This is harder than it looks, guys!

So, with the six-month mark comes the introduction of the cup. After a couple of purchases, I think I found one Jack is interested in. Although, we may have to put Coca-cola in it for him to drink out of it. Of course, I'm just kidding! We've tried it with water and some seriously diluted apple juice and he's finally starting to get the hang of it.

We began by just playing with it empty. Today while Josh and I were eating lunch he was sitting in his high chair. I've been trying to teach him to keep his hands down while he's in the high chair. If they come up, I put them back by his sides before continuing with eating. So, we gave him the cup to play with and just sat there trying to get it in his mouth without his hands...like bobbing for apples. I was so proud that he knew to keep his hands down, but at the same time felt kind of bad that he didn't think he could use them! So, Josh showed him.

He really got the hang of it this evening and I managed to snap a few pictures. We'll continue to work on it, but I guess it's harder than it looks!

The Adventure of the Runaway Sodas

So, Saturday evening we attended a MOPS family cook-out for our outgoing and incoming Steering Team Members and their families. It was great to meet the husbands of so many of the great moms I have worked with and will continue to work with. We were responsible for bringing drinks. The expectation was for around 50 people, so we had about 9 two-liter drinks and a gallon of lemonade. The party was at the Thurmond's house, who live up in the Highlands neighborhood. As we arrived, I carried Jack, his bag and the lemonade and Josh tried to get the two liters, but some of his bags broke and the drinks went rolling. It was so hard to contain my laughter, but hopefully you can imagine the humor in the situation (unfortunately, I didn't have any hands available to photograph it). Although, it's probably good I couldn't photograph...that might have sent Josh over the edge. He didn't find it as funny as I! He finally took my suggestion and loaded them into Jack's stroller and proceeded down the hill. Once we arrived Josh noticed he had a seersucker short twin, Sarah!

Anyway, we enjoyed getting to know some of the other families and having dinner with them. Jack enjoyed flirting with the only girl there, Mallory, who is almost a year old. I guess he likes older women. Here's a cute picture of them getting to know each other. Mallory was so cute. She kept her eyes on Jack while we ate...probably to make sure he didn't steal her dinner! We look forward to watching these two growing to be good friends.

Laundry Lover?

It may seem crazy to some, but I actually don't really mind laundry. My least favorite part is probably the putting away and hanging up, but really it's a pretty mindless task. Believe it or not most days, I'd rather do laundry than cook! I'm sure there are others out there who get a little high from having an empty dirty clothes hamper. Anyway, I'm not yet sure if Jack has taken after me or not, but I'm trying to break him in early. I've discovered that one of my laundry baskets is the perfect fit for him.

The basket is a great place for him to sit while I load the machine or move things from the washer to the dryer. The high sides are great for him to sit up against and since he's still learning to sit up, he's got that little bit of support that he needs to keep from toppling over. Anyway, I got several funny shots of him sitting in the basket the other day. Maybe he'll be a laundry lover like his mom!

Halfway to One!

It's hard to believe, but our little guy is officially half a year old. As of Wednesday, Jack is six months old. I know everyone told us it would happen so fast, but I think it's something you have to experience yourself. When you are in the moment, it doesn't seem to go that fast. Looking back, however, you think, "wasn't he just born a few weeks ago?"

To celebrate our little milestone, Josh suggested we get half a cake. As silly as it sounded, I had to agree...I do like cake! Anyway, to avoid the ridiculousness of describing what we were planning to a baker, I just threw together a box cake, which turned out pretty well.

We took the half cake (and cupcakes made with the rest of the batter) to church to share with friends after Wednesday night supper. The kids enjoyed the cupcakes and Josh and I along with our dedicated friends the Yorks gobbled up most of the cake. We did it for Jack. The Yorks have a 2-month-old, so we're already looking forward to doing this again in the fall! I like the picture that looks like he's reaching for the cake! Not for 6 more months, buddy!

More about Sunday & Our Memorial Day Fun

Today was Memorial Day and we spent the day together. We rested from our road trip on Sunday, which included visits to both of my grandparents. We had dinner at Grandaddy & Mimi's for my mom's birthday, which was earlier this month. Josh and I talked about the food all the way home...Mimi is such an excellent cook. I have to remember to get her recipe for sweet potatoes. I also have to remember to keep Jack away from them or he'll never eat that stuff from the jar again! In between great grandparents, we visited Stacie and Terri.

It had been a couple of weeks since the girls had seen little Jack and they were eager to squeeze and cuddle him. When we arrived at Stacie's we found the two of them playing Combat on the old Atari console. That's right...Atari! Stacie quickly gave up her seat to Josh and selflessly offered to play with Jack! It was great to catch up with the girls and hopefully they will be coming for a visit soon!

After a pretty no-fuss day today, we joined some good friends for a cook-out. The Yorks hosted a great party and everyone had a wonderful time. They introduced us to Cornhole, which I promise is a very innocent game (much like horseshoes or golfshoes to those that know that game!) Here are a couple of shots from the festivities!

Josh & Jack enjoying the party

Merideth and Andrew taking in the festivities

Josh dominating his first CornHole competition

Tori & Noah enjoying the party

Smack!

What a fun week this has been. Not only did Jack start vegetables (see previous post), but he also has taken to giving kisses, which is both cute and hilarious. We noticed a few days ago that after he had received kisses from us, he would put his mouth on our face. Then, on Sunday we headed down to Athens to have dinner with the family and he really showed off at Grandaddy & Mimi's house. He literally grabs your face with his hands and puts his mouth on your face and rubs it back and forth. Here's my mom getting a Jack smack!

While we were in Winterville, we also stopped and visited with Papa (Jack's great grandfather). Jack was so interested in watching him talk and was content to just sit next to him and observe. It was pretty neat to see the two of them together. I was able to get a great photo. Jack is getting so close to sitting up, which makes picture taking so much easier.

My Uncle Bill and Aunt Elizabeth who live in New Mexico are also visiting for a few weeks, so we were able to spend some time with them. They had not seen Jack since early January when he was just over a month old. So, needless to say he had changed a great deal and was a little bit heavier since the last time they were here. Jack loved the colorful print on Elizabeth's shirt and was fascinated by her eyeglasses.

VeggieTales

Last Monday, we started our own veggie tales with Jack trying out his first bites of squash. It was pretty much an instant hit. He's a big fan of food, but if you know us I guess that's no surprise. This weekend, we added sweet potatoes and of course his love for those was just as intense. Josh and I have been very pleased at what a good eater our little one is, and for the most part not too messy. Some days he manages to get it in his hair, but mostly he keeps it pretty clean. I'm also learning quickly that these foods stain on almost everything!

Jack also enjoyed a mid-week visit from his Grandma this week. My mom had the opportunity to take some time off of work and guess where she decided to spend her day off? At our house! Grandma Jan was kind enough to sit with Jack for a bit while I went and had my hair trimmed and picked up a few groceries. It was great having her here. We also got to have lunch with Josh.

Jack and I spend a lot of time together during the day, so it's no surprise that I'm not quite as entertaining as his dad. I have accepted the fact that he's the "fun one," and I'm the "food one!" I won't complain though...I do enjoy capturing the many laughs, smiles and other expressions Jack displays during "daddy time."