Back to School (for Greg)

Greg and Simms had a great summer vacation together.   Greg is back in the classroom teaching AP Biology and Botany this semester (followed by AP Bio and Zoology next semester).   He has 165 kids this semester. But his number ONE kid is little Simms.

Fisherman Roscoe

Not too much longer and little Roscoe will be brining home buckets of bass, brim and redfish.  Jerel got him his very own fishing rod last week (and not a plastic Spongebob Squarepants kind of fishing rod - but a  stainless steel reel and rod combo with all  metal gears).  Fisherman Roscoe has been at the ponds and has already caught 3 fish.  I see more fish tacos in my near future...

Practicing in the grass.  Always a good place to start.



  Demonstrating his casting skills
  



"I caught a BIG one!"

Sweet Cousins

HoneyB, Simms, and Turtle spending time together at Broadstreet Bakery.

Turtle is the best sister and cousin. She's filled with love and affection for these two little ones.

HoneyB and Simms plotting their escape plan...

Hi HoneyB!  Sure like your cute smile.

Pregnancy Countdown: Week 23

Good Food + Good Company = Good Times

This week, Michelle, Turtle and HoneyB were in town for a doctor's appointment and visit. Thursday evening, Barry took us out  to one of our favorite local restaurants, Sal and Mookies.  Pizza, Ice Cream, and family - it's a winning combination.





Guess who got a bowl of ice cream?

The Little Chef...?

Simms has taken to digging through the  kitchen cabinets to pull out select baking pans, muffin pans, pots, baking sheets.  I'm assuming this is because he's  going to start cooking gourmet meals for his parents, right...?

Tonight's menu is chicken curry, prepared by Chef Simms...

"Levanway 'Helps' Bring Fondren to Film"

Here's an  article about Jerel's work on the movie, "The Help."  He was the assistant location manager for the film and was responsible for a lot of the magic behind the scenes.  Yay Jerel!

Test Drive: Getting Ready for Two

Nina found us a great deal on a used Dual Bob Sport Utility Jogging Stroller,which we jumped on.  Greg loves taking Simms jogging in our Single Bob Revolution Stoller, but pretty soon he'll have two little boys to take out running.  This weekend, we took it out for a test drive with Roscoe and Simms.  They loved it! Roscoe even reached over to hold Simms's hand during the ride. Very cute.



Holding hands.

whheeeee!!

A Lot to Say

Simms is so pleased when he can recognize and name an object.  And it melts our hearts when we hear him talk.  Below are his most frequently used words:

"dada" - Greg or Upa
"deee" - Rudy (our dog)
"bohh" - ball, balloon, bottle
"buh" - book
"bah" - bath
"bye bye" - bye
"na nuh" - banana
"duck" - duck
"cat" - cat
"UH oh"  -  he says this right before he's about to drop something on the floor to let you know you need to get ready to pick it up... 

More Than Halfway There

21.5 weeks pregnant and only 18.5 more weeks to go. So far so good, although this pregnancy has definitely been a little tougher than the first.  But it's all worth it.  We cannot  wait to meet our new little baby boy.


 



Week 21 of pregnancy





Baby Bookworm

This little guy is ALL about books.  One of our favorite activities is reading together and he's built up a great library collection already.  Last spring, the terrific girls in my Book Club  threw me a book-themed baby shower and showered me with tons of terrific books for Simms. It's been so great having such a variety.  (You know, one can only read  "Goodnight Moon" so many times before it begins to get really old....)

He's a big fan of books with flaps and has already memorized what's behind
the flaps in some of his book.

"Welcome to my library. No dewey decimal system here.
I know how all my books are organized..."

Texas Hold Em

Saturday, Simms had his first poker nigh with Greg and the guys. He's a natural.  What a poker face.

"Hmm...we'll check."

"Uncle Jerel and I are all in..." 

Simms didn't want to take everyone's money on his first poker night

(he wants to be invited back again);so he left the game early to play with his buddy, Son.

Latest Tricks

Any day now, Simms will be walking.  Last Monday (Aug 8th), Barbara and I watched him stand up and take two steps on his Very Own. And throughout the week, he's been standing up (unassisted) and taking a step here and there. Our little baby is growing up and becoming a toddler (sniff. sniff...) 

Not the best shot, but here he is standing up without holding on to anything. Yay Simms!



Other new tricks include yoga.  Here he is (below) working on his Downward Dog yoga pose.

When he's not trying to walk, he's busy cruising around on the scooter that Roscoe gave him for his 1st birthday. 

Playtime on Sunday Afternoon

Sunday Rookery

It's been a while since I've crafted, but I'm hoping that the fall season will get me back into the swing of things.  Being tired,  pregnant and stressed about work is my main excuse.  Lately, I've been filling custom orders for handprinted onesies.  Seems like everyone is having babies these days! It's terrific!  I'm glad that my handprinted onesies are making good gifts for all these newborns. 

I was pleased that my little etsy stop recently got a mention in County Living Magazine.  They were promoting etsians that donate a portion of their sales to charities.  My shop was one of three that were highlighted! (see below in red).  Thanks, Country Living!  It feels good to use crafting to give back to the community

I was also thrilled to see my handmades featured in two different issues of Jackson Free Press.  The Spring Fly Issue features my handmade fabric covered magnets (circled in red)

The Graduation Issue featured my wire-wrapped read teardrop earrings (of which 1/2 the profit is donated to Red Cross for Japan Tsunami Relief).  Thanks, Jackson Free Press!

So, be sure to come visit my online etsy shop sunday rookery sometime!  (ps - use discount code SUNROOK20 for 20% off any order.)  

Fun with Friends from Sweden

This weekend, we were treated with a visit from Erik and Mari.  They were visiting from Sweden and traveling with Erik's kids, Axel (8 years) and Disa (3 years).  Simms and Roscoe loved having the company. So did we.

Disa.  I love her white blond hair.

Disa very generously allows Simms to "help" her draw

Axel and Disa really enjoyed roughhousing with Greg.
(Greg's one of the few in good enough shape to endure the
high-energy-non-stop-rowdiness with multiple kids.)

Simms REALLY wanted to roughhouse like the other kids. So, Grandma Barbara
gently "tossed" him on the couch cushions to make him feel like he was one of the big kids.
He thought this was just great!

Greg needs a superhero cape...

"Please can I play with you, Axel? I'm a big kid. Really, I am..."



Greg had no problem wrangling, entertaining and watching 4 kids at a time.

Nina made double fudge brownies. Erik and Mari opened up 4 different flavors of ice cream. 
The result: Very Hyper Children at 9:00pm



Sleep?  No, we don't need to sleep.  

A brief moment of calm

Disa pulling around  special cargo.