Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! We took Jacob trick-or-treating in our neighborhood tonight. He did so GREAT! He always said, "trick-or-treat!" and then said "thanks" or "thank you" when he left. He was so excited to go trick-or-treating! He only fell down once but it busted a hole in the knee of his costume...what was he?? The cutest zebra you've ever seen! Pappy & RoRo came by before we went trick-or-treating to see Jacob's costume and they had some "treats" for him. He also got a very nice Halloween card with a Chick-fil-A gift card from Popi & Mimi! He's just a little spoiled! Here are some pictures from our night!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

We decided to try a different pumpkin patch this year and boy are we glad we did! We went to Old Baker Farm in Harpersville and it was GREAT! The weather was a little crisp which was perfect for a day at the pumpkin patch. Jeff had never been out towards Harpersville and he thoroughly enjoyed the drive. The leaves on the trees had started to change color and it's a nice rural drive.

We didn't really know what to expect since we had never been to Old Baker Farm. It opened at nine o'clock and we arrived a little after ten o'clock. Cars were parked everywhere! After we took some pictures with a giant, round, hay bale, and some with a scarecrow, we paid to get in. The first thing that we saw after we got inside were some pedal tractors. Jacob had a BLAST! I didn't think we were going to get him away to do anything else. He cried and whined but we finally convinced him to go on the hayride.

We got in a short line for the hayride and about 4 trailers full of people left before it was our turn. We got to ride on a trailer that was being pulled by an orange tractor, similar to Pappy's orange tractor. After a short ride, we arrived at the pumpkin field. Jacob had so much fun running around through the pumpkins looking for the perfect one! He fell down a couple of times but would get up and take off full speed again! We picked three pumpkins (paid for with our price of admission!). Jacob picked out a little green one with a long stem. Jeff picked out a medium sized white one and I picked out a flat, orange one. We couldn't believe how long the line was for the hayride once we got back and were very thankful that we did that first thing! Another great thing is that a church has some tables set up and you can give them a donation and they'll take your pumpkins to the entrance and then put them in your car when you're ready to leave. It was totally worth it and for a good cause.

They had an Indian tribe doing a presentation which was really neat. On our way out we bought a GIANT maroon mum from the same church group. It was a great price (1/2 of what Publix was selling them for) and again, it went to a good cause. Oh, and we also bought some boiled peanuts, so that made it a great day!

We would have loved to spend the entire day at Old Baker Farm but I had another commitment (shocking, I know...me, double book?) so we left around 12:30. We grabbed a bite of lunch in Columbiana at Bernie's and then took it to the house. We had a wonderful time together as a family and I couldn't have asked for a better time. Here are some pictures from our day!

Jacob and his big wheel

Our little boy is growing up so fast! Santa brought him a "Twist 'n Trike" for Christmas. It is a big wheel and a tricycle in one. You twist it and can convert it from one to the other. He can pedal (and steer!) now and always wants to ride his big wheel. Here are some pictures from a Sunday afternoon. I have to go wipe my tears...

U2 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta

If you know me, you know that I'm a HUGE U2 fan. I think they're awesome...and I've now had the good fortune of seeing them in concert, not once, not twice but THREE times! This last show could have been the best one yet! I was all worried about trying to "smuggle" my little Canon Powershot in. I knew I wouldn't be able to get my Canon Rebel in. I had a couple of options to go with...the first was pretty humorous and I was sure it would work but then I got paranoid. I decided to "wear" the camera and got in with no problems. We get to our seats and we're listening to the opening band, Muse, and these girls come sit behind us. One of them has a big camera, like my Rebel, with her. I was like, "what?!?" So, I asked her how she got it in and she said that she just had it in her camera bag and that the security person checked it and no big deal. Here I was stressing over nothing!!! Anyway, here are some pictures from the show.

A message from Jacob

My school's annual fundraiser with Innisbrook has begun. Innisbrook Wraps has beautifully designed gift wrap printed on quality recycled paper, coordinating gift wrap accessories,
gourmet foods and fine Helen Grace Chocolates that make great gifts, Time Inc. magazine subscriptions, and more.

For every item that is purchased, Innisbrook donates up to 50% of the purchase price to my school. I also earn a prize credit for every item purchased except school supplies. The more prize credits I earn, the more prizes I win!

Please consider visiting the Innisbrook website and making a purchase on my behalf. A link is included below. Our sale will be over soon, so don't wait. Place your order today.

Thanks for your help!

Seller: JACOB Seller ID# R265781E
School: KINGWOOD CHRISTIAN CDC
School Number: 107789

Click the link below to visit Innisbrook.com and they will recognize me and my school automatically.

http://www.innisbrook.com/index_students.cfm?id1=R265781E&id2=&id3=

If the above link does not work:
1. Click below
2. Enter the Seller ID# R265781E
www.innisbrook.com/id.cfm

State Fair 2009

I took Jacob to the State Fair last night, which happened to be in Pelham this year. He had a BLAST!! He's not tall enough to ride a lot of the attractions, but they have a handful of things that he could ride.

**I am trying a new slideshow. I think the slide.com show that I have been using could potentially infect your computer with a virus. I have had two reports of fishy behavior and when I tried to access a friend's slide.com slideshow from work our network blocked the site. Hopefully this new slideshow will not cause any problems.

Jacob's art

Since about the 4th of August, I have been very busy with work. All of our fall student-athletes reported back to campus for pre-season and then school started. I would like to think that things are going to slow down at some point, but I know that it probably won't happen. It's ok though...I would rather be busy than at work with nothing to do. Plus, I am so thankful that I have a job to go to everyday (especially one that I love)!

Since I have been such a poor blogger this past month I thought the least I could do is share some of Jacob's "art" from this past week at school.

I guess so

We stopped at Wendy's on our way home Tuesday to get some lunch. I had a delicious grilled chicken sandwich (you should try it) and we got the usual chicken nugget kid meal for Jacob. As I have said before, he doesn't have much interest in food, but he will usually eat chicken nuggets (he likes McDonald's the best) and fries. He only ate a few fries and a bite of one nugget. I was going to give the nuggets to Jeff so they wouldn't go to waste.

Jacob: Daddy, don't eat my chicken nugs.
Jeff: How come? Are you going to eat them?
Jacob: (long pause) I guess so.

He didn't eat them but the conversation was funny. I have no idea where he comes up with these things but his timing and enunciation is hilarious!

Last night we were coming home from dropping the car off to have the oil changed and the tires rotated and balanced and he heard some tree frogs out the window once we got into the neighborhood.

Jacob: I hear some tree frogs. They are talking to each other.
Jeff: What are they saying?
Jacob: They're jumping on the rock so the BIG shark won't eat them.

Excerpts from on the way to church, vol. 1

On Sunday mornings, we like to listen to classical music while we get ready for church, on the way to church and after we get home. This past Sunday as we're driving out of our neighborhood, a Vivaldi composition came on.

Jeff: "I like Vivaldi."
Me: "Me too. I wonder what it is like to be that brilliant?"
Jeff: "I'll tell you sometime."
Me: "Good one, honey."

That was almost immediately followed by:
Jeff: "This just in, I'm getting a hole in the butt of these pants."

Classy!

Yay, cake! I love cake! - Jacob 2 yrs

Today is Jeff's birthday! Jacob was so excited to wrap his present last night. I've taken to saving the comics from the Sunday paper and use it as often as I can to wrap presents. I think it's neat, colorful and definitely cost effective. When we were going to sleep last night I asked him if he knew what tomorrow was and he said, "yes, Daddy's birthday!"

We gave Jeff his gift this morning because Jacob just couldn't wait any longer. Jeff received Rosetta Stone French, level 1 from me, Jacob, Mimi, Popi, RoRo and Pappy. We hope he likes it and learns a lot of french!

Have a great day, Daddy! We love you and can't wait to eat some cake! As Jacob told me last night when I was making the cake, "Yay, cake! I love cake!" and he does...

Barking or Ruffin'?

This morning we get to Kingwood and I can hear a dog barking in someone's vehicle. I go to open Jacob's door and he says, "That dogs ruffin'!" It was so matter-of-fact the way he said it that I died laughing. The correct word for the sound a dog makes is not "barking" it's "ruffin'!"

What do you make with a hammer?

Jacob is happily playing in his room while I am cooking supper. I periodically check in on him to make sure he's not grinding playdoh into the carpet or has hurt himself. I walk into his room about 5 minutes ago and he's hitting his Connect 4 box with a toy hammer. He looks up and says, "I'm hammerin'!" I say, "oh yeah?" He says, "yeah, you make a house with a hammer." He's so smart!

Jake's handiwork, take 2

In an earlier post, I mentioned how Jacob likes to have things "just so." Here's another example of how he arranged the magnets on my file cabinet at work.




All lined up in a perfect row. I'm surprised he didn't group all of the same colors together. He must have gotten distracted after the green magnets!

Jacob goes to the dentist

Jacob had his very first dentist appointment on 6/24. We chose a pediatric dentist close to his daycare and our home. Jacob had fun playing with the toys in the waiting room. We did not have to wait very long before it was his turn. He was a little unsure at first and started "mommy...mommy," - his standard defense. When he saw that we were coming too, he relaxed a little. He sat in the chair with a teddy bear that he picked out to accompany him. The hygeniest was great at showing him all the tools and what each tool does. He only started to cry once and quickly stopped. He even had "pictures" taken of his teeth and was perfect for that as well. We're happy to report no cavaties. We have a very brave son and couldn't be any prouder!

Here are some pictures of his visit...

The wash-disher blog

There once was a little boy named Jacob. He lived in a house with his mommy and his daddy. One night his mommy was emptying the dishwasher, usually a job reserved for his daddy. She got distracted, which is pretty normal, and left the door down with the bottom rack out. Little Jacob, unbeknownst to his parents, climbed all the way on the door and proceeded to play in the bottom of the dishwasher...the usual, sticking his silverware and toys in there. As everyone was getting ready for bed, his daddy went to close the dishwasher door only to find out that it would not close. Apparently dishwashers are not built to hold 34 pound little boys. That is the true and accurate account of how we became owners of a new dishwasher.

Jeff was going to try to fix it but when he was looking online for parts he discovered that the dishwasher we had only cost $100 retail. With that knowledge (and the fact that we never really liked it because it was a piece of crap!) we decided to invest in a new dishwasher. We bought a new Frigidaire stainless steel dishwasher on Father's Day at Mazer's.

Jeff and my Dad put it in on Tuesday night. The reason the post is titled "wash-disher" is because when they were working on getting the old one out, Jacob came in the kitchen and said, "What are you guys doing? Are you fixing the wash-disher?" It was really cute...he knows it's a dishwasher he just got too excited and called it a wash-disher. The install took two days because our copper line was not long enough for the new one. Dad came back on Wednesday and finished the install. We used it for the first time and it's so quiet!

The old dishwasher

The new dishwasher

Jacob's 2 1/2 year pictures

I took Jacob to have his pictures taken last Saturday (6/20). Despite having to wait over 30 minutes past our appointment time before it was our turn, he did really well! He should...he's been enough times! I think they turned out great! I can't believe how "grown-up" he looks in a lot of the pictures. I would like to clarify that they did not ask him to stretch out on the backdrop and pose. He was sitting down and since he's so silly he decided to "flop" down on his side and sort of escape.

Jacob's handiwork...

Jacob is a very interesting little boy. We think he has a lot of our tendencies, quirks, and idiosyncrasies. He likes for his toys, books, etc. to be a certain way. If you move it from the way he has it, he'll go back and fix it. Things like that really bother him. Here's a perfect example of how he arranged his "Thomas" bath toys on the coffee table...

I finally gave in.

I think even before we had our hardwood floors installed, Jeff was already talking about rugs. I wasn't thrilled with the idea. I didn't want to pay what we paid for the floors just to cover it up with a rug. I've been pretty stubborn (shocking, I know) about it since the floors went down. I wouldn't even consider it and looking at rugs was out of the question. We were at Lowe's looking at dishwashers (stay tuned for another post about that) and in a moment of weakness, I agreed to look. Looking led to purchasing and we left the store with a rug. Those of you that know me, know how much I like a good deal/sale. I attribute this purchase largely to that. Even though I agreed to look, I don't think I would have considering purchasing a rug if it had not been on clearance. I'm such a sucker! It does look nice and as my brother-in-law, Todd, said, "It really ties everything together." We were fortunate that they had a matching smaller rug that we could put in front of the back door. Here's a picture of the smaller rug. It gives you an idea of the pattern on the bigger rug.


We also bought a rug for our patio, surprisingly enough, we picked it out before we looked at dishwashers or the other rugs. We also purchased some accent pillows for our patio furniture. The patio is a nice, relaxing space! Here are some pics of the patio's renovation:

"F as in Sam"

Having a unique name has it challenges, namely (pun somewhat intended!) when you're trying to make an appointment or reservation. Usually after several attempts at "Dawn" (must be my southern accent?), I automatically begin spelling our last name. It goes a little something like this:

"M as in mother, A, K, O, F as in Frank, S as in Sam, K, I"

Only today when I was spelling it, I spazzed out and said, "F as in Sam" which I'm sure confused the lady on the either end of the phone. I didn't realize I had done it until I started in with "S as in..." wait a minute, didn't I already say Sam? I began to laugh, apologized and then corrected myself. I bet she's wondering what kind of nut-job doesn't even know how to spell their name? Guess you had to be there...

Yes!

I am pretty proud of myself right now...

This was my first attempt at "utilizing" some of the features of Photoshop (other than cropping). I'm pretty excited that I figured out how to do the "selective" color in a black & white photo. This isn't perfect...you can see color where I didn't want it but at least I know how to do it now!

Here's attempt # 2...

If I had more time tonight, I'd be doing this with all kinds of photos. Sadly, I am out of time. It's time for Jake's bedtime routine to start so I'm off to give him a bath, dry him off, diaper him up, lotion him up, put his pj's on him, brush his hair, give him his medicine, brush his teeth, read him a book, say our prayers and get him to sleep. Hopefully I didn't forget a step! He'll be sure and let me know. And, when we're done with the book, "what do we do with it? We put it on the table." It's become a nightly saying...along with "go darker."

Tuesday...afternoon...

I find it sad and a *tad* bit humorous that I was so excited to receive our new office shredder today. The one that we had no longer worked and I've been "sitting" on a pile of shred papers for eight months now. I finally took time to research cross-cut shredders and picked one out. I ordered from Office Depot on Monday and it was delivered today. I've been checking the mail room all day and lo and behold there it was. I wheeled it into my office via the green hand trucks. I got it "assembled" (not much required...popping the wheels on and that was about it) and went to town. I filled up two trash bags before I decided to take a break. I'm out of trash bags so I guess I will have to a) go buy some or b) wait until Johnson Controls comes tomorrow and ask for extra.

It's also sad that I'm looking forward to going to the bookstore to buy a new three-ring binder and dividers. I think it's partly because no one is in the office today and my love for office supplies. Seriously, I could go nuts in those types of stores! I shall contain my spending since we have a small budget. I won't post about my three-ring binder because it's not as exciting as the shredder...unless there's some new kind of binder that I don't even know about...doubtful, but you never know.

Oh, is it just me or is it odd that I know THREE people having babies this week?!? One was induced last night (no baby yet)...one is induced today and the other on Thursday. Crazy, huh?

Brent & Jenni are having a ...

Our good friends Brent and Jenni went to the doctor yesterday to find out what they're having...it's a BOY! Congratulations to them! I'm guessing they didn't have the same issues that Brent and Regan did because I had a text message around 8:30 and their appointment was at 8:00. They are due almost the same time as Brent and Regan so we'll have a boy and a girl!

In other news, I saw someone being arrested on my way to work. That would really ruin your day! I was already going slow (speed limit is 40 mph) but I slowed even more and rubber-necked as best I could. I couldn't deduce much except that the little pickup was pulled over by the Sheriff and there was a cooler on the ground. The Sheriff had called for backup because there was another Sheriff car there. Maybe when they ran the tag on the truck it came back with bad news or they found some drugs or weapons? Either way the man was handcuffed and being put in the back of the cruiser.

Hopefully your day is going better than his!

Brent & Regan are having a ...

Today my brother and his wife went to the doctor to find out what their second child is. Brent called me and said, "You're going to be an aunt again!" Duh! I already knew that! He was just being funny. The ultrasound was scheduled for 2:30 but the baby was stubborn and they couldn't tell anything. They went to her check-up at 3:00 and after that, they went back for another ultra sound. The baby cooperated a little more and they're having a GIRL! Congratulations to them! I'm tickled for them and would have been happy either way...now for the hard part...a name!

Jacob's a smurf...who knew?

As we were driving through our neighborhood after being gone for a week, I asked Jacob what our house looked like. He said, "Um...white and like Mommy, Daddy and Jake." We had a laugh over it. Yesterday as we were driving home from "family swim" at my work, Jacob said something about our house being white. I told him it wasn't and he said, "Daddy's white, Mommy's white and I'm blue." That cracked me up. For some reason he thinks he's blue! Who knew we were raising a smurf?!?

On a side note, he also told me this week that he was "going to be happy and so fun." That kid...

Third time's a charm, right?

Jacob had his THIRD set of tubes put in last Tuesday (5/12). We hope that he will grow out of this and this will be his last set. His left tube fell out early in the spring. Every since that happened he would get an ear infection, be on antibiotics for 10 days, be "well" for about 5 days and then the cycle would start over again. After the third infection, our Pediatrician sent us back to the ENT and we signed up for our third bilateral myringotomy with tubes.

We had to be at Children's South at 6:15 a.m. and despite no food or drink since midnight the night before, Jacob was in good spirits. His surgery started a little after 8:00 a.m. With the first two surgeries, he was PITIFUL when the nurse brought him back to us...break-your-heart crying and inconsolable. This time he was great! He didn't cry at all! Not one whimper, not one tear. He was still a little woozy from the anesthesia when they brought him back to the room but he was soooo funny! He was trying to talk but he couldn't get the words out and then his head would kind of roll. We were cracking up!

After we got home, I thought he would definitely take a nap...not so! He was wired! I didn't get him down for a nap until after 4:00 that afternoon.

We had our follow-up appointment yesterday (5/21) with the ENT and he said everything looks great!

Wii would like to play!

I have the best family! For Mother's Day, Jeff and Jacob got me a Wii! I couldn't believe it! I'm very excited and can't wait to get it set up and play! Now, I'm about to eat some turkey bacon and pancakes! Yum-yum!

Jalin's birthday party!

Jacob was invited to his second cousin, Jalin's birthday party. The party was at Pump it Up! in Pelham. Here are a few pictures. I think it's cute how Jacob always crosses his legs when he's sitting. I also think it's cute how he had to be right in the middle of everything, which is evident by the fact that he had to sit right beside Jalin in the group picture. He's a mess!

Home Renovation

At the beginning of 2009, we had our carpet taken out (except for the bedrooms) and hardwood floors installed. Here are some before and after pictures.

Sarah's Shower

My friends, Elizabeth, Kim and Jessica, and I threw a shower for our friend Sarah. Sarah and her husband Gabe are expecting their first child this May. They are having a boy and will name him Nicholas Brent. She got some really great gifts for baby Nicholas. Here are some pictures of her shower.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! The Easter Bunny came to visit Jacob while he slept. He brought Jacob lots of books, the movie Ratatouille, bubbles and some candy. He must have been a very good boy to get such great prizes! We went to church and then to my grandparent's (Maw-maw & Paw-paw) house for lunch. After lunch we came home and even though Jacob had eaten his yearly allotment of candy I still managed to get him down for a nap! After his nap, we had a delicious dinner of pork tenderloin, potatoes au gratin (courtesy of Bobby Flay's recipe) and green bean haystacks (courtesy of Sam's recipe). After dinner, we watched Jacob's new movie, Ratatouille. Here are some pictures of us dying eggs, Jacob in his Easter outfit and Jacob trying to find eggs.

Jacob's Room

As promised in an earlier post, I finally have pictures of Jacob's room. It's hard to keep it picked up when he LOVES to drag out every toy that he owns and who knows what else! After cleaning this weekend, I took some pictures of his room so everyone could see his new furniture and bedding. It was right after he woke up from a nap and wasn't ready to get off the bed...you'll see him curled up hiding his face in a couple of pictures. He's like his mommy...cranky when he wakes up...poor kid!

Paw-paw is going to be okay!

The spots that they saw on his lungs were in fact blood clots. However, they were old blood clots that his body has already taken care of. Since he had those clots in the past they are starting him on coumadin and he will have to take that for six months. It apparently takes a while to get in your system, so he'll have to take shots for a while. He should be discharged from the hospital today...he's just waiting for the nurse technician to show him how to do the shots.

Thank you for all of your prayers!

Update on Kimberly's nephew

I had an email from Kimberly this morning. Here's an update on her nephew:

"After tests last night on AJ, they have concluded that his heart isn't functioning correctly. From what I understand, his aorta valve and pulmonary valve are switched. They did the balloon catheter procedure on him yesterday and it worked perfectly so for now his oxygen level is back up to where it's supposed to be. He will have open heart surgery to correct his heart probably on Monday. Harrison and I are trying to get on a flight tonight to be there for the surgery. Please continue praying for my sister's family and also that Harrison and I arrive safely. I will update again when I know something. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!"

Harrison is her three month old baby boy. This will be his first trip to the states. Please pray for A.J. and their family.

Update on Paw-paw

The doctor just visited my Paw-paw. The good news is that she doesn't think he has blood clots...the bad news is that she doesn't really know what is going on. They have started him on a "mild" blood thinner and he will stay the night. She wants to review the "reports" in the morning (why couldn't she look at it tonight?) and decide what to do from there. If it is a blood clot, it's what they call a "chronic blood clot" and the people that usually have those travel a lot (by air) or are inactive. My Paw-paw has never flown and is one of the most active people I know. For example, he was on his roof earlier this afternoon and then decided to burn a pile of brush. The doctor also said that another reason she thought he didn't have blood clots was because normal patients go on oxygen immediately and he wouldn't be talking to her like he was if that were the case. She also said that if it's not blood clots, it could be a spot on his lung.

We will hopefully know more tomorrow. Please continue to keep him and my family in your prayers.

Prayers, please

Please pray for my grandfather. We found out this afternoon that he has blood clots in his lungs and is being admitted to the hospital. I don't know much more information than that, but I'll pass it along as soon as I do.

Also, please pray for my friend Kimberly's nephew, A.J. This is her email that she sent:

"Hi to all! My little sister had her baby today and things aren't looking good for the little guy. He was born 9lbs 7oz and my sister did it all without drugs. He was fine until they cut the cord and he stopped breathing. He is on a ventilator and being transferred from Shelby to UAB to do some tests on his heart and lungs. Needless to say everyone is very shook up. Please pray for my sister Katie, her husband, and little AJ. We should know more tomorrow after they run some tests. More than likely I will be on a flight out of here with my little guy tomorrow night after work so pray we arrive safely. Thanks to all!

Kimberly"

Kimberly's husband is in the Navy and they are stationed in Rota, Spain.

Play Ball!

We went to Orr Park in Montevallo for a picnic a few weeks ago when Popi and Mimi were in town for the Davis Cup. After we ate, we walked around and Jacob was able to play on the playground. We had taken his "t-ball" set and went out into the field (where it was less crowded) to let him play. Below are some pictures of our little slugger. In case you're wondering about the cups...he really likes to drink from a cup that's in another cup...hence the Lightning McQueen sippy cup inside the Alabama cup. He can be so silly!

Boston is DONE!

I started working on our Boston scrapbook last August at a scrapbook retreat. I'm happy to report that I have FINALLY finished it! I haven't been working on it very often since the retreat so it took a lot longer than I anticipated to finish it...not to mention the insane amount of pictures and memorabilia that I tried to incorporate into one album. It's massive! So, 3 1/2 years after our trip, it finally made it into a scrapbook. Now that we have turned our guest bedroom into a "lounge," I have our desk set up as a "scrapbook station" so I'll be able to work on things more often. Next project, Paris 2001 and after that Jake's album. I'm still not sure how I want to do his album...suggestions? I'm having a hard time deciding what to put in it and what to put in our family album, neither of which have been started.

There's nothing like March weather in Alabama!

I don't know if you would say that March came in like a lion or like the fleece of a lamb! It snowed and snowed and snowed some more on March 1, 2009. This is the first time we've actually seen snow at our house (it snowed January 2008, but we were out of town). I was SO excited! When Jacob woke up, he was excited too. It was perfect snow for making a snowman, which is exactly what we did! We ate some snow and then took a walk around our neighborhood. Here are some pictures of our "spring" winter wonderland.

Jeff makes a "bacon explosion" for the Super Bowl party we went to.

Jeff made this bacon explosion to take to a super bowl party. Granted, it's not healthy AT ALL, but it was pretty delicious. Click
here for the recipe. We recommend serving it with Hawaiian sweet rolls.

Zing, Zang, Zoom!

We took Jacob to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Zing, Zang, Zoom circus. He had a great time (and I did too!). It was a really neat circus. They did a lot of acrobatics so it was kind of Cirque de Soleil meets the circus. We saw elephants, tigers, dogs, horses, zebras and clowns. Here are some pictures from our day. They aren't very good because it was so dark and we were kind of far away.

My first NCAA Convention

I had the opportunity to attend the NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C. this past January. While it was below freezing my friend Robyn and I weren't going to let our time go to waste. We spent about 5 hours one afternoon doing as much as we could in the city. We each had on layers of clothes and were freezing the majority of the time, but it was a BLAST! The day we were flying home, we got up very early and took off for the Capitol. We were fortunate to get a tour pass since we didn't have a pre-arranged tour set up. We were there days before the inauguration and I missed U2's performance by hours! We were fortunate to not have any flight delays due to weather or heightened security. I was so happy to see Jeff and Jacob waiting for me at the Birmingham airport. I missed them both a lot! Here are some pictures from my trip.