Penguins!

Yesterday, I went with Jackson and his class on their first field trip! It was a blast. They've been studying penguins this month, and Jackson now officially knows more about something than we do. It's a first, but I have a feeling it won't be the last.

Almost daily, we'd ask Jackson where the penguins live just to hear him say, "Antarctica". If pressed, I'd guess his favorite penguin is the Macaroni penguin, which he spent a week referring to as the Jack-a-roni penguin.

Jackson was equally excited about riding on a school bus. When he woke up yesterday morning and we asked him if he was ready to ride on the school bus, he started running around saying, "I'm so excited!" Here he is on the bus...still pretty excited!

When we arrived at Moody Gardens, the crew waited patiently on the bench outside.

This is Jackson's good friend, Cooper. They like doing everything together...including driving their teachers crazy from time to time! They sat on the same row of the bus and had the cutest conversations during the half hour drive.

There was a golf cart in the lobby, which the kids quickly turned into a jungle gym.

As we entered the aquarium pyramid, there was an area where the kids could reach in the water, which Jackson cautiously did.

He stopped to check out an eel that was "talking" to him...the eel was opening and closing its mouth.

As we arrived at the penguin exhibit, the kiddos stopped to see how they measured up in comparison to the penguins.

They were all fascinated to see the penguins in person.

Jackson was thrilled to see a chick too. If you look closely, he's at his mom's feet.

Here he is with one of his wonderful teachers, Ms. Monica!

Before heading out, we got to see the seals and penguins enjoying their lunch.

We attempted a class picture by the shark tank. This was as good as it got. Since we were past their lunch time, they were fading fast!

After refueling outside, the kids were ready to play!

Once they were back on the bus, many of the kiddos quickly passed out. Of course, Jackson was not among them. For a few minutes, I thought he might sleep, but it didn't take long for him to find other things to keep his interest.

It was a great experience, and one I hope he won't forget!

There are more pictures from the day in the album.

Audrey's Dedication

We finally had the dedication for our beautiful baby girl last weekend. We dedicated to praying for her, teaching her about God, and setting a good example for her with the hopes that someday she will come to the same conclusion we have about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We don't pretend to have all of the answers for her, but we know that by seeking the truth, we will find it. We did this alongside our family, friends, and fellow believers.

Audrey and Jackson both did great during the service. On a typical Sunday, both would be in their respective classes enjoying music, a lesson, and some play time. On this special Sunday, they got to enjoy praise and worship in "big" church. Jackson was adorable! He clapped to the music and even raised his hand and pointed to God for a while. Audrey sat on the floor in front of us and soaked it all in before deciding to dance to the music.

We were a little concerned Audrey wouldn't do well during the dedication itself because she has gone through a phase of stranger anxiety. We think she's officially through that phase now though. She did great going to our pastor, Randy, among several others this weekend. While we were all talking and agreeing to dedicate our lives to raising Audrey the way God desires, Audrey just kicked her foot back and forth and listened intently.

After church we had a small group of friends and our family over for brunch to celebrate the occasion. My cousin, Meg, who is now also Audrey's Godmother, flew in to join us last weekend. Having her there along with all of our parents made it a very special day. We were missing a few important folks, but we know they were there in spirit.

Being the good big brother that he is, Jackson helped open Audrey's gifts.

I didn't get any pictures of the set up or spread before everyone arrived, but I did take some pictures of the pink and purple tulips we used to decorate with, as well as the cross and butterfly cookies that I spent many hours making...I think they turned out pretty great!

I'll leave you with a few more pictures of Audrey in her pretty, pink dress. There are more pictures of all the festivities in the album.

The Tims Came to Town!

Barbara, Heath and Carter came for a visit last weekend!

We really enjoyed having them around. In fact, Jackson has talked about Carter every day since they left! We spent most of the weekend just hanging out together, but on Saturday we made our way to the Children's museum. This was Audrey's first visit and Jackson's first since before Audrey was born. Last time we were there Jackson wasn't really old enough to play outside of the toddler area, but this time he was ready to go!

All of the boys enjoyed the water works area...

I wasn't able to capture any smiles from the boys because they were so focused on the activities, but I'm pretty sure they were having fun!

Audrey loved spending time with her Aunt Barbara!

When it was her turn to play, she was ready to go! She crawled and walked, flipped switches, spun wheels, and made new friends.

They all had such a great time that we had a hard time getting them to leave!

I was able to capture a couple of smiles from the boys in the end. I just love watching them play together and am so thankful the Tims took the time to come visit!

There are a few more pictures in the album.

Audrey is 10 Months Old!

It's hard to believe it, but Audrey is 10 months old! She is fighting for her independence already. She really thinks she can walk, and she's pretty close...maybe by next month. She got a couple of push toys for Christmas, and she's doing great with those. She keeps her balance well and can move quickly when she wants to follow JD around.

Audrey's speech is moving right along as well. Mama was added to the list this month. Dada was her first talking sound, which was shortly followed by Jaja. All of them are such sweet sounds.

Christmas Day was the first day Audrey clapped, and she hasn't stopped since. She loves to cheer for Jackson no matter what he's doing.

Shaking her head NO has also become a favorite thing to do. She seems to prefer this over the "all done" sign when eating...it's pretty effective, but not my favorite.

Her 6th tooth finally came through this month to balance out her beautiful smile and help her chew more efficiently.

Perhaps my favorite development this month though, has been how Audrey and Jackson "play" together. Any time they're sitting near each other. One will get the other started shaking their head or laughing or something. It brings smiles all around.

Just like this picture 10 months has gone by so quickly it's a blur.

Here's Daddy with his sweet baby girl!

There are a few more pictures in the album.