My Little Ham

Jake was being a silly guy at lunch today. He thought it was really funny to put his bowl on his heat and call it a hat.
He was having a great time hamming it up for the camera. I was loving that he was trying to make me laugh by being silly.
He is my funny little guy!

D-Back Shirt!

Derek and Jackie sent Jacob this awesome D-Back shirt for his birthday. We had to take a picture so they could see how cute he was in it. Jacob loves having his picture taken with his sissy Andrea!
It was a little bit big, but Jacob loved it anyways!

That just means he will be able to wear it for a couple of seasons! He has already been to several baseball games since he was born, so we will definitely be going again this year. Now he will have a shirt in the new team colors!

Jacob's Birthday Day

We continued to have a great day on Jacob's birthday. We had to run to the grocery store and Jacob got a balloon which he thought was pretty cool! Hey a snack cup and a balloon? What more could you ask for!
It was a gorgeous day so we spent a lot of time in the back yard paying with the new base-a-ball set (as Jake calls it) and his soccer ball.
Batter up! Even for a little guy, he has good eye-hand coordination! He was able to hit the ball a few times when daddy pitched it to him.
This T-Ball set that we got him will pitch the balls to you. Jacob though it was so funny. He was not as successful in hitting these balls, but he laughed hysterically every time a ball was pitched.
He would run and get the balls and bring them back and load them into his T-Ball stand. It was such a joy to watch him have so much fun!
He took some time out to mow the lawn. Which consists of bubbles coming out of his little mower so that is pretty cool when you are a little guy!
We had such a great day! I can't believe my little man is two! Jacob is such a joy for our entire family. We were feeling pretty blessed today!

Jacob's Birthday Morning

Jacob turned two years old today! It was a very exciting morning! We came down stairs and some little guy had a bunch of presents waiting for him on the coffee table.
Jacob was very excited! He went right to opening up his gifts! We had a great time watching him.
He barely had one opened before he jumped to the next one! He is an old pro now at opening presents after Christmas!
He got a soccer ball, some trains for his train table (that will be here in a couple of days), some cars and a T-ball set! Lot's of fun stuff for the little man!
He loves his "base-a-ball" set as he calls it! Definitely a Fulcher through and through! All the Fulcher men like sports!

PF Chang Half Marathon

I decided to do the PF Chang's 1/2 Marathon this year - this is my picture at the finish line. My husband Tim and I started working out last year and have been working hard trying to get into shape. I know I still have along way to go but loosing 45 pound since my son has been born has been an accomplishment all in itself. I am very lucky to have such an amazing husband and family that have been very supportive thought this entire process. I have never considered myself athletic not in the least (I know some of you are laughing right about now about me and the word athletic in the same sentence), but I have been inspired to try running from one of my dear friends Katharine. She is amazing and a huge inspiration and has accomplished a lot herself with running. Now we just don't giggle about the girlie shoes or a fabulous purse that we bought - but we get to giggle about running shoes too! She has been a great friend and a great supporter of me trying something that is so out of my comfort range! Thank you Katharine!

The race was an adventure to say the least! Thousands and thousands of people corralled to give this 13.1 miles a go! I can tell you that I was feeling very strong at mile 6 so I was thinking no problem, I can do it. Slow but steady wins the race, right?! But something bad happened around mile 8 where I got a wicked pain in my right foot and it stuck with me the rest of the race and slowed me down considerably. At mile 10, I could not run anymore, and at one point I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish the race or not - but I refused to quit and I did finish the race. Over all it was a great experience and I learned a lot about the ½ marathon process and about myself. Even though it was not what I had hoped in terms of my final time, my first goal for my first time was to just finish the race and that was accomplished! Even if I had to hobble across the finish line! :-) I think I have unleashed my inner athlete as I am already looking forward running the ½ marathon next year! Not a bad hobby to take up someone who is about to turn 43! All I can say is look out next year - I will be unstoppable!

Grandpa Chuck

This has been a particularly hard blog to write. We lost Tim's dad on 12/10/08. He had been in and out of the hospital for several months. It seemed when we thought we were getting him on the right track, something else would happen that knocked him back several steps. I was so proud at how the Fulcher family came together so strong and lovingly in his last days. I think Grandpa would have been very proud of us - he raised his family right. His spirit can be seen in all his sons, and his grandchildren.

Tim's dad was an amazing man. He was and is so loved by his family and friends. A retired Marine after 31 years of service. A warm heart, a warm smile. Dedicated to his family, his country, his church and his God. A loving husband, father and grandfather. I am so proud to be his daughter-in-law and a part of this family.

We were so blessed to not only be surrounded by our loving families on all sides, but our friends - our amazing friends. Some never met Grandpa, but they knew him well through Tim and I. Funny stories that we have told, and through our kids. I can't even begin to explain how blessed we are. The support we received was priceless; it was the simple things - A hug, a smile, a kind soft word, a knowing look, a plate of cookies baked with love, a tear shed in Grandpa's memory, a tear shed for the pain we were feeling as a family, a kiss, a pat, a prayer....it puts it all in perspective for us.

Grandpa...you are dearly missed and we love you. We will continue to raise our children with the pride and dignity that you raised your own sons with.

New Years Day

We had so much fun at the train park that we decided to go back on New Years day in the evening to see the Christmas lights. It was the last night that they were going to be on display at the train park. The Haralson's came to meet us and Audrey and Jacob rode around in the wagon together.
We ran into one of Jake's favorite people - ELMO! We had to hand out with Elmo for awhile. There were several other characters there too, but Elmo is Jake's favorite!
Audrey loved the carousel too. She instinctively knew to grab the pole and had a great time when the horse went up and down. She was not afraid at all.
Me with me handsome little man!
Jacob loved the carousel this time as much as he did the first time. He kept saying "yee-haw, yee-haw" when the horse went up and down.
Bill, Tara and Audrey. This was after the one hour wait for the train ride. Next year we will go much earlier in the season so there is not such a long wait. We were glad that we waited though as the lights were amazing and the kids had a great time!