UpUpUpdate!!

Well, much has happened since March 10th -- obviously!

Jayden

• Our Astros ended the season 1-11. The only game we won was against the Mets, but atleast we won one period! I think we tied another team (the Pirates?) for last place. Unfortunately, Jayden wasn't chosen for All-Stars -- the kids have to be 5 at the start of the season and Jayden started out only 4 years old. He'll start Fall Ball in August and he'll play pitch-machine. Hopefully he'll get a team with a great coach!
  
  
• On May 1st my parents came down to watch one of Jayden's games. We're sitting at the house and Jayden is talking to my mom and I notice that one of his bottom teeth is sticking out weird. My mom notices the same thing at the same time. I ask Jayden to come over so I can look at his tooth and I ask him if it feels loose. "Yeah," he replies, "Marc Anthony told me that it was loose at school." Sure enough, both bottom teeth are about.to.fall.out. I was shocked!! I hadn't even noticed until then and he hadn't said anything about it! He spent all day the next day wiggling and wiggling the right one and he pulled it that afternoon! We put in a quick call to the Tooth Fairy who, thankfully, was free and had tooth money ready. Two days later the Tooth Fairy was busy with the second tooth. Now they're growing back in, a little crooked on one side, but looking healthy. We need to make a dentist appointment!
  
  
• Monday Jayden started swimming lessons. I was afraid that he might be a little clingy and not want to go with the class, but he went right over and sat on the edge with the other kids. He can already swim by himself and so far the teachers are holding them to swim them through the water. I'm hoping that as the lessons go on (they last until next Thursday) that they'll let the kids do more on their own.
  
  
• Jayden is still absolutely loving being a big brother. He absolutely dotes on Julianna and never gets tired of her. He does everything he possibly can to be helpful around the house or in the car. I'm so blessed to have him and I hope that I do a good job of letting him know how much I love and appreciate him!!

Julianna

• Julianna will be 9 months on Sunday the 22nd. I can't believe that it's been this long already!!
  
  
• While Jayden is losing teeth, Jules is getting her bottom two teeth! Her bottom left tooth is broken through about halfway and the bottom right is just starting to peek through the gums. She's just like Jayden was when he was teething -- perfect with no problems.
  
  
• When Jayden was 8-10 months, he just wanted to go, go, go. Julianna is content to just be, be, be. She's starting to get the point where she wants to try to crawl, but she can't quite get her knees up under her. She can sit up from her belly, then she gets upset because she winds up further from her toy than she was before! She's starting to grab onto things (the bathtub) and try to pull herself up, but once again she seems to have no control over getting up onto her legs! Hopefully she'll get the hang of it soon because we're ready to see her cruise. Of course, we should probably crawler-proof before that happens :)
  
  
• It is soooo fun to listen to Jules "talk." She can say consonant noises, and my dad thinks she speaks German because she says "GonahGonahGonah DaDaDa GoeGoeGoe" -- she sounds so cute! Well, that is until she laughs (growls?) like the exocist!

Jeff and Jenn

• Nothing really new with us. Jeff is still working. I'm "off" for summer, but I've still been at work almost everyday! Two days I had staff development training. Two days I was at campus helping to call applicants to schedule interviews and perform interviews of potential students. Two more days of the same thing, and tomorrow and Thurs I have two more staff development days!!
  
  
• I went home this weekend to see one of my best high school friends get married!! I was an honor attendant -- I passed out programs to guests. Everything was sooo beautiful!
  
  
• Next Wednesday we all leave for Las Vegas -- woohoo!! My mom graduated from college with her MBA so we're having a family reunion/graduation celebration in Vegas. The only "plan" so far is going to see Blue Man Group -- can't wait!

Well, I don't write enough because I always think I need some big long post in order to put anything. From now on there will be several shorter posts just to give everyone a snapshot of what's going on!

Astros vs. Braves

Saturday marked the beginning of an era in the life of our Fairhope Family, an era that will last quite a while and could at some point even turn into a career. It was Jayden's first baseball game. He is a natural in every sense of the word. He's on his toes and ready for each hit, he's the best thrower/catcher on his team, he can crush the ball off the tee...he's just great!

There's a 4 run-rule for each batting team in each inning. The Braves led off and scored their 4 runs. We had two outs, but they scored their 4th run right when Jayden got the second out. Then we went out and got 3 runs before getting 3 outs. However, the second inning we held them scoreless!! Jayden played pitcher the whole game and after his first throw to first base wasn't caught, he took matters into his own hands and ran to tag first base after he fielded the ball. He got people out -- sometimes just barely -- but he needs to be sure to throw it over to first base when he's too far away. We worked on that yesterday afternoon and now he knows to call the first baseman's name if he's not looking.

One funny thing. The coaches told Jayden to run touch home plate if someone was on third base. So the ball comes to Jayden, he sees the kid on first base running home, so he runs up there to touch the base. He gets there practically at the same time as the other player, whose coach yells for him to stop and go back to third. Jayden touches home plate and starts to run back to the mound, so the other coach tells his player to keep going. Everyone's going nuts yelling at Jayden to touch the player, but he never hears us and just trots himself back to the pitching circle so the ball will be dead. Everyone's still yelling, "Touch HIM!! Touch the RUNNER!!" but it was too late. After all that our coach went over real quick and reminded Jayden to touch the runners too, just in case. Even though it was funny, hopefully it won't happen again!!

We ended up losing 13 - 10 (unlike when I was younger, they not only keep score in t-ball but they also have t-ball all-stars!), but Jayden played his absolute best. We have our second game tomorrow night and our third on Wednesday, the we're off until the 25th. The league didn't schedule any games next week since schools are out for Spring Break.

Here are some pictures from the day and the game!

Pictures!!

Go Astros!!

...t-ball Astros that is.

Jayden's t-ball team has been practicing for about 3 weeks now. This past Wednesday they had their first scrimmage against the Pirates. That was their first time to practice on the field due to rain outs on the other practice days. Jayden got to play short stop and got to bat twice. I don't think any balls came his way, but he was ready every time anyway and he hit really well, scoring both times. Jayden is definitely the best thrower on his team and is the second best catcher. His coach always uses him for examples because he's always there listening and already knows how to throw with proper form (thanks to Jeff and G'pa Mike) so he's the perfect modeler.

This is the first season that our coach has coached a team, but the team we scrimmaged against looked like seasoned professionals. I heard one of the moms saying that the coach has 8 kids and his two oldest were out there helping him coach. They both had HS letter jackets on, and I'm sure this dad had been through the t-ball thing a time or two and coached a time or two. Our coach must have taken a few pointers from that team because he made some moves for some of the positions. Jayden and another boy named Victor traded out being pitcher and first base, because that's where all the action happens. The pitcher's job is to stand at the front of the pitching circle and wait for the ball to be hit to them. Then they get it and chase down the runner to tag them out. Since Jayden's so fast, he's perfect for this. If the ball is to the third base side, he gets it and throws it to Victor at first base and get them out that way.

They're all cute when they're playing. There's one little girl on the team and all the helmets are wayyyy too big for her, so she holds on to the front face part so it won't falls backwards on her head! All her stuff has pink on it, and it's sooo adorable.

The only piece of our uniform we're missing is the hat and those will be ready on Monday. We have a "real" scrimmage on Wednesday. We have pictures on Thursday. We have Opening Day on Saturday with our first game that afternoon. We're so excited to get the season underway!!

My Good Samaritan

Saturday Jeff and I spent our afternoon at Target, perusing the aisles, buying stuff we kinda sorta need that are fun (a shelf thing for the kids' bathroom), instead of things that we really need and are no fun (a shredder). We were looking for a highchair for Julianna and they had exactly two to choose from, both of which were horrible. Jules is starting to stretch out her legs and wanting to stand up, and we found a Baby Einstein "exer-saucer" (think stationary walker) that we wanted to get, but they were all out. We make our few purchases and start to head home.

On the way home, there is a section that has 3 lanes at a stop light, and the right hand lane is turn only. People are alllllways getting "stuck" over there trying to get back over to the left because they don't want to turn. We're in the middle lane, right where we need to be and up ahead of us there is a silver beetle in the right lane that is starting to slow down. I can see that they have their hazard lights on, but to Jeff (in the passenger seat) it looks like they have their blinker on to get over. There's plenty of space for them to get over, if that's what they're planning to do, and Jeff make a remark about what a great driver they are if they can't even get over with all that room. As we get closer I can see that the Beetle is going slower and slower, coming to a stop, and as we pass I see that it's a lady all alone and she's completely come to a stop in the lane.

"Something is wrong with her car...I bet she ran out of gas," I said. "Ugh, that sucks," said Jeff -- he speaks from experience having run out of gas a time or two himself. The light ahead of us is red, so we have to stop too, and I look in the rear-view mirror to see what's going on with the car. There's a car behind her, so I figure they're going to stop and help...then they get a clear spot in the left lane and swerve over, leaving the Beetle alone again!

"Babe, no one is stopping to help her," I say. "Uhhh...she'll be okay," said Jeff. I can see in his face, all he's thinking about is how he needs a nap before he has to go in to work that night. "We should help her...what if that were me, wouldn't you want someone to help me?" A big sigh from the passenger seat. "Pull over and I'll get out."

So I pull over into the right lane and he hops out onto the grass to run back and help. I pull into the CVS parking lot that's on the corner and wait for a second. Sure enough, the girl had run out of gas. She said she thought Jeff was just out running and wasn't going to stop to help...although, I don't know who goes out for a run in jean, Converse, and a fleece jacket? Anyway, he pushed her car about 200 or so yards into the parking lot and she was VERY grateful. Her husband is a Houston police officer and that's who she had been on the phone with previously, and he was on his way to help her out.

So that was Jeff's good Samaritan deed of the week, pushing a car off the road single-handedly. We also made it home with time for him to take a good nap before going to work out and head to work.

Now if your car is ever stranded on the road, you know who to call!!

WOW!!

I can't believe that it's been soooooo long since we wrote anything about our family!! That's what happens when (a) the only working computer is in the closet of an infant who wakes up when she hears the keys tapping and (b) there aren't enough hours in the day!

Our Christmas was fantastic -- everyone got more than they bargained for. Jayden got a scooter and a Leapster LMax system, Jules got some new toys and clothes, Jeff got his annual "Dilbert" desk calendar, Jeff and I got our external hard-drive, a toaster, and a Wii! Last month, we bought "Guitar Hero" and everyone loves to play it.

Jeff got me a new hard-drive for my laptop and it's all fixed now!! I promise you, this will lead to more posts because the laptop is stationed downstairs. The only thing it's missing is Microsoft Office, and hopefully we can get set up with that soon.

We signed Jayden up for t-ball and he got drafted on the Astros!! We're super excited about him playing, especially on the Astros...this home's favorite team. So far, they're supposed to have had 6 practices, but they've only had 2 because of all the rain we've been getting down here!! Their opening season is March 8. We defininately think that Jayden is the best player on the team -- he has great throwing technique, he can catch, he's a great hitter, etc. Jeff and Jayden practice almost everyday and he just gets better and better. I can't wait for him to get his "jersey" so we can see him in his whole uniform!!

Julianna is 5 months old now -- isn't that insane?! She's rolling over from her belly to her back, she's laughing, she's reaching out for toys to grab them, reaching out for us when we're near, turning around when she hears our voices or her name, and starting to eat baby cereal. She's such a great baby and still absolutely gorgeous!! When we went for her 4 month check up, she was 26" which is in the 94th percentile, and she was 13.5 which is in the 50th percentile. She's been wearing 6-9 month size clothes because most of the 3-6 month stuff is too small! I can't wait to go get her first Easter dress -- can't wait to dress someone in frills :)

Jeff's getting into the groove at Exxon. Once he saw his first gains with his stocks, he was hooked into the market and has bought a few shares of different stocks.

Well, here is a short update. Don't worry, there will be more soon!!

Happy Holidays!

Here it is, Christmas Eve Eve.
Where has this year gone? At this time last year we were closing on our house, finishing up our first few months at new jobs, and finishing up the last minute wedding details. Again I ask, where has this year gone?

I finished up our Christmas shopping yesterday. Jayden was gone for the weekend and Jeff is working nights, so it was me and Julianna out braving the crowds. When we headed out it was about 9:00 and half of the sky was practically pitch black with clouds. We made it to two stores and were in Academy Sports when all hell broke loose from the clouds. It was one of those rains where you can hear it even inside the store. Jules was in her seat in the stroller, we had one small bag...and no umbrella. I was very close to asking someone to watch her while I ran out and pulled the car up, but she has a waterproof covering in her carseat and a canopy, so I was really the only one that would wind up getting wet. So off we went into the downpour -- which had let up a teensy bit. By the time I got her seat in the car, pushed the stroller to the back, opened the back, folded the stroller, threw it inside, and walked back to my door to get in, I was soaked. Opening the back door provided a covering for a second so I closed up the stroller in partial dryness, but it doesn't do much good when the rain is being blown from an angle. After all that, Jayden's Rockets jersey better fit!!

Speaking of Jayden, he and Jeff had their first hunting expedition this week. They left early Tuesday morning to meet Grandpa Mike so they could all go hunting together at the lease. All went well on Tuesday, but Wednesday they ran into trouble. See, Jayden has never been camping before and has never really had to go to the bathroom outdoors. He's tried before, but I think he gets performance anxiety because nothing ever happens. So he tried to go Tues night and couldn't, tried to go Wednesday morning before they headed to the stand and couldn't. It hit him about an hour into their sit in the stand, right when two deer showed up and Jeff had them sighted in the scope. Then, apparently, Jayden freaked out and started screaming, "I have to potty!! I have to potty!!" Naturally this scared the deer away for at least a week, and when Jeff looked over at poor Jayden, he was sitting in a puddle. It was early in the morning and cold, so he'd been wearing both pairs of pants, and the puddle lead to a trip into town and a visit to the laundromat. When pretty much the same thing happened later that afternoon they decided to call it a trip and head back home. Poor guy. I guess anytime he needs to go to the bathroom we'll have to make him practice going outside.

We're all excited about our first Christmas as a family. I think Jayden is most excited because he'll get to open all of Julianna's presents, which means he gets to open double his normal amount. Unfortunately, Jeff has to work Christmas Eve so he won't get to play Santa with me. I'll probably leave a little bit for that morning so that he can at least have a small hand in getting stuff ready. I bought the stuff for my stocking, so he can stuff it to pretend like he got it for me :)

We're having Christmas day here in Houston and having Christmas dinner at Jeff's mom's, however I'm making three dishes that are staples in Kennedy Christmases, so I'll have a little piece of home with me on Christmas day. My mom allllways makes broccoli casserole for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I'm going to inherit that recipe and responsibility when she's not with us. Also, my aunt makes Eagle Brand Cherry Pie (or Cherry Cheesecake, whichever your prefer) and Jeff loves cherry pie, so I'm making my first attempt at that. The last thing is a tradition with my family -- we always have Monkey Bread on Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings, so I'm making that for my family now. It is soooo delicious and I can't wait to eat it! Hopefully everything will taste delicious...hopefully.

Yesterday was Julianna's 3 month birthday -- that seems impossible! She is sooo big, practically as big as a 5 or 6 month old now. At her 2 month appointment she was about as big as a 4 month old (12.3 and 24 1/4 inches) and she has filled out even more! She's wearing her 3-6 month clothes now and they're almost too small! We'll have to get some new pajamas for sure because hers are tight on the torso, especially if her diaper gets wet, which it inevitably does when she's sleeping. Here are some things she's doing now:

• If she's on her stomach she can push up with her arms and raise her head and torso.
• She's SO CLOSE to rolling over when she's on her tummy. Her body will get practically sideways and she'll start kicking her legs.
• She's also very close to rolling over when she's on her back sometimes. If she gets her legs going back and forth, she'll get her lower body sideways.
• Her legs and arms are always kicking and trying to go places.
• She LOVES to smile and laugh at everyone and everything.
• She'd rather be held up on your shoulder than lying down in your arms. She loves to see the world!
• She's found her hands and tries to eat/suck on them all the time. This usually leads to a huge drool spot on your shoulder, so watch out!
• If you move something from side to side in front of her face, she'll follow it with her eyes and turn her head to see it.
• She loves it if you make silly faces and talk to her. I like to say "La, la, la" in a singsongy voice -- she thinks it's funny and sometimes she'll put her tongue on the roof of her mouth and click it like she wants to make an "L" noise.
• If you talk, she'll try to look around and find your voice and to see where it's coming from.
• She has 99% complete control of her head. She's been holding it up literally since the day she was born, and now she's always up and alert, looking around.
• She's sleeping about 6-7 hours a night, usually from approx 9:30 pm - 4:30 am. She defininately got those sleeping skills from her dad, he's a master sleeper!

Jayden is doing all those things and more :) He's the smartest 4 1/2 year old on the planet and getting smarter every day. He still LOVES being a big brother and absolutely adores his sister. I figured by now she'd be old news to him and the jealousy and boredom would have set in, but it hasn't at all! Really the only time that he gets annoyed is if he wants to go outside and she has to eat. But she's about to switch to bottles full-time, so even that won't be a problem any more! He's just the greatest kid and we're so lucky and blessed to have such wonderful children!

I better get to bed because I have a busy day tomorrow -- I have to finish the pie, make the casserole, finish wrapping presents, take the kids to get their pictures taken, go to Christmas Eve service, and be Santa!

Everyone have a Merry Christmas!!