Updated Family Photo

Some people are always getting onto me for not having more family pictures. It's hard when someone has to be behind the camera. So for those who have been complaining (you know who you are), here is your updated family photo. Enjoy.

Don't know what she's thinking about but she looks pretty sweet.

I love how Caroline is looking at Jack like he's crazy. There will be many more years of this look to follow I'm sure.

Deep in thought with one little cross eye.

More Sleeping Pictures

Okay, I just can't get enough pictures of sleeping Caroline. She just looks so sweet. And honestly, she doesn't do much more than sleep and eat. She is so content! So, for now this is one of Caroline's favorite things to do.

Settling In to Life with Two

Sleeping in her Moses Basket

Love the hairbow!

Meeting Grandma for the first time

Caroline and Sylvia (below)

Blog Makeover

I'm in serious need of a blog makeover.  Give me your thoughts. New blog name ideas?

We're Home and It's Official

Jack just pulled his chair up in front of Caroline the other day and watched her. It was pretty sweet.

She wants her bottle!

We finally made it back to Texas Friday morning. It was a long drive home but went relatively smooth. In Mississippi on Thursday afternoon, the papers were signed and then our attorney surprised us by saying we could go directly over to the courthouse to get it finalized. (We were thinking this was going to happen Friday afternoon.) Everything went without a hitch and we were issued our final decree of adoption. She's officially ours and we couldn't be more thrilled! She's the sweetest and most content little girl. So glad to have her home!

Meet Caroline Grace

Jack and his little sister

Aunt Lainee

Time with Grandpa

It took us a while but we finally landed on a name! Caroline is what we came up with  for her first name. Grace is the middle name her birth mom gave her plus it's actually her birth mom's middle name so we wanted to keep that so she had a little piece of both families.

Jack's Little Sister

Jack's little sister is here. She was born today around 2 p.m.. She's healthy and beautiful! Lots of thick dark hair. She was 7 lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long. We're thrilled she's finally here!! We'll post more pictures soon.

 

Like Father Like Son

Technology...Isn't it Wonderful?

Jack talking to Grandma on our trusty Mac.

Jack loves one of Nathan's old remote controlled cars we found in a closet.

So, technology at the Garvin house has reached a new level of importance. The other day I was working (from my home office) and Jack was sitting on the loveseat listening to Grandma read a story via the computer and I just thought "what would I do without computers right now?" I literally am able to crawl out of bed at 7:50...throw on some clothes (or stay in my pajamas) and walk approximately 50 steps to work. Lunch breaks are spent with my family and laundry and household chores are completed during my "coffee" breaks. It really is wonderful! 

And then the capability of Jack being able to chat with his grandparents and extended family on the computer has been so nice as well. He's finally at an age where this form of communication works. Lately my mom has been reading him stories over iChat. She shows him the pictures and he is totally into it. He always requests one more. If our computer fails on us, I'm in trouble.

Pavarotti in the Making

Jack loves to sing. Yesterday we noticed he was singing the full version of this song (usually a few lyrics are dropped here and there) and he really wanted to send this to Grandma and Nana so we had to record it. My favorite part is when he goes up in his falsetto at the end.  For those who are curious and can't make out toddler-speak, the lyrics go like this:

What color animal have you seen?

The monkey's brown and the crocodile's green.

The panda and the zebra are black and white.

The yellow giraffes are a beautiful sight.

Austin

So we went to Austin this past weekend to visit a good friend of mine. Unfortunately we forgot the camera and only took these two pictures with our phone. (Patricio was nice enough to send us another one.) We had a great time and were really impressed with the small town feel. These pictures were of Jack playing in one of the nearby city fountains. 

Jack love spending time with Marisa and Patricio.  Thanks, guys, for showing us around!

Just a few sweet pictures of my big boy...

As we enter the world of potty-training, I'm reminded of how quickly this all goes...and how much fun it is to be a mom.  I'm not a sentimental girl (my husband can attest to this) but sometimes when I see sweet pictures (like the above) I just am so thankful for my family.  

A Visit from Nana, Pappaw, and Uncle Mike

A trip to the zoo never goes out of style.

Don't know if you can tell but Jack is saying "moo" as he passes the cow on the train.

Daddy, Jack, and an Elephant.

Nathan's family came to visit the first part of July. It was a quick trip and I (the mom) was training at my new job and only spent about 6 hours total with them. Jack had a great time teaching them the names of all his "cars" and showing them around the zoo.  He always enjoys having an audience. Can't wait to see them again! Thanks for making the LONG trip down here. We had a great time.

4th of July Celebration

Here we are hanging out on Shane and Sylvia's fancy new patio area.

Waiting forever in the ghetto parking lot for the fireworks to start.

I love how his shoulders are all hunched up in this picture. He was so excited about the fireworks and said "yay" when each one went off (yeah, that's a lot of yays).

Great 4th of July.  Thanks, Shane and Sylvia for hosting!

Trip to the Lake

This picture was taken before the boat actually started moving. At this point he was still smiling...

This was the face we saw throughout the boat ride. He was so serious. He didn't know what to think of the choppy water.

Mark and Leslie  (Don't they look so fun?)

Shane behind the wheel. We were thankful when he was driving (vs. Sylvia).

We spent this past weekend at the Lake with some friends. It was a great trip.  We went tubing out on the boat Saturday and just hung out at the cabin the rest of the time.  Jack really enjoyed the attention - but wasn't sure about the boat ride.

Zoo

Trips to the zoo are so fun now. Jack really loves seeing all the animals and we basically just run from exhibit to exhibit.  While the last trip was pretty toasty, Jack still had fun.  One of his favorite spots was the bird cage where you can buy a stick of feed for $1 and the birds just come and chow down.  Jack loved it!

Random Pictures (that were too cute not to post)...

Jack and his friend Hayden

One of Jack's favorite places to sit. It's just an old step stool but it's perfect as a table.

Mississippi

Jack with his Great-Grandma Garvin and Second Cousin Audrey 

The Garvin Boys (Shane, Mike(Nathan's Uncle), Nathan, Jack, Aidan, and Derrick)

Nathan, Jack, Anne Marie, Debbie (Nathan's Aunt), Greg, and Carleigh

Jack and Mom at one of our "rest" stops on the way to Tupelo

A party isn't complete in Jack's eyes without a popsicle.

Following our trip to Nashville to visit Uncle Nick, we headed to meet up with some of Nathan's extended family. It was great because there were several folks that I (the wife) had not met since we had such a small wedding 6 years ago.  We had a wonderful time! And Jack spent the few days that we were there entertaining everyone. He was pulling out moves that even Nathan and I hadn't seen. He's such a little ham! I wish I had some video footage of him laughing at Papaw's brother Mike. Thanks everyone for being so hospitable! We look forward to returning in August.