The Big Ohio

On Sunday afternoon we headed to the Ohio River for some boating with our family and friends from Mt. Carmel. It was the perfect day thanks to the wind! I was so worried that it was going to be horrifically hot and miserable for Jayden. I am glad I was wrong and you don't hear that from me too often! :)

Aaron put Jayden in the sand for the first time and he wasn't too sure of what to think of it.

So his cousin came to the rescue. He taught him how to dig and play in the sand just like the big boys.

Aunt Kim had a basket full of toys that Jayden rummaged through during his time at the beach and it kept him entertained while he sat under the big umbrella.

Travis & Julie's Wedding

Best wishes to Travis and Julie who were united in marriage this weekend in Evansville, IN. We made the trip down to spend the weekend with Aaron's family and help celebrate with the newlyweds.

The Acree family. Adam flew in from Denver for the weekend festivities.

It was great to see Adam again. We were lucky to visit with him last month when he stayed for a few days but we are not sure when we will see him again. Thanksgiving, maybe??

Jayden stayed on his schedule fairly well and had a late afternoon nap. Instead of a bed, he crashed on Aaron's suit jackets in between our chairs. We had another chair behind him so he was safe. He got a 20 minute nap and was ready to party!

My little man looked so handsome in his little baby suit his Grandma Nieves bought him. He was quite the little entertainer at the wedding and on the dance floor. Everyone loved his little tie and dress shirt. Congrats again to Travis and Julie!!

Pool Time

Jayden and I made a visit to Amy's on Thursday for some pool time. Actually, we were only there for an hour. It simply gets too hot for Jayden to be out for too long. We practiced our swim moves from baby swim class and burned some energy! Thanks, Amy for letting us come play at your house!

TROUBLE

Jayden is on the move and NOTHING gets in his way! Inquiry-based learning is what I will call it from now on instead of trouble. He is exploring his world and applying it to different situations. He is discovering where he can go and what he can do. It is very interesting to watch him discover something new. I will continue to follow him around while he learns about the world around him. At least it is giving me a good workout at the same time!

1 week until vacation

We are counting down the days until we head to sunny Hilton Head,SC. It will be such a nice break from Illinois and the busy schedules we live. I am excited for Aaron to be able to relax from work, Jayden to visit the ocean for the first time, and for me to hang out with my two favorite boys.

I hope to head to a place called The Sandbox, An Interactive Children's Museum with Jayden. They have a special area for children under the age of 2. Hopefully, Aaron will be able to go kayaking while we are busy or maybe play a round of golf. I am looking forward to our time together as a family with no interruptions of homework, construction work, or anything else that occurs during the week!

Playing with Friends...

I'm not sure what is going on in any of these pictures. Just use your imagination!

Jayden is 11 months old!!

Jayden is 11 months old today! He is happy as can be and 100% boy!!! Here are his monthly milestones:
1. The scale at home tells me that Jayden weighs in at 20 lbs. He is growing like a weed!
2. He is wearing size 12 to 18 month clothing and wearing size 4 diapers. He is very compatible when it comes to getting dressed but when it comes to changing his diaper he is a wild man.
3. He is a super fast crawler and loves to try and climb the stairs any chance he can get! We have a gate at the top but not at the bottom. He has stood by himself twice, just hasn't taken the first step yet.
4. He loves all of his toys and he will sit and play for an extended amount of time. I love to watch the curiosity on his face!
5. Jayden loves his bottle and now drinks 6 oz at each sitting and sometimes even 8 oz before bed. He drinks water out of his cup throughout the day.
6. He now enjoys real food--cheerios, bread, bites of cheeseburger, mashed potatoes (especially from KFC), baby puffs, and a few other foods.
7. His two bottom teeth are continuing to poke through and now he is starting to get two on the top. Maybe by his first birthday they will be all the way through. He seems to be slow at teething.
8. He loves to swim!!! I figured he would considering I spent my whole life at a pool and Aaron spent his on a boat.
9. He is sleeping in his own bed in his bedroom just as always. It has taken about five weeks to get him back on schedule to sleeping through the night and not waking up each night crying. These 5 weeks have been very long with wake up calls around 12, 3, & 5 am. Hopefully, he will continue to sleep all night with our travels this weekend. I am not sure I can survive if he gets off schedule and back to waking up 3 to 4 times per night. Schedule = survival!!
10. Jayden is really talking a lot now. He really isn't speaking words besides mama, dada, and baba. He may have said papa, but I haven't heard him say it again. We have started singing Happy Birthday to him and working on holding up 1. I can't believe he is going to be 1 next month!

J's First Parade

We walked in the parade this past weekend for Bruce. Thank you, Sarah, for the action shot!

Dora!

Not a baby anymore...

A Day on the Lake

We spent two short days on the lake this weekend for Father's Day. Jayden drove the boat for the first time and we watched the sun set on Friday night.

On Sunday, he had so much fun splashing around in the water. He even wore his hat which is a rare occasion!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Aaron! Jayden and I are so blessed to have you in our lives. You are the best daddy a little boy could ask for! I look forward to watching you teach Jayden how to throw the football, catch his first fish, go hunting, build his first tree house, and teaching him how to grow up and become as successful as you. His charm, charisma, and determination make me think of you all the time. Happy Father's Day! We love you!

"A father is a guy who has pictures in the place where money used to be." ~Author Unknown

"A small boy becomes a big man through the influence of a big man who cares about his small boy."~Author Unknown

Fairwell to the Ford

From a Mustang....to a Jetta....to an Explorer...and now to a mom-van. It's funny how things change, isn't it?? Today we said good bye to our Explorer and hello to a new mini-van. Did I ever think I would drive a mini-van? No way!! However, I did love the "vanster" when I was growing up. I was an only child in a mini-van and it was awesome! There was so much space and now it is Jayden's turn to be an only child in a mini-van.

Today when I was driving to trade in the Explorer it made me a bit sad because we brought Jayden home from the hospital in this car. Here is our first picture in the car together! And here we are getting ready to trade it away! 11 months later and look how Jayden has grown!!

Well...here it is! The new mom-van!! Aaron told me that I still "look cool" driving it and not like an old lady. I was really worried about that! This van will be perfect for us for over the next few years. It has an automatic start button in which I always wanted on a car, leather seats, four heated seats, two television screens with satellite TV, power doors on both sides and the rear hatch, stow and go seating, backup camera, power windows~all 6 of them, and so much more. It was such a good deal that we couldn't pass up the opportunity to have more space and more luxury. I suppose all I need now is a little soccer ball sticker to go on the back window :) Just joking! I will save that for a few years down the road!! Beep, beep!!

Happy Early Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day a bit early this year. Aaron had a very long week at work and had plans to go golfing with his friends on Saturday morning. Since most of his gifts were related to golf, we had everything ready to go when he got home from work rather than making him wait a few more days. A few weeks ago, I decided that we would have a scavenger hunt for him in the house. I painted Jayden's hands and feet and the creativity came naturally! (Thanks, Mom for that gift!) We started outside with a little note...led him into the kitchen for a special gift and then to the front room for a new hat!

He then followed Jayden's footprints to the dining room to find--new golf shorts, golf shirts, and red, white, and blue shorts just like Jayden's!

He found some picture frames in the living room to take to his office at work along with a new toy truck so he could play with Jayden. Finally, he found his last gift under the couch. A new putter!!

Hopefully all of his new gear will bring him good luck out on the course tomorrow! Happy Early Father's Day, Aaron!!

We LOVE Summer!!

Swim Class #2

Wednesday marked day two of swim class for Jayden. Kristy filled in for me as mommy so Jayden could still swim. He was a bit nervous to enter the water at first, but soon adjusted. Thanks, Kristy for taking time out of your day to swim with Jayden!!

He learned to hold onto the noodle and kick his legs. I think he may have enjoyed chewing on the noodle more.

Look at those big muscles! Jayden's friend, Rilynn, who is 10 days older, is in our swim class too. She loves the water just as much as Jayden!!

Busy Boy

So what is a boy to do when his Daddy is gone working on a house and his Mommy is busy doing or trying to do homework in the kitchen?

So it may not have been the best form of entertainment in an educational way, but he showed determination to clear out the drawers, got on his tip toes to get everything out of the highest drawer, was close to me "in-case" he fell down, safe after I removed the boxes with sharp edges, and he stayed there until it was bath time. What else is there to do on a Monday night when it is raining outside and your trapped in a kitchen? I think he made a good choice! As for me, I didn't get any homework done because I sat close and watched him. He was just too cute and so determined! I am sure that this will be a common problem over the next 7 weeks!

Swim Lessons

Happy, yet tired. Swim class is a lot of work when you aren't even 1. We will go back on Wednesday for some more practice in the water!

He was ready to go to swim class today right on time, just waiting on Mommy!

Livia and Adan

This pretty little girl was in a little contest today and she was the grand prize winner in my book!

She walked on stage, answered a question, smiled, and waved. She even did a little spin.
All the other little girls had their mom's walk with them, not Livia.

We were so proud of Livia. Looking forward to seeing what she will do next year! Adan did a little boy contest too. He took his baseball on stage with him. He walked by himself and did a spin.

The twins and their metals after the contest! Great job, Adan and Livia!!

Livia's video-Click here

Adan's video-Click here