Swim Meet #2!

It's a good thing I took a ton of pictures at the last swim meet because this picture is the only one I got from this one.  It was just way too crowded at this meet to even attempt to get any pictures,  but I had to take one of my swimmer with his ribbons.

Let me start by saying that even though Jake did awesome at the last swim meet and this one, he is not loving swim team. :(  He said he doesn't want to let his team or his coach down so he's not going to quit, but I don't think swimming is in Jake's future. :(  He's much more into contact sports.  It probably doesn't help that he's been going to these sports camps the last two weeks and is coming home absolutely exhausted; in fact, he started feeling bad last night as we got to the swim meet...I think being in the heat all day is just getting to him.  He still did really well and won first place in both of his events- the freestyle and the breast stroke.  Like I said before, this swim meet was really crowded and had a ton of swimmers, so given that and the fact Jake wasn't feeling well, we didn't stick around for the backstroke or the butterfly. 

Jake really improved his freestyle time from last week (29.89), and he did awesome for the first time doing the breast stroke (33.66).  He kind of forgot mid-lap what stroke he was supposed to be doing, so he ended up doing a combo of breast-freestyle-butterfly, but he got the win anyways.  He sure is a good little swimmer...I hate that he isn't loving it. :(

So I have to brag on my big boy a little bit more...the sports camp that he's been doing these weeks are run by Jake's elementary's PE teacher, Coach Bitton.  Coach Bitton has gone on and on about Jake and how well he throws the football, catches the football, how fast he can run for his age.  He even asked, "I mean, does your husband know how good he is?  He could be a quarterback or a linebacker or whatever he wants!"  Ha!  Coach Bitton also said Jake is very focused and so intense for his age...he's even used Jake as an example to the older kids.  :)  Considering how much everyone ooh's and ahh's over Walker and his cuteness, I'm so glad to hear Jake getting some much deserved attention!  I sure love my little athlete!!

Coach O'Leary's Beach House

 My  swimsuit model

 Tyson and Jake fishing.

 Rocco (whose dad was on staff with us at UAB) and Walker

The closest thing we have to a snow angel in Florida...a sand angel.

 

 

We made our annual trip to Coach O'Leary's beach house this weekend.  We all had so much fun!  Well, it was all fun and games until Walker looks at Coach O'Leary and says, "Coach O'weawy, your  face is red!"  Bahaha!  (His face was really red for the record, but I think it's always like that). ;)  And then not 10 minutes later, Mrs. O'Leary was talking about her hair being blond, and Jake immediately corrects her, "Your hair isn't blond...it's grey!"  I'm pretty sure we had worn out our welcome by that point, so we packed up and headed home.  Just kidding...the O'Leary's were awesome about it, but Tyson and I were so embarrassed!  

Jake's 1st Swim Meet!

 Getting ready for the freestyle!

 2nd place in his first ever race!!

 Getting ready for the backstroke!

 FIRST PLACE!!!

 Daddy's always coaching!

 And finally, the butterfly.

 Tyson and Walker were strategizing.

How cute are his ears here?

Jake swam in his first swim meet tonight, and he did awesome!!!  He got first place in the 6 & under 25 meter backstroke with a time of 53.78.  He smoked the other kids on that one!  And in the freestyle, he got second place with a time of 32.25.  He was right behind the kid in first place for freestyle; in fact, I'm not sure if Jake even realized he lost it was so close. ;)  Lastly, he finished the butterfly with a time of 33.79 for a second place win.  He made me laugh on the butterfly...Jake could see the kid ahead of him at the end, so Jake said "forget the butterfly" and just started freestylin' to try and catch the kid.  Hahaha!  Too bad it didn't work, but it definitely entertained the crowd.

I am so proud of Jake for even attempting this meet.  He's been going to a sports camp this week and has come home everyday just exhausted.  He sure is one competitive little boy! 

27 Weeks!

Does anyone see the cute little face that photo bombed my belly shot?

Long time, no belly pic!  I turned 27 weeks this past Saturday, but I'm already hearing "you look like you're about to pop!' and "how many babies are in there?"  Yes, people, I'm really just THAT BIG!  And I feel it, too!

I've been such a slacker on updating on this pregnancy, so I'll try to catch y'all up.  I met my new doctor last month, and I love the practice.  The first doc I met is the chief of staff at the hospital (and a huge football fan), and he said we'll try to work out the delivery around Tyson's schedule.  So here's specifically what we discussed at that visit: we're going to schedule the c-section around the 39th week of my corrected (based on ultrasound) due date, September 14th, but since my dates have me due September 21 (which is coincidentally Tyson's bye week), we might try to make it to that week of the 21st if all goes well and baby hasn't come by then.  Have I lost you yet?  It's a little confusing, I know.  Well, fast forward to my visit from today: we went ahead and scheduled the c-section for my 39th week as planned, but I'm now thinking of just sticking with that date since I really don't want to go into labor the weekend of the 14th when Tyson is in Pennsylvania at the Penn State game.  We'll see...I'm sure I'll change my mind a thousand times by then...and I'm also sure I have no control over this even though I want to have this thing planned on our schedule.  I haven't made it to a planned c-section yet as both of my boys have come at 38 weeks, and I'm sure #3 will be no different.  ;)  So long story short, the c-section is scheduled for Monday September 9th.

Anderson is doing really well and seems to be growing at a rapid pace like his brothers.  I've gained about 30 pounds at this point (hence maybe the "rapid pace") and I'm already dreading to see what the final number is going to be.  To be honest, I could care less, though, as long as my baby boy is healthy.

Other than lots of sciatic nerve pain and back pain, this pregnancy has been pretty uneventful so far, praise the Lord!  I'm so ready to meet my newest little man!      

Father's Day 2013

We had an awesome Father's Day!  I unfortunately didn't take my camera along, but we went to church that morning and then to Cocoa Beach for the day with our friends, the Wensyels.  Despite the beach being extremely crowded, we somehow managed not to lose any kids on this trip.  I did see two kids get lost (and found, praise the Lord) and the emotions of "that day" all came rushing back to me.  So scary.  Anyways, we got way too much sun and got trampled by the waves one too many times, but all in all, it was a great day.  I think Tyson even enjoyed his Father's Day, too! ;)

Happy Father's Day!!

I love Granddad because:

 

Happy Father's day, Dad!  We love you!

 

And Happy Father's Day to Tyson!

**Walker's took a few takes, but these were both unrehearsed. :)  Love their answers!  Happy Father's Day, Tyson!  You really are the best Daddy!  We love you!

Pool Dates and Beyblades

Jake, Brooke, Mary, Walker, and Dalton 

This picture pretty much sums up our first full week of summer- lots of pool time!  We've met this group at the pool almost daily.  This is Walker's best friend from school, Dalton, and his sister, Brooke, who Jake also happens to be friends with.  And then there is Mary, who is Jake's best friend, Daniel's, sister and Brooke's friend also.  That's pretty much how things are here in our little circle of school, church, and neighborhood- everybody knows everybody. 

We've also spent a lot of time inside playing Star Wars, Ninja, Legos, and Beyblades while the afternoon thunderstorms rolled in.  And that's about it- I'm already so big and miserable that the only places that I'm happy are submerged in the pool or in the AC.  Ha! 

Skinny Dippin'...Sort of

 Cause sometimes you just feel like swimming in your underwear!

My mom just completed her first week of radiation, and everything seems to be going well.  She has to wear this mask on her face for like 10 minutes, though, that makes her feel very claustrophobic, so she's asked me to send her an image every day for her to focus on during those 10 minutes.  Some of the times, I blog for her and some of the times I just text her an image.  Well, anyways, here is your image for tomorrow morning, Mom!  It's of Jake swimming in his skivvies.  The boy is obsessed because he might have seen (*ahem*) "somebody" else swimming in their undies. ;)  Hahahaha! 

Walker's Last Day of School

We love Mrs. Janette and Mrs. Heather!

 

Today was Walker's last day of school!  We sure are going to miss his teachers; they are two of the sweetest ladies and they absolutely adore my child.  I couldn't ask for anything more.

 

Since I did a little write up on Jake, I figured I would do the same on Walker.  Although, Walker is exactly how he appears on this blog- a happy, smiling, easy going little boy.  He is also super sweet, really funny, very talkative, and just the kid that lights up the room.  Now, he is still 3 years old and gives me lots of attitude, but I am a sucker for this kid and have a hard time getting on to him.

 

Walker is working hard on learning the alphabet, his numbers, and shapes.  Anytime I work with Jake on his school work, Walker insists that I work with him, too.  It is so cute.  And I really think having a big brother around helps because Walker already knows letter sounds and how to count pretty high just from hearing Jake work on those things.

 

What else?  Walker loves to swim; in fact, the swim team coach, who taught Walker his lessons, calls Walker her "elite swimmer."  It'll be interesting to see what sports/activities Walker is into in a few years.  I'd love for him to be a swimmer, but who knows.  I keep telling Tyson that Walker might be our little actor or something along those lines.  :)   He seems to take after his Aunt Amy like that.

 

Walker is obsessed with his big brother, just like Jake is with Walker.  At church, they ended up having to move Walker to the big boy class with his brother because Walker kept throwing fits to be in there with Jake.  Well now, Jake has started transitioning to the Kindergarten class, and Walker doesn't know what to do without him.  The lady told me that Walker asked about Jake like 10 times the other Sunday when Jake was in the other class.  So sweet!!!

 

It's absolutely amazing how polar opposite our boys are and how well they get along.  And all of Jake's friends are pretty awesome to Walker, too; I never get the sense that he is the annoying little brother when they are around.  I think Jake does a really good job of including Walker in everything and Walker does a really good job of just fitting right in.  We are so blessed with these two little boys!       



Jake's Last Day of Pre-K!

It's Jake's last day of Pre-K today!!  Woo hoo!  This little boy is so excited about Kindergarten, he would probably prefer to skip summer break and start school tomorrow. :)

Let me tell y'all a little about Jake right now.  First, as y'all can tell by the pictures, he is really into sports right now.  He only wants to wear athletic clothes, and in just the last 2 weeks, he has gotten into tank tops because "that's what basketball players wear."  (The boys play basketball at recess at school).  Jake is signed up for a basketball/flag football camp this summer and he is thrilled!  He insists on going outside everyday and practicing for his camp; he even asked for a basketball goal for graduation.  I thought we were a few years away from all this, but apparently not.  It's ok, though, I'm glad to see him passionate about so many things.  He also still loves baseball and throwing the football, and our latest adventure is that Jake is doing swim team.  I don't know if he'll actually do the meets, but he will be practicing 3 times a week for the rest of the summer.  Karate is currently on hold while we do swim team...I don't think this mama could take much more on our plate. ;)

Jake is my big helper, for sure.  He loves to help me unload the dishwasher, carry in groceries, carry my bags, make the bed, holds the door for "ladies," gets his brother in and out of the carseat, etc.  I think he's going to be a huge help when the baby comes!

Jake LOVES his little brother.  Don't get me wrong, they love to aggravate each other, but there is no doubt in my mind that they are each other's best friend.  Jake gets out of school a few hours before Walker, and Jake is constantly begging me to go pick up Walker early.  :)  He definitely thinks his brother is the most hilarious person ever.

Jake is my healthy eater; in fact, he'll even ask before he eats something if it is "healthy."  (Not that he turns down unhealthy foods, but I think he likes being informed. ;)  His favorite foods by far are fruits- he'll eat at least 2 or 3 fruits at every meal with strawberries, watermelon, and apples being his favorites.  I'm definitely going to have a hard time keeping this boy fed!  As  you can tell by his size, he eats a lot!!

As far as his personality, Jake definitely still has some introverted tendencies.  He has really come out of his shell this year, though.  I would say he is still pretty sweet, quiet, considerate, and mellow, but at the same time, this child has a temper!!  Whew!  He is definitely going to be the kid that you don't want to make mad!  Ha!  Also, Jake is very observant.  For instance, right now, he is really into what people are wearing and name brands.  (Jake is obsessed with the target "champion brand" because several kids at his school wear this brand).  He notices things I would never even think about and he has a memory like an elephant!

I'm sure I'm leaving out a ton...it's kind of hard to sum up your kid in just a few paragraphs, but I thought it'd be neat to write this all down so I can look back on it.

Jake's Pre-K Graduation

Here he comes!



And there he is...so excited to be on stage. ;)

 



See, he did dance a little.



And he smiled a little.



And he did this a lot, too.  Ha!



Jake and his buddies- Daniel, Carter, and Austin.



Nicholas jumped in. :)



And in this picture, Beth and her stripes plus Tyson and Jake. :)



Jake and his best friend, Daniel, who were both soooooo over picture taking. ;)

 

Please notice how my child snubs me in the end when I call his name.  Yep, he's 5 and already too cool for mama.  Tear.

 

Tonight, Jake graduated from Pre-K!  I've had a few requests to get these pictures up pretty quickly, so here you go, grandparents!  The pictures aren't the best, though.  By the time we got there, the only seats left were on the next to last row and Jake was barely visible from our seats.  Good thing I brought my zoom lens or I wouldn't have gotten anything!  Anyways, Jake was much more concerned about his hat, though, and wasn't really into the singing or dancing.  Oh well, we're super proud of him regardless.  Kindergarten here we come!!

At The Carwash