Unplugged, But Not By Choice

This week we had not one, not two, but three different days of violently stormy weather. All three days we lost power for several hours at a time, and for a few days we were actually without cable or internet access. There were over twenty trees and several power lines strewn about the neighborhood by the end of the week. Thankfully we just lost one vinyl shutter. Even though the weather was scary, our garden and yard are very happy. In fact this week we picked our first cucumbers and another full-sized squash!

We had to get creative around the house to keep ourselves (meaning our little curious 14 month old babe) occupied. John Thomas discovered he could take all the old t-shirts out of this drawer and he was just the right size. I also organized our attic and garage and plan on making a trip to Goodwill in the next day or so. I love getting rid of clutter. In spite of the volatile weather, Friday John Thomas and I headed up to Lake Norris to spend some time with Nana Gay at her houseboat. As you can gather from the picture, we all had a really nice time. Next week we are flying to Colorado to spend time with Zach, Liz and Stella. I'm anxious about the flight but excited about the visit. To my faithful readers (Mom and Molly), the blog might be late --so don't get worried.

A Hallmark Weekend

We had lots to celebrate this weekend! It was a crazy busy week, between VBS and Jason's first week back after vacation, we were all cylinders go all week long. It was nice to have a relaxing weekend of grilling out and spending some much needed down time. We even spent some time watching John Thomas toddle about the house (only a few steps at a time --here or there!). We also gathered our first harvest of squash!

There was only one itsy bitsy tiny problem. Literally.

 I hope that both our dads have had great days too. Happy Father's Day Dad and Danny! As much as I love a day set aside for hard working dads, I think it's even more exciting that on this day seven years ago, Jason and I got married. I found some old pics in the Kirkpatrick archives to help commemorate the occasion.

Almost Paradise

When I started packing for our beach vacation on Thursday, John Thomas was made sure that he didn't get left behind. Unfortunately we had to leave one Kirkpatrick at home, but Chester was in great hands at the Reed's. Thank you for being such great doggy sitters! The trip down was eerily smooth. We took one lengthy pit stop at a church playground, and still made it to Charleston in about six and a half hours.

Of course we had to forgo the unpacking and hit the beach. John Thomas loved it! He loved the sand, sea shells, ocean and especially the pelicans and sea gulls. Not a bird, kite or parasailor went unnoticed! The hardest part of the whole trip was getting our little sun beam to sit still for what I now call "sun scream." It's like Chester and baths, he hates getting one but loves being clean. John Thomas hates getting slathered down in sun scream but loves getting to play on the beach and in the pool.

Of course I made the customary purchase of beach paraphernalia (pails, shovels, rakes...) and in regular JT fashion, he preferred Mother Nature's toys. Thankfully both sets of grand parents were able to join us this week. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, the grandparents or the babe! 

The grand parents were such a help, including making sure that our little beach bunny never missed a snack. What could be better than coming in from an afternoon at the pool to be hand fed a juicy ripe pear?

Although unplanned, one night Papa and John Thomas were dressed exactly alike. Aren't they both so handsome?

This is the only picture of all three of us together where no one is in a bathing suit. In the best interest of the public (and all three blog readers) I have decided to spare you the image of those pictures. I will say, we had an amazing week! Thanks grandparents for being so much fun and so helpful. If I'm being totally honest, the ride home left something to be desired. He slept for the first leg, but was awake and generally miserable for the second half of the trip.

All in all, I'd say the second annual Charleston Kirkpatrick family vacation was a raving success!