Naked and Frog skates.

So when we did our family pictures with Becca, we knew it was going to rain so she suggested that I get him rain boots to use for some of the pictures. When I first got them he refused to wear them. I let it go and left them in his room hopping he would warm up to them in his own time. One morning he came running my room yelling "look at my frog hockey skates" and he has loved them since. I don't know how or why he came up with the idea that his rain boots are hockey skates but, he loves them. Now he is also revolting against clothes. So, when we are home he is naked most of the day...except for his frog stakes.

Our first family pictures.

So I have been stinking at this whole blog thing lately. Not because we have been super busy and I don't have time, I just haven't felt like blogging and I have been a slacker with my camera. However we have been staying some what busy. We have been enjoying this warm weather and have been spending a lot of time at our neighborhood pool, playing in the back yard and just any fun activity we can do outside. We are also trying to plan a family vacation to Washington and Los Angeles in August and we really hope everything works for that. So that is the Garrett family update in nut shell.

Anyways, a few months ago our friend Becca of Rebecca Martinez Photography was visiting Alabama (she lives in FL) and was gracious and did a family session with us. She also did John and my wedding 6 years ago so it was great that she could our family pictures. This was our second attempt to do family pictures, the first session the previous month rained out and this one was also VERY close to being rained out and would have been if I wasn't so stubborn. We did them at Sloss Furnace in Downtown Birmingham. We were only able to last outside for about 20 minutes because it started purring rain and the temperature dropped unexpectedly and it was freezing. So this is what we were able to get in that short time. Over all I am very pleased with them. If you are in need a great photographer and are in the Tampa area she is amazing!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Big Boy room in progress...

I started redoing Jax's room last month. It is of course it is all hockey, mostly LA Kings. He loves it. I still want to get new furniture but I have not found anything yet.

We had this picture done of Jax at Downtown Disney this past Christmas.

These letter were originally white when they were in Jax's newborn nursery. Then baby blue and brown for his toddler room. Now they are dark purple, black and silver, LA Kings colors.

His big boy bed. Thank you Aunt Nicole and Uncle Jason for the LA Kings blanket, it is perfect! The pictures above the bed are actually picture we bought on our honeymoon 6 years ago, who knew they would have ended up our son's room.
I have since replaced the lamp shade with a black one. It is coming together slowly...

Watermelon

It has been crazy here in the Garrett house. John has been working on a merger with his company so he has been working like a mad man. So that gives Jax and I lot of quality time. We have been outside as much as casper's skin can handle. We should buy stock in sunscreen we have already gone through 1 1/2 cans (in about month) and with no end in sight we could probably get a nice return on our money. Our neighborhood pool opens today we won't make it down there today but we will be there next week! Jax is such a water kid as I think most kids are at this age. Anything outside and then when you add water it is like Christmas morning. I also introduced him to watermelon this week and to say he loves it is an understatement. I am not sure if it is the flavor he like or they way he eats it, maybe both. I hand him a big chunk of it and watch him go to town!

Jaxon's best friend...Ava

Jax has his first little best friend and they are so cute together...well most of the time. They are becoming more like brother and sister and they fight like it sometimes...then they have these sweet moments together just like brother and sister. They are great little friends. She keeps in his place by "mothering" him and she is girly yet is ok getting dirty. She is such a sweet little girl and he loves her. His whole face lights up when he sees her. She is his best friend..."Aya".

Pool and Projects...

About a month ago Jax and I bought 3 little planters. (However as you can see in the first picture there are only two. He dropped one the day after we painted it.) We brought them home and painted them. We then took a trip to Wal-Mart, I let him pick out some flower seeds and we got some soil and went home to plant them. Also while we were there we got a strawberry plant. Now I have a "black thumb". I have killed literally every plant I have ever had. My poor husband has bought me 2 separate orchid plants and both have died. So I really stink at gardening, but I really wanted to try and grow something with Jax this spring/summer. So far so good. We have gotten 2 strawberries off our little plant and our African Daises are sprouting. We will see how long they all live before the inevitable happens....I kill them.

A few weeks ago I could no longer resist, I had to let him swim and do water play. The water was so cold, it only slowed him down a little. Since then we have not gotten the pool out again, but we have played in the sprinkler and water buckets.

The Zoo with MiMi

Jax and I picked up my mom at the airport on Thursday and we headed to the zoo. Jax had so much fun and so did Mimi and I.

Jax and Mimi rode a camel.

We fed the birds. Then I sat in the "juice" that you feed them, someone spilled some the bench, and I had a yellow line on the back of my shorts the rest of the day.


This gorilla was amazing! He sat there like he was posing, while everyone stared and took pictures, it was so neat. Jax was yelling, "gorilla mommy, gorilla, oOOooOO. (that is what a gorilla says.)
There was this mean and wild much older boy also playing in the fountains and he knocked Jax over and literally rolled over on top of him. Then did it to 2 other little boys. And the boys parents were no where to be found. It took everything inside to not grab that child and make him take me to his parents.

Play-dough.

We have been staying busy here in the Garrett house. Jax is such an active boy. Always wanting to do something and anything. Which is making me grateful for my days as a daycare teacher. Because as he gets older I am able to do more fun and creative things with him that I learned as a teacher. Although play-dough is nothing original or exciting to most, he loved it. This was the first time we did it together. He got a play-dough set for Christmas and I just never got it out. The one time he did it with my mom he tried to eat it, so I wanted to make sure he would not eat it again. Well he didn't try to eat it and he loved it so it was a great activity for both of us to to be a little creative.

Milestones..

So we are coming up on MAJOR milestones as my little boy is getting bigger. He is now in a big boy bed, or as he calls it his big boy hockey bed. He seems to be rolling with the change where I am struggling. I took his apart his crib this morning and became teary eyed as I remembered watching them set it up, for the first time, while I sat and watched in amazement, with my huge belly. I remember thinking so vividly on that day that a big boy bed was so far away, well not anymore. I had so many questions about the boy I was carrying inside me on that day and now some are answered and some remain. I can't wait to see him continue to grow. He truly is such an amazing little boy. Next potty training...

Pictures will come soon, I am also redoing his room and it is a work in progress.

Random...

Jax is so funny! He has been all about pillows and blankets lately. He has just started carrying a blanket and his big (M)Ickey Mouse around (He calls it Ickey). One of his favorite things to do is pretend to sleep. He "snores" and breaths heavy to sound like he is sleeping. However when he "snores" he sounds like he is hacking up a hair ball. It is hilarious!

This is one of his favorite books. Well he loves this whole series of books. He goes thru the whole book does all the animal sounds or he points out the letters.

Perfect Weather...

This weather is LONG over due! This has been a long and cold winter but I think Spring has sprung. The forecast calls for 70's and sunshine all week and we are taking advantage. Jax and I have been outside as much as possible. I even talked with my neighbor and the kiddie pool maybe in our near future, probably Friday when it will be in the 80's. Well today we played outside all morning then took a nap and after went for a walk to feed our neighborhood ducks and then played in the backyard. I am so grateful to live in a great neighborhood. Wish it was closer to Homewood but none the less, I love it.

These pictures are from our walk today by the "lake". There is a small wooded area and he being the little boy that he is had to go find sticks and hit the trees. Also he was shockingly co-operative and posed for one of the pictures. He typically hates taking pictures.

Bowling...

We had a great time today bowling. Jax LOVED it! He has been playing a bowling game on John's iPhone for weeks and has really been into bowling. The minute we walked into the bowling ally he was sucked in. It was great! I love watching him experience new things.