Full

Our full Saturday included a trip to a (not so spectacular) Spring Spectacular. The lack of spectaculars didn't stop these two from having a little fun sack racing. Uncle John gave Jack a run for his money...

 

Our fun was followed by a tasty (although somewhat unusual) dinner. And since you can't go near Helen without stopping at Hansel & Gretel's...Sam demonstrated his love for chocolate covered marshmallows.

thankful thursday

This week I am thankful for the sunshine we enjoyed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Just when I thought I couldn't take another day of dreary rain, the clouds parted and we headed outside.

We enjoyed some time on the swings, climbing, sliding and monkey bar crossing. It was just what we needed.

We even broke out a toy Jack had received for his birthday from Aunt Lisa & Uncle John. We hadn't had a chance to enjoy it yet between the windy days and the soggy days, but (as you can see) Wednesday was the perfect day for a little stomping.

A Whole Lot of Christmas (part 2)

So, our Christmas fun with family continued on Christmas Eve with a big breakfast. Josh's family were on their way back home and my family arrived. So, we all enjoyed a big, tasty breakfast before the Garrett clan left. Shortly after our breakfast settled, there was more gift exchanging...

So many pretty packages...

His very own cash register. Ding, ding!

One of Sam's favorite gifts: his very own Molly pup. Named after Uncle John & Aunt Lisa's sweet dog. Hoping this will teach Sam to be more loving (and less torturous) to the real Molly!

Lisa's crafty wrapping included stamps. Maybe Jack could help out next year?

So true.

"Mom, take my picture with my tower!"

Speaking of towers, this one is coming down! The big blocks are a hit, Uncle John & Aunt Lisa!

Later that evening we all headed to my grandparent's house just outside of Athens for our annual Christmas Eve feast with extended family. The gathering is a tradition, but the menu is anything but. Featuring low country boil, fried shrimp, hushpuppies and fries, it's definitely not your typical ham and turkey. It's always a house full when we get together, and all the great grandkids make it a fun time. Here they are all patiently waiting their gift to open.

Everyone, except Sam, who couldn't care less about opening a present. He is much too busy to sit down and open something!

Shortly after the gift opening it was pajama time. We loaded our boys up and headed home. The boys watched Elf on the way home, and the last thing we did before turning in for the night was put out the cookies we made for Santa and strawberry milk (as Jack requested).

Stay tuned for the final installment of Christmas. Part 3 coming soon!

Game Day

On Saturdays in the fall we make the trek down to Athens to watch the Bulldogs play. Cheering for our alma mater is something Josh & I have always enjoyed doing together. Thankfully, my mom usually watches the boys for us. Last Saturday we had a couple of extra tickets and both the weather forecast and opponent looked favorable for an easy viewing...so, I talked Josh into taking Jack with us to the game. I think he had fun, but I also think he was pretty bored about 65 percent of the time. All in all, I'm glad we took him. It will probably be a while before he goes back, and I'm not sure he'll really be asking to go back anytime soon. He asked if we could go home after the first quarter. The sun was pretty bright, and he was a little farther from the action than at the Raider games on Friday nights.

First things first, we had to get rid of Pop's extra tickets. Here Uncle John is teaching Jack the fine art of scalping tickets.

All ready for kickoff!

I guess when the dawgs score 59 points in the first 3 quarters, you shouldn't expect too much more action in the 4th quarter. But that doesn't stop a true fan from claiming the 4th for his team!

fun in the sun

Sam found a perfect hiding spot

Several days ago we spent our Saturday with family on Lake Lanier. It was a birthday celebration of sorts for me and my brother. It was a cloudy day, which cooled it down a bit. The one rain shower that moved through happened to do so while we were docked for lunch. We spent most of our day cruising in the pontoon boat and introducing Jack to tubing. I'm pretty sure he's hooked.

His first go round was alongside dad. He kept yelling, "go faster!" And "don't slow down!"

Finally he agreed to take a break. After lunch, my brother and sister-in-law decided to take a turn. Jack wasn't as good a spectator as he was participant. He kept yelling (unbeknownst to them): "just fall off!"

Jack was thrilled when they decided they'd had enough. I decided I'd get on the tube with Jack this time, but before we even got that far he announced, "I won't be scared to do it all my by self.*" So, we put him out there alone. Partly because of his lack of weight and our lack of speed he fell off right away. I was afraid he was done. He did seem a little scared floating alone in that big lake, and yelled, "come back" as we circled back around. After swimming to the rope, he said, "I want to get back on, daddy!"

*I still love that he says "all my by self" instead of all by myself.  

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

On Memorial Day, we were thrilled to have Josh at home...especially since he had worked on Saturday and Sunday. We enjoyed spending our morning swimming with some friends. Jack loves the pool. Sam enjoys it, but really prefers to get in and out and explore all the surroundings.

Later that day, we all went shopping in Buford. The crowds were out for sure, but Jack still got to enjoy several trips on the escalators (his favorite part of any trip to the mall). Eventually, Josh had to head back home for his Monday evening shift, and the boys and I headed to my brother and sister-in-law's house nearby for a cook-out with Mema & Pop. The highlight of a stop at Uncle John & Aunt Lisa's is always fun with their playful and energetic dog, Molly.

After lots of fun and food, we all headed to the Gwinnett Braves game. Jack particularly enjoyed the inflatables and popcorn. Sam enjoyed the freedom to roam as we elected to sit on the outfield lawn. We can't wait to go back with Josh in our party...especially since chasing Sam gets exhausting :)

Happy 34th, Umple John!

This week my big brother turns 34! We were thrilled to be able to celebrate with the whole family on Saturday evening. We enjoyed a delicious meal at Carraba's in Athens. This is my best group shot and the birthday boy isn't even looking!! Oh, well!

Jack was pretty good for having only had a 25 minute nap. He has always loved croutons and after he had exhausted the slim supply from everyone's salads, we had the waitress bring him his own bowl. He must have been pretty tired because he laid down in his chair. Every couple of minutes we would all spot this little hand pop up from beneath the table to grab a crouton. His daddy couldn't resist and had a little bit of fun with him, moving his bowl around a couple of times. Everyone giggled quietly as his hand marched around the table looking for his bowl. Then, a lemon slice and calamari found its way into his bowl. Feeling something strange and wet in his bowl, his head finally popped up!

Jack found a burst of energy and relocated to his "Umple John's" lap just as a birthday dessert arrived. He again made his way toward that same lap when we headed back to my parent's house for a birthday cookie with candles.

What a Weekend

What a weekend it was. It was a busy one that was full of fun...with the exception of a few hours on Saturday evening. But at least both Florida and Tennessee lost too! Friday night some of us tailgated at our house before the Raider game. Andrea made some excellent Taco Soup. After packing up and heading to the game, we settled in our seats. We hadn't been there more than 30 seconds when the rain began to fall. We hadn't brought umbrellas or hoods or anything! So, we headed back home. Jack played for a bit before heading to bed. Here's a shot of him playing with his new laptop from Cissy. In case you haven't noticed in my last couple of posts, he's pulling up on just about everything these days. He's a big explorer.

We waited up for the Walshs to arrive and were excited when they rolled into town. They got a tour of the house and even a sneak peek at sleeping Jack. We hadn't seen Mike & Liz since they got married over a year ago; so we did some serious catching up before finally letting them get some rest. After all, we both had a big day in Athens on Saturday.

Early Saturday, the Walshs got to meet Jack before heading down to Athens for their full day of tailgating. We took a little more time getting ready and leisurely made our way to Athens. We ran a few errands before joining most of the family for lunch. Jack enjoyed the moose at Loco's. He wore a new outfit for gameday :)

Later we headed downtown for an afternoon with food and friends. We had a great time tailgating with the whole Carr clan, my family and the Walshs. It was a big day for Jack too. He loved Ms. Mickie's mac 'n cheese and banana pudding. There are tons of pictures with the group. The food was great, and the fellowship was even better. Here's Jack getting some banana pudding from his Aunt Lisa.

My mom took Jack home with her and the rest of us headed to the game. In case you were in a cave all weekend, we lost...BIG. It was painful to watch, but we stayed till the bitter end. I have to admit that if I had been at home I would have quit watching.

Sunday morning we went to church with my parents and then all went to lunch afterwards to celebrate my dad's birthday. We also dropped in on a shower for Terri and John, who are getting married in less than 2 weeks. Then, we headed home. It was a long day, but we enjoyed spending time with family and friends. Here are a couple of cute photos of Jack waiting on his daddy to get out of the shower tonight b/f Josh headed to work.

Happy Birthday, Uncle John...pass the Spumoni

So, Sunday was my big brother's birthday. Happy Birthday, John! Even though Josh had to work, Jack and I had the opportunity to drive down to Provino's and have dinner with John and his wife Lisa. Her parents and my parents and grandfather also joined the party. Jack was very interested in John's Spumoni or maybe it was the candle.

He was also very entertained by dad's camera or at least the screen on the back of the camera. Here's dad trying to show him me on the screen. I still get a kick out of all the kids that ask to see their photo after you take their picture. The only time we were able to do that when we were kids is when someone took a polaroid and even then we had to wait an agonizing 90 seconds or so! Anyway, I'm sure glad to have a digital. I consider myself somewhat frugal and love that I don't have to waste rolls of film and developing costs to get that perfect shot! On the other hand, some people may get sick of seeing all these pictures of our little guy.

Josh is Home

Okay, okay...so it took me three days to get this up, but we've been busy since his return. Josh is officially back from Honduras. His plane got in Sunday evening. After going through customs and all the usual long lines, we finally spotted him in the Arrivals Lobby at the Atlanta airport around 7:45. It turned out to be good that it took him so long, because Jack and I were stuck in traffic. Anyone who has been in Atlanta in the last month knows they are repaving the connector through downtown on the weekends. We've dealt with the madness two weekends in a row now. Here's one of the shots of Jack playing with daddy after his return!

Jack and I were both excited to see Josh, and Jack didn't have any trouble recognizing his daddy despite his 8-day old scruff, which he has since trimmed up and is trying out. He has had a beard before and he loves them, so we'll see what happens. I think he looks great with a beard, but have a hard time classifying him as a beard person.

Jack and I stopped and had lunch with my brother and sister-in-law before heading to the airport to pick up Josh. It was fun to catch up with them. We even made a trip to Target, which I always enjoy. Jack got pretty ill in the car about the time we hit traffic, and wailed pretty much the remaining 30-45 minutes of the trip. I think he was tired of being in the car and ready to see his daddy, because he was fine while we waited the 45 minutes or so for Josh. He even made friends with the people all around us in the lobby. He seems to make friends easily...I think it's the hair.

I heard a lot about Josh's trip on the way home, and will hopefully talk him into sharing some of his adventures here. I think they had a great trip and saw more than1500 patients during their 5 days of clinic in the villages surrounding La Esperanza, Honduras. He's already talking about doing the trip again next year.