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!

Meet Priscilla

I officially worked my last day of the 2010-2011 school year on Friday. Woo hoo! Even though it was a relatively light week at work, it was busy. John Thomas managed to squeeze in one more illness before his last day at daycare too. He went to the doctor on Tuesday for strep throat. I went to the doctor on Wednesday for a sinus infection and somehow, I think he has also managed to catch the croup, which was making its way around the room at daycare. I'm sort of self-diagnosing the second ailment, but all the symptoms are there. I'm really starting to think he's had nearly every single disease that he didn't get a vaccine for. Regardless of fevers or respiratory congestion, he's found time to laugh and smile and I think he really loves the extra TLC. Who wouldn't enjoy sponge baths, extra cuddle time and all your favorite foods?

Most of you who know me know that I am the textbook definition of arachnophic. I can't even kill spiders because they scare me so much. Yet somehow, I am fascinated by this really large, beefy, hairy spider that has made his home between the screen and the window in John Thomas' room. Her name is Priscilla and she has hairy legs and green eyes and if I hadn't mentioned she was a spider, you might think she was someone's European aunt or grandmother or something. Anyway, John Thomas enjoys watching her crawl all over the window --so I guess she can stay around...for now. I knew having a baby would change me, but I really never thought I'd see the day when a live spider would be aloud to reside anywhere near my home. I've even started bird watching! Next thing you know I'll be saying something like, "those kids and their music...you can't understand a word they are saying."

Dusting Off the Dancing Shoes

Our whirlwind weekend actually kick started on Wednesday when Jason's best friend, Zach, his wife, Liz, and their daughter and cutie pie, Stella Jane, came in for the weekend. As expected, she and John Thomas got along great! He's yet to meet a cute little girl he didn't like. We had the honor of attending the wedding of some of our close friends, Jeb and Cathy. It was a beautiful day, beautiful ceremony and she was a beautiful bride. Thanks guys for including us in your celebration.

Because it was such a hectic weekend, we called in reinforcements (i.e. Grandma Molly and Grandpa Danny) to help out with the babes. It was truly one of the first nights I've been able to really relax and have fun, sans baby, in a very long time. We even stayed out until after midnight, which is more than I can say for this past New Year's! I'm not kidding when I say I'm a little sore today from cutting a rug. It's always nice to get together with our college friends and catch up (Thanks Mary, Jen, and Nicole for such a fun afternoon and evening --I had a blast!)

Off the Grid

Starting at 4:15 on Friday afternoon, the Kirkpatrick family took ourselves off the grid for 24 hours. As part of my new small group study at church, one of the challenges/tasks of this week was to really tune in to your family and tune out all the interruptions. We had a really good time and I hope that it's something, to a less drastic extent, we continue on a regular basis. I also discovered that I'm slightly addicted to my phone and had to fight the habit to pick it up every time I walked by.

John Thomas has officially been assigned his first chore, opening and closing the garage door. We figured we better start early teaching him responsibility ;).

So anyone who's ever seen our boy eat, knows he can pack it away. I can already envision the swollen grocery bills when he hits those teenage years. I thought I'd let him try some pasta salad and , not surprisingly, he loved it. He especially liked the olives, but I just like watching him eat each olive slice by poking his finger through the whole. He can be so silly.

This was an impromptu shot between playing ball with Chester. It just might be my new favorite picture.

Last year I think I got a gift certificate to a day spa. And, while I remember enjoying the massage, it wasn't something I will cherish forever. But this year, I got one of my first handmade mommy gifts. I know several years from now I'm going to look back at those little palm and finger prints and ache to have more days with my little boy. But for now, I'm just going to continue to relish in all the adventures of the day to day. This Mother's Day weekend was perfect! In fact, we were so busy having fun that we didn't take any pictures. Friday we went to "First Friday" downtown. It's where local artists and art galleries have free shows. I'm not exaggerating when I say we were in bed and asleep by 9:30 Friday night and didn't wake up until 7:00 Saturday morning. Good thing we were well rested because we had a yard work extravaganza all day on Saturday. Tilling the garden, putting in flowers, trimming the bushes, mowing and watering. John Thomas ate up all the outdoor festivities. Sunday, after church, I put the garden in and then we had the whole afternoon to play in our beautiful yard under our favorite tree. We also went for a walk and grilled out some super juicy and delicious Mother's Day cheeseburgers. All around, it couldn't have been any better. Happy Mother's Day to you Mom and Molly and to all my other mommy friends. I hope your day was a special as you are.

It's Always With Love

I have never claimed to be Paula Dean, but everything I try to cook--I cook with love. I've got the burnt marks to prove it! I know lots of families around the Southeast are thankful to be alive and have a home after the crazy weather this week and our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are coping with the destruction left by the storms. On a family note, last Sunday, John Thomas really started getting interested in walking. Mind you, he must have two of Momma's or Daddy's fingers to hang on, but he's really starting to move.

Saturday couldn't have been a more perfect day for a trip to Cades Cove with some of our best family friends. While all the girls were sweetly playing together with books and balls and dolls, John Thomas was all boy. He spent hours playing in the dirt, finding all sorts of rocks and twigs to put in his mouth and generally soaking up the great outdoors. I learned a valuable mommy lesson, make that two valuable mommy lessons. One, don't dress a baby boy in white when getting ready to spend hours in the dirt. Two, when playing in creeks with rocks, make sure that all baby appendages are accounted for at all times. He almost got his perfect little baby foot caught between two rocks, but thank goodness the crisis was averted.

All the daddy's got a chance to do some baby bonding, because the girls left on a mini hike for awhile. When we came back, all babies and children were accounted for and perfectly content. As we knew they would be.

When we were on our excursion, we each (illegally) took a stone from the creek bed. After putting some thought into it, I know that it took years to wear those stones so smooth. And, these ladies help make all my rough places smoother too. Thank you girls.