Amy and Courtney's Party

Courtney and Amy

Proof that Tyson was actually there!
My Dad and me (we NEVER get photographed together!)Don't be fooled by the sweet smile from the little boy in the middle or his mama! :)

I love these people...even though they won't EVER crack a smile for the camera!

Is Chris actually smiling? Could he REALLY be having a good time?From teammates to brother-in-laws...can y'all believe y'all married a King?

The cousins-in-laws (minus Courtney)

The cousins (minus the other redhead)

Umm...not so sure what I was doing here, but I'm pretty sure those are Jazz hands!

This past weekend, we ventured down to Tifton for a party/reception for my sister Amy and her husband Courtney. Their wedding two weekends ago was kind of small, so this was a great chance for family and friends to get together and celebrate. This time, though, my husband was ACTUALLY able to come! It was a REALLY quick trip, but we had so much! Jake had to stay behind with Grandmama, but I know he enjoyed himself, too!

***There are more new posts below!

Cochran Christmas

Our Happy Little Family!
Mommy and Daddy pitch in to help open Jake's first Christmas present ever!

"OK, Mom. I can do it by myself now."

Minus my child, I have every Peacock great-grandchild in this picture!
(L-R) Chase, the backside of Connor's head, Carson, Spenser, and Ryleigh Kate).

"You see, Aunt Cousin Christy...this is how you hammer."

"Can you hear me now?"

Are the kids actually sitting still here?

Tyson doing what he does best...playing football.Sweet Spenser loves him some MaMa and Granddaddy!
And Ryleigh Kate loves her some "Baby Jake!"

Yesterday, we made a stop through Cochran on our way back to Birmingham to celebrate an early Christmas with my mom's family. Unfortunately, my parents and my sister and her husband weren't able to come, but Tyson, Jake, and I got to enjoy the rest of the family. Jake is finally getting where he could play with the older kids, but all of this travelling we have been doing recently finally got to him yesterday and he ended up having a pretty rough day. I have never seen the boy be so whiny! Tyson and I were exhausted by the end of the day, too, but we still enjoyed seeing our family. We miss y'all! Merry Christmas!

Jake's Surgery

Before Jake went to sleep tonight, I had to mark the spot for the surgery. Crazy, huh?

Well, tomorrow is the big day for Jake's hernia surgery. The nurse should be calling me any minute to give me a definite time, but I know he will definitely be one of the first cases since he is so young. They try to schedule the babies first since they have to be NPO, which means nothing to eat or drink by mouth. I'm kind of glad that he is gonna to be going so early so we can get it out of the way! I am dreading it so much!! Anesthesia called me a couple of weeks ago to pre-op Jake, and I busted out crying on the phone! I know that lady must think I am a nutcase! Yes, it should be an "easy" procedure, but that doesn't make me feel any better no matter how many times people tell me that. As a nurse, I have seen so many things go wrong on simple, routine procedures, and I can't help but assume the worse. I just have to keep reminding myself, though, that I'm not the nurse in this situation, I'm Jake's mama and I have to do what's best for my child. I just feel so bad that he's having to go through with this, and I know the next few days are going to be difficult. Please pray for my sweet baby boy and the doctors, the nurses, and the rest of the staff at the Children's Hospital who will be taking care of Jake. I will try to update the blog on Jake's status as soon as I am able to tomorrow. Wish us luck and please don't forget to say a prayer for us! Thanks!

Thank You Mama!

"So how much longer until Pa Pa gets here mom?"

"Oh the things my Pa Pa does for me..."

"She feeds me by hand (even though I am capable of feeding myself)..."

"She teaches me to eat with a spoon and fork (and make a mess!)..."

"And then she spoon feeds me the rest (cause I have really bad aim)..."

"And then she lets me lick the bowl! My mama NEVER lets me do that!"

"What do you mean Pa Pa is leaving? Can I still lick the bowl?"

Since football season started, I have been working 4 shifts a row once a month at the hospital. Prior to the season, Tyson kept Jake whenever I worked, but there was no way he would have been able to do that during the season, so my mom has helped out. Well now that the season is over and the end of recruiting is in sight, I will FINALLY get my husband (and babysitter) back and my mom can FINALLY get a break! I can't emphasize enough how much my mom has helped me these last 4 months...there is no way I could have made it without her! Thank you so much, Mama! You have been a life saver! Jake is already missing his "Pa Pa"...boy do you spoil that little boy! We love you!

All I Want for Christmas Is...

"I've been real good this year, Santa. I promise!"

All I want for Christmas is...the rest of my teeth...and maybe some new toys and a nice new camera for my Mommy!

My sweet mama is in town for a couple of days to keep Jake while I work, so today, mom took Jake to the Galleria to see Santa Claus. I wish I had more pictures, but my mom is a little technologically impaired, so this is all I have...a picture of a picture. Mom said it was so hard to get a good picture of Jake with Santa because Jake would never take his eyes off of Santa! Too cute! Thank goodness, though, he wasn't scared of Santa Claus...well, at least not this year! Mom also took Jake for a ride on the carousel (she is so much more brave than I am!). Turns out, though, he LOVED IT! The man told mom Jake was too little, but she persisted and she said he had the best time. He got right on the horse and started bouncing up and down like he had ridden a horse a hundred times! Man I wish I had been there (especially with my camera!)! I have such a good mama! Thanks mom! I love you!

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree

Jake is trying to look all nice before being so naughty! Yep, this is the part where Jake decides to yank down the lights!

We'll see how long it lasts!!

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree...will you not fall like you did last year (TWICE)? O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree...will you not die the week before Christmas like you did last year? And O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree...will you survive in the house with my 11 month old that has already ripped your lights down once?

Tyson and I were finally able to get a Christmas tree this weekend; we have made the executive decision not to even ATTEMPT to put ornaments on the tree due to several of the reasons mentioned in the first paragraph. It is still a beautful tree, though, and we have really enjoyed it so far. If only I could keep a curious little boy away from it!

Amy and Courtney's Wedding

The beautiful BrideAgain, the beautiful Bride.

My little Angel with Red-eyes! Like mama like son!
My mom, my sister, and me
Mr. and Mrs. Howell

One proud Granddaddy!

Hurry up and cut the cake! I want some!

Already such a good uncle!

Isn't my Mama beautiful?

Jake showing off his walking skills!

Thanks for all your help, Grandmama!

Sorry for the hiatus from the blog, but we have been quite busy as you can tell. After our Thanksgiving supper at Coach Kim Helton's Thursday night, Jake and I took off for Tifton for the weekend for Amy's wedding. Luckily, Tyson's mom graciously volunteered to watch Jake for me while I took part in wedding festivities. It was such a wonderful weekend...except that Tyson had to miss it all because he was at UAB's last football game (which we won by the way!). Anyways, Amy was gorgeous, the groom was handsome, the place was breath-taking, the matron of honor was beautiful (haha), Jake was an angel, the two families meshed well, and just everything went as perfectly as possible (well, other than my grandmother getting sick). Congratulations Amy and Courtney (aka Mr. and Mrs. Howell!) We love y'all!

By the way, Jake is NOT wearing a dress despite what you men might think...it is a bubble romper and it was adorable...despite getting REALLY dirty! And no, Tyson had NO IDEA I was dressing Jake like this...I never would have gotten away with it had he known! Oh well, Daddy wasn't there so Mama got her way!

11 Months Old!

"You like my first ornament that I took right off Pat-Pat's tree?""Ok. I know I look a little silly in my Christmas PJ's. My mama made me do it!"
"I wonder what would happen if I knocked this thing over..."

Jake turned 11 months old today! I can't believe he will be a year old in a month! Boy has time flown by this year! Jake has really taken off with walking; he will still bust out a crawl every now and then if he needs to get somewhere really quickly, but otherwise, he is walking really well. Jake hasn't made much progress with talking, but I can tell he is learning more and more what words and objects mean. Don't get me wrong, though, he is gibber-jabbering like nothing else; I honestly believe he thinks he is making sense sometimes! Other than that, he is just so much to be around! He is turning into a little pig, but he needs every calorie because he is constantly on the go! Happy 11 month birthday little man!