Jack at Independence Park!

Labor Day weekend was the perfect time for a trip to Independence Park just south of us on Morgantown Road. Jack is finally big enough and a strong enough walker to have fun at the park! We didn't even have to bring the stroller because he's such a good walker now!


This park is perfect for Jack because there is a big kid playground and a baby playground. The baby playground has equipment that is very low to the ground, so it's easier to keep up with him. There were several other babies there that Jack had to check out. He's very into watching people now.



We got on the teeter totter with John on one side and Jack and me on the other side. He liked that too! We arrived at the park not long before bed time, so Jack didn't want to leave. He refused to walk to the car when it was time to go, so I had to carry him away! Jack's personality is really shining through now!

Jack also finally signed more for us on Labor Day.  We've been working on that for so long!

How gorgeous in front of the marigolds!

Check out Baby Jack! He looks just like his daddy in this picture!

Jack loved crawling through this caterpillar tunnel. It's the first time he has ever been big enough to play on all the equipment.

Jack is now two and a half feet tall!

Of course we had to swing on the baby swings! Jack loves the swings, and for awhile he had them all to himself.

The static covered hair on the slide is a classic! Jack was able to sit up the whole way down the slide. At first he wanted to lay down. Daddy loved catching him too!

Playing on the teeter totter!

What a perfect evening!

Jack at 13 Months

Life has gotten extremely busy since I went back to work at the beginning of August.  You can tell by the lack of posts from me during the last month.  Luckily, we have not been too busy to continue to take photos of our little bundle of joy!  I decided to give Jack a little bit of peanut butter last Sunday which proved to be a terrible idea.  He broke out on his face and chest, and his eyes were very red and itchy.  I gave him multiple doses of Benadryl as the day went on, and he was okay.

We found this great shirt at Gap Kids when we were in Gatlinburg this summer, and now Jack is big enough to wear it!  I love how it says, "This is How I Roll."

Jack is resisting eating plain bread now (one of the reasons I slathered it with peanut butter last week), so we tried some grape jelly yesterday morning.  It was a big hit!

Aunt Sara brought Jack this awesome backpack last weekend!  He wore it around like a big boy and looked so grown up.  When it was time to go, we packed all of his toys and other gifts inside. 

Here are Jack and Ashlyn playing with the iconic Cookie Monster toy that is over 30 years old!  The Cookie Monster party was inspired by that special toy.  The last time Ashlyn saw Jack he was just a little baby getting baptized.  Notice Jack got some new shoes!  He actually puts his feet out for us to put them on him.  They are really soft and easy for him to walk in!

I wish I could still spend my days at home with Jack.  It makes things especially hard when the beginning of the school year is so hectic and demanding.  I feel blessed to have the summers with him, and we make the most out of our evenings together!  What a wonderful little boy we have!

Walking Jack!

Jack is becoming quite the walker, compared to crawling at least!  He likes to stand up just from the ground and take a few steps.  In the past few weeks he has really improved on his walking.  He especially likes to walk between Mommy and Daddy in the evening.

Jack was back at Sharon's full time this week while I have been working so hard in my classroom.  I have spent at least 40 hours in my room this week going through hand me down materials along with all my own teaching resources!    

Mom and Terry were here Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to visit with us and help in the classroom.  Mom put lots of hours in with me and made such a difference.  We were moving furniture and sorting through numerous books.  I was uneasy about starting over at a new school, but the other teachers in the building have been great about welcoming me and answering any questions I have had.  Not to mention, we have had some wonderful lunches together too!

This is one of the most stressful times of the year, but family has made it all better!  I am not sure it gets any better than watching Jack stand on his own and walk to me.  I am excited for my school work to slow down a little bit so I can enjoy Jack even more! 

Meet the Teacher Night is Tuesday, so I want to make sure everything is ready for the parents and students to see.  For those of you who know me well, I will not rest until that room is perfect!!

Summer Playtime!

Jack took his first steps on July 24!  He was walking between Mommy and Daddy, and he really showed his stuff!  He has been standing up by using a toy that is low to the ground, and today he stood up from just the floor!  Big boy!  I clapped and cheered for him when he did it, and he clapped for himself too. 

Check out the "stethoscope."  This picture was taken just after he was banging the train on the register right behind him. 

Jack has been such a blast to play with this summer.  He wakes up around 8 and eats breakfast at 8:30.  He plays until morning nap time around 10:30.  We usually meet Daddy for lunch and head home for yet another nap at 3:00.  Dinner time is 6:30 followed by play time until 8:30 for bed! 

Jack got some wonderful birthday gifts including toys and books.  He gets them out of the baskets and spreads them all over the room as the day goes on.  Jack isn't quite ready to push the bubble mower, but he knows how to sit on it!  I've captured some really great moments this summer!

Jack loves to put Bart the Bear on his car and drive him around.  Notice Jack is sitting backwards on it which is his favorite way!

Here are some pictures from a play date at the park with Asher:

It was pretty hot that day, so we didn't stay too long.  Jack and Asher both had pink cheeks by the time we left.  Jack loved the swings and the slide.  We'll have to go back soon!

40th Boink Family Reunion

I was so excited to attend the 40th Annual Boink Reunion this year because it was Jack's first one!  It was great to see so many family members that we only see once a year!  It's strange because my family is so, so big, I only know many of the people by sight and not their names.  We stayed at the Fairfield Inn and so did many other Boinks.  We saw some people at breakfast that I knew I should know! 

This was my first reunion also without my grandma.  I miss her so much!  I also miss my Uncle Bob, and it was also my first reunion without him.  The last reunion we went to was in 2008, and I remember taking many pictures of Grandma with Aunt Bert!

Aunt Bert posed for some pictures with all the babies born in 2009!

Jack loved some kisses!

4 Generations!

It was really great to see many of my cousins because so much has changed in our lives since the last time we saw each other.  Many of us have become mommies in the past year, and we caught up by talking about our little ones. 

They say you learn something new every day....Well, when looking at the enormous family tree, I discovered my grandma's name is not Donna Mae like I always thought.  Her name is actually Mary Madonna Boink, but they called her Donna Mae.   Who knew?

This might be the last family reunion to be held at Burdette Park.  I have mixed feelings about this because I have numerous memories of running around with my cousins and swimming at the pool.  I wanted that for Jack because those were such good times for me.  Even if the event is moved, I know he will have a lot of fun with all of those other 2009 kiddos!

Family Trip to Gatlinburg

We arrived in Gatlinburg on Sunday around noon after an amazingly easy six hour drive, even with a baby!  He slept about four of the six hours and was a champion!  We didn't even have to use the DVD player on the way there at all! 

Jack had a blast in the pool with Daddy and Grandpa.  We went swimming after dinner, and it was a just a little bit chilly.  Grandpa picked Jack up over and over to make him "jump" in the pool.  Finally there are some photos of Jack and Daddy since I was taking all of the pictures.

Jack is wearing his new shark towel, but obviously did not want to get out of the pool!

The light was shining in just beautiful this morning when I was feeding Jack.  We bought a new booster seat for the trip and decided to put our high chair away when we got home.  Our condo was very nice and provided us with plenty of room to do whatever we wanted!

We posed for some photos in our favorite spot in downtown Gatlinburg.  John and I have been there a number of times and always capture a moment in this same spot.  It was really special to finally be there with our baby boy.  Of course we all had to go for a caramel apple afterwards!

I had the genious idea to go to Clingman's Dome on top of the Smoky Mountains.  As you can see from the pictures, it was about a 75 degree incline all the way to the top.  We had to take turns pushing Jack in the stroller, and made several stops along the way to rest.  The view was not as impressive as usual because there were very thick clouds at almost every lookout.  There were some fellow Hoosiers making the trek with us.  We made it up in less than 15 minutes which felt like forever!

The last time we took a picture here, I was about six months pregnant!  Jack wanted to reach for the camera so bad, so this is about the best picture we could get!

Loving the big boy carseat!  Facing forward helped him stay happy on the trip.

The vacation in Gatlinburg was a blast!  We enjoyed spending time together with family, getting great pictures, and eating delicious food.  I'm sure we will make many more trips as Jack grows older!

Jack's First Birthday Party

Jack's First Birthday Party!

Jack had a Cookie Monster Party for his first birthday!  It was complete with 2 Cookie Monster cakes, Cookie Monster paper lanterns, cups, and lots of blue accessories!  Popularity wise, Cookie Monster is no Elmo, so I had to make a lot of the decorations myself.  There were many family members and friends here to help Jack celebrate this special day.  The menu consisted of ham and pineapple kabobs, tiny pigs in a blanket, fresh fruit, vanilla ice cream and birthday cake!

Jack loved seeing Sharon "Honey"!  She's the best babysitter ever!

Here's Jack visiting with his Grandpa and Grandma Norma at the beginning of the party.

Lily was so great with Jack!  She put her arm around him several times to show her love!  It was so adorable.  Lily is just a few months older than Jack.

Check out the Cookie Monster paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling!  I had some help from my mom and Hailey putting those up the day before the party.  Oh, the things we do for our children!

Daddy got some kisses in between opening a few presents.  I like this picture because it shows some of our helpers Olivia Smith, Hailey and Abby Dickerson (not in this picture).  Believe it or not, this is one of the only photos we have of the three of us.  It was such a busy day!  Jack was lucky enough to get some really great presents including some toys that will help him master walking.  Thanks to everyone who so generously brought a gift for the birthday boy!

Cake Time!!

Lindsey Dick created the awesome cakes for Jack's party.  This is a picture of his giant Cookie Monster cupcake.  He wasn't too sure about digging into it.  As you can tell by the icing on his face, he eventually enjoyed some of the delicious cake.  When we decided we had put Jack through enough, Sharon and Jason helped me gently hose off Jack.  We even hosed down the high chair.  The water from the hose was surprising warm, and Jack didn't mind it at all. 

 

After such a mess, that little boy needed a bath!  He drew quite a crowd and didn't even get too upset when it was time to get out.

Fantastic cakes!

These pictures give you an idea of the theme of the day.  The Cookie Monster theme was inspired by two things:  John's Grandma's 31-year-old Cookie Monster toy and a picture of a Cookie Monster cupcake found on the Internet.

The day was very busy, but lots of fun!  I hope Jack will look back fondly on this party and on everyone who helped him celebrate!