Happy Halloween!

This was one day that it was actually kind of chilly....very nice!

Jax is diving into the terrible two's head first (at 19 months)! Its been fun and challenging! I'm missing the days when Jax was easier to handle (and hold) but very much enjoying the new spectrum of funny things he does! He loves to dance to everything including the songs in his head and he babbles endlessly about God only knows what. :0) He also tries really hard to say words that we are trying to teach him. He has quickly gotten into the habit of holding hands with us and praying before we eat dinner and thinks its hilarious. He has not yet gotten the hang of holding hands and walking with us in public. We are working hard on that skill!

We've learned a lot about his personality in the last couple months. He is extremely strong willed.....my mother-in-law reassured me that because of that, he will be a leader and a very determined person. (Very encouraging words to hear and I remind myself of them when I can't get the kid to eat his vegetables.)

On a more superficial note, Jax has a wicked combover that we might finally cut in the coming days. I'll post pictures if that actually happens. :0) I've been putting it off because I LOVE his red hair and can't bare to part with any of it!

more Jax goodness to come......

More pictures....less words :0)

I know my posts are getting shorter and shorter but I don't seem to have a lot of time these days to write a lot! So here are some pictures!

Here is Jax on his first day of school (mother's morning out)!

We met up our good friends Dan and Betsy while they were in town. Little Mary Beth is a cutie! Yes, that is drool on Jax's shirt! :0)

At the beach!!

Where to start?!

I was reminded by my sweet friend Merran that I have not posted anything in over 5 weeks.  :0) So here is a picture synopsis of our lives over the past month and a half! 

I celebrated my 30th bday with my fam and friends at the end of July!  We had a wonderful time with everybody and Jax LOVED playing with his cousins!

Dad, mom, Jax, David, me and Marshall at dinner

Marshall, Uncle Doug, Mathis and Aunt Lindsey

Another eventful moment was when Jax broke his arm.  He fell off the bed when he was trying to climb off the bed.  It was sad but Jax was a trouper and the only really traumatic part was when the splint was put on! (Traumatic for me, that is!)

Jax with his temporary splint.  This thing weighed 5lbs, I swear!

We went to his cousin, Riley's 3rd bday party .  They are good buds!  Unfortunately, we didn't get to go for the fun jumping part of the party because of his arm, only for the food!

Jax with his new cast!

And.......3 weeks later, right after he got his cast taken off!

We went on a cruise with some good friends to Cozumel and Grand Cayman.  We had a blast and laughed a ton!  (oh and ate, way too much!)

Thomas's, Reese's and us in Grand Cayman before snorkeling.

While we were gone, Poppy (David's mom) watched Jax for us!  He had so much fun with her!  Thank you so much Poppy!  You made it easy to relax on our vacation because we knew Jax was in great hands!

Jax is starting school this Wednesday and we had orientation on Friday.  He loved all the toys and seemed to adjust really well!  I'm so excited to see what he learns!  He'll only go Monday and Wednesday 9-1 so it should be a good break for me too!

Here is Jax with some kids at orientation.  The kid on the left is older and wont be in his class but his friend Lane, on his right, is a friend of his from church and will be in his class! :0)

David's dad and grandfather came into town on Thursday for the weekend.  It was so good to see them!  

David 3, David 4, David Jr., and David Sr.!

By the way, Jax is 18 months!  He weighs 30 lbs and is trying to talk a lot! (we just can't understand all of it!)  He is still the happiest kid and he sleeps a ton and eats a ton!  He is an absolute joy to be around!  

Summer fun!

Our friends Ashley, Mark and Hamilton came to visit us a couple weeks ago.  We had such a great time with them!  Hamilton is a year older than Jax but they had a blast together!  Thanks for coming Ash!  You are welcome back anytime! :0)

Dinner at Barbara Jeans....YUMMY!! (The kids were at home sleeping soundly!:0)

How cute are they??!!  This makes me smile!

We also went to the Suns Game with some good friends.  I wasn't sure how long Jax would actually last but he made it through 5 innings!  His favorite part?  The music and ice cream, of course!

Why is daddy eating my icecream??

Just a normal day on the boat.....dancin, eatin and blowing kisses!

This was the first time we saw him blow a kiss and the lucky receiver of the kiss was Miss Jamie!  Luckily we caught it on camera! 

15 months. people!!

Jax is 15 months!  We had his checkup on Friday and he is a big boy!  He is in the 90th% for his height and the 75th% for his weight.  The dr. said he looked perfect but its time that we get him off of his bottle......I think this is going to be harder for me than him.  (I can't believe he's not a baby anymore!)  He's already mastered the sippy cup during the day but its time to get rid of the bottle at night and in the morning.   Here he is at the Dr.'s office.  As you can see, I came with an arsenal of things to keep him occupied!

I never posted any pictures from Grand Cayman so here are some.  It was so beautiful!  We stayed at the Ritz Carlton and the everything there was amazing!!  

Here is a picture of us in front of the hotel. 

  

The local wildlife!  They were everywhere!  This was one of the big ones.

The view from our room.   Right past the grass was the beach.  We lucked out with our room reservations!

Sean Strickland

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/obits/stories//2009/06/07/sean_strickland_obit.html