Relay for Life

Last night Dad and I joined Mom to support her team at the Coppell Relay for Life. The relay benefits the American Cancer Society, and it's a lot of fun. Each team has a representative out on the track from 5 in the evening til 7 AM the next morning. Dad and I didn't make it all night, but Mom and her Mom's Club friends camped out in our tent all night long. The Relay had a western theme this year, so Mom's team named themselves the Spokes Models. They had the most creative campsite there and sold peanuts and root beer out of a keg. Mom shouted "get your beer and nuts!" to the relayers all night long. There are all kinds of fun games and music, in fact Mom won me a football when she received 1st place in the biggest bubble gum bubble blown contest at 2:30 am! Wow, she's pretty talented. There's also a beautiful luminaria ceremony where hundreds of luminarias are lit in honor of or in memory of cancer victims. The Coppell Relay as a whole raised over $100,000--all of which goes to fund cancer research!! I hope next year I'll be old enough to camp out all night with Mom. Here are some pics of the event.

The Jack Hammer

For those of you who have been to our house, you know we have a decorative gate at the entry of the sidewalk. Mom and Dad have never particularly cared for this gate, and they have been attempting to take it down for the past few months. I say attempting because Dad discovered the gate posts were set in about 2 ft of concrete. He tried a sledgehammer and crowbar, but this thing wouldn't budge. So Mom and I went to Ace Hardware with the intent to rent a sawz-all. When we explained our intent, the gentleman at the hardware store politely told us we shouldn't be messin' around with those sissy tools--what my Dad needed was a jackhammer! We knew this would make Dad's day. So this Sat morning, the 3 of us went down to Ace, rented the jackhammer, and about 15 minutes later the gate was history! We thought Dad looked pretty cool with this nifty piece of equipment and wanted to share some photos . . .

More Florida Photos

Here are more photos from the trip.

Trip to Orlando

Last Thursday, Mom and I took off on a visit to Orlando. Dad had a friend coming to town for a guy's weekend, so we decided to catch up with our Florida friends. It was so much fun seeing everyone. We stayed with Miss Jodi and her dog Cooper, and spent our days making the rounds to see everyone. Everyone looked great. We even got to stop by the old house and see all the improvements that have been made by the new owner. After seeing the house, we walked across the street and said hello to our former neighbors, the Wilkinsons. They couldn't believe how I'd grown. They shared some grapefruits with us--just like old times! Miss Jodi's friend Tom works for Disney and gave us comlimentary tickets to Epcot--my first Disney experience. THere is so much to see and do there, we were just able to hit a few of the highlights. I can't wait to go back with Mom and Dad. We spent 2 days at the JW Marriott pool, where Miss Jodi works. It was like an island oasis. Mom could not keep me out of the water--we think I might be part fish! They had a lazy river, a shallow area for the kids, and great hot dogs at the cafe. But the best part was hanging out with my friends David and Cassie--they are getting so big. It's going to be so much fun the next time I visit them and we're all walking. We had a fabulous time, but really missed Dad. Hopefully next time the 3 of us can make the trip together. Enjoy the photos!

Dallas Arboretum

Lots has happened the past few weeks, so some of this info is old news, but I wanted to include it anyway. A week ago Monday, we had a field trip with the Mom's Club to the Dallas Arboretum. It was a lot of fun. They had a petting zoo, face painting, arts and crafts, and of course lots and lots of beautiful flowers. We also enjoyed a picnic on the lawns, although my favorite thing was pushing the stroller around the grounds! Despite record breaking heat that day, my friends and I had a marvelous time. We're now planning a trip to the zoo. I'll keep you posted on that! Here are some pics of our outing.

Easter 2006

It was quite a day! I woke up, and the Easter Bunny had visited my house. I found lots of eggs, all on my own, although I wanted to eat each one as soon as I picked them up. I played with my eggs all day, pulling them in and out of my duckie Easter basket. We went to church--I got to play with all my friends in the nursery--then Mom came and got me a little early because we joined the church today. It was fun standing in front of all those people! I smiled, and the preacher said I surely was in good spirits for all that was going on. Since I hadn't had a nap all morning, I fell asleep on the way home from church. Mom and Dad put me in my crib, and I slept about 2 hours. When I awoke, my friend Caroline was here. We had invited her family over for Easter lunch. Today we called Caroline the Easter Pirate--she scratched her cornea yesterday when something flew in her eye in her back yard. We had lots of fun eating together and playing in the park. Even though she's a little older, she plays really nice with me. I hope you enjoy the pictures of me in my Easter best. Love you all!

Cause I Gotta Wear Shades . . .

Well, here is the first round of Easter photos. We had a blast today going to the Coppell Community Easter Egg Hunt. There were lots of kids there, and I got to meet the Easter Bunny for the first time! Check out my cool hat and shades. It's getting really hot and sunny here, so I have to protect my sensitive skin, especially my scalp. Hopefully, I'll get more hair soon! Mom bathes me in sun screen all the time. We've been doing lots of swimming. I love the water and am looking forward to taking swim lessons starting June 5th. We'll post more pics tomorrow when the Easter Bunny comes to my house!

Party in Houston

I visited Houston for the first time in my life this weekend. This city is very dear to my heart, as I would not have been born if it weren't for my parents meeting there back in 1998. We were in town for a surprise birthday party for Mom and Dad's friend Matt Hausler. The party was thrown by his sister, Candace. She did a great job in organizing. She was able to round up people who Matt hadn't seen in 10 years! Mom and Dad hadn't seen those guys in over 4 years. Candace had pictures blown up and on display from all of Matt's childhood birthdays. She even replicated a Dukes of Hazzard cake their grandmother had made for Matt on his 8th birthday. We had lots of fun. I was the only kid there, so I spent most of my time playing with the dogs. There were 3 dogs there, but my parents would only let me play with 2 of them since one was a 100 lb pit bull--it was quite a sight and spent most of the time in a crate. We chowed down on some brisket, smoked chickens with all the fixin's, and washed it all down with lots of Shiner Bock beer! We also had to make a stop for lunch at Wings N More, one of Dad's favorite Houston establishments. I'm not quite old enough for hot wings, at least the way Dad eats them, so I shared some chicken tenders with Mom. We stayed at our friends Karena and Drew's house. Karena makes really great French toast, as you can see in the picure. Notice my makeshift highchair/straight jacket. Mom can get really creative with a scarf! Hope you enjoy the photos.

Thomas the Train and Friends

Friday was a big day with a ride on THE Thomas the Train. Yes, he made a stop in Grapevine, and mom and some friends went with me to see him. There were all kinds of cool things to see and do including a man playing fun songs with puppets and a guitar, mini train sets to play with, and a Thomas the Train made completely out of Leggos! We had lots of fun. The train ride lasted about 20 minutes. Mom even let me keep my window open so I could feel the breeze as we traveled through NW Dallas. I've included some pictures of my big day, along with some others of my friends at my playgroup. My friends are all ages, but the two who are closest my age are Justin and Alexis. I hang out with them the most. After my big day on Friday, we traveled to Woodville for my Mom's High School reunion (I was definitely the cutest kid there) and the Tyler County Dogwood Festival. The parade was the most fun. I can't wait until I can hang out by the street with my cousins to run out and grab all the candy! Well, enjoy the photos. Love you all. JACK

Look at my MOHAWK!

Just thought I'd send a few new shots--of me of course! Tonight after my bath, mom pulled the hooded towell off my head and found a mohawk surprise. I think it looks pretty good on me. What do you think--can I pull it off? Also included is a shot of me at my very own table. Grandmother and Grand Dad brought it this past weekend. It used to be my mom's when she was my age. I'm sure I'll have many fun hours of coloring, fingerpainting, and whatever else on this new piece of furniture that's just my size.

I had a fun day at the new playground at the mall. It's got lots of cool stuff, and many kids my age to play with. Mom is convinced now that I'm going to be a mountain climber. When I saw the big kids on the big mountain, I decided I needed to climb up too. With Mom behind me just in case I fell, I climbed to the very top all by myself. Now I just need to work on getting down. Next time we'll take the camera to show you all what a big boy I am. Tomorrow we're going to story time at the library, then Friday Thomas the Train is coming to town. He's making a stop near here in Grapevine, and he's going to give me a ride Friday morning. I can't wait!

Night at the Opera

Well it was another exciting weekend with a visit from the Kenesson Grandparents. I had lots of fun playing with them while Dad fulfilled his Valentine's gift to Mom by taking her out to a nice dinner and to see La Boheme performed by the Fort Worth Opera. They had a great time getting all dressed up for the big event. Fort Worth is a happening place with the Stockyards and a jiving downtown. We'll definitely have to check out more of it in the future since it's only about 30 miles away. Here are some pics from the evening . . .

Activity Update

I had lots of fun this past weekend when Grandma and PawPaw came in to see me from Missouri. We couln't get out too much because of all the North Texas flooding. On an attempted sightseeing trip of downtown Dallas, we almost flooded out the Mazda! Luckily, we made it back home without stalling and decided to continue the sightseeing for another time. I'm discovering more and more foods I enjoy eating. I hardly eat any baby food anymore. One of my favorites is tomatoes drenched in Italian dressing! I also loved Grandma's cornbread muffins, although pretty much any type of bread is a winner for me. I'm still cruising around the furniture getting more and more confident, but I'm not quite ready to let go. I'll keep you updated with any new adventures or developments.

Fun in Albuquerque

This past weekend we visited our good friends Matt, Amie, and Abby Merhege in Albuquerque, NM. We had a great time. I played with my friend Abby (13 mos) for the first time. She moved from Orlando to New Mexico just before I made my grand entrance into the world. We went to a fiery foods festival (unfortunately Mom and Dad wouldn't let me participate in any of the tastings) and visited the Albuquerque Zoo. We had a blast riding together in Abby's little red wagon. Abby is walking and tried to give me a few tips, although I'm not quite ready to do it on my own just yet. We both had some learning experiences on how to share--Abby has some really cool toys!

Here are some pics from the weekend. I've also included a few others of myself. One is when I was so tired that I fell asleep after dinner while I was still in my high chair! The other is of me in one of my most treasured toys--a cardboard box I like to scoot around in. It makes a great mode of transportation! Enjoy . . .

9 Months Old!

I had my 9 mos check up last week. I'm continuing my trend of development to be tall and skinny! I was in the 75th percentile in heighth and 10th percentile in weight. Dr. Oliver said I am right on track with all my skills now that I'm cruising around, just holding on to the furniture. I should be walking on my own in no time! I've also started talking! Well, mostly babbling. I can say mama and dada, but mostly I just experiment with whatever sounds I can get to come out of my mouth.

Mom's friends Karena and Haley came to visit us last weekend. Haley brought her son, my buddy Blake. We had a grand time together. It was really cold, so we had lots of time to play together inside.

I'm making lots of friends in Dallas since Mom joined the Coppell Mom's Club. We meet every Friday morning and do lots of fun things like go to kids' gyms and other fun activities. It's always a great time!

Welcome Home Uncle Jason!

Uncle Jason returned from Iraq this past week. We waited to celebrate the Arnold Xmas upon his return. Here are some pictures of Xmas in Feb in Missouri with Great Grandma Millie, Uncle Gary, Grandma Pat, PawPaw, Uncle Jas, Aunt Jenn, and Cousins Sarah and Hannah.