53 Days of Summer: Week 2

We've been at the beach so here is Week 2 a little late!!!
Here's what we did this past week (before our fun vaca!!!)-

Day 8: June 20

Love my Daddy!!!

 

 Day 9: June 21

Lunch with friends

Day 10: June 22














Lazy Saturday included a trip to our fav, Jimmy John's

Day 11: June 23

Playing with Chloe after Sunday lunch at Meema's.

Day 12: June 24





















Trip to Target for last minute vacation stuff.



Day 13: June 25

Headed to Florida to spend a few days at the beach.

 

Day 14: June 26

First day at the beach!!!

Lunch with Friends/Dinner with Cousins

 
 

Sometimes Plan B is the best plan.  Today is a perfect example of that.  Kristen and I had originally planned to meet up at waterpark so our babies could play.  However Camden hasn't been feeling 100% this week, so we opted for a lunch date.  We had the best time!!! We met at Boo Boo's, which happens to be my favorite place to get a sandwich. 

Jackson cheesing it up!!!  Camdan had just woke up!

 

Jackson was in a very sharey mood today.  He kept giving Camdan his goldfish.  It was too cute!!!

This evening we had tickets to Bass Hall given to us by my parents at Christmas.  It was the last set of tickets in the package of four shows.  The point of them giving us these was so they could have Jackson spend the night and give us a date night.  Because my parents left for Florida today, we didn't have anyone to watch J overnight.  My Plan B for the tickets was to have my bro and sis in law go in our place.  We decided we wanted to give them a date night and watch our nieces and nephew for them.  It was a fun night!!! We ate pizza, played outside, and watched Finding Nemo before Aaron took them home to get them to bed. 

Brooke helps add air to the football.

Cute Chloe.

Watching the boys play.

Showing Will how to play Bocce ball.

 

Will's turn.

Watching the boys.



Brooke's turn.

 
 
 

 

 

Fun day with friends and cousins.  A day of memory making.  Does it get any better!



53 Days of Summer- Week 1

I want to keep track of our summer by taking at least one pic every day.  Since my summer started on June 13 and ends August 4, I have 53 days of summer.  Hints the Title!!!

Here's from week 1-

Day 1: June 13

J spent the day with Meema and his cousins at Camp Meema Junior!

 

Day 2: June 14



I almost forgot to get one, so I got one at the end of the day during his nightly bottle.

 

 

Day 3: June 15

 

At Mema's birthday lunch!

 

 

Day 4: June 16

 





Checking in on Daddy in the shower before church!

 

Quick family pic after lunch!

 

Day 5: June 17

 

Daddy's new job at Brown Mackie 

 

Lunch with Daddy at Fuzzy's

 

Day 6: June 18

Trying to open the door.

 

Day 7: June 19

Meema and Tommy took J to the Circus show at the Leavitt.

We had a fun first week of summer!!!  Looking forward to what else summer brings!





Fathers Day 2013

We had a great Fathers Day this year!!! My mom had all of us over for a delicious lunch!  Mom made a fabulous brisket, twice baked potatoes, and beans, and Ali brought watermelon and deviled eggs while I brought a southwest coleslaw and Aaron's fav strawberry pie and blackberry-peach cobbler bars.  Let's just say that no one went home hungry!!!

Here are the fathers in our fam-

Daddy

 

Dad/GPa

Dad/PopPop

 

 

GG

 



 

Four Generations



 

 

PopPop and GPa with J

 

 

 

We are so blessed with great fathers in our life! 



Fun Start to Summer

Summer has officially started in our house!  My last day of work was last Wednesday, so this weekend was kind of our kickoff to summer.  Saturday was a jam packed day!!! We don't have those very often, so it was kind of fun.  After spending the morning in the kitchen making a couple of desserts and a salad for Fathers Day lunch, J and I headed off to celebrate Mema's birthday.  The whole fam met up at Olive Garden for lunch.  It was so great to see everyone.  It's crazy that we all live pretty close to each other, yet we don't get together that often.

The whole family minus Aaron

  

J with his great grandmother

Mema turns 92!!!  Stacy made the cake. And of course it was delicious!!!

 

It's a shame this boy isn't loved by GPa and RaRa!!!

J's entertainment!!!  A butterfly balloon!

 

 

Next on the schedule:  Camden's First Birthday Party

 

The Jacksons' (not my parents) rather James and Kristen had a great party for Camden at a park in Crowley. It was such a fun party!  Kristen did a fabulous job with her baseball themed party.  We ate hotdogs, popcorn, cotton candy and baseball topped cupcakes!  It is such a blessing to have church friends!!!  I love that J and Camden will grow up together.

 



Kristen and me with our boys

The birthday boy eating his hotdog!!!

 

 

A fun and busy Saturday filled with family and friends!  We are richly blessed!

 

 

 

 

Reflecting on the School Year

This time last year I was in limbo.  I had packed up my stuff from both counseling offices and waited to see what was next.  Aaron and I knew that when I had Jackson we didn't want me to work full time. Being raised with stay-at-home moms, that is how we envisioned raising our family.  Knowing I still needed to work at least part-time, we waited to see if the district would have a place for me.  Sure enough I was sent an email telling me my new position was the part-time counselor at Young Men's Leadership Academy.  I honestly didn't know much about the school other than it was brand new to the district. I knew from reading the school website that it was going to be different.  A good different.  The last week in July, Mr. White scheduled for all the staff to come together for a week of team building and putting all the strategies for the school in place.  Pretty cool being a part of the groundwork of a school.  Pretty cool to be a part of the making of history.

 

At the ribbon cutting.

  

 On Career Day.

 

With Soria, our school secretary, on the last day of school after our awards ceremony.  Couldn't have coordinated that event or any other event I was in charge of without her!  She's the BEST!!!

 

As I look back on this first year, I am so proud to say I was a part of this great school.  I don't necessarily feel like I did a whole lot because I wasn't there every day.  I didn't meet with students like I want to as a counselor.  I was honestly feeling my way around the new position and trying to find my place.  I feel like I was kind of the behind the scene person that helped make some of the extraneous pieces of the puzzle fit together.  I didn't do a lot of counseling, but I already know how I can make that happen more next year.  It's interesting how one year under your belt at a school really helps you see where you need to go next and what you need to do to improve.  I will be forever grateful for this experience and being a part of the "Dream Team" as Principal White calls us. 

There are times I think- "Wow, I wish I could have stumbled upon this position pre-Jackson!" But then I remember without Jackson and wanting to be part-time, I wouldn't have even had this opportunity.  After all, as much as I really like my job, the best part is being at home with Jackson.  I love that I am able to be at home with him and really get to do the ins and outs of mommyhood.  Working full-time doesn't allow for that.  When you only see your baby 3 maybe 4 hours a day, it's just not the same.  The other huge factor is that RaRa and Meema are watching J the days I work.  That is a huge relief for Aaron and me.  I can't even imagine putting him in daycare.  I have hard enough time leaving him in the nursery for Bible class every Sunday!  We are certainly blessed to be able to leave him with our moms!!!  And we are so thankful that they so willingly want to do this week after week!

 

 

I am abundantly blessed with an opportunity to work a little and still be with my baby.  I know there are many who dream of that!  So as I close the chapter on this past year at YMLA, I look forward to the next school year and what it holds.  I'm going to enjoy this gig of balancing being a school counselor and J's mommy as best I can.