Jack's First Parade

This Saturday was the Mountain Laurel Festival in Clarkesville. I was looking forward to checking out the festivities (no pun intended) and see if it was on par with the good ole Marigold Festival. It was pretty much the same type of small town festival that I was used to...minus the long line of corvettes from the Marigold parade! Jack seemed to enjoy the parade and watched with me for a little while.

Later Ms. Martha (a friend from church) spotted her favorite baby and wanted to get some cuddling in. We watched a little closer to the action, which Jack enjoyed until the fire truck siren came by. It was way too loud for him. He got very upset. Luckily by that time, the parade was near ending and we were ready to walk into town.

After lunch from the food vendors in the park we watched some of the older kids take in the activities. Here is a great picture of Madeline and Hailey, some friends from church. We had a great time at our first Mountain Laurel Festival. Discussions are in the works for a MOPS float/walk in next year's parade. Can't wait!

Hitting the Links

Jack had his first outing on the golf course on Tuesday. Josh's great friend, Ben, came up for the afternoon and they played a round at Apple Mountain. The weather was perfect and Jack was a pretty good rider. In between holes he enjoyed goofing around on the seat of the golf cart!

It wasn't long before he found that I would be a nice place for a snooze. Although with the mountainous course...it's pretty amazing that he stayed asleep. It was quite a bumpy ride at times.



Jack sure seemed to enjoy himself. So, I'm quite sure it was just the first of many trips to the course with his dad. I'm keeping Josh in check though...no clubs until he can at least walk!!

Extra, extra...read all about it!

Well, Jack is an official celebrity in the big community of greater Habersham...lol! He was featured in the Habersham Living section of our local newspaper The Northeast Georgian on Tuesday. We're so proud! Of course you avid blog readers have already seen this picture a few weeks ago...but enjoy again!

Philadelphia...the City of "Motherly" Love?

This weekend was our big trip to Philadelphia for Carsten & Sarah's wedding. Carsten is a friend of Josh's from high school and he asked Josh to serve as a groomsman. Although I was a little bummed about being away from home on my first Mother's Day...it turned out to be a perfect day and a fabulous weekend. Ironically, Mother's Day was first celebrated/invented in Philadelphia, and this year was the 100th anniversary of the holiday and its origins. Cool, huh?

Jack did fabulous on his first flight. He was a real trooper in the air and on the ground as we jetted around the streets of Philly. Josh's parents were also there to attend the wedding so we enjoyed getting to spend time with them as well. Friday evening saw a brief rehearsal and a delicious dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant, Susanna Foo. It was excellent.

On Saturday, we had breakfast with the Garretts and then got ready for the ceremony. The church was really beautiful, like something in a movie. There was a bit of time between the ceremony and reception (which was back at our hotel). So, Jack and I, along with Grandmommy & Grandaddy did some window shopping. They had some very cute children's clothing boutiques. But, who wants to pay $36 for a onesie that will inevitably end up covered in spit up or poo? Not me! The reception was a lot of fun with fabulous food and dancing. Josh and Carsten both sang with the band. Carsten doing his best Patrick Swayze and Josh performing his usual James Brown tune. The lead singer for the band was incredibly impressed. We captured it all with Grandmommy's video camera.
On Sunday, we wrapped up our obligations with a wedding party brunch and then set off to do some sightseeing before having to catch our plane back to Atlanta. Josh had plans of surprising me with a walk to the historical monument commerating Mother's Day, but we couldn't find it. I asked an intelligent-looking police officer, who seemed to not have any idea what I was talking about...go figure! Needless to say we were exhausted once we arrived home last night, but it was an unforgettable first mother's day! Thanks, Jack & Josh!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

May has arrived and with it the celebration of Cinco de Mayo! Thanks to our wonderful friends the Shaws, we indulged in a fiesta of epic proportions...complete with three-meat burritos, homemade salsa/bean dip, chocolate chimichangas ala mode and a pinata! I'm not sure who had more fun with the pinata...the little ones or the big ones? Either way...I left knowing I will soon attempt to make Joni's delicious salsa/bean dip and Merideth's incredible chocolate chimichangas!! Here I am ready to show that pinata who's boss!

Of course, the best part of the evening were the great moustaches and sombreros Merideth pulled out! What a hit with everyone...although Tate and Jack were the only ones to bravely wear them! We got some great photos. Here's one with Jack and Joni, but there are a few more in the May photos folder (link to the right). What a night. Thanks, Shaws! I hope we can return the favor soon.

Happy Birthday, Grandma...I'm All In!

On Friday, the whole Giles clan gathered at our house to celebrate Grandma Jan's birthday. The festivities were complete with savory barbeque pork, Josh's homemade brunswick stew, baked beans, potato salad, homemade ice cream and both birthday cookie and brownies! It was a lovely evening and we enjoyed dinner on the deck. We were thankful for the nice weather.

After dinner, we gathered inside for a friendly game of poker. It was definitely friendly since no money was exchanged, which also meant everyone was a lot riskier than if their chips had actually been assigned some value. Anyway, it wasn't long before Jack was being introduced to the world of Texas Hold 'Em. Hopefully, Josh and I can keep him away from the tables until he's legal! It was a fun night.

How we spend our days...

Jack and I are enjoying getting out and enjoying this beautiful weather. Sometimes, it's a walk around our neighborhood and other times it is a stroll with friends at the park. When we are out running errands, we enjoy stopping by and seeing Josh on his lunch break. Often times I'll pack a lunch for us to eat. It's always a treat for both Josh and Jack to see each other in the middle of the day. Since Josh can't always make it home for lunch, it's a great way to spend time together. Here they are hanging out during a recent lunch break.

Wednesday was my first MOPS Steering Team meeting. MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. Preschoolers means birth to kindergarten. It meets on Fridays during the school year at our church. The mom who served as Publicity team leader is stepping down as she welcomes another baby in the fall. So, I agreed to take over the Publicity functions of the group. I'm really looking forward to getting more involved. It is an incredibly fun group and our coordinator works really hard to make it a meaningful ministry!

On Friday, Jack had some friends over to play! Micah and Noah came over to play while their mommy, Tori, went to the doctor. They are so well behaved and play so well together. Jack was pretty content to watch them play. He enjoyed watching all the activity. Micah was very sweet to Jack. Micah and Noah live just a few miles away and go to our church. Tori and I sit at the same table at MOPS.