My Mom's Visit

This is just a little glimpse of my silly boy!

Jake and I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with my Mom last week while Tyson was out of town recruiting. I didn't take a lot of pictures, but we had so much fun. It is very rare that my mom comes to town to just hang out; we usually put her to work keeping Jake while I work. This time, though, we just got to relax and spend some time eating, shopping, and playing with our favorite little boy. Jake, by the way, has totally turned into a total show-off and wild man. I know I just recently posted about how sweet Jake is around people and doesn't have to be the center of attention...yeah, totally wrong! Jake was such a mess around my Mama; she thought it was so hysterical and cute, though, thank goodness. Tyson and I on the other hand, are just shocked by his "blossoming personality." Where did my shy little boy go to?

Thanks for coming over, Mom! We miss you so much already! Love you!

My Mom's Birthday

Jake loves his Pat-Pat!

Jake and I are honored that my mom chose to spend her birthday with us here in Birmingham. She's only been here a little over 2 hours, and we are already having so much fun! I'm sure this is just the beginning as we have lots of different adventures planned. Don't worry, Dad, we'll try not to spend too much money! Ha ha ha! Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you!!

This picture was taken in February 2008 when Jake was 1 month old. It is so cute how he still looks at my Mama the same way 1 year later! So sweet!

Bubbles!

Jake was a little overwhelmed at first!
Ryan wanted to eat the bubbles!

Brantley didn't know what to think!

Why is it so hard to get three 1 year olds to sit still for a picture?

Jake's first encounter with bubbles didn't go so well (see Easter pics), but his teachers at school swear that he is fascinated with bubbles. In fact, when he comes home from school, all I hear on the car ride home is "bubbles...bubbles...bubbles." So, I decided to pick up some bubbles and give it a whirl today. Sure enough, he loved them. He chased them until there was nothing to chase. Too cute. Of course, though, my neighbor Ashley had to out-do me and bring out some fancy "bubble machine" that shoots out "a gazillion bubbles" (as stated on the machine). The boys were fascinated! I have never seen so many bubbles in my life! Enjoy!

Ellie's Baptism

Ellie

Tyson's first duty as Godfather...teaching Ellie to walk!

Jake and EllieJake getting fresh with Ellie...good thing her Daddy didn't see this!

The Godfather

This past weekend, we celebrated the baptism of Ellie Bowers; Ellie is the daughter of Tyson's best friend, Worth, and Ashley, who was a ZTA with me at Georgia. Tyson has the honor of being Ellie's Godfather; needless to say, this little girl is very precious to us.

As I mentioned before, I had to work this weekend, so I actually missed the baptism and some of the other festivities of the weekend. I was really sad not to be there (with camera in hand and all), but I heard it went great. Tyson said Ellie was an angel through-out the ceremony and was her normal cute self. Tyson had to take Jake up front with him because the nursery was closed, but I think he did ok. I hate I missed it, but I am so glad Tyson and Jake got to be apart of the baptism. What a special time for this little girl and her family! Congrats Ellie! We love you and look forward to being there for you!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day especially to my mom, MaMa, Grandmama, and Aunt Ann! We love you all so much! Thanks for everything you do for us!

For Mother's Day this year, we surprised our moms with these pictures of Jake. My mom has been begging me to take Jake to get his pictures taken for a while, and I actually kept this thing a secret from her for several days, which was very hard to do. I think everyone was pretty pleased with their Mother's Day gift. How can you go wrong with pictures of this cutie?

Mother's Day was great for me. I did have to work this weekend, but Tyson surprised me and came home early on Friday and brought me lunch and some books that I had wanted. It was so thoughtful of him! And when I woke up today, he told me to get dressed that he had a babysitter coming tonight and we were going to dinner! Very impressive, huh?

Anyways, I hope everyone had a Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy the pictures! Oh, and Happy Birthday, Donna! Love you!

Bad Hair Day

My mom asked me to post some new pictures of Jake today, so after he got up from his nap earlier, I had every intention to do a mini-photo shoot. Well, let's just say he gave a whole new definition to bed-head! His hair was a hot mess! There was no way to get it under control, so I decided to try out his new UAB hat; Jake has never been really good about keeping hats on, but I thought I'd give it a try today...and he loved it!! Well, I don't know if he loved it, but he kept it on like a big boy. Every now and then he'd realize it was there and say "hat," but he still left it on for the most part. Oh well, he better get used to wearing hats anyway...especially if he inherits his Daddy's male pattern baldness. Ha ha ha...I love your bald head, Tyson!

By the way, I texted Tyson a picture of Jake in his hat and he informed me that he would "work on [the hat] tonight." I guess I didn't shape it just right or something. Oh well. I tried. I think he's adorable in the hat just the way it is. Afterall, don't kids these days wear the bills flat?

My Heart is Broken...

August 4, 1995- May 6, 2009

Rest in peace, Kevin, my sweet boy. May you run around Heaven and breathe easily now. I love you so much, and I thank God for putting you in my life for these past 7 years. I don't know where I'd be today without you...

Love, "Beffus"

**I have so much more I want to say about this special little boy, but I'm too upset right now. I just ask that you please say a prayer for Kevin's family, friends, nurses, and doctors. He was one loved little boy that will be missed by all. Thanks. God Bless.

2 Years Ago Today...

We found out we were expecting this sweet little boy:

Jake at 33 weeks

Look how far we've come! The same chubby cheeks, pouty lips, and button nose 18 months later:

Happy Cinco de Mayo/"the day we found out we were pregnant with Jake!"

16 Months Old

Look at my cozy coupe that Granddad worked so hard to put together for me!

As pitiful as this picture looks, it is actually of Jake singing! I think he get's his flare for the dramatics from Aunt Amy!


Seriously, could he juggle any more balls?

"Throw me the ball, Mommy! It's my turn to bat!"

Anxiously awaiting the trash men.

"When are the trash men gonna get here mom?"

"I see them!"

Heyhowyadoin?

Today our big boy turned 16 months old! Over these last few weeks, I've really seen a lot of change in him. Of course, his mind is a little sponge, and he totally soaks up everything we say. He is constantly learning new words, making connections, and just overall understanding so much more. Sometimes I catch myself talking to him like he's a big kid, but he gets it! I just love watching the person he's becoming; Tyson looked at me the other day and asked me if Jake was my best friend, and he totally is...other than Tyson of course! :) I just love this little boy!

Right now, Jake is still taking two naps a day for a total of about 3.5 hours and sleeps from 6:30 pm to 7 am. In addition to being a good sleeper, Jake is a hefty eater! He will eat anything I put in front of him, and he definitely loves his fruit! I am so blessed to have a good sleeper and a non-picky eater!

Jake has entered the climbing phase and is getting close to climbing out of his crib. The pediatrician recommended I move him over to a big boy bed because "he's showing signs he ready," but mama's not quite so ready for that! I think we can make it work a little while longer!

Jake LOVES to be outside!! He is all boy and loves any kind of bat, ball, car, truck, etc. As you can tell from the pictures, Jake either has a bat or ball in his hand at any given time. He's also obsessed with things that make loud noises, especially airplanes, which he calls "bee bees" for some reason, and loves trying to find them in the sky.

Jake is saying so many words that I can't keep count any more. If he doesn't know what the word is, he will point to the object, look at you, and ask, "this?" It is so cute!! He's really good at repeating them back and remembering what I said. He's a sponge! The other day we were outside and Jake heard a lawn mower; he thought it was a plane and started saying "bee bee" as he looked around for it. Tyson said, "No that's a lawn mower." Jake said, "lawn mower?" in the most articulate and grown-up way you have ever heard. Ever since then, as soon as Jake hears the sound, he says "lawn mower" and he's dead on everytime.

I'm starting to figure out Jake's personality, and I have no idea where he gets it from! He is definitely still very shy in public, but I think he's just gonna be one of those kids that I would call "an observer." When we're around other kids, Jake tends to stand back, watch the kids, and then slowly start to interact. He doesn't tend to say much when he's around other kids or people, and he doesn't have to be the center of attention. When he does talk, though, it is usually something very important and you listen. Because he's paid such close attention, the second something is out of place (like you lose your shoe, leave a cup somewhere, or drop a cracker), Jake is very quick to pick up on it and he goes on a mission to help you. He is very independent and seems to be very kind and generous for a child his age. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen him take snacks out of his "snack trap" and give them to other kids; this may not seem like a big deal, but it is. I'm awful at sharing food, plus, the way Jake eats, you'd think he wouldn't miss a bite! But Jake always likes to make sure other kids are taken care of. He is such a sweet boy! It will be interesting to see how he turns out!

As usual, I can't remember what else I wanted to say on this post. I'll try to remember next time! :) Oh, as for his aggressive behavior, he is really getting better. Tyson and I tried almost everything you could think of, and we have found that speaking calmly to Jake and explaining to him what he's done wrong works the best along with a lot of positive reinforcement. Crazy, huh? That's a little different from my childhood to say the least! :) Happy 16 month birthday, "Jake Jake!" We love you so much!

"The Candy Babies"

Carson, Kendall, and Kaden

My little stud

Jake pointed at everything and asked, "This?"

Jake trying to share his goldfish with Kaden.

These kids could put down some icecream! I don't know how Mollie gets a bite in!

The flamingos were acting crazy that day!! Maybe it's mating season or something?



In fact, all the animals were acting kinda strange.

Last week, Jake and I went to the zoo with one of my friends from the hospital, Mollie, and her triplets, "the candy babies." They were given that nickname by one of our co-workers' granddaughter because of their names- Carson, Kendall, and Kaden. Thus, they are "the candy babies," and the candy babies are as sweet their name!

This was my first time being with the triplets, so I had no idea what to expect, but they were really good babies! I'm so impressed. And Mollie made having triplets look easy...no joke. I tell her all the time that I don't know how she does it...she, too, is a football coaches' wife and works a crazy schedule like me, but she has 2 more kids than I do and I'm barely holding myself together with my 1! Well, maybe that's a bit of an exageration; either way, it was so fun to hang out with Mollie and the triplets...Jake was sooo intrigued by them! I can definitely see Kendall being a future girlfriend (if her brothers will allow it) and the boys being good buddies.