And then he was NINE MONTHS OLD!!!

Seamus is looking at Uncle Jack like they are having a very serious conversation. Can you believe this is the same kid as the one in the NICU pictures?
Jack did a great job at his kindergarten graduation program - he was a snake - and a total ham!Jack had his first swim meet yesterday. This is the pre-race photo. Can you guess which one belongs to me and Mark?

Getting ready for his second race of the day. He looks so grown up to me. It's hard to realize how fast the time goes with my little men... Life is good in the Slaughter Family. Summer is officially here and everyone is busy. Mark lost his job with Wells Fargo at the end of January. Even though the economy is good here, jobs are hard to come by. Apparently the whole country knows this is a good place to live, so job applicants aren't just competing locally for Dallas jobs, they're competing nationally. Making lemons into lemonade, Mark should have his degree completed this fall and then he'll start working on alternative certification and look for a teaching job. In the meantime, Jack loves telling Mark he's not a grown up since he's still in college and Mark is making the most out of having the summer with the boys.

Jack and Bobby are both finishing up their t-ball seasons and getting ready for summer basketball. They both just finished two weeks of swim lessons at the Y and Jack (as you can see above) just started his first season of swim team at the Knights of Columbus Pool. Can you believe there are 250 kids on his team???

I am plugging away selling houses in East Dallas. Fortunately, I am having my best year yet, so we are all thankful for the blessing of being busy. Drop us a note - we would love to hear from you!

4 Months Have Really Flown!

The Moose had his four month check up today. He is growing like a weed - in fact, he's the fattest baby we've had. On the percentiles, he is at the 50th for weight and the 75th for height. Those numbers are not adjusted for his premie status, so he's really catching up quickly. Way to grow Seamus!

Jack and Bobby both went back to school today after the Christmas break. Thank goodness! I think we were all ready to get back into a routine. We did have a very nice Christmas though.



Christmas Eve was celebrated with all of the Paradises at my mom's house. Scott even flew in from San Diego, so it was nice to have the whole gang in one place. Bobby and his little cousin Piera (Mitch's daughter) got a kick out of turning the Christmas tins into their personal drum set. It was a hoot!

The big gift for the boys was a Wii. Jack is a Wii bowling junkie. In fact his player rating has climbed higher than Mark's. He's even decided he wants a bowling party for his sixth birthday next month.

My Mom reminded me recently what a great catch Mark is - two jobs (Wells Fargo and radio), still supports me when needed in real estate, taking classes at CMU to finish his degree, coaches Jack's basketball team, spends quality time with Bobby, and takes turns getting up with Seamus. I think I've decided to hang onto this guy!


The real estate business is off to a great start this year, with three closings currently scheduled for January. We are lucky to live and work in Dallas.

Hope you all are well too - send us your updates!