The Gift of Easter

Per a friend's suggestion, I read One Thousand Gifts. It has really changed my perspective on day to day life. One of the challenges of the book is to find one thousand gifts to be thankful for during the course of a year. It doesn't sound too hard, but some days are certainly easier than others. From the cozy bed to the warm shower that we normally don't even consider, God has filled our lives. On this Easter, I thought I'd share with you all just a few of the highlights over the past few months.

6. Baby Tylenol

22. Motherly instinct

37. Faithful friends

42. Healing

53. Finding something I thought I'd lost

64. John Thomas babbling to keep himself awake

77. Chunky baby legs

85. Amazing Grace

92. A husband who loves

102. Good news

113. Morning snuggle family time

128. Silence

139. Watching John Thomas sleep snuggled on his daddy

148. A glorious sunset

158. Knowing He is listening

168. The freedom of choice

177. Forgiveness

189. A clapping baby boy

195. Nibbling on baby toes

202. Long distance friends

211. Ticklish spots

228. Sleeping with the windows open

236. Choosing thankfulness over discontentment

247. Bleeding hearts in bloom

251. Knowing I can count on Him

265. Doing a favor

276. Personal mail

285. Infant wonderment

297. John Thomas kissing his daddy goodnight

302. Jason's patience

319. My first first birthday party

328. Child joy

335. Leap frog barn animals strewn across the kitchen floor

339-41. His life, His death, His resurrection

I know lots of people get Easter baskets and pictures taken with the Easter bunny, but I just couldn't do it this year. These two eggs are the extent of John Thomas' Easter loot. He was pretty entertained for about ten minutes.

Of course, we all dressed up for church today. I'm just so thankful for the gift of a new life and that I get to share my life with my Oh-so-adorable hubby and our precious babe. There's not an Easter bunny in the world that can top that!

Birthday Extravaganza!

Because of an unexpected illness, we had to postpone John Thomas' birthday party until Sunday afternoon. There has to be at least one good thing about getting strep throat the day before your party; extending the celebration. John Thomas has opened up at least one present everyday for the past four days! I'm already feeling a little sorry for the ladies at daycare, because they will be dealing with one spoiled boy on Monday. But hey, you only turn one once, right? I figured I should start with a picture of John Thomas a) wearing a new outfit his Gramma gave him and b) wearing something besides his birthday suit, which you'll notice is a common theme throughout the blog.

Thursday was his actual birthday. We let him open up the present from Momma and Daddy. As you can see, the bow was a total hit!

And the gift turned out to be a smashing success as well.

Friday, all the grandparents and the Bradley's came over. John Thomas hit the jackpot with some new, cute clothes, and a Radio Flyer wagon. He had Gramma trained and within minutes, he was riding in style around the house. Even though he wasn't feeling that well, he still had a good time.

Sunday was the official bash, and a what a bash it was. Eighteen of our closest friends and family crowded into our house for grilled burgers, mac n'cheese and all the trimmins. It also happened to be a beautiful day for a cookout. We even made the little ones pose for a pic outside. I have realized it is virtually impossible to get three infants to sit still and smile for more than a millisecond. John Thomas opened all sorts of awesome gifts, from racing cars and a fire truck to cute clothes and a storybook Bible. We are so thankful for the awesome gifts, but truly feel blessed to have our amazing friends and family to share this day with.

Jason was in charge of ordering the cake. My greatest fear was that I would make an ugly and less than tasty cake. He apparently has a connection in the cake biz and if you're ever in need of a delicious and cool cake, you should try Sugarbuzz.

It was a "smashingly" good cake. At first, John Thomas started out a little timid but within minutes, he was covered from eyebrow to kneecap and had to be whisked off to the tub for and emergent bath.

Even though John Thomas wasn't feeling one hundred percent, I know he had a blast all weekend long. Thank you to the grandparents and Nana Gay for helping set everything up, cleaning up and making sure that John Thomas had a flawless first birthday bash. Thank you to our friends for helping us celebrate our son's first year. Our hearts are full.

Happy First Birthday John Thomas!

It has to be a special occasion to break from our Sunday blogging routine, and indeed it is. Today our little baby boy turns one year old. This week has been a mixture of all sorts of emotions, from disbelief and sadness at how fast it has flown, to joy and amazement at how much he has grown and changed. All I know is that time really does fly when you're having fun! I wrote our baby bear a letter and thought I would share it with you.

Happy Birthday Snuggle Bear (I dread the day you won't let me call you that anymore),

One year ago today, your dad and I carefully yet hurriedly drove to the hospital around 8:30 p.m. and by 10:30, we were the proud parents of a beautiful 6 lb. 10 oz., 21.5 inches long baby boy. We had no idea how you would transform our lives forever for the better. In the first year of your life, you have been very busy growing and learning and teaching us everything we know about being a Momma and Daddy. You have also taught us a love we never knew existed and we pray thanks every night for the gift of you.

Over the past twelve months you have really started to show your personality. For instance, you are a very silly boy. You love to laugh, smile and snuggle. In fact, nothing warms my heart more than when we are just cracking each other up and can't stop laughing. You have also become quite the charmer. Seldom a lady walks by that doesn't get your coy "hey I know I'm cute, but I'll be sweet about it" grin. I pray that you always use your charm for good, just like your daddy.

You have adored Chester from day one and I'm so glad that you love him as much as we do. You have to say good morning to him everyday, you love to play with him and his toys, and you love to crawl all over him when you're wearing nothing but a diaper. To watch you two together fills my heart with joy.

We have also learned about your likes and dislikes. For instance, you love to be outside, but hate to have grass touching your bare feet. You have never culled a single food, but probably get the most excited about fruit, steak, pasta and anything that I'm eating. You enjoy being read to right before nap or bed time. You are a really cute dancer and are the most talkative when you're trying not to take a nap. And I always know when you're getting ready to be a stinker because you chuckle at the prospect of getting into something forbidden (especially Chester's water bowl, your nightlight and the house plants). I hope your telltale chuckle stays around for a while, so that we can have a warning signal before you do something wild.

John Thomas, you have brightened our lives, filled our hearts and helped us discover greater faith and love. You are our special boy and while we wish we could preserve these fleeting days and cherish them forever, we relish watching you learn and grow, with each new milestone bringing us excitement and pride. Lil bear, your birthday was one of the best days of our lives and although you will be getting presents and cake, please know that you are the real gift.

With all our heart,

Momma and Daddy

XOXO pat, pat, pat

If you have a few minutes, you should check out the video I made of John Thomas first year.

http://www.vimeo.com/22320540

Hail of a Good Time

So I gave up cursing for Lent. Not that I curse that much at all, but occasionally there will be some unforeseen misfortune that inadvertently causes a slip before I have a chance to catch it. Having impressionable baby ears close by has been a great motivator to let it go altogether. But I couldn't avoid the homophonal pun after we got home on Thursday afternoon only seconds before a hail storm raged through. John Thomas and I just sat in the garage taking it all in. Our ex-neighbors, Tommy and Stephanie, came in town for the weekend. It was awesome to spend some time catching up and we even got to go out on a couples date, sans baby. We ate more Nama's sushi than I care to admit and got beat playing a few games of pool afterwards. Of course it's never easy to leave our sweet baby bear at home. We left the camera with the babysitter so that we might have some good blogging pictures. I think this one must have been taken shortly after we left. As you can tell, he wasn't a very happy camper to see us go.

I don't think he fretted too long, because he was pretty jovial in rest of the pictures.

Our absence didn't affect his appetite or his bedtime, because he ate great and slept all night long.

We aren't sure if he'll be walking by his first birthday, but this weekend he has put in numerous laps across the living room behind his walker. The top picture was taken Saturday morning, and you can tell that he's flashing his fake smile while he focuses on the task at hand.

It's amazing that 24 hours later, he was much more comfortable. He hasn't figured out how to turn the lion around when he hits a dead end, so maybe this week we'll teach him how to use the reverse.

I think Chester enjoyed having some company this weekend too. Between the McCain's and the babysitter, he's gotten all sorts of extra attention. Chester deserves some extra love because is the unsung hero of the Kirkpatrick family. He lets John Thomas crawl all over him and poke on his face, licks up all the dropped (or tossed)baby grub, and never complains about any of it.

Spring Break Buddy

John Thomas was the best Spring Break buddy ever. He laughed at most of my jokes, wanted to do whatever I was doing, and never complained about my cooking. Although the better part of the week would seem boring to most (reading, napping, eating, playing outside, walks...), it simply couldn't have been any better. I hope that John Thomas and I both survive our first day back in school and the real world tomorrow, because it will definitely be an adjustment.
If he wasn't a momma's boy already, after a week of snuggling, laughing and shooting the breeze, we've both grown even more attached. In his eleventh month, he has sprouted his fifth tooth, claps pretty regularly, can wave goodbye (but rarely doesn't when anyone is leaving) and has learned a new word besides momma and dadda. Okay maybe he did or maybe he didn't, but I really think he's started saying "Chester." It sounds more like "chestw" but the inflection is exactly how we say it and he's said it three times in the last two days all while looking at the dog.

I'm still trying to figure out the caption for this facial expression.

As some of you already know, we ventured to Cincinnati to cap off our Spring Break week. Several of my college girl friends live their with their families, so it was a great time to get everyone together for a mini reunion. I'm happy to report that John Thomas was quite the sport about being in the car for four hours. The key is to put daddy in charge of wearing him out before his nap, so that by the time he hits the car seat, it's lights out. The weather was nice enough to go for a stroll yesterday along the riverfront. I learned that John Thomas takes much better pictures when he knows the person behind the camera.

Last night all the adults broke away for a very nice dinner at The Celestial, which has both fantastic views and delicious food. From left to right: Troy, Andrew, Jason, Katie, Jen (our gracious hostess for the weekend), Cara and Me. We had a great time and I am thankful that they were able to arrange for babysitters for all five of our kids.

I know John Thomas definitely made some new friends on this trip. I also learned a new way to make John Thomas crack up. My friend Katie, who really wants to be his new bff--but I think he's going to make her work a little harder, put him on her head. I wouldn't be surprised if he's sore from all the laughter. It was great to see some college buds and catch up. I am so lucky that this lanky girl from Powell ended up as roommates to some pretty great gals from Cincinnati, Nashville, and Athens.

101 Blog Posts

If this picture doesn't beckon you to read this week's blog, nothing will. Spring Break officially started at 3:30 on Friday afternoon and it's already been so much fun! This photo of John Thomas and his sweet little buddy, Charlotte, was taken at Cades Cove on Saturday. I'll get back to all that fun later.

Over the past week or so, Jason and I have discovered that John Thomas loves to put his soccer ball in any bucket, box or crevice he can find. So on Friday, daddy splurged on a basketball goal. John Thomas figured it out immediately. I will say, that his dad and I have had a few healthy games of "horse." We are both soooo competitive, I'm already worried that it's going to rub off on John Thomas.
Okay, back to the fun part. We took a family double date to the mountains on Saturday with the McAffry's. The weather could not have been any better. We had so much fun exploring, picnicking and soaking up the company. And, with two of the cutest babies this side of the Smokies, we had plenty to smile about and keep us entertained.

If that wasn't enough fun for one day, it was topped off with a wedding shower with some of my girl friends. Brooke, the blondie in the middle, is getting married in just a few weeks and we couldn't be happier for the new couple. Sunday was another gorgeous day. Besides the fact that we forgot to set our clocks forward and had to get ready for church in less than 30 minutes, it couldn't have been any better. The weather was so A-mazing, Jason even mowed. Moreover, I got a pedicure for the first time since our wedding, and I spent lots of quality time with my two favorite people in the whole world.

I had to end with one of my favorite pictures of the weekend. There are lots of perks to having Sarah as a best friend, but one of my favorite things is the way she can capture our family.

No Shirt Required

It's been a busy weekend around the Kirkpatrick camp. Gramma showed up on Saturday afternoon and it's been nothing but fun, games and homemade meatloaf since then.
Speaking of fun and games, we attended a fabulous surprise birthday party for our college bud, Jeb. Happy birthday again Jeb. Anytime I'm needing a good laugh, I will just think of the look on your face when you were being the "monkey tamer." It definitely takes the cake as one of the more interesting parties I've ever been to...and that's saying something. Thanks Cathy for throwing such a splendid soiree.

I guess while the rents are away, the baby and Gramma will play because John Thomas feasted on his first spaghetti dinner. All I know is he was wearing a completely new outfit when we got home. Now he really looks like his daddy, orange beard and all!

Thank goodness we had a few extra hands around the house this weekend, because we (meaning Jason and his dad) had to fix the broken garbage disposal. I guess fatherhood is really starting to bring out the handyman in my hubby.I had to leave you with one of the cutest pictures ever. Our little babe will be almost eleven months old in one week. We really do fall more and more in love every day and, with a cutie like this, who can blame us?