LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Wow.  If the below pictures are any indication, we no longer wonder what Judah will look like at 29.  While unpacking baseball cards, books, and albums John brought down from Colorado, we discovered Jason's old 12 month photograph along with the same special outfit his mom saved from the occasion.  Uncanny :)  Like father, like son.  And as long as the majority of Judah's childhood pictures are of him running around topless outdoors and sporting a sling shot, we may just have a crystal ball through the old photo albums of Jason.

...and just for fun...

CABELA'S GRAND OPENING!

Grand Opening!  Cabela's opened a 3rd store in Texas last Thursday, rolling out the red carpet (literally) for Club Card Members on Wednesday...with free drinks and free food :)  This was not Judah's first trip to Cabela's - he has, in fact, been to all 3 Texas stores - however, this was his first opportunity to walk through Cabela's.  He made a LOT of friends, the least of which was a headless store mannequin he hugged around the legs for several minutes.  Most pictures include his "ooooo!" face, eyebrows raised in excitement as he checks out the fish tank, polar bear mount, and free cheese cubes.

 

BRILLIANCE

Every parent is entitled to claim genius with each new skill their child acquires, but all bias aside (if that's even possible)...this is brilliant.

Judah's favorite toy

JUMP, JUMP!

Judah's first jump on the trampoline :)  He was a little cautious at first...but we think he enjoyed it!

REAL MEN and NURSERY RHYMES

Real men sing bass and finish it up with a turkey call...

GRANDMA BOBBIE'S

We took a trip up to the panhandle this week to visit Grandma Bobbie and Jason's dad!  Tyler came along to help Jason control the turkey population on the ranch, and became Judah's prized passenger on the 5 hour drive (thank you, Tyler!). 

This was the first time since August or September of 2010 that we've gotten to see John.  He's in the process of selling/giving/trashing everything he owns in order to move forward with God's call to serve Him in Thailand.  We've witnessed God's power at work in the past several months, and we have no doubt He will continue to make His love known through John :)  Keep praying.

As always, it was a wonderful trip :)  Jason and Tyler sewed a coon skin hat, Judah terrorized Grandma's house, and we even got to hang out with Uncle Richard and Aunt Julia!

BAD HABITS

We hope all of this rough play doesn't create bad habits in Judah, because it's too cute to quit.  Such as the game when you pretend to offer a toy (i.e. chapstick, marker, napkin...) to someone, then snatch it back and laugh before they get a good grip.  Or the aggressive game of attacking the shotgun shell pillow, wrestling it to the ground.  And now, the roundhouse kick.  We promise our child isn't selfish or violent...he is actually VERY good at sharing (note in the below video when he offers Daddy his pacifier) and fabulously affectionate.

p.s. turn up the volume for some wonderful baby belly laughter

SNEAK ATTACK!

Judah LOVES it when Daddy stops by the house at lunch time...

HAPPY 25th!!!

A quarter of a century old, and (thanks to Jason and some awesome friends) it was by FAR the best birthday Hannah has celebrated!

The morning started with surprise Cream Soda for the entire College Bible Fellowship in "honor of Hannah Hatch's Birthday!!!"  Then lunch at Spring Creek (free ice cream!) with wonderful friends and a cake :)  AND a special night with just husband and wife at Italian Inn...the coolest underground restaurant with walls, tables, and ceilings covered in graffiti, booths hidden with saloon doors, and a pianist entertaining diners with romantic Disney songs :)  We tried Fried Calamari (Hannah's first time), followed by Chicken Florentine, and finished with German Chocolate Cake...mmm.

ALL BOY

Just a few random "around the house" pics from the past month! 

Update from Judah's 1 year check up...29 lbs, 32 inches, and above the 95th percentile in both.  He's been in the 18-24 month clothing range for quite a while now, but his face is obviously slimmer...losing that "baby" quality :(  However, we still enjoy the rolling thighs!!!  And with summer coming up, Judah's flashing a lot more leg these days :) 

Crawling remains Judah's first choice in tearing through the house, but we've seen a lot more walking in the last few days.  To encourage this skill (and inspire a future "skill") Jason found a lawn mower walker!  Judah LOVES cutting the grass :)  Look carefully below and you'll see Jason teaching Judah another lesson in being "boy" - play with bugs.  In between eating dandelions and pulling up the grass in our front yard, Judah played with his first grasshopper.

DATE DAY...HELLO SPRING!

Last Monday, Jason took Hannah for date day while Judah was at KDO...a picnic at the Dallas Arboretum!  It was chosen as one of the top 14 locations in the WORLD to view spring flowers!  Maybe it was the wonderful weather...maybe it was the freedom of not worrying about Judah eating grass...maybe it was the exquisite company...but it was the perfect day.  Besides showing off God's unfathomable creativity through gorgeous blooms and thousands of colors, our favorite aspect was the grass.  Impossibly soft!  And with a coolness that made it feel slightly damp.  We couldn't bring ourselves to wear shoes for most of the day.  Hannah brought Judah back to the Arboretum after KDO (same day re-entry is free!), but with so much to see and taste, Judah didn't sit still long enough for many pictures :)