More Pictures...

Whew! VBS is officially over, and I am officially looking forward to returning to a less structured routine for a while. We had a great weekend with Josh's parents and even got to enjoy dinner with Aunt Kristy, uncle Jeff, cousins Sean & Andy. I'll post some pictures soon. Sunday we enjoyed dinner with the Giles/Guilbeau/Bennett crowd a.k.a. my sister-in-law Lisa's family. They were spending the week at a time share about 10 minutes from us. Lisa told us when her mom told her about the place she said, "Mom, that's not vacation. That's where Josh & Laura live." lol!

Anyway, the pictures I do have to share are in the form of our proofs from last weekend's photo shoot in Athens. I know, doesn't Sue Ann work fast? Her proof gallery has changed a bit, so you have to take an extra step to view the photos, but if you are interested, you can find them here. You'll need to "create an account" to be able to view the proofs. Then after you click on Garrett or the thumbnail of Jack, the access code is 'jack18' I know it's a bit of work, so it won't hurt my feelings if you don't look...but if you do let me know your favorites!

What's 87 and a half years?

Saturday evening (after our feeble attempts at a family photo session) we gathered with my parents, siblings, grandparents and cousins to celebrate my grandfather's 89th birthday. Despite the anxious mosquitos, we all had a wonderful time. The fried fish was tasty and the lemon ice box pie was oh so refreshing. Jack enjoyed the swing with both Great Grandaddy and Grand Mimi.

He even made a new friend in his cousin Cannon. It was if both boys figured out for the first time that they were relatively the same size and might enjoy playing together. Here they are tossing the ball together. Cannon's almost a year older than Jack. It was neat to see that they were beginning to buddy up. I hope they'll be able to pick up where they left off next time we're all together.

This week is VBS at church. So, I don't imagine I'll get around to catching you up on what else we've been doing. But, I did manage to upload a massive amount of photos to our picasa site (check out June and Project 365). Otherwise, it's been a typical hot start to the summer with not much rain. Here's what else we've been up to:

Swimming with friends

Lots and lots of ball playing!

Enjoying the park...with friends

Looks like we're in for a fun summer!

Photo Sneak Peek

We had some updated photos taken of Jack yesterday and attempted to get a family portrait. Jack wasn't incredibly cooperative, but Sue Ann can work miracles...I hope! :)

Anyway, here's a sneak peek at a few of the snapshots.

Just Add Friends

So, I think once upon a time I may have written about having our deck expanded.* Well, the weather has been great lately, so we are really getting a lot of use out of the extra space.


Just add friends and the place becomes much more fun!

It doesn't hurt if there is food involved either...

Oops...I got behind again! Way behind. I would say it's been a crazy week, but don't I always say that? Oh, well. I'm going to try to get some photos up tonight and we'll see what else I can come up with...I'm sort of on a reading kick as opposed to a writing one! :)

*I can't find the post, so maybe I never wrote about it, but I figured most of you care very little about whether or not I include a link to the old post. :)

Ouch!

On Friday I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed (well, most of all four...apparently there is still a piece of one hiding out very close to my facial nerves. Joy, joy!) Despite what I expected, the process has not been so horrible. Josh took me and Jack to meet my parents in Commerce Thursday night since my surgery was scheduled in Athens. Then, Friday morning my mom and I headed to the oral surgeon. She took Jack to the park and entertained him while I disappeared from the earth for about an hour.

Maybe some of you have been under general anesthesia before, but this was my first time. It's so weird to have lost an hour of your life and be totally unaware of what took place during that time. But, there were plenty of reminders about what had taken place...the swelling, discomfort, yucky guaze, unrecognizable and feelingless lips. My mom took us home, where I retreated to bed for some rest. Josh checked on me during his short lunch break on Friday. Mom headed home after he returned from work for good. I spent most of my time resting in bed, getting fresh ice packs, eating jell-o, pudding and avoiding straws. Jack kept wanting to get in bed with me. He did a couple of times, but was usually quickly carted off by my caregivers. Between the pain medicine and the anti-nausea meds, I spent most of Friday & Saturday asleep. In fact, Josh got a picture to prove it.

I managed to get a shower on Saturday, but soon after was back in the bed. Later that afternoon we joined some friends at the MOPS Hail & Farewell cookout, which celebrates the work and commitment of the outgoing Steering Team members and welcomes the new ST members. It was certainly good to see everyone, but all the talking, smiling and socializing certainly wore me out. I was glad to get home and get in bed.

Sunday was a similar story. Josh had to be at church early for a skit rehearsal, but I managed to get Jack ready and us both to church by 9. In fact, getting him dressed was the first diaper I had changed since Thursday night. After Sunday School, I was starting to feel the effects of being off my pain medicine. We left church a bit early so I could get home and get some relief.

I'm really grateful for the wonderful help I've had in my recovery. I certainly wouldn't have been able to bounce back this quickly without excellent help. Big thanks to my mom who did our chaufeuring and kept Jack occupied most of Friday. Enormous thanks to Josh who made sure I was worry free all weekend. You are the best!

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.