Snow!!!

Daddy showing Jake the snow
Jake didn't like the snow on his boots!

"Sheep!"

Making a snowball!

Throwing a snowball at Daddy!

"Come out and play, Ryan!"

We woke up this morning to find the ground covered in snow! Unfortunately, it all melted by mid-morning, but Jake did get to play in it for a little while. He really enjoyed throwing snowballs at his Daddy and even got pegged a time or two himself! It was so cute, he kept calling the snow "no" (he has some problems with s's) and "sheep!" So much fun! I wish it snowed more often!

Oh, and big news....Jake pooped in the potty today! He usually tells me he needs to go potty after he's already done his business, but today he actually timed it out just perfectly! I've gotten the necessary supplies for potty training and I'm gonna give it my best attempt after the holidays (I think) since he's showing so much interest. So exciting!

Terrible Two's

"2 Mama?"

If I've mentioned before about Jake going through the "terrible two's," I was wrong. Jake has had some tantrums before, but they are MINOR compared to what we have been going through this last week. Yes folks, I think it is pretty safe to say that even though Jake is just 1 month shy of turning two, he is definitely in full blown "terrible two's!"

When I told Tyson's mom about Jake's tantrums from this week, she didn't believe me because "Tyson didn't do that." I can assure you my friends, Jake Summers is not only 50% of his Daddy, but he is also 50% Beth King (me and my alter personality). Yep, my child has inherited the temper that I have tried so hard to overcome. By the way, when I told my parents about Jake's tantrums, they just snickered and laughed like "ha ha, that's what you get." Just kidding, but I'm pretty sure I am getting what I deserve. :)

So not only are we experiencing the most horrendous temper tantrums I have ever seen, but Jake is all of a sudden Mr. Independent...but not in a good way. He thinks he can pick out his clothes, choose his food, and he even tries to tell me where to drive!

So I apologize for the lack of posts this week, but I have really been struggling with all of this. Yes, I may joke about his tantrums, but this is so much harder than I ever realized. Oh, and did I mention Tyson has been gone ALL WEEK LONG recruiting? :(

Christmas Card Rejects

Yesterday, I forced Tyson into helping me get a picture of Jake for our Christmas card. Oh my gosh, why does it have to be so difficult? I can't imagine what next year is gonna be like trying to get 2 kids to look at the camera, be still, and smile at the same time when I can't even get my 1 child to cooperate!! After many, many, many BAD shots, I did manage to get one really cute shot for the Christmas card. The lighting wasn't perfect and it was kind of out of focus (the photographer shall go nameless), but cute nonetheless. Either way, all 3 of us were so over it by that point, so it's just gonna have to work.

Jake was exhausted when we got home from taking pictures. We took the pictures at the "Choo Choo Park," so Jake thoroughly enjoyed playing on the train and in the creek in between snaps. I didn't know just how exhausted he was until Tyson walked in to find this:

....poor baby fell asleep in the chair. How pitiful is this?

I'm glad I have a picture of him in this chair; I've been meaning to blog about this chair, but I just never had a good picture to go with it. This is the chair that sits directly in front of our TV; this is the chair where I have predominantly sat for the last 3 years..."Mama's chair" as it's known. Anyways, Jake loves sitting in the chair with me; he always sits on the left side and I always sit on the right. No matter what I'm doing, he will go sit in the chair on his side and call for me to come sit on "this side." It is just so darn sweet. I don't know how much longer he and I will fit in the chair together, but I just love sharing that seat with him. Oh and he usually won't let Tyson sit with him; Jake will tell Tyson "Mama's seat." Ha!

Here are two stories from today: 1) I took Jake and Ryan to school this morning and my mind was in a thousand places. I pull up to the school, go to get Jake out, and see that Jake isn't wearing any shoes. I search frantically around the car and NOTHING! I had to take my poor baby to school with no shoes on! How redneck is that? The teacher thought it was hysterical and promised not to report me to DHR (aka DFACS), but I felt like the worst mother EVER! 2) Jake and I were at Target today and I was unloading my cart at the check-out when Jake yells "Ho ho ho! Ho ho ho, Mama! Ho ho ho!" I look up at my child to see that he is frantically pointing to this sweet little bearded man behind me; apparently Jake thought he was Santa Claus. I was so embarrassed, so I explained to the man that Jake thought he was Santa Claus. The man was so nice and just played along...he even asked Jake if he had been a good little boy. Jake promptly answered, "No...bad!" Ha! Maybe he was actually listening to me when I was telling him he was being "bad" in Target!

UAB's Last Game

Jake and Jill

My silly boy
My sleepy boy in the 4th quarter...
he was just so excited he couldn't stand it!

Is it just me or am I really THAT short?

Jake is too cool for the UCF Knights!

Well, our hopes to making it to a bowl are over; UAB lost to UCF today 34-27. I have to say, though, that these past few weeks of football have been the most exciting I've ever been apart as a coach's wife. I'm already looking forward to next season!

One of my best friends, Jill, came over from Athens this morning to come to the game with us, and I am soooo glad she got to come. Not only is it always just good to see her, but she was a huge help to me! Jake actually sat through the entire game in the stands (which he has never done before), and it's all because Jill was there to help. Thanks so much Jill....you have no idea how much your support means to us!

I'm sure y'all are wondering what this means for us now that football is over...RECRUITING! Yep, no rest for the weary; Tyson starts recruiting first thing Monday morning. Yuck...I despise recruiting with a passion. I'm just so ready to have my husband home! Anyways, thanks for everyone's support this season...Go Blazers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I accidentally swallowed the turkey! :)
I couldn't get enough of taking pictures with my big boy!

Yes, mom, I actually had butter and sprite on the table!

With football season winding down, Thanksgiving Day at the Summers' house isn't your typical Thanksgiving. Our first year at UAB, our head coach had Thanksgiving catered for the players and the coaches' families. I really enjoyed that Thanksgiving (especially since I didn't have to cook at ALL), but we've never had it catered again for some reason. Last year, my sister got married the weekend after Thanksgiving, so we ate at our Offensive Coordinator's house and then Jake and I took off for the wedding. Well this year, I decided it was finally time for me to cook Thanksgiving for my family.

Yes, I am almost 30 years old and have never cooked a Thanksgiving meal by myself; luckily, I've watched my mom and helped her however I could. I just had no idea how to prepare it ALL...man it is so much harder than it looks! I survived, though, and I think it turned out to be a success! I made sweet potato souffle, dressing, a vegetable casserole, cream corn, and rolls; I totally cheated, though, and bought some pecan and pumpkin pies and a ham (I'm not a big turkey fan). I guess I haven't quite mastered making the WHOLE meal, but it's close enough!

So for our Thanksgiving meal, we had over 3 of Tyson's linebackers and 3 of Tyson's graduate assistants who lived too far to travel home for the day. Those boys usually eat a TON, as you can imagine, but they were going to another coach's house for supper, so they ate pretty lightly. Well, that or they just didn't want to hurt my feelings and tell me my food was bad. Ha! We had a great day (but definitely missed our families), and I think we may have started a new Summers' Thanksgiving tradition. I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Two Little Turkeys

It was a bittersweet day in the Summers' house; today was our last day keeping Ryan. We are going to miss Ryan so much, but I know he is gonna have so much fun going to school every day. That little boy LOVES going to school! Whenever I drop the boys off, Ryan cannot get to the classroom fast enough! :) He is such a little social butterfly!

I had such great plans for Ryan's last day with us, but of course, things never go as planned. Between disinfecting and cleaning my house, preparing for our Thanksgiving feast and a house full of folks, and taking care of a sick baby and mama, I just didn't have the energy to throw a farewell party. Fortunately, I don't think Ryan even noticed! The boys did get to have one last bath together and had a blast....well, Jake did but not-so-much Ryan. Jake thinks it's his job to wash Ryan's hair and back...poor Ryan. He is just the best sport and tolerates Jake's shenanigans so well!

We'll miss you, Ryan! Good thing you live next door so we can still see you everyday!

A Weekend of Football...and Sittin' on the Potty?

Jake loves seeing his Daddy on TV...even if it's not always his Daddy!

"What has my Mama got me dressed in?"

Her two favorite teams of course!
Who's your favorite team, Jake?

Well, UAB lost this weekend to East Carolina 37-21, so we are out of the race for a Conference title. We can still become bowl-eligible with a win this weekend to UCF, but it looks as though there are too many bowl-eligible teams in Conference USA for us to be considered for a bowl with a 6-6 record. Needless to say, the loss this weekend was a tough one. We're still so proud of Daddy, though!

The look of "Why are you taking my picture while I sit on the potty?"

The look of concentration...

I'm not even gonna tell you what this look is for! :)

First of all, let me just say that I have had no intentions of potty training Jake until this summer...at the earliest. I'm just not ready to rush into it or rush him into it, especially with a baby coming in 4 months...that will be enough of an adjustment for my little boy! However, we have been trying to make him "aware" (so to speak) of some things (trying to spare my dignity here), but I really didn't think things were clicking. Long story short, Jake said several times today "Jake tee tee" as he led me into the bathroom and asked to sit on his potty. I wasn't gonna tell him no even though I had a feeling nothing would come of it. Sure enough, he sat on the potty several times and tried really hard, but to no avail. I'm still really surprised that he has shown an interest; I'm sure he'll completely forget about it tomorrow, though! To be honest, I hope we can avoid this for a couple more months. First, I'm not even sure I know how to potty train him (guess I better read up); and second, it's just bad timing with all the holidays coming up. Any suggestions? I'm just totally caught off guard by all of this!

Just Another Day at the Park

"Hey, Mama!"