Jake's 1st Birthday Party

Even though Jake's 1st birthday isn't until this Sunday, we actually celebrated it the day after Christmas. I know, I know...as a Christmas Eve baby I always hated it when people would just combine my birthday with Christmas, but then I went and did the same thing to my own son. We had good reasons, though. We had originally planned to go back to Georgia after Christmas and have a family birthday party, but we decided to stay at home and have something for Jake while the grandparents were in town for Christmas.

Thank goodness we didn't attempt to go out of town...Jake's incision from his surgery ended up dehiscing (opening up) and getting infected. Needless to say, we spent the day after Christmas at the doctors' office getting Jake taken care of (thus worn out look on my face in these pictures). It was kind of stressful at the time, but he is doing well now. Anyways, back to the party.

When we got back from the doctor, Jake ate his lunch and then it was cake time! I made Jake his own little cake to match the Spongebob cupcake cake the adults got to eat. (Yes, it was a little cheezy I know, but we stuck with the Spongebob theme since Jake seems to really like that show, and plus it was all the grocery store had on Christmas!) I really expected Jake to just plunge into the cake, but my sweet (but quite possibly OCD) child put his hands into it the first time and didn't like the mess AT ALL. So...we busted out the fork. Yes, my almost 1 year old preferred to eat the cake with a fork vs. indulging into the masterpiece! He is definitely my child! Anyways, Tyson quickly jumped in to end the OCDness and put the cake right up to Jake's face and let him have at it. It was so cute...but messy!

I have several more posts for Jake's birthday weekend, so be on the look out! Happy 1st Birthday Party, Jake!

Happy Anniversary!

The Summers

Tomorrow, Tyson and I will celebrate our 2nd anniversary! I wish I had more pictures to post from our wedding day, but our computer crashed last night (ughh...a different blog for a different day) and these were the only pictures I had on disc (thank you Uncle Harold!). I know, I know...our photographer, as great as she was, used the old-school negatives and didn't do digital. Oh well! At least I have the print outs!

This picture is of a rainbow that appeared after the rain at our reception. Even though I was quite frustrated with the rain that day (hello beach pictures!), I thought it was really special that this rainbow came out just in time for our wedding. Rainbows have a lot of meanings (trust me...I looked them all up!), but the one I like best for my wedding day rainbow is "peace and everlasting", which is what I hope and pray my marriage is like :) So far, so good!

I'm not going to get all gushy on here like my husband did on my birthday (wasn't he sweet?), but I do have to say this...I never thought I would EVER be this happy. I am SO LUCKY to have Tyson as my husband, and I honestly thank God every day for bringing him into my life. Happy 2 year Anniversary, Tyson! I love you!

Merry Christmas!

For Christmas this year, my parents and Tyson's mom came to our house on Christmas Day and spent the last few days with us. Tyson and I had originally planned to head to Georgia to visit everyone, but we were so tired from all the travelling we have done recently that we asked our families to come to us, and it all worked out really well. We had a nice Christmas dinner and just enjoyed visiting with everyone and watch Jake show-off. Yes, Jake has turned into Mr. Personality lately and really enjoys mimicking everyone and just being silly! Our moms were shocked to see how much his personality has changed in the last 2 weeks...he is a totally different kid! Anyways, we had a wonderful and relaxing Christmas (and even managed to go on a date early for our anniversary), and we hope all of you did, too! Thanks for making the trip to Birmingham Mom, Dad, and Mary Ann, and thanks for all the presents! We love y'all! And Amy and Courtney- we missed y'all! Maybe next year? Anyways, Merry Christmas everyone!

***By the way, thank you for all the sweet Christmas cards and the beautiful pictures of your children! Tyson, Jake, and I thoroughly enjoyed looking at every one of them as they adorned our kitchen. I apologize for not getting one out; I will try harder next year! Please don't scratch us off your list for next year!

Santa Came to Jake's House!

Before the craziness began!

The "first look" shot!

Look how excited he is! I see a dimple!

"This horse is totally in the way of my new basketball...jeez Santa!"

"Yay, Santa! I love my new ball!"

"Being sweet in Santa's lap really paid off for me!"

"Now how does this thing work?"

Daddy giving Jake instructions on how to use the Power Wheels.

Look how well Jake is listening!

"I got this Daddy!"

Daddy teaching Jake how to slam dunk!

Mommy just cheesin' it up at 29!

Forget the present...give the boy a bow!

Merry Christmas! I can't believe today is Jake's First Christmas! He has had so much fun so far! Santa made an early delivery last night since he knew that Jake goes to sleep at 6 pm, and Mommy and Daddy could hardly stand the anticipation! We were like little kids all over again, but this time, we were just so excited for Jake! Jake finally woke up at 7:15, so Tyson and I grabbed the cameras and lead Jake to the den. I really wanted to capture that "first glimpse" look, but I was afraid Jake was too young to do it. I was wrong! He walked into the den and saw what Santa had brought, and he bolted for the toys! Of course, though, he bypassed all of the "big toys" and went straight for the plastic basketball that came with his basketball goal (which I believe my biggest boy, Tyson, has enjoyed more than Jake)! Hey, the boy loves balls...what can I say? Anyways, he was so sweet and checked out each toy and played with it for a little while and then moved on to another toy. Some of the toys are for the summer when he is older (Santa is so smart to plan ahead), so I was worried he wouldn't be able to play with much today, but he has been able to play with everything! (Well...he has had to wrestle his daddy for some of the toys, but you know what I mean!) Jake will be up from his nap in a little while, so I must run and get ready for our families' arrival. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WIFE!

THIS WAS ONE OF BETH'S FAVORITE PICS OF HER & JAKE

JAKE'S ANNOUNCEMENT PIC TAKEN BY THE BEST MAMA EVER

BETH AND JAKE CHILLIN AT THE PARK THIS SUMMER!

SHE IS GONNA KILL ME FOR THIS ONE! HAHA
THIS IS LAST CHRISTMAS EVE/BIRTHDAY & SHE WAS READY TO POP!

YOU THOUGHT I MIGHT FORGET BUT I'LL GO AHEAD AND SAY IT NOW

"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY"

IN CASE YOU COULDN'T TELL BY THE TITLE AND CAPTIONS... THIS IS TYSON DOING THE BLOG TODAY. I AM SURE EVERYONE IS WONDERING WHY I AM DOING THE BLOG, SO HERE IT IS...

1- IT IS BETH'S BIRTHDAY AND I AM TRYING TO DO SOMETHING NICE FOR HER...

2- THIS IS A BIG WEEK OR TWO FOR US WITH TODAY (CHRISTMAS EVE) BEING BETH'S BIRTHDAY, TOMORROW IS OBVIOUSLY CHRISTMAS, DEC.30TH IS OUR ANNIVERSARY, THERE IS NEW YEARS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, AND JAKE WILL HAVE HIS FIRST BIRTHDAY ON JAN. 4TH. THERE WILL BE PLENTY FOR BETH TO BLOG ABOUT SO DONT STRESS.

3-I REALLY LIKE TO GIVE CARDS AND BETH DOESN'T LIKE CARDS... BETH REALLY LIKES FOR PEOPLE TO DO CRAFTS AND I DONT REALLY DO "CRAFTS" ( I KNOW THAT SURPRISES EVERYONE HERE). I HAVE ALREADY GIVEN HER GIFTS AND SHE DOESNT LIKE THEM (AGAIN... SURPRISE, SURPRISE) . SO MY LAST DITCH EFFORT TO GET THE BIRTHDAY/CHRISTMAS/ANNIVERSARY PRESENT, IS ON THIS BLOG. SO HERE IT GOES...

DEAR BETH,

YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND AND I APPRECIATE THAT MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW. YOU ALSO HAPPEN TO BE THE BEST MOTHER I HAVE EVER SEEN AND I LOVE YOU MORE EVERYTIME I SEE YOU WITH JAKE. I AM SO BLESSED TO HAVE YOU BOTH. WE HAVE A GREAT LIFE AND A GREAT MARRIAGE...SO PLEASE DONT DIVORCE ME FOR POSTING THE PREGNANCY PICTURE AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE... I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY.

LOVE, TYSON

Blowing Kisses

Such a ham!

Here are some cute pictures from dinner tonight of Jake blowing kisses. It is so precious, so of course I had to snap some pictures for the grandparents to see! Enjoy!

Fun Times with Daddy

Jake running as fast as he can from his Daddy...remote in hand and all!

Jake trying to get Daddy...and bite him!

The Head-Butt

Playing keep-away with the ball

Funny shot...looks just like his Daddy here!


Sorry for the dark, sideways video of my husband making funny noises, but Jake is too cute here!

Sorry for not posting anything in a while, but I've been working like crazy these last few days! Yes, I left my sweet little boy (who had just had surgery at the beginning of the week) all weekend long with his daddy, but I knew he was in great hands. I did expect to be missed, though, because my lil' Jake has turned in to quite the Mama's boy, but I was wrong! Jake had the BEST time with his Daddy. I would wake up a couple of hours early to play with Jake, and he wanted nothing to do with me! Jake and Tyson have these new games that they play (which mostly involves A LOT of rough-housing) that makes Jake laugh SO HARD that I'm scared his stitches are going to rip right open!! It is absolutely adorable to watch, and I'm just so glad Jake is finally getting to spend some time with Tyson. Have I mentioned how glad I am that football season is over?

Here are some things Jake has learned this weekend from his Daddy: 1) how to "purposefully" head butt someone ON COMMAND, 2) how to tackle a pillow, 3) how to differentiate between a football and a regular ball, 4) how to say yes and no, 5) how to run away from Daddy, 6) how to chase Daddy running, 7) and how to blow kisses. I'm not quite sure how he learned to blow kisses because neither of us actually taught him how, but it is pretty darn cute, so I am going to give Tyson credit for it. Also, Jake can answer you yes and no...this might be pure luck, but I asked Jake if he "stinkied in his diaper" and he shook his head and said "Yea!" I about fell on the floor! Anyways, Tyson gets credit for that, too!

I have never seen Jake so happy. I don't know if it's from having Tyson around so much more now that the season is over or if he is finally comfortable and not in pain after having that hernia repaired, but either way, I love it! He hasn't stopped chuckling and giggling in 4 days now!!

Surgery? What Surgery?

So, this video isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but I wanted to show everyone how well Jake is doing for just having had surgery yesterday. Needless to say, he is getting around very well and doesn't even act like there is a thing in the world wrong with him...minus the fact that he has an inch and a half long incision on his belly and internal stitches to go along with it. I'm telling you, Jake has been such a trooper! He slept a good bit yesterday, but he is completely back to normal today. And can y'all believe that the only thing he has had for pain is Tylenol and Motrin? I'm just so glad that everything has gone as well as it has (knock on wood); now, though, we just have to make sure he keeps his curious little hands off of his incision...thank goodness for zip-up sleepers!

Surgery Update

Waiting...
Waiting...Starving...
SICK OF WAITING AND STARVING!

Out!...

And so is Daddy!

Sweet boy!

We just got home from the hospital and Jake is sleeping soundly, so I wanted to give a quick update while I had the chance. Jake's surgery this morning went very well! We got to the hospital at about 6:55 am (after being NPO since 11:30 pm Monday night), but they didn't take him back to the OR until about 10:15. I had no idea he was going to be going back that late; it was by far the worst part of the whole day...waiting around in a small space with a sleepy, hungry baby! After Tyson and I walked about 3 miles a piece to calm Jake down, Jake FINALLY dozed off...and so did Tyson! It was really cute! Anyways, they came to get Jake about 10:15, and by 11, the surgeon had already stopped by our room and said everything went well. Jake stayed in recovery for about an hour (which gave me long enough to visit with my coworkers and boss), and then he was back to the room! I can't get over how quick it all was! Anyways, Jake was kind of groggy when he got back to the room, but after a few man-burps, he quickly downed some apple juice and we were out the door! He seems to be doing well since being home. In fact, he actually got down and started walking around within minutes of being home! It's amazing! Thank you all for your prayers, texts, emails, phone calls etc! God is good!

Getting my IV taken out!

Nurse Mommy checking out my incision! I'm such a tough little boy!