More Evansville Pictures

Here are some more pictures from our wonderful weekend in Evansville.


Jennie and I making a Malibu and Pineapple juice run in the convertible.



Sunday evening the family met at Red Robin for dinner to have some great burgers.



Jack enjoying a milkshake. He loves drinking out of a straw.



I thought this was an adorable picture of Jack with G'pa Doug's sunglasses.

My, How You've Grown!

Here is a picture of Jack lounging in the pool last summer....



....and here is a picture of Jack this year. My, how you've grown!

Jack's "Indiana" Birthday Party

Friday evening after work, Jack and I made our trip to Evansville. Brons met us there after flying into St. Louis on Friday. He spent the week in San Antonio, TX on business. So it was really great to see Daddy. We missed him!

The party started at noon on Saturday and we had some great food, cake, and swimming.

Great G'ma Shirley got Jack this little rocking chair, which he loves.



G'pa and Daddy have some fun with Jack. He's really great at giving five!



Auntie Pam and her favorite little boy.



After the food, Jack had some cake....and you guessed it, it was a Barney cake.



Then we did some swimming. Bronson insisted on taking Jack off the diving board and as you can see from his face, he didn't enjoy the experience too much!






But, Jack was soooo tired he didn't really enjoy his first dip in the pool. So shortly after he went down for a nap.



After a nap, Jack opened some more birthday presents. He loved this Barney guitar Auntie Pam and Uncle Mike got him.



Daddy naturally had to show him how to do it.



He also had fun playing with Lyndsey.



It was then round 2 of swimming, which was much more enjoyable for Jack after his nap.



Suzanne, Lyndsey, and Jennie trying to get Bronson back by throwing him in. The attempt was unsuccessful, UNFORTUNATELY. Sorry babe, I was cheering the girls on!



But Bronson broke away and wound up chasing Suzanne around the pool to throw her in.



And then it was Jennie's turn.



But Bronson got in anyway and had some more fun with his little boy....



....and it was a great way to end a great day!




Thank you so much to everyone who came and enjoyed Jack's special day. And a special thanks, of course, to Auntie Pam and Uncle Mike for hosting the party. We had a wonderful time!

Pea Salsa Recipe

I have had multiple people request this AMAZING recipe that I served at Jack's party. It is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. So here it is:

1 can sliced black olives
1 can black eyed peas
1 can tiny field peas
1 can white shoe peg corn
2 cans Rotel (mild or hot)
6-8 fresh tomatoes, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions. sliced thin
1 bottle olive oil vinaigrette dressing (I use Paul Newman's), 8-12 oz.

Pour canned vegetables into strainer, rinse and drain. I do not drain one Rotel can. Put in a large bowl with fresh diced vegetables, pour in dressing and mix. I also add sugar to taste (usually around 3 to 4 teaspoonfuls).

Have I Mentioned....

...my son sleeps like a champ? Now before I go any further I want to say that I fully understand that by bragging so much on Jack, I am ensuring our next child (if we decide to have another) will never sleep....EVER! There is no way we could have two children that sleep so well, so I have already accepted our fate with future children.

So, I am merely stating the facts. My son's sleeping habits are so amazing, I thought it was worth a post. I have heard enough stories from other parent to know my son is not a typical sleeper. So this is how the average night goes:


We have a bath, I make his bottle, and it's upstairs to his room where I put on his cd. We have a rock in the chair while he drinks his bottle and then it's off to the land of nod. I immediately put him down and rub his back for about a minute or so and then I walk out.


I'm really not kidding! It's that easy! They entire process from bottle making to in the bed is about 10 minutes. Now I know this might sound like a lie, but it's so true. He must know how much his Mother needs her sleep :)






This is one of our favorite cds. I love U2 and the lullabies cd is precious.

Happy Birthday Jack!

To Our Sweet Boy,

One year ago today our lives were changed....FOREVER! Little did we know, it would be the best change we could ever imagine. You came into this world and completed our family and made us the happiest two people in the world. We have watched you grow everyday as our love for you has grown too. We never thought we could love a child as much as we love you and the joy you bring us is the best gift God could ever give.

Happy Birthday, Baby! We love you more than you will ever know and we can't wait to share in ALL your special moments!

Mommy and Daddy



Here are some more pictures that our friends, the Moseman's, took of Jack when he was just a week old. It's so hard to believe it's been a year!

A Great Big Thanks....

...to everyone who helped us celebrate Jack's birthday. I had these photo thank-you cards made and I think they turned out really great!

Happy Daddy's Day (Part II)

I have to be honest. I have been so busy in the last several weeks, I didn't have all of Bronson's Father's Day gifts together. So I was at Carbondale Wal-Mart last night at 11pm finishing things up. Everyone in the family got Bronson something and it went a little something like this....

Rudi, our ever so thoughtful dog, got Bronson the annual issue of Fine Homebuilding "Houses" edition. Brons loves the issue and waits for it to come out every year, but always has a hard time justifying buying a $10 magazine (which seems pretty ridiculous considering that's what he does, but that's just how he is. If he thinks it's overpriced, he's not buying it....no matter how bad he wants it!) So, Rudi ran out and got it for his Daddy!



Jack got his Daddy the new Eric Clapton/ Steve Winwood Live from Madison Square Garden music DVD. Jack knows how much Daddy appreciates some great guitar playing!



So I had to get something for Bronson to watch his DVD on. I got him a 42" plasma for his office upstairs because I know how boring computer work can be. So now he has something to keep him entertained! Enjoy it babe....nobody deserves it more than you!

Happy Daddy's Day (Part I)

Father's Day is very busy for us because we have a lot of fathers to celebrate. So we started our day off at Cracker Barrel this morning by meeting my parents.



I got my Dad his standard white shirts (how boring, but what he wanted) and Gran Torino, which is one of my favs...I highly recommend the movie to anyone who hasn't seen it!



Then it was on to Stone Creek for a little celebration with Bronson's Dad.



Bronson's Grandpa and Grandma came to celebrate too!



Jack loves his Auntie Pam!



Jack is walking everywhere. He really prefers to hold onto someones finger, but he really wants to walk.



A Father's Day four generation picture on the porch. I told them to get a little closer and act like they knew each other, but this is the best they could do....I guess it's a guy thing.

Jack's "Illinois" Birthday Party

The morning started off very busy for us. I had to do some last minute things in preparation for Jack's "Illinois" party. I use that term because next weekend is Jack's "Indiana" party.

One of our several stops included picking up the balloons. It was a really tight squeeze with me, Jack, and all the balloons, but we finally made it home. He looked so funny crowded in the backseat.



We grilled burgers and hot dogs and I made home-made salsa with chips, which was a hit, I may add! I think everyone enjoyed the meal.



My friend, Miranda, and her son, Preston also came. Preston's birthday is the day before Jack's, so after our party, we went to Preston's party at the bowling alley.



We had quite a house full.



We then, of course, had presents....LOTS of presents!



Jack had fun opening them all!! He got a lot of great stuff!!





He wasn't real sure about the tricycle, but I'm sure he'll get the hang of it when he gets a little older.



Here is a shot of Jack and all his goodies!





Then it was cake time!!!



I think it's safe to say he enjoyed it.......thoroughly!



Jack got sooooo messy, we moved the party outside to his other birthday present. The water was a little chilly, but I think he enjoyed it :)



Thank you to everyone who came and helped us celebrate Jack's special day. I, of course, couldn't have done it without my helpers...my Mom, Auntie M, Tracie and Bhrett. You girls are GREAT!