Wish us luck!

Austin's first surgery will be this coming Monday. They will be fixing his nose, lip, and putting tubes in his ears. We are nervous but ready to begin the process. Please keep us in your prayers; I know it's going to be hard for me to see my baby go through this.

What we've been up to.

It has been forever since I have updated our blog. I just haven't had any extra time to put pictures on here. We've delt with sick kids, (and adults), dr. appointments, trips, ect. It will be easier to just show what's been going on, so here we go.

Gary and I went to a Keith Urban concert. It was so much fun! I had heard a few months ago that he was coming to Tupelo, but I knew it would be VERY expensive to go. About a week before he was coming, Gary's work gave away FREE tickets! We just had to pay the fees to go. We got to go to one of our favorite artists for $12.50! It was such a fun night, and a nice break away from the kids.


I have never been to a concert where the performer was so entertaining. He pulled people up on stage, had a singing his lyrics contest, and he ran to different parts of statium in and out of the crowd all night. It was a blast. At the end of the concert, he ran all of the way to the very top nose-bleed section where we were seated and sang a song there! It was so fun to be so close to him. We were about five feet away from him. (I tried to upload a video clip, but it wouldn't work). Anyway, it was such a fun night, and we won't forget it.


We have also started potty training Jake. We'll see how this goes. I haven't been super consistant, because we've had things going on in between, but he is doing pretty well. Yesterday, he didn't have any accidents, so I thought maybe something was kicking in, then he peed on the floor this morning after being taken to the potty three times before. I hope something starts to stick in his mind. (If anyone has any tips, please let me know!)

Austin is just growin' like a weed! He is such a fun little guy. It is fun to see him explore around him, and smile at your face. I try all day long to get him to laugh at me, and he rarely does, but Gary can get him to laugh in about two seconds. It is crazy! Something about his Daddy is just too funny to resist laughing. I guess I need to take some lessons.


Over labor day weekend, we decided to go to Memphis for a fun break. We went to the Children's Museum (and forgot the camera) one day. Jake had a blast playing on all the toys. We also went to the zoo there, and unfortunatly it rained the entire day. It was still fun, but by the end of the day, Jake was soaked, tired, and screaming, so we knew it was time to go. Here are Jake and his daddy in front of the sea lion show.

Me and my two handsome boys. (My other handsome boy is taking the picture!)

The fam! I love how the kids are doing their own thing in the picture; too funny! (Do you notice our shirts? The umbrella didn't cover my left shoulder and Gary's right).

This is what we looked like walking around.

Here's Jake in his own little seat.

The cafeteria was right next to monkeys. Jake loved looking through and banging on the glass. He loves Curious George, and he kept calling the monkey George.

We wore those kids right out.

We also got worn out as well, but didn't get pictures of that!

Big grin the other day.

The final picture. Austin fell asleep in my arms the other day; I love those special little moments when they are peaceful and happy.

Visit to Columbus, Indiana

Last week Gary had a conference for work in Ohio. Since he was going to be busy with that all week and overloaded with homework, my brother Tyler and his wife Elise let the two boys and myself stay with them. It was fun to see them and their cute family. Here are some fun pictures from our week with them.

We were able to go swimming at the hotel while traveling to Indiana/Ohio. The "hot tub" was more like a warm pool, so I spent most of the time in there with Austin.

Gary and Jake liked playing in the pool.

Elise met us at a park near Louisville. It was cute, Kenzie and Jake were holding hands, but by the time Gary grabbed the camera, they let go. (Of course!)

We went to an elementary school playground near their home that had a HUGE play set. It was so cute. It took Jake a little while, but he warmed up enough to begin playing.

Checking out the playground.

A teeter totter for four!

This was a fun boat that rocked. (I love how cute Kenzie looks in every picture!)

Fun with play doh! (He had so much fun, that I went and got some at the store the other day!)

One day we went to the library. They have a great library with lots of fun things for kids. (Poor Brooklyn in the background).

Building towers at the library.

Another day they got out the pool and slip-n-slide. Jake wasn't too sure about it, so he watched.

They had a blast!

Austin got lots of lovin' from all the girls. (I'm sure he misses the attention).

Another day they took us to this fun indoor playground. (Poor Jake was unsure about it, so he watched his cousins from the sidelines).

Austin on the other hand seemed to enjoy himself!

We also got out finger paints. Jake has been so proud of his picture all week. He keeps wanting me to take it off the fridge so he can carry it around!

Thanks Ty, Elise, and kiddos for letting us invade your home for the week! It was a blast!

Hello Family and Friends

Hello everyone this is Gary. Aubrey has been doing an awesome job updating everyone on our situation. We appreciate that everyone is concerned about Austin's well-being. We are researching different surgeons that will best fit the needs of our family. I know that everyone has different thoughts, opinions, or suggestions about where Austin should get his surgery performed, but I want to reassure everyone that me and Aubrey have this under control. This is a personal experience for our family, and we are relying on the Lord to guide us to make the right decisions for our son. We appreciate all of the prayers that have been said for our family to help me and Aubrey make the right decision.

Update on Austin.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, we got a phone call from the cleft palate/lip team in Jackson to inform us that the surgeon no longer works there. This meant that all of our appointments and surgeries had been cancelled. We were (of course) very frustrated, since his surgery was scheduled for August 1st (just a couple weeks away). We contacted the team in Birmingham and got a surgery date scheduled for the first week in October. If in the meantime we find someone else that we would rather go to, we can just cancel that appointment. For now, we are planning on going with the Birmingham team. I have been researching online, and they are very qualified, and I was able to contact a lady who has been dealing with her son through that team, and she has loved the experience. We really appreciate all of the calls, e-mails, and comments regarding this matter. We hope this is the final "bump" in the road to getting Austin started. We love you all and appreciate all of your support and prayers on our behalf.

Swimming!

So this past weekend we decided to hit the pool, since it has been so hot here. Jake had such a blast, and Austin loved the water. (The waves in the water would rock him to sleep). It was such a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Jake "flying" through the air! Jake loved his daddy throwing him up in the air over and over. I'm sure Gary got his workout that day!

Cool dudes!


Jake loved jumping off the side into the pool. (Well, most of the time we would pull him off into the water, but there were a few times that he actually jumped by himself).


Austin is sound asleep. He felt very relaxed in the water, and was such a good boy the entire time!

Break time. I love that Jake's feet are crossed; he looks so relaxed after a long day of swimming in the hot Mississippi heat!

Austin's Blessing.

Austin was blessed by his dad on July 3, 2011. Gary did such a wonderful job on the blessing, and Austin was such a good little guy during the blessing. We were also happy to have my parents there to share the experience with us. Here are some pictures from the big day.

The whole crew.

The fam.


Austin on his special day.

The two brothers. This was the best shot of the two of them together. (Jake is still getting used to having Austin around).

Visit from Grandparents.

We were very lucky to have both sets of grandparents visit us. Gary's parents came in the middle of June, and my parents came at the end of June/first of July. It was so nice to have them here with us. Jake loved the attention from everyone. He went on walks, played with bubbles, went swimming in the backyard, and just enjoyed all the extra playmates! Austin enjoyed all of the extra love, kisses, and attention from the grandparents as well. Gary and I really enjoyed the extra "help" for a while, and we also got to go out on two dates! Thanks to all of you for taking the time out of your busy lives to come over and give us a visit! We love you all and miss you already!

While Gary's parent's were here, we were able to go over to a park near our house and play on the toys. It was a very hot day, but it was fun to watch Jake have a ball!

Mommy and Jake.

He's doing it all by himself!

Havin' some fun with the grandparents.

Austin enjoyed all of that lovin' from the grandparents (especially his grandmas).

Grandpa and Jake on the swings.


All snuggled up to grandpa.


Austin with his grandma.

We were able to go bowling with my parents. It was so much fun! I couldn't believe how much fun Jake had. He would clap after everyone would bowl, and he loved pushing the ball down the lane. It was a blast.

Jake pushing the ball down the lane.

Good shot!


Jake with grandma and grandpa.