Jake's 1st Birthday!

We had Jake's birthday party on Saturday June 18, 2011.  It was such a wonderful weekend!  My parents came into town on Friday afternoon to help us get things together around the house like yard work and my random projects that just HAD to be done before the party.  :)  I took off work that Friday and spent a good deal of time filling in our flower bed beside the house with dirt and mulch.  It was a LONG hot day.  I sure was glad when Brad got off work and my parents got into town to help!

Friday night was very fun as we prepared and decorated the food goodies for the party...especially Jake's smash cake, cupcakes, and green and blue jello.  We also worked on the fun table decorations of pictures with popsicle sticks and colorful cardstock.  Here are a few pictures of the decorations...

Jake was a very sleepy boy on his birthday. The party started at 2 and some family even got to the house around 1:15 and our little man slept until about 2:20.  When he finally did wake up and walk out of his room he was just a bit overwhelmed by all the people.  He stopped in his tracks and wasnt quite sure what to do at first. 

Shortly after waking up he decided that it was time to play and really had a good time with all his cousins and friends!  They played and played!

Soon it was time to do the smash cake!  Jake sure was in for a treat.  We werent quite sure how he would react to the cake because he had never tasted frosting before and only had cake for the first time the night before.  He loved the cake but during the party he was not quite sure what to think about all that sweet frosting!  He had fun getting messy though!

After cake came the really really fun stuff...PRESENTS!!!  It was so fun to watch Jake get into his gifts and really get excited about the toys, boxes, and of course tissue paper!  Our house looked like a minature toy store for a short time, and all the kids had a great time playing!

We are so thankful for all of our friends and family who made the drive to Collierville to spend time with us and celebrate Jake's first birthday.  And absolutely cannot forget Aunt Jen for all the pictures and help decorating!  If it weren't for her we would not have all these great memories of the party!

Gulf Shores 2011

So much has happened in the last two months! We went to Gulf Shores over Memorial Day weekend and it was fantastic!  It was our first big trip as a family and Jake did better than expected on the ride.  He slept for 90% of the trip which was great.  The trip was fun filled as we had a house full of family...my parents, Brad's parents, Aunt Debbie & Uncle Gary, Kris, Kristi & kids, and Brenda, Derek & kids!  Luckily we had a big house and everyone was relatively comfortable in the house. 

The first night we went out to the beach to  play in the ocean and it was amazing to see Jake's little face as he experienced the waves for the first time.  At first he wasnt so sure about it but after just a few short minutes he was in LOVE.  I think he would've played in the ocean all night long!

The rest of the week was amazing.  I just love seeing Jake experience all the new things for the first time!  We were so unsure how he would do with the sand because he was not a huge fan of the sandbox here in Collierville but the beach sand was a whole new thing to him.  Jake just loved splashing in the waves, eating sand, and he even loved it when the waves got him in the face! 

My biggest stress as we were preparing for the beach was that he would get a sunburn, but the waves really wore Jake out quickly.  We generally played for 30 mins to an hour and then he cashed out.  Luckily we had our Pea Pod baby tent.  We absolutely love that thing!  Any of you new moms out there make sure you have one or something like it for your beach or other outdoor events!!  Jake sleeps so well in it!

On Wednesday we went on a deep sea fishing adventure...and adventure it was!  All the kids except Jake were coming along so Brad and I were anticipating that the kids were going to be sea sick and miserable, BUT we were not counting the majority of the adults being just as sick if not worse than the kids.  Looking back it was somewhat comical and Im sure our Captain and Deckhand had a good laugh at us, but overall it was a great time.  I absolutely loved the deep sea fishing experience and would love to go back again sometime!

The last few days seemed to fly by as we enjoyed a day exploring Gulf Shores then our last day at the beach and dinner out for Uncle Gary's birthday.  I am so glad we were able to enjoy this vacation together!

 

 

 

A big week at KidTech!

This week was the last week Jake will be in the infant class at KidTech.  :(  As small and insignificant as somthing like that may seem to some, it has been a monumental week for us filled with mixed emotions.  We absolutely love Jakes current teachers Ms Bonnie and Ms Theresa and Ms Kim (she was his teacher at the beginning but moved across the hallway).  They are wonderful and have grown to be a part of our family.  I can tell when I drop Jake off and pick him up that he is happy and comfortable with them. 

I know in my heart that it is time for him to move up to the toddlers class...he has been walking for a month and is getting pretty steady on his feet.  I remember being a little nervous about the bigger kids in the class when Jake first started "school" and he wasnt big enough to roll over or crawl.  He has been going to the toddlers class on and off for lunch, naptime, and some playtime for the last two months and from what I hear he is doing great.  He'll still get to see many of the same faces, Ms Debbie the cook, Ms Velvet, Ms. Ashley, and many others.  He loves the new and more exciting toys in the toddler room, and he loves the Tods 1 teacher, Ms Heather.

So you might be thinking why wouldn't I want him to move?  He will have cooler toys, big kid interaction, and he loves the teacher....what more could you want right?  Well once he moves up then I think I'll personally have to come to terms with the fact that my baby boy is growing up...FAST!  No more bottles at school, running around barefoot like a wild baby, or rocking to sleep.  Like I said I know this is much harder on me than it is on Jake.  I will rest assured though that we will still have bottles and rocking time at home for a little while longer.  :)

When I dropped him off this morning I just didn't want to leave and it was all I could do not to start bawling before I left, although I did shed a few tears.  I know we'll still stop by in the afternoons to talk with Ms Bonnie, but it is just different.

Luckily, next week will be our first beach vacation, so hopefully that will keep my mind off the upcoming move at school!

Mother's Day...

        

 I cannot believe it is already the second week of May! Last week was a long one at work and daycare, but Jake knew just how to brighten my day and weekend...He started to say MAMA!

We have had fun visiting with friends in the last few weeks. Waverly Ann and Steve came the last weekend of April/beginning of May. They came to go to Music Fest and hung out for the weekend too. We had such a great time visiting with them! We even had Ms Velvet come babysit for Jake that Saturday night so we could hang out more. It has been so long since we've actually gotten to spend some quality time together. I guess the last time was the May before Jake was born. We LOVED spending time with them! The picture below was in the morning before we went to the March of Dimes walk. Jake did such a good job during the walk with Waverly Ann and I. I just wish i had taken more pictures while they were in town! :(

 

The next weekend was Mother's Day weekend. We went to Hallie Milford's birthday party at Build-A-Bear workshop. Jake LOVED it! I"m sure when he gets bigger he'll love it even more. I think he thought every bear in there was one of his toys. haha. 

                                        



The next day was Mother's Day and it was wonderful. Jake and Brad were so good to me! I didnt have to change poopy diapers AND they cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner for me. It was such a good day! I love my boys!

 



Loving the laundry basket



The meaning of Easter book

           

April 2011

Somehow the months seem to fly by like days.  I cant quite explain it but time is just gettin away from me.  April has been incredibly fun filled!  Nana and Papa came into town to play whlile Mommy and Daddy went to Laurie's wedding. We had a great time out with our friends.

The next week was Will's birthday party, then Easter!  Gramma and Grampa (the verdict is still out on what Jake will call them) came to town to visit!  Easter was incredibly exciting as Jake started really walking that weekend! It was amazing!  The video below is one of our great walking moments.  What a sweet little man we have! 

Now that Jake is really walking life has gotten even more interesting.  He is very BUSY.  I just love watching him explore and learn new things.  Jake now understands that some of his balls are supposed to go in the mouth of his big girraffe toy and he LOVES that. 

He also knows several words... dada, byebye, ball, and dog

It is amazing to see Jake's eyes light up when he sees a ball and he whispers "ball"

I cannot believe our sweet baby boy is 10 months old! Here are a few pictures from Easter weekend...