BEWARE: this post contains parental bragging

So I was thinking about what to post today, and then thought, what better than the most adorable picture in the world? Isn't he cute?!His Aunt Teri gave him that rain coat, and he got to use it over the past couple of weeks as it was raining often! It's hard to believe that in 2 weeks he will turn 1. Where has the time gone? Every day he drifts farther from babyhood, and closer to little boyhood. Does that make sense? He's just so tall and rambunctious. He walks all the time now, and is just too cute.

This was his Easter outfit, given to him by my mom. Here you can really tell how big he's getting. I love his shoes! How cute are baby shoes?

And here is an example of his "rambunctiousness". That's him in the kitchen cabinet. You have to be careful when in the kitchen- one never knows when Jack will throw a pot on your toes. It hurts.

Spring Flowers

Spring is here and summer approaches. I love this time of year when the weather turns warm, and outside activities can resume once again. Since moving to our new place we have a great balcony which just begs for flowers and plants to decorate it. I'm trying to decide which flowers to buy...but since I'm not really knowledgeable in this area, I want to know your ideas! The flowers would get sun only in the morning hours, and shade the rest of the day....with plenty of heat. Ideas anyone?

A Long Awaited Story

Sleep-walking. Sleep-talking. Sleep-slapping?

Scene: A darkened room at 1:15 a.m., husband and wife deep in peaceful slumber.

Conflict: Things are not as it seems, as...SLAP! The sleeping wife slaps her husband right across the face, abrubtly and (violently) waking the aforementioned peaceful husband.

Resolution: The husband yells out, angry at the complicit and (violent) wife. The sleepy, drousy wife hushes her husband with a "shhh, it's okay, go back to sleep." And then immediately drops off to sleep again, while the bewildered and (angry) husband is left awake, wondering if his wife is out to get him.

And so happened the sleep-slapping incident of 2009 in the Nelson household. I really do love you Honey!

Update:

The past week has been business as normal. We rented the movie Australia and watched it over the span of 2 nights, because, yes, it's that long. It was a good rental though. We also watched Mummy 3, and it was quite disappointing. I really hate when they replace main characters with a different actor in the middle of a franchise. Do they think the audience won't notice? Not that the Mummy franchise was ever oscar-worthy but atleast I was entertained, and I liked Rachel Weisz. To end my tirade, neither Jon or I liked it, in no small part to the casting change.

And today was Jon's birthday, so happy birthday to my hubby! He got lots of attention and gifts including a new stand for his hammock, for those lazy breezy days (need more of those!) . We also ate at Saltgrass Steakhouse which was excellent, dare I say better than Outback. It was so tasty that I ate my entire 10 oz steak, in addition to mashed potatoes, bread, salad, and 2 cokes. But, calorie conscious as ever, I took the dessert to go!

And the MOST exciting news ever is that Jack started walking this past week!! So cool. He's not quite 11 months old yet, so I think that's pretty good, although since he's my first I don't have much past experience. He is so proud of himself and I can't help clapping and squealing for him. It's exciting! And for all of you nay-sayers out there-- yes, I realize now he'll be getting into more things, and that mischief and defiance lay ahead. Shut up! I'm tired of getting excited over a milestone only for seasoned parents to point out the pitfalls of such milestones. So go ahead and walk Jack. Below are 2 videos of Jack displaying his young athleticism: a) basketball and b) walking.

A Day in the Life...

Here's a sneak peek at what Jack did today:

Ate breakfast...
my amusing husband just remarked that the look on Jack's face is reminiscent of my face in the morning.

Met his new cousin for the first time. How precious!

Held his cousin's dress...soooo cute! (Hey Amy- recognize his shirt?)

So, this "game" initially started with Daddy chasing down Jack as he attempted to crawl away to safety. Well, it didn't take long for Jack to take control and become the "chaser". Here he is chasing down Daddy and laughing uncontrollably when caught. Note that towards the end, it seems Jack is down for the count, until he springs back into action! What a boy.

What a fun and eventful day. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Gettin' in Shape

Ah, you gotta love getting back in shape. Okay, truthfully it kind of sucks. Especially if you haven't worked out in you can't remember how long. That's pretty bad. Nonetheless, Jon and I both started working out this week. It's amazing how much better you feel about yourself after breaking a sweat! One night we played some one-on-one on the complex's bball court while Jack watched from his stroller. It was a lot of fun, and I really loved sharing sports with Jack. He probably had no idea what was going on, but it'll be so much fun when he starts walking and we can play sports together. We've got big plans this summer for swimming and basketball. He practiced his swimming in the bathtub earlier tonight. He layed down on his tummy while playing with his toys, not caring at all if the water got in his face. I CAN'T wait for pool time! I love the pool, and a bonus is that it's sure to tire Jack out to get some good sleep afterwards!

Oh, and a shout out to my husband!, who gave me an iPod nano for my birthday, to aid me in my fitness quest.

Hallelujah!

It's time to celebrate! It's official, it's a miracle: we have tv and internet! Jon and I spent a glorious 4 hours of catching up on 24 Monday night- the perfect night for them to feature a 2 hour episode. (Not that a group of 12 men with guns could take hostage the entire White House- really??) But nonetheless, it was quite enjoyable to use our DVR and fast forward and ignore all the annoying commercials. How did I ever make it this long without a DVR? Oh, how I love you. Life is good here, surprisingly hot actually. It's in the 80's here, but this is Texas so that means it could be in the 40's tomorrow. I wish it would make up its mind: hot or cold? My thermostat is severely confused: A/C or heat? I'm all for the A/C...

So I promised pictures...

Master Bath shower head (notice extreme height, totally feels like a waterfall)

Jack's room- note him eating his crib- we're so proud!

The hallway leading to Jack's room/bathroom (note it leads AWAY from my room!)

The glorious kitchen, with an easy-to-clean cook top

View from living room to dining room, with lots of windows for lighting.

P.S. So I'm trying to make friends in our new ward, which is hard because I've missed Relief Society a lot in the last month, read: (Jack, Jack, Stake Conference, and allergy attack). But I think I finally succeeded yesterday because I met a few younger women my age. My conversation opener?-- "Hi, my name's Erin and I'm new here. Do you know any good OB's in the area?"-- Okay, to be honest, I actually opened with the pediatrician, and then smoothly moved on to the woman doctor.

P.P.S. So why did I choose to share the above information? Because the referral to a pediatrician came in handy today since Jack came down with a cold/cough. We went to the doctor's office first thing this morning and after about 30 minutes of paper work, we got right in and waited (get this) less than 5 minutes to see the doctor! Wow, yes, I'm going back. It was the first doctors experience in a long time when I didn't leave feeling completely frustrated and irritated for waiting FOREVER to spend 5 minutes with a doctor who is just trying to get out the door as fast as possible, and if he/she has time give me some medical advice. This doctor actually interacted with Jack and made multiple references to becoming better friends in the future, what?! I'm in pediatrician heaven.