Wild Weekend

We had a crazy and fun weekend!

Friday night, we got in my new (to me) car (more about that later) and headed to Jackson.  Jackie boy got to stay up late and go to the Mississippi State Fair with his Bella and Aunt Ansley.

Bech shared some of his cotton candy with Jack.

He was not a fan!

Bella wanted to take him on a ride, but the lines were too long, so she settled for a fair "happy."  He loved it!

We spent the night with my family at the King Ed, picked up Katy and Dave in the morning, then headed to Oxford bright and early for game day.  Of course we needed a stop at Cups first.

Oxford and the Grove were fun, but cold and rainy!  It started raining when we were walking to the Grove and continued to drizzle the rest of the afternoon.  Bech and I had thought about going into the game with Jack, but we ended up heading back to the apartment before kick off.  We hung out with Jack, put him to bed, then headed to bed early!

Jack with Colonel Reb.  Okay, so that's not really Colonel Reb.  It's just some creepy old guy who dresses up like him.  But I think he's hilarious.  We took a picture of Jack with him last year.

Jack wasn't so sure about the Colonel at first, but he warmed up to him.

Jack spent a lot of the afternoon in his Uncle Bubby's arms.  He loves his Bubby!

My good friend from Jr. High and High School, Fran, was there for the game.  She graduated from A&M and was there to cheer on her alma mater.  Elliot is 3 weeks younger than Jack, and they finally got to meet!

Sunday morning, Jack, Bech, my Dad, and I went to Bottletree Bakery for breakfast.  When Bech and I were in college, we had a breakfast date at Bottletree every Friday morning.  It was so special to bring Jack back to one of our favorite places.  

As a side note, Jack was a champ this weekend.  He barely cried or fussed, and he was amazing everywhere we went (and in the car rides--he spent 11 hours in the car this weekend!).

Then we headed over to Tupelo to see my Grandma Jean, Jack's great grandmother.  Jack is blessed to have four great grandparents.  He has met Grandma Jean once before, last year.  He has changed so much. He tried to knock over everything in the room, but I think she enjoyed seeing him.

Jack was sweet and shared some kisses with Grandma Jean.

We headed back to Jackson by way of the Natchez Trace, stopped at Keifers for lunch, then headed to Baton Rouge.  We've unpacked, Jack is asleep, and Bech and I are gearing up for the week ahead!

Life...

Whew...I need life to calm down!  We have had a busy couple of weeks and have a busy week coming up.

Here's what's been going on lately:

* This past week, school was busy!  The term is almost over (next week!) so I had several parents email me for conferences.  I also have tests and study guides I have been making and grading.

I was nervous for a couple of the conferences.  I think the relationship between parents and teachers has really changed in recent years.

Here's a good summary.  And I was definitely worried that the conferences would follow these lines.  But they were great!  The parents are totally on my side in how to deal with their kids, and I loved getting to talk to them!  What a blessing!

* This past weekend was Bech's 10th high school reunion.  We had fun.  I was surprised by how many of his classmates I knew.  I enjoyed meeting new ones, as well.  I don't want to do it every weekend, but it was enjoyable.

* We got to spend lots of time with Bech's family this past weekend.  We have seen his parents recently, but we also got to see his brothers, sister-in-law, and grandmother.  Jack LOVED the attention and did great the whole weekend.

* Speaking of my little man, he is getting his molars!  He has been sort of quiet and calm lately.  I was worried that he was getting sick, but I now know the culprit.

* Sunday, I went to Highlands, my childhood church, with my sister.  I love being back there--so many old friends and good memories.  Plus, it was a missions Sunday.  I always get so emotional at those, but I loved it.  Check out this video they made of some of their missionaries.  

The best part is the missionaries at the end--the Bonhams and Kines!  Nikki Travis Bonham and I grew up in youth group together.  The families left two weeks ago for Bogota, Columbia.  I am so excited for them and for their future work.

* Yesterday felt like fall here!  I LOVED it.  I ran by the store after work and grabbed some ingredients to make chili for dinner.  Bech and I ate chili while I burned an apple pie scented candle.  The perfect end to a fall day!

* This weekend, we are headed to God's country--Oxford, Mississippi.  I plan on seeing friends, spending time in the grove, eating Bottletree Bakery, and hanging out with my dad and sister.  To say I can't wait would be an understatement!  

Plus, it's going to be chilly Saturday night.  I plan on wearing some tights and boots to the grove!

That's what we've been up to.  Right now, I need to get to work on narratives for the end of the term.  Any other teachers have to do narratives for each student?

Back from the South

We are back!  Jack and I had a great, albeit very fast paced, time!

Last weekend was homecoming at Brookhaven High, and Ansley is the mascot.  So of course on Friday night, we had to go see her as "Peppy the Panther."  Jack wasn't really sure what to think of her in her outfit.

This is Precious.  She was Katy's little sister through Boys and Girls club way back in 2001, and we have loved her ever since!  When Katy when away to college, Mom became her "Big Sis."  Precious just started college this year, and we are all really proud of her!

Friday night we drove up to Oxford, getting in very late!  But we hit the grove on Saturday about lunch time.  Here is Jack sporting his grove attire.  He looked adorable--I love a cute pair of jon jons on baby boys!

Blaise's favorite way to hold Baby Jack.  Jack loves his "Bubby."

This guy is hilarious.  Jack is definitely not so sure about taking a picture with him.  But when else would he have a picture with a real live "Colonel Reb?"

Jack with one of his other uncles, Hunter (Bech's little brother).  I love this picture--it's so sweet.  About 5 minutes after this picture, Jack fell asleep in Hunter's arms.  It had been a long day!

Sunday morning, we headed over for a quick visit with Jack's fourth great grandparent (and his last one to meet)--Grandma Jean.  Um, pretty sure Jack looks huge in this picture.  Actually, he is pretty huge.

We had a wonderful time!  Traveling by myself with a baby was not great but not awful.  On the way to Mississippi, I had to get rerouted.  I was supposed to be on 2 flights, getting into New Orleans at 9:30.  Instead, I had 3 flights and got into Jackson at midnight...not fun!

And I was surprised at the lack of people in Burlington that offered to help.  When I went through security at the airport, people just watched me struggle with all of the stroller equipment, the diaper bag, and a baby.  But when I was in the New Orleans airport on my way back, everyone and their brother offered to help--I love the South!

Finally, a picture of Jack and me.  I have been told by so many women that they wished they had more pictures of themselves with their children.  I hate having pictures of myself and feel like I look like a hot mess most days, but I know I will want pictures with Jack someday.  So here we are cuddling at my parents house---I love that boy!

Trip down south

Tomorrow afternoon Jack and I will set off for the South.  Y'all, please pray--I am flying solo with Jack!  He was amazing on his first set of flights, and I hope he is the same.  And honestly, he is such a sweet and easy baby.  But sometimes, he gets his fussy moods, so lets hope that does not happen on the plane.  I do not want to be hated by all of the other passengers!

My mom is picking us up at the New Orleans airport tomorrow night, and we are headed to Brookhaven.  Friday is Brookhaven High's homecoming, and since the mascot is absolutely wonderful (it's Ansley), I have to see her perform!  And this will be Jack's only chance to see her as the Panther.  After the game on Friday night, we will head to Oxford, also known as the Promised Land.  Actually, it's not known as the Promised Land, but it feels that way to me!

I am hoping to get a breakfast in at Bottletree before hitting the Grove.  We are playing Alabama, and I have no illusions of us winning.  In fact, Mom and I are going to hang out in the Grove with Jack rather than  watch the game.  I think the stadium would be a little overwhelming for him.

Then Jack and I will head back to Btown with the family, and head home on Tuesday.  A whirlwind, but fun trip!

Here are some pictures of the Grove in past years...

My last time in the grove, 2 years ago!

I'll be missing this guy... :(

But Bech will be visiting graduate schools while Jack and I are gone!

This picture is from my senior year...whoa...Blaise and Ansley look so young!  Katy, you look the same, which is a good thing!

Can't wait to be back in Dixie!

Sunday night randoms...

Well it has been another crazy week around here!  This is going to be an insane semester.  So in no particular order, here are some thoughts/happenings...

1.  This week we successfully dropped the swaddle!  I was pretty apprehensive about this.  Some babies sleep swaddled until 8 or 9 months, but most drop it around 3 or 4 months.  I had two reasons for wanting to drop the swaddle.  

(1) Last week Jack woke up twice in one night simply because he had broken out of the swaddle.  We wrapped him back up and he went straight back to bed, but it was a sign that he might be better without the swaddle.  

(2)  We are kind of a slave to the swaddle.  He is so strong, so nobody but Bech (and kind of me, although Bech is better) can swaddle him tightly enough.  Even at daycare, they can't do it tightly enough.  And 

Bech's mom is going to be spending a week with us in late October, and will be watching Jack during the day.  She has never swaddled, and I really wanted Jack to not be dependent on it by the time she got here.

We tried two days with one arm unswaddled, and Jack did amazing!  So we completely stopped wrapping him and he has slept so well. 

2.  Fall is officially here!  It is cold!  This weekend it was high 40's/low 50's.  It's beautiful, but I know that Winter is right around the corner!

3.  My little chunk went in for an appointment and he weights...16 lbs 14.5 oz!!!  OhMyLanta!  He is so huge!  He is in the 95th% for weight and the 90th% for height (25.5 inches).  But he is a really cute little chunk, so it's okay.

4.  I think I know where all of his weight is coming from--I am 1 or 2 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight...yay!  But I feel like my whole body has rearranged itself...ugh.

5.  I am going home to Mississippi in a week and a half.  I am flying home to see Ansley be the mascot at Brookhaven High's homecoming.  Then I am going to the Ole Miss/Alabama game that Saturday.  I am so excited to get to go to Oxford!  The last time I was there was my 24th birthday.

6.  We went to our first meeting today for the Burlington PCA church plant.  We are really excited!

7.  I would really like to have some free time to read a book for fun.  I am kind of reading a book about Narnia for fun as well as Keller's "Kings Cross," but it is slow goings.  What I really need to be doing is reading Homer to get ready for my comps!

Well I think that's all I got!  I am tired, but life is good.

the grove

We had a wonderful, albeit tiring weekend. Friday night, we ate at Sal & Mookies with Cortney and Colby...so good! The humus there might be better than Keifers, if that is even possible.

Saturday morning, we got up at the crack of dawn to head to Oxford. The game wasn't until 6, so we didn't need to leave that early, but we wanted to be in Oxford for most of the day. We pulled in at 10. Mom and I got to do some furniture shopping (I found a really cute end table for our living room...now I just have to sand and paint it), while Bech hung out some with Hunter. We hung out at the condo and made pepperoni bread (best stuff ever) and a dip, then headed to the grove.

If you have never been to the grove, you are missing out. Basically, the campus of Ole Miss is built around some grassy, tree-filled expanses (the Grove and the Circle). On game day, these areas are filled with tents and overflowing with people. Most people dress up for the games. Girls wear dresses or sometimes nice pants, boys usually wear khakis and a button up. Blaise, who is pledging, had to wear a blazer and tie like the other pledges. People either make lots of food or get it catered. Some of the tents go all out...they bring flat screens so they can watch other games, or even hire live bands. Plus there is lots of drinking (therefore lots of funny drunk college students).

We went to the game after the grove, but only stayed until halftime...it was freezing! We were all huddled up under blankets.

This is Mike, one of Bechs good friends from ceramics at Ole Miss. He is a grad student, and he is really good. Plus, he's getting married next spring!

Here is my "frat-tastic" brother!

We had a blast...the grove can be a little overwhelming sometimes, but I think everyone should get to experience it at least once in their life!

okay, i have a confession to make...i have become, in the past two months, a blog addict. not that i post alot. i just read other peoples blogs. my favorite types to read are pregnant/babies blogs and missionary blogs. i am eager to have kids (don't worry, mom! i don't mean i am about to have kids!) and i am about to be a missionary. so sometimes when i read the blog of someone i might actually know, i click on the links to the side and read their friends blogs too. is this weird? bech thinks it might be a little bit, and sometimes i do too. but i mean, i'm not a creepy 50 year old man in a wife beater. i am a normal (well mostly), nice 22 year old girl. so maybe that makes my obsessive blog reading less creepy. plus i would like to believe that people put their blogs online so that others can and will read them!

anyway, now that my few readers know my secret, i'm going to add some pictures of oxford. bech and i are going to go on a photo safari sometime this week and take pictures of oxford, but i stole these off of google for the time being.

this is bottletree baker, probably my favorite place in oxford! bech and i used to eat here once a week. now that we live (or lived) out in the country, we didn't go as often. anyway, i get the honeycream danish usually and its AMAZING!


here is Rowan Oak, William Faulkner's house. spend a week in oxford, and you will soon realize that Faulkner is the pride of Oxford...well along with the Mannings. in fact, on a little side note, i'm pretty sure many people in Mississippi might think you are either the anti christ or at least not a christian if you don't like the Mannings. you might get away with saying something about Peyton (after all, he did chose not to go to Ole Miss for college), but don't you dare mention anything negative about Archie or Eli. in fact, the speed limit throughout the Ole Miss campus is 18...and why is that? because it's Archie's number...and i am not kidding!

a picture from the inside of square books. square books is this amazing independent bookstore. it is located on a prime corner of the oxford square. bech spends a lot of time (and some money too) here. i like to go here, but i actually don't buy books very often. i know thats strange, because, if you know me at all, you know that i read voraciously. but i love libraries and i love to borrow books from other people. i usually don't buy a book until i have read it two or three times and know that i want to always have it with me so i can reread it again.

one really great thing about square books is the balcony overlooking the square (in the picture below, you can see it on the left). you can sit up there, do homework, talk to people, etc. you can also enjoy a big scoop of ice cream for $1, sold inside. supposedly the coffee is great too, but i am not much of a coffee drinker. my dad is also a huge square books fan. well he just loves bookstores in general. but he really loves square books. my parents come up a bunch; they have season tickets to football and baseball games. its always fun to walk past square books with my dad and listen to whatever reason he will have for wanting to go in. he might say, "oh while ya'll look in that store, i'll just wait in square books." i love it...he isn't just finding a place to "wait" for us...he is really just dying inside to be in square books!

and of course, no post of oxford would be complete without a picture of the grove. i actually have some fun ones of family and friends in the grove, but not on my computer at work. this is a great picture of a typical table set up in the grove. no tailgating off of trucks for us!