What's in a Name?

With the upcoming arrival of the Baby, there have been a few discussions of names. Mommy and Daddy are pretty settled on "Samantha" for a baby girl. Samantha can be mature sounding when used in full name mode. When Sam is used as a nickname it is short and easy to yell - a very important consideration if there is a baby girl that acts like Jack.

"Sam! Sam! SAM!!!"

See, Daddy can yell a short name when needed, and then switch to the more elegant "Samantha" when things are going well.

For boys names things get a little more difficult. Late one night Mommy and Daddy rifled through our worn copy of the baby name book searching for a boys name to jump out at us. There were a few names that were highlighted from our discussions prior to Jackson's birth. Some of the names we had entertained previously didn't hold up well over time - Foster and Taylor stand out as examples of boys names we once considered but now don't pass muster.

Daddy is fond of the name Lincoln. A good solid name, with a cool nickname (Linc). Mommy points out that Lincoln will be called "The Missing Link" by his classmates.

Jackson suggested the name Thomas. I have no problems with the name Thomas, but hesitate to name my child after a locomotive in a beloved series of children's stories.

Mommy likes the name Avery. Daddy doesn't know why.

There is obviously a lot more discussion needed on the topics of names for the Baby. And after a first name is decided upon there will middle names to think about! It really seems like a lot of work picking out names for a child that will be known for quite some time simply as

"The Baby".

I'm the Big Brother

After waiting for what seemed like forever, we told Jackson the big news. We waited until the second doctors visit said everything was A-OK.

Mommy wrapped a t-shirt and card into a big gift bag and gave it to Jack after he came home from school. The shirt is the one pictured above. No photos of Jackson wearing the shirt, the camera battery is dead.

The card showed two cute cartoon monkeys on the front. Daddy appreciated the humor, as two children under eight years old in the house will certainly result in references to our "zoo". The inside of the card was written simply so Jack could practice the reading skills he is learning at school.

"Jackson,

In August Mommy will have a baby.

You will be the big brother."

After processing the information for a few moments, Jackson was thrilled. You see, for several months he has been suggesting that he wanted a baby sister. Or even a baby brother. Daddy pointed out more than once that a baby wasn't something you could just ask for a Christmas and have Santa bring to you. (Daddy was careful to avoid questions as to where babies come from - he'll leave those questions for Mommy!)

So Jack is gearing up to be the big brother. Last night, when Daddy went to check on Jack at bedtime, Jack was sitting up in bed watching a DVD on his portable player. The disc? An instructional video on how to install a car seat properly. No kidding - Jack was watching intently and with all seriousness told Daddy that he could now help keep the baby safe.

Let's hope this feeling of tenderness and concern last awhile.

New News

It has been awhile since the last post. Actually, it's been a really long time! Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and even Valentine's Day have all come and gone with no new posts.

Well, the long run of no posts will now be broken. With some BIG NEWS!

Our family is getting bigger.

No, this doesn't reference my ever-growing waistline. Rather, it means that we are expecting a baby to arrive in August.

Mommy and Dad went to the doctor for a checkup visit yesterday and all is well with Momma and the Baby. The doctor used the Doppler thingy to listen for the heartbeat, and after a few seconds of obnoxious static we heard the tiny, rapid beat of our little one's heart.

So life is going to get more interesting over the coming months. I'm sure there will be a little crying, frazzled emotions, and some morning sickness... and that's just from Daddy!

Six.

Six.

Jackson is already six years old.

Wow!

Here is the birthday crown Jackson wore during class and two of the cupcakes he brought into the classroom for everyone to enjoy.

Before dinner, Jackson plans his attack.

The two birthday cakes. One is for Jackson while the other is for Brent. Care to guess which cake is which?

The birthday boys make short work of the candles.
Happy Birthday Jackson and Brent!

The New Project

The people that know about these things say that the first step to overcoming an addiction is admitting you have a problem. With that in mind...

'Hello, My name is Jeremy. I have a Jeeping problem.'

I have posted before about the 1972 J2000 truck that I picked up a couple of years ago in trade for a well-used winch. That truck has kept me busy tinkering around with repairs and modifications, but in the depths of my mind I knew that the truck would never become a reliable offroading vehicle. I wanted something that had some power, increased ground clearance, and the ability to carry Jack and myself on some adventures in relative safety.

Out of the blue, I found a Jeep that fits the bill!

The new project is a 1984 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Yes, it's large. And yes, it's ORANGE!

A friend in the local Jeep club had purchased this beast several years ago. Due to changing interests in his life he decided that he was tired of seeing the Jeep waste away in his driveway. I grabbed the Jeep up for a super cheap price (about what the J2000 cost me, but in cash this time). The previous owner even tossed in a few items as a bonus - I received new rocker panels to replace the rusty pieces, new door and window surrounds, a new fuel level sender, and many more parts. The total value of the extra parts alone exceeded $1000. I could part out this Jeep and it's parts and make four times what I paid for it...

But I won't. Because I am addicted...I love Jeeps, especially the older iron that just needs a little help getting into shape so it can continue on the journey of dirt road exploration.

I'm sure there will be more posts about the rescue of this latest Jeep project, but for now I'll leave you with some more pictures of "Big Orange".

Updating

I've been told that this blog needs to be updated more often. So update I will!

The biggest news lately is from the previous post. Jack started school! Getting things sorted out and ready for his school year have taken up a large portion of Mommy's time. Then more time was spent fretting about how Jack would handle school and being away from his Mommy, Daddy, or Grandma for a whole day. Not to worry - he did fine!

In news more recent than Easter, the family visited the beach this summer. Grandma and Grandpa Causey rented a house in Sandbridge (Va. Beach) and we spent a week relaxing and visiting with them and The Northern Family. Fun was had building sandcastles, riding the surf, and just generally goofing off.

The First Day of School

Our little boy is growing up! Today was the first day of school. Jackson started Kindergarten!

Daddy went to work so he could be distracted from thinking about his little guy out in the big bad world all by himself. Mommy held things together pretty well. Jack? Well he just did his thing and had fun at school! He created some things with Play-Doh, met a few new friends, minded his manners, and had a good day.

First day of school=done. Twelve more years to go. I hope the enthusiasm remains!