Welcome home Gramps!

We missed you!!

Happy Birthday Uncle Joey!

Na zdravi (That's "cheers" in Czech for those that don't live in Prague)! Hope your day has been perfect and hope to see you soon!





Don't worry folks, it's watered down apple juice in Wal-mart crystal! Hope you enjoyed whatever you toasted with today Joe, as much as Jack enjoyed his toast to you! He doesn't get much juice and certainly doesn't get it out of a glass...he LOVED it!

Spring Game

Last weekend we went to Blacksburg for the big Spring game! It was a gorgeous weekend and we had a great time!

Jack helped me pack the cooler Friday before we left. He knows no trip to Blacksburg involving football can start without a stocked cooler!



At the tailgate however, he stuck to water and snacks! He was perfectly content to sit in the shade and munch on veggie sticks!





Chris and Ginny were kind enough to let us stay with them and they have this adorable new addition to their family, Arden! It was her first game and she handled it like a pro, lounging in her very own little folding camping chair.



Jack was pretty curious about her...





Jack and I headed back to the house after the tailgate since the game was during naptime and it was so hot, but we had a great time and can't wait for the 09 season!

Sunny days

Jack loves nothing more than being outside. He'd prefer to be walking outside, but also enjoys stroller rides and "woofing" at all the dogs he can find. For all of my complaining about the rain of late, we have also had some gorgeous days and have been able to take full advantage of them.

We went with Carter and Angela to St. John's Church last week to wander around a bit. We missed the tour but hope to go back this week for that. Jack and Carter soaked up a little sun after being inside for a few rainy days in a row and Angela and I enjoyed chatting and wondering about all the people buried there.



On Friday, Kenny got off a little early and we walked to the library.



Jack enjoyed spinning the movie racks and walking between them. He did actually take his very first unassisted step here, but it was literally one or maybe 2 and I don't even think he knew he did it. We haven't seen any more since either. He didn't really want to leave and didn't really obey the "quiet in the library" rules, but it was a good first attempt I think.



Look at my maroon and orange boys walking home...aren't they cute?



We've been spending time in our yard too, though Jack is really over crawling and not walking alone, so we do a LOT of this...and once our backs are sufficiently tired and sore, we have to go back inside where he can navigate using furniture and walls all on his own.



Saturday we had swimming lessons which went really well and then we went to Grams' school for the Nature Fair. Gramps showed Jack an owl...



And Grams got the pleasure of walking with him. There was so much to see there, he loved just watching everyone and everything.



Jack looks a little worried here. I'm not sure what he was looking at, but I do know that after Jack and I dropped Gramps off at the airport yesterday for his trip to the Bahamas to do a little bone fishing, Jack cried the entire way home. :( He was so sad.



Sunday we met Mary Alex and her parents at the tot lot in our neighborhood (Check out her blog to see more pictures of their playdate)! Jack hadn't slept well the night before and was not a very gracious host, but fortunately Mary Alex forgave him.



They do play nicely together most of the time, though mostly because Mary Alex is so easy going and sweet...



It looks like she's cleaning some mulch off of him here - she prefers her men clean...



Look how cute they are!



I mean really, she can't get any cuter, can she?



Jack tried out some new vehicles this time too - the tractor and tricycle!





Then the rains came again...but it looks like we're going to have more nice weather here soon and summer is just around the corner!

Meet Piper

Emory & Ellie got a new puppy last week and we cannot get over how incredibly cute she is!



I hope she will still be small and spunky when we meet her! Welcome to the family Piper!

Rainy Days

I feel like it rained for weeks. In reality it was probably just a few days but it's tough keeping Jack entertained inside! Tuesday we stayed in our pj's and played. The house was a wreck, but that's ok...



Playing in the dishwasher provided the longest run of entertainment. He beat that spoon on everything he could find and loved every minute of it!



Then he pushed this wooden spoon around like a car for a while...



When the kitchen stopped being fun, we tried out crayons! We've tried them before but Jack would only try and eat them. This time he actually colored!!





He still tried to eat them sometimes too but oh well! We were SO glad to see the sun come out today though...outside is much more fun! Hope it's sunny where you are too!

What a difference a year makes.

Here's Jack sporting his Hokie gear in honor of those lost in 2007. He's changed a bit since the photo from last year, huh?



I know the parents of those lost sure wish they could see their kids decked out in Hokie gear today. My heart goes out to them.

I just can't imagine.

We will never forget.

Of course we miss Grandma today and every other day too, but it's a BEAUTIFUL day outside and I'm sure she ordered it up just for us. Thanks Grandma, we love you and miss you!

"Hoppy" Birthday Gramps!

Check out Jack's cottontail he sported just for you Gramps!



And "Hoppy" Easter to everyone else! We hope your day was wonderful! It was beautiful here, though a bit cool for my taste. We took a walk to the park this afternoon and Jack did not want to leave!










But we had plans with Gramps for his birthday - so he agreed to go home as long as we promised to go back another day! He helped Gramps open his presents and saved up lots of smiles and giggles for him.



Grandma got him this great dancing bunny that provided hours of dancing fun today...



And Grams and Gramps found a duck Easter basket! It was filled with yummy treats that Jack loved!



Thanks everyone for a great day!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

We are so sad that we aren't there with you today but hope that your day has been PERFECT!



He's clapping for you!



It sounded so simple - we wanted to write you a happy birthday note in jelly beans since we so affectionately call you Ellie-bean...but Jack got into the jelly beans as soon as we got started and went straight to eating them! It was his first jelly bean and really first anything that sweet. He fell instantly in love.



And then he thought it would be fun to dump the entire bag on the floor. Here's the before and after...



We let him have 2 jelly beans and thought that was probably enough. What followed that decision was by far the worst meltdown we've seen yet! Goodness - it went on for quite some time and it took a few attempts to get a picture of him not crying with the jelly beans. Most looked like this:



Maybe Jack's just mad we aren't there! We love you Ellie...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Good idea gone wrong

Usually, after Jack has his breakfast in the morning, I turn on Sesame Street and put him in the pack and play and I head upstairs to shower. He fusses for a minute, until I'm out of sight and then is fine. This week has been kind of busy and Jack has been cooped up in highchairs and shopping carts and he's really at a stage where he only wants to walk (with someone holding his hand) or crawl. He's just not that interested in sitting still. So, feeling bad about making him be cooped up so much, I thought I'd take him upstairs with me while I showered instead of putting him in the pack and play. So up we went and I put up the gate so he couldn't fall down the stairs and shut the doors to the master and guest bedrooms so all he could do was play in his room or the hall or of course the bathroom. He has a lot of toys and books in his room and I fully expected that he'd occupy himself there for at least a while. I was wrong. I hadn't been in the shower 2 minutes when I peeked out to see what he was doing and found him scurrying into the bathroom. He has a drawer of bath toys in there which I thought was where he was headed, but the next thing I knew, he had pulled back the shower curtain looking for me. And, in true exploring fashion, he had to put his arms in to feel the water and in doing so, he got a bit of a shower too! His sleeves and head were soaked!





So it didn't really work out like I imagined but it sure was cute!