The Wheels on the Bike Go Round & Round

What a week it has been. Jack is such a funny boy. We are especially enjoying listening to all the new noises he is making these days. He loves to grunt and is beginning to make squealing type noises that almost sound like giggles. The funniest thing is when he makes these when we are not doing anything to provoke him! Another fun discovery has been himself...he is still enjoying watching himself in the mirror. It usually makes him laugh.

Warm temperatures this week allowed us to take frequent walks around the neighborhood. On Thursday, we even met Andrea, Andrew & Abigail (some friends from church) at the park for a walk around the track. Later we lunched on the square in Clarkesville. We have truly been enjoying the spring weather.

On Saturday afternoon we traveled to Athens to take in the annual Twilight Criterium bike races in downtown. The rain held off which was nice. Josh and I always attended the bike races in college and have tried to make it back as often as possible since then. It is a really fun event. Jack watched the bikes going by in the beginning, but as the night wore on and he grew tired, he was a little less interested in the bikes, noise and hoopla and more interested in finding a quiet place to rest his head. I got a real kick out of watching the kids take their lap. It made me think about what Jack will look like once he's riding his very own bike. We took in the event in the company of Stacie, Grandma Jan & Grandpa Blake.

Carolina on our Minds?

Carolina wasn't as much on our minds as the great friends we left there. So, this past weekend we took a day trip over to our old stomping ground, Greenwood. It looked like it would be a rainy cloudy day, but the sun found its way out and made it a perfect day to hang out. Our first stop was the Warner's house. Jack and I had not seen Kristie since our visit in January. She couldn't believe how big he was and was eager to take his picture. Kristie even introduced him to a bumbo and several silly, animated animals. He was a little unsure about the singing, dancing creatures. It was so great to see her and Bill. We were glad we got to give Kristie her birthday present in person.

The rest of the day was spent with the Todds in our old neighborhood. Noah, the Todd's 6-month-old, and Jack had spent some time together in January, but this play date was long overdue. Both boys have grown so much! They were so much fun to watch. The Todds were gracious enough to make their house Grand Central Station. Scarlet dropped by to meet Jack and catch up with us. We got to hear all about the new house she, Scott, Emma & Dalton will be moving to soon.

The Wiles clan came by as well. Jack especially enjoyed sitting in Hannah Grace's lap. There are lots of photos from our trip in Jack's April photos folder (link on the right side of the screen). We even saw our old house. The new owners have made a few changes to the yard and exterior...we wondered what the inside looked like...but that will remain a mystery. We concluded our visit with dinner at Outback with the Todds, then headed back home. Although it was a short visit, it was a fun one. We hope we can get back again soon. Of course, in the meantime, we've extended invites to our old pals to visit us in Georgia.

For months we've been showing Jack himself in the mirror. He usually looks at us instead. On Sunday, he really noticed himself and his reaction was classic....absolute hysterics! He laughed and laughed at himself. I raced to get the camcorder and captured a little of it on video. It was great! What a fun kid!

Check Up and Check In

Last Monday was Jack's four month check-up. He weighed in at 14 lbs. 12 oz. and was 24 inches long (tall). Although with his hair give him at least another inch! The doctor says he looks great. He's right around the 50th percentile for both weight and length...which I found a bit surprising. He seems so long. The four shots were definitely his least favorite part of the visit, but he seemed to take it in stride.

The following day Grandmommy Garrett checked in to the guest room to spend a few days with us...who am I kidding? She came to hang out with Jack! Since she was on Spring Break, she spent part of her week with us. It was a great time. Jack spent lots of time cuddling and napping with his Grandmommy. The weather was pretty great. On Wednesday, we went over to Helen to tour Grandmommy around. She had never been to the tiny Alpine village. We enjoyed walking around and spent the majority of our time in the candy shops! Yummy! I also helped her figure out her new video camera and filmed some scenes of Jack in action. She was pleased to have some action to take home with her. It was a great visit and we were so glad to have her. It won't be long before school is out, so I'm sure she'll be back soon!

Jack is continuing to enjoy rice cereal. He has really taken to the whole eating with a spoon. He even opens his mouth for the next bite and grunts or whines when you are not fast enough with the next bite or when it runs out. So, maybe he won't be in the 50th percentile much longer! :)

Welcome Spring

Sorry it has been a couple of weeks since my last post. Things are great here. Jack is so much fun...laughing and smiling so much every day. We've been enjoying the warm weather, but keep our coats and umbrellas handy since we've been getting much needed rain and chilly temps a lot too! Last weekend we had company. Grandmommy and Grandaddy Garrett along with Aunt Kristy and Cousin Sean spent a couple of days with us. We had a grand time. Jack was feeling a little bit under the weather...he had his first runny nose. But his illness actually made him more cuddly and clingy, which everyone always enjoys.

We also had a visit from the Carrs. Dennis and Mickie had not yet met Jack and were also eager to visit the house and tour Josh's office. They brought Jack some very cute Georgia gear. It was great to catch up with them and made us look forward to football season even more. I think Jack will enjoy tailgating :)

This past week Jack tried rice cereal for the first time. I've been trying to give it to him every other day or so, but he's not really into it yet. He doesn't hate it, but he's just not sure he likes it or what exactly to do with it. I even put him in his high chair which was very cute. He looked so tiny, barely peeping over the tray. I can't imagine him filling it up one day.

On Monday, Jack and I got the opportunity to meet Rachel and Naomi Gowder for lunch. The Gowders are old friends of ours that are currently living in San Antonio. Daniel is currently serving in Iraq. Rachel and Naomi, who just turned 2, were visiting relatives. It was so great to get a chance to catch up. Rachel was very excited to meet Jack. Naomi is so much fun to be around and so entertaining. She says the funniest stuff!

This Saturday, Jack's Grandma Giles (yet to be named), Aunt Emily and her boyfriend Jonathan came to visit for a few hours. Grandpa was covering the G-Day game. It's probably a good thing we didn't go since I hear it was a nasty drizzle the entire time. It's been a busy couple of weeks, but the warm weather has us excited to welcome spring, which signals afternoon walks, evening grill outs and the Masters.