The Inauguration

Yes, we drink the purple Kool-Aid. I have no shame in saying that we are ACU die hards. Such die hards that we took two small children on the early morning drive to Abilene on the absolute hottest day of the year to sit through a two-hour presidential inauguration. They should surely name a building in our honor for that, right?

Wade & I both had wonderful ACU experiences. I was fortunate to know early on what I wanted to major in, and for the most part, didn't steer too far from it. So I spent the majority of my 4 1/2 (who really graduates in 4 anymore???) years in the JMC Building. I received a fantastic education while at the same time getting practical real-world experience. I credit much of what I deem as a successful career in non-profit PR to all that I gained from ACU. And on top of a wonderful education, I made lifelong memories and friendships that I hope to never take for granted.

All that to say, we were excited to go back for the inauguration of ACU's new president and bring along both of the boys. We probably should've thought through a little more the fact that it would be a two-hour ceremony with two small children, but hey, we live on the edge. And I had fruit snacks.

We did survive the day and had no regrets about going. It was pretty surreal to be sitting in Moody Coliseum with my husband and children. I looked around at all of the very eager, young-looking students and couldn't help but feel excitement for them and all that was in store. Cheesy, I know. There's not much of my time at ACU that I would change or do over (except for maybe a few early dating choices...did I say that?), but as I'm sure many people 10+ years post-college say, I wish I could've soaked it in more. I don't necessarily want to go back to that stage of life, but I do miss the learning environment. Oh boy, am I sounding old now or what?

I loved ACU then, and how could you not love ACU now? The school received national accolades and attention with the mobile learning initiative launched last year. And now my beloved newspaper, The Optimist, was the first university student newspaper created for the iPad. Pretty cool.

And even with all of the innovative things happening and the incoming classes growing in numbers every year, the school still has a unique feeling of community. Like I said, we're die hards around here.

It was a fun (although excruciatingly hot) day for all of us. While sweating profusely and corralling two small children, the pictures are pretty weak and limited. You do what you can do.

Five minutes before it was all about to begin, Will had a blow-out diaper, which needed a wardrobe change. So here you will see what we call his signature pouty face. Guess he was a little embarrassed to be in the buff at a presidential inauguration.

And here's the best we could get at a family picture. Minus one family member.

And I'm not sure why, but the Parade of Flags made me all teary this time. Yes, I'm turning into my mother.
Tate loved the flags and the Big Purple band.
This is a horrible picture, but proof of that actual inauguration. Maybe Dr. Schubert will still be President when the boys go to ACU (2025 & 2028...no pressure!), and they can say they were there.
No surprise, but Tate loved the GATA Fountain. I had just finished telling him he couldn't get in the water or take his shoes off, right when a student walked up and took her shoes off to rinse off her feet. I was both annoyed and grossed out. The drama then got worse as Tate barreled off and proceeded to practically knock over the handicapped man walking by us. The man was so kind about it. This kiddo keeps me humble.
Paying homage to the Wildcats. One funny story is that Tate kept asking when the cats were coming out. Explaining the concept of a school mascot is a tricky one.
This was approximately 3.5 minutes after we got in the car.
We never made it over to Cullen Auditorium for a picture of Will at his (middle) namesake's location. And I completely forgot to go get a loaf of zucchini bread from Hickory Street Cafe (the absolute best hands down!). Even though we left completely exhausted, it was worth it. Worth being there at the start of a new and exciting chapter for ACU. And worth being with my three favorite people at one of my most favorite places.

Will ~ 3 & 4 Months

It has been an eventful couple of months for this little guy. In fact, he's had an eventful life so far! So I'm catching up with his 3 and 4 month posts.

Obviously the biggest part of the 3rd month was his hospital stay and recovery from the staph infection. We are still amazed and extremely grateful that looking at him now, you would have no idea it ever happened. And you would also have no idea that he had to have an outpatient surgery two weeks later. He is doing great and has made a full recovery from both. We've got one tough cookie on our hands!

In regular baby news, here are some fun developments over the last two months:

• He LOVES to smile and squeal at just about anyone that will smile back. Family, friends, strangers, he loves them all!
• His coos have turned into gurgles, aahhs, and all kinds of new noises.
• Will moved from the bassinet in our room to the crib in his room and handled the transition great.
• We weaned him from the swaddle. He was pretty happy with that, so he could get his hands in his mouth at night. Not his thumb, but his hands are almost always in his mouth.
• He's gone 8-hour stretches at night a few times, but has't quite had the full night yet and typically wakes up once for a bottle.
• He lost his hair stripe. The last few hairs finally fell out. Now it's a small dark blond/light brown fuzz ball all over with a very defined hairline.
• He is finally tolerating tummy time better and holding up his head while on his tummy. Five days in the hospital and recovery from surgery caused him to take a few steps back with that, but I think he's on his way to getting caught up. And he's starting to roll to his side pretty often, which has caused several unintentional roll overs.
• He has really started to notice Tate so much more. And if anyone can get a smile out of Will, it is Tate. I'm sure this will just continue even more over time. You can tell he already adores his older brother.
• And he continues to be a pretty long baby and is outgrowing clothes fast.

He is proving to be one happy, easy-going baby. We already knew we loved this boy, but going through the last few months with him have formed a bond I can't even explain. So thankful for his health and life. We all love our Baby Will!

The Letter N

We're big fans of Sesame Street around here. The other day Tate was watching an episode, and I suddenly heard him laughing hysterically. He could barely breathe he was laughing so hard. We have since watched this just about every day. Seriously funny.

Swim Lessons

This was the 2nd year in a row to take swim lessons from Mr. Kaleb & Mr. Jim. Tate did a great job last year, but over the winter regressed some in his desire to swim at the indoor pool. Not ability, just desire. I figured that out after the first day this year when he was immediately right back to where we left off last year. Stinker...he's been holding out on us.

Oh well, he got right back into the swing of things. Floating, kickboard laps, diving under and picking up rings, jumping into the water, and swimming about 10 feet.

They use a tough love approach to the lessons, which works well with Tate. They're there not to play but to learn water safety and some early swim skills. That approach and all of the tattoos can be a little intimidating, but they are so good at what they do, and the kids warm up to them quick.

Here's a video on his last day, the show-off day. Even Daddy, Grandpa, Mimi, and Will came to cheer him on.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

He did great. He had fun. We were proud.

Summer Spectacular 2010

Back in June, our church had its annual Summer Spectacular (a version of Vacation Bible School). Each year they take a story from the Bible and incorporate it into all of the kid's classes, adult classes, and the musical each of the three nights. This year was Elijah.

Tate had a great time in his class learning about how God provided for the needs of Elijah when he sent the ravens with bread and meat. To illustrate, the snack that night was a cracker and chicken nugget. Later when we were talking about it, I asked him how God provided. He said "with bread and Chick Fil A!"

I helped in the 1st grade story room each night and was pretty impressed with how smart these kiddos are. We had three different groups of about 20-30 kids each. My friends Kristen & Alyssa did a great job teaching the story, and I did crowd/kid control.

Then after class it was time for the musical. It was once again an impressive production. They tell the Bible story while using songs we all know. Tate loved the musical and was so excited each night to see what was going to happen to Elijah. When I was talking to him about how God sent the fire and the rain, he said, "And God also sent Boom Boom Pow and The Hustle!"

Even with the price you have to pay when your 3 y.o. doesn't go to bed until 10:00 p.m. each night, it was all worth it. The entire week is so impressive and well done. We all had a great time and learned a lot. Next year...Noah!