A Big Weekend!

"Hmmm...I think I can get that star."

"If I just move my arms and my legs like this..."
"...and if I REACH really hard..." "Got it!"
"Did you get that on camera, Mom?"
" I just love my star."
"See my new tooth, y'all?"

When we picked up Jake from Grandmama's house last Thursday, the first thing Jake did was smile a big smile at us and show us his 2nd new tooth! Yes, he now has two bottom front teeth, and it is just precious! I've tried taking pictures to capture the new teeth, but it is still hard to see them since they are just now erupting. Every now and then, though, you can catch a glimpse (like in that last photo) of his first tooth which is a little bigger than its neighbor. I was amazed at how much he had changed in the four short days that Tyson and I were away from him. Little did I know, his new tooth was just the beginning of our little man's changes for the weekend. On Saturday alone, Jake decided to roll over from his back to his stomach (FINALLY!), to sit unsupported, and then he surprised us with crawling. Well, I say crawling...I think it is termed creeping (he maneuvers himself around like a catepillar to get to and fro, but it isn't a true "crawl"). Either way, it is so darn cute (and scary, too...now I can't let him out of my site for a minute)!! Our little cousin Spencer used to do this "army crawl" (which is where your arms drag your legs...like an army guy would hince the name) when he was first learning to crawl, so that is what I expected Jake to do. Oh no, he does this catepillar move where he moves both his arms forward and then he moves his legs forward and then he takes a HUGE DIVE for the toy. Like I said, it is so cute! I can't believe how much he has changed IN A WEEKEND!! Who knows, he might be riding a bike by the next weekend and driving the next if he keeps growing at this pace!

Beach Trip

Our Big Catch!
Tyson's 3 foot long Hammerhead!
This is the picture I snapped right before my pole (in the background) got the big bite!

Tyson and I dropped Jake off at Grandmama's (Tyson's mom) house this past week and headed for St. Simons Island, Georgia. Tyson and I got married at St. Simons and haven't been back since, so we decided to spend a little quality time together while Jake got to enjoy his grandmama. We definitely missed Jake, but we had a blast! The best part of the trip (other than the quality time) was the night shark fishing trip that we went on one night. Tyson and I were a little nervous getting on the boat because we were the only ones that had all of our teeth and that weren't adorned with hooks on our hats...obviously, we had no clue what was in store for us. We were up against some serious fisherman!! Anyways, as luck would have it, I had casted my line out and placed the pole in the holder so I could snap some pics of my cute husband. All of a sudden...I got a bite!! I wasn't about to put down my new camera to catch a "little shark", so Tyson grabbed my pole. Yes, I was the first person on the toothless boat to catch a shark. And it wasn't just a "little shark"...it was a four foot long sand shark! It turned out to be the biggest catch of the night! I was so excited (as you can tell by the pics of my big cheesy smile). Tyson and I ended up catching the most sharks that night; we make a great shark-fishing team! Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I tried to be a little girly (totatlly not me) and let my husband reel in all my big catches, so he decided I needed to prove to all these big fisherman how tough I was and reel in one of his catches. Low and behold he gets a bite and signals for me to come over. After about 5 minutes (no joke) of me reeling it in, we finally got a closer look at the shark...it was a 5 ft long black-tip shark (almost as big as me)! The first mate grabbed the line and brought the shark to the boat and SNAP...the line broke! I was highly upset as you can imagine...but I still had the biggest catch of the day anyways! Thanks for taking such good care of Jake, grandmama. We really appreciate it!

***No sharks were injured in the making of these pictures. All of the sharks in the picture were alive and were thrown back.

Jake's Baptism

Dr. Simmons, Jake, Mommy, and Daddy right after the baptism
Granddaddy, MaMa, Granddad, Pat-Pat, Mommy, Jake, Daddy, Grandmama, Uncle Bobby, Aunt Amy, and Courtney (left to right)
Four Generations...and Jake is really excited!

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted; we have been gone on vacation all week long and just got back. Our vacation began last weekend with Jake getting baptized at my parents' church- First Presbyterian Church of Thomaston, Georgia on June 22, 2008. We were very blessed to have Dr. Simmons, the same preacher who officiated our wedding, perform the baptism. It was a very special day for all of us. We were lucky enough to have my parents, Tyson's mom, my grandparents, my sister and her boyfriend, and my uncle Bobby (my dad's brother) all attend. Jake was as sweet and as well-behaved as usual; all the sweet ladies in the church just bragged on how good he was throughout the baptism. There was a funny part, though. Right as Dr. Simmons put the water on Jake's head, Jake gave Dr. Simmons the most sour look. It was if Jake was saying, "what did you just put on my head?" I couldn't help but giggle! Seriously, though, I have never been more proud to be a mother than I was that day. I am so proud of you, Jake; your daddy and I hope that we can be as good of Christian parents as our parents have been to us.

By the way, the Baptism gown that Jake wore was also worn by me, my sister, my dad, and Granddaddy King (in 1909). It could have been worn by older generations, but that is as far back as we could trace it for now. The gown just made the day that much more special. Congratulations, Jake!

First Tooth!

Tyson, Jake, and I were riding down the road yesterday when Jake started to cry. Like any mom would do if there child didn't take a pacifier, I leaned around and put my finger in his mouth. All of a sudden...whammm!! My child bit me! Well....in all actuality, my finger got stuck between his top gum and his bottom gum with a little bit of tooth in there. Either way, I started tearing up. My baby got his first tooth. Looking back at some of his symptoms from this past week, it all makes perfect sense now. I wish I had some cute pictures to show you of his new tooth, but it just broke the surface and you can barely see it. Hopefully, though, we will have some pearly whites to show y'all soon.

Good-Bye Comb-Over...Hello First Haircut!

"What do you think, Daddy? How does my hair look?"
"At least my Mommy and Daddy think I look good!"

"If hair modeling doesn't work out, at least I still have my feet."

Tyson and I are very aware that you aren't "supposed" to cut babies' hair until they are 1 or so, but Jake's comb-over has really been bothering us lately...so we took the plunge and cut it off yesterday. Maybe we are vain and shallow people, but in our defense, I think the "comb-over" was equally as aggravating for my precious son! In fact, I think it inhibited his sight at times and tickled his nose a little too much. Not to mention, he is getting baptized Sunday, and I was a little concerned what the comb-over might look like wet and hanging in his face in front of the whole church to see. So we made an appointment with my hairstylist and decided to end our worrying and just cut the dang thing off. Well...my hairstylist broke her hand and couldn't cut it, so I was left to do the honors. I'm sorry I don't have pictures from the actual "first haircut," but I cut his hair in my PJ's before running out the door to work and I didn't want the world to see me in my PJ's. Jake was a trooper, though, throughout the whole thing and sat very still for me (thank goodness!). When we got done, he just looked up at the mirror and smiled as if he was saying, "thank you, Jesus...no more comb-over!"

Happy Father's Day!

My 2 favorite boys before church
Jake can't wait to drink some of daddy's coffee!

Happy Father's Day everyone...especially to Tyson, my dad, and my granddaddy! I love you all so much, and I am so lucky to have you all in my life. I have to brag on my husband a little bit, though, because today is the day for this! I have to admit, I have the best husband in the world and Jake has the best father in the world hands down. Tyson has a very time consuming job, but when he is home is does such a good job. I always knew he would be really good with our children, but I never knew he would be this good. He is just such a natural. Ok. So I could go on and on all day long about how great my husband is, but then I might lose your interest. So...I think Tyson had a good first Father's Day. Jake gave his daddy this cute little coffee mug with Tyson's favorite picture of Jake on it, and Tyson loved it (or at least he acted like he did). He also got a coupon for "the man bag of his choice" which he later redeemed for a sporty adidas backpack. Apparently, the navy paisley Vera Bradley diaper bag wasn't "man enough" for Tyson, so he needed his own "man bag" for when he takes Jake out. I gave Tyson a "fishing trip for 2" for when we go to the beach in a couple of weeks; I'm afraid it's more for me than for my husband, though. Anyways, happy Father's Day everyone! Enjoy the pics! By the way, the bottom picture shows a good shot of the "comb-over." My brilliant husband put lotion on the comb-over to keep it in place...I almost died! He was the greasiest-looking kid at church! Love you anyway, Tyson!!

Not Such a Good Week

"This green thing sure is a convenient arm rest!"
"That is one dirty sock, mommy. I promise if you let me chew on it for one second, I can get it good and clean!" "I'm gonna catch that sock one day!"
"Hey! Something new for me to put my mouth on!"

"Hmmm..."
"I'm not so sure about this, mommy."
"This clear stuff tastes nasty!"
"Uggghhhh...I'm never drinking water EVER again!"
"Hey, friends! What's up?"


Despite the smiling, playful-looking child in the pictures, Jake has been battling a bad cold this week. In fact, his nose has been beet-red and his eyes have been droopy and just as red all week long; we've been having to suck out his nose continuously and he has a really bad cough. I'm really glad it hasn't turned in to anything more, especially since I went to the doc this week and got diagnosed with bronchitis. Tyson has really stepped it up and been such a good husband and father this week caring for both Jake and me. Other than that, nothing much has been going on around here. Tyson starts his "vacation time" this Monday and gets a whole 4 weeks off. I say "vacation" kind of loosely because Tyson doesn't quite get the meaning of the word. He has been concocting a plan to set up Jake's pack and play at his office so he can get work done on the days that I am working. How about that for vacation? Anyways, Jake is still doing well with his rolling over and sitting up despite feeling so bad. As you can tell from the pics, we had a new first (and last!)...the Dr. Brown's training cup. You see, Jake hasn't been eating well lately (he fights EVERY bottle) and has actually lost some weight. So...desperate times call for desperate measures and we thought we would try the sippy cup. We practiced with water (like the books say), but Jake wasn't having it. I guess he's going to just be a picky eater!

Welcome Home Baby Jake!

"Hey, Daddy! I almost forgot how big your

mouth is...good thing mommy reminds me!"

"Mom of the year!"

"I love my new PJ's, Pat-Pat, but I don't know how long they'll fit over my gut. My shirt's so tight I can't even get my foot in my mouth."

On our way home from Cochran last Thursday, we dropped Jake off at my parents' house in Georgia because we both had to work this past weekend. After four long, miserable days without my baby, I drove back to Thomaston to pick him up after I slept off the night shift. Mind you, this wasn't the first time Tyson and I have been away from him (he stayed with my parents for 2 days back at Easter while I worked in Atlanta), but this was definitely the longest and hardest. But apparently it was cake for my mom who had the great fortune of introducing him to green beans (and he loved them!). While Jake was there, he started taking more formula, got better at rolling over and sitting up, and his eczema totally cleared up; this was all due to my mom's hard work and dedication. Don't get me wrong, I left her with 2 full pages of instructions, so there was little room for error. Thank you so much, mom. You did an awesome job! Oh yeah, how could I forget this part...as I drove up to my parents' house, I had this image in my mind of how excited my child was going to be to see his mommy. Well, I walked in the door and find my mom and Jake playing with this toy and my dad watching on. Jake heard my voice and turned towards me and gave me a smile, but then he turned back and kept playing with the toy like it was no big deal. I scooped him up, of course, and just loved on him so much, but he never took his eyes off my mom for one second! Oh well, I can't say that I blame him. My mom IS the best mom in the world! Thanks, mom (and dad, too). We love y'all!

Another Fun Trip to Cochran

"Going..."
"Going..."
"Gone!"
My big helper!
Jake LOVES his "granddaddy" (well...great granddaddy to be exact)
I know we live in Alabama, but no, Jake, you can't date your cousin...no matter how cute she is!
Ryleigh Kate says, "Can baby Jake ride, too?"
The best great grandparents in the world!

Here are some of the pictures we took last week at my grandparents' house in Cochran, Georgia. While we were there, Jake and I got to go to the "Dykes Family Reunion" (which is my mom's mom's mom's family), spent the day at the pool with ALL the cousins (except Ryleigh Kate who was napping), got to see Tyson's mom one day, and just enjoyed hanging out with our family and eating MaMa's good cooking. Tyson got to come home from football camp for lunch almost everyday that we were there, so I was glad I got to spend a little time with him, too. One of the best things about the trip, though, was getting to see how sweet Chase and Ryleigh Kate are to my "baby Jake." We never get to spend much 1 on 1 time with them because there are always so many other little kids around that Jake never gets much attention, but they both surprised me with how loving they are to my little boy. Ryleigh Kate, who is about 26 months old, was such a big helper; she helped change "baby Jake's" diaper, helped feed him, held him (with a little assistance of course), entertained him, and just helped me however I needed her. She is such a big girl!! We miss you all already! Thanks for putting up with us, MaMa and Granddaddy! We love you!

5 Months Old!

Eat 'em up while you can, Jake. You won't always be able to do that!
"This plastic thing on my float tastes so delicious!! Just like my feet!"
"Hey, mommy. Can you please brush my "comb over" out of the way?"
Is it me or does that tire in the back look unusually flat?

There goes trouble!

We just got back home from our trip to Cochran, and while we were there, Jake turned 5 months old. As of right now, his absolute favorite thing to do is to put stuff in his mouth and clamp down hard! He doesn't discriminate between toys, feet, hands, fingers, other peoples' hands and fingers, etc. (It is absolutely amazing how many people will let my child chew on their fingers...gross!!) His other favorite thing to do is to play with his feet and of course, put them in his mouth; I am impressed with my son's ability to put both of his big toes in his mouth at once, and boy does he have some humongous big toes (it's a proven fact)!! Other than that, we are still working on rolling over and sitting up. Jake is doing very well with solids, but it seems he doesn't care too much for fruits. I'm just glad he likes vegetables, though. His eczema is starting to clear up (for now) after some very diligent skin care from mom and dad and a change in formula, but his poor hair is a mess. In the last 2 weeks or so, Jake's hair has fallen out at a rapid pace. There are some really funny, long strands left in places, and we have nicknamed the long strands in the front "the comb over." I feel so sorry for my child...he looks thrown away with his new hair style. In the last two pictures above, my cousin Christy and I decided to celebrate Jake's 5 month birthday with a spin on my granddaddy's scooter. Well...a "spin around the block" turned in to us going up to the college to check out my hot husband at football camp. Needless to say, we not only embarrassed ourselves and Tyson, we also got in big trouble for being gone so long. I think we are now permanently banned from the scooter! But happy 5 months, Jake!