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.

Asleep?

It's 7:45 p.m. as I begin this entry, and Jack is already in bed (actually has been for about 20 minutes!) And, I think he's asleep. He was a little grumpy this afternoon, so I decided early to bed tonight! Maybe it's all the fun from this weekend. Friday night we had the opportunity to meet my parents in Commerce for dinner. My little sister joined us too. It was a lot of fun to catch up and about a 20-30 minute drive for everyone. Jack enjoyed seeing his grandma & grandpa and of course Auntie Em! They also brought the prints from my photo session....one of which was this beautiful piece (this was hung on Sunday afternoon.)

We spent a good part of Saturday at home. Josh had some rounding to do, so Jack & I did our typical morning routine. After lunch, we went to Lowe's to price a few items and ended up finding an instant home improvement project. Later that evening, we headed to the York's for dinner. Jack had such a good time playing with Andrew and his toys! These two are so fun to watch. Jack really loved watching James & Josh juggle, and we all enjoyed watching Andrew taking a few steps here and there. That kid is going to be walking in no time...he's eager and has no fear. Our little guy on the other hand is still content to crawl as fast as the wind. He did get up behind Andrew's push car and go for a quick stroll. Andrea got it on video and it was hilarious. He kept running into things and eventually toppled over it head first! Don't worry, he was fine. I think our laughter helped stifle his tears!

After church on Sunday, Josh began to tackle the mini-home improvement project to only to find we had purchased the wrong size...or had we? Anyway, after a quick trip back to Lowe's, he was back at work only to find that this was definitely the wrong size and the first one was going to have to work. So, after his second trip to Lowe's (third in 24 hours), we had the project finished. So, now we have enclosed blinds on the back door. I've been letting Jack scurry around without his shoes the last couple of days hoping that will help him in his cruising. Thanks to the bare feet he has rediscovered the joy of his tasty toes! Silly boy!

Time to (thow a) Party!

Friday morning Jack and I left town and headed for Athens. We had a shower to help throw for one of my best friends, Terri, back in Winterville. On the way we stopped in Commerce and met another great friend, Brooke and her 3 cute boys at Chick-fil-A for breakfast. They live in South Georgia but were up visiting family and friends for the week. Although it was a brief visit, it was great to see them and meet the newest member of the family, baby Ben. Here are a couple of pictures of these cuties!










Once Jack and I arrived in Athens we met up with my mom and did some shopping and running errands. Later we went over to Watkinsville to meet my dad for lunch. Jack wasn't a very cooperative diner until Grandpa got out the ice cream. Since we were in the neighborhood we stopped by to see one of my best friends at work, Stacie. We got a tour of her new office. Finally, we headed home for Jack to get a nap.

Friday night Stacie joined us for dinner at Rafferty's, one of my favorites. Yummy...cheese fries and soup and salad! Jack did pretty well until it got a bit too close to his bedtime. We headed home although Stacie asked about stopping by the Haunted House first...ha, ha!




On Saturday, I needed to help with party preparations so mom watched Jack while I helped get things ready. It was a bit hectic, but we pulled it off. Angie & Jill, two great friends and excellent fellow hostesses, did a great job. We had the party at a pavillion in their backyards. It was a lot of fun. Here's Jack flirting with Angie's daughter Andee Claire. Jack and AC have the same exact birthday; they were born just a few hours apart. I'm not sure she was in the mood for his antics.

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.

Fun on the Fourth

We had a wonderful holiday weekend. The fun began on Thursday afternoon when Jack's Grandma and Grandpa arrived for a visit. We played all afternoon and made trips to both marts (Wal & K) looking for printer cartridges. (Thanks, mom & dad...I dread these trips a lot less with shopping companions!) Once Josh was home from work, we loaded up and headed out for dinner at one of our favorites, Zanzo's Italino Ristorante (it's on the square in Clarkesville.) For those of you from around here, you know how great it is and should go more often. Those of you reading from afar should put it on your list for when you make your mountain and lake trips and pass through Clarkesville.

On Friday after breakfast, we headed to the booming metropolis that is downtown Demorest to watch the July 4th parade. We had never been and weren't sure what to expect. I kept asking friends, but most of them skip out on this event (I guess everyone is usually out of town). I've been pretty adamant about checking out as much stuff in our community that is offered. I guess I feel like it's the only way for us to decide what traditions we'll continue as Jack gets older.

We arrived downtown in plenty of time to walk around and see the dozen arts and crafts booths (kind of slim pickings). We found a spot in the shade to watch the festivities...although it happened to be across from the stage, which meant very loud singing. Anyway, Jack fell asleep just before the parade began, but awoke in time to catch part of the show. Overall, it was a decent parade, but was mostly full of candidates for office and lots of candy for the kids.

After lunch, I filled Jack's pool with some water and took him out for a swim. He enjoyed it, but not as much as he likes the big pools. It took him a bit to warm up to the cool water. He even recovered nicely after a tipping over incident, but was pushed over the edge when Josh created a mohawk with his hair. It was pretty funny to everyone but him. We're still working with him on taking a good joke.

We grilled out for dinner before mom and dad headed back home. Then Josh and I packed up Jack and headed over toward Piedmont College for the fireworks display. We weren't really sure where would be a good place to watch from, but we found a place that we were tickled over. There was plenty of grassy areas and the fireworks were out over the pond. It was so picturesque. We've already decided to return there next year even earlier in the evening with a picnic, games, etc. Maybe we can talk others into joining us!

We weren't sure how Jack would enjoy the fireworks, but he didn't cry at all. He was pretty exhausted from a long day hanging out with his grandma and grandpa. He was a little fussy while we waited for them to start, which explains why his outfit is soaking wet...we appeased him with water from a water bottle. He would take in a bit and spit about half of it back out. Once the show began, he watched pretty intently. It was a perfect day (except for the fact that we made it to DQ at 10:03...no ice cream to cap it off)! Oh, well!

As usual...there are dozens more photos on our Picasa site.

Day Trip to Athens

On Saturday, we spent the day in Athens with family and friends. The day kicked off with a visit at Papa's house (Jack's great grandfather) where we were able to catch up with Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Bill after their trip to Fripp Island. They filled us in on all the great seafood they ate and how nice the beach was. I look forward to taking Jack to the beach soon. Jack was once again fascinated by Aunt Elizabeth. Maybe it's her funny glasses or the way she talks, but he spent a long time studying her and getting to know her better.

For lunch, we picked up some pork, ribs and stew from our favorite barbeque place, Fresh Air. It was delicious! We took the meat and all the fixings to my parents house to share. Jack played with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Emily and Jonathan. Later my friends Stacie and Terri arrived to play with Jack. We all watched the UGA baseball game. Stacie and Terri enjoyed entertaining Jack with his dancing and singing duck, an Easter gift from his grandparents. It is quite a comical little toy.

Later, Stacie put Jack's hair into a pony tail. Although, I think he looked more like Pebbles from the Flinstones because it just stuck straight up. He was a pretty good sport about it. Hopefully, he'll laugh at this picture one day rather than hate us for it! (By the way, we're on naptime # 2 for today and this one is not going so well!) If I had nothing to do but take a nap at 2:30 everyday, I'd love it. For some reason, Jack doesn't feel the same way despite the fact that he is so tired he can't see straight or behave pleasantly.

Saturday night, everyone gathered at my grandparent's house to celebrate Grandaddy's birthday with a fish fry. It was a typical large crowd minus a few main members. Jack enjoyed sitting with his grandad, who did all sorts of typical grandad stuff like letting him drink from is sweet tea. He seemed to really like it...no surprise there!

Jack also had a chance to be entertained by his many cousins. He enjoyed getting to know "Jon Jon" (or Jonathan). They enjoyed the swing together. Jack's last stop of the evening before we packed up and headed home was a rest on Mimi's lap (his great grandmother). Mimi has so much preparation to host so many people at her house that she rarely gets to relax and enjoy much of it. Thanks for all you do and did to make it a great birthday party for Grandaddy. Happy 88th Birthday, Grandaddy!