Happy Birthday, Jakob!

Yesterday, we celebrated the 8th birthday of our handsome son, Jakob. I am amazed at how fast time goes by. A year ago today, doctors and nurses were explaining to us that his lungs were underdeveloped and so was his ability to suck. Now he is still a picky eater, but he weighs 65 pounds, a far cry from the 6 pounds and 13 ounces he weighed when he was born. He has grown so much. Over the past year, Jake has become an awesome reader and recently finished the first book in The Boxcar Children series. On his first quarter report card, he made all A's! He loves to play baseball, hunt and fish - all boy! Some things never change though. He still sleeps with a blanket he recieved when he was a baby and his favorite person in the whole world is his nee-naw!

Jakob's 8th Birthday!

Homecoming Parade and other weekend fun!

Homecoming 2008

Last week was Homecoming week for Demopolis High School! This means little to Jakob and Savannah other than they got out of school at 11:45 Friday for the parade. Cousin Anna Kaye Williams and friend Carter McNeill spent the night with us Friday night. Saturday we went to Dwain's family's house to watch the Crimson Tide football game. The kids played outside the entire day! For a mom, there is nothing in the world like watching your kids just be kids!

Southern Firsts

Not long ago, I told someone that as my children get older, we experience fewer "firsts" than when they were little. This weekend, we experienced a couple of those rare "firsts" in the lives of our children. While they are not necessarily typical for all American families, they are Southern traditions that our family readily embraces!

Saturday morning, Jakob played in his first real football game! He played the first couple of plays of the game. He actually tackled the guy with the ball! A few days before the game he told his daddy that he didn't want to be the first one to tackle because everyone else piled on top of him. Apparently he has changed his mind about the game and really enjoyed it. Practices are grueling for him, but he NEVER complains and always says he is having fun.

Also on Saturday, Savannah cheered at Jakob's game. She was so cute in her uniform. Savannah has never been shy so cheering in front of a crowd suits her personality. She has so much energy and cheering is a great outlet for her.

The last first is one that makes Jakob's daddy proud! In our front yard, Jakob shot his first dove. Some of you just gasped and others laughed, but Jakob has loved hunting since he was a toddler. He was really destined to love it or suffer doing it. While Jakob was still in the hospital after he was born, Dwain encouraged him to get better so he could go hunting with him. My mom responded by telling Jake that he didn't have to go hunting if he didn't want to. Dwain replied with a low grunt, implying that Jake would go hunting regardless. Jakob shot his first deer when he was 6 and can't wait for season to come in.

OUT OF ORDER

I am aware that my blogs and pictures are out of chronological order. Please bear with me as I update the site. We do so many fun things that we want to share with you! Eventually it will make more sense! Thanks for taking a peek!

Summer 2008

Jakob and Savannah had a very relaxing summer! We kicked off our summer with a visit from Aunt Kara and Uncle Paul and Uncle William. Aunt Kara and Uncle Paul surprised us with the news that they were expecting a baby in January 2009! Then they took Savannah back to Missouri with them. Savannah and Aunt Kara spent the week swimming and playing. They were having some work done on their home and Savannah fed and entertained the workers! The finished up the week with a camping/floating trip in Van Buren, Missouri.

Next came a fun week at Fairhaven Baptist Church's annual Vacation Bible School. Jakob and Savannah heard Bible stories, learned songs and had a ton of fun!

In July, Uncle William hosted Jakob for a week in Atlanta, Georgia. They started out the week in Savannah, Georgia with a deep sea fishing trip. Jakob had a great time, but I understand that he was very tired! They also went to the aquarium, the World of Coca-cola Museum, a children's museum, and the Atlanta zoo. Jakob also enjoyed attended a dinner show at Medieval Times. They finished up the week enjoying a Braves game at Turner Field!

The slideshow below contains pictures of a cookout on the 4th of July with Dwain's family and of Jakob and Savannah swimming in the pool in our yard.

Summer Fun 2008!

Back to School - 2008

Jakob and Savannah are (finally!) back in school! Jakob is in the 2nd grade this year. His teacher is Mrs. McNeill. So far, he is doing quite well. His current activities include football, football, and football! He has 3 - 4 practices a week and games every Saturday beginning September 6th and continuing until November 8th.

Savannah is in the 1st grade this year. Her teacher is Mrs. Dollar. She seems to be adjusting well. She was a little nervous because she thought 1st grade was "harder" than kindergarten. She doesn't understand why her spelling words are the same as the ones she had last year because she already knows them! She is a cheerleader for Jakob's football team and begins practice on Monday.

God has truly blessed us this year with wonderful teachers for both of our children. They are both experienced teachers who seem to love children. We are excited to see how much our children learn this year. Hopefully Savannah will get some spelling words she doesn't know soon!

My First Blog!

After reading countless others' blogs, I decided I had to try it! If no one else enjoys it, at least my brother and sister who live so far away will get to see what Jakob and Savannah are up to on a somewhat regular basis! They are both growing up so fast that it is really hard to keep up! Enjoy!