Trip for 3-Day 1

Over Spring Break, we took a little trip down to San Antonio.  This trip was especially meaningful to me b/c it was our last trip as a family of 3.  Our first adventure began on the way down where we stopped at Natural Bridge Wildlife Center.  Jake loves animals and has been to other wildlife centers several times, so we knew it would be a hit.  We went first to the petting zoo area.  Here's my handsome guy...

 Jake really loved the petting area and wasn't fearful at all.  He held food in his hand and did his best to find a hungry recipient...

 I think he loves the little pygmy goats just like I do...

 The remainder of the Wildlife Center was a drive-through park where we saw and fed lots of different animals.  Here are a few...

Boy Time

We started off our Spring Break as we usually do in the Lawson household, as the hosts to a guys weekend filled with the high school state basketball tournament.  Even though we always have a few guys in town, I never really feel like we have company b/c they are gone all day enjoying the games.  The fun part for Jake and me is that Chad brought Cohen to hang out.  Jake was SO excited about Cohen's arrival, we were literally counting down the days.  Jake loves having him around, and I love being around them b/c they truly play together so well and act like the best of friends.  I didn't take too many pictures, but here's a few pics from the visit.  I took the boys to the Big Bounce on Friday.  It was perfect b/c the weather was cold and rainy.  I love this pic b/c the way Jake is looking at Cohen; so cute...

In front of the choo-choo train...

 One thing that's great about the way they play together is they can be happy with a wide range of activities.  They played basketball, wrestled, put puzzles together, colored, played with super heros, read books.  It was great for me b/c they were so content.  I honestly think there wasn't one argument or conflict the entire visit!  Here they are completing a drawing together.  This was extra cute b/c they made several drawings, then decided to hang them on the walls in their very own "museum."

Ballpark

 Although you can't tell on the blog, we've been keeping really busy lately.  It's just that in between the busyness, this pregnant Mommy rests instead of being on the computer, so I'm once again behind.  In early March, the Express host a fan day on a Saturday morning to get everyone geared up for the season.  We went last year and enjoyed it, so decided to hit the ballpark again.  Here's Jake and Daddy...

 and here's all 3 of us.  My eyes are closed, but I still have to value a photo when we're all 3 in it...

Probably the biggest highlight of going is getting to actually go on the field.  You can throw and catch, and they also have a line to bat.  Jake loved being out on the field.  He and Kevin stayed out there for a while enjoying themselves... 

 

 

Something a little funny happened too.  A camera guy came up and starting filming Jake and Kevin playing catch.  It was funny to see Jake's reaction b/c he was definitely wondering what the guy was doing.  Here's Jake's moment on film...

 He even interviewed Kevin.  I didn't catch which channel, but I know Kevin checked on-line later to try to find any footage and was unlucky.  Oh well, I guess it wasn't their moment for fame ;-)

Getting ready

I haven't talked much about the new addition coming to our family, but it's getting close, so I better get started!  A couple weekends ago, we started getting the room ready.  We're not doing a full-out nursery so we can keep our guest bed.  Plus, I feel so much more laid back about everything than I did with Jake so there's really not much to it.  We were fortunate to borrow a crib from Chad and Cassy, and because it is white, we decided to paint our existing changing table white.  We did A LOT in one weekend with the help of Kevin's parents to get things ready, and Jake was such a good helper too.  He seemed genuinely excited and happy to get things moving for his little brother.  He helped paint...

 I think you can tell here, he can be very detail oriented when he wants to be...

 When it was time to put up the crib, he got out his own tools and started working away...

 There was also a ton of laundry to wash and fold.  One great thing about having another boy is that we already have so much stuff.  We kept Jake's clothes, and we're pretty much set to go.  Jake was a good helper folding...

And I guess you might want to get a glimpse of the little guy.  Here I am at about 32 weeks.  I was looking back at my pregnancy pictures with Jake and my stomach looks surprisingly close to this size in this post of me at 37 weeks!!!  Although I'm getting lots of flattering comments about how small I look, there's no doubt about it, my stomach is growing, and it's growing at a much faster rate than with Jake.  I guess that's just a second pregnancy for you!

A Little Birthday Basketball

In lieu of a party this year, Jake chose to go to a UT basketball game with his two favorite friends; his cousin, Cohen, and school friend, Nicolas.  Everyone's schedule didn't align until this weekend, so we did a little birthday celebrating exactly one month after his birthday.  We started off the night at our house with Jake's favorites, pepperoni pizza followed by cake and ice cream.  He requested a strawberry cake, and I surprised him with this design...

Of course, he opened his presents...

And then, we headed to the Drum for the main event: UT Longhorns vs TCU Horned Frogs.  Cassy and I both attempted several shots of the boys outside, and Jake's eyes were closed in every one!  (He truly has flash sensitivity)  I still want to post this pic b/c they boys still look adorable and I love the cool background...

I was very pleased by how well Jake managed both friends and how well they all got along together considering Cohen and Nicolas just met.  I think they all had a blast, and I can't think of a better way for Jake to have celebrated #4!  It was a great night with family and friends, and to top it off the Longhorns won!!!  Here are the handsome guys once again...

Elephants!

A few weeks back, the Shriner circus was in Cedar Park, and a friend told me they were feeding the elephants for the public to see one Friday morning.  Since that sounded different and new, a couple friends and I took the kids to take a look.  It was the closest I think I'll ever be to an elephant without a barrier in between us, so it was pretty cool.  I liked seeing the elephants and the kids did too.  Their mid-morning snack was a mix of apples, banans and pears...

Here's a great close-up shot...

It was way too difficult to get a shot of Jake and the elephants b/c I had to lift him up so he could see.  We were lucky to have a front row position, so once we had our fill we moved out of the way for others.  Here's Jake in front of the crowd after we'd taken a look...



Things to remember

As I've said in an earlier post, I have loved age 3!  It's been so much fun having full conversations with Jake and seeing his personality blossom.  Here are a few things I want to remember about him at this precious time:

**Around Thanksgiving, he was learning about Pilgrims and Indians at school, and he REALLY got into Indians.  We checked out books about different tribes at the library, he frequently wanted to wear his Indian vest and necklace, and he also wanted to be called by his Indian name, Gray Wolf
**When he plays any sport at home, either by himself or with one of us, he always names what teams are playing.  For a long time, one of the teams was always the "Fordos."  He would announce, "Fordos vs. the Cowboys, or Fordos vs. the Longhorns."  I have no idea what a Fordo is, but he definitely loved that mascot.
**Over the last several months, he's taken much more interest in coloring and is SO much better coloring in the lines.  Up until recently, he had no interest at all, and would just scribble all over the page.  Now, he really cares and takes his time picking colors and making it look nice.
**He's quite the storyteller.  He'll frequently tell us made-up stories out of nowhere.  Oftentimes, these stories begin by him saying, "When I was a baby..."
**He still has quite the passion and opinion about clothes.  He'll quickly tell me he doesn't like something and probably only wears 1/4 or less of the clothes he owns because those are his favorites.  He also likes to dress up for specific occasions, and is always clothed appropriately for whatever sport he's playing, whether it's football, soccer, basketball or baseball.  Here he is dressed as a cowboy.  He got "real" cowboy clothes from my parents in late November and was so proud of his boots, shirt and belt.

 

**Another thing about clothes...he calls his khaki pants, any collared shirt, and his dress shoes "work clothes."  He insists on wearing his "work pants and shoes" and a Leander basketball shirt to every game, so he specifically changes clothes before we leave (no matter how late we're running). 

Jake in his "work clothes" Forgive the deer in the headlights
look.  He is working hard to open his eyes with the flash.



**He still sings all the time.  This is one of my very favorite traits of his.  Hearing him sing makes me so proud and melts my heart.  He sings mostly worship songs, but also lots of songs he makes up himself.
**His favorite TV show lately is Octonauts.  He loves to watch it even if he's already seen an episode several times.
**Jake is overall a pretty good eater, but is also usually an incredibly slow eater at dinner time.  He's usually the last one to finish at our table.
**Jake is already showing qualities of a great big brother by how he talks to us and my belly.  He seems genuinely excited for the baby to come.  A few weeks back, Kevin and I walked into his room and he had laid out his "Big Brother" shirt with pants and socks.  When we asked him what he was doing, he said, "Getting ready for my brother to come in 3 days."  Our hearts melted and it was hard to break the new that it was 3 months, not 3 days.  Once we explained it to him, he started crying b/c it was so far away.
**Jake wants to name his brother Owen Cohen or Daddy Chaddy.
**He'll reach up to hold my hand sometimes even when he's not required to.  This is also something I really love and am fearful for the time when he's "too old" to hold it at all.
**He's can give the best full body hugs--this is when he wraps both his arms and legs around you and holds tight.  They are the best!
**I noticed over the last couple months that when I am holding Jake, he often starts playing with my hair.  He just strokes it and strokes it.
**He seems to have favorite numbers.  Recently, the number is 89.  If you ask him question that requires a numerical response, he'll often respond with "89" even if it's way off.