So proud of our little boy

The last week I have been blown away on a daily basis by things Austin is doing or saying.  I guess as parents we are always talking to him and explaining the world and when they start picking up on things you said it just takes you a minute to realize what just happened.

I wish I had a reality show following this kid to get it all on video. Sorry for lack of pictures but here are some fun things going on in the world of Austin:

• Sunday morning I was in the kitchen cooking breakfast for everyone and I had Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on in the den so Austin could have something to watch while drinking his milk, although Austin has absolutely no interest in that or any other cartoon.  He was playing in the kitchen and I said "why don't you go watch MMC and drink your milk" and he looked at me and walked out of the room.  A minute later he returns to the kitchen wearing his giant Mickey Mouse hands.  I fell out laughing that he made that connection since he only had those gloves for a day.
• The ladies in his daycare class told me today he is adjusting great to the big boy class. He loves to play with the other kids and is an excellent napper.  They said even if he isn't sleepy the whole time he lays on his mat quietly the entire 2 hours until nap time is over.  What a big boy!
• When i put pancakes on his highchair he hovers his hand over them first to make sure they aren't hot.  Smart boy!
• Every night when I say time for bed, he drops what he is doing walks towards the staircase and signs "brush teeth"
• He can now open and close the front door.  He knows it takes a lot of leverage so he puts one hand on the lever and one hand on the door pull and pushes the door open. Then he scoots over to let me come through and shuts the door behind us.
• He can identify all his common body parts- ears, eyes, nose, head, belly, feet, hands.  I love when we say "blink your eyes" and he squints really hard like he's starring at the sun.  
• If he sees a brush or comb he pics it up and brushes his hair.
• Saying WOW and BOOM at the fireworks and the hot air balloons.
• Picks up a book or paper and starts jabbering non stop like he's reading it.

This is such a fun age and he is such a happy little guy.  I don't think I heard him cry one time the entire weekend with all the company in town.  He is full of so much life and laughter!

I couldn't ask for more as a mother.  I feel so blessed!

le bebe #2

As most of you know, we are expecting our 2nd child!  We had been keeping the secret for almost 2 months so it feels really good to finally be able to tell everyone our good news. 

I have been keeping a private journal/blog since the day we found out and I might post those later.  I try to keep all the details recorded so I can look back and remember the small things, okay who am I fooling, I need help remembering the big things these days!  I love looking back on my journaling from Austin's pregnancy and comparing the two....night and day!   Many have told me that's a sure sign of a girl but as one of my straight-shooting medical friends told me, "it means nothing". So we are excited to find out what we are having this time around since I have felt so different than I did the first time.  I find it entertaining that before we knew we were pregnant I swore I didn't want to know the gender of baby #2 but within minutes of finding out we were expecting I knew we had to find out!  So I think we will be finding out the week of Thanksgiving.

One Talented Family

I was going through pictures on my computer the other day and realized that most of my favorite pictures over the past 15 months came from 3 talented women that all have one thing in common....they are a Tillman.  I would like to think Austin is just "that cute" but in all reality these girls can do things behind the lens that is nothing short of magic.  They each photographed him at different ages yet captured his personality.  That might not mean much to you if you aren't around him often but it's amazing when you see a picture of your child and immediately think, "that's Austin to a T".

 

I have to admit that over 95% of the pictures I have taken of this little love bug have been on my iPhone, yeah I know slap my wrist!  Katie told me she was taking an online class to become more skilled and it kindled a little fire within me.  I set a goal to get out the Canon Rebel, dust it off and learn how to really use the darn thing by the time Baby 2 arrives.  Thanks Katie for inspiring me!

 

Let me make one thing clear, don't expect Tillman quality the day I deliver, or even 6 years later for that matter.  Just be patient as it will be a work in progress and expect many imperfect yet sweet pictures.  I just want to be able to get the basic skills down now that there are about to be 2 tiny Jexes in this world.

 

 

So on to the good stuff:  Here are my favs!!

 

 

Courtesy of Katie G. Tillman

www.katietillmanphotography.com

 

Austin @ 14 1/2 months

 

 

 

 

 

Courtesy of Becky T. Jex

http://rebeccajex.blogspot.com

 

Austin @ 12 months

Austin @ 9 months

Courtesy of Amanda T. Shea

http://amandasheaphotography.com/

 

Austin @ 3 months

 



 

 

 

Go ahead, say it........these ladies are good!!!

Happy 34th Cory!

Happy birthday to the most fabulous  brother a girl could ask for.

Hope you enjoy this video...


here is the link in case you can't see the video  http://youtu.be/Tldv3UrMASI 


thanks for all those who contributed!

Love,
Shannon

My gorgeous hubby-made entry table

As I mentioned in a previous post, Zach and I have had the creative juices flowing like crazy lately.  I had mentioned a few weeks ago that I wish we could find a large entry table that is more to scale with our foyer.  We have a wide foyer/hall with tall ceilings so it’s always a challenge to furnish the hall without making the furniture look it belongs in a doll house.  But I mention things like this all the time so I didn’t really intend for Zach to take me seriously.

So the project started while we were shopping for a new bed and started to see really awesome rustic-style sideboards and sofa tables.  They were all way over what we were willing to pay but it really didn’t matter since they weren’t large enough anyway.  So when we were unwrapping the new king bed, there were 2 giant pieces of pine protecting the headboard.   Zach and I noticed gray streaks, orange dots, and just tons of character.  Zach asked if he should make the entry table himself and use this interesting wood as the top. 

I was shocked! All of you that know Zach know that he has about 52 huge projects in the works- none of which are small, ie. Franchising one of his companies, conference call with investors that came from his Today Show mention, running a law firm, managing a slew of LLCs….in a nutshell he is the busiest person I have ever known.

So within about 9 days (only that long because we left town for the Ole Miss game), the table was complete.

 

 

Moved into house, pre-stain

1st coat of Walnut Stain

Zach stained it with Walnut stain and then sealed it with 2 coats of Poly, buffing the entire table with a high grit sandpaper between poly applications.

 



Here is a picture looking down from the banister. She is a beauty and even prettier than I imagined it would be.  I am about to swap the lamp shades out for larger burlap shades.  i think it will do well with the rustic table and brown in artwork. 

 

Next project….

A mantle and 2 rustic nightstands for the master bedroom.

Tailgater makes The Today Show!

Zach's tailgating app Tailgater has been getting a lot of fame lately in magazines and newspapers but this by far trumps the exposure excitement...today it was mentioned in a tailgating segment on The Today Show.

While Zach's mom, Randa, was living she NEVER missed an opportunity to tell her kids they could do anything they wanted and there were no boundaries to their greatness.  Well Zach took her seriously and he continues to change this world everyday with innovation and compassion.

I am a very proud wife!

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Hotty Toddy!

Austin got to experience the grove for the 2nd time and boy did he love it.  Not only did he skip his nap but he sayed up until 11pm partying. Normal bedtime is 8pm so this was a huge change in the schedule but he did great and was so happy! The town was busting at the seams and the houses on Lamar looked more beautiful than ever.  I swear everyone got together and planned to have every light in the house on, yards perfectly manicured and adorable southern families sipping sweet tea or Makers Mark on the front porch swing.  Oxford is picturesque in the fall!  Friday night a bunch of people got together at Camille's house (Jarrod's overly hospitable mom) and we made ourselves sick on Gumbo, Chicken-minis and dessert! Saturday we had a great day in the grove and got to see a lot of old faces we hadn't seen in years.  We woke up early Sunday to beat the crowds to Big Bad Breakfast and make the trek home.  We just love that town but Z and I decided we like it more without all the people because we didn't get to hit up Ajax and Two Stick like normal and that is just plain depressing.

The HORNS arrived in true Texas Fashion

Daddy and Austin people watching in the grove

What Austin did ALL DAY LONG.  EAT!  I guess when you are in the Grove that's what you do but I was worried about the amount of food this guy was putting back.

Me and Aunt Eldy at the Phi Mu house with our future Phi Mu and KA.

 

Franny Bean and A- Man played so well!

Pretending to nap in the wagon....never happened

Austin's "new" smile

Totally exhausted but just won't let those eyes close.  Too many cute girls to  watch.

Great sign Phi Mu!

Our walk to the car...still totally fascinated with people watching.