18 already?

Yes, our little one has hit the bit 18. Okay, so he's not quite legal, but as rapidly as he's growing he might as well be! Today Jack is officially 18 months old. Crazy, right? We are certainly enjoying his daily discoveries and his fondness for playing chase, throwing ball, reading books, brushing teeth and many other activities. A little less enjoyable are his bouts with dangerous independence or blatant defiance, but I hear those come with the territory.

Halfway through my second year of motherhood, and it's not exactly what I thought it would be...it's better!

Whew...it's over!

Yes, the inaugural Kitchens that Cook is officially over. Could you hear my deep sigh of relief on Saturday around 6:30? I would have liked to have seen a little more traffic, but for the first time holding the event and the fact that it was a holiday weekend, we were not disappointed. I don't know the final numbers, but we raised about $5,000. Josh enjoyed cooking & filming with Kathy. We heard lots of positive feedback, and we're hoping it can become an annual event.

I was thankful to have my mom come up and watch Jack for us most of the day on Saturday. Dad was able to join us for dinner. He brought Jack a harmonica, which he enjoyed playing. After cleaning up the depot, putting in an appearance at the after-party, I was ready to crash...but managed to stumble into El Campesino with the rest of the family for dinner.

Sunday morning we packed up the cooler and headed to Atlanta for the Braves game with the Walshs, who live in Charleston. Mike went to med school with Josh, and he and his wife were in Atlanta for a wedding. Since this week is Mike's 30th, we met them at the Varsity for lunch and joined them at the ballpark. I just knew our day would be spoiled by rain, but it was a great day! We actually took Jack to one of the faux-Varsity locations before one of the Thrashers games last year, but this was his first trip to one of the official greasy Vs! He was a big fan of the frosted orange, but who wouldn't be?? The big crowd and loud "what'll ya haves" seemed to intimidate him a bit at first, but he settled in quick and enjoyed a naked dog and his first FO.

Liz bought a big group of seats together and we actually ended up being in the shade and having a great view of the field. Because of the steep seats, Jack couldn't really walk around though. He grew a little restless a few times, but managed to make it through the whole game with the help of frequent paci breaks, a giant chocolate chip cookie, dancing to the loud music, peanuts and of course...a coke!



Today we joined some friends for a Memorial Day cookout with ribs and all the fixings. I'm having trouble keeping straight what day it is since Josh was home today and we missed church yesterday. Anyway, it has been a busy, long weekend, and I'm so thankful that the rain showers seemed to cooperate with our schedule.

If you are what you eat...

...then Jack has been many new things this past week or so! Yes, despite the temporary hiatus from most things food our little one is beginning to pick up some steam. He's always enjoyed some of the basics: turkey, chicken, cheese & fruits, but other than those he wasn't very adventurous and stuck mostly to his chocolate milk and diluted juice. We're glad to see him exploring alternate food groups!?!

1. Brownies and Ice cream...this is a food group, right? Apparently best shared with the ones you love, Jack loved every minute of this dessert especially eating it with a straw as a fork.



2. All things spicy. Jack enjoyed some jambalaya last Thursday and on Friday showed his extreme fondness for the salsa at El Campesino.



3. Coke Zero...through a straw, in a big cup...however he can get it! This little guy loves coke. It's terrible...we're terrible, I know.

I know these are all great nutritional choices. Seriously though, he has started eating a few more things and eating better portions of his standard favorites, so we'll continue to reward him with ice cream and coke...ha, ha, ha!

As promised...

You Spin Me Right Round

You hear people say that kids learn something new everyday, but I rarely notice the day that Jack figures something out. Usually, I just up and realize that he's been doing something for a couple of weeks. Well, this afternoon while I was preparing dinner I spotted Jack spinning around in circles. He just kept twirling and twirling until he would get dizzy, stumble and usually fall. So silly! I'll try to post some video soon!

Last Wednesday, I talked Josh into leaving choir practice a little early so he could cut Jack's hair. It was getting so shaggy, and we rarely have a night at home any more with Josh's rehearsal schedule for State Road 47. The trim was much needed and now Jack can actually see again! Here are the before & afters!

Anyone else think this kid could use a haircut?








Hey, I can finally see again! I had forgotten all about this toy!








Thursday evening we attended the End-of-the-Year program for Jack's preschool (which is at our church). Jack goes to play with his friends on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a few hours. It is a great time for me to get caught up on the projects I've been doing lately. This week is the last week of school though, but Saturday is also the big Kitchens That Cook Fundraiser. Hopefully, my life will feel less chaotic when that event gets pulled off! Anyway, since the kids in Jack's class are so young they showed a slideshow of some of the things they did this year and then they pushed them into the sanctuary in the bye-bye buggy (a six seater stroller). It was sort of like a parade. They played "Jesus Loves Me," and Jack bopped his head back in forth all the way down the aisles. He sure loves music. Later that night I joined some friends to view the season finale of Grey's Anatomy and celebrate Andrea's 30th birthday! Glad I'm not that old. :)

Friday & Saturday were filled with birthday preparations for the small gathering we had to surprise Andrea on Saturday. Josh's mom and dad decided to make an appearance in town on Saturday. They joined us for the Mountain Laurel Parade in Clarkesville. As you can tell from this pic, Jack was mesmerized by the parade. He did actually bounce around when the Band of Blue came by. About 20 minutes after the parade ended the rain started coming down pretty hard, so we headed home. The skies cleared in time for the party. Jack got a good nap and stayed home to play with Grandmommy & Grandaddy. After the party, we returned home to find Jack enjoying himself. We all went out for a bite to eat before they had to head back home. It was a good weekend. Hope this Saturday's weather is cooperative as well!

On the Air

Yesterday, Josh, Jack and I had the priviledge of visiting with Kathy Nicholson of Southern Hospitality. As I mentioned in a previous post, Josh will be cooking with Kathy as part of our Kitchens That Cook fundraiser next Saturday. (That's right...it's only 9 days away! Still need tickets? Let me know!) Kathy asked us to come out to WRAF at Toccoa Falls College and record a segment to air on Sunday about the event.

Since Tuesdays are Josh's afternoon off and we barely saw each other yesterday, he hated for us to not spend the day together. So, Jack joined us in the studio. He was was pretty cooperative for the most part...especially considering he was in the midst of skipping a much-needed afternoon nap! He loved it when Kathy let him control the sound board.

After the interview we took a trip down to the falls. The weather was perfect. The short walk to the falls is in the shade and there is a cool breeze coming off the water. What a beautiful place! Thanks for being so good to us, Kathy! We're looking forward to lots of fun next weekend!

Thrill Junkie in the Making

I'm not sure if you are familiar with Johnny Knoxville, but basically he does (along with his friends) insanely un-safe and all-around ridiculous stunts, activities and the like all for the sake of laughs. Well, Jack may have a future in that arena. Take a look at our thrill junkie in the making.