A Reason to Smile

Some days you just need a reason to smile. And seeing these two brothers together is usually enough for me. Especially when they are laughing like this:


Swinging Away from Laura Garrett on Vimeo.

Blissful Weather

What a difference the sunshine can make! We gladly greeted some much warmer temperatures this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday were full of sunshine and temperatures in the 60s. It was a little taste of Spring. I know Spring is still a good ways away, but it sure was nice to get a sneak peek. We sure needed it after the past few weeks of frosty weather.

We made the most of the blissful weather with a trip to the park on Saturday morning, Sam's first stroll in the wagon with his big brother and lots of plain ole fun in the backyard. Josh did some yard improvement projects, and I did my best to help. On Sunday, we returned again to the great outdoors after church with swinging, sliding and bubble blowing. The weekend was capped off with dinner off the grill and by the grill. It was a perfect night for relaxing by the outdoor fireplace and star gazing.

Hope you had a blissful weekend too!

P.S. - I added last week to our 365 album.

Whee!

We have been blessed with beautiful weather here on Saturday and Sunday. We tried to take advantage both days by taking Jack out in his car around the block or out in the yard. He loves pointing out our neighbor's dogs and saying "whoo, whoo," which in case you hadn't figured is his version of woof, woof!



There's not much of a story to go with this picture other than it's really cute to watch Jack licking an ice cream cone. The cold surprised him a little bit, but the taste was enough to keep him coming back for more. I wonder where he gets his love of ice cream?

On Sunday, we decided to go to the park and enjoy the swings. Jack really loves the swings. Now that the weather is warmer some days, I hope we can go more often. On the way over, I thought he might be big enough to try out the slide. As you probably noticed from my last two posts, I've been a little video crazy. So, here he is enjoying the slide. Doesn't it look like fun?

Wedding Weekend

Our weekend included UGA Homecoming game, a wedding and a birthday party. Here are some photos from all the fun.

One of my bestest and oldest friends (old as in I've known a long time, not old as in years...although it's been more of those then we'd probably like to admit) got married on Saturday evening. Jack was very cute in his dress shirt, slacks and sweater. He was also very well behaved during the ceremony. He enjoyed a little dancing with me and Josh.

Here I am with the beautiful bride. Terri looked fabulous and oh so happy, especially when dancing their first dance. I was so very happy to help celebrate such a special day in her life...I was also very happy to taste all the yummy cake. Her cake had 3 different varieties, then if you throw in the groom's cake, it's a miracle I only ate 3 pieces! I tried the layer with strawberry filling, the lemon layer and the groom's chocolate on chocolate. The only one I bypassed was the apple spice...I had to say no at a certain point. I don't think it makes it any more excusable, but I didn't eat lunch. Just a late breakfast and little snack b/f the 12:30 kickoff of the game...which by the way was perfect weather.

Jack made it up until about an hour past bedtime then he gave up. He enjoyed resting his head on his sweet Aunt Emily. Later he woke up to help wave goodbye to the new bride and groom. After changing into his pajamas he slept most of the hour ride home.

On Sunday afternoon, we headed to the park for Drew's 5th birthday party. It was a chilly afternoon, but as you can see Jack loved the swings as usual. In the words of a sweet kid I know: "It was the best party ever!"

A Day with the Big Boys

I just put Jack to bed and he ought to sleep well. Today he played like one of the big boys, which only makes sense because he spent most of his day with Tate and Brit Shaw (little ones belonging to our pals the Shaws). Merideth started her new job today with a five-day trip to Atlanta. So, we were happy to entertain the boys until Derek finished up work. I picked the boys up at their school, and we all headed to the park.

I have to admit my motive was to wear down the threesome. The combination of soaring temperatures and lack of shade led to a short stay at the park, but the boys all had fun anyway. For the last 15 minutes, I had all three boys in swings hopping from boy to boy pushing. Despite the heat, we enjoyed our outing. I think everyone was happy to get in the car and cool off.

Once we got home the boys showed me and Jack all the toys they brought along. Tate really enjoyed Jack's tractor, which was a gift from Charlie & Wyatt Spruill (who else right?). After I put Jack down for a nap, the boys and I watched a Larry Boy movie. After Jack woke up we all played some more; Jack was wiggling and rolling all over trying to play like the big boys. Tate and I read what seemed like a million books. Soon it was Jack's dinner time. So, I set the boys up with crayons and paper at the table, while I fed Jack. Tate wanted help drawing the characters from the movie we had seen. So, we drew Larry Boy, the Rumor Weed and then both boys got a tractor to color. Tate even decided to leave his tractor for Mr. Josh.

Once Josh got home we all went to McDonald's for dinner. On the way, I was asking the boys what they wanted to eat. The choices were hamburger, cheeseburger or chicken nuggets. Brit quickly answered chicken nuggets. Tate's answer was the funniest, "which one comes with a toy?" He was pleased to hear they all did! He settled on a hamburger. They both ate well...including yummy yogurt parfaits. When we headed home Derek was there waiting on the boys. He looked exhausted. I hope the boys took a quick bath and went straight to bed for him!

I was really delighted to have the opportunity to hang out with the boys today. When I have my hands full with other people's kids I don't even attempt to do other things like dishes, laundry, etc. So, it was a lot of fun to play motorcycles and monsters, color Larry-Boys and tractors...kind of like being a kid again! Thanks, Merideth. I hope your trip is going well. I can't wait to hear all about it!

Just the Good Ole Boys

On Friday, Jack and I went to Pitts Park for one of the last MOPS Friday in the Park play dates of the summer. Usually he just sits around or hops from person to person, but we did some actual playing today. Joni, a friend of ours, helped him ride the carousel with some of the other kids, and then I put him in one of the swings. He really loved it. I was able to get a few cute pictures of him enjoying the ride.

I look forward to taking him back to the park with Josh, so he can see how he loves the swing. Although you can probably get a pretty good idea just by looking at the pictures I got. After the park, Merideth and her boys entertained Jack while I had a lunch meeting with the PR committee of the local Habitat for Humanity.

On Saturday, Josh wanted to take Jack to see one of his favorite childhood memories, the General Lee. Josh has a picture from his childhood with the famous orange Charger and thought it would be neat for Jack to have one, too. A local car dealership had one on display and we took Jack to see it. I'm sure it will make for a funny story one day.

Our day concluded with dinner with the Shaws. They are in the middle of a lot of changes, one of which is their address, so we thought they could use a break from packing and also gave them a few more boxes. Jack as usual loved being entertained by Tate and Brit. We are looking forward to having them over to play on Wednesday!

By the way, Jack is officially 8 months old as of today. Crazy, huh? He is as fun as ever. He is talking, babbling a lot these days. Mostly da da and na na, which he doesn't associate specifically with anyone or anything yet. He's also a very busy body, wiggling everywhere. He's on the verge of busting loose and crawling everywhere (guess we better get our act together and finish babyproofing!) There are more pictures of our weekend adventures in our usual place.