A New Journey

Dear Jack,

One year ago today I packed the last of my desk supplies, cried as I said my goodbyes to all my co-workers (many who have become wonderful friends), and walked out the door where I had spent countless hours during the last four years working and loving my job. I was scared to death and yet, so excited to begin my new "job"

Becoming a SAHM was a scary, but exciting adventure that I had always dreamed I would be lucky enough to experience even if it could only be temporary. Not having to show up somewhere everyday at 8am seemed so unimaginable. Needless to say we both adjusted to being home together very quickly and I have never looked back!

Yes, there are days that I can not wait for your bedtime to come or your daddy to get home and change the fifth stinky diaper for the day, but you always make my days so exciting and wonderful!

I could not have been blessed with a better job and I love that I am the one who gets to cherish each moment with you instead of paying someone else to see all your milestones. I can not wait to see what 2010 has in store for us!

I love you more than you will ever know sweet boy!

(This picture was from our first day home together!)

Christmas Round Three

Finally, we are up to the Christmas Day festivities! And it is going to be a LONG one because we did SO much on Christmas Day this year. Jack woke up about 6:45am and Pop rang the doorbell just in time to see all the madness.

(Did Santa really come and why is did daddy taking my picture so early in the am?)


(Is all this really for me?)



We opened gifts, played, and ate a quick breakfast of Sister Schubert sausage wraps before jumping in the car to head to J's grandparents in TN.

It was pure chaos from the time we arrived at their house with 19 people and presents everywhere. Jack was ninety-to-nothing ALL DAY long and I was a baby hog, so needless to say I did not get that many pictures. (Good thing Uncle Bo is camera happy since Hampton arrived!)


We got to meet Jack's new baby cousin Hampton for the first time and he was so cute and such a good baby. Jack was not at all interested that I was stealing his cuddle time with another baby, so I think that means it is time for another one! (J will laugh very loud about that one!)

(Time for presents!)

We had a great day and lots of laughs. Jack loved having so much love and attention. We hope to get to see everyone again soon!

Christmas night we headed to visit Aunt Shan, Will, Sydney, Colby, and Caden for a couple of days. We had a great time relaxing and watching movies. Jack was feeling a little rotten, so he looked like this most of the time while the other kids were busy playing with all the new toys!


They gave us the coolest video camera for Christmas, so I am sure you will be seeing Jack in action a lot more in our posts and I am almost positive that is why Shan got it! She has to get her Jack fix! HA!

Christmas Round Two

I don't know what Sara Ann and I were thinking, but taking a 15-month-old and 19-month-old into "big" church on Christmas Eve, was not a good idea! Needless to say we ended up with VERY angry baby when we picked him up from the nursery!

But have no fear, he quickly got over it when we got to the Oatridge's house for yummy gumbo and red velvet cupcakes.


(Jack thought one was not enough, and Reed did not like that!)


We opened presents, visited with "Uncle" Matt, and played in the bath tub with Reed after indulging in cupcakes.

After dinner we rushed home to change into our Christmas pj's and put out the milk and cookies for Santa before Jack headed to bed. He did not want to share the cookie with Santa and made sure to let me know by pitching a large fit right in the middle of the family room.

After Jack was quiet and snug in bed, J and I played Santa and exchanged gifts while laughing at Christmas Vacation.

Santa's come! (And all this does not even include everything else we got from grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends!)

Christmas Round One

We have had such a wonderful Christmas weekend, we have been so many places and taken lots of pictures, that it will take me a week to share it all! I am really sort of glad we get to spend the week talking about Christmas. It was such a wonderful Christmas, that I really want it to last just a little longer!

First up, Christmas Eve, Eve.


Carolyn and Sharon are mother/daughter that worked with me back in my real estate days. They both were the sweetest "mothers" to me when J and I first moved to Birmingham. They were our first set of friends to arrive at the hospital when I went into an unexpected early labor with Jack and stayed all day. There is NEVER a dull moment when you are with them, so Jack and I were very excited to meet them for lunch and visit before all the Christmas activities got crazy!


(They had to spoil him, just a little!)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!


We wanted to share our "fun" Christmas picture with you, but we also know that Jesus is the true reason for Christmas and we will celebrate that today as we enjoy time with family and friends.

It's Christmas Eve

Today We Will...

• Indulge in yummy Chick-fil-a for breakfast

• Go shopping for one last gift, only because it is fun to get out in all the holiday hustle and bustle

• Have J home all day

• Wear one of our cute Christmas outfits for the last time. (this only applies to the little one in the house, no adult in this house will be wearing a sparkly, glittery Christmas sweater)

• Enjoy a special Christmas Eve service at church

• Eat a yummy dinner with the Oatridges after church and watch Jack and Reed open gifts

• Leave cookies and milk for Santa

• Make sure Santa gets all the presents out

• Snuggle on the couch with only the Christmas lights twinkling and watch Christmas Vacation

• Pack for our trip to TN on Friday
  

• Hope that Jack sleeps late enough on Christmas morning that Pop makes it in time to see it! (he is coming a 6am, so I think we are good!)

A Sweet New Baby

Aunt Emmy's childhood friend, Jessie and her family were in town over the weekend and lucky for us it was more convenient to stop by our house, so they met up here. We got to see their precious new baby boy!

I was not sure what Jack would think mainly because we have not been around any tiny new babies at all lately. Surprisingly he did well and only tried to "rock" his car seat a few times and kept saying Baa, Baa, Baa. (that is his word for baby and Barney) I think I was the nervous wreck!


Wesson was so cute and tiny. Weighing a little over 7lbs he seemed so breakable and yet a short 15 months ago (today) I was holding a 5lb baby. I honestly can not remember how little that really was.

We were glad to see them and love on Wesson some. I was hoping Aunt Em might catch the baby bug, but no such luck! I think she is perfectly content to love on Jack for now, and we are so glad she does!

I Remembered

To post the pictures (finally) of Markus's wedding last weekend. I guess if I had remembered my camera then, that would have helped!

A happy little shopper at the mall before the wedding!


My favorite picture


Uncle Greg and Jordan


I think I might get in trouble if I try to climb those steps!



The happy couple


It was a beautiful Winter wedding and Jack was VERY good during it, even though J stayed on the back row with him just in case. At the reception he danced, ate off everyone's plate, and had way to much cake!

Weekend List

This weekend, we...

Woke up early, threw our coats on over our pj's, and ran out to see Santa passing through our neighborhood on the Fire Truck.

Got very excited over our new Barney pj's from Aunt Emmy. Raised hands, screams, and all. I guess Santa should have bought Barney pj's!



Went shopping and had lunch at the mall, before the crowds arrived!


Wrapped presents


Finished the last of the monogramming orders! YEA!!



Enjoyed some time with Pop and ate yummy chilli that J made.


Decided that reading the Sunday paper was much more fun than taking a nap!

Hope your weekend was as nice and relaxing as ours!
We are now ready for a fun holiday week!!

Our Little Model

Jack has made his modeling debut.


By total accident I met the lady behind Vive La Fete's collegiate line and she asked me if Jack could model his UT outfit on her website. I sent a picture and he is now looking as cute as ever on their website. You can see his cuteness here along with Coach Kiffin's family. (Oh, Uncle Matt get all the credit for the outfit, since he did buy it!)

Patiently Waiting

Update: William Redick Rutland has arrived. He was 7lbs 12oz and has the cutest chubby cheeks. Both mom and baby are doing great.




I know two posts in one day.
Are you not amazed?

I just have to show you this picture I got this morning.
This sweet boy is at the hospital waiting to become a big brother!

My childhood friend, Stephanie and her husband Michael are getting ready to welcome Baby Will to their family. We can not wait to see pictures.

Favorites

Jack's toys have sort of taken over our upstairs den, so I guess you could say it has become the playroom, and my sweat shop is upstairs, so it just sort of just worked out. (oh, and I am very type A and could not stand toys all over the house, so this contains them, some what)

Yesterday we spent a long time playing upstairs with his ball popper. I think it is his most favorite toy. It is the 1st thing he or any child at our house picks up. I think I bought EVERY little one we know one for Christmas.

This is also my favorite Christmas outfit we have. My mom bought it last year and I especially love that it is reversible and has a snowman on the other side, so when Christmas is over we can still wear it!

Maybe we will show you all our Christmas clothes, but with only 7 days til Christmas, I don't think we have time!

I'm In Love...

I have been dying waiting to show you this....

But, I had to make sure they were in everyone's mailboxes first.

I think this is my most favorite card that we have ever done.
And for those who have asked, I got it here.

I mean how can you not love that face?

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

This is sweet boy

provided much entertainment under the Christmas tree last night
for his babysitter... Aunt Emmy who found it very comical until he decided to try to unplug the lights!



*And yes, I am fully aware that my Christmas tree looks totally ridiculous without a tree skirt. I am holding out for the pricey one from Pottery Barn that I am in love with. It will be on sale after Christmas!!

Strawberry Cake, Cookies, and Jewelry,... Oh My!

We survived the LONG trip to NC for my only boy cousin's wedding, thanks to the DVD player and many, many hours of Barney. It was a super rushed weekend (meaning, that is my excuse for forgetting the camera!) but we had lots of fun seeing everyone that we had not seen in a year and Jack was the cutest thing in his outfit for the wedding. (the outfit that he was supposed to wear for his baptism, but got blood on that morning, so thanks to Oxy Clean he still got to wear it one time before I have to pack it away for the next Henson baby, unless we have a girl! HA!) I promise to post some pictures when I locate them from the wedding photographer or Jessica. (they were the only ones with the cameras!)

Aunt Em was off today so we met for some lunch and a little shopping.
We even stopped for a little afternoon splurge at our favorite bakery for some fresh strawberry cake and sugar cookies. And yes, we were wearing our summer Christmas outfit today because it was 70 degrees!


AND we visited a new store at the Summit, Charming Charlie's. I am in love with all the jewelry they had and I even decided to jump in on a fall trend and buy one of these....

I don't know if I will wear it, (mine is silver) but Em said it was cute so we will see. It is so funny how everyone thinks a SAHM's wardrobe should be tennis shoes and sweat pants. I just can not seem to get on board with that "trend" and probably never will, I like dresses way to much!

Even though this picture doesn't look like it (HA!)
My sweet boy is back to almost normal today!

He was VERY into Barney on the TV. (I know my child is 20 years behind the times!)

Yucky Rainy Day

Yesterday was just yucky so we...

Spent some extra time in our pj's and played with ice on the floor! (This is one of Jack's new favorite things to do-thanks to his Daddy)


We baked Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies, each ate one and sent the rest to work with J. Can't you tell Jack liked them? This was his 1st homemade CC cookie.



Then we spent some time in the sweat shop trying to get caught up!
(Not sure that will happen any time soon!)


**Update: This was exactly how our day went until about 7:30p when we lost power due to the storms and had a sick baby wake up at midnight with a high fever and throwing up. You can imagine the comedy act it was to give a baby a bath a midnight by flashlight, take a temp, give medicine, and then try to find some place for all the sheets and bedding to hang out until the power came back and we could turn on the washing machine! Add in 2 plus a sick baby trying to sleep in the same bed! Let's just say that Jack and I were on the couch watching Barney by 4am when the power finally returned!

We have been to the doctor this morning and have a virus! Lots of Gatorade and Love should help today!