"Please, no autographs...

...I'm a very busy man. I have my dog to torment, my parents to test and a vat of food to swallow whole. So, if you don't mind...I'll just be moving on."
Ah, yes. The life of a spoiled baby. I only hope we're not harming his ego any by posting pictures without his final o.k...

Look ma, no hands!

Jax takes about 8 steps now. He is so proud of himself when he walks. He gets this great big grin on his face and looks to us for a lively, "Hooray!". We can't believe how far he's come in so little time. One of God's greatest miracles - children.

More pics of our boy!

Growing taller each day, Jax's 'Pack and Play' won't be of much use very soon. He'll be crawling out of it in no time!

The latest addition to the Nightlight wall!

Happy mommy!

With Ron, our director

What a special day!

Today was a dream come true, finally! At our adoption agency, Nightlight Christian Adoptions, they put your child's hand or foot print on the wall once they come home to their forever families, and yesterday was Jax's turn! It was surreal, watching Jody and Ron as they pressed that little "blue" foot up against the wall where Jaxon will now be a permanent fixture at Nightlight, along with all the other kids that Nightlight has worked so hard to bring home. And, yesterday marked our one month anniversary of being home! It was truly a wonderful day!

Happy 10th Birthday to Buster!!!

We are eternally grateful to the Lord for blessing us with this extended time with our boy. He is just so loving and wonderful - we can't imagine life without him right there next to us. Today we celebrate his 10th, a milestone for a white boxer and "unheard of" according to his vet. We are spoiling him today, which is no different than any other day, and making special treats that only he gets! Jax can't have any! Buster has been so patient with Jax and incredibly tolerant - we couldn't have asked for a better friend. He is and will always be our #1! Happy Birthday Buster!!!

Dads and their boys!

Buster wanted to slide down, too!

He changed his mind at the last minute, thank God. I was sweating it, worrying about him eating it on the way down!

Fun slide (but wet!!)

Darren and I forgot to bring a towel to dry off the slide so Darren took one for the team.

Fun day at the park!

We took Buster and Jax to the park last weekend. It was Jax's first time on a slide and swing - he loved both! He really likes to swing high and we even let him slide down alone after a few times with daddy. He started out feet-first but somehow got twisted around in the turns and wound up head-first! We had a great day with our two boys!

Goodbye Disneyland....

Someone was sleepy (and grouchy) by the end of the day so it was time to bid a fond farewell to the magic kingdom......well, until next week, at least. We bundled him up (much to his disapproval) and headed for the gates but not before stopping to get daddy his corn dog. "Simply the best...", Darren has always said, so it's a must-do on the way out, each time I go (I usually bring one home for him). Now, with his very own annual pass, he can get his own and enjoy it while it's fresh (and greasy....).

California Adventure - A Bug's Land

Daddy and Jax rode the Heimlich Caterpillar Ride in a Bug's Land. They both had a great time the entire 1.2 minutes that the ride lasted.

We're investiing in Cheerios, the miracle food!

Jax loves his Cheerios! He can be stuffed full, like a big old sausage, yet he's always got room for Cheerios! They saved us a few times while in the park, when Mr. No Nap starting getting fussy. Just give him a handful of fiber circles and he's happy as a clam.

Jax likes the parking lot tram!

The tram was fun. You get to get up-close and personal with all kinds of people. Great palette for an artist looky-loo like Jax. He's so nosy, he loves to people watch....and babies really have no shame. If you've got weird hair or you're wearing funky glasses, Jax is going to let you know. He'll stare you down and give you "the eyebrow" (one goes straight up and he frowns, clearly irritated). It's a little embarrassing - I try to divert his attention elsewhere, but there's no stopping him. So be warned, all you mohawk-wearing guys...you'll get your's if you happen to be on Jax's watch!

So the kid doesn't like Pluto...

He screamed bloody murder when we handed him over! Same thing with Mickey Mouse, although we didn't even try to hand him over again....I was holding him and he was still screaming! There were a few others that didn't light his fire, either. Oh boy, and the Tiki Room.....that was something! When those totem poles started their little chant, with their wooden mouths opening and their funky eyes moving, Jax had deathgrip on us both! He wassn't thrilled with the singing Birds of Paradise, either - they were right above us. Poor little guy...he toughed it out, though and never cried. We were so proud of him!

His favorite ride was the Jungle Cruise. He likes the outdoor rides. We also went on Peter Pan, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Casey Jr's Circus Train, and the Heimlich Catepillar Ride in a Bug's Land. Darren tried to take him on Dumbo but he fell asleep in Darren's arms while waiting in line. It was a long day but very, very fun!

.....or Mr. Toad

.....or the Gorilla at Rain Forest Cafe

.....or Mickey Mouse

Daddy and Jax

First trip to Disneyland!

Jax turned 15 months old today so we thought we'd celebrate and take him for his first trip to Disneyland. He LOVED the rides, hated the characters, and I mean, hated! We had a wonderful day - the park was empty. Longest line we stood in was about 10 minutes. Jax was a very good boy and super patient. Of course we kept the Cheerios cup full on his stroller so he always had a snack and made sure to point out lots of pretty things at the park. We loved our day with our boy and daddy even bought himself an annual pass so he can come with us as often as he wants. I find this last bit interesting....I've been begging Darren to get an annual pass the last 9 years I've had mine but he wouldn't. Now that Jax is here, everything is different - I guess I know where I stand!

Gorgeous boy!!!

What a looker, huh? I used some of daddy's hair gel to spike Jax's hair up a little....he hated it! Mommy loved it!

Escape artist

He's going for door handles, now!

Mozart he "ain't"...but he sure loves to play!

I started playing for Jax with him in my lap and now I've created a piano-playing monster. He absolutely loves to play and goes to the piano many times a day to bang out a few songs for us. When I play with him, he looks up at me with a big smile, then gives it a go himself. It's fun to watch him concentrate so hard on a song that sounds so bad! He imitates my fingers moving as best he can but then gets frustrated and just slams both hands on the keyboard, over and over. He's got a little "drama" in him, that's for sure...but we sure love him!

Daddy, Jax and Riley

Cousin Riley Anne

What gorgeous kids, huh? I don't ever remember seeing any baby pictures of myself looking this cute (in Jax's case) or stunningly beautiful (Miss Riley). We're missing a shot of cousin Colin Michael - he was napping while the camera was out so we left him to his sweet dreams. We had a wonderful day over at Shelly and Mike's house, enjoying the rain, wind and home-made soup. Jax was a champ riding in his carseat, flirting with all the girls on the freeway, especially his mother in the front seat! What a charmer he can be sometimes......I won't say what he can be at other times!!!!

Ralph Lauren never looked so good!

Here's Jax in his new sweater, a gift from his Auntie Shelly. This will be the only time this pot-bellied kid can wear this since he's gaining so much weight so darn fast, he's outgrown many of his new outfits! Cousin Colin will be getting some great hand-me-downs!

Bath time!

Bath time is FINALLY fun! It started out as a terrifying experience for our Jaxon, but now he loves it! He especially loves splashing his mommy and throwing his bath toys at Buster. There's nothing finer than a clean and fresh baby...