Decked Out

We had a pleasantly uneventful week here on the Kirkpatrick ranch. John Thomas officially graduated to the big boy tub in the bathroom. He loves to splash in the water and soak mom in the process.
Gramma mailed us some new books this week. Among his favorites are "Hand, Hand, Thumb" and "Farm Animals."

I made a really good salad this week from our home grown tomatoes. It had fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette and a dash of olive oil. It was delicious!

I'm sure you've been so excited to see our new deck. After a few rain delays, we finally have a finished product and it's awesome. I think we'll be having a deck warming party real soon.

The two best features are the built-in benches and the stone fire pit. I can't wait until it gets cool enough to warrant a fire. I'm fairly certain that Jason will be breaking it in this week, even if it is 100 degrees outside. As you can see from the picture, the builder made a custom lid so that little John Thomas wouldn't fall in.

Saturday night, I had the opportunity to go to my friend's wedding shower. Amanda (in the center of the photo) is getting married in Savannah in the Fall. I'm sure she will make a stunning bride. On the home front, Jason was in charge of putting JT to bed. I think it went fairly well because John Thomas was slumbering peacefully when I got home. Aside: Sarah is due this week and Baby Charlotte can't get here soon enough!

Our power went out today for over two hours. Our thermostat read 81 degrees before power was restored. We all had to shed a layer of clothing to stay comfortable. It's good to know that John Thomas had a great attitude about the whole ordeal.

We spend some part of every day on a blanket, on the floor in JT's nursery. He grabs toys, we sing together and he loves to be read to. Chester, however, loves the playtime because he gets to be in on all the action too!