Dear Me,

At my recent 10 year high school reunion, I received a letter I had written to myself at the end of my junior year of high school. I was so excited to get it, and was amazed by how insightful I was at 16. Here it is:

May 21, 1999

Well, I guess it's pretty strange to be reading a letter from myself 11 years ago. I wasn't really sure how to start the letter. This is our final writing assignment for my English III class for my Junior year. As of right now I am 16 yrs. old still driving my crappy '91 Ford Taurus. There is only one week left of school & then I will officially be a Senior. I still live w/ my parents (like you don't know that!). Joni and Daniel live over in Deer Park w/ my 4 month old nephew, Ethan. My parents & I get along pretty well except about my room being clean. My best friends as of now are Meredith Easter and Lindsey Bussey. They are a lot of fun to be around. Tonight is the first time to start my job as a lifeguard. I am really excited, but a little nervous about the job.

There were a lot of things I didn't do in high school that I wanted. A good friend of mine told me that what you do in high school has no effect on your life out of high school & if I know this now, I will be wise the rest of my life. There were many regrets I had in high school, but all were learning experiences. No matter what anyone says, friends are more important than guys; not everyone can be forgiven, but that's okay; no matter how nice you are, there is always someone who doesn't like you. The most important rule I learned was that hard work pays off.

After graduation, I want to go to Sam Houston State University to major in Elementary Education & minor in child psychology. It has been my life dream to become a teacher. Hopefully they make more money now!! I want to be married by now & start having tons of kids! Hopefully nothing will stand in the way of my dreams!!

See you in 11 years.,
Jackie

Well, I'm a teacher, married, and on my way to having a couple (probably not TONS) of kids. I hope the me back then would be proud.

28 Weeks

This week you figured out how to get into a sitting position all by yourself, and you are so proud!!

Playdate

One of my best friends, Lindsey, married one of Brian's best friends, John, a couple of years ago. They have an adorable toddler named Hunter, and she is pregnant again with their second little boy.

Today they attended a funeral for John's cousin in our area and asked us to watch this little cutie, who is a combination of their gorgeous genes:

Carson was playing next door with James, so after naps, Deacon got Hunter all to himself!

Lindsey and I have been friends since 5th grade, and I always imagined our kids playing together one day.

They were so adorable that I HAD to pull the camera out!

They are just about a year apart, but they played "together" really well. Hunter is going to be a fabulous big brother; he shared and gave Deacon lots of kisses!

Back to School

School started back today!! I am excited to be over the three year hump, and on to my fourth! Statistics show that about 33% of new teachers leave the field in the first three years, and I told Brian when I started that I at least needed to give it that long before I made a decision. By the end of my first day of work, I knew I would NEVER change professions!

I LOVE my job. And especially, LOVE my school! I love waking up in the morning and not dreading going to work. I love seeing my kiddos and coworkers and laughing about all the craziness that comes with junior high! I love the variety every day brings; and the fast pace that makes days fly by. In the blink of an eye this year will be over and our students will be moving on to bigger places, but I love making a difference while we have them!

27 Weeks

Because I started work again, this was your first week back to the babysitter. She must have worn you out b/c you slept through the night a couple of times!

You finally figured out how to work your arms and are now an official crawler!!! You are enjoying tummy time more and more now that you can move.

Carson's 1st day of Pre-K

I really like to make big deals out of special events. Today was Carson's first day of Pre-K at his new daycare, so it qualified for a big to do.

Routines are something our household needs to work on. With Brian's irregular work schedule we have always had trouble doing things at a set time around our house, but this year is our time to work out the kinks and find a pattern that works for our family.

Carson's school requires us to pack his lunch each day, so we are going to start packing his lunch the night before. We ordered a Mario Bros. lunchbox (in honor of his newest obsession) off the internet, but it hadn't arrived to our house. We improvised with his small Spongebob backpack. We went grocery shopping early this weekend and let Carson pick out some items for his lunch and last night he chose what he wanted to bring his first day. (*I need to go back alone and grab some healthier snacks for future lunches...) He is allowed to take two toys to school each day and spent quite some time picking out which ones to bring.

To help mornings run smoother we have decided to set outfits out the night before. Carson chose his attire, too!

...but in the morning decided he would rather wear his Nike's.

I tried to talk him into letting me spike his hair, but I think it was just too early for him to want to deal with it, and I wasn't going to push my luck!

His new school is SO wonderful!! They have cool events going on every day. Today it was snowcones:

and haircuts:

We opted for the snowcone today, and will probably do the haircut next time!

Tomorrow is:

We picked up Carson's favorite breakfast: kolache, donut, and chocolate milk. He made himself right at home and started stuffing his face! He didn't even bat and eye when we left!

Brian called and checked on him during the day, and they said he was doing wonderful!

He was so happy when I picked him up, telling me about his red snowcone, lunch outside, the fabulous playground, dinosaur center, and the sticker he received for helping to clean up! We are so proud and relieved that the transition went so well!

And look what came in the mail just in time for school tomorrow:

6 Months

Deacon- it's been half a year; you are 6 months old!!

• We are thrilled that you are now 28 inches long, putting you in the 93rd percentile!! We are keeping our fingers crossed that you got our families tall genes that seemed to skip over us!
  
  
• You weigh 17 pounds 6.5 ounces (50th percentile) and have a head circumference of 17.25 inches (52nd percentile).
  

• You are now our baby on a move!! You aren't quite crawling and don't really know what direction you will go, but you can get across the room by a combination of rolling, scooting, and nose-diving.
  
  
• This month you also learned to sit alone for a few seconds at a time and are very close to figuring out how to get into a sitting position by yourself.
  
• This summer you have been spoiled by having me home to carry and snuggle with you all day long. We are enjoying every moment of it because we know before long you will be Mr. Independent.
  
  
• We are still waiting for your teeth to appear! I can feel a few knots in your gums, but none have erupted. You seem like you are preparing for their arrival with finger chewing and a "drool pool."
  
• You are eating really well. We have moved you up to level 2 baby food and you have sampled too many new ones to list, but the fruits are definitely your favorites. You have also munched on some teething cookies and yogurt melts.
  
  
• You seem to be a little more shy and mellow than Carson. You would much rather spend a quiet day at the house with family, than out where it is noisy with people you aren't familiar with.
  
  
• When you get tired you constantly rub your eyes. You love for me to rock you to sleep while patting your back, but are also content with your pacifier and a blanket or toy to snuggle.
  
  
• You sleep in your crib now and still wake up once or twice a night.
  
  
• We love your laugh!! You are usually happiest when you wake up in the morning, or right after a nap. (I've learned this is the best time to take your picture!) You also give us the most smiles while going crazy in your bouncer.
  
  
• I can't believe in another 6 months we will be planning your 1st birthday party...

Month by Month

California Vacation

My WONDERFUL Aunt Claudia, sent my sister and me out to California to visit her this past weekend! While I am mentioning my fabulous relatives, I had better include Brian and my parents who graciously stayed with our FOUR boys at my house while we were gone!! By the end of the trip, Brian was calling hourly to remind me of what a great husband he was...lol

We left on Friday, and I decided to start off the trip getting my sister used to the frequent picture-taking while sitting on the plane...

We arrived in time for dinner in San Jose, followed by dessert at the famous pinkberry:

That night we unpacked and rested up for a day of shopping and Chelsea Handler.

I am friends with Sprinkles Cupcakes on facebook, and usually they have a secret phrase you whisper when going in their store to receive a free cupcake. That day it was "Chugga Choo Choo" and we all three got a free dark chocolate one with a cute little baby blue train on top.

Next, we hit up Nordstrom Rack! We found some cute dresses, but also played my favorite shopping game: goddy dress-up!! Any time I go shopping with friends, we find the ugliest formal dress, put it on and take pictures. This trip to the dressing room was even more fun b/c I grabbed a wedding dress to try on! The girls working the dressing room were so excited that I had picked it out, explaining that it had been on display for MONTHS and they were just waiting for someone to snatch up the bargain! I played right into it and told them I was recently engaged! lol AND that my sister was trying on her bridesmaid dress...

Don't I just look like a blushing bride!?! hehe They were SO disappointed I didn't buy it, but wished me luck on my "wedding" along with congratulations! I kinda feel bad for lying...

We also found this outfit which I thought was just missing a drum for my drummer boy Halloween costume:

After our exhausting shopping trip, we decided to have a relaxing pedicure.

That night we cleaned up, and went to see comedian, Chelsea Handler at the most gorgeous venue EVER! It was at a mountain winery with a spectacular view and outdoor seating in the unbelievably COOL August weather.

The venue:

I met Chelsea a few years back in Houston, so we decided not to wait in the long line after the show, and instead posed by her cutout.

Our seats were so close:

Chelsea and her opener didn't disappoint; they were raunchy and hilarious!!

Sunday we drove into San Francisco for the day. We parked near China Town and were amused that the garage had a "fortune" for every spot! We told my Uncle Dennis to choose wisely; here was ours:

After we toured the city, we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Tiburon. It was so cool out that we had to wear jackets!! Us Texas girls aren't used to such weather in the summer! I think the high was in the low 60's!

It was kind of foggy, so you couldn't get a full picture of the bridge:

Our last day we ate lunch at a fun sushi boat restaurant!! I don't know if they have these in Houston, but we were impressed. There is a "stream" that runs around the bar of the restaurant with boats carrying plates of sushi. You just watch the boats pass by until you see a plate you want and snatch it up.

Claudia introduced us to my new favorite store: Loehmann's! It is like Ross on crack! It is full of designer clothes at major discount prices. And because summer is ending, they had tons of their clothes marked down an additional 50-60% off. The deals were so good, I HAD to share a couple with you, even if the pictures don't do justice to the outfits (I'm sure you will see me modeling them in future blogs).

Regular: $48

Sale: $10

Regular: $48

Sale: $8

Regular: $98

Sale: $11

Regular: $118

Sale: $15

I am going to have to look online for the closest location and make a roadtrip with my girlfriends for a shopping adventure!

My cousin, Kyle, came along for our last dinner. My aunt still calls him her "little boy!" haha

After stepping off the plane in Houston and being hit by the heat and humidity we seriously debated turning right back around and flying back...luckily, we were missing our boys!