The Cathcarts

Brad and I are getting very excited about our upcoming vacation to Chicago this weekend.  We are leaving on Thursday and coming home on Sunday.  And no, Jaxson is not coming with us.  We are going with our good friends, Jason and Brandy.  On Friday we are going to the Cubs v Astros game at Wrigley Field, which I am very excited about because I’ve never been to Wrigley and also because the Cubs are playing really well right now.  Then on Saturday, we are going to the Iowa game at Soldier Field. Of course the boys are very excited about that one.  They have been counting down the days since the day after the Iowa bowl game last year.  It will be a very fun and busy weekend I’m sure.  Brandy and I are hoping that we do ok away from our babies for that long.  At least we know that they will be in the best hands with their grandmas. 

"Mom, who made this mess?"

Last night we had a play date with our neighbors, Mike, Brandy, and Jack.  We went down to their house and ordered pizza.  I took along one of those Jello no-bake oreo desserts, which the boys just gobbled up.  Jack and Jaxson had fun playing together.  Jaxson especially enjoyed chasing their cats around and watching their dog.  It makes Brad and me contemplate about getting a pet for Jaxson because we know that he would just love it.  But at this point, we are still thinking about that idea.  Jack liked to follow Jaxson around wherever he went.  Jack isn’t walking yet, but would like to be, so he thought Jaxson was pretty cool.  I don’t think Jack thought Jaxson was pretty cool when he hit him in the head with a block though.  I suppose that’s what happens when you get two boys playing together and I’m sure that it will get a lot worse as they get bigger.  We headed home when the boys started getting tired and the next thunderstorm started.  Jaxson loves to watch the lightening, so he got quite a show last night.  We got home just as it started raining AGAIN. 

Jaxson got to go see Dr. Williams today for his 1 year check-up.  Once again he was very impressed with our little man.  Jaxson weighed in at 23.1 lbs, which is in the 75th percentile, and was 31 inches tall, which is in the 90th percentile.  He must be taking after Uncle Brandon on his height.  He also has several teeth coming in all at once.  There’s only been a couple times when I could tell that his teeth were bothering him, but other than that, he’s been just fine.  He did get 3 shots today, which hasn’t been all that fun.  He took a good nap when we got home and then played with Anya when he woke up. Our friends Brandy and Anya dropped by to give him a birthday present and so Anya could sing "Happy Birthday" to him.  But after they left Jaxson was not a very happy camper.  He wouldn’t let me put him down.  Every time I tried to set him down he would cry and cling to my arm.  We did manage to go for a walk, which he always enjoys being in the stroller.  Then when Daddy got home from work we went to the mall to get Jaxson an outfit for pictures tomorrow.  I hope he’s in a better mood tomorrow so that we can get some good pics.  Stay tuned for those.

Brad and Jaxson attended the neighborhood BBQ on Saturday evening. They had a lot of fun chatting with the neighbors and I guess Jaxson had fun throwing their landscaping rocks around.  We are going to get together with the couple (Mike & Brandy) that have a son named Jack, who is the same age as Jaxson, on Thursday for some pizza and so the boys can play.  Brad learned at the neighborhood party that we have a famous neighbor.  Shawn Johnson, who is the #1 gymnast in the USA right now and possibly the world, lives just a few houses down from us.  Mike and Brandy say that she is a very sweet girl.  I think the world championships are in a month and she is picked to win, so cheer her on. 

On Sunday, Brad and Jaxson got to spend some quality father-son time together for Jaxson’s birthday.  They went to Scheel’s and picked out a Sesame Street helmet so now Bubbie can ride in the bike trailer with daddy on bike rides.  Grandma and Grandpa C also stopped and played on their way back from Springfield, MO.  They had something interesting and horrible happen to them on their mini-vacation.  They went to MO to spend time with Kris’ brother, Joe, and his wife, Marilyn.  While they were there, Kris’ new Toyota Camry got shot at.  One of the windows is gone, there is a tear in the fabric on the roof of the car and there is a gunshot hole in the driver’s side door.  Luckily no one was in the car at the time.  Joe and Marilyn live in a very nice neighborhood and it’s scary to think of something like that happening.  So they had to drive all the way back to Gowrie with no window.  Then when they got home, the found their county to be flooded.  They had a foot of water in the basement.  Not a good weekend for the Cathcarts. 

Bubbie opening one more birthday present

Jaxson looks real excited on his birthday

We ventured out to the Iowa State Fair this afternoon.  It was a lot of fun except it was so stinkin’ packed with people.  I think everyone else had the same idea about going on the day when the weather is perfect.  Jaxson had a lot of fun seeing all of the different animals and watching all of the people.  He also enjoyed the famous fair food.  Let’s see. . . we tried a plain ol’ turkey sandwich, turkey nuggets, pizza, a tenderloin, and for dessert we had strawberry shortcake and a deep fat fried snickers, which to my surprise was very good.  We spent 4 hours at the fair and I feel like we didn’t get to see all that much.  Maybe we could have seen more if we weren’t eating most of the time.  Oh well! 

So it’s back to work for me tomorrow.  I think the boys are going to hang out and play and then in the afternoon they got invited to a BBQ at a neighbor’s house.  These neighbor’s live down the street a little ways and have a son named Jack, who is 8 days older than Jaxson.  They also have a dog named Hawkeye, if that tells you anything.  I’m sure that Brad and Jaxson will fit right in and have fun.

butter Harry Potter

Trying out Halloween costumes.  This monkey suit didn’t make the cut for the finals.

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August 14, 2007

Party #2 - Jaxson’s 1st Birthday Party [Jaxson] — Stephanie @

Brad and I can’t believe that we are already celebrating our little boy’s 1st birthday.  This year has gone so fast, but it has been so fun and amazing.  I decided that I wanted to make Jaxson’s 1st cake, eventhough I had never made one before.  I have to admit that it turned out much better than I thought it would and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.  I ended up only spending about 3 hours decorating it and from what I hear it tasted good also.  Eventhough it was pretty hot outside, we still had Jaxson’s party up at the park.  It did cool off a little and was tolerable later on.  We grilled some burgers and hotdogs and had a buffet of food.  Jaxson had a fun time playing with everyone and of course he got very spoiled with all of the presents.  I think he got a little too excited about the cake and took it all in one hand and tried to get all of it in his mouth at once.  As he found out, it just doesn’t work well that way.  He is now enjoying all of his new toys and has trouble deciding what he wants to play with next.  We want to thank all of our family and friends that helped make his birthday so special.  And a very BIG thank you to my mom and Kris for all of their help this weekend for both parties.  I wouldn’t have been able to pull off both parties without your help.  THANK YOU!

Putting the finishing touches on the cake

Jaxson’s favorite card from Chad and Jodi.  It plays "Hey now, you’re an all star" when you

open it up.  He loves dancing to it.

Jaxson got a growth chart from Mommy and Daddy

"Gimme my cake back"

"Thank You"

Ride ‘em cowboy!

Other random photos thatI haven’t posted yet

Daddy and Jaxson playing in the rain

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Party #1 - Tanya’s Bachelorette Party [Girl Stuff] — Stephanie @

As most of you know, this was my busy party weekend.  I have to start by saying that everything went well overall and I think everyone had fun.  On Saturday, I hosted a bridal shower at my house for Tanya.  I think I counted 21 of her family and friends that came.  It was a fun shower and I think Tanya and Heath got some great new things for their new house in Ankeny.  And of course she got some naughty things that I probably shouldn’t talk about on the blog.  After the shower, we headed to Crave for supper.  After Crave we hit the bars.  Tanya had fun at the bars wearing her "Suck for a Buck" t-shirt, which gave her a good amount of cash by the end of the night.  She also wore my treasured underwear purse, which was given to me at my bachelorette party by my good friend Jill.  Jill’s mom made it for me and I know that she has made a few since then because it is now a very hot and coveted purse. We did venture downtown to the Liar’s Club and then headed back out West to Miss Kitty’s, which we ended up closing down.  I think Tanya and the rest of the girls had a good time, which you will see in the crazy pictures from the night. 

Tanya’s purse for the evening.

Tanya’s friend Carrie

Supper at Crave

Tanya and friend Sara enjoying a stroll to the next bar

Amber was hungry for Lifesavers all night

Tanya’s roommates for several years, Sarah and Sara

Meet the new spokesmodel for Mentos

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August 6, 2007

Omaha Zoo [Family Stuff] — Stephanie @

While I was stuck at work this weekend, the rest of the Cathcarts got to go to Omaha.  They left on Saturday afternoon so that they could attend a close friend of the family’s wedding that evening.  Then on Sunday, Brad, Jaxson, Grandma and Grandpa C. all went to the Omaha Zoo.  From what I hear, they had a fabulous time.  Jaxson’s favorite part of the zoo was a mist fountain that he got to go through in his stroller. 

I also missed out on my mom’s annual summer party at their house in Hubbard.  I guess there was a lot of the family there and of course they all had a fabulous time too.  I’m sure Tanya will be posting pictures of that on their blog soon.  I sure miss out on a lot on the weekends with my family, but I know I would be missing out on a lot more by working M-F instead of being home with Jaxson.  It’s all worth it! 

Some good news in our family is that Tanya has finally sold her townhome!!  She’s had it on the market for several months now, but with the market being as crappy as it is, it’s been hard to sell.  They finally got a buyer and now they can get a place of their own just in time for the wedding.  They went house hunting this weekend and think they found a place already in Ankeny.  It sounds great and I hope that everything works out so that they don’t have to stress about it anymore.

Baby monkey

Getting wet at the mist fountain

Jaxson’s 1st visit to McDonald’s. . . and his last if I have anything to say about it

"I’m ready for our next trip Dad"

It’s reading time

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