Granny's big day

Yesterday we celebrated Granny's birthday and what would have been her 61st wedding anniversary! My Grandfather (Papa) passed away almost 20 years ago and while I have always missed him, I missed him more yesterday than usual. We had such a nice day that I'm sure he too would have enjoyed. And I wish that Jack could have known him...I think they would have been great friends!

Here's one of my very favorite pictures of him...

















But, as such things go, you can't have everyone all together forever. We had a wonderful day though, and I'm so thankful the rest of us could all be together.

It started with a trip to the Farmer's Market. Jack was dressed in his finest farmer duds...and caught a little nap before we left.



















He enjoyed the ride and got lots of compliments while we were there!
















































Then we had a little fun with Daddy before a nap...
























Then it was off to the party! Jack had a great time hanging out with everyone. First it was Granny...



















Then Grams...
























Then Uncle Aaron...

















Aunt Leah...



















And we can't forget the pups!





































And Gramps!!





































Granny said she didn't need a thing so in lieu of presents she challenged us to a card contest. There were 2 categories, funniest and sappiest. It really was a lot of fun seeing what everyone picked out...such a good idea! Aaron won sappiest and Kenny won funniest.










































The prizes were perhaps the best part! Granny dug deep into her treasure chest for those...





































Finally - it was time for cake...and sparkler candles!



















Happy Birthday and Anniversary Granny! We love you!

Happy Birthday Granny (one day late!)

We can't wait to see you this weekend...

















Love, Lemma, Kenny & Jack
PS We didn't forget - we just didn't get the post up in time!

Where's the remote?

Over the past week or so we've caught jack watching TV...several times! We put him in his exersaucer or bouncy seat or even on a blanket on the floor and even if we turn him away from it, he'll find a way to watch it!





























































I suppose he's really just fascinated with the colors and light and changing images, more so than really watching what's on, but I'm still not happy about it!

Practice makes perfect

Saturday morning Kenny and Jack had a little lesson in sitting up...
























He was a bit wobbly but did manage to balance a little bit!










































He loves this butterfly - thanks to Auntie Stephanie and Emory and Ellie for saving it for us!



















We'll keep working on it and have lots of fun trying!

Gibsons and Bradburys come to town...

One of my oldest and best friends in the whole world is in town with my most precious God-daughter (the cutest toddler in the whole wide world) and her step-mom who undoubtedly had a hand in raising me. We've had so much fun! This is the second time we've had our babies together and it's just really neat. Kari and I met in the 8th grade (good grief that was almost 20 years ago!) and have grown up together dreaming of husbands and babies and now we have all of that and the little ones are getting to know one another. I don't get to see Julie quite as often but I love her to pieces and it's been great getting to catch up with her too. Here's a few pictures from our visits so far...






























































































We are off to the Children's Museum this morning...I'm sure we'll have a great time!

Cereal!

Jack tried his first bites of cereal last night...I don't think he liked it too much...



That's ok though - we'll keep trying! He did eventually get 2-3 bites down. He much preferred the ride in his new high chair (Thanks Great-grandma and Great-grandpa!) around the table with Daddy...

4 Month Stats

Jack went to the doctor for his 4 month check-up today and passed with flying colors!



Weight: 14.5 lbs - 50th percentile
Length: 25.5 inches - 75th percentile
Head: 17.5 inches - 90th percentile


















He got 4 vaccinations but took them like a champ. She cleared him for cereal...so we'll give that a whirl in a few days once he gets back to normal from his vaccinations - they make him quite sleepy.

In other news - thanks to the Seaborns for the Rockabye suggestion. For those that aren't familiar - some genius has taken a bunch of really great songs and turned them into lullabies. (They are also available on iTunes.) My favorite so far (I only made it through 4-5 tonight) is Angie by the Rolling Stones. It's one of my favorite songs anyway, but some of the Rockabyes are closer to the real song than others and I really like this version. And for all the Hokie football fans...there's even Enter Sandman...I guess it's never too early!

Another roadtrip!

Thankfully, we were all finally healthy enough to make the trip to introduce Jack to his Great-grandpa and Great-grandma Lion this weekend! We've been trying for a month or more to get up there but didn't want to take a nasty cold or earache or bronchiolitis with us so we just had to wait...and it was well worth it...we had such a good time!
























We arrived in time for lunch on Saturday and then spent the afternoon playing ladder golf, napping and just hanging out...

Jack meeting Great-Grandma:



















Hanging out with Grandpa:























Fascinated with the Coke bottle:



















That night, Tom and Jo Ann came over and Tom and Great-grandpa cooked up a great meal, complete with Kenny's favorite mac and cheese!

Playing with Grandpa:


















Meeting Jo Ann:
















Hanging out in Great-grandma's chair:


















Just enjoying himself:


















The next day was just as fun...

Breakfast with Grandpa: (the rest of us enjoyed a feast of some of the best pancakes ever ;) courtesy of Great-grandpa...Jack just got more formula)
















Relaxing with Great-grandpa:


















Great-grandpa teaching Jack patty-cake:
















Daddy being silly:


















Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye, but not before a few last pictures...

The Lions:


















And 4 generations of Lion men...


















Thanks for a great weekend - we really enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to come back and see everyone again...and have some more pancakes!

Jack's 1st 4th

First of all...JACK SLEPT ALL NIGHT!! He went down around 9:30 and slept until 6:45!! What a nice way to start the holiday weekend!


















Then the morning began with a walk to the neighborhood parade with Grandma. Grams and Gramps met us there too! We had never been to the parade before and enjoyed seeing all the little ones in their decked out strollers and wagons. Next year we'll be sure Jack is in the parade!









































































Then cousin Dillyn came over to see us before she heads off to soccer camp and the beach. Jack was really glad he got to see her and her silly faces! He got to see all 3 cousins in the same week - what a treat!





































































And then, for his 4th of July grand finale...he got to meet his girlfriend Mary Alex! They were both a bit out of sorts (I think it was all the pressure of a first date) and it was tough finding a time when they were both happy to take a good picture. Aren't they cute snoozing in their matching carseats though?



















Mary Alex had on THE cutest little tank top with a sequined American flag and I wish we'd gotten a better picture of it (but there's a great one on her blog)! Grams bought Jack his little red, white and blue shirt to impress Mary Alex - Thanks Grams! It was a great night and we are all looking forward to watching these little ones grow up together.

Hope you had a great 4th too!

4 months old

Time flies...I cannot believe it's been 4 months! He just gets cuter and cuter by the day and easier to understand. He's an absolute joy these days, smiling and laughing at us, pushing up from his tummy, playing with toys, and rolling over.



















He was sick most of the month which made it feel quite long. It was really hard to know what to do to make him more comfortable and I felt like the newest of new moms as I took him to the doctor 3 times in the same week. But he's doing much better now and I think we learned a little bit about how resilient they really are (this picture was taken mid-sneeze!).



















He's eating so much these days - I think he's just about ready for cereal and we're looking forward to watching his expression as he gets his first few bites of food.



















He seems to have adjusted well to school and we have all gotten the hang of it. We learned last week that 2 new kids are joining his little 8 person class...and they are BOTH named Jack! 3 out of 8 kids named Jack! We told him to make sure and remind them that he was the first one! School really helped get him into a nighttime routine and it's often the highlight of my day. Reading books and snuggling while we listen to lullabies...it's just so peaceful and such a nice way to wrap up the day.



















I feel like we're making a bit leap into not-so-tiny-baby land and it's so bittersweet. He's getting heavy, doing so many more things, and paying so much more attention. It's simply amazing to watch him grow but it also means he'll never be the tiny little guy that he was...which can be a little sad at the same time. But so it goes - I know they all do this growing up thing - and I'm real excited to see what next month will bring!