We officially have a Kindergartener!

James has just arrived home from his first day of Kindergarten. This morning, I walked him to school and he rode the bus home. He said he had a lot of fun on his first day. They walked around the school to see where everything is. They found the office, library, and cafeteria. James ate all his lunch and even brought his Tupperware containers home like I asked him to. I found that he devoured his snack and drank all of his water. He must have been one hungry kiddo. He told me all about the stories they read and the new songs they learned today. He said he colored a few pictures of me and him and wrote his name like we practiced this summer. All in all, I'd say it was a successful day for him. He's all ready to go back again tomorrow.

All ready for school!

From James Birthday

James in his seat in Mrs. Moore's classroom

From James Birthday

Here's a short video of James getting off the bus this afternoon.

A weekend of firsts and lasts

This weekend was full of firsts and lasts.

Saturday night was Jude's first overnight trip to Gammie and Poppa's house. He did a great job for them. He ate, played and slept well. This is definitely a sign that things will go well while Brian and I are in Alaska.

Friday night was Jude's last night in his bassinet. I moved all of his stuff (clothes, diapers, etc.) up to the nursery and put the bassinet away. He's officially out of our room.

Sunday night was Jude's first full night in his crib. He did ok. He slept until 3 am or so when I had to go give him back his pacifier. I had to go back up around 4 and then at 5:15, Brian brought him down to our room. I was tired of going up and down the stairs.

This weekend was James' last weekend of summer. To make it a special one, he got to spend the day with just me and Brian. We went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Rainforest Cafe for lunch and then to see the new movie Shorts. He had an absolutely wonderful day!! He even got to sleep over at his friend Cameron's house.

This was also my last week having James at home with me full time. Our original plan was for me to stop working after Jude was born but I'm so incredibly glad that I had a full year with James before he started Kindergarten. While he may have gotten on my nerves quite a few times, I am so blessed to have gotten that special time with him. He's grown and changed so much over the last year. I'm just happy I was able to be there to see it.

James and Daddy looking at the Triceratops skull

From James Birthday

Checking out the Mammoth skeleton

From James Birthday

Making hand prints on the Liquid Crystal wall

From James Birthday

Brian and James' hand prints

From James Birthday

Jude at 3 months

Time is really flying by these days. Summer is almost over and Jude is officially 3 months old. He continues to get bigger and bigger each day. We thought he might have an ear infection (thankfully his ears were all clear) so I took him to Dr. Clarke's office. He weighed in at a whopping 16 lbs!!! He busting out of his 3-6 month clothes so it's time to get the 6-9 month outfits washed and ready. Jude is still sleeping through the night which is a huge blessing. He goes to bed around 9:30 and sleeps until 6:30 or 7 most mornings. Jude still loves to stand in my lap and talk to me during breaks from eating his bottle. He's also starting to sit in his Bumbo seat and lie on his play mat. He really likes watching lights and fans as most babies do. Overall, he's a really happy baby who loves to be a part of what's going on day to day. Oh yeah, Jude also likes to watch football on TV! The boys were over at Kristen's while Brian and I went on a date and Jude sat and watched football with Darren for almost two hours. Who knows, maybe Jude will be our boy who's into sports. Jude is also close to rolling over fro back to front. He can get onto his side but stops there. I think he'll start rolling here in the next month or so.

Here are some recent photos of Jude.

Napping with Daddy

From Baby Jude

Tummy Time

From Baby Jude

Chillin' in my Bumbo

From Baby Jude

A New Decade Begins...

It's official. I have entered my 30's. The very last day of my 20's was better than I could have hoped for. I got to go to one of my favorite summer places - Schlitterbahn - with my family. James, John and I got up early to pick up my parents and my sister in Austin. Then we made the hour drive down to New Braunfels. We met up there with my cousin and her family and my aunt. We spent the morning at Blastenhoff riding the Wolfpack, Black Knight and Torrent river. After lunch we headed to Surfenburg and rode the Dragon's Revenge and the lazy river. James really shocked me by riding all of the big rides with me and my sister. He wasn't scared at all and can't wait to go back next year. John hung out with my mom at the kiddie area and the wave river. We all had such a wonderful time. I'm hoping we can make this a yearly event.

I know most people freak out about turning 30 but I'm really excited about it. My 20's were great. I met the love of my life, graduated college, got married and gave birth to three terrific boys. I worked for three great companies and made the greatest career change of my life when I became a stay at home mom. We've built two homes and lived in another country. We've taken many memorable trips both as a couple and a family. I'm looking forward to watching our children grow up, taking many more vacations and spending lots of time with our family and friends. Let the 30's begin!!