Lawn Boy

Hey, somebody's gotta do the yard work since Daddy's gone!

The only thing better than one lawn boy...

...is 2 lawn boys!

Cool rider!

Chillaxin' after a hard day cuttin' the grass!

Wives' Trip

Texas A&M

This past weekend, the UAB coaches' wives and I travelled with the team to the Texas A&M game. I won't mention the score, but we had a great time despite the outcome!

At UAB, the wives are allowed to travel with the team for one game of the year, and we picked Texas A&M. We had all heard how much fun College Station was and how awesome the gameday atmosphere was at Texas A&M, and it was! Of all the college football games I have ever been to in my entire life, this was my absolute favorite place to visit. The fans were incredibly nice, the whole military aspect behind it all was just amazing, and the crowd just really got into the game with all these chants and cheers. The whole game, minus the beginning when we were actually ahead, the entire crowd stood on their feet and really got into the game; the whole "home of the 12th man" thing was pretty evident. As far as the military aspect, there were something like 2000 Corps of Cadets who rode in on horses or either marched throughout the stadium track prior to the game...it was like something I've never seen before.

Like I said, the game didn't turn out as I would have liked, but we had an amazing time. We stayed at this awesome hotel http://latorrettadellagoresortandspa.com/ and just enjoyed our time together....without our kids! We flew into Houston on Friday via chartered plane and were all feeling the affects of a small plane overloaded with huge football players, so we quickly found our way to food...Tex Mex! Now let me explain, I know I said I've been feeling pretty well with this pregnancy, but between a rough flight, no nap, a sick child at home who kept me up all night Thursday night, and no food, I wasn't feeling the best. And then add insult to injury, the Tex Mex didn't agree with Baby #2. I haven't felt that awful in a long time, but I pushed ahead and enjoyed my time with the ladies at supper and then with the staff that night in the hospitality room.

The coaches were all pretty busy on Saturday with pre-game stuff, so the other wives and I just enjoyed the day eating, resting, watching football, getting pampered at the Spa (not me...not my style), and just hanging out. We left for the game a couple of hours ahead of time to get the guys to the stadium, so we all tail-gated amongst the Aggies for a couple of hours. Once inside the stadium, we had horrible seats (like way past the endzone). Luckily, we were next to the jumbo-tron, so that's mainly how we saw the game. UAB got off to a pretty good start, but couldn't hold on to it. It ended up being a pretty long game with a lot of injuries to be had to our guys; by the end, I couldn't wait to say "Adios" to College Station. We finally got back to Birmingham around 1:30 am Sunday morning.

My favorite conversation of the whole weekend was this:

Sideline reporter to Beth: How far along are you?

Beth: 2 1/2 months.

Sideline reporter to Beth: What are you having...a T-rex?

Thanks to Tyson's mom for watching Jake while I went on the wives' trip! And yes, Jake is still struggling with his mouth issue. I feel so guilty for leaving him; I had no idea he would still have problems that many days out, but he and Mary Ann survived.

Sorry that I don't have any more pictures from my trip! Believe it or not, I left my camera at home on purpose! I was trying to pack lightly! :( Anyways, I'll try to round up some more pictures...it's not very often that I get to go on girls' trip, so I definitely need to document it! :)

Next up for the Blazers: UAB vs Southern Miss this Thursday night at 7 pm CST on CBS! Go Blazers!

Barefooted

Have you ever seen such Fred Flintstone lookin' feet?

He kept saying, "Big truck!"

Did anyone else notice that pink bunny?

Just thought these were too sweet not to post! Have a great weekend! Go Blazers!

A Day Full of Doctor's Appointments

Jake's craft from school today. His handprint is the big fat green one! :)

First thing this morning, I took Jake to the pediatric dentist to have his gum and tooth checked on after his accident yesterday. This is the first time his been to a dentist and they were amazing! If you are in the B'ham area and looking for someone for your child, I would highly recommend these guys (Pediatric and Adolescent Dentistry on Stadium Trace Parkway in Hoover). Anyways, Jake's gum looks really bad; the cut above his incisor extends up all the way to the top of his gum and actually exposes the bone above his tooth. It looks horrible, but overall, the doctor was encouraged because it is already showing signs of healing. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough gum left to stitch so we are really gonna have to watch him and be careful. He started Jake on an antibiotic and a soft diet for several days, and other than that, there isn't anything else we can do but sit and wait. The dentist did say this is pretty painful and will probably cause discoloration of that tooth. My poor baby. As I always say, though, it could be worse.

Baby #2- that is the head on the left with one arm up underneath its head and the other arm peaking out from the other side. At the far right of the picture, you can see one of the legs in action.

After I dropped the boys off at school, baby #2 and I went for a check-up. Things went well and as my OB put it, "the baby looks good but UAB doesn't." Nice, huh? I can't even go to the OB without getting harassed about football! He was only giving me a hard time, but unfortunately, the majority of my appointment turned into talk about football as usual and not much about baby.

Baby #2 is doing very well. It measured 10 weeks and 3 days, which is a week ahead, and had a heartrate of 166. Based on today's ultrasound, I am going to say that this baby is going to be stubborn, very active, and very curious. Do you know how I know these things? Because baby #2 kept turning and turning so that it was facing the camera the whole time; the poor ultrasound tech kept trying to get a good profile shot but couldn't get the baby to cooperate. And the whole time the tech was measuring it, its little legs were just going to town kicking! I couldn't believe how active it was at 9.5 weeks! I wish Tyson could have been there to see it...Jake was always so laid back during ultrasounds and barely moved.

As far as my pregnancy, things are so much better this time around. I was a little nauseous in the beginning, but I was on this nasty antibiotic that made me sick, so I'm totally blaming my nausea on that. Other than that week and a half, I haven't had any nausea at all! Praise the Lord! I am extremely exhausted, though, but that's a given with my crazy life right now. The only other thing I can think of that is going on is that I have a lot of food aversions that I didn't have with Jake. I basically can't cook anything and I can't eat red meat; in fact, I just don't feel like eating much at all even though I feel like I'm starving. It's really hard to describe and so weird for me since I LOVE TO EAT! I haven't gained any weight so far and I've even lost half a pound; I know it's just a matter of time before I start packing on that weight, so I'm not really worried about that. As long as baby is growing and thriving I'm happy.

All is well in the Summers' house today and both of my babies are doing well, praise the Lord! Now how about a win this weekend at Texas A&M to top off our good news!

It was Bound to Happen Sooner or Later...

Pre-busted lip pouty Jake
Oh yeah, see the bruise on his bottom lip?


That bruise is from his busted lip on Saturday.

What am I going to do with this child?

Oh what a day it has been. I already had this post in mind, but it couldn't be more fitting for the kind of day that we've had. But before I go there, here is my original "it was bound to happen sooner or later:"

• Jake got in trouble at school on Monday for the first time since he started a year ago. The teacher didn't tell me about it when I picked the boys up, so I don't know all the details. All I know is what the note said: "Got in trouble for pushing. Responded well to follow-up." My heart was just broken after reading that; my sweet little boy pushed another child? What kind of mom am I? So of course when we got home, I talked to Jake about not pushing other children and keeping our hands to ourselves; I then asked Jake who he hit and he said, "Ryan." I kind of giggled for a minute because I wasn't expecting him to answer me, but he did, and appropriately. And it totally wouldn't surprise me if it was Ryan who he pushed; those boys can fight like cats and dogs sometimes.

Like I said, today has just been one of those days. It started out like a normal morning; we were scheduled to go get Jake's flu shot at his pediatrician's, so I started getting the boys stuff packed to go. Next thing I know, Jake is zooming through the house like a bat out of hell pushing his lawnmower AND RUNS SMACK DAB INTO THE WALL...AT FULL SPEED! It sounded like tree had just landed on my house, no joke. I ran to check on him and his face had immediately swelled up and he had blood gushing from his mouth. At first, I assumed it was just another busted lip, but he just didn't look right. He wouldn't let me look in his mouth, so I grabbed up the boys and decided to head to the pedi a little early. This was my first freak out moment as mom/nurse...it was bound to happen sooner or later. :)

I get both boys strapped into their carseats, hop in the car, but NO STINKING KEYS! Here is my child with a face that resembles a stroke patient AND I HAVE LOCKED MY KEYS INSIDE MY HOUSE!

I freak out briefly and then call my neighbor who I thought had a spare key...no such luck. I call Tyson, but guess what? He's at practice and doesn't have his phone on him. And then I make a desperate call to my neighbor, "Can I please borrow your car?" Long story short, we got both boys loaded up and I was on the way to the pediatrician...a little late of course.

I get to the doctor's office and kindly ask the nurse to look in my son's mouth since he won't let me to make sure he still had all of his teeth. Do you know what she said? "He looks fine" and doesn't even attempt to look in his mouth. Really? Half of his face is droopy/swollen and who even knows what it looks like on the inside!! Jeez! Nurses! :)

Jake survives the flu shot so we head to Chic-Fil-A as a reward. Tyson meets us there with a key to the house and joins us for lunch. I decide to test my patience a little more and allow the boys to play on the playground for a little while after Tyson left.

We get home and I'm getting the boys ready for their naps. I thought it might be a good chance to look in Jake's mouth now that the swelling had gone down some, and he actually let me this time. Oh my gosh! His lip is cut pretty badly and the gum above his incisor is completely split. I called the dentist and have an "emergency appointment" in the morning...apparently Jake might need sutures; the pediatric dentist is in Talledega today but there is a chance we might have to see him tonight. I'm still waiting on the call back from the dentist to see what he wants us to do.

What a day! And it's only 2:45! I guess it was all bound to happen sooner or later!

My Life Right Now

It seems like I've had a conversation with people about a million times this week about what my life is like right now (ie during football season), so why not just post it on this blog for the world to see, right? I know some of you are probably thinking that this probably isn't very safe to post, but believe me, I have an awesome security system and a shotgun ready and waiting just in case. :)

• Sunday- Tyson goes in to work super early to grade film and gets home in time for Jake to wake up. I get to "sleep in" until about 8:30 ish and then I get up to spend some time with my family. We haven't been going to church like we should here lately because it's Tyson's only time at home during the week; right now, we feel it is more important to spend the time together the 3 of us. Anyways, Tyson usually leaves to go back to work around 11:30 and Jake and I continue on with our normal daily activities. I put Jake down at 7:00 pm and mess around (which I should be napping but haven't been able to lately) until I leave to go to work. Tyson gets home at 9:00 pm and I leave at 10:00 pm to work the night shift.

• Monday-I get home from work around 7:15 am and send Tyson out the door as I grab a quick shower before Jake wakes up. Ryan comes over and I take the boys to school at 9:00. I get home at 9:30 and sleep until 12:30 when it's time to go get the boys. They get home and get put down for naps. Jake usually sleeps for about 1.5 hrs and Ryan sleeps for about 3.5 hrs; I should be sleeping when they do, but I am usually just in a zombie-state at that time. Jake wakes up and we play until Ryan wakes up. We then go about our normal daily routine until it is time for Ryan to go home and Jake to go to sleep. I usually get about 2 hours to myself at night before Tyson gets home at 9:00. During that time, I am eating, bathing, doing laundry, cleaning, and doing other things I cannot get done during the day. Go to bed at 10 pm.

• Tuesday/Thursday-MY LONG DAYS! I am basically trying to find anything I can to keep the boys occupied and out of the house. We usually go see Tyson at his office for lunch on Thursdays. Other than that, I am just passing the time the best I can. Tyson usually gets home around 9 pm on Tuesdays and around 5 pm on Thursdays (praise the Lord!)

• Wednesday/Friday- The boys go to school from 9-1, so I usually spend these days grocery shopping, running errands, going to the doctor, etc. After I pick the boys up from school, I put them down for naps and I grab a quick nap, too; we then continue on with our daily activities. Again, Tyson gets home around 9 pm on Wednesdays, but Fridays are different based on home/away schedule.
  Saturday- GAME DAY! We just usually do our thing until it's time for the game. Tyson is gone all day but comes home after the games.
  

And just in case you are wondering what our daily routine is, here it is:

0700: Beth wake up and get ready

0720: Jake wakes up

0730: Breakfast

0745: Ryan arrives

0800-1130: Playing

11:30: Lunch

12:30: Both boys nap

2:00: Jake wakes up

2:00-4:00: Jake and Mommy play

4:00: Ryan wakes up and we head outside

4:45: Ryan's mommy comes home and we play with her

6:00: Jake's Supper time

6:30: Jake's bath time

7:00: Jake's bed time

Between being pregnant, working a night shift on no sleep and getting very little to make up for it, keeping two wild boys 5 days a week, and just being a "single mom" all the other times, I am just plain exhausted. I do try to nap when Jake naps, but I am also already having trouble sleeping because of pregnancy. Fun times. But don't get me wrong, though, I love my crazy life and wouldn't have it any other way...if only I could figure out a way to eliminate that night shift, my life would be a lot better! :)

Anyways, I'm sure this is probably too much information for some of you, but I think people are just curious what life is like as a college football coach's wife. As you can tell from the schedule, Tyson isn't home a lot (well, hardly at all), so it is definitely tough. The hardest part about that, though, is the Jake is only getting about 7 hours a week with his Daddy; that is why I feel it is important for me to be home with Jake right now vs. working full time. (Plus, piddly nurses' pay in Alabama - outrageous daycare costs = not enough money to justify it). Some people will definitely disagree on that one, but as my fellow football coaches' wives put it, right now we have to be the Mama and Daddy.

Elllie's 1st Birthday

The birthday girl

Not so sure about the sugary stuff at first...

...now she loves it!

She wears it well!

Jake LOVED the sugary stuff!

Jake wears it well, too!

Ellie says enough with this birthday stuff, Go Dawgs!

Happy 1st Birthday to little Miss Ellie Bowers! I can't believe it's already been a year...seems like just yesterday that Tyson got the call that she was on her way.

Jake and I were supposed to go to the UAB game today at Troy, but we changed our minds at the last minute and stayed home due to "scattered thunderstorms" and potential "flash floods." The last word I got from Troy is that it is sunny and beautiful...go figure. Oh well, at least we were able to attend Ellie's 1st birthday party instead!

Ellie was adorable as usual. She enjoyed throwing the ball with Jake and was so proud of herself when she caught it that she would put the ball down, start clapping for herself, and then look around and make sure everyone else was clapping for her. Such a mess! But such a cute mess! Speaking of mess, Ellie was very hesitant with the cake at first, but it didn't take long for her to dig in. She was literally licking her forearms, it was so good!

Happy Birthday, Ellie! And Go Blazers!

Bath Time

Look at his beautiful eyelashes!

I just love these pictures of my little boy because he reminds me so much of my favorite big boy...his Daddy. There's something about bath time with Jake that always makes me think of Tyson- maybe it's Jake's big brown eyes that he gets from his Daddy, or his hair pushed back that resembles Tyson's bald head, :) or maybe it's just his cute little naked body that is totally his Daddy's body. In fact, I've always wanted to post a picture of Jake's cute, little, naked toosh, but I just couldn't do it because it would be like posting a picture of Tyson's toosh on here. Ha!

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Be sure to tune in and cheer on the Blazers this weekend if you are in the area- UAB @ Troy at 2:30 CST on CSS. Go Blazers!

Oh the Things That He Says...

In the last month or so, Jake has really started saying a lot of 2 and 3 word phrases. He is learning some adjectives (colors, "big," "new," etc) and is starting to use them with words that he knows. If Jake doesn't have a word to put with another word, he just throws in a "Mama," "Daddy," "hey," or "bye" for good measure. Here are some of the things he is saying:

• "new shoes"
• "big ball"
• "Ryan blue eyes"...except he doesn't say "Ryan" perfectly, but it's too hard to spell or repeat exactly how he says it :)
• "big bull"- meaning big bulldozer...one of my personal favs
• "pink heart"
• "hey bug!"
• "Daddy booball (football) play"...I'm trying to teaching him that Daddy doesn't exactly "play" football anymore and that he coaches, but Jake doesn't quite get it.
• "Ryan night night?"

Don't get me wrong, there are still a lot of words that Jake doesn't know or can't say, and those words have a name, "bah-doo." We have no idea exactly what "bah-doo" means, but it is said pretty frequently around our house. I can't wait for Jake to be able what it means; I am so tired of hearing "bah-doo."

Of course, I have to throw in some funny things my child has said here lately:

• Ryan was doing something he wasn't supposed to (I can't remember exactly) and I said, "Ryan, no no!" Well, Ryan continued to do whatever it was, so I said, "Ryan, do you hear Miss Beth? I said no no!" Jake, out of nowhere, says, "NO NO BETH!"
• I was taking off Jake's diaper last night to put him in the bath tub, and I made a huge mistake...I didn't check to see what was in it. Off came the diaper and out came the poop directly onto the floor. Jake took one look and said, "Dog doo doo!"
• The other Sunday morning, I wasn't feeling very well, so Tyson and Jake drove to McDonalds to get me some breakfast. Tyson said he rolled up to the window to order and accidentally rolled down Jake's window instead of his; the lady says, "May I take your order?" Next thing he knew, Jake quickly replies "roast...peas." The lady says, "Excuse me sir?" Jake says again, "Roast...peas." Hahaha! That one makes me laugh every time. I wish y'all could here how he rolls his "R's"...he sounds french or something; it totally makes the whole "Roast and peas" thing that much more funny. What a funny kid.

Ryan and his "blue eyes"

And last but not least, Jake hugging Ryan after not being so nice to him.

Heartbreaker

We just lost 35-33 to SMU in a game we were picked to win; it was a real heartbreaker. Jake was an angel, though, for the most part and even sat still in the stands for a whole quarter and a half. He loved it! He kept saying "Blaze! Daddy...booball (football)! D! BayBay (UAB)! Yay!" It was so cute; however, it was short-lived. We resorted to the coaches' wives box in the middle of the 2nd quarter and stayed there for the remainder of the game. Hey, baby steps, though! Maybe one day we can actually make it through a whole game in the stands...or even a whole half of a game! Sorry for the lack of pictures...I left the camera in the car after tailgating. Next up, Troy next Saturday. It is televised, but I'm not sure of all the details right now. Go Blazers!

2nd Week of School

I'm really not a bad mama...I did take the obligatory "1st day of school" pictures, but they didn't turn out that well. Not that this photoshoot turned out much better, but I couldn't put it off any longer. So here you have it, Jake's 4th day of school.

Jake is having a lot of fun at school this year; he has a lot of friends in his class from last year and this summer as well as his good buddy, Ryan. Jake's teacher says that Jake and Ryan are "two balls of energy" and just run around and chase each other like they're brothers. Too cute. Jake's teacher also says that Jake has "a lot of girlfriends." I knew this would be the case since Caroline, Macy, Helen, and Rose are in his class again this year, and those are some of his favorites. It seems, though, that Jake prefers Rose this week, so we'll see. Such a stud for 20 months old.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Go Blazers!