Whipped Cream?

Jacob, do you want to lick the whipped cream? Why yes, Mom, of course I do!

Yum.

Let me just get that little bit....oh, you caught me with my tongue out!

Oh, that was good!

Who doesn't like to lick the whipped cream anyways?!?!?!

Climbing!

The last time we went to this park, Jacob couldn't do this...

(sorry for the sideways video)

We're enjoying every minute of his successes! God is good!

Hold your Horses!

Today we went here and spent some time with the Mounted Police and their Tennessee Walking Horses. When we were in the car on our way, we asked Jacob if he wanted to see some horses, and he responded emphatically with a, "YES...Horses, Yes!" It was so cute!

Here's Jeff and Jacob meeting "Joe."

This horse, Autobahn, was very interested in licking. Jacob thought it was very funny that the horse was "lick-it" on his mommy.
This is Jacob on one of the Mounted Police horses named Jose. We learned later in a show, that Jose is 15 years old and has worked and trained with the same officer for 13 years. Such powerful and amazing creatures!

During the show, Jacob was watching Jose and his officer very intently. You can tell by how red his face is, that it was VERY warm inside the training barn. Even the fans weren't much help...

"Jacob, where's the horse?"

Jacob thought it was funny that Jose could "kick a ball" just like he does. :)

Here's Jose and his officer demonstrating part of their training program. These horses are trained to walk sideways, break up fights, walk through caution tapes, walk on tires, and remain calm during loud noises, among other things.

The cutest part of our afternoon was when we got in the car to come home, Jacob said, "Horses, like it," without any prompting from us. So fun!

Three Dog Nights in July

This is what our living room looked like every night for a week! It was an animal house! We got to watch two of our dear friends' dogs for a week while they were on vacation. Needless to say, Jacob loves Roxy and Ellie! Every now and then he asks for Roxy and Ellie...so cute!

Jacob loved to lay all over Ellie. She is the oldest of the dogs and lets Jacob just do whatever. Jacob would crawl inside her crate sometimes and sit with her. He would love on her every chance he could! She is a sweet sweet dog! We love Ellie!

You can see Roxy, the little dog, found her place at the top of the chaise lounge. Ha! She was watching over her kingdom (not really). She's a bit sneaky and liked to hide under the bed whenever you called her to come to her crate.

If you can believe it, we took all three dogs, and Jacob in the stroller, out for a walk one evening. Yes, we were adventurous, that's for sure. Anyhow, after we returned the dogs were worn out. Here's Ellie's face after our walk. So funny!

For those of you wondering...Jackson did great with two other dogs in his home. I think he kinda missed them this week! :)

Homemade Pizza Night

Shuttle Launch

Yes, you read the title correctly.......We got to SEE the last shuttle launch in Florida! It was a whirlwind of a trip, that included small amounts of sleep for most of us, and lots of uncertainty due to weather, but in the end it all worked out wonderfully!

Some great family friends graciously offered their airplane for us to have this opportunity at seeing the shuttle launch. So, on Thursday afternoon Uncle Biggie came and picked us up and we headed down to Atlanta to pick up some other stragglers (Pappy, Agga, and Misty). After some delays with weather, we hopped into the plane and headed toward Florida. Uncle Biggie and Daddy did a really good job flying around the clouds and keeping everyone safe!!! Here's some pictures of Jacob on the airplane going to Florida!

Pappy and Misty saying Hello to the camera! Great pic!

Jacob flying the airplane! Although, it was likely flying itself at this point of the flight! Ha!

We arrived in Florida around 9:30, and after checking into our hotel and getting a bite to eat, we finally got to sleep around 11:30PM. Knowing that we would be fighting the crowds to get a parking spot close to the launch, we decided to get up early and find a good spot. So, at 4:00AM we left the hotel and headed toward the launch site. Luckily, we found some open areas on one of the Causeways. Even with just a few hours of sleep, Jacob was as happy as he could be! What a trooper!

While we waited for the launch, we did our best to entertain Jacob. Here's Agga and Jacob walking around the news busses.

Around 8:30, Jacob got an hour nap...

Of course, Jacob had to have a shirt of the last shuttle launch!

Despite all our efforts, the heat and exhaustion still got to Jacob. He had a minor meltdown because I would not let him have a plastic spoon.

But, he was quickly distracted with laughs from Daddy!

We drank some water and had the fans blowing!

Jacob even entertained himself in his chair...he loved putting his cup in the holder! He looks SO BIG in that chair.

Finally, we heard the magic words. Shuttle is "Go For Launch." So we snapped some pictures before the main event.

Just before the launch, many people were shouting, "USA" and "I Love you guys!" But the moment that got me, was when the announcer came over the radio and thanked all the astronauts for their contributions to our country. Tears came so easily. Then, the moment we were all waiting for...

If you look closely, you can see the shuttle in between Jacob and Jeff. What a great picture!

It was an amazing opportunity to view the shuttle launch live and in person. I am so glad that Jacob could witness a major part of America's history.

July 4th

Happy Independence Day America! Love this picture!

California Part 5: Pool Time and Hanging out

While in California, if we weren't doing something in town or around LA, we were in the pool and hanging out at Papa and GJo's house. We spent many hours lounging around and playing in the water. Jacob loves the pool so it was good.

Here's a couple of "pool pics" while we were in sunny Southern California...

A cute picture of the family!






We went to a park close to the house and Jacob played on the bouncing bridge. He went back and forth "over the bridge" and was as happy as he could be!



Jacob also found the sprinklers while we were at the park...

love.this.picture.

Here's a fun picture of Jacob and me looking at the Cuckcoo clock. He loved that Cuckcoo so much! Every hour he would hear it and say, "Cuckcoo!" His eyes lit up every time. This picture pretty much sums it up!

Jacob also decided this weaved bowl was a hat. So silly!

"Cheese!"

We took so many pictures it was hard to put them into one post. Southern California proved to be a fun place to hang out and spend quality family time together. Thanks for checking in with us!

California Part 4: The Beach

As a child and teenager we went to the beach often in the summer. We would spend all day there, playing in the water and lathering on the sunscreen. Then we would find a fire pit and roast hotdogs for dinner and marshmellows for smores. I wanted to share that with Jeff and Jacob...

Waiting for the waves with Papa and Daddy...

Loving the waves and the COLD water!!!


"Here comes the wave Jacob! Get Ready!!!"

"...and JUMP..."

We played in the sand, even though this was not Jacob's favorite part...he did it anyways.

GJo and Jacob saying "Cheese" and trying to get Jacob warm. These are the exact same umbrellas we would use when I was a kid...great investment! Ha!

Getting ready to eat Smores. Yummy! GJo is trying to block the wind and keep Jacob warm. He was SO cold...

A family shot as the sun was going down. As you can tell from the picture the beach was SUPER crowded. We weren't sure we would find a fire pit, but we got one and everything worked out great!

I love this guy! He's the greatest!

California Part 3: Queen Mary and Fun with Papa and GJo

For our birthdays (Jeff's is May 23 and mine is June 23), my parents got us a package deal on the Queen Mary, including a night on the boat, a meal voucher for their restaurants, and breakfast at the cafe as well. What a treat! It was our first time to leave Jacob overnight, and it was wonderful! Here's a few pictures of us on the Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach, CA.

That night we got a little dressed up and went to a nice dinner at Sir Winston's on the Queen Mary. Here's a picture after dinner with the Long Beach skyline in the background.

A view of part of the boat. It couldn't all fit in the picture!

Jeff and I left the Queen Mary and drove down the coast on the Pacific Coast Highway toward Dana Point. We rolled the windows down and enjoyed the sea air and looked at the fabulous views of the ocean. God created such an amazing world. Beautiful!

Of course, Jacob had alot of fun while we were gone...he didn't even know we were gone! He got to play with his cousins...

He got a fort built for him in the kitchen...

...and this is where we found him when we got home! He did a double take and when he realized we were back he came running toward us! Papa and GJo said he slept great, and didn't ask for us at all!

Successful time away for Jacob and for Mommy and Daddy! Yay!