The Tuckers

We went to San Antonio this weekend for a long,overdue visit with our best friends, Steve and Courtney. Boy, our families have grown! At one point, there were 4 adults, 3 kids, and 3 dogs all in the house, but it wasn’t choas. Surprisingly, Jude was really good on the visit. He was so happy playing with Mackenzie and Allison and meeting Spike and Phoebe (the Tucker dogs). He went to bed easily, and other than waking up incredibly early, he just made himself at home.

It was fun just to catch up and hang out. Joe and Steve grilled and we even managed to play a new Trival Pursuit game. It was a great visit and now that we know Jude isn’t going to be a little wild thing, we will have to make it a point to visit more often. 

Kenzie and Allie are making play-doh sundaes for everyone.

DJ Jude

Nope, the party isn't out of control. He just wants those headphones off his head.

 

Playground

It was cold Saturday morning but we had so much fun chasing birds and going down the slides at Central Market’s playscape. Plus it was so early, there were hardly any kids there, so we had our run of the place.

 

Halloween 2009

Jude had no interest in carving the pumpkin. Liam, however, was mildly interested.

I made Jude an owl costume.

Spread your wings and fly little owl.

Jude with Jason and Joshua getting ready to go trick-or-treating.

Daddy takes Jude to the door.

Jason and Jude

Halloween sure was fun this year!

 

Pumpkin Patch 2009

This was Jude’s first trip to the pumpkin patch at Sweetberry Farms. We drove out there with our friends Aron and Sarah and met up with Joe’s aunts and his little cousins. Jude was hesitant at first and only wanted us to hold him. But, he soon warmed up and did his best to try to pick up pumpkins that were almost as heavy as he is. We enjoyed some tasty pumpkin ice cream (surprisingly good) and strawberry popsicles. Joshua and Jason wanted to do the corn maze, but since Jude is just a little guy, he was content to pick out a pumpkin and look around. It was a great trip and now we just need to carve our gourd.

Picking a pumpkin.

With Joshua and Jason.

I like his little expression.

Scarecrow Jude.

“No more pictures!”

Nah, but I can drive a tractor.

 

Corpus Christi

We took a trip this past weekend to Corpus Christi with Joe’s family. It was just a short get away, but much needed. Joe’s uncle, Freddy, graciously allowed the whole crew (5 adults, 3 kids, and 3 dogs) to stay at his house. We visited the Tx State Aquarium and Malaquite Beach on Padre Island on Saturday and ate some great Mexican food, during our stay. We all had a nice relaxing time (except for maybe Liam…being crated is probably not his idea of a vacation).

All the “J” cousins…Joe, Jason, Jude, and Joshua…watching the dolphin show.

Posing in front of the aquarium.

This was Jude’s first time at the beach and he really loved the ocean. He tried eating the sand a few times because I was too slow to catch him.

Joe built Jude a sand castle to destroy godzilla-style. Joshua and Jason helped to make the awesome moat and pond around the castle and came running back from the ocean with buckets of water for the full effect.

Joe wanted to be buried in the sand. We tried to get Jude to stand on Joe, but he chose to lie down instead.

 

Catching Up

Sometimes it seems like the only time I can accomplish anything around here is when Jude is sleeping. So, here’s my one hour today to get some computer time in.

So, a few weeks back, I made homemade peach-mango ice cream in my Cuisinart ice cream maker. It was really easy and it came out pretty tasty. I really wanted waffle cones to go with my ice cream, but I lacked the necessary equipment (our waffle maker is too deep for waffle cones), so I made the next best thing…homemade ice cream cones and “cone bowls.” They were delicious.

This past Sunday was Joe’s 31st birthday. We had a really nice day to celebrate with him. We went to brunch at Moonshine with some friends. It was really delicious and worth the wait. Joe enjoyed some mimosas on the patio and Jude attempted to enjoy some mimosas.

Later that evening, we met up with Joe’s family for dinner at Cheddar’s. Joe’s aunts gave him such an awesome gift; copies of old photos, including some of Joe’s baby pictures. It was really fun to look at them, since these weren’t the same baby pictures that we already have. Dinner was really nice and calm and they even brought some cupcakes to celebrate. Here is a picture of Jude enjoying his cupcake.

 

Birthday Party

Today was Jude’s birthday party. We had a great day and it was worth spending all day preparing for the event. I thought it would be fun to have a dachshund themed birthday party, so I made cupcakes with little dachshund outlines traced in chocolate. I also made a dachshund pinata that we dubbed the “Lim-yata” and the kids got “doggy bags” to take home.

Here are pictures of Jude hanging out with the other kids. All the kids got to pull a string on the pinata to open it up (instead of hitting it blindfolded), but I didn’t design that part very well, so I just had to rip it open to release the candy and toys.

Present time was fun. Jude would get so interested in the different things that he saw. Of course, his Mimi would say “Oh, he really wants to play with that” and get the toy out of the box for him. The other kids thought Jude’s Cozy Coupe was pretty cool.

We sang happy birthday and Jude really did not want to eat his cupcake at first and cried. But, after a sweet kiss from his Daddy and a taste of frosting he changed his mind. He even posed for a picture with his parents, grandparents, and cousin Jason. Then he realized, “I hate wearing party hats!”

It was fun to see our family and friends, and Jude managed to stay in good spirits until the end, when he was ready for his nap. Thank you to our friends and family who came from near and far and took the time out of their day to spend it with the Mitchells. I know a one-year-old’s party is not the height of excitement. For those who were not able to join us today, we missed you and Joe and I ate your cupcakes for you : )

 

Happy Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads we know, and especially to the daddy of our house, Joe. This is Joe’s first Father’s Day and we hope that he knows what an amazing dad he is. He’s patient, loving, and helpful. He does a great job of making Jude laugh and always gives Liam some extra special attention. Jude and I took Joe to Lockhart to enjoy some bbq at Black’s Barbecue. It was super tasty and a nice little country drive.

I love to watch the way Joe looks into Jude’s eyes with such love. I remember how proud Joe looked when Jude was born. He held Jude with such tenderness and strength that only a dad can have. Joe couldn’t stop looking at Jude…the nurse told him, “Dad, eventually you are going to have to stop looking at him and go to sleep.” Growing up, I always had a special relationship with my dad, and I know that Jude will have his own special bond with Joe.

But the best present I could possibly give Joe (other than carrying his child for 9 months and then subsequently birthing that child) was letting him sleep in this morning, undisturbed. Which was quite a task, considering that both Jude and Liam pooped on the floor first thing this morning. Jude has diaper rash that we are trying to let heal, so after I changed his diaper, I was allowing him some naked time to air dry. Well, I turn around to see him squatting on the floor. Then I run to grab paper towels, because the wipes can irritate the diaper rash, and Liam has pooped on the floor, as well. Were it not Father’s Day, I would have woke Joe up to come help me.

 

Go, Daddio, Go!

Today is my dad’s birthday. Jude’s “Daddio” is one hepcat that we are lucky to know. He’s a grillmaster, joke-maker, game creater, and all around good guy. We hope to celebrate with his this weekend. We love you, Dad!

 

Baby Goes to 11

Today, Jude is 11 months old. Only one month away from the big birthday. He was a little tyrant this morning, but I was able to get some cute pictures. Over the past month, he has become more mobile, more curious, and more stubborn! He definitely keeps us on our toes.

Recently he’s developed the tantrum. If he is frustrated or has something taken away from him, he will cry and throw himself backwards…even on the tile floor. Most times we try to catch him if we see it coming, but he has hit his head a few times. I am so surprised, because I thought this “skill” didn’t develop until later. Here’s a picture of Jude having a tantrum this morning:

He’s also doing other amazing things, like figuring out how to hammer his wooden pegs, he spontaneously hugged Liam the other day, and he ran away from me one morning when I caught him in the dog food bowl. He loves splashing and banging his hands on any flat surface. We love the emergence of his personality, and he is definitely a character. I like this picture because he is dragging the leash, but he looks like he has a little devil’s tail.