Brazil

Our first big trip away from Jacey-Kate was to Brazil over the past week. We left on the 15th and returned well rested on the 24th. Jacey-Kate stayed with Gigi at Big Canoe the night of the 15th, Kara's parents the first half of the week and then Russ' family the second half of the week. I'm not sure she even missed us! We had a wonderful time and experienced a beautiful remote beach in northern Brazil where we took dune buggy rides, swam in lagoons full of rain water, ate fresh fish and shrimp, and watched unbelievable sunsets. The slideshow below is pictures from our trip and the time she spent with her grandparents. (mom...there weren't any pics of you, next trip give dad the camera. :-))

Athens Trip

We took a little trip to Athens, GA this past weekend for the Gardens of the World Ball at the Georgia State Botanical Gardens. We had a terrific time and met some really wonderful people. Jacey-Kate loved her first trip to Dawg country. Her daddy even said he'd be quite pleased if she chose to go to UGA...only because she'd be getting the Hope Scholarship and he wouldn't have to pay much for her college experience. :-)

We are home sick today. I think the weekend wore her out. Jacey-Kate had a 103.8 temperature this morning, so we ended up in the pediatrician's office most of the afternoon. There's a virus going around that her doctor thinks she might have caught. I'm hoping she's rid of it by tomorrow. We'll see.....

The pics are from a birthday party, athens and the gardens of the world ball. Enjoy!

The Zoo

Our friends, Kerri and Jake, kindly took us to the zoo this past Friday. Jacey-Kate wore her Clemson TIGERS shirt so she'd fit right in with the Lions, TIGERS and bears. Upon arrival, we headed straight for the petting zoo, so Jacey-Kate and Jake could get out and pet the friendly goats, sheep and pigs. They enjoyed the farm animals, maybe not as much as the moms enjoyed taking their pictures with the farm animals. From the petting zoo, we bee lined it for the Lions, Gorillas and Panda Bears. It was fun walking our babies around the zoo trying to show them the animals. I'm sure Jacey-Kate had no idea what was going on, but she enjoyed all the people, kids and did love riding in Jake's Bob stroller. While looking through the pictures, make sure you try to spot the animals!!!

9 Months

I know I keep saying I can't believe how quickly she's grown, but I can't. Jacey-Kate amazes me every day. She's turning into a little girl, not a tiny baby any more. I'd say I'm super sad about this, but I'm loving every minute of being her mom and watching her grow up before my eyes, so I'm not sad, I'm so excited to see what's next! Here are a few really cute pictures of her on her 9 month birthday and then one taken today with her daddy. So cute!!! There's nothing sweeter than a daddy with his little girl.

EASTER and cRaWLiNg

We had a wonderful Easter in Serenbe. Jacey-Kate saw her first baby chick, baby duck and rabbit at the Serenbe Easter Egg Hunt. I love watching her reaction when she sees an animal. She screams every time she sees a furry creature.

Kara's parents drove down to spend the weekend with us. We put Jerry to work in the backyard while Theresa played with Jacey-Kate. Mom had the better end of the deal! Dad helped with our landscaping effort. It's slowly coming along. Russ made burgers for dinner, they were fantastic!! Dinner and the warm weather remind me that summer's just around the corner.

Sunday after church, we all headed over to Rob and Merry's for an afternoon of wine, cheese and a low country boil! The food was delicious. Russ, Tim and Rob outdid themselves. We ended the evening playing corn hole on the green in Serenbe.

The most exciting news is that our sweet baby girl started crawling today!!! She loves my iphone, so I put it across the room and she scooted her little self over there on all fours. She's still a little wobbly at it, but she gets where she wants to go. It's so cute.

8 months

It's amazing as a parent how fast time goes by and how hard it is to remember your baby as an infant. I've visited with two friends recently that have newborns and I honestly don't remember Jacey-Kate that tiny, unless I look back at pictures or videos. I thought being home with Jacey-Kate would slowly allow her to grow up before my eyes, boy was I wrong. Our days are full of fun and fly by! We hang out, play, read books, go for walks, nap, visit with friends and eat...a lot. She still loves her baby mush that I make and is drinking well from her sippy cup.

This is Russ' last day working from home. He'll be starting a new job with Wilmington Trust in Buckhead this coming Monday. Jacey-Kate and I are very sad and will miss him terribly. We've gotten use to seeing daddy at breakfast, lunch and before dinner, so it's definitely going to be an adjustment period for the ladies of the house. We're hoping to make it in to the big city for lunch with daddy once a week.

Jacey-Kate is getting so big. Russ said today that she's not really a baby any more, but a little girl. She's sitting up well and so close to crawling. I've been a little worried about her not crawling yet, but then I remind myself that as soon as she starts, it's all over....she's going to be every where. Jacey-Kate loves to talk and does it constantly, just like her mommy. She might look like her daddy, but her actions so far are like her mommy...non-stop.

We had Russ' sister for a visit a couple of weeks ago and then had his grandfather and dad in town last week. Aunt Laura helped me make baby food and hair bows for Jacey-Kate. It's so nice to have a sister to do the fun creative girly stuff with. Great Grandman loved Jacey-Kate! Grandpa also had a great visit with her and was able to share his 60th birthday with us. We're so thankful for all of our family and for the time they have with us and more importantly, Jacey-Kate.

Charter School Pot Luck

To celebrate the petition being finished and turned in, the project team hosted a pot luck. Despite the fierce wind and cool weather, there were a lot of excited families that attended. The kids weren't bothered by how cold it was, they were ready to jump on the trampoline and play corn hole. The food was great, some of the favorites were corn pudding, broccoli slaw, upside down pineapple cake and the chocolate rice krispy treats. We're all excited about the spring weather and look forward to many more charter school get togethers!