Monday, December 29, 2008

Jack's First Day at Learning Tree



Brodie with Jack's turtle (from Tina)

Before I officially begin this post, I want to say how proud I am of Matt. He has been in a Football Pick 'Em Pool this year, and he WON! He won $500!!! Hopefully, he will use the money to buy himself a smoker because that is what he has been wanting...



Jack and Trent before school today

Now, today was Jack's 5 month birthday and his first day at daycare. Trent was VERY excited about his brother going to school with him, but Mommy was a little sad. It is hard to believe that my maternity leave is almost up, and I will be going back to work next week. I just pray that my RA gets better, and I have a good school year.

We took Jack and Trent to school at about 9 this morning. As usual, Jack was being his sweet self. We met his teachers and saw his room and his crib. Jack seemed to like his teachers when we left, so I was doing better than I thought I would.



Jack with one of his teachers in his room at Learning Tree

Good news - no tears today. I did miss Jack, but I took a long nap and cleaned up Christmas stuff, so I was busy most of the day. We went to pick him up at about 3:30. The first thing that his teacher said was, "He is the sweetest baby!" I already knew that, but I was glad to know that he was so good for them too. As soon as he saw me, he smiled and started giggling. Trent came down to see Jack's room with us, and he made Matt pick him up to see Jack's aquarium soother on his crib. It was cute.

Then we came home and asked Trent to clean up his room, playroom, and the Rock Band room (as he calls it). We told him we would go to Incredible Pizza Company if he did the cleaning. It took him about an hour, but he cleaned it all up. Then we headed to IPC.



How Jack spent most of the time at IPC

Trent had fun eating. He dipped his pizza in his ice cream and macaroni and cheese before he ate it, but at least he ate it.



Trent eating his pizza and ice cream


Then we went to let him play games. He had a blast. We managed to get him home without a meltdown, but as I am sure you understand the meltdown hit at bath time. Eventually, we got him calm and clean. Then Matt let him have some hot chocolate with marshmallows. We had both boys in bed by about 8:30. We are trying to get them conditioned for when I go back to work.

We have a big day planned for tomorrow. We are going to go look at trucks for Matt, get Jack a blanket for school, do some shopping, and get shock for the pool. This should make tomorrow easy for me too. I just miss my little man so much...



Matt and Trent at IPC



Trent playing a driving game


Trent on the carousel


Trent playing basketball - Daddy's Boy


Trent playing baseball

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Leftovers and Outtakes

I think that this has been the busiest week that I can remember. The last of our company left today, and we have been bums all day. It has been NICE!
Yesterday, we woke to very strong winds blowing. The wind blew so hard that it knocked over Trent's playground in the backyard. Luckily, Matt and Scott were able to put it back up today, and there doesn't seem to be any visible damage to it.

This is what I saw when I looked out the window on Saturday morning.

Trent got a new scooter and bike for Christmas, and today was the first day he got the chance to go outside and try them out. He is great on the scooter, but he has trouble on the bike because he tries to pedal backwards. :)


Here he is going fast on his new Spiderman scooter! Thanks Nanny and Papaw!


He really likes his bike because it has orange on it and that is his FAVORITE color!
Trent has also had fun playing with everyone else's toys. He loves Jack's new toys, and he has decided that Brodie's toys aren't bad either. :)


Trent and Brodie fighting over one of Brodie's toys

We had a few funny moments too. We gave Matt's dad (Pop) a Yard of Beef which is always fun to watch.


The funny unwrapping moment

Trent got two frogs and a snail from his cousins Hannah and Hollie. He finally named them last night. The frogs are Santa Claus and Mr. Joey. The snail is "an elf." Those names have officially stuck now! Here is a picture of them.


Santa Claus, Mr. Joey, and Elf


I just noticed that I left poor Jack out of this post, so here are a couple of cute pics of him.


Jack in his Baby Einstein Exersaucer



Jack in his Christmas pajamas

Friday, December 26, 2008

Trent Family Christmas

Today my brother Ken and his family came up to celebrate Christmas with us again. For those of you confused, my maiden name is Trent. We woke up today about 8 AM. I gave Jack a bottle and started cleaning up from yesterday. I stayed busy and my brother called at 10 to say they were by Wolfchase. I rushed to vacuum and finish the last minute things before they arrived. Then I got in the shower after they had arrived. I guess that I was behind from the get-go this morning.
We opened more presents and ate another big meal of leftovers. Trent had a ball with his cousins Hannah and Hollie. They played and played. Then Trent took a nap, and Ken's family headed to the mall to spend their Christmas money. Here are a few pics from today.



Hollie, Trent, and Hannah



Another Group Shot

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas Day


Our Christmas Tree with the TONS of presents

On a normal day Trent is up and ready to go by 6:30 (also known at the "butt crack of dawn" in our household). However, on Christmas he decided to sleep in. Jack woke up at about 7, so I got him up and fed him a bottle while everyone else began stirring. Everyone was up and waiting on Trent by 7:40. Finally, he headed down the stairs.
On Christmas Eve, Trent informed me that he wanted nutcrackers for Christmas from Santa. This was the first time he mentioned this request, so I told him that Santa may not have enough time to get those for him. Well, on Christmas morning he came downstairs and looked at all of his new stuff, and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Santa didn't bring me any nutcrackers!" What are the chances?



Trent with all of his Santa stuff

We let Trent play with his Santa stuff while my mom and I made sausage balls, cinnamon rolls, and pigs in the blanket.
Then we proceeded to pass out gifts. That took a WHILE.



Jack with all of his presents

We has way too much stuff.
We let Trent unwrap Jack's gifts too. This made it take longer.


Jack loved the penguin that his Ging Gong and Pap sent him

We literally unwrapped gifts for hours. It is sad when we had to take a break to pick up trash and let Trent have a breather because it was becoming a chore. :) Then we spent the rest of the day eating finger foods and sweets and playing with all of our new toys. I am so thankful for our family Christmas. It was awesome!


Brodie was going crazy with his new toy, so Trent decided to act just like him...

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Eve

It has been a very busy week for us. My parents (Nanny and Papaw) came up on Monday. Trent had his school Christmas party on Tuesday. My mom and I have been cooking and preparing for Christmas Eve. This year we decided to do the big meal on Christmas Eve so that we could enjoy playing with the kids on Christmas day. Matt's brother Scott and his parents (Nana and Pop) came up on Christmas Eve.



Matt's brother Scott

We sat down to dinner at 5 o'clock. Then Trent and I made cookies for Santa and reindeer food for Rudolph and his buddies.



Trent making Reindeer Food with his tongue out as usual



Mommy and Trent in the kitchen making cookies

Then we read the Christmas story from the Bible, and we each opened one gift. Trent had a ball with the gift he opened. It was a marshmallow gun from his Uncle Scott. I am still picking up stale marshmallows. :) Then we put Trent to bed after convincing him that Santa would not come upstairs. He is scared to death of Santa. Overall, it was a great Christmas Eve. ;)



Santa and her elf

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Jack Can Roll Over!!

Jack has been trying to roll over for a while now. He doesn't like to be on his tummy long, but he still won't turn over. He would just fuss. Then today I put him down on his tummy and he rolled over easily. It is so hard to believe that is he almost 5 months old. Time flies... Here are a couple of pics of him in various states of rolling over.


Trent can't be left out of the picture....

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Need a laugh?

Today while we were cleaning I decided to make Matt laugh. Matt's mom gave us some of Matt's clothes from when he was little, so I dressed Trent in one of the outfits. It is a size 3T and a little too small, but Trent loved it. There's not much to say.... Just look at the pictures. :)


Look at how tight the "Captain" outfit is...



Look at those butt cheeks :)



Trent wanted to hold a present in a picture



Trent had to use the potty and couldn't get the outfit off because it was so tight!



I liked this cute pyramid of my boys :)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Steve happens....


This is Trent after he opened his early present from Santa

I have two things to talk about in this post, so my title is a mixture of both. It should make sense soon...

We recently got The Elf on the Shelf. This is the coolest thing ever! Or at least for the moment. If you haven't heard of it, let me explain. The Elf on the Shelf is a book about an elf that watches boys and girls each day and goes back to Santa at night to report. Once you get an elf, you have to name it. Trent named ours Steve. Then you put him on a shelf and don't touch it, or he will lose his magic. Each morning Steve chooses a new spot to stay for the day. This shows that he left to tell Santa about Trent. This tradition is already cracking me up. Trent is so nervous every morning to see if Steve came back. Also, anytime Trent is misbehaving we just point out Steve, and he straightens up. I really love this idea! I wish I had thought of it.
This is Steve sitting on the shelf


Second part to my post...

Jack has had no problem pooping since our trip. He pooped three times on Monday, and I had to change every one of those diapers. So, I told Matt that he had to change the next one. Well, last night I kept smelling something, and Matt said he didn't smell it. Well, I finally picked up Jack and told Matt he had to change him. Little did I know the mess that awaited. Jack had completely blown out of his diaper, and if you know Matt, you know this was quite an issue. Matt went through about half a tub of wipes and threatened to throw the outfit away. It's funny how things like this always seem to happen to Matt.... :)


Poop happens... Don't you love the smile on Jack's face?

Monday, December 15, 2008

Our Mini Vacation

My story begins on Wednesday, December 10...
I woke up in the middle of the night because Jack was fussing pretty badly. I went to make him a bottle and listened to him as he begin coughing/barking like a seal. Right then and there, I decided to keep Trent home from daycare and take both of my boys to the doctor.
I got up with Matt at 6:30 and started my preparations. I showered, got Trent dressed and ready, and then I fed Jack and clothed him. We headed out to Collierville to see Dr. Ellis. Luckily, it didn't take very long there. Dr. Ellis gave Jack some medicine for Croup, and he gave Trent some of the blue cough medicine that he has had before. When Dr. Ellis asked Trent if he liked the blue medicine, Trent replied, "No. It's sour." Of course, Dr. Ellis said, "At least he's honest," with a smile.
We were headed back towards Lakeland by 10 AM. I dropped Trent off at school, so that I could get more done faster. By this time, Matt had called to tell me his 3:30 meeting was cancelled and he could leave whenever I had us packed up. After dropping Trent off, I ran to Walgreens and dropped off their prescriptions. Then I headed to Target. I bought the necessities for the trip there, picked up the prescriptions at Walgreens, and went home to begin the packing process.
I worked very diligently packing and was able to get away from the house at about 2:30. We ended up in Jackson by 7, and I only forgot 2 things - Jack's bathtub and Trent's measuring cup for medicine. Not bad considering....
Thursday, December 11
We woke up to sleet and snow. You can read details in my previous blog about the whole snow thing. We eventually got on the road about 1:30. It was crazy to see the snow get deeper and prettier the farther south we went! It was amazing. We made it to Dauphin Island at about 7 PM.

The house we stayed in (on Dauphin Island)

Emily had supper waiting on us. It was a baked chicken stuffed with crawfish and rice stuffing and creamed spinach. It was delicious. We enjoyed visiting and looked forward to the next day.
Friday, December 12
We got up pretty early for vacation - about 9:30. We ate pancakes for breakfast and then started getting ready for our day. We rode the ferry over to Foley to do some shopping.

Matt and I on the ferry to Foley

At this point, I have to say an iPhone is AWESOME! We used it for everything. We found a place to eat seafood using it. We had a yummy seafood lunch. Then we headed to the outlets. We got some Christmas shopping done, and then we headed back to Dauphin Island via land. We stopped for some Starbucks and laughed and enjoyed the ride back. We went through the tunnel which was kinda cool. Once home, Emily's other friends had just arrived. Emily started cooking homemade crawfish etoufee which was so good. We stayed up and played some Rock Band and cards.
Saturday, December 13
We got up early and went for a walk on the beach and collected sea shells for the kids. We enjoyed being outside exploring. Matt found a dead porcupine fish and poked it with a stick - such a boy behavior. ;)

Matt and his fish
Everyone found sand dollars which made me want to find one too. I searched and searched. Then on the way back to the boardwalk, Emily hinted about one on the ground that I picked up. Then within 30 seconds I found 2 more. Once back at the house, we decided to go out for lunch. We used my iPhone again to find a place. We went to the Topless Oyster Raw Bar and Grill. It was a local joint that we loved! It was great. Everyone ordered oysters except me. We enjoyed a long, long lunch full of laughs and fun. Then we went back to the house. For dinner Emily made homemade vegetable soup and cornbread, another yummy meal.
Sunday, December 14
We headed back to Jackson. We picked Jack up in McComb, and then we went to Matt's parents' house in Jackson. We took Trent to see Bolt in 3-D which was fun.
Monday, December 15
We headed home and watched weather reports showing an ice storm about to hit Memphis. Now we are just decompressing and waiting to see if this weather will hit. I hope it misses us because I have a doctor's appointment in the morning that I would really like to make. I hate rescheduling stuff....

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Irony

Well, I can't tell you the number of times that I have wished for snow to have a day off of school, and on a very few occasions my wish came true...
I am sitting at my in-laws in Jackson, Mississippi watching it snow as I type. The only thing is - I want it to STOP NOW! We are supposed to be on the road to Dauphin Island, AL, but we can't go anywhere because my parents are snowed in and can't meet us to get Jack. So now I wait in limbo trying to decide whether we chance it and get on the road to DI after lunch, or do we pack it up and head back to Memphis?

This scenario reminds me of a vacation we tried to take in the not so distant past. We dropped off Trent and headed to Atlanta to the SEC Basketball Tourney. We were so excited about going and listening to the game on the radio as we drove. Then our friends Lick and Natalie (who were at the game) called to tell us that a tornado was hitting the Georgia Dome. Needless to say, we did NOT attend the SEC Tourney because it had to be moved and the public was not allowed. Well, it looks like our bad luck has followed us here today...

Here is picture of my parents' back yard in Centreville, Mississippi. For those of you who don't know where that is, Centreville is in the southwest corner of Mississippi and is one hour north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.




Wish us "good" luck. We obviously need it!!! :)

Monday, December 8, 2008

Mr. Independent

There isn't a ton to report today. I have had a lot of pain in my hands today. I went to UT Medical Group to have labwork done and my TB skin test read. Then I went up to school and checked in with my interim so that I can plan for January. It is hard to believe that I will be going back to work next week. I am going to miss Jack SO MUCH!





Well, today Trent insisted that he was going to feed baby Jack his bottle when he got home from school. I decided to let him do it. I figured that he would get tired of holding Jack and/or the bottle, but he held out until the very end. However, you will notice in the last picture that he is lying down and Jack is holding his own bottle. Little stinker!





One of my favorite times of the day is after Jack's bath. He is always so sweet and smiling. I took and picture tonight to share.





I have a busy couple of days ahead. I have Bunko tomorrow night. It is our Christmas party, so I have to wrap my Dirty Santa gift and do some baking/cooking tomorrow. I also have to run some errands to get ready for our trip.

We head to Jackson, MS on Wednesday night. We are leaving Trent with his Nana and Pop there. Then we will meet my parents in McComb, and they will keep Jack and Brodie while we are gone. I am looking forward to some rest and relaxation. I am also looking forward to reading Twilight. Matt bought it for me last week. :)

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Lots to Catch Up On....

We have had a busy few days around here. My parents stayed all last week and helped me Christmas shop. My mom has a handicap sticker, so it was wonderful for me to not have so much walking to do. By Friday, my poor body was worn out! After they left, I had to go to UT Medical Group and get a TB skin test. I am not sure why I needed it, but I was just following doctor's orders. Then I ran a few errands and got stamps for our Christmas cards. I got a few things for Robin to embroider for Christmas, and I think my shopping is about 95% done. Yeah!

Friday night, we had Joey and Sarah over to watch "Dirty Driving." It was fun. We watched the show and paused and laughed. After that, we played Rock Band for a little while. Then we played spades. We drew for partners and Joey and I were on a team. We won which is always enjoyable for both of us to beat Matt at something. I went to bed at about 2:30 and I got Matt off of the couch about 4:30. And what time do you think Trent got up? 6:30, of course! Matt got up with him. He is a good man because he made it all day on about 3 hours of sleep. I would have NEVER made it.

Saturday we went shopping again to try to finish up. We went to Sam's and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. We only had one incident on those trips. At Sam's Trent rode in the buggy or held onto the side and rode. Well, at BB&B while we were putting Jack on a buggy, he jumped on the side of another one, and he ended up on the ground with a buggy on top of him! He was okay, just really scared and embarrassed. After some hugs and kisses on bobos, he was good to go. When we got home I made a Mexican casserole with hamburger, rotel, onions, taco seasoning, then corn, and Mexican cornbread on top. It was good, but it was VERY spicy. Trent couldn't handle it, and I couldn't eat a full serving, but Matt LOVED it. I will probably make it again with a few changes. It really was yummy!

Today, I took Trent to Kenna's 4th birthday. He was really excited because his "boyfriend" Parker was going to be there. He had a ball! On the way home, we went to Walgreens and got candy canes for the Christmas tree and marshmallows for hot chocolate. Here are a few pics that I thought were cute...


Kenna is in pink!

Trent and Parker (his "boyfriend")


Synchronized Swinging with Reese (his "girlfriend")


Trent on "his" dinosaur!

My favorite pic. How cute is this? They had no idea I took this picture...