It's HOT!

It's been one miserably hot month around here which is stifling many of our summer fun plans. Usually June and even July in Richmond are bearable, especially in the evenings. It's August when things get scorching and the humidity gets really high. I knew, expecting a September baby would mean a long summer, but I never expected it to start this early! It was so hot outside yesterday when Jack got out of the car he said it was hot and started blowing...just like he does on his food when it's too hot! Perhaps things will flip-flop this year and somehow in August, when I'm enormous and really tired of being pregnant, it will cool down a bit. A girl can hope!

At any rate, we're still having fun...

• We've welcomed Sammy Higginbotham into our lives and tried to soak up all of the wonderfulness that is watching such good friends be blessed with such an amazing gift.
  

Jack loves Sammy and loves having the Higginbothams (including China and Kaiser and Gisele's look-alike) in town so that he can visit often! Just a little dose of cuteness...we took Jack with us to the hospital to see Sammy the night he was born. He loves babies and we thought it would be a good introduction to where we'll be in just a few months when he comes to visit his little brother. As we walked down the hall, we passed several rooms with open doors with tiny newborn babies crying. Jack looked at Kenny and said "cat? meow!" We explained there were in fact no cats in the hospital but that little bitty baby cries can sound a bit like meows. He was confused and kept saying "baby meow?"

• We've been to the pool with Grams and Gramps, which is always LOTS of FUN!

• We've watched a lot of World Cup Soccer.

• We've been to the Farmer's Market.

• Kenny and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary!
  

• We've been planning our beach trip here in a few weeks.

• We've been trying to decide on a name for Jack's little brother.

• We've been learning how to count to 10 and are doing really well, as long as we can remember to start at 1.

• Jack's been learning the names of all the dinosaurs. He knows T-Rex, Diplodocus, Triceratops and Raptor. I am stuck on T-Rex pretty much.
  

• We've been celebrating Eddie's 31st birthday!

• We've been thinking a lot about Grandpa.
  

• We've been to the Children's Museum.

• Jack has been insistent on spending a lot of time "naken"! It's so hot, I can't really argue with him!

Hope it is cooler where you are...

BIG BOY ROOM!

Over Memorial Day weekend Kenny and I transformed the guest room into Jack's Big Boy Room! It was a lot of work but it really all came together nicely and Jack LOVES IT!

Jack got all new furniture, a new rug, a new fan and new bedding. His room is now the nicest one in the house! We still need curtains and some artwork, but we'll get there.







We put the side back on the crib before we brought him up to see his new room in order to encourage him to want to sleep in the big bed. His reaction was priceless!



He looks so tiny in the big bed...



When we asked Jack if the baby could now have his old room, he said no, the baby could sleep on the floor in his new room! I am sure he'll change his mind when he figures out how often babies are awake. The baby's room (no, he still doesn't have a name) just needs a few touch ups and perhaps a couple of little changes or additions and it'll be ready to go! One of the advantages of 2 boys - no need to change the decor! And speaking of the baby...he's doing great and if my belly is any indication, he's growing like a weed in there. We are at 27 weeks and so far surviving a very HOT Richmond summer. He's very active, just like his big brother and we can't wait to meet him in just under 3 months!

Mother's Day

I know it was a long time ago, but I don't want to miss the chance to write about my most wonderful Mother's Day! Both my mother and my mother-in-law left town on Mother's Day weekend so we celebrated with them in the weeks that followed. But on Mother's Day morning I awoke to a sweet card that Jack and Kenny made and a really neat photograph of two baby lion cubs. Last year at Art in the Park, Kenny and I stumbled upon a great photograph of a Daddy lion with his cub that I just fell in love with. We had it framed and hung it above Jack's crib. This year, Kenny went back to the same photographer and happened to find one, fittingly, of two little lion cubs. I love it and now that Jack has the one of the Daddy and cub in his new room, the spot over the crib seemed the perfect spot for my new one of 2 baby cubs (This one isn't on his website yet)! It really meant a lot to me and kind of made the whole pregnancy seem more real. I AM about to have TWO little lion cubs! I am so lucky to have them and to have their Daddy - he is the very best!!

Then it was off to the Chesterfield Berry Farm to pick some strawberries! There's a LOT more to do there than just pick strawberries though. So many animals to see...bunnies and goats and cows and roosters! Jack loved the rooster...



Every time it cock-a-doodle-doo'ed he laughed hysterically. There's nothing more perfect for a mom on mother's day than the sound of her child's laughter filling the air!



They also had a huge pile of sand to dig in. Jack's dream come true!





Somehow that's all the pictures I seem to have gotten. :( We had a really good time though and it was the perfect way to spend our day together. Thanks guys!

Happy Birthday to Mary Alex!

In late May Jack was invited to a very special birthday party! The sweet Mary Alex turned TWO and had her party at Romp and Roll. Catching toddlers on film while they are running around an indoor playground isn't easy...

Jack needed to gather up all of the toys. I'm not at all sure why but he was on a mission!





But he also loved playing and jumping and such too!



He hopped up on this contraption all by himself and just started walking! He had no fear!



Then he tried out the monkey bars. Seemed appropriate...as he IS a monkey afterall!



Then it was time for snacks and CAKE! Check out Mary Alex's great Dora cake!



Jack enjoyed it...the expression on his face here makes me laugh. He was very intent on the cake!



Then it was time to head back out to the gym. Mary Alex leads the way!



Time for BUBBLES! Jack really loves bubbles anywhere but he really loves them at Romp and Roll!



What a fun afternoon for everyone! Mary Alex is going to be a big sister this summer too! We are so excited to meet her little sister. Thanks so much Mary Alex for letting us share in your very special day. Hope you find TWO as much fun as we do!

Visiting the Lions

We took a trip in early May to see Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Lion. Grandpa Lion was able to meet us there too which was lots of fun!

We played a lot of baseball in the beautiful sunshine...









and read books and just enjoyed being together.





We wish we could get up there more often!

Heart

This morning I was sitting at the computer and Jack was coloring with a pencil and paper on the coffee table. He usually draws snakes and rainbows and circles but today he brought his piece of paper and said "HEART MOMMA!" And sure enough...it was a heart....