the many things that remind me how big he is. He can do almost everything all by himself. He's really growing up!

Jake was being a great sport as I was taking pictures. He was happy to pose and smile for me. This is a rare day, so I definitely took advantage...

Gotta love those nice, fall park days!

Equal Opportunity

2011-11-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

Big T and Nana came to visit a few weeks ago and it was a weekend filled with shopping craft fairs and enjoying sports. I think when it was all said and done, we included basketball, baseball, soccer, and hockey to the list of sports we participated in. We started our Saturday morning off watching Daddy coach the Leander Lions. Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed the good weather and spent lots of time outside playing soccer and baseball. Here's our star catcher...

Saturday night we went to our first Texas Stars game at the Cedar Park Center. Here's Jake and Daddy trying their hand at being hockey players...

The game was a lot of fun and cold! Lucky for Jake, he had Nana and his super warm hoodie to warm him up...

We had great seats. Here's a pic of the action...

and a family shot...

Thanks for treating us to a great weekend, Big T and Nana!

Chan-Chan's 2!

2011-11-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

Jake and headed north a few weeks ago to celebrate Channing's 2nd birthday. She is so super cute and it was fun to spend time with cousins. I didn't get too many picture. Quite honestly, it was just too nice enjoying the family time and not worrying about pictures. Here's Channing sporting several of her birthday gifts at once...

and her look of satisfaction after eating some yummy birthday cake...

Everyone enjoying the new toys; just a part of the Lawson family band...

Museum Day

2011-11-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

Jake and I headed up to Aledo to celebrate my Dad's birthday. We enjoyed a wonderful birthday dinner with my parents and had lots of fun playing with all Papa and Grandmama's toys. I think the highlight of the trip was our visit to the museum. Jake had a great time. Here he is checking out a tornado...

They had a really cool air exhibit where you tried to get all kinds of things to fly through the air blowing out of large tubes. Here's Jake putting his cup in just the right place...and here he is watching it sail through the air!

This is one of my favorite pics of the day. He was SO happy playing with this beach boy. What a joyful face!He also got to play with some really cool blocks with Papa...but I think his favorite part of the museum was the grocery store! I think he could have gone shopping forever. Patiently waiting in line...

At this particular store, one does his own scanning and bagging, but Jake didn't seem to mind...

Jake also got to see his first IMAX movie called Animalopolis. It was a perfect show for small children and Jake seemed to really love it. Thanks Papa and Grandmama for a great visit!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Jake and I started off our Halloween Day with some crafts. Here are our jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins...

From the moment I started asking Jake what he wanted to be for Halloween over a month ago, he adamantly said, "Football player!" Every few days I would ask him again, even showing him many different costume options, and he would still insist, "football player." There was a brief lapse in his thinking after talking to his cousin Cohen, but before long we were back on track and that's exactly what Jake was for Halloween...We really lucked out because Jake had gotten a full Cowboys football uniform for Christmas from Chad and Cassy. He already loved it and was happy to be the newest additions to the Cowboys. Here's Jake getting the Halloween goods...Jake was a champ for the first couple of houses, but he quickly slowed down and began showing hesitancy. We trooped around to about 5 houses, and Jake did a great job of trick-or-treating.Here's the full effect...

We all joined in on the fun. I was the coach and Daddy was a fellow player...

After we finished around our house, we drove to the Dishmans' so we could visit this precious little calf...

We then headed home in time to catch a few trick-or-treaters. I honestly think this was Jake's favorite part of the entire evening. Sitting in our camping chairs, eating candy, and waiting for the kids to arrive. He got super excited when someone came up the driveway. As the street cleared and it looked like everyone was done for the night, he jumped out of his chair and said, "Friends, friends! Where are our friends?"

All the new "friends" made the end of the night fun, but let's not forget the candy. It was definitely a highlight too...Yum-yum!

A Visit from the Ratliffs

2011-10-31T12:31:00.001-07:00

Our good friends, Phillip, Heather, Emily and Anna, came to visit us from Abilene the weekend before Halloween. It's really great to spend time and catch up with them and see how much our kids are growing. On Saturday, we headed to a local nursery that was offering activities for the kids. Here are Emily and Jake heading in. Aren't they so sweet?

They had a TON of pumpkins there, so we took A LOT of pictures. I didn't get one good picture of all three kids, but here's the best one of Jake and Emily...

and here's an absolutely adorable one of Anna...

They had a petting zoo and Jake loved checking out all the animals...Kevin was a pretty popular guy during the weekend. In the car, both Emily and Jake wanted to hold his hand, so of course, what else can a guy do?

The kids enjoyed lots of play time at home too. Emily and Jake got along really well, so that made everyone very happy. PlayDo was an especially big hit...While at the nursery, each family bought a pumpkin with the goal of carving them that evening. The carving was a lot of fun. The daddies took the lead on that project...

We cut lots of different shapes out of construction paper so the kids could pick out what they wanted their face to look like. That way, they were able to put the face together on the pumpkin themselves, then the daddies took over for the carving. Here's Jake's final selection for his face. The tongue was a Jake special request...

Once they were all finished, it was time for the photo opp. Here's our family...Here's Emily and Jake with their super cheesy smiles...

Finally, here's the best capture of a Daddy/kids shot. I think they all look pretty adorable...

Family Day

2011-10-31T12:25:00.001-07:00

I am blessed with an amazing husband. Jake and I love spending time with him, and we're blessed that he takes off work a couple times a school year just so we can have a special family day together. These days he takes off mean so much to me as a mom and a wife. On this day we headed down to Austin, played in the park, then ate at Hut's Hamburgers. Here's Daddy and Jake waiting for the yummy hamburgers to arrive...

Here's Mommy and Jake with proof that every once in while our family does break out of our northern bubble to hit some Austin hot spots...For a special treat after our hamburgers, we headed down S. Lamar to Gourdoughs Doughnuts and it WAS NOT there! I was shocked and very saddened. My heart and tummy had to get over the devastation and make do with Hey Cupcake! Not a bad trade-off. Jake picked the flavor: vanilla with chocolate icing, and we shared in the deliciousness. What a great day!

Cup Stacking Champ

2011-10-31T12:22:00.001-07:00

On any given day, we'll try to keep ourselves entertained with all sorts of games, toys, and activities. One that Jake has been liking lately is cup stacking. We have a ton of these small paper cups from an activity Kevin did at school, and Jake loves to play with them. Here he is at work (this pyramid is all his own work; no help from Mommy)...

Showing off his work...

Camping

2011-10-31T12:12:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago, we went camping with a group of friends. This was Jake's first camping experience. I was super excited so I did my best to raise his excitement level too. Kevin and I have only been camping with a group, so it was nice to take Jake for the first time with some other camping pros since we still have some learning to do. I'm proud to say I do think we're ready for a little trip just the 3 of us (of course, something simple), so hopefully we'll see what the Spring brings. Jake was all decked out for the trip and we stopped for Sonic drinks on the way, so he was even a more happy camper!

Our site was really beautiful and had this great rocky area where the kids loved playing. They had all sorts of adventures together...

A couple of the moms brought supplies for pumpkin painting so we started off the morning with a little art project...We couldn't have asked for better weather. We were comfortable in shorts and t-shirts during the day, but it cooled off enough at night to make it comfortable in the tents. It was even warm enough to take a little dip in the lake...

These next pictures are courtesy of Noelle McNeil. The entire group took a hike after breakfast and pumpkin painting. I didn't bring my camera, but it was absolutely beautiful scenery. Noelle was nice enough to capture a group shot of the kids. Here's a few of them...And here's the whole group (minus napping Emma)...

And here's the whole crew (minus Jason and friend) after our hike. We really had so much fun. Jake loved his first camping experience, and I can't wait for the opportunity to take him again. It is also such a blessing to have a good group of friends to share the experience with.

Zoo Day

2011-10-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm an entire month behind on my blog. Sometimes life happens, and it doesn't include the motivation to blog. Now I'm back and motivated, so am going to play a little catch up. Back in the beginning of October, we went to the zoo with the Dishman family. Jake loves these two boys, so it was a lot of fun to give them an opportunity to hang out. We enjoyed a train ride...

We also enjoyed feeding a lot of the animals, especially the goats...We stopped by this big rooster for a posed shot of the boys...That was their regular pose, and this is their "group hug"...Good times. Good friends. Thanks for joining us Charis, Colt, Levi and Tatum!

Perfect Park Days

2011-10-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

When my parents were in town for a visit, we were blessed with amazing weather. The amazing weather meant that we spent a lot of park time and baseball time. Here's some of our outdoor fun: Scaling the wall at the park...

Ready at bat...

and it's outta there...another day at bat...Tree climbing...More rock climbing...

I sure do love this boy...

Waco weekend

2011-09-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend we spent Friday night through Saturday in Waco. We had several great reasons for the trip: visit one of Kevin's best friend's James' family, visit one of our huddle kids, Aryn, at Baylor, and go to a Baylor football game. All was accomplished, and all was wonderful! It was fun for me to be on Baylor's campus, although I felt a bit old looking at all the new buildings. Here's Jake hanging out while we're waiting for Aryn...

One of the new buildings is the science building. It's gigantic and beautiful. Here's Kevin and Aryn showing it off...

Jake made fast friends with James and Amber's boys, Kelton (6) and Kolt (3). It was a lot of fun for us to see them playing together, especially for Kevin. James and Kevin were childhood friends and they are very close so it's great seeing their own boys start a friendship. We attempted a posed shot before we left. Here are the best I got...

So that's an attempt at a posed shot. Here's what the boys actually looked liked when they were together. Wrestling, playing, and laughing...

We also had a great time at the game. Aryn is in the marching band. Here he is....somewhere...

Actually, we got really lucky and REALLY got to see him as the band was lining up for the half time performance. He was close enough for us to yell "hi" and for him to give us a wave and a great big Aryn smile....

Here's Kevin and Jake supporting Mommy with a "Sic 'em Bears!"My beautiful, blue-eyed boy...

He really loves watching sports' games. I don't think we've come across a sport he doesn't seem interested in...

and the fam...

Jake and Mommy

2011-09-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today, Jake and I had a "Jake and Mommy Day". Kevin was at an out-of-town cross country meet, and we had no "plans," so the day was ours. I loved today. I love the chances to just hang out with my boy and have fun however we want. I don't want to ever forget how precious these days are.

We ran an errand to Target, made a free fossil craft at Lakeshore Learning, had a picnic and played outside at the Arboretum, and shared a cup of Amy's Ice Cream. Nothing too special, just a fun day together, but the favorite part of the day came nearly first thing.

The very first thing Jake wanted to do when he woke up was play baseball. Without a reason to rush to breakfast, we did just that: Mommy was the pitcher and Jake the batter. After one exceptionally good hit, I looked at Jake in a way I know I look at him when I'm feeling sentimental and proud. I didn't say one word, just looked at him and Jake said, "You're so proud of me, Mommy." I then replied to him, "Yes, you're exactly right, Jake, I'm so proud of you." He was exactly right, and I'm so glad he knows that with only just the look on my face. I hope that's something he knows for the rest of his life, and not only by the way I look at him, but by the way I tell him through my words and actions for as long as I live.

I don't want to have a post without at least one picture, so here's one I took these morning. I think the name that suits this face is "extra cheesy." This is what Jake looks like when he says a VERY exaggerated "cheese" for the camera...

First Day of Preschool 2011

2011-09-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

Jake started preschool today. He's back at the same school, but now going two days a week. We started some new first day of school traditions this year that I hope we can continue thoughout Jake's childhood (even when he grows so big he thinks it's dumb). The 3 of us went shopping together the day before school started and let him pick out his "first day of school shirt" and his "special first day of school snack." Neither shirt nor snack was what Mommy would have picked, but that's what makes it fun and special. We also both put Jake to bed (usually just one of us does this), read a special school book together, Bible verse, and family prayer. In the morning, I made a special breakfast--this year french toast!

With all the prep and hype, Jake genuinely seemed excited and ready to go. He even let me take this picture of him in front of school...

Once we got outside the classroom door, however, Jake was a little apprehensive and even told me, "I want to go home!" We unfortunately missed his orientation, so this was Jake's first time to see this classroom and his teachers. I think he was really expecting to go to the same class and see the same faces as last year even though I'd prepped him for the change, so this was not what he was expecting. I did have to leave him in a few tears, but I was able to see through the window on my way to the car and the tears were already gone. Here are Jake and his teachers, Ms. Irene and Ms. Tanya. This is after school when I picked him up and there is a smile on his face!

Some things I want to remember about this first day:

*Jake was so excited about his new Diego shirt. After breakfast, I was cleaning up and he went back to his room and came back out dressed in it! He put it on all by himself and it was on perfect!

*Jake looks like he was in a first day schoolyard fight b/c he had a collision with his footboard two days before school started.

*He asked about his friend Patrick who was in his last year's class. When I told him he wasn't in his class this year, Jake told me, "He's at home taking a nap."

*He wore his backpack all the way to his classroom.
*He picked out mini Oreos for his special first day of school snack. (I knew it was going to be something sweet!)
*When I picked him up at the end of the day, the teacher said, "He is really good at basketball, and he loves to dance!"

*I tried to "interview" him afterwards to try to document his first day. He barely answered any questions, but here's a few...

Q: What did you do in school today?

A: Play

Q: Do you remember your teachers' names?

A: Not Ms. Linda (last year's teacher). She's at home.

Q: Did you have fun today at school?

A: Yes.

Q: What was the most fun thing?

A: I can't remember.

return to P. A.

2011-09-05T12:34:00.001-07:00

My parents took Jake and I on a final summer trip back to Port Aransas. For me, the trip wasn't so great--I began feeling sick the first day and by the second day was in the emergency clinic where I learned I had something called adenovirus. It wasn't until the last day when I was actually able to get out and really enjoy myself. For Jake, on the other hand, the trip was great, and that was really the most important thing. He had fun doing lots of things. He had a fun time eating. Here he is at a restaurant one night...

You can't tell what he's holding in this one, but it's a fried oyster! My dad got them for an appetizer and Jake loved them! What a crazy boy...

He had a fun time playing in the ocean...He went to the beach everyday. My parents would ask him, "Where do you want to go? To the pool, beach, or fishing?" and he chose beach every time. Here's what he does when he is finished with the camera...He had fun feeding the seagulls. We weren't allowed to feed them on the balcony this time, but Jake still kept them happy on the beach...He had fun playing in the sand...He was COVERED...He had fun building sandcastles with Mommy (when I was actually able to get out)...We're hard at work...This picture is for Daddy b/c we know you love this style of sandcastles. We missed you so much! Jake made the one in the very front all by himself....Jake had fun using this bamboo as a bat to play baseball on the beach...and of course, he had fun spending lots of time with Papa and Grandmama! Thanks for a great trip!

Cohen turns 4!

2011-09-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Jake and I headed to Gainesville to stay with Nana and Big T for the special occasion of Cohen's 4th birthday party. Jake had really been looking forward to seeing Cohen and going to this party so he could barely wait until Saturday morning. Cohen's birthday was full of water fun in his backyard. Here's Jake running across the slip 'n slides...

There were also some cool relay races. This was Jake's team. As you can see, he's the smallest. He seemed excited and ready to participate, but when the time came, he gave his turn away. Oh well, all that matters is that he had fun, and I know he did!

They also played with water balloons and this big parachute...

The big hit of the party was this homemade water slide. They hosed the slide down and the kids ended in a baby pool. They all loved it! Here's Jake going for a turn...

Here's a pic of the cute cousins. One of Cohen's friends came up to him, looked at Jake, and immediately asked if they were brothers. I'm sure this won't be the last time they get mistaken for brothers...

As you can tell from the pics, Jake was at Cohen's side pretty much the whole time. This is the way Jake wanted it, and he's fortunate to have such a wonderful big cousin that also enjoys him too. Cohen did a great job of playing with and including Jake even with his other older friends being all around. We are very thankful for the special, sweet friendship that is forming b/t them.

After all the guests left, Cohen and Jake had the backyard to themselves, and they played for awhile on the slide with Big T. Later that night, we asked Cohen what his favorite part of the party was, and he said it was this time. I thought that was so sweet.They would both grab onto the slide, then Big T would bring on a big wave and they'd come crashing down into the pool. They laughed and laughed every time...

We stayed through the afternoon so we could spend some family time together. Jake's favorite thing is baseball right now, and he wants to play wherever he is. He found Channing's bat and this little helmet and was ready to go...I've gotta include this precious girl. Her Tia Chandy brought her very first sponge rollers, so they tried them out. I didn't get a picture of her cute curly hair, but I did get this one...

Rock 'n River with Nana and Big T

2011-09-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Nana and Big T came in for a visit at the beginning of August. I didn't get many pictures except for the day when we went to the Round Rock Rock 'n River pool. We all had a great time enjoying this special outing. Here's Nana and Jake floating the lazy river...

Jake loved this little froggie slide...and down he goes...

The water definitely wore him out. Look at that sweet, tired face in Daddy's arms as we were about to leave...

Cowboy Superheros

2011-08-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

Jake has been doing much more imaginative play over the last couple months. He will pretend to ride in rocket ships, take care of animals, escape from monsters, all sorts of creative, fun play. He definitely likes dressing up and on this particular day, he and Daddy were cowboy superheros!

I'm lucky to get this sweet and handsome cowboy to rescue me everyday!

My birthday

2011-08-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

My boys are always super sweet, and this year's birthday wasn't an exception. I did my usual volunteering the night of my birthday, so we celebrated another night. What I didn't know is that they had a trick up their sleeve. I came home to them hiding in the pantry, then coming out with this cake, singing "Happy Birthday!"They made a red velvet cake, FROM SCRATCH! It did taste really good, but unfortunately, due to time constraints, the cake wasn't fully cooled when they iced it, so it's appearance was a little off. Here they are both laughing as they were telling me about the cake baking adventure.

My special request for my birthday was to go to the food trailer, Gordough's. I've heard amazing things about it, and trust me, they were not lies. We really should have shared one donut, but since it was my birthday we splurged. I got one with covered in chocolate and strawberries, a la mode, of course...

The other was banana pudding. It was delicious, but super, super sweet. I think this one was actually my favorite, but it seemed only possible to eat it in a much smaller portion b/c of how sweet it was. I definitely recommend Gourdough's for a sweet tooth. Thanks boys for a great birthday!

Take me out to the...

2011-08-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

ballgame! The boys headed out to the Dell Diamond one night while the girls stayed home. Jake was especially super excited about the game---he LOVES baseball games. The game did not disappoint b/c they reportedly had a blast. Kevin did a great job getting some pictures, even a group shot. Here are all the boys...

My boys...Chad and the boys (Jake is apparently deeply into a play)...

and the cute blond cousins...

To be fair to Channing, she didn't miss out on all the baseball fun. We played a game ourselves at the house during the day and Channing took part too. Here she is up to bat...

Thatta girl!

Cousin Time minus one

2011-08-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

I'm about one month behind on blogging--yikes! So, I'm hoping to play a little catch-up and get back on track soon. About a month ago, Chad, Cohen and Channing came to visit us for a couple days. We were very sad to miss out seeing Cassy and Campbell, but we loved having a least a part of their family here. We mixed their time here with some old fashioned fun at home with some excursions to keep us busy out of the house. Their first morning, we headed to church for Krazy Praizy. The kids did great listening to story time and singing songs. Here's Channing taking a look at the Krazy Praizy mascot...

There was another little girl there who fell instantly in love with Channing and took her under wing. She shared with her and even pushed her around in this car for a long time. Simone was being the perfect "big sister....

Another morning we headed to one of our friend's neighborhood pools. Amy generously lent us her key into the super nice pool, so we got to enjoy swimming for free! The boys spent a good amount of time jumping off the ledge and swimming out to either Kevin or Chad. They had a blast and it was a blast to watch them. They often held hands before taking the plunge...

Ready.....set....jump!

Channing was mostly enjoying Jake's little inner tube, but I did manage to capture a picture of her in on the action...

We ate a picnic lunch at the pool, and the boys were doing a great job at posing for pictures. This is my favorite picture from the entire visit...

And, of course, the kids played a lot at home. Here's some story time with Kevin while Channing is napping...

and a game of war. It was Kevin and Cohen against Chad and Jake...

The kids managed to also get out pretty much every toy we own. Channing especially loved Mr. Potato Head's glasses...

A cousin visit isn't complete without cousin bath time...

The boys ventured out somewhere else, but it deserves it's own post, so stay tuned!

Educational Fun

2011-08-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

I definitely don't classify myself as an educator. I am in no way cut out to home school Jake, and am very happy there are people who have the education and the heart to do that within a school setting. I do, however, try my best to teach him what I can at home and it's nice to be able to be a part of his learning, which is something Kevin and I always want to do. Jake's piggy bank (actually cowboy boot bank) was getting really full, so we decided it was time to empty it out for counting. Of course, the bank can do this for free, but we took the opportunity to try to teach Jake the basics of the coins and work on his counting...

He already seems to know what money is, and even if he doesn't really know, he definitely knows money is a good thing to have, so he really loved sorting and counting. When we were all finished, we even took Jake took the bank and let him take the money in himself. He was a proud boy, and we're just a tiny (more like teeny, teeny, tiny) step closer to college!

Basic Fun

2011-08-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

I post a lot on this blog about all the special fun things we do, but there's a lot of regular day, basic fun happening to keep us entertained too. We've been lucky to have Kevin around a lot this summer and Jake LOVES playing with his Daddy. One day they did an art project together on the back porch.

Here's Jake hard at work...

And both boys busy creating their masterpiece...

Thanks to Grandmama and Papa for the cool new sidewalk chalk and paint. It really is 3-D!

A Trip to Abilene

2011-07-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago, we went to visit our good friends, Phillip and Heather and their girls, Emily and Anna. It was a HOT weekend in Abilene, but lots of fun. It's always nice to catch up and hang out with friends you don't get the chance to see often. We stayed very busy and didn't let the heat interrupt our fun. We walked around ACU's campus a bit so Kevin could see how things have changed in the last 10 years. One thing that was new for him was this beautiful sculputre. Here's Kevin and I...

and a close-up...

and here are the kids (at least the older ones)...

One more pic of the kids, although this one is really capturing the sculpture since they look a bit like ants...Here's a cute pic of Jake and Emily ready to eat. For the most part, they got along really well. They did have their moments where they seemed to bring out the "toddler" in each other, if you know what I mean...I think they both decided Kevin was their favorite toy of the weekend...

The girls and kids went to the Abilene zoo Saturday morning. The guys were doing a catering job for Phillip's restaurant, Bogie's. Phillip and Heather own a sandwich shop in downtown Abilene, so if you're ever in Abilene, you should definitely check Bogie's out. Yummy! Here's Jake checking out some animals at the zoo...

I think the heat prevented any cooperation with pictures from happening, but they had lots of fun. This is the closest to a posed picture that I got...

This picture, on the other hand, was much easier to get. The kind when their backs are turned and they don't know the camera is out. Still cute...OK, I'm saving the best for last. Phillip and Heather have a "new" baby girl. She's actually 6 months old, but we'd never met her, so Anna was new to us. It was so much fun to be around this precious baby girl. Even Jake thought so...She's beautiful and a very good girl too. I hardly heard a cry from her the entire weekend...This is my favorite picture. Anna makes this face a lot, and it is super precious!

Farmer Jake

2011-07-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

Our church puts on events called Krazy Praizy during the summer for preschool age children and their parents. Every Tuesday they had fun activities at the church, then would follow it up with field trips on Thursdays. We didn't attend too many things since I was working in June, but we did get to go on a fun trip to Crowe's Nest Farm in Manor. It wasn't a bad drive at all, and it was a really great place, so it was a day very well spent! Despite the heat, I think the summer is a good time to go b/c you avoid all the huge school field trips. There were very few people other than our group when we were there, and it made it even nicer. They had a barn area with several tanks of fish and frogs, along with other reptiles. Here are Jake, Levi and Colt checking it out...

Jake quickly found his best buds, the Dishman boys, and was pretty much glued to them the entire time. At one point, as we were walking around looking at all the animals, Levi and Jake took off ahead of the pack liked they owned the place...
There were LOTS of fun animals to see. I don't think I've ever seen as many different chicken and roosters before. They also had a presentation about milking cows. The guy who led it was very friendly and had a great message to the kids that all our food is provided to us by animals and farmers, so we need to be appreciative of their hard work. Here are the boys intently listening...He went through the whole process of how milk comes from the farm to the grocery store...We also got to go on a hay ride to tour part of the farm. Here's Jake enjoying the ride...and here's the best picture we could get of the 3 boys...

Port Aransas 2011, Part 3

2011-07-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

We stayed in a great condo called Port Royal. Our condo was perfect for us, we just had to walk down the boardwalk to get to the beach, and they have a beautiful big pool. I'd definitely recommend it. Our balcony overlooked the water and dunes. Here's our view...The beach was definitely the big attraction of this trip, but one day we headed into Corpus Christi to go to the aquarium. It was a great break from the sun and waves, and Jake loves looking at all the sea life. Here's Jake with Papa and Grandmama at the entrance...One thing that made this aquarium especially great were their shows. They had a few shows that were like a mini level of Sea World. The dolphins were my favorite...This was Jake the entire time: nose glued to the glass taking in all the amazing creatures...This was an area where you could pet sting rays...Jake and the sea turtle are keeping an eye on each other...
They also had a wild bird show. They had a few different types of hawks, plus some non-bird animals were involved. I was actually called up as a participant for one part, and a hawk flew just centimeters from my head! Here's the crew waiting for the show to begin. This part was outside, and although it was shaded, we were all pretty hot.
It was a really great trip. I LOVE the beach, and I'm so glad that Jake loves it too. This was the perfect time with family!

Port Aransas 2011, Part 2

2011-07-19T12:53:00.001-07:00

I'm dedicating one entire blog to fishing. First off, my dad and Kevin went deep sea fishing one morning and loved it! I got up early to drop them off, so here they are on the boat before heading off...

We got a call a little earlier than we expected to pick them up, so I was a little worried at first. Fortunately, there was no need to worry b/c they made a killing...They caught all red snapper, and caught b/t 15-20 total. You're only allowed to bring in 2 fish per person to keep, so that's what they did. We even brought their fresh catch with us to the restaurant that night and we were able to eat it...delicious! When they got back, we let Jake walk around the boat to check it out. Daddy and Jake...Papa and Jake...We also wanted Jake to have a try at his first fishing experience, so on another morning we drove to a shallow area so Jake could try his skills...He ultimately had to go pant-less to avoid getting entirely soaked...Papa was in heaven fishing alongside his grandson...We didn't really have an expectation of catching anything since we just randomly picked a spot, and we were using salami as bait. It was really just for the experience of it all...but God was shining down on us and Jake actually caught something!
Here's Jake showing off his very first catch...I love his face in this shot. It's a cross between grossed out and worn out. Jake actually didn't like pulling the fish up out of the water. He wanted to let it stay in to swim around.After a picture of the prize, we let the little guy go, and shortly headed back to the condo. I'm pretty sure all of the adults were way more excited about the catch than Jake. I think it's the fact that we actually know that fishing isn't as easy as it looks, but for now, Jake can live in a world where it's easy as can be. A couple days after our trip, I was asking Jake some questions about it, and asked him, "What kind of fish did you catch?" My mom told him many times it was a perch, so I was wondering if he remembered. His immediate response was, "Nemo!"To go along with the fishing, I'll include a quick note about the wonderful food we ate. My family LOVES seafood, and I am proud to say that Jake did a great job eating several kinds of fish, shrimp and crab. I was very proud of how well he ate and how adventurous he was. Here's everyone the final night about to enjoy an amazing key lime pie!

Port Aransas 2011, Part 1

2011-07-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip with my parents to Port Aransas right after the 4th. It was really a great and fun family getaway. We did lots of fun, fun stuff, so I'll break the trip down into what I consider the highlights. First of all, we (especially Jake) loved feeding the seagulls every night. Right when we got there, Kevin and Jake went outside to check out the view and quickly made a seagull friend they named Sammy. Here they are with their friend, Sammy...

Jake carefully pulled apart the bread and would also carefully decide where he threw it...

Yeah for the seagulls!I think the biggest highlight of all was the beach! Probably a good thing since this was a beach vacation. My parents took Jake to the beach in Galveston a couple months ago, but this was the first experience Kevin and I had with him at the beach, and it was awesome. I was so proud of him. He is not scared at all of the water. He never once cried or whined, even when a big wave would splash water all in his face. He wasn't even phased by the saltwater. He just seems so brave to me, and it was so obvious he was having fun it made it that much more fun for all of us. Here's Jake's beach bod...He liked to play on a raft we brought. As soon as we got down to the ocean, he would grab the raft and head to the water, regardless if anyone was with him. He definitely kept us on our toes. Once in the water, one of us would hold the raft and bring him out into the waves and he did a great job of riding the waves...

He also loved just going in on his own. Here are some shots capturing that...I can't get enough of the joy he exudes...We also picked up a little inner tube for him, and it turned out to be a great purchase. He loved it and was good enough at holding on that he could float on his on in the deeper water...Jake really didn't want the fun to stop in order to take posed pictures, but Kevin and I took the sneak-up behind approach to document our being there too...And with all the fun, it was definitely important to take some rest and snack breaks. Here are all the boys chillin' on the sand...

The Big Screen

2011-07-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

We took Jake to his first movie on the big screen this summer. Cars 2 was the obvious movie pick. Jake did well through the entire movie. It definitely didn't hurt that we went all out on the snacks so he had popcorn, drink and candy...

We was pretty mesmerized through the whole movie. He had the exhibit some patience b/c we arrived early meaning we had 30 minutes to kill before it began. I couldn't keep count of how many times Jake asked, "Where's Lightning?" before the movie began...

A successful trip for sure!

A Little Country Fun

2011-07-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of enjoying a weekend with our friends, the Pollards and Robertsons, at Tanya's parents' get-away house in Dime Box. The house is on several acres and is a perfect place for kids. They have horses, chickens, and guinea hens on the property which made the trip especially fun and exciting. We brought apples so we could hand-feed the horses which was really cool. Jake liked the idea of feeding the horses, but not the actual reality of putting his hand so close to their mouths. Here's Daddy feeding Jazzy...Even though Jake didn't quite get the courage to feed any horses, he did gain more comfort around them as the weekend progressed and always went out when we fed them. Here he is carrying an apple alongside Mia. I love this look. It's like he's gearing up for the big moment...

He then realized he's getting a little close, stops, and checks everything out...We also really enjoyed the little chickens that are new to their property. Mia was the most fearless and adept at catching them earning her the title of "Master Chicken Farmer"...Even Mommy and Daddy gave chicken catching a try...Jake was a little cautious, but VERY interested in the chickens. He loved being in the coop and tried really hard to catch one. He got really, really close, but could never quite get it. Nevertheless, we were so proud of his bravery. He earned the title, "Assistant Master Chicken Farmer."A weekend in the Texas summer isn't complete without some water fun, so we didn't disappoint. The kids had a pool to play in, a home-made tarp slip-n-slide, and even water balloons! Here's almost all the kids in the pool. Ally was still getting her beauty rest.

Here's Jake making a run with a water balloon...There's was also a lot of just good ol' fashioned fun. We played bean bag toss. Here's Ally and Jake in the middle of a match...

Here's a heated Candyland game...

Jake loved this scooter...

It's hard to tell, but here are all 6 kids wrestling and playing on the couch with Wilson and Tanya...

I think Ally and Jake especially liked wrestling and had a blast together...

Before bed on Saturday night the woman who helps keep up the house, CJ, brought by some kittens for the kids to play with. Jake loved chasing and holding them...

We had a really great weekend. We're blessed by great friends for ourselves as a couple, and also for Jake. The Pollard and Robertson families are just a couple examples of those blessings. Our friends are there for us whether it's sharing laughter or tears, and this weekend was a perfect example of that. Thank ya'll so much for a wonderful weekend. I'll end with one final pic of what all little boys should do when out in the country...go for a walk with a trusty stick!

Pool Party

2011-06-28T12:37:00.001-07:00

Our friends, David and Merry Culp, hosted a pool party for a group of us veteran young marrieds, aka, we now have kids. We had a great time enjoying the pool and enjoying friends!. Here's Jake with Ally and Mia...

Jake had a great time in the pool enjoying his freedom thanks to the freedom of his puddle jumper...

Jake either got a little tired after awhile or he just started enjoying his people watching time b/c this is how he spent a good 20 minutes of the party...

RR Express

2011-06-21T12:50:00.001-07:00

We went to our first Round Rock Express game of the season Friday night for Father's Day. We were a little worried it would be miserably hot, but it really felt fine between being in the shade and it being VERY windy. We all got dressed in our Rangers gear since we don't have any Express gear. Before we left for the game, Jake kept showing us his Rangers shirt. He would say, "Rangers shirt!" and stick out his tummy. Here's Daddy and Jake showing off their Rangers shirts!Jake brought his bat along and for the first couple innings would swing right along with the batter...

He did a tremendously good job at the game and seem genuinely interested. He really seemed to love watching the game (and not just watching all the people like Mommy does)

We couldn't leave without a treat, so Jake picked out a sno cone and enjoyed it while still staying focused on the game...

Father/son...

I didn't want to leave without a family pic, so we got one on our way out. You can definitely tell how windy it was by both Jake's and my hair...

It was a great baseball night!

Lawson trip

2011-06-21T11:10:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we went to see Kevin's family. We did one night in Plano, and two in Gainesville. It was great to see everyone, and it was especially great for Kevin to watch the Mavs playoffs with people who appreciate it more than me! At Chad and Cassy's, Jake tried his hand at the drums playing Rock Band. He loved it!

Jake LOVES his older cousin, Cohen. One of the funniest things I saw them play was wrestling. They would face each other with their arms stretched out wide, then come together in what resembled a big bear hug...They would then topple on the ground with each other, get up and start all over again...It was great to spend some time with this precious girl too. Look how big she's getting!While the big boys enjoyed some father/son time together, Nana, Jake and I went to the Gainesville zoo. We had mentioned to Jake that we would try to feed giraffes and he got fixated on the giraffes. The entire way through the zoo (the giraffes are near the end), the said, "I want to see giraffes!" Luckily, we managed to get him to slow down enough to see some other animals along the way...I just had to include a photo of this guy. I named him Bully Goat b/c he butted his way past all the smaller goats in search of food. He was intense and obviously VERY hungry!We finally made it to the giraffes, and it was time to feed them.

We headed up to them, got our lettuce, and Jake froze. The giraffes were a little more intimidating up close. So Mommy and Nana fed the giraffe while Jake watched from here...These last two pics show Jake's goofy side. He found these earwarmers, but them on and ran around with no shirt for while. He also loved squirting this bubble gun. Silly boy...

weekend fun

2011-06-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

We headed to Brushy Creek Lake Park for Saturday family fun. It's a really great park linked by a trail to other great parks. One of Jake's favorite things is throwing rocks in the creek...

Along the route, there was some exercise equipment, so Jake put Daddy to the test...

There's also a splash pad at the park which we really hadn't planned on visiting, but there was no denying Jake's request, so he headed in the water in his shorts and had a blast...

That night Jake had more water adventures in the back yard of our friends. Some families from my Mom to Mom group got together and the kids loved playing with water squirters in the backyard...

We had a fun-filled, great Saturday!

A Dinner Date

2011-06-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

What adorable kids! We had our friends, Kendall, Amy, Chloe and Sophia over for dinner. It was a great night, and it's so fun to see Jake looking forward to and enjoying company. The kids sat at Jake's new table. This was a Christmas gift from Papa and Grandmama that we were waiting to unpack, so it was the first time anyone other than Jake used it. The kids did great at their own table and Jake was SO happy to have friends over. The table was perfect! Thanks Papa and Grandmama! I think Jake looks so proud in this pic...

Floaties

2011-06-04T05:34:00.001-07:00

We got Jake what we call a "floatie" so we can feel safe when he's around a big pool. The minute we got home, he said, "Shirt off!" and wanted to try it on so this is how he walked around until it was time to go to the pool...

this is Jake's "Cheeeese" face...

The End to a Year

2011-05-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

Jake finished preschool on Friday. I think it was a perfect fit for him to go one day a week this year. I'm so pleased with his class and teachers, and Jake loved it. It's amazing how much he's changed over this school year, especially in his speech. He barely said anything in September and now he's talking in sentences! I think his favorite things about preschool this year were his friend, Patrick and playing outside because those were about the only things he ever talked about. Here's Jake on his last day of school...

compared to his first day of school in September...

Sea World

2011-05-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

My parents took Jake on his first trip to Sea World. They spent two days at Sea World so they could break up the trip and not feel too rushed. I think it's safe to say they all had a blast! Here's Jake near the entrance. He would not pose for pictures, so here's what they got...

Here's Jake taking in one of the shows...
He really liked the seal show...was a little afraid of the dolphins at first, but then got used to them and realized they are sweet...How can you not like dolphins?And no trip to Sea World is complete without seeing Shamu. Jake loved Shamu and came home talking about how he waved good-bye with his tail and fins. He's also faithfully slept with his stuffed Shamu toy every night since he's been home...

They spent the final full day of their trip enjoying all the cool stuff at the resort. There was a game room that Jake loved. He played basketball with Papa...

Looking proud...

He played air hockey with Grandmama (and they reported he had pretty impressive hand eye coordination)...

He played on the playground...

And he played with his water blaster on the patio...

He LOVES this toy! Can you tell?

Thanks for a wonderful trip, Papa and Grandmama!

Missing you

2011-05-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

I miss this sweet, smiling, happy face a lot. Can't wait to see him Thursday! We love you so much, Jake!

Back-to-Back

2011-05-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Jake was a very lucky boy and had back-to-back grandparent weekends. After a great extended weekend with my parents, Kevin's parents came in town for a visit last weekend. Since we had Saturday wide open and it was great weather, we decided to try one of our original Mother's Day outing destinations--The Exotic Resort Zoo outside of Johnson City. My parents took Jake and I here when he wasn't quite one (http://kellielawson.blogspot.com/2009/10/worthy.html), and I knew it was a place where I wanted Jake to go to again, and that I knew Kevin would love. For those of you who may not know, Kevin is a fool for anything with animals! Again, this place did not disappoint, and I'm proud to say I was much braver this time! We didn't, however, have any close encounters with camels which is what freaked me out the most the first time, but we did have some crazy tongue encounters... Just in case you're not an expert at tongue identification, this is a buffalo...

Jake was very cautious during the ride. He didn't even really want to sit next to any of us or on our laps. His spot of choice was center of the trailer...

His safe central spot did not keep him from keeping a keen eye out. He definitely was good at spotting all the animals and liked seeing them...He mostly threw out the food from right in the middle too. He would just get a couple pieces at a time to throw (you can see one piece in his hand in this pic). I thought this was a little funny because most of the kids on the trailer would grab big handfuls at at time. Jake was much more conservative about it.One cool thing about going this time of year is that we saw lots of babies! Babies of any kind are so cute! In front of these big, burly cows are little baby emus (at least I think so)...It was a great ride! Once again, I definitely recommend this for a fun, family outing.

They also have a petting zoo which is included in the price of your tour. After being a little apprehensive on the trailer, I thought Jake would be even more apprehensive in the petting zoo since nothing separated him and the animals. I was so wrong! He did really great. He refused to hand-feed any animals while on the tour, but he was hand feeding in the zoo like a genuine farm boy...The most funny thing about the petting zoo was one particular deer's fascination with Nana's shirt. This deer kept chewing on her shirt! He tried it a little with me, but there must have been something especially sweet tasting about Carla b/c he tried to follow her around like this for awhile. This might have been Kevin's favorite part ;-)

After the zoo, we headed into Marble Falls to eat lunch. We had a great view of the river, so we had to get some pics...

After well-deserved afternoon naps and our first sprinkler fun of the season, we headed to Jason's deli for a light dinner (we were all still pretty stuffed from lunch). Jake enjoyed an ice cream cone for dessert, so I just have to include one ice cream pic!

Beach Boy

2011-05-17T12:14:00.001-07:00

Over Mother's Day weekend, Jake had the opportunity to go on a trip to Galveston with my parents. I know he had a wonderful time, even though we missed him a ton and I will confess I was just a tad bit jealous. Here's some shots from their hotel balcony...

Here's a full body shot of my handsome beach boy...Jake LOVED playing in the sand. This is no suprise since he already loves sandboxes and pits. Now he got to discover sand, God's way, and I know this must have been awesome for him...Jake had a warm up a little to the idea of the ocean, but once he warmed up to it in his own time, he loved it too! I'm so happy b/c I'm definitely a Mommy who loves the beach. I love this shot of Jake and my Dad...My parents reported that once he was ready to hit the water, he started taking off his swim shirt and trunks! They managed to get him to keep on the trunks, but he definitely gave them a good laugh. I think he might be thinking it's like a bath, or his time in a pool with just a swim diaper... It's hard to see his face, but it's filled with joy and a great big smile...
Cuddling with Grandmama after a nice swim...

They also went to the aquarium. Jake loved every minute and did not want to leave...
Here's a nice friend that was only a few feet from Jake at a patio. So pretty. Thanks for a great trip, Papa and Grandmama!

My Mother's Day

2011-05-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

We celebrated this year's Mother's Day a little early. Kevin took both Monday and Tuesday off work, one day for a family day and one day for "Mommy's Day off." Jake and I are so lucky to have such a great husband and Daddy, because this special time meant so much to both of us. We had big and exciting plans for our family day. The schedule was supposed to look a little something like this:

7 AM: Wake-up to a beautiful day and get ready
9: Head to Sweetberry Farms to pick strawberries, onions and potatoes
10-11:30: Pick strawberries, onions and potatoes
11:30: Outdoor picnic at Sweetberry
12:30: Head to Exotic Resort Zoo outside Johnson City while Jake naps
2-3:30: Enjoy the wildlife at Exotic Resort Zoo
3:30-5: Ride and arrive home
5-6: Kevin grill/prepare dinner with out freshly picked produce
6 PM: Enjoy a delicious dinner of steak, potatoes & onions, strawberry shortcake
6:30-8: Family time at home until Jake's bedtime

This is what actually happened:

7 AM: Wake-up to a cloudy day with a 50% chance of rain and high temperature of 58
7:15: Kellie starts panicking about our family day being ruined
7:20: Check radar on-line and determine that it looks like the rain will pass us
7:25: Make myself feel better by deciding, "It's not going to actually rain, and we can deal with a little cold."
7:30-9:15: Get ready; pack lunches; dig out long sleeves and hoodies
9:15: Leave for Sweetberry
9:45: It starts raining; the panicky feeling is returning
10:15: Arrive at Sweetberry. It's raining and our the temperature reads 48 degrees
10:18: Jake starts yelling, "I want to get out, I want to get out!"
10:19: Kellie's panicky feeling is in full swing
10:20: Decide to head to town to let Jake out/wait out rain/browse shops
11:00: Determined there was no end in sight to the rain, so headed back to Sweetberry
11:15: Had a "car picnic"
11:35: Braved the rain and cold to pick strawberries!
12:15: Determined the Exotic Zoo was out of the question and headed to Bluebonnet Cafe for pie
12:30: Enjoyed delicous pie
1:15: headed home; Jake and Mommy napped
2:15: We're home! A little more family rest
3:30-5:30: Family play time
5:00: Decide grilling is out of the question b/c it is now raining in Cedar Park
5:30 Kevin makes tacos
6:00: Eat tacos and enjoy strawberry shortcake
6:30-8:00: family time until Jake's bedtime

Needless to say, our day turned out NOTHING like we planned, but it still was very fun and perhaps even more memorable! Here's Jake modeling out umbrella at the Marble Falls shops...
He was SO happy to be out of the car. He ran around with the biggest smile on his face!

I like to call this one his model shot...
Car Picnic...

Our car picnic was actually very fun. I hope to hang on to these days where Mommy and Daddy can turn something so simple into something so fun. Yeah for being 2! Our cold, wet and fun berry picking...

Jake loved every minute. He was in no way phased by the weather, and would run down the rows yelling, "I'm picking strawberries!" We were the ONLY adventurous (crazy) people there, so could be as silly as we liked... At one point, Jake was running and he tripped and fell into the mud. He quickly jumped up, but not without accumulating a lot of mud...

We actually got a great family shot!

Bluebonnet Cafe has AMAZING pie. WE tried apple a la mode and banana cream. Delicious!

Jake dove right in...

He has a tendency to take too-big bites, but with pie, why not? Back home admiring our strawberries...

Jake LOVED the strawberries. He loved eating them and talking about picking them. He actually brought up the strawberry picking on his own all week, asking to do it again. It made the rain and cold all worth it. We couldn't have planned a better family's day ;-)

and other fun things

2011-04-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

Mixed in with the Easter festivities was also some just good ol' fun. Jake got his first fishing lessons. Papa helped him out...and Daddy helped him out...

and he tried it on his own...He was pretty serious about his front yard fishing. Maybe next time, there will actually be a chance to catch something! Jake and Papa take walks outside my parents' fence line every visit. Jake loves my parents' yard and the land around it. He always takes his golf club "walking stick" with him...

On this visit, there was even a cool bulldozer to see...

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

We spent this year's Easter with my parents and had a great weekend with lots of Easter festivities. First on the Easter to-do list was dyeing eggs. Jake enjoyed it and did a remarkably good job not getting any dye on his clothes... Here's Papa and Jake with the dye line-up...

Next on the list (not all back-to-back) was an Easter egg hunt. Jake gave good effort this year, and found over 50 eggs in his one-man search. He's just not quite ready for any detectective work yet...

Here's all the eggs he found in the house...

Then, after a little snack for a pick-me-up, he headed to a hunt outside...

He started off the hunt by finding one egg and opening it before moving on to the next egg. By the end of the hunt, the surprises inside weren't so surprising so he then started gathering several at a time...

Next on the list--our attempts at family pictures...

Easter morning finally arrived and we were able to do the next thing on the list...check out what the Easter bunny brought...I think Jake was still waking up...

But he got some cool treats...

We also went to church and had a delicious Easter lunch. I didn't get any pics of us all dressed up, but that's OK. We had a great time celebrating fun Easter traditions, but most importantly remembering and celebrating Jesus' resurrection.

Cute Boys

2011-04-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, a friend stayed the weekend with us while she was in town for a wedding. It was great to catch up with her, plus we had the added pleasure of hanging out with her precious little boy, Krystopher. Krystopher was just shy of 2 when he came, and he made a perfect playmate for Jake. I didn't start trying to get pictures till the very end of their visit, which I completely regret because these boys are precious. Check out Krystopher's beautiful hair! Jake definitely loves having company for bathtime...

In their pj's ready for bed...

Austin Toros

2011-04-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

We took Kevin to an Austin Toros game for his birthday. We'd never been to the Cedar Park Center, so we were pretty excited to check it out. The venue was perfect for young kids because it's small enough that every seat is pretty good. We did, however, have front row seats, so it was super exciting. Jake was super focused on the game for a while..then he became distracted by the free Toros trading cards we got at the entrance. He loved sorting through them and putting them in piles... The Toros mascot is a bull named "Da Bull." Jake was loving Da Bull, would point to where he was, and even yelled, "Dance, bull, dance!" when the music played. He seemed so interested and genuinely excited about the Da Bull, I was sure he would be excited when Da Bull headed over our way for a visit. Boy, was I wrong. He came right to our seats (luckily Kevin was on the aisle) and Jake immediately started shrieking and hid his face in my lap. He wanted NOTHING to do with Da Bull despite his earlier fascination. Poor Jake. Poor Da Bull.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Matching

2011-04-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

One Wednesday night, the boys got it in their heads to wear their Peru jerseys to church. I have to say, they were pretty cute. Here they are being silly as always...

Blog Slacker

2011-04-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

I've been a complete blog slacker. I quite honestly haven't really felt like blogging lately, but hopefully that was just a streak and I can get back on track. Before moving forward, I'll need to back track a little just so I'll get started with Spring Break; only a month behind;-) We enjoyed a great Spring Break with a family 'tour,' 2 nights in Gainesville, 2 nights in Aledo, and 2 nights in Plano. Kevin met Campbell for the first time in Gainesville...And we got some special time with Channing without her siblings...We celebrated Kevin's birthday over Spring break too, and we made a trip to Babe's with my parents...Jake had some special time with Papa and they planted mint and tomatoes. Here he is looking proud of his gardening ability...In Allen, headed out for gelato and a spray park one night. Channing loved it...Cohen loved it...Jake was a little unsure. I think he finally warmed up to the idea of getting wet about 5 minutes before it was time to leave...We ended our trip at a park where we met Nana and Big T to pick up Skylar. Jake discovered a new way to go down the slide there...The boys...Coincidentally, they were having a festival at the park so there were booths handing out free stuff. Here are the boys' versions of the Statue of Liberty...Before heading home, we did try to get a picture of all 4 kids---virtually impossible. There was not one picture where all 4 looked great, so I'll just post what I got...

Boy Cousin Fun, final entry

2011-03-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

The last structured activity we did was an art project thanks to our super-cool party favor from Levi and Will's birthday party. I got our kitchen table all set up and had one boy at buys with playdough, while the other one worked on his marble paint creation. I didn't even attempt a posed pic, so we have all action shots...Jake hard at work...Cohen hard at work. I promise he was having more fun than he looks like. He just wasn't a big fan of picture taking... and marble painting...

I had the best time with the boys and feel so blessed by a great son and nephew!

Boy Cousin Fun, Part 2

2011-03-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I took the boys to our church for a "Kraisy Praisy" event. These events are specifically designed for preschoolers and families, so it was perfect for us! They had a big inflatable slide, bounce house, and snacks. It felt like the boys went down the slide 100 times; they absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, the slide moves too fast for pictures, but there was another special treat that slowed them down a little...sno cones! They both picked bubble gum flavor, which is, of course, blue! Here's Jake chowing down...

and Cohen...

I tried really hard to get a cute picture of them together. It's unbelievable how hard it is to get a picture of a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old. It's almost as if they temporarily go deaf during the process, therefore, unable to respond to any requests to look at the camera and smile. Unfortunately, I didn't get even one good picture, but for memory (and humor) sake I'll post my attempts...

In case you're wondering, they are eating popcorn. I thought the popcorn would be a motivator to sit still and listen, but it was ultimately a distraction...

Don't you wonder what Cohen is looking at? There must be something much better than the camera over my right shoulder...

Oh well, they still are two blue-faced cuties...

After a very active morning at the church, then pizza lunch with their daddies, these boys were pooped. They both fell quickly asleep in the car, which is normal for Jake, but not normal for Cohen. Cohen gave in about 5 minutes after telling me he wasn't tired ;-) What a great day!

Boy Cousin Fun, Part 1

2011-03-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

It's high school boys basketball state tournament time again at our house, which means Kevin and the guys are off watching lots of b-ball. This year, Chad brought Cohen along too, and Jake and I are thrilled. The boys have been having so much fun together, and it's a joy for me to be able to witness and participate in the fun. Jake couldn't be happier to see Cohen when we came home from church on Wednesday night...

On Thursday, we met up with some friends to visit the Austin Nature Center. It was our first time there, and it's definitely a great, free place outing very appropriate for young ones...
They have one room where you're able to see and touch all sorts of cool things from nature. Here are the boys checking out some turtle shells...

I asked them to look at me for a picture, and this is what I got...

Here's our group for the day: Nash, Anderson, Cohen, Maizie, and Jake...

They have a great dino dig that the kids loved. What's not to love about a huge sand pit?

To top off all the cool things for the kids including animals and dino dig, it's really beautiful. There was a nice stream and trails to walk on. I'm sure it will look even more beautiful in about a month when things turn back to green...

After the Nature Center, we headed over to picnic near the Zilker playground, then we rode the Zilker Zephyr train. I did not get a good pic of the boys on the train. Here's the best I got; some proof that we actually rode the train...

Our attempt at a cute posed shot...

As I said, it was a joy for me to spend time with these two boys, and something that doesn't happen very often. More than anything, this melted my heart...

I promise I didn't even ask them to hold hands, they just did it. Such cousinly love. I think the boy variety of cousinly love also includes plenty of wrestling because there's also been lots of this happening at the house. They LOVE to tackle and wrestle. Boys will be boys, I guess...
Our first full day together was wrapped up with a much needed bath. A little bit of the dino dig definitely made it back to our house! They boys couldn't resist showing off their post-bath crazy hair!

A Playdate

2011-03-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, Jake's friend Marley came over to play while her mom went downtown to talk to our State Representatives. While her Mommy was busy advocating for moms' rights, the kids had a blast together. Marley was exposed to lots of boys' toys, but we also had a lot of just plain ol' fun. She thought this megaphone made a nice hat... She also liked playing some music...

They played blocks nicely and quietly together for over 20 minutes...

We had a great morning. The kids play so well together and it was a lot of fun to see the differences in their personalities. We're so thankful for good friends...

The weekend

2011-03-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

Now that it's almost the weekend, I'd thought I'd finally get around to posting about last weekend. Nana and Big T came down for a visit, and we had a birthday party to attend---there was lots of fun for all. The party was at Gattiland and Jake loved playing the games....Of course, basketball was a hit...A mini merry-go-round...I think Jake's favorite part of the party was teaming up with Levi in the games. They loved working and playing together...

Jake had lots of playtime with Nana and Big T. One thing he enjoyed was a boys' football game. It was fun to watch them running around the house. Down, set, hut...There was lots of laughing from everyone during the game. We're so glad you came to visit, Big T and Nana!

Basketball

2011-03-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

During our cold spell, I did a series of posts about Jake's indoor activities. I never got around to one of his most important ones---basketball. Jake definitely loves basketball. I know everyone reading this who knows us must be thinking, "well, of course, Kevin's going to have him playing basketball." I want you to know, we don't encourage any sport or activity over the other. He has access to all types of toys and games, and Jake decides what he wants to play, and lately it's a lot of basketball. Of course, he is undoubtedly influenced by what he sees, and over the last few months he's been watching 1-2 high school basketball games every week. We'll have to wait and see what happens now that the season is over, but lately we are shooting lots of hoops... Jake likes to dunk, but he's also gotten very good at longer shots too...

Aunt Kellie

2011-02-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of staying with Chad and Cassy to help out with their kids. Of course, I'm always willing to be of help, but the help was especially needed now this precious girl has joined the family...

Campbell Reese joined our family on January 13, and I hadn't had the opportunity to meet her yet. Unfortunately, Kevin and Jake still haven't met her, but we'll be back soon over Spring Break.
She was a super sweet, easy baby to care for; plus I got to dress her up in girlie clothes and bows! I didn't realize until Cassy pointed it out, but I had been standing with my back arched to help support Campbell. I'm not used to a newborn, and my back let me know it for the next couple days.
I also had the delight to spend time with Cohen and Channing too. Channing is so cute and I especially love her beautiful eyes...

Cohen is such a big boy and a great big brother. One day as I was putting Cohen down for his nap, I set Campbell down on his floor so that we could read together. He immediately told me that he wanted her up with him on the bed, so the 3 of us had storytime together. He was so gentle, patient and loving: a great big brother to two little girls.
It was a blessing for me to spend great quality time with my nephew and nieces, and a reminder of how happy I am for Jake to have cousins whom I hope he is close to as he grows up.

Boots

2011-02-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

One night as we were getting ready for bed, Jake noticed a pair of boots in his closet and insisted on putting them on. The boots belonged to me when I was little and are several sizes too big for Jake, but that didn't stop him. Being without clothes didn't stop him either...

I think this one's funny; like he's checking himself out...

I asked him to smile for the camera, and this is what I got...

Back tracking

2011-02-28T12:15:00.000-08:00

I've been a slacker when it comes to blogging lately, so I'm going to do a little back tracking so I can catch up.

We had a great Valentine's Day. Kevin and I enjoyed a nice date night on the 13th while Jake had fun playing with his friends, Brady and Emily. The Saturday before Valentine's, the library had a special party. Here's the Valentine's hat Jake made at the library...
I made a special cake for my boys on Valentine's Day. Yummy strawberry with homemade cream cheese icing. For those who like strawberry cake: this was delicious and all I did was buy strawberry cake mix and substitute strawberry soda (soft drink) for the water. It's definitely worth a try! Gotta like the strawberry hearts...

Jake got sweet cards from his grandparents. Here he is opening his cards from Papa and Grandmama. They played music which he loved...
If you look closely in this pic, you can see Jake is holding Lightning McQueen. After losing one Lightning a couple months ago, we surprised him with a new one on V-day. He loves it, and has hardly been without it since...

Spaghetti Night!

2011-02-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

Well, it was technically Chicken Parmesan night, but that doesn't have the same ring to it. Either way, Jake had him some spaghetti, which he loves. Spaghetti requires shirtless eating since it's much easier to get sauce off his tummy rather than his shirt. Anyhow, afterwards, he was full, happy and messy, and I had to capture a picture. His eyes look a little funny due to the flash once more, but nonetheless, you get the point... He liked sticking out his tummy even more b/c he was showing us where all the spaghetti went.

Oh, the Sun Will Come Out...

2011-02-06T18:26:00.001-08:00

today! Well, it's actually been out since Friday, but these are my first pics of us out in the sun. Being that it was Superbowl Sunday, Jake was decked out in his football jersey, and he even insisted on wearing his helmet to the park... We brought kites to the park, and it was perfect for them. I was excited about the kite flying (much more excited than Jake). Here I am as Kevin was trying to get a picture of both Jake and I, but Jake ran off too quick...
Jake did stay engaged in the kite for a little bit. We were able to let all the string out...look how high!!!

We then tried his little Mickey Mouse kite. We thought he might be more interested in his "own" kite instead of our family one. He was more interested...

at least at first. He (we) worked and worked to get that Mickey kite in the air, but it just wasn't cooperating. Jake did capture a little wind here...

The attempts to get it to fly required lots of running, with little return...

Even though the Mickey kite never quite made it, we did have a great afternoon at the park. What a great way to precede our Superbowl night!

Our Fort

2011-02-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

It's my personal opinion that fort making is vital to one's childhood. I distinctly remember making forts when I was little (and that's a pretty big deal, because my memory stinks), and I know Kevin has memories too. I like that you can make games of both the process of building it, and also the end result. Here's a look at our process and end result. I want to also add that when it comes to building forts at our house, Kevin is usually the key builder, so I want to give credit where credit is earned:

Whenever we build forts with Jake, we gather up all his stuffed animal friends to join us inside. Here's Jake starting the gathering...
And some more...

Here's Jake doing his best to help hold it up while we work to secure the sides...Here's a glimpse of what it looked like...
We used Jake's rocket ship tent as a cool entryway to the tent. Jake loved going in and out the tube...
I see you...

When it was all finished, and all our friends were gathered, we got inside and started introducing everyone. It's definitely important that your guests know each other in order to have a successful play group. Jake and Daddy are helping Woody and Charlie Brown get to know each other...

Buzz and Woody

2011-02-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

Back to more indoor favs. I've lagged a little behind...there's just too much fun happening in our house. Plus, we had gorgeous weather this weekend so we actually played outside again! Jake is definitely a Toy Story fan, and he likes to play with his figures. He has big and little versions, and he likes to get them all out to play together. Here Daddy's holding the big version, while Jake holds the little guys....
Everyone giving a group hug...

SNOW!

2011-02-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, we actually did have some snow here. It hit overnight, so we awoke to the beautiful white cover. I thought we would wait until later in the day to head out, but luckily Kevin realized it was already starting to melt in the beautiful sunshine, so we headed out just in time. Jake's encounters with snow last year didn't go so well; he definitely did not like it. This year was a much different story. He seemed amazed and LOVED playing in it. Here he is taking in the snow wonder...
I especially love this picture...His snowball balancing act...

Getting Daddy...

On the Phone

2011-02-04T12:33:00.000-08:00

Jake loves playing with our cell phones, which isn't allowed. We try to get him to talk to his grandparents on the phone, but beyond "hello," he's really only interested in pushing the buttons. He does have a a couple play phones which have to do if he really needs to make an important call. Kevin was talking 'business' to his head coach, and Jake grabbed his phone to talk too...

Here are my boys talking serious stuff...

Are You Ready for Some Football?!?

2011-02-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

Jake loves to play indoor football. He got an awesome Cowboys helmet, jersey, and pants from Chad, Cassy, Cohen, and Channing for Christmas. EVERY time he played at their house he would put on Cohen's football helmet, so this was the perfect gift. Even the smallest possible size is too big for him, but Jake doesn't mind at all. He still LOVES wearing the helmet, even though he has to constantly adjust it so he can see. Here's my little football player...
He also really loves this jersey. There have been several days when he insists on wearing it. He even wore it all day on a church Wednesday for my morning class and our evening class. He got lots of compliments!

It might be a sign the helmet is too big when Daddy can actually wear it! Here's Jake with his favorite teammate...

Cookie Time!

2011-02-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

Being stuck inside the house is the perfect excuse to make cookies, and since Kevin had the day off, it was a perfect chance to include Jake as a helper, but have back-up when he reached his helper limit. I searched for a new recipe that didn't require a trip to the store, and found one for Chocolate Cat Cookies. Sounds cute and fun, right? They are basically chocolate/pb cookies made with devil's food cake mix. Should have been pretty simple, but it turned out to be a pretty big mess. Here's Jake stirring as we got the dough started... Once the dough is ready, it's time to make the cat faces, which require chocolate chips. My job was to mold the ears and make the whiskers with a fork indention, and it was Jake and Kevin's job to add the eyes and mouth. Let's just say, I think just one chocolate chip made it from Jake's hand to a cookie; all the rest went straight to his mouth! The boy loves his sweets and became quickly obsessed with eating the dough and chocolate chips. He was definitely no longer interested in helping. Here he is licking the spoon...

We tried to get a picture of him awaiting another bite of dough or chocolate chip, but he shut his eyes to the flash every time. I still include this because I think it's hilarious.

The dough was extremely sticky and messy, so after making cats with the first batch and having my helpers give up, I gave up too and made regular cookies the second batch. Either way, they tasted pretty good. Here's one of the cats...

I didn't capture any pictures of Jake eating the cookies, but trust me, he LOVED them!

Cars

2011-02-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

Jake loves to play with cars, and thanks to a great Christmas, he got lots to play with. Here are just some of his Hot Wheels scattered all over the floor... He loves to race them. Here he is racing cars with Daddy...

Just in case you're wondering: the little spot underneath his right eye is a scratch he got while playing a couple days ago. I can't even count the number of scratches and bruises this child has gotten in the name of play. We're faithfully applying Neosporin, but for now, he's got a little 'handsome mark'...

He also loves these trucks which he got last Christmas from Chad and Cassy. They are the kind you pull back and the wheels spin on their own. They are really fast so they are especially fun to race. Getting ready...

On your mark, get set, GO!

An Oldie but Goodie

2011-02-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

The View Master...

Indoor Play

2011-02-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is a start to some things that keep Jake busy indoors. Here he is "playing" Toy Story Memory. He got this for his birthday from Papa and Grandmama. He's not quite ready to really play the game, but he LOVES dumping out the cards and looking for the characters. He loves it so much, he would dump out all the cards daily (there are LOTS of cards) and it began driving this clutter-free Mommy crazy. To easy my anxiety, I put the game up in his closet until he was ready to work on really playing the game (I admit, it was a selfish move, but I ease my mind by thinking about all the unselfish things I do for him). Well, today he took me to his closet and asked specifically for it, so the crazy mess returns. All in the name of fun! He also likes to stack them up in his hands before spreading them out once again in a huge messy pile...

When It's Cold...

2011-02-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

we spend way more time inside the house than we really want to, but we're doing our best to still have fun. Both Jake and I love (and I think need) to be out and about with at least one destination in a day. The freezing temps hit Tuesday, and we have made it out somewhere both yesterday and today, but we're still stuck at home a lot. I have definitely realized I take playing outside for granted. I am so thankful for the opportunity to live in a place where we are able to play outside so often throughout the year. Outside play seems to be a near necessity for my all-boy boy.

With being inside, we are making good use of all our toys and getting a bit more TV time than usual. So with all our inside time, I'm going to try to highlight some of Jake's favorite toys/indoor activities. If I do what I intend, I'll end with several short posts over the next couple days. The first fav is the dog care kit he got for Christmas from cousins Tracy and Mark. Jake LOVES it, and it is great for imaginary play. Here's Jake with a goofy grin showing off his doggy and scissors for a trim...

A stethoscope to check doggie...and to also check out Jake (and Mommy, and Daddy) to make sure we're all still beating...I don't know what this instrument is called, but it helps Jake check out all his animals' ears...The kit also came with a dog bowl and food, which Jake loves to fill up so that everyone can eat! If Jake grows up to become a vet, we'll be able to trace his love all the way back till age 2 and this great Christmas gift. We'll owe it all to Tracy and Mark!

Hard Workin' Man

2011-02-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago, we had a friend come over to help with a repair on the Explorer. Jake was VERY interested and loved "helping" out. Luckily, Chad was a good sport and didn't mind the help, otherwise known as distraction. Jake loves playing with real tools, which usually isn't allowed, but there was an exception for the morning... Just the part that needs fixing ;-)...

Here he is showing off his workin' man hands. The way he reacted to the dirt and grease was really kind of funny. He didn't have any problems with the dirt for a long time, then suddenly noticed it (and decided he needed a break), so asked for his hands washed. He kept repeating, "Dirty, dirty." We washed his hands and took a little break inside, then it was back to again for more grease fun. This cycle happened 3 times!

Grandparents=Special Outing

2011-02-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

My parents spent the week with us last week, and we all enjoyed some great time together. The highlight of the week was a visit to Austin Children's Museum. It was our first time to go and we, of course, loved it. Here are Papa, Grandmama, and Jake grilling some steaks... Jake really loved everything. Here is he is jammin' on the drums...

focused while building with tinker toys...

and a proud builder...
Afterward all the museum fun, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and walked to Taco Shack for lunch. It was a truly great day and a great visit from grandparents!

Back to normal

2011-01-21T13:22:00.000-08:00

Now that it's post Christmas and birthday around here, it's been really nice to have things getting back to normal. Normal might require a little less posting, but here's a few things that have been going on in 2011:

Jake got his first homework for Mommy (what I would call it)/fun home activity (what the teachers would call it) at school. His class in school is called the Cubbie Bears, and when each child celebrates his/her birthday he/she gets the opportunity to bring Cubbie Bear home with them for the entire week. When did I learn about this, you ask? When I was picking Jake up from school while being handed a backpack complete with Cubbie Bear himself, his own blanket, snacks, two books, and a journal. His teacher then tells me they make a "big deal" about Cubbie going home with the kids during circle time and they will read my journal entry "from" Cubbie Bear next week! Well, this was quite the surprise, but we did our best to celebrate and enjoy our time hosting and taking care of Cubbie Bear at our house.

Jake really did love Cubbie Bear, but he's definitely either too boy or too two-year-old to keep up with "caring" for him. Although Cubbie Bear didn't go everywhere with us for the week, he slept with Jake every nap and every night, listened to Mommy and Daddy's stories, and even shared a few meals with us. His big adventure was going to a Leander Lions basketball game. I highlighted the game in Cubbie's journal entry and included these pictures...
Here's Cubbie's view. He thought it was pretty cool that Jake's Daddy is a basketball coach!
We went to the UT vs. OU men's basketball game a couple weekends ago. We try to go to at least one game a year since we have access to free tickets. Jake loved every minute, and the Longhorns won!!!
I wanted to get a family picture, but didn't get the picture-taking vibe from the people around us, so I just got one of Kevin and Jake...

Memories

2011-01-05T12:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some things I want to remember about our lives with Jake as he headed toward 2.

--He loves to sing, and started singing along with us during our nap and bedtime routines. Although you can't understand all the words, you can pick up several and he definitely knows the tunes.

--He's even started singing along with the highschoolers at Bordines (a devo on Sunday nights). He knows some of the songs b/c we sing them at home, so he joins in.

--We've been working very hard on counting to ten, but he just won't say all the numbers even though I'm certain he knows them. Usually, he'll say, "2, 3, (pause and prompting) 5, 6, (pause and prompting) 8, 9, 10." He also sometimes just completely goes from, "2, 3...18!" Who knows why he says the number 18?

--We've been also working on colors, and although he will repeat all the names correctly, his answer to the question, "What color is this?" is always "Green."

--He loves to point out airplanes. Every time we're outside or even in the car and he hears/sees a plane, he'll stop what he's doing, point up and say, "plane, plane" or "airplane."

--His favorite song during this holiday season seemed to become "Jingle Bells." I mean favorite song of all, not just the holiday type. He spontaneously breaks out in "Jingle Bells" a lot.

--Jake went through a stage where he did not like baths. It was really weird and terrible, and we didn't know why. Kevin had a brilliant idea of asking Jake if he wanted to give any of his toys a bath too, and it was the perfect solution to compliant baths. Now, Jake will pick out an appropriate toy and while he's being washed he washes his toy. When Kevin's doing bath, I'm usually sitting on the couch, and when the boys are finished they both march out of the bathroom saying, "Mommy, clean! Mommy, clean!

--He is a big time whiner. This is one of Mommy's biggest struggles during the day, but we are working on it.

--I can't even count the number of times I use the phrase, "How do you ask nicely?" or "What do you say?" in order to help him remember to be polite with "please" and "thank you." The countless times have sunk in somewhat, though, b/c I have witnessed him using his manners without prompting!!!

--He went through a phase where instead of answering, "yes" he would say, "uh, huh." We heard "uh, huh" constantly, and had to constantly remind him of the polite response. Nowadays, "yep" has replaced "uh huh." At least it's a step closer to our goal of "yes" or "yes sir/ma'm"

--Athough he's getting much better with the English language, he still often talks in a language we call, "Jake-ese." He loves "talking" to someone or himself and just rambles, rambles and rambles in Jakese.

--Although Jakese still exists, he's saying many more full sentences. Some of them are "I don't want to watch this." when watching TV. "****, "where are you?" when looking for something.

--He cannot pronunciate the hard "k/c" sound or "g" sound. Instead, he says "Jate" for Jake, "milp" for milk "dot" for got.

--There's a night light in our hallway which Kevin and I would often turn off with our foot as we'd hold Jake in our arms to prevent bending down. Now we ask Jake to turn it off, and he lifts up his foot to do it.

--Preschool continues to go great. Preschool is the only place where he's dropped off on his own where he's NEVER cried.

--Although there are moments when it's sad to me he's growing up, I admit I'm mostly thrilled. I'm so happy he understands everything I say and that we are now starting to talk to each other. I also love that he will respond to my requests, and lately he's been doing a very good job with obeying.

--He has a sibling relationship with Skylar. Sometimes he's super sweet to her, but sometimes he will bother her and aggravate her for no apparent reason.

--If I'm ever upset enough around him that I'm crying, he will come over pat my back and give me a hug, all without prompting.

--When he's watching something on TV of which he has a toy, he always wants to go get the toy that corresponds with the show to watch with him. So he gets his Mickey doll during Mickey Mouse, his tools during Handy Manny, Buzz and Woody during Toy Story, and Nemo during Nemo. It's so cute.

-- I genuinely think he likes playing with kids his own age. He's started to show excitement when he sees his friends.

--He seems to be a follower.

--I'd been warned about the "No" word with having a toddler, and Jake definitely knows how to use this word, but instead of just saying "no" or "no, thank you" (what we're trying for), he sometimes says, "No Way!" This is something else we're trying to stop before it gets out of hand.

--Jake has been a wonderful sleeper throughout his life, sleeping 10-11 hours solid since he was 2 1/2 months old with just a regular bedtime routine and no tears. I definitely know this is a blessing in our lives, and have sometimes thought our days are numbered. Well, our sleeping fiasco began shortly before Thanksgiving when he first climbed out of his pack-and-play when we were out of town, then a few weeks later climbed out of his crib. We had about 1 month (unfortunately during and probably directly related to my wreck/rehab time) of very difficult time of sleeping. He fought going to bed at night, and woke up a couple times in the middle of the night. Kevin was a hero during this time b/c he was fighting the sleeping battle mostly on his own. I'm happy to say things are much, much better, and he's back to sleeping solidly through the night. We've pretty much nixed the getting out of bed routine, and he seems to be adjusting well to his big boy bed.

--When he wakes up in the morning, sometimes he yells really loudly to get our attention, but sometimes he's super quiet and he'll get down himself and come into our room. On mornings when I'm not ready to get up, he'll lay with me for about 15-30 minutes. It's a really sweet time.

--He weighs 28 pounds, is 34.5 inches tall, and his head is 49 cm around. Each one of these is right at the 50% for his age. His doctor commented that he is very proportional...maybe this is one reason I think he is so perfect!

--Sometimes he's super, super silly, but he can also be super, super sweet and I love both of these times so much.

--I'll end with some pics of Jake displaying birthday crown from preschool...

Can't Get Enough Birthday Fun

2011-01-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

While we were out of town, we celebrated Jake's birthday with each of our families. We were only with Chad, Cassy, Cohen and Channing a short time on Christmas, so we did the celebrating then. Nana, Cassy, and Jake all have birthdays shortly after Christmas, so they all opened their birthday gifts while we were together... I got lots of pictures during the celebration at my parents house. They ordered some delicious cupcakes from a speciality cupcake bakery in Weatherford. I got pictures of the progression of Jake's cupcake experience. Here it comes with the candle, "Ooooh"...

This was Jake's very first bite; just digging right in...

Then he had a little help...

He finally uses both hands for a BIG bite...

And a look of sugar-high happiness. The cupcakes were a hit...

Trying to blow a party horn...

And gifts, of course. This gift was his favorite of the night. How do I know?

I think this tells it all...

Jake was definitely showered with love, fun, and presents for his birthday times three!

TWO!

2011-01-02T16:44:00.001-08:00

I'm still in a bit of denial, but I know I need to face reality, so the first step is to blog about it. Jake is officially two!!! We decided to spend his birthday weekend with just the three of us, so he'd already had celebrations with our families over Christmas break. I'll post about those later. How did we start his birthday weekend at home? By converting his bed to a big boy bed!! Jake even helped put it together...And when I say "big boy bed," I mean BIG. Jake's crib was convertible and we opted to only get the conversion for the full sized bed rather than the toddler bed. He's slept in his new bed the past three nights and has done great, but he definitely looks tiny curled up in there. Once we got the bed up, with sheets and comforter, we let Jake have a look before we put up the safety rail. The first thing he did was climb on and start jumping! His room isn't quite finished, but it's on it's way, and I'm very proud and happy. Here he is jumping away... Jake woke up Sunday morning to a decorated house and a table of presents. He got one present immediately since it wasn't really wrapped. This may sound like a horrible present, but we got him his own broom and dustpan set. Trust me, this is not a horrible present for Jake. He LOVES the small broom I keep in the pantry for quick sweep-ups. He always wants to sweep when I'm sweeping, and often got my broom out even when I wasn't sweeping. Anyhow, it really is a great present, see?

After church, a Double Dave's lunch (b/c when we asked what he wanted, his reply was "Pizza!"), and a nap, it was time for presents...

It was a Mickey themed day, so we got him some Mickey pjs. I love this shot of him holding it up against himself just like an adult would do when seeing how it might fit...

A Mickey themed birthday isn't complete without a Mickey birthday cake. Here is what the final product was. I have to admit, I was very proud of myself. It may not be professional grade, but it's definitely made with Mommy's love and care...
As soon as we tried to get out the cake and sing, I immediately realized we might should've done the cake before the presents. Jake was a little preoccupied with his new soccer ball, and not too interested in the cake at first...

But after a bit of time, and some singing, he started to become more interested...

He successfully blew out the candle all by himself, and was definitely interested in the cake now, but not so much so to drop his new ball. After he blew out his candle, he immediately reached his hand down into the cake and grabbed for Mickey's nose. I admit I cringed at first thinking, "Oh no, all my hard work, don't mess it up." But luckily, that thought quickly passed as I reminded myself that it was Jake's birthday and Jake's cake to eat however he wanted. Here's the reach for the nose...

It's not nearly as exciting as the classic 1st birthday cake pics, but here he is enjoying his cake...

After a good sugar rush, it was time to try out the new soccer ball and goal...

One-on-one...

And he scores!

It was truly a great day, and I surely hope Jake felt all our love and joy for him. More posts to come to acknowledge this special time including celebrations with grandparents, and the things I don't want to forget about this season of our life with Jake.

Christmas Day 2010

2011-01-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, Christmas Day began with a bit of a grumpy start. It looked a little like this... Jake was starting to come down with a terrible cold which unfortunately turned to fever by Christmas night. Luckily, there was no fever in the morning, but it took a little coaxing for Jake to come out to find what Santa had brought. So far, he's still not so sure he should have gotten out of bed...

Hey! Maybe getting out of bed was worth it. It was funny to watch him look at all his gifts which were mostly chacters from his favorite movies/shows: Mr Potato Head from Toy Story, Mater, Luigi and Guido from Cars, a smaller, more portable Mickey Mouse, and Nemo. He went first to Mickey...

Then went to Nemo. This was no surprise to us since he has asked to watch either Mickey or Nemo EVERY day for at least the last month...
His "big" Santa gift was a DVD player for the car. This, of course, was not at all appreciated until several days later when it got it's first use. Santa sure knows what both Jake and Mommy need for those long car trips to the grandparents ;-) Here's Jake unloading his stocking...

After checking out Santa's goodies and eating breakfast, we headed to Plano to hang out with Chad, Cassy, Cohen and Channing. The boys loved hanging out once again. The joy of being around his older cousin let Jake do his best to forget about his yucky cold and be in mostly a good mood. Here they are getting a little fuel before the present opening begins...

Although we attempted to take lots of pictures, hardly any came out good due to the constant movement of an 1, almost 2, and 3 1/2 year-olds. I did capture this one of all the kids looking at Channing's new book. I think it's really cute, plus it reminds me that pretty soon Chad and Cassy will have 3 little ones all their own!

We left Allen and headed back to Gainesville for the annual Barr Family Christmas party. This event is always a lot of fun because it's the only time when Kevin's aunts, uncles, and cousins all get together, and we always play some fun and creative games. This year, I didn't get one single picture mostly due to our poor little boy who started burning up and stayed curled up in laps the entire night. We did compete in a family version of Christmas Minute to Win It, but unfortunately the Lawson fam didn't rise to victory. Although we didn't take the win, it was really great to be together and catch up with everyone.

Christmas Eve 2010

2011-01-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

After our Lenz Christmas, we headed to the Lawson side for lots of family fun and gatherings. We started Christmas Eve morning off with the traditional Barr family breakfast. I must have been too busy enjoying talking to all the family because I didn't get one single picture of any family, but I did snap one of this precious guy watching the older kids play Wii... Christmas Eve night, the Lawson side of the family came over to enjoy Big T's delicious homemade chili and our traditional stocking stuffer gift exchange. Jake got in some fun play time with his second cousins, Ryan and Brittany. Side note: aren't Ryan and Brittany gorgeous teens? They are not only gorgeous on the outside, but also on the inside. It's been a wonderful blessing to watch our flower girl and ring bearer grow up!

Jake made very fast friends with Ryan once again...

Here'a a pic of all the ladies: Me Maw, Aunt Tanya, me, cousin Kelly, Carla (Nana), Brittany, and cousin Tracy. We missed you, Cassy!

And a pic of the guys: Uncle Woody, Ryan, Big T, Rodney, Mark, Jake and Kevin. Wondering what the funny hand signs are all about? Rodney proudly displayed the "Watts family sign" for everyone, so all the guys felt the need to join in...

One of the stocking stuffer gifts in the adult stockings was a plug-in air freshener from Bath and Body Works. Jake saw the plug-in and must have thought it looked like a megaphone/microphone. He immediately grabbed one and held it to his mouth. This made for family entertainment for at least 20 minutes as he literally sang into it and danced in the middle of the room. He even had some of the adults following suit. What a way to sing Christmas carols!

And the last thing before heading to bed was the milk and cookies for Santa... Jake's advice is to test out your offerings to make sure it all will meet Santa's approval!