A Masterpiece of Our Own

J, you are growing up so fast! I can't believe that you are almost two months away from being THREE years old. Each day you bring us so much joy and love! If I could, I would keep you a little boy FOREVER. There is so much that I want to remember about you, Sweet Boy!

-You are such a snuggle bunny every night before we take you upstairs for bedtime stories.

-You love to be a happy helper and take your jobs very seriously...Miss Catherine's Bible carrier and our little garage door opener.

-You love music, especially songs with motions and the cd with your name in it...36 times!

-You love to ride in your little red cozy coupe outside.

-You want to throw and catch the ball with Daddy almost everyday. Your catching skills are quite impressive!

-You take boo-boos like a true champ!

-You love praise! We think you are our "words of affirmation" guy!

-You like to sort and match pieces. I love to watch you do these things! Thank you for letting me be your teacher!

-You love playgrounds. You climb on anything and everything. Your favorite slide is the tall, enclosed one, and sometimes you would rather slide down on your tummy.

-You like to pretend you are reading books,especially the repetitive books by Eric Carle or anything that you see with words on it. You understand the very simple concepts of reading and counting objects.

-You are a cautious boy with some things at first but rarely scared to try something.

-You work so hard at producing sounds and words correctly-something most people take for granted. You already show so much perseverance at such a young age!

-You have an amazing smile! I hope the small things in life will always continue to bring you joy!

-You show an unbelievable amount of confidence in the water. We are so proud of you and happy that you have already found a sport that you LOVE!

-You are such a sweetie to your pals, teachers, and us! God has given you an amazing sweet, gentle spirit.

First Day of School

Today was J's first day of school. It was quite different from last year. There were NO tears...from Mommy or J. However, J's willingness to pose for the camera was even shorter this year.



Mommy, I am saying "cheese"...come on, let's go!

Take a look at J a year ago on his first day of school!

Seriously, Mommy?!?!

Our blog is the main way I can record neat things that J can do, yet, I unfortunately don't always have a camera around to capture it or take the time to record it. My sweet husband sometimes can't figure out why I record some things in J's life! If you are a teacher, work with young children in some way, or just track your child's development, you will understand the video below. This summer, J started to really like stringing blocks, beads, etc...good news to this mommy of a little boy! I love to watch his hand-eye coordination as he concentrates on this task!! Too bad you can't see this in the video since I started recording too late. Even better, he is so proud of himself! I think he might be our "words of affirmation" child. Check out his smile at the end!

Beach Vacation :)

We just got back from our final vacation this week. :( We went with my parents to the beach for a week. Dave and I were talking about how thankful we are to see the excitement in J on vacation, yet making it even more difficult to leave. He got to spend some quality time with Grandpa and Grammie and became Grandpa's little sidekick for the week. J got to play his first game of miniature golf, went on a boat ride, rode some fun rides, played in the sand & ocean, and SWAM with Grandpa for the first time this summer. These are some of my favorite pics...couldn't decide what to post, so here they ALL are...

Wacky Wednesday

Wednesday was the craziest day ever so I have to blog about it! First of all, it was our first day back from vacation. I got up around 7:45 as usual, showered, and checked on J since I couldn't her him on the monitor. Sidenote...even though he is in a big boy bed, he still waits on us to come get him. If it has been awhile, he will sometimes climb out but still stays close to the bed in case we come in he can make a mad dash back in the bed! I think he assumes he'll be in trouble if he is out of the bed. Regardless, we like it this way. Well, he was still sleeping. I did some unpacking, started laundry, checked e-mail...still sleeping. I ate my breakfast, emptied the dishwasher...still sleeping. Finally, it was 10:30, and he started waking up. This very unusual for J who NEVER sleeps this late! The day went on pretty much as usual until around lunchtime. I took J outside to play, and after we went back inside, my friend, Kelley, called. I was standing in the kitchen talking to her while J headed upstairs. A few minutes later, I went upstairs to check on him and walked into our bedroom to find J grinning from ear to ear and a CAT! We don't have a cat. Kelley was laughing hysterically on the telephone as I chased the cat out. She had just told me that there was a cow in her front yard. Crazy. Later, I found where the neighbor's cat had pushed our kitchen door open and apparently darted upstairs. J and I still laugh when we talk about that cat in our house! I decided to give J a little rest time later on in the afternoon. After a little while, I went to check on him. What I found was him on the floor wedged between his bed and the glider. He pretended to be asleep when I walked in but I knew better. Dave got a good laugh as I shared our wacky Wednesday!

Cousins

Last week, J got to spend a few days with his cousin, John, at our house. They had such a good time together, and J was so sad when John had to go back home! We spent time doing so many fun things: waterpark, McDonalds, Chic-fil-A, haircuts, shopping, pool, playing outside, ice cream, movies, etc.







We spent last weekend with Dave's parents. We managed to get a picture of the three Hilton cousins-ages 6, 2, and 1




We also went in to have our teeth cleaned...no cavities...YAY! J wasn't exactly comfortable with the whole situation, but at least Dave's dad could see that he has no cavities. He sat up in the chair like a big boy, but when the bib went on him and Dave's dad put on his mask, it all went downhill! :(

Don't let the happy face fool you!

J's first real exam. Hmm, he did much better at 10 mos.


We also got to visit with my friend, Kerri, and her little guy!

A Future Cadet?