A Decade of The David's!

Christian and I celebrated our 10 Year "dating" anniversary today. We met a decade ago on the Channel in Lake Havasu, AZ over Memorial Weekend 2000. As the story goes, I approached him and his friends with a bottle of alcohol in each arm and said..."you share your beach and we'll share our booze!" A story that will go down in infamy...and one that is now permanently etched in cyber space! In that moment, neither of us could have imagined that 10 years later we'd be married nearly 8 years, living in Atlanta and writing a blog about our 10 month old baby boy!! Life sure is surprising and wonderful.

Looking back on these 10 years we realize that we have been through it all together...every experience, every emotion, the good, the bad, the ugly. We've laughed, we've cried, we've lived, but most of all we've loved. I'm proud that we've always stuck it out even when life wasn't so kind because it's made the happy times that much sweeter. By far the closest we have been was when we had our precious baby Jack - I don't think I have ever felt that strong of a connection in my entire life. And had we ever given up on each other, we never would have had that amazing experience.

When we met I was 25 and Christian was 28. We've literally grown up together. Now we're parents. It's crazy to think that two kids looking to have fun at the river are now sharing a life together. It's been quite a journey and I can't imagine taking it with anyone but Christian. He's handsome, strong, selfless and kind and he makes me laugh like no one else can. But most of all he's an amazing father to our buddy. And even though our days are filled with work, poopy diapers, chores and bills, this is exactly the life we always wanted - happy, wonderful chaos!

Sorry you all had to read this mush, but one day Jack is going to read this and I want him to know how much his parents love each other. I would probably be happier if he didn't know about the booze part, but it's the truth and its ok that mom and dad enjoy a cocktail from time to time - we'll probably crack open a celebratory Coors Lite to commemorate the occasion (that will make sense when you see the pic below.)

So, in the spirit of fun, and against my better judgement, I am going to share a picture of the day Christian and I met. Keep in mind, we have only known each other for a few hours at this point and we're already holding hands. It must have been fate...

Cheers!

Dedication Day!

The David Family on Jack's Dedication Day at Buckhead Church!

Christian and I went on the hunt for a new church in late 2007 and found Buckhead Church shortly after. It's a non-denominational Christian church that's a little modern and very different from anything we've ever know. So, it took us a few weeks to really "get it," but with the amazing music and weekly message, we quickly knew this would be our new church home.

In the past 2 1/2 years, we've participated in a beginners bible study called Starting Point, volunteered with kids in Sunday school (Christian still does), participated in the holiday volunteer drives and met so many great friends. We honestly look forward getting out of bed on Sunday's to attend service. So I guess you could say we've become Christians and its made such a positive impact on our lives!

Jack attends the Sunday School, called Wamba Land and he has a great time there. So it was a natural step for us to Dedicate him to the church. Growing up Catholic, baptism was a huge part of our lives. And although the Dedication wasn't an official baptism, it was our way of promising God we would raise Jack in a good Christian home.

So we participated in a Dedication Ceremony for Jack on Saturday, May 15. We were so blessed that some of our dear friends could join us. I have to admit I was a little sad not to have any grandparents there, but our friends are awesome and it meant a lot that they were there. It was a really nice ceremony where we discussed the Christian values and traditions we would use to raise Jack. Buddy was so good that day and we're just so proud of our little man. Here are a few pictures from the day...

Jack got a fancy new outfit (size 18 mos) complete with leather sandals (size 5). He looked so handsome!

No caption here, I just never take a good photo with Jack so I thought I'd throw it in.

The service was really nice and the church provided us with a children's bible for Jack and yummy cupcakes.

Jack with our friend Sarah. This was taken right after he punched her in the face and broke her necklace. That's our boy.

Jack's favorite sitter (and my good friend) Kimber with her boyfriend Josh. They just had their own little baby girl....an adorable puppy named Martini.

Most of my Urban Tribe (minus Kate) - Rianna and her daughter Elena, Olivia who's having a baby any day now, me, Jack and Sarah. Between us girls we have 3 kiddos and 2 on the way. Don't drink the water at our parties!

Jack and Elena were such troopers during the service. But we did let Jack on the table after he got a little restless.

Man, all this Dedication stuff is hard work! I'm so stressed out.

Here are a few videos from the service...

This is a video montage that has all the babies pictures. It was so cute. Jack is a few seconds into the video.

Here's a little portion of the service. I love how intently Jack is watching the singer on stage.

Jack is 10 Months Old Today!

I'm 10 months old today! This will be my last official picture with the California numbers book because it ends at 10. Mom's not sure what she's going to do next month.

Jack turned 10 months today and now that we are in the double digits, it seems like the countdown to his 1st birthday is officially on. I can't believe it's only 2 months away! I can almost guarantee the kid will be walking at his birthday party. I think this because Jack is already standing on his own with no support! He's been doing this for about 3 weeks now. We all thought that because he's so big (24 lbs and 31 inches at his 9 month check up!) and because his dad didn't walk until he was 14 months, that he would be a late walker. But he loves to stand and even tries to inch forward. It's just a matter of time.

As Jack gets older, life with him just gets more and more fun!! He's so goofy and he loves to laugh. He'll occasionally break out in fits of laughter that last for several minutes or until he gets the inevitable hiccups. And he's constantly talking up a storm - we have no idea what he's saying but he thinks he's telling great stories. Check out the video below for a little sample.

But on the flip side, Jack can also be a real stinker. All of a sudden our little groomer hates anything to do with personal hygiene - taking a bath, brushing his teeth, changing his diaper or wiping his face all cause him to cry, arch his back, the whole enchilada. It's really not pleasant and we hope he grows out of it very soon. But we still love him to death and just can't get enough of him. He's so deliciously cute - I just want to bite his little cheeks! He cringes at all my kisses but I don't care - I'll never stop!! Here's a few pictures of our funny little buddy...

As you can see, I no longer like my monkey, so it will not appear in any more monthly pictures. I suddenly have a new fear of stuffed animals...especially ones that move or make noises.

See my newest trick! I love to stand all by myself, with no support! I can get into so many more things now. And on a side note - these are not high water pants, they are long shorts :)

How handsome am I? No, C'mon, really, am I cute or what?

Seriously cute, but still drooling like a bulldog! I got my 8th tooth in this week.

I love when mommy and daddy push me around the kitchen on my bike. The faster the better!

Since mom and dad are lazy and haven't put up the baby gates, I figured I'd just take a stroll up the stairs. I made it to the top all by myself! Mom and dad are not happy about this and went straight to Babies R Us yesterday to get gates.

Enjoying a cup of Joe on a Sunday morning. No pants necessary.

Here I am just being silly this afternoon. With weird parents like mine, how could I have turned out any other way?!

Mommy's 1st Mother's Day

Jack and mommy enjoying a sunny Mother's Day at the park. I'm gonna call this a smile, even though I know it's more of a scream to get away :)

Last Sunday I enjoyed my very first Mother's Day...as a mom! I have to tell you it was kind of surreal. I got cards in the mail and everyone was wishing me a happy Mother's Day but it didn't quite sink in that it was all for me. But by the end of the weekend, I was definitely feeling the love because Christian really went all out to make me feel special.

Christian surprised me with a Mommy's day off on Saturday. I hate to admit I was slightly hung over from the night before (darn those sangria's), but because it was my day off I got to sleep in....until 7:30, woo-hoo! I woke up to breakfast in bed and a super happy baby. It's like Jack knew something was up so he was absolutely giddy with excitement and on his best behavior. During breakfast I read a beautiful letter from my hubby about why he loves me and what an amazing mom I am. I have to tell you, the man has a way with words!

I then had a surprise spa day at the St. Regis (heaven), lunch at Coast (and more sangria) with my friend Sarah and a little shopping (didn't buy anything). But by 3pm I was missing my boys so I headed home and we took a walk to the park in our neighborhood. I love just laying on a blanket in the sun with my boys watching Jack catch bubbles. The facial was great, but this really was a little slice of heaven!

Sunday started with another huge breakfast, followed by church and then back home to relax, then more food. I swear I gained 5 pounds in 2 days!! But it was all worth. My first Mother's Day weekend was pretty awesome. But I have to laugh, because as much as I love my son and I know he loves me, there's still 1% of him that still favors his daddy. I'm ok with it now and actually think it's kind of cute. If you don't believe me, check out the pictures we took at the park that Saturday. We must have taken 10 pictures of Jack and me in an attempt to capture that perfect 1st Mother's Day photo. Notice when he finally smiles! Gotta love it! Until next year...

No smiles for mommy.

Is that a strawberry puff on my pants? Sweet!

Seriously people, it aint gonna happen!

Nope, still not smiling!

Hey, is that Daddy over there?!

I rest my case...

One last funny thing to share....we must have worn Jack out during our fun-filled weekend because by Sunday night he was obviously exhausted. Enjoy...

Mr. Busy!

Jack seems to come up with a new activity every month. This month we call him "busy" because he ALWAYS has to be doing something. He really doesn't care to play with his toys, as he finds our paperwork and drawers to be much more exciting. The funny part is that he's not really doing anything with the stuff he finds - he just kind of tosses it around and acts busy. Here's a video we took at my mom's house. We thought he was in the living room playing with toys but as you can see he found something else to keep him "busy."

Oh, and notice his latest noise - isn't it a lovely sound. He'll do this right before he attacks me! Enjoy...

Cali Boy!

This is the restaurant in Huntington Beach where Christian and I had our first real date in June 2000. Who would have thought that 10 years later we'd be married with a son. Life is good.

I realize we've been back from Cali for three weeks now, but it's been a very hectic few weeks. We were all so jet-lagged from being on the West Coast for a week so it took us all, Jack included, a few days to get back in the swing of things. So, aside from the never-ending tower of laundry, I think we're all caught up now and I have a few moments to share some pictures from our trip.

As always, it was amazing to be home. We made the trip for Marseille's 1st birthday, so we spent the beginning of the visit in San Diego. Jen and Obed threw M a great ultra-pink party at La Jolla Shores Park overlooking the beach with 80 of their closest friends and family! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

The rest of the week we literally drove all over Southern California visiting family and friends. From San Diego to Orange County, then back to my mom's in LA, then to the Inland Empire. It was pretty exhausting but it's the only way to see everyone. Jack was such a trooper being in the car so much and then getting handed off to strangers every day.

I won't bore you with all the details from the trip. But I will say we are so blessed to have such a wonderful and loving support system out there. Everyone just loves to see Jack and, in turn, I love to see him so loved and adored. I am so appreciative that all our relationships have remained intact despite the long distance. We've been in Atlanta for almost 8 years now (gasp!) but when we are in Cali it feels like we never left.

Cali definitely looks good on Jack! And he's old enough now that we can experience some ultimate West Coast offerings....like his first In N' Out and buying his first pair of board short on Main Street in Huntington Beach. It's so cool to share these traditions with him. Here's a few photos from our week...

The Varela's at Marseille's 1st Birthday! As you can see M really enjoyed the frosting on her cupcake!

Marseille eyeing her smash cake!

It was nap time so Jack pretty much slept during the entire party.

Jack had his first In N' Out Burger - it's a West Coast tradition! Of course, we only got him a grilled cheese and fries but he LOVED it!

But apparently he's not such a fan of Krispy Kreme...or maybe it's the cheesy hat!

Uncle Jess and Jack were best buddies all week. Jess bought him toys and gave him ice cream....how could Jack not love him!

Case and point - Jack's first time at Ben & Jerry's was with Uncle Jess. We've created a monster - this kid loves chocolate!

Jack also really loved his Uncle Adam. I think he just likes silly people.

Mimi and Papa joined us in Huntington Beach. This city holds such great memories for us so we always make a trip here when we are in town.

Two of by oldest and dearest friends were also there...Patricia and Julie.

Here's Jack in front of Jack's Surfshop on Main Street in HB. We had to get his first pair of board shorts here.

Billabong board shorts and hang ten tee - size 2 toddler! They gotta be big!

We got to see my Grandma Molly, my dad's mom. It's one of Jack's two living Great Grandparent so it's really special to spend time with her and capture it on film.

Fun at the park! I just love the joy on his face.

The plane ride home. My boys are exhausted.