Jasper's Baby Dedication

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you." Isaiah 60:1

Last Sunday was a special day in the Fitzhugh household. We got to dedicate Jasper to the Lord that day during our church's baby dedication ceremony. It was a wonderful way to share our commitment to raise the son God has blessed us with to know and love the Lord.

I'm so thankful that many of our extended family members were able to share the special day with us. Training a child in the ways of God take a lot of love, patience and prayer. And we're happy to have all the help we can get. Ryan and I are blessed to have such supportive followers of Christ in our family to encourage us along the way.

Happy Valentine's Day

We had a great time celebrating Jasper's first Valentine's Day this year. He was so anxious to show his love that he woke me up at 6:00 a.m. for some snuggle time :) Thankfully, he also went back to sleep until 8:00. Such a thoughtful boy.

Ryan and I exchanged our traditional $5 gifts - I got a cute tiny teddy bear in a coffee mug, and he got some trail mix and peanut M&Ms in a beer mug with a card that read "You're Ale Mine." Totally cheesy and totally awesome. But it wasn't all Velveeta around here. Ryan also surprised me with two dozen beautiful red roses, delivered to the house after he left for work. So sweet! After eleven Valentines together, he knows that caffeine and flowers are the quickest way to my heart.

In the afternoon, Griffin and Jasper went to a fun Valentine's party with lots of their friends. They got to do some crafts, sample cupcakes, and play with their buddies, while I got to visit with the other moms. It's always more than a little chaotic when our play groups get together these day, especially since many of us have two little one's now. But it's so much fun to catch up and watch the kiddos play together. It's amazing to watch their little friendships bud.

We wrapped things up with a family date night at Chic-Fil-A and some homemade chocolate strawberries. Delicious!

Who could ask for a better way to spend the day of love??

Is this winter???

The weather has been so lovely this winter, that we've been spending lots of time outdoors. That means plenty of trips to the park - Griff is IN LOVE with the bridges we get to cross on our way. He has so much fun stomping across them, turning to see if I'm looking, then heading back to start the process again. All I have to say to keep him moving along is "Let's find another bridge, Griff." He'll say "Bridge! Bridge!" and we're off. Simple pleasures :)

Little brother likes strolling across the bridges too.

We've also been to the Grapevine Botanical Gardens to see the koi fish and play on the playground - these boys love to swing!

Notice below that G's trying to get IN the water with the fish :)

But my favorite so far has been our trip to the Dallas Zoo with some friends this week. In February adults get in for FIVE BUCKS and kids under 3 are FREE! We got to see the elephants eating breakfast, feed the giraffes some lettuce, and play at the amazing Children's Zoo, complete with a playground and water feature. What a fantastic outing!

I see you elephants!

All the boys in our group - surveying their domain

Look Mom - a penguin!

Lunch time - J looks pretty eager, huh?

Seven Months Old

Guess who's seven months old today!! Jasper's still growing like a weed, eating everything in sight, and sleeping like a baby :) He's such a sweet little boy, even when suffering through his first cold of the year. He and Griffin have both been battling the sniffles/sneezes/coughs the last week or so, but I'm hopeful that we're on the tail end of that episode.

Jasper is rolling on to his tummy like a pro now and still LOVES to bounce in the bungee seat. He's not such a mama's boy any more - lighting up when Daddy's on the scene and trying to reach out and grab his big brother whenever he can.

He's also starting to clap his hands together and loves playing pat-a-cake and digging out all the animals from Griffin's Noah's ark toy. He's usually pretty happy to play on his own, but doesn't want to be left out if someone's having fun in another room :) Jasper's a big fan of books, but he gets a little frustrated since he hasn't quite figured out how to turn the pages on his own. He's usually much quieter than his brother, unless it's meal time. Once he's in his high chair, you'd better have food for him or be prepared for the screaming that's sure to follow. He recently started eating baby crackers and I think he's diggin' the independence.

Our littlest man is such a joy in our lives - can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Six Month Stats

Jasper had his six month check-up today with Dr. Mac. I'm glad to report that he's one happy, healthy little boy! At least he was happy BEFORE all the shots.

He currently weighs 18 pounds, 4 ounces (65% and almost a whole pound heavier than Griff at this age!), and he is 27.5 inches long (80%). Looks like he's catching up to big brother pretty fast :)

Merry Christmas! (Part 3)

I love that we're a week into January, and I'm just now getting up my final Christmas post. Oh well, here you go! We had a great time in Longview with Abby and Z, where Santa made his last stop of the year. The boys were given some awesome toys and adorable new clothes. Such lucky little guys!

Plus, the boys got to spend a few minutes with their second cousins (?) Grant, who just turned 3, and the newest addition, Miss EllaJane, who's just a couple of months old. So sweet! We didn't get to hang out with Auntie B and Uncle Stephen this year, but I'm hoping our schedules will work out next year, especially since they will be bringing a NEW COUSIN to Christmas by then!! We're thrilled about all the new babies that will be joining our families in 2012!

The boys also got to spend a few extra days at "Santa Camp" as Abby calls it - and I hear they spent a good portion of those days in the bounce house in their grandparents' backyard. Meanwhile Mama and Daddy enjoyed a few days kid-free. Win-win-win situation!

Merry Christmas! (Part 2)

We spent Christmas Eve with my side of the family at the lake house. It was a wonderful day and night with Poppa & Gigi and all my sisters and their husbands/fiancees/boyfriends. Griff got some REALLY cool toys and Jasper got some SUPER cute clothes. We're so blessed with a loving, loud, generous and gracious family!

As if all that fun wasn't enough, we went back to the lake house to celebrate New Year's Eve with Aunt Toni, Uncle Doug and their boys Jackson and Colton. It's even more interesting when we get together with them these days since their kids are also close in age - gives me a glimpse at what we might be experiencing in about 15 years. I can only hope our boys turn out as great as theirs have!

Jasper in his New Year's duds

Griff's new best buddy Colton - taking a break from using the air mattress as a trampoline :)