Jack-you are 15 months old!

I try to do for the second child all that I did for the first child. Monthly pictures, for example, happened every month with both babies. The only difference was Georgia's was always prompt and Jack's was sometimes two weeks late. But I did them! So in true second child fashion, here is a 15 month update on our Jack boy-two weeks late but still in the correct month so I'll take it!

Jack-you are 15 months old!

• You weigh 23 pounds (50th percentile), 32 inches tall (96th percentile) and your head circumference is in the 98th percentile. You are wearing 18 month and some 24 month clothing and wear a size 5 shoe. You wear a size 3 diaper. Long and lean with an impressive noggin!
• Your vocabulary is increasing every week. This week you started saying "door" and "berries". The way you say "Georgia" is absolutely the cutest thing I've ever heard. You are saying 15-20 words currently. I'm sure phrases will come very soon.
• You hated bath time, now you love bath time. Washing up isn't your favorite but we go fast so the screaming is kept to a minimum.
• You are into all kinds of mischief these days. Just tonight I was emptying your diaper genie and a bright color caught my eye. You had been putting toys in your genie! Blocks, magnetic letters, a pair of Georgia's sunglasses and a NYC snowglobe from Uncle Cody were retrieved from the bag of poop. You also love throwing things away in the trashcan and toilet. We started timeout with you this week. We will see how that goes. Whew!
• You have 12 teeth-front four on top and bottom and two molars on top and two molars on the bottom. You really weren't symptomatic when you cut the molars which was a blessing. We try to brush them everyday and even though you love the taste of toothpaste you hate having your teeth brushed. It is usually a wrestling match but mommy always wins :)

• Your favorite foods are mashed potatoes, all berries, cheese, macaroni and cheese, eggs and peaches. You LOVE milk. And you love your bottle even more. Dr. Lee says it's time to nix the bottle. I know how hard this will be so we're in the pre-planning stage which is basically just lots of prayer and research on the best way to do it. Prayers appreciated!
• You are a sleeping rockstar. Bedtime is around 7:30-8 and you usually sleep at least 12 hours and sometimes 14. It's amazing really. You also take 1-2 naps a day as well, sometimes for 2-3 hours. But when you are awake you go nonstop. You are never still or even seated really so I guess you just wear yourself completely out. We're proud of our well-rested boy!
• We're working on identifying body parts (you've got eyes and nose down) and animals and their sounds. You are a super smart baby. You love following in Georgia's shadow and learning from her. She loves teaching you things and being your boss. It's a match made in sibling heaven.
• You climb on everything and you can ransack a room in no time. You fall and hit your head pretty often because you are so aggressive and because your head is large. It worries me sometimes but I know God made you strong and tough so you could handle the bumps and bruises.
• You don't enjoy riding in the car much unless it's naptime and you can sleep. You also have no interest in TV shows yet which is a good thing.
• Loves-ba ba (bottle), pulling your diaper off and running around completely naked, wooly crocheted blankets (you call them "mimmys"), your sister, any toy your sister is playing with (ha!) and sleeping

It's been a fun, adventurous, challenging and full of love 15 months with you, Jack. You are quick tempered and will probably give me all kinds of gray hair but I know God knew what He was doing when He created you for us. You have taught me so much about life, love, patience and just how wonderful it is to raise a son.

I love you forever and always!
-Mommy 

Summer Photo Dump

It's been a while since I've done a photo dump on the blog. I'm ready to get things organized and pictures arranged before the chaos of school starting back arrives. So here we go!

Georgia and Ma enjoying some Mexican food during their slumber party!

I can't complain, my summer work schedule is relaxed and there's plenty of time for vacations but I do have to go in the office some while Daddy and the babes are at home which is hard. We facetime everyday that I go into work and it makes me so happy! They show me what they're eating, what they're playing with and show me new dance moves. It's the best part of the day.

I tried to wrangle these two at our friend Lola's birthday pool party by myself one evening. Georgia & Jack-1, Mommy-0.

My brother had a wedding in Ohio last weekend so since he was a little closer to home he came down and brought her girlfriend, Mara. She is a sweetheart and we all approved! He was so sweet and brought gifts to his niece and two nephews, just because. We wish we could see him more and I would love to make a trip up to the Big Apple to see him soon.

15 month checkup last week: 50th percentile weight (23#), 96th percentile height and 95th percentile head. Healthy and growing. And I've said it once but I'll say it again, he is going to use his massive noggin to do big, important things someday! Also, he does new things like what's pictured above everyday that amazes me. The second child definitely has the benefit of learning from the first.

Georgia has had a head full of hair since the day she was born and she's had a few trims in her life but never a hair cut. After lots of time thinking and debating, we finally decided it was time for a new 'do.

Georgia's new 'do! She loves it and we love it too. Daddy was hesitant to cut it so we didn't take off too much this time, a cute bob might be in our future but we will just have to see how it goes. But no matter her hair length Mommy thinks she is the most beautiful girl in the whole world! Thank you to our dear friend Cindy for squeezing her in and making her feel so comfortable and loved!

We're three months behind but better late than never right? I think so. We don't take professional pictures very often but I feel like the age milestones are a must.

Pool day aka swim for an hour and then tear Gammy's house down the rest of the time :) Right after I took this picture they got tangled up from having their arms around each other for the picture and Jack fell and hit his head. The poor boy hits his head on a daily basis. I knew raising a boy would be different but I wasn't prepared for all the injuries!!

Marcus was cleaning out our detached garage and keeps bringing in odds and ends we have forgotten about. Six years of marriage (+ seven years of dating) makes for a lot of "stuff". He taped up this blown up engagement picture to the back of our laundry room door that we used at our wedding. I have no idea what we will do with it but I'm enjoying the view of our younger and better rested selves!

The best big cousins in the whole wide world. Georgia loved holding him and Jack would play for about 10 minutes then run back over to kiss him on the head 2-3 times. It completely melted my mama heart.

Marcus's Class Reunion

It's blog catch up time. Late July and all of August are just a crazy time for me so instead of blogging when the kids go to bed, I've been working from home. Things will settle down once school starts back but until then you'll find me missing not one but TWO dentist appointments and forgetting where I put my phone that I'm carrying in my hand.

Let's back track to two weekends ago right before we left for Texas. That week was a whirlwind. We celebrated the Fourth on Monday, my sweet nephew was born on Wednesday, Marcus's class reunion was Saturday night and early Sunday morning we caught our flight to Texas for five days. I'm still trying to rebound from all of that!

Marcus's ten year class reunion was held at Indian Hills Country Club. My reunion was at the same venue so if the pictures look similar there's a reason :) I seriously remember thinking about my ten year reunion when I was in high school and thinking how far far away that seemed. We turned around twice and here we are.

Picture on the left was the night of Marcus's high school graduation. I'm a year older so I was already in college. We didn't know how that year would be for us but we made it! I couldn't wait for him to join me at WKU in the fall after a year of being at different schools.

Marcus and Rachel, class officers and life long friends. Rachel worked her tail off getting everything ready for the reunion.

BCHS c/o 2006

We sat with friends we talk to on a daily basis and friends we rarely see and needed to catch up with. L to R: Andrea, Chelsea, Josh, Landon, Rachel, Nathan and Marcus

Landon and Josh were actually classmates of mine until middle school so we have been friends since we were little. Landon is a local meteorologist that we watch every morning to check the weather. So proud of him! I remember in elementary school he declared he wanted to be a weatherman and look at him now :) Josh is a miracle walking. He was in med school when they discovered something he was extremely sick. He has had eight brain surgeries since then. He and his wife Chelsea are such a testament of faith and perseverance. They have inspired me in so many ways and we are SO thankful he was here to celebrate ten years with his class.

It's fun doing life with these two.

The Hamptons are so much fun!

Another life long pal, Hillery. She is a great friend.

The high school years were fun for Marcus and me. We made the most of them and acted like normal teenagers. Although they are in the rear view mirror now, it's great to take one night to celebrate the days of cruising town, 30 text messages per month phone plans (cell phones were just becoming popular and texting was brand new!) and lifeguarding at the city pool in the summers. Life was good back then but it's even better now. I'm thankful for those years that led us to where we are now.

My New Nephew

I couldn't wait to finish this post! I am such a proud Aunt Kait. Here's a little introduction to the newest member of our family-

My sister went for her checkup on Tuesday July 6th and her water broke while she was at the doctor's office so she headed right over to labor and delivery to have a baby! She was one day shy of her due date.

Isn't she the cutest pregnant mama getting ready to deliver ever? I was honored that she chose me to be in the delivery room with her. Seeing my nephew enter this world was a gift and a moment I will never forget.

After about 20 minutes of pushing, Boaz Bailey Salmons was born. He weighed 7 lb 15 oz and was 19 inches long. He is perfect, beautiful and looks like his Daddy.

I had my Canon with me so I was able to snap a few pictures of the first moments. This one is a favorite.

After what seemed like an eternity to these two, they finally met their new baby cousin. For Georgia it was love at first sight and Jack was so curious about a new baby in the family :) They will be best buds.

He was bright-eyed staring at his Aunt Kait. We are all so proud of him. The joy of being an aunt is priceless.

A sweet moment I captured of Paige and her best friend Sophie. Sophie jumped in her car and drove like a mad woman to the hospital from Louisville and made it in time to be there when he was born. Paige has so many amazing friends that love her and celebrate all of life's best moments right along side of her.

Uncle Marcus. He snuck over to visit Bo today without telling me until he was already there! He's so in love.

"Bo" and Mommy are doing just fine. He's growing and healthy and is sweet as sugar. Thank you Jesus for this perfect blessing to our family!

San Antonio-July 2016 ANC

This week we packed our bags and headed to the great state of Texas for the SNA national conference in San Antonio. One of the perks to my job is I get to attend this conference every year with some of my school nutrition employees and it's always in an exciting destination. This was my first year to go and I was super excited about it.

Our flight was before 8am on Sunday after we had just attended Marcus's ten year class reunion the night before. All three of us slept the entire flight and didn't wake up until we were literally landing which about scared us to death ha!

Jack stayed at home in Kentucky but we brought Georgia Grace with us. I know he will be able to go with us in the future but between my time spent at the conference and being in an unfamiliar city we didn't think it was the best idea for him to go. He was the best boy for all the family that kept him. I was so proud of him! And missed him terribly.

Since our flight was so early we arrived in SATx with plenty of day left to explore and get settled in. This was the view from our eighth floor room at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk. Incredible! That's one of the Riverwalk boat rides going on at the bottom.

We at the Lonestar Café which was close to our hotel and right on the Riverwalk.

Georgia Grace and the Riverwalk. She rode in a small umbrella stroller 95% of the time and loved taking in all the sights. We walked everywhere we went. I think I averaged 16,000 steps a day. I felt like it counter balanced all the Tex Mex I consumed.

A lady we met at #anc2016 told us about the light show on the San Fernando Cathedral so we decided to walk the three blocks to check it out. WOW! Just wow. It's one of the most impressive things I've ever seen.

It's a one million dollar project that projects images on the cathedral telling the story of Texas history.

Please go see this if you're ever in the city. I was in complete awe.

The next day I went to my conference that morning and met the fam for lunch on the Riverwalk (The County Line). It was 100 degrees every day we were there. Can't you tell? :)

She ate a whole kids size portion of baby back ribs. If you know Georgia at all you know how big of a deal this is! She loves her some ribs.

Texas, BBQ, Riverwalk and gingham <3

We thought the best way to commemorate her first trip to Texas would be a pair of real cowgirl boots. She was excited!

She wore them most of the trip. My mom's cowgirl boots that Georgia wore a few years ago came from Texas so it's only fitting that hers did too.

It's not a trip to San Antonio without taking a Riverwalk boat ride.

Captain of the ship

The boat ride takes you on the whole 2 1/2 mile loop of the Riverwalk that is a part of the San Antonio river. The Riverwalk was actually built to help relieve flooding issues.

There are ducks swimming in the water and beautiful landscape all around.

The Rivercenter shopping complex. Everything is bigger in Texas.

The next day I took a little time before heading to my conference to do some rooftop swimming with my girl.

While you swim you look out and see the top of skyscrapers. It was a neat experience.

It was also much cooler on top of the hotel which was nice. Marcus described the wind this week as someone blowing a hair dryer in your face. Perfect description.

That afternoon we all met to remember The Alamo. Marcus is a history guru and was the most excited about this experience.

All my fun ladies that joined us in San Antonio this week. They were so helpful with Georgia and we had a ball exploring the city and attending the conference.

Georgia and a prickly cactus.

She made a wish at the Alamo. I forgot to tell her to not share her wish so she did and it was for a new pair of pajamas. We all got a kick out of it.

A better look at the hotel where we stayed. It was right on the Riverwalk and convenient to all the restaurants. We didn't rent a vehicle so we needed a centrally located hotel and the Hyatt provided that for us.

I can't describe in words how beautiful and fun the Riverwalk is. I think I could have spent the whole week just walking the Riverwalk.

La Mansion Hotel-beautiful

A true Texas-style steak dinner at Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse

After supper the ladies hopped on a Riverwalk boat and I snapped this picture of them. This picture describes our week well-fun!

Georgia Grace waving to the Junior Miss High School Beauty Queens

San Antonio became one of our favorite cities this week. The hot temps (I'm cold natured so bring on the fire heat), beautiful architecture, good food and the south. Life is good down there!

The view from the roof of the hotel, that's the Alamo in the lower left corner.

Georgia and the San Fernando Cathedral. We decided to go back and explore it during the day as well.

Our last night in the city we walked down to the historic Market Square to eat at Mi Tierra. It was the most recommended restaurant by friends and locals.

Cowgirl Georgia

I promise she did this on her own. She definitely enjoyed her solo time with us this week. It was a good week for all of us.

Bexas County courthouse

Inside the San Fernando Cathedral. It is the oldest cathedral in the USA.

No words can do it justice.

The heroes of the Alamo are buried in the cathedral here including Kentuckian Jim Bowie.

I also toured St. Joseph's Catholic Church which was so beautiful.

When the church wouldn't sell a property developer built a shopping complex (Rivercenter) around it so it sits right in between two sections of a mall.

To conclude our fun week in the city we went to see The Secret Life of Pets in Imax 3D. This was a first for all of us. We even let Georgia wear her pajamas and I think that was her favorite part ;)

And before we knew it we were back on a plane anxious to get home to our Jack boy! Goodness did we miss him. And he missed his sister the most, every time we would facetime he would say her name a hundred times. We loved San Antonio and #anc2016 but it's always nice to be home.

A sweet couple we met from Rhode Island took this of us on the hotel rooftop as we watched the city lights. Thanks for all the memories, Texas. You were a blast!