Gone Fishin'

Since Jake has been doing so well going potty, we asked him what he wanted for a "big prize" and he said "a fishing pole." So, we caved in and got him a fishing pole today. It was so funny when we took him to the store...we took him to the kiddie poles and he immediately spotted the Dora fishing pole. Unfortunately, it was pink and glittery, so Tyson immediately said no. Instead, he got a more "manly" looking pole that was blue and green. Ha! I told Tyson that the fish didn't have a preference over a pink and glittery or a blue and green pole.

Jake is in love with his fishing pole...so much so that he insisted on napping with it...so much so that he ran around the house trying to catch anything that could with it...so much so that he broke it within minutes of getting out of the car because he was so excited. Yep, he never even got to go fishing with it. Oh well, Tyson said he lasted about 4 casts anyways and was over fishing. He was much more interested in throwing the dog food, yes dog food, into the pond. You see, our neighbor swears that the fish at this particular pond prefer dog food, so dog food it was. Unfortunately, the dog food wasn't doing the trick today because there was no fish to be had by the Summers' family. Oh well, it was all for the experience for Jake, and he had a great time...with or without his pole.

4th of July Parade

This picture brings tears to my eyes!

Walker's first 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!!

Jake and Brantley

Just Brantley.

We got to see our good friends Dawn, Connor, and Pat at the Fresh Market.

That's Jake airborne!

Brantley's new little brother, Bricen.

Bricen was born June 21. He and Walker and gonna be best buds just like their brothers!

Happy 4th of July! We kicked off the weekend with our neighborhood's 4th of July parade this morning. I'm pretty sure we were the only ones who didn't walk or ride in the parade, but we really enjoyed watching the parade instead. As you can tell by the pictures, Jake was adorable waving his American flag and waving to the parade-goers. So sweet!

After the parade was over, Jake got to go see the fire truck that lead the parade. That was the first time Jake has ever gotten to see a fire truck up close, and I thought he would be enamored, but he acted all shy instead. Typical. He did enjoy ringing the bell on the front of the truck, though. :)

We also stopped by our neighborhood's Fresh Market for a little while after the festivities were over. There was live music, fresh produce and other things for sale, and a big "jump jump" that Brantley and Jake had fun playing on. So much fun!

What a great start to a fun weekend!

Friday Fun Day

"Thanks for the shades, Pa Pa! I'm so excited about them!"
...and so is Walker!

Tyson's vacation time is winding down, so we are making the most of our last days together. I did sleep in this morning since I had to work last night, and we just kind of hung around the house today having fun the four of us.

We got a good kick out of these sunglasses my mom sent Jake; she told me about them before she sent them and said, "they look just like his Daddy's sunglasses." Ha! They are hilarious on Jake's (and Walker's) face! They aren't quite what I had imagined, but we appreciate her effort as always!

So...I'm looking pretty rough in this picture (thanks to the night-shift), but I want to always remember this moment of having both my boys in my arms. Love this!

"The Girly Bumpo is Back"

The ole' Popeye!

This picture trips me out!...
...and it kind of reminds me of this picture of Jake, too!
And here is Jake in the same outfit!

While Jake was at school this morning, I decided to get out the bumbo seat and let Walker sit in it for the first time. He was so cute and smiling from ear to ear, so I couldn't resist taking some pictures. I sent Tyson a picture from my phone, and his response was, "the girly 'bumpo' is back." Ha! He hates the purple bumbo! That's what he gets for letting me register by myself! :) Anyways, back to my sweet Walker...like I said, he was grinning ear to ear when I first put him in it. I'm sure it is pretty cool for him to be able to sit up and have a new little view on life.

I couldn't help but pull up the pictures from Jake's first go at the bumbo seat, and I was so shocked at their similarities/differences. They are starting to look more alike to me, but Jake was definitely chunkier and had a ton more hair. (I believe Jake is about 3 weeks older than Walker is in these pictures, though). One thing's for sure, though, they definitely look like brothers!

Walker's Baptism

Dr. Simmons and Walker

Our family

(L to R Uncle Bobby, Dad, Mom, Jake, me, Walker, Tyson, Mary Ann, MaMa, and Granddaddy)

My parents

Tyson, the boys, and Grandmama

Jake loves my Granddaddy!

MaMa, Granddaddy, and the boys

Dad, Uncle Bobby, and the boys

Dad and Walker

MaMa and Walker

Walker was baptized yesterday at First Presbyterian Church (my parents' church) in Thomaston, Georgia. Jake was also baptized there two years ago, so we knew that is where we wanted Walker baptized as well. It is such a great little church; we are so fortunate that they have allowed us to baptize our boys there. We are also very fortunate to have had Dr. Simmons perform the baptism. Dr. Simmons also baptized Jake and was the officiant at our wedding; he has been an integral part of our lives and in our family's Christian walk. It was such a special time, and yes, I teared up as I held Jake in my arms and as Dr. Simmons walked around the church with Walker in his arms to introduce him to the church. We are so very blessed!

We were able to share this special day with my parents, Tyson's mom, my grandparents, and my Uncle Bobby. Walker and Jake are some lucky boys to have so many people care about them!

Walker the Talker

I know I'm not the best at posting videos of my boys, but I just had to post this video of Walker "talking." He is at such a sweet stage right now with lots of smiling and cooing. I'm sure he'll be talking back and throwing tantrums before long! ;)

I may be biased, but he is absolutely the sweetest baby ever. I am absolutely smitten with this little boy!

Enjoy! Oh, and please ignore my obnoxious voice in the background.

Beach!

It was so windy, Walker couldn't even open his eyes!

Yum! Salt water!

Such a stud!

Gotta love the sand/sweat/sunblock mixture in Jake's hair!

I love my Pa Pa!

We just got back from our first vacation as a family of four, but it was anything but a vacation. Tyson ended up getting REALLY sick before we left Birmingham; we thought it was just a 24 hour bug, however, it stuck around for the entire trip. Poor Tyson only left the condo twice the entire 5 days we were there, and he never even got to go on the beach. :( Needless to say, it was pretty miserable for us all. Luckily, though, we had invited my mom along for a little break and as a thank-you for all of her help after Walker's birth...some break for her! I know I always say this, but I don't know what we would have done without her. She was a huge help as usual! Thanks, Mom!

Even though Tyson was sick, the show had to go on, so we (Mom, the boys, and I) packed up and went to the beach anyway. I'm so glad we went ahead because Jake LOVED the beach! He wasn't too fond of it last year, but he was a completely different kid this year. He was fearless! He ran in and out of the water, played in the waves, and just kept trying to go deeper and deeper, which made me a nervous wreck! I much preferred him for him to play in the sand, which he also loved, too! So much fun!

Walker went with us to the beach the first day, but even in the shaded tent with a fan on him, it was HOT! I felt so guilty having hin out there in the heat, so after that, we left him at the condo with Tyson while we went to the beach. After all, he still sleeps a lot right now, so I would just run home and feed him and run back to the beach.

I'm so sad that our vacation to St. Simons worked out how it did, but at least Tyson is slowly getting better now. He really had me worried for a while there! Oh well, the beach will always be there, right?

Walker loves his Pa Pa, too!

Jake is so ready for Walker to be able to play with him!