Perfect Attendance!

The past couple weeks have been pretty busy for us! Let’s back-track to the weekend of July 9-11th.

My parents went to our hometown that weekend for a wedding and my sister’s bridal shower, so Julianna went with them, and this weekend was just me and the boys. We had two things to accomplish: swim and Astros game.

We went swimming Saturday afternoon, which started off with a little water football.

James wasn’t very impressed by this, and (as usual) slept through most of the fun. Soon he’ll be right in the middle of it all!

I’m not exactly sure how we entered into a game of ring toss, but they were having a blast trying to throw and catch the diving rings on their arms and the noodle.

Jeff and Jayden had a cannonball splash contest. Jeff forbid me to post his pictures, but it’s a safe bet to claim that he was the cannonball champion. (And no, that’s not a fat joke Jeff!)

This school year Jayden had perfect attendance in 1st grade, and the Houston Astros rewarded students in his school district with tickets to a game for their commitment. If you made it through the 3rd 9 weeks you got 2 tickets to your choice of 4 games, and if you made it through the whole year you got 2 tickets to the July 11th game AND got to be in a pre-game parade! For a 7 year old boy, having the lure of these tickets if you made it through the end of the school year was great motivation for getting out of bed at 6 am!

Sunday was the game. The parade was supposed to start at 10:30 and we were supposed to be there by 10:15, so we were parked and walking to Minute Maid Park at about 9:45. Only one person could accompany the kid on the field, and I figured Jeff would enjoy walking around the field and possibly seeing a player more than I, so James and I dropped the boys off in line and went to wait with all the other families to get in. We waited. And sweated. And waited. And sweated. And sweated while we waited some more. At 11 they finally allowed everyone inside, which was their master plan all along! I’ll just say there were some disgruntled parents out there. Perfect little James just snoozed in the Baby Bjorn through (almost) the whole thing.

James and I hustled down to the first level and first row to catch our boys walking through, and sure enough there they were!

Jeff got two pictures on his phone from their walk around the field.

After the parade we had time to kill before the game started, so Jayden played in the Squeeze Play and Family Sunday areas until game time.

In the Family Sunday area, Jayden was jumping in the moonwalk like a typical 7 year old boy which doesn’t really lend itself to picture taking! While we waited, James got to meet Junction Jack, who gave him lots of high-fives and took a picture with him.

We stayed for the entire game and guess what James did…if you said sleep, you’re right! He slept, ate, watched, slept. Have I mentioned he’s just SUCH a great baby?! Well, we stayed the whole game because after the game Jayden got to…

…run the bases!!

We finally left the ball park about 4:15, and we were all ex.haus.ted. It was a long day, but we enjoyed every minute!

Overly Blessed

I'm learning that James really only cries for three reasons: (1) he's hungry, (2) he wants to change positions {i.e. lay down, sit up, lay on your shoulder, etc.}, or (3) he's tired. Other than that he will kick and wave and smile and laugh...and just be a perfect little baby!

When he wakes up from napping during the day, he usually likes to sit and look at you and laugh for a little while. Then he'll start to fuss to let me know that he's ready to eat. After I nurse him, he likes to lay down on his pallet while he stretches and looks in his little mirror at how handsome he is. After he's played for a while he'll start to fuss to let me know he's ready for another nap. I'll swaddle him up, give him his pacifier, go lay him down, and he falls asleep.

I have been blessed with great babies.

With all 3 I had manageable labor and easy delivery. With all 3 I have had babies who were natural nursers, so I was able to easily breastfeed. With all 3 I have had great nocturnal sleepers. With all 3 I have had babies who rarely to never spit up. With the older 2 we never had fussing during teething, they took right to eating baby foods then solid, they were easy to potty-train, they still love their sleep (even Jayden still naps sometimes, and Jules will ask "Is it time for bed?" or just go get in bed herself!), and they're still easy-going, laid-back, happy-go-lucky kids. So far James has fit right into their abnormally easy baby pattern, and I hope he continues to stay that route as he gets older!

Don't think I'm bragging about how great and easy my kids are...they definitely have their moments! I just know that I'm so lucky to have such great kids, and one day when they look back and read this blog (will they even still exist in the fuuutuuuuure?!) I want them to know that I know I'm blessed :)

Sidenote: New parents should nevvver under-estimate the power of swaddling a baby! Babies love to be snug and cozy when they're going to sleep, and wrapping them up like a burrito helps them feel safe and secure. I swaddle my babies forever -- I can't remember how old the older Js were when I stopped swaddling them. Even now, in the summer, Baby J is swaddled in a light blanket when it's time for him to sleep.

{Ignore the fact the poor guy is sleeping on a pink sheet -- he was 2 weeks old and we didn't have a blue sheet yet!}

4th of July Recap

The week proceeding the 4th of July was filled with rain, rain, and more rain. The days following the 4th of July have been filled with rain, rain, and more rain. However, for one glorious day, the rain held off so we could get out and celebrate the 4th like true red, white, and blue-blooded Americans!

We met up with Jeff’s mom, step-dad, and sister, and we all loaded up in the Traverse to head to Galveston. Sidebar to say that I lovelovelove my Traverse! Lauren and I sat in the 3rd row with Jules big carseat while the baby and Grandma sat in the middle captain’s chairs and everyone had plenty of space to be comfortable. Not to mention that even in the back it rides so smoothly! {Chevy can send me my endorsement check now haha } Anyhow, when we got to Galveston we loaded onto the ferry to take Jules on a quick boat ride.

We stayed on the top deck on the ferry ride over, and the people down from where we were standing decided to feed the seagulls flying around, so Jules got some nice close looks at those beautiful (ha!) birds.

This was the first boat ride for both Jules and James, and James enjoyed himself as well. He wasn’t as impressed with the birds.

I think it’s an understatement to say that we took a lot of pictures on the ferry ride! Here are some to enjoy:

After the ferry ride, we headed to Casey Guido’s for dinner, then out to the seawall to set up camp and wait for the fireworks. There was a family a little to the right of us who had a bike-tram, and Julianna wanted desperately to sit on it. She and Aunt Lauren (mainly Lauren) asked the kids if she could sit on it for a second, and they were kind enough to agree. They adored Jules and wanted to come see the baby, so they came over to chat and became fast friends. They kept Julianna entertained while we all waited for the fireworks show, then let her join them to watch. Jules had the best seat in the house!

Jules wanted to ring that bell. The only friend missing is the oldest sister.

Galveston definitely has a top notch fireworks display. This is the second year we’ve been there for the show, and it just might become a family tradition!

P.S. I lovvve the new Windows Live Writer for assembling blog posts; it's so easy!

It's Independence Day!

Today is one of the best holidays of the year -- the day marking America's independence. While people are celebrating by grilling, drinking, and shooting fireworks, I hope they remember all the troops who work daily to protect the independence and freedom that we often take for granted. My thoughts and prayers are with the troops and their families -- thank you for protecting our country so that my children can grow up free to be who and what they choose!

Now that I've resolved to keep up with this blog, let me catch you up on what's been going on:

Jayden is now 7 and going into second grade. He had a little trouble with getting into trouble this year -- small things like talking, not listening, etc. As a teacher, I hate when parents blame the teacher for a student's behavior, but his teacher definitely didn't help anything. I'm hoping his 2nd grade teacher has better classroom management and can continue to foster his love of learning. He is great at math and loves working on math work. He received the Academic Achievement Award for earning all Es (excellent) in reading and math this year, as well as the Perfect Attendance Award for not missing any days of school. The Houston Astros partnered with participating school districts and offered tickets to students who didn't miss school, and Jayden got 4 tickets plus gets to be in a parade before their game next Sunday against the Cardinals!

We just wrapped up Jayden's baseball season. He was on the Diamondbacks and played 1st base all season. Jeff helped coach the team and had a blast; he's a natural working with the kids! Jayden made All-Stars and played 2nd base, and naturally Jeff helped coach again. Their team made it to the championship game where they lost by 1 run in the bottom of the last inning!! It was an exciting game to say the least, and our boys definitely deserved to win...they played so hard! I just love watching Jayden play baseball!

Julianna is 2 1/2 -- she'll be 3 in September. She acts like she's 10 already! Jeff said the other day that he's in trouble when she gets older...she has her dad wrapped around her little finger! She's just as smart as Jayden was when he was little: counting, naming shapes, picking out words, etc. Her favorite phrase right now is, "I wanna he'p youuuuuu" so she can "help" with whatever we're doing. Jeff and I both have an iPhone, and as soon as she sees/hears a game she'll run over to whoever is playing and want to play with them. Such a stinker :)

We found out last August that I was pregnant with baby #3! We were so excited because we'd been trying for a couple months. Jeff went with me to my first doctors visit and she mentioned that she and her husband didn't find out the sex of their 3rd child because they already had a boy and a girl. That small comment planted a seed in Jeff's head...he thought it would be fun to keep the gender a surprise and not find out. I was very hesitant at first, I didn't think I could NOT find out...but I said ok. The baby would sleep in our room then share with Jules, so we didn't need to get a nursery ready, and we already had hand-me-down clothes from J&J. All we had to do was get 2 outfits for leaving the hospital, one for a boy and one for a girl. It was SO fun seeing the shocked look on people's faces when they asked what we were having and we said we weren't finding out!

It was such an exciting moment for us when the doctor said, "It's a boy!" We were hoping for a boy all along, and the only name we had truly decided on was the boy's name: James Colin, named after his great-grandfathers. He was born April 15 and will forever be a tax baby :)

He's 2 1/2 months old now. He's smiling and laughing (which sounds like a choke when you're not looking at him) and he'll try to stand up when you put his feet down. He's such a mellow, happy baby and a great sleeper -- I've definitely been blessed with good sleepers!

I'll be teaching in a new school this upcoming school year, and I'm excited to start a new journey. I'll be teaching at-risk students in a small school, so I'll be working with the same students just in a new environment.

Jeff is loving working a "normal" M-F job rather than shift work, and we love having him home!

Years Later

I can't believe that the last post of this blog was so long ago! Life gets busy and this was one of the first things to slip away. However, I'm going to attempt to update the layout and pictures and keep up with this better. (Hmm, seems like I say that a lot!)

Quick update:

• Jayden is in 1st grade and will be 7 next month!
• Jules is 2 1/2 now.
• I'm pregnant with another Baby Fountain, but we're not finding out the gender :)
• Jeff has moved to a new lab in Exxon and is now a M-F worker instead of working shift work!

Now I'm going to try to make this thing look great. We just got a new computer, so there aren't any photos loaded on here yet. I'll be back...before a year goes by I promise!

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!