Jack 2nd grade

Here he is… Our second-grader.  I'm so proud of him. He had a rough start to the school year. He did not have a single friend in his second grade homeroom. He went to school in tears in fear of not feeling comfortable in his classroom. I actually called the principal to see if we could switch homerooms but we decided to stick it out. Since then he has made the best of it. He's made a few new friends and seems much happier. Change is hard for this little guy. His school picture cracks me up… It's a part smile it's a part teeth grind.

His current favorite pastime is watching the St Susanna football players practice. When we go up to school to take OliviA to volleyball practice he stands at this pavilion and watches the football team twice a week. He is in awe.  We Promised him he could play tackle football at his school next year.

He also had his very first overnight this year. He's been begging for a sleepover since he sees his big sister have them all the time. This friend of his took him to a Reds game and then back to his house for a sleepover. He did great. He felt so grown up.

And he is so proud of his father. Justin and LARRY celebrated 25 years of successful business with conger construction group.  After LARRY spoke, Justin went up to the microphone and Jack went up with him and stood next to him with such pride.

He Takes his big brother role very serious. He sits with Grant every day on the school bus to make him feel safe.

Moeller sports camp

Future Crusaders enjoying the Moeller sports camp. It's from 9 AM to 2 PM every day. It's a huge commitment and the longest Grant has ever been gone but these two love it.
They feel proud to be at the same school their uncles and grandpa graduated from.

Jack's baseball season

Jack is wrapping up his baseball season and is lucky to have his dad as his head coach!

Of course he picked number 23 on his team jersey after his favorite athlete, lebron James.  Here is Justin pitching to Jack on the field.

Jacks two best friends, Brogan and Conor. These two play every sport together and their dads all coach together.  From flag football, to basketball to baseball!  This trio is always together!

Jack - 7 years old

Jack is wrapping up his first grade year!  He has become a hilarious, social, athletic and smart kid who seems to always do the right thing (at school anyways!). I am so proud of him and am blown away by his handsome good looks!  He is looking so grown up to me... a young man in the making!

Mother/Son Dance

Jack and I attended our first dance together.  His boyscout troop hosted a mother/son dance and we had a great time.  We made a special evening out of it!

I built it up for a week or so to make it seem extra special for him.  One and one dates are few and far between so I wanted to emphasize how special our time together was going to be.  He was extra excited about not having his siblings a part of the festivities.

We decided to invite his best friends and their moms over to our house beforehand for pizza.  We had papa John's and cookies and then we headed over to school for the dance.

Not too much dancing happened.  I couldn't compete with his rowdy first grade buddies.  But I managed a few special moments with him.  It was a sweet evening and a great way to kick off Mother's Day!

Jack is a fun kid and kept me laughing at his shenanigans!

Thanks for the date, buddy!

 

 

 

 

 

for the baby book

Just needed to write this one down… 

On our way to the bus stop this morning, Jack very candidly said to me, "mom, I think I love Grace even more than horses."

Too cute not to record!!!

 

Jack and Grace

Our seven year old son is probably the most smitten with the baby out of all the kids here. He wants to get in her face and give her smooches all the time. It's pretty endearing. 

Jack enjoys reading bedtime stories to his baby sister!  I finally found a way to ramp up his excitment for reading at bedtime!

 

And on a sidenote, most people comment that the baby looks most like Jack!  I did a side-by-side comparison and they are correct....

Too cute!

 

 

Happy 7th Birthday, JACK!

Happy seventh birthday, John Alexander!! (1-27-10)

This is going to be an exciting weekend celebrating YOU!

After school today you are going to main event with your dad and 10 of your closest friends to go bowling, eat pizza, and to play in the arcade. You are so excited that you can hardly stand it. And Saturday we are having the family over to celebrate you.  You deserve all this celebrating. We all love you very very much. You are such a great kid and we are so proud of you.

At seven years old your interests seem to be dominated by sports. You love playing sports and you give 100% at every sport you try. Currently you're playing basketball and you are phenomenal. Your defense is remarkable. And you are quick to assist and create plays on the court.  

You also love professional athletes. You spend most of your free time researching professional athletes. You can name the quarterback on every professional football team and their stats. You are also so very interested in the NBA and watch YouTube videos on your favorite players which are Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.

And let's not forget horseback riding. That's still your favorite passion. You still remind us that one day you are going to live in Kentucky on a horse farm. 

And we're starting to believe you... 

We love you so much, buddy.  Your strong will, determination, and drive are remarkable. We are so proud of you. Even though you're growing up, I still remember how little you once were. It almost brings a tear to my eye. 

Growing up so fast. 

Happy seventh birthday, Jack. 

Now let's go celebrate!!