Caged baby.....

Jiles has only been on the move for a little over a week and this is what it gets him.....

The mom and dad run errands on a Saturday afternoon and leave the baby with 2 teenage girls who are trying to get themselves ready for the day.

Jiles wouldn't stay out of the make-up and hair product today and Morgan came up with the bright idea to put my boy in a make-shift cage...taking 2 laundry baskets and tying them together with ribbon. He didn't complain, didn't cry....I think that he thought it was funny. Both girls wondered why I got him out of it when I came home, two words...Child Abuse.

Crawling and climbing.....

Jiles is now 9 months old - I took him to the doctor for his well child check on Monday and he is weighing in at 21 pounds....he is continuing to grow like a weed and is happy and healthy (if you don't count the 2 ear infections back to back that left him with an extreme case of diaper rash due to the antibiotics!!) All is well now.

While J.D. and I were in Cancun Jiles decided it was time for him to learn to crawl and climb and try to walk around furniture, he also thinks it is really neat to try and stand on his own. What happened? I left and he was TRYING to move and I come home and can't keep him down. He is constantly trying to climb up to the fireplace and the bath tub - both of which are dangerous places to be climbing. I guess it it 'good-bye' to my fireplace for the season, which makes me want to cry, seeing as I have had it on almost constantly for the last 2 months.

He thinks that he is pretty cool, you can see it in his face. He knows that he has learned something new and is excited about showing it off. When I got the camera out last night to try and sneak a picture of him up on the bath tub, he immediately wanted to come and get me.

He is still a very happy little dude, wanting to eat and be a big boy. He screams for my diet Pepsi even though he has no clue how to suck out of a straw. He pretends, and for now that makes him happy:)

Cancun in the wintertime.....

Ahhh....Cancun in the wintertime. Could there be anything better?? We love to go on a couples vacation after Christmas. I am becoming less and less tolerant of the snow each and every year. The cold, the gray, the drab...it is so yucky. Last year we didn't go away, we took our kids on a cruise instead, which was equally as fun, just in a different, less relaxing way. This is a photo of J.D. and I, day one in Cancun - we are a lovely shade of, who knows what due to the spray on tan the night before. I don't know if I am a fan or not. The jury is still out on that.

This is a shot from the pier at the resort that we stayed at....most beautiful. It was especially charming at night with all the lights and the water.

Day two....beach, beach and more beach. We laid on our chairs and read and sunned ourselves all day. No where that we had to be, no time frame, I didn't even bring a watch. When we got hungry we ate, when we got tired we slept. It is so awesome to pull the swim suits out in the middle of winter. J.D. doesn't like to get sunburned, so he keeps pretty covered up. He got called the 'uni-bomber' at one point, thanks Big Wid.

We went to a class to learn how to give a massage, I did learn alot...it was fun. Later on in the week we went back to the spa where we got the full treatment. Starting with water therapy, sitting in the steam room and sauna, and going into FREEZING cold water. We all then had a 50 minute massage followed by a 50 minute facial - so relaxing. I felt very spoiled.

Outdoor lunches of all you can eat guacamole and chips (with loads and loads of other food also) with a mariachi band in the background. The food was unbelievable. We ate until we were sick at most of our meals. Isn't it funny how you starve yourself up until the day of the trip and then throw it all out the window while there, I came home 8 pounds heavier than I left and J.D. gained 5 pounds....luckily it is coming off each and every day. I have just decided you can't worry about it while on vacation, it is a part of the fun.

We took a bike tour one morning and rode into a little town up the beach, don't we all look just stunning in our reflective vests and helmets?? It was a fun way to spend a morning, after all, we had done nothing to exert ourselves in anyway for the entire time we were there. It is always interesting to see the way other people live. We are so blessed her in the United States to have all that we do.

The boys....Wid - Adam - J.D.

The girls.... Becky - Jenn - Suzy

This was the group of us the day we went to the spa....don't we all look lovely!

The view from our balcony. Our resort was amazing!! Waking up in the morning and opening our door to our balcony and having the fresh air was just what we needed in the middle of winter.

Our last morning in our tropical paradise. This vacation really felt like a vacation, sometimes we pack our days so full of activities that when we come home it feels like we just barely left. Luckily this time it felt like 6 days on the beach....I would highly recommend this for anyone who can do it. Leaving the kids is a hard thing to do, it is sad to say good-bye for a week, but then you come home and everything is the same. It is so good for the parents to get away and focus on time together. Remembering just what makes your relationship so special. J.D. is my best friend, I am so grateful for him, he means everything to me. I love you!

Smokin' hot.....

Ella says funny things alot, but today was one of those days that she had me giggling a couple of times....

We were walking out the door to go and get her haircut and run a few errands when she

matter-of-factly says

"Mom, I look smokin hot today."

There was no embarrassment or shame in how she felt, I don't know what provoked the thought that she looked extra good on this particular morning, but whatever it was I hope she can keep the positive attitude towards herself.

Later on, on the way to dance she then announces -

"I wish my name was Austin."

What in the world?? What is my daughter thinking? I wish I knew what was going on in that 5 year old head of hers.