Anna's Wedding

We went to Tuscaloosa for Cousin Anna's wedding this weekend. Anna asked Carter a long time ago to be the ringbearer in her wedding. At first, he didn't really know what his job was as he seemed to think Anna had asked him to MARRY her! Once he got over the disappointment that he would not be the groom and pondered who he might marry instead, he was very excited.
Tim and I were very nervous about sending him to stand with the wedding party during the ceremony. All I can say afterward is that, it could have been much worse. Aside from some twisting and wiggling, he did hold it together until after the ceremony. Unfortunately though, as the wedding procession was walking out, I hear Carter sqealing in the back of the room. Evidently, the shoes that he wore the night before and countless other times the week of the wedding, became too small at that very moment! That, according to him, was the reason for all of the wiggling. How can you punish a kid when that is the excuse?





The flower girl was super-cute and she and Carter had a great time dancing at the reception. There aren't many little girls that can keep up with all of Carter's spinning and swinging, but she was a trooper.

This is my aunt Leah (my mom's sister), with the rest of the family.

The beautiful couple!

Exhausted from all of the weekend fun!! Congratulations Casey and Anna!

Visit with Nana / Quick Trip to the Beach (again)

The oil has still not made it to Sandestin. With news reports that it was on the way, we made another quick trip down to the beach for what might be our last trip for a while. On the way down, we spent the night with Nana. She took us out to our favorite Andalusia catfish restaurant and we went to visit the Dream Park.


Our beach trip was extra fun because we got to meet Aunt Amy, Uncle Drew and the cousins. The kids had a ball playing in the sand and visiting Baytone Wharf.

First Swim Meet

Carter had his first swim meet in June. As a "Guppie", he really has no idea what he is doing, but has had fun so far. He won his heat in freestyle which was very exciting. Cousins, Caroline and Will, are also swimming this year, so that has added to the fun. Caroline is definitely the most competitive of the group. She always takes a few minutes to "visualize" her race before she swims. Carter has to keep tabs on the competition so he is always looking side to side -- this makes him much slower. I am not sure swimming will be Carter's favorite sport because, as he says, "It is boring to wait around so long", but I am glad he did it this year. His swimming has improved tremendously and it is a comfort to me to know that he has the ability to keep himself afloat in water!



Caroline concentrating before the big race!

Practicing the race dive!

Carter with his buddies before the first race.

Happy Anniversary!

Tim and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in Cabo San Lucas. The resort was absolutely beautiful and we got some much needed rest. A special thanks to our parents who kept the kids while we were away.


One of our favorite outings was a horseback ride on the beach. We were the only people on the beach (aside from our guide) and the water was absolutely beautiful. This was Tim's first time to ride a horse. He was concerned the whole way that the horse would not be able to hold him, but somehow we made it through. He did look a little funny riding a horse though!

Most of our time was spent poolside enjoying the Pacific Ocean. However, on our first morning, we did experience a little Hollywood. When we came down for breakfast, the first person we saw was Will Smith! It turns out that he had come over to visit Carlton (from the Fresh Prince) and his girlfriend. Tim and I promptly seated ourselves right in front of them and had fun watching them for several minutes -- no, we did not ask for an autograph. Carlton (whose name I still do not know), spent the rest of the week at our resort and we ended up watching the first game of the NBA playoffs with him and about five of his friends in their private viewing room.

All in all, we think it is one of the best trips we have been on and hope we make it back to visit again someday.




The view from the pool

At the restaurant built into the mountain next to our resort.

Tim and his horse.

The view from our room.

Hudson's Latest Tricks -- and several "catch up" posts below

Hudson is almost 20 months old. I am amazed by how many words he is learning each week. Some of his favorites are: jump, bubble, ride, plane, no, mine, up, ball, spoon (which really means "bowl") and bowl (which usually means "spoon"). Admittedly, it is cuter to hear some more than others. I finally ordered a replacement for my stolen Flip camcorder and took some video of Carter and Hudson. I will try to post it soon. Below are some pictures of Hudson's favorite activity -- "riding". We cannot go outside unless we have at least a few minutes to cruise the driveway. Blowing bubbles, "jumping" and identifying body parts are all close seconds. There are several "catch up" posts below too.

First Swim Team Practice

Well, swim team practice started last week and Carter is having a ball. A ton of kids showed up for the first few practices. I am looking forward to the first meet in a couple of weeks. it should be interesting. Right now, Carter swims with his head turned to the side so he can monitor how fast the kid next to him is swimming. Probaby not a good strategy if you are going for gold. We will see how it works for him soon enough. Caroline and I tried to teach Carter how to dive off the starting block last week as well. That is what I should really have pictures of!! I think Carter's debut will involve jumping off the block and hopefully getting to the other end of the pool before losing his concentration. Whatever happens, I feel sure we will have a story to tell. I will try to post video.

Farmer Jackman

We have been working on a garden now for a few months. I am glad to report that we have somehow managed to water it regularly and this week, our hard work paid off!! Carter and I picked our first squash. It looks like more are on the way, plus we have 38 green tomatoes, 9 green peppers, an eggplant, a few cherry tomatoes and some blueberries and strawberries that we hope to eat soon. Carter was very proud of his crop! Hudson was just along for the ride. He finds bubbles tastier than fresh veggies!