Kirkpatrick's Corner

Who Is That Masked Man?

2012-02-12T13:51:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to our world of toddler adventures and baby boys that are growing so fast, it's hard to believe. First off, it's a good thing we didn't make a New Year's resolution to lounge around the house, because we would be failing miserably. We have been busy busy. John Thomas started "tee-teeing" in the potty a few weeks ago. He doesn't ask to use it, but whenever he wakes up and before evening bath time, he will sit and go like a big boy! I know there is still a ways to go before he's officially potty trained, but hey, it's definitely a start!

He's also discovered a few new favorite things to do around the house. One of his new hiding spots is in the kitchen cabinet. He takes all of the pots out to make a hideout that's just the right size.

Whenever he comes out, he says, "I see you!" Did I mention I'm crazy about this boy?

We've also had lots of time with Gramma, Poppy, Nana Gay and Tony! My parents came in town last weekend and it's been awesome having them here! Lots of family time and help around the house. We're seriously going to miss them when they head back to Wisconsin tomorrow!

Gramma also wanted to see how John Thomas would do at the barber, since he was in need of a haircut. As evidenced by the picture, he wouldn't even put the cape on. So it was up to Momma the barber to work her magic again. When I say magic, I mean try to cut his hair as fast as possible while leaving his ears firmly affixed to his head, all while he tries to get away from me. He actually did better than ever for this haircut.

John Thomas has also started wearing everyone else's shoes around the house. He puts them on himself and, so far, has put the correct shoes on the correct feet. I'm pretty sure that's just coincidence and not that our nearly 22 month old can tell his left from his right.

He's an equal opportunity shoe borrower.

And he looks equally cute in all of them as well. I couldn't resist just one bath time picture. The bath is really more of a miniature swimming pool these days. So if you ever get to help with bath time around here, you might want to dress appropriately. On Tuesday, I'll get to celebrate Valentine's Day with my little valentine who will officially be 22 months old. I simply can't believe it!

Ugly Beautiful

2012-01-29T16:15:00.000-05:00

     So if you're coming to Kirkpatrick's Corner this week in hopes of seeing really cute pictures of an adorable little boy and his faithful dog, Chester, you're just going to have to check back in two weeks. This week, I feel like I have to share something a bit more real. So here goes...
     Let me start by saying, please don't comment on this blog, or "like" it on Facebook, or send me a text or card. I am not sharing this with anyone for any other reason than it's time to let go. Today, I'm letting go of my secret. It's not a secret to many of you, but it's definitely something I have intentionally edited from my public, professional and blog-posting life. For the last six months I have been coping with and grieving the greatest loss of my life. It's not the tragic death of a loved one, technically. Rather it's the tragic death of the loss of my marriage. I'm going to omit details and finger-pointing, because it has nothing to do with writing this post. All I'll say is trying to overcome the loss of the only love I've ever known has been devastating. But, with the grace of God, the love of friends and family and the will to heal---I have been working through it.
     Since I cannot change the past, and I have learned that I cannot control the future, I have realized that the best way for me to deal with my new life is to try and learn from it as much as I can. Here's only a brief description of what I've garnered so far:

1. I am not in control and, even though I tried very hard, I have never been in control of my future. For more years than I care to acknowledge, I truly believed that if I made the right decisions--everything would always be fine. In a nutshell, I've learned that I make a horrible god.

2. Before all of this, I've never had to rely on my faith so much. Until last summer, I can honestly say that I've never had to call out to God in desperation. What a blessed life. I had lived thirty-two years and never hurt enough to beg for His help. I have learned that He keeps his promises.

3. I have learned that happiness isn't a guarantee, but neither is sadness. Life if full of the ugly beautiful. The miracle of babies, the unexplained loss of loved ones, natural disasters, the undeniable beauty of sunsets on snow-covered mountains, the kindness of a stranger. What I know, is that those moments that make me smile or take my breath away are not to be taken for granted. I took many things for granted. But in the backdrop of my recent life experience, I know that those moments of joy, of laughing till your crying, or the warm hug of the people that matter the most in the world are the most precious gifts. And in this life here, in the ugly-beautiful, I should relish it a little more.

4. John Thomas will never know that he saved my life. When I didn't know how to get out of bed, or couldn't fathom eating, I did it for him. He is my joy. He makes me smile, he is the sole provider of most all my hugs and kisses these days, and I am a very blessed mother. I am thankful for the past thirteen years of my life with Jason and the product of our love was our son. I wouldn't change THAT for anything.

In closing, I feel like I need to acknowledge that I have made lots of mistakes in the past and I'm, in no way, blaming anyone for what has happened. Blaming doesn't lead to healing, forgiveness does. To those of you who have supported either one of us, thank you. I can't imagine being a celebrity and having to go through this very painful process in the public eye. And I know I'm blogging about this, so to ask for discretion seems absurd. But what we need, what anyone needs who is going through a tough time, is love, support and prayers.

Extreme Fun!

2012-01-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday John Thomas turned twenty-one months old! In case you're not great at math, that means he will be a two year old in three months! OMG! Our not-so little boy is changing everyday! He now loves to brush his teeth, much to his father's delight. He also will repeat anything you say. Some of my favorites lately are: "Wane wane go way", "Oopy daisy" and "I luv vu."

We had a full week after New Years before I had to go back to work. This was awesome because we were able to do all sorts of fun stuff. One day we drove over to see Mamaw, my 93 year old grandmother. Considering it was over two hours getting there and two hours getting home, he did great! And I know we made her day!

We were also able to have some friends over to play and do some finger painting. I'm sure there were some very happy grandparents and great grandparents who opened up mailboxes to find some of John Thomas' masterpieces this week.

We also built blanket forts and went to the library a few times for Baby Bookworms. Seriously, we had a blast all week!

And thanks to my friend, Angelina, some of us girls ended up volunteering to help build a house for Extreme Makeover Home Edition this past Friday night. Please notice all of the clothes. We all had on about five layers because it was 20 degrees during our shift (8:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.). We had so much fun carrying stone, drywall, mud, and 2x4s and getting dirty for a great cause!

This picture was taken about five hours in. Those hats are hot! Notice Angelina's absence, because she never sat down. She was practically running the place by the time our shift was over.

In spite of being a little sore, we ventured out to Maggie and Jeremy's Saturday night to watch Tebow get stomped. They have two little girls, Caroline and Hannah, so I think Jeremy kind of likes having a little boy around every once in a while. On a different note of interest, some of you may remember a post from the summer that suggested I might get published. Well, I've been working very hard, and this week I sent in the final edited version to the publisher. There is still a lot of work to do, but it's starting to feel very real!

Auld Lang Syne

2012-01-01T14:19:00.000-05:00

I'll admit, I don't even know what Auld Lang Syne means. I hope it means, "it's gonna be a great year," because that's what we could all use. So far it's off to a decent start, considering I don't have to go back to work until Friday. Let me apologize in advance for all of the pictures on the blog this week. Believe it or not, I actually left some photos out, even though you probably can't tell. I guess I'll start with a quick (sort of) Christmas recap. We've gotten to spend lots of time with our family and friends over the past two weeks. Mom and I tried to take John Thomas to the mall to meet Santa and ride the train. Meeting Santa was a flop. John Thomas refused to get anywhere near the jolly old guy, so I guess we'll have to try again next year. On the other hand, the train was a total hit. He loved riding around in it so much that I had trouble getting him off the train when the ride was over. If I'm being honest, he threw a fit in the middle of the mall, including rolling around on the mall floor. I don't plan on going back to the mall with him anytime soon, for fear someone will recognize us.

My parents came in and stayed the better part of a week. He had so much fun playing with Gramma and Poppy and I know they had a blast hanging out with him!

Of course, Poppy was in charge of assembling all the Christmas fair, including a bus-slide. John Thomas was able to play on his slide early, since my parents weren't able to be here Christmas morning. He loves it!

As you can tell from the picture, he cheers himself on between each round of sliding. He is such a mess and he knows it.

This is what our tree looked like on Christmas morning. Santa did an excellent job this year in delivering a perfectly assembled (thanks Poppy) table and chairs set.

And when John Thomas woke up to Grandma Molly, Grandpa Danny, Daddy, Mommy, Chester and toys, he was a very happy boy!

I think the caption on the picture below might be something like, "this is the best morning ever!"

He didn't waste anytime digging into his stocking.

It had a few of his favorite things, including Goldfish, bubbles and Playdoh.

After the stocking, it was time for round two: the presents.

John Thomas got his first dump truck. It cracks me up that he knew exactly what to do with it when he opened it. He just dropped his bubbles in the back and took them for a spin.

The "wisest" toy he got was a stuffed owl from his Aunt Theresa. He gave it a big hug right after he got it out of the box. He is such a sweetie!

The grandparents must know him all too well, because they got him what is sure to be one of his favorite Christmas books, Bear Stays Up. In case you missed it, notice the toilet in the background. Daddy picked it out, and I'm sure it had to be the best throne on the market. It might even have a bidet. Wish us luck in our potty training efforts this year.

I wasn't sure if he'd take a nap or not, but he did. And when that lucky boy woke up, the other set of grandparents were back in town to greet him.

This boy is crazy about all of his grandparents and they are crazy about him! Watching their faces light up, brings me so much joy.

One of John Thomas' Christmas gifts from Mommy and Daddy was a four wheeler. Although this is about as close as he gotten to riding it thus far. Our boy is just not a risk-taker at all. I am very thankful for this personality trait even though he definitely didn't get it from me.

It's funny what kids think of when they don't know the function of something. To me, it is clearly a beach bucket. To him, it's clearly a fashionable, yet durable green hat.

After Christmas, I had the chance to go to Birmingham and meet the newest McCain, Marren Emma. Stephanie and Tommy are doing great! They are all adjusting to their new schedules, but it's obvious that their home is full of love. Is it me, or is Marren smiling for the camera? I know that 2012 will be such a fun-filled year for them and I hope and pray that it is a blessed year for all of you too.

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-18T14:15:00.000-05:00

In the past two weeks, we've had all sorts of crazy weather. From highs in the 60s to our first flurries of snow, and now we all have runny noses. Not surprisingly, John Thomas loved the fluffy white flakes falling from the sky. I really hope we get enough snow this year to get a day or two off from school, so that we can spend the day sledding and drinking hot chocolate.

Our boy turned 20 months old this week! I think the months are actually going by quicker and quicker the older he gets. I've had to raise the rim on his goal. He's also become quite adept around the kitchen. He loves to get all the pots and lids out, set them around the kitchen and then stack them back in the cabinet. Maybe if I'm lucky, he'll love to put his toys away for another 16 years or so. I'm not holding my breath though.

I think John Thomas' haircut turned out much better than the last time. He hates getting a haircut so much, I don't know if I'll ever be ready to take him to a barber shop. Rather, I don't know if there's a barber shop in town that'll ever be ready for him.

Did I say he turned 20 months or 45? I was cooking dinner the other night and I turned around in the kitchen to see this. He had climbed up into the chair and started reading the headlines. He cracks me up sometimes.

The treat of the week was definitely Papa's mid-week visit. John Thomas got some uninterupted book time and I got a great sushi dinner courtesy of my dad! As far as we're concerned, he can come back anytime he wants.

We all knew this day was coming, and it's finally here. John Thomas has finally figured out how to climb atop Chester. And wouldn't you know, Chester lets him! To all the grandparents, especially those with a sense of humor, please don't get John Thomas a saddle for Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I hope you all have a blessed Christmas and safe and funfilled New Years. And when you wake up to shiney packages and eat lots of yummy food, please remember what we are all really celebrating. Jesus' birth is the true gift of Christmas.

Gobble Gobble

2011-12-04T12:09:00.001-05:00

As Turkey Day approached, I think John Thomas was starting to lobby for a seat at the grown up table. He now crawls up into the kitchen chairs at meal time in hopes that we will retire the high chair. If he's lucky, maybe he'll get a booster seat for Christmas.

Thanksgiving was a little different for us this year. John Thomas and I were so lucky to be invited to the Cole/McAffry Thanksgiving extravaganza. I'm not kidding when I say that their family can cook. Everything on the table (except my broccoli casserole) looked and tasted like it belonged in a gourmet magazine. While I thought the best part was the food and the company, I'm pretty sure that John Thomas' favorite part was hanging out with Lola in her oh-so-awesome ball pit in the basement. Thanks again for letting us crash your Thanksgiving guys!

It's no secret that John Thomas loves his Mommy and Daddy very much, but Chester gets most of the snuggles these days. By the looks of things, I don't think he minds too much either.

Beyond the actual T-Day festivities, the extended weekend was fairly routine. John Thomas helped me do laundry. When I say helped, I mean he loves to push the laundry basket into and out of the laundry room and play in all the bedding and pillows. I guess with the right helper, any chore can be fun.

This is my favorite part about being home for a holiday break instead of at work. I am so blessed.

This week, John Thomas got to go to a high school basketball game. He did pretty well, mostly because I brought food and he had to eat dinner there. Either way, he was right at home on my lap while I was yelling at the girls. Must be because the whole time I was pregnant, I was in the gym coaching. I know some of the fans were giving me funny looks, but evidently you can take the coach out of the game, but you can't take the game out of the coach. We also attended the Powell Christmas Parade yesterday. Lots of fun things to look at, including the marching band, flashing police cars, and floats of people tossing treats!

Whoever said a dog is man's best friend must have been talking about my little boy and his favorite pooch. Here's a teaser for the next blog, I cut John Thomas' hair today. The good news is, it will likely grow out enough by Christmas that people won't be looking at him funny.

Raking In the Fun

2011-11-20T14:37:00.001-05:00

I have never enjoyed raking as much as I did this Fall! I'll give you one guess why. That's right, it's because I've got the cutest little yard hand around. John Thomas LOVED helping me rake the leaves and cart them to the garden.

Kids must be born with the innate ability to know what to do with a huge pile of leaves, because this guy needed no coaching at all. He was tossing them, pouncing in them and having a big time before I could finish raking the first pile.

By the end of the job, we had the process down like clockwork. I raked the leaves into a pile, John Thomas rolled in them and walked through them while I loaded them in the wheel barrel, then I loaded JT into the wheel barrel to escort the leaves to the garden. En route, he tossed the loot overboard, "leaving" a trail so that we could find our way the next time.

Chester even tried to get in on the action. I guess all the Kirkpatricks love to play in the leaves.

John Thomas is a regular Renaissance boy; yard hand, cutie pie, and sous chef extraordinaire. He had to help me cook dinner one night this week. He definitely knows his way around the kitchen, including tracking down a mixing bowl and whisk so he could help whip something up.

I'm not sure this will be impressive to anyone else, but I have to be a proud Momma for a minute. John Thomas is really starting to get good at stacking blocks and then karate chopping them down (thanks to his Daddy). This week, I noticed he was stacking the skinny cylinders on top of one another.

As you can tell, even he was impressed with himself after he managed to balance four tall cylindrical blocks on top of one another.

I captured this shot about five seconds before he chopped it down. Oh the joy of destruction that our little boy has. John Thomas and I had a nice weekend. My mom came in on Friday night, so he got to spend a little quality time with Gramma. And, my college girl friends, Jen and Katie, came in to spend Saturday with us. He was in hog heaven. Our little boy knows how to work his cute around the ladies.

He had so much fun, he even woke up with a smile on his face. Notice his eyes aren't even open, but with a great night sleep and a furry yellow dog by his side, what else could a kid need?

What a Treat!

2011-11-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

I hope you're prepared for a few Halloween pics, because I just couldn't resist how cute our little bear was all dressed up! John Thomas actually ended up with two Halloween costumes this year. I feared, after the first trial run as a silly monkey, that a two hour Boo at the Zoo costume party, might be a major meltdown. So, I made a last minute run to Wally World for a fireman suit. He was such a cute fireman, even without his hat. It's obvious Chester doesn't get enough attention anymore, because he's even willing to put on a costume if it means he gets to be the center of attention --even for a second. I think somebody needs to learn how to share the spotlight :).

John Thomas LOVED Boo at the Zoo. Tons of kids all dressed up, free candy, animals and at the very end, there was a huge disco tent. I have never seen him so full of excitement and joy in my whole life. He just danced and clapped and screamed (with a gigantic smile on his face) YAY!

There was a whole posse of us at the Zoo. (L to R: Lola (the ladybug), Sarah, Kim, Kinsley (Raggedy Anne), Me, John Thomas (the cutest fireman ever), Caroline (Jasmine), Maggie, and Hannah (I think she was a rabbit, but ditched her costume early).

Jason came over to carve pumpkins on Thursday. Of course anything that involves sharp knives has John Thomas' undivided attention.

I'm not telling which one he carved and which one I carved. But I will say, the eyebrows are a nice touch to the pumpkin on the right :). Either way, the front porch was sufficiently festive for Monday night's trick-or-treaters.

I was only a little apprehensive about putting John Thomas in his monkey suit, since the first attempt was only slightly disastrous. But, he loved it!

This was his very first time reaching for the doorbell to get his goodies. I think I enjoyed it as much as he did!

This silly monkey was all wound up by the end of the night. He only ate part of one skittle and, I'm not kidding when I say, he was jumping all over the house before bedtime.

He was making his monkey noises (hoo hoo hee hee) all night. I wonder what he's going to want to be next year?

If Halloween wasn't treat enough, Mary and her awesome nieces (Anna Claire and Katherine) came to town for their first game at Neyland Stadium. They are great young ladies and John Thomas and I loved having them around! And yes, Anna Claire's overalls were the envy of our entire row! Thanks again Katherine for letting me borrow your jersey. All these years as a UT fan (student and alum) and this was my first time sporting a jersey to the game.

After not stepping foot in Neyland stadium for two years, Mary has somehow dragged me there twice this year. I'm so lucky to have such an awesome friend. Thanks girls for such a fun weekend. Oh yeah, here are a few birthday wishes. Meredith, Jen and Cara I love you girls and hope you had/have a wonderful birthday!

Fall Break

2011-10-23T13:22:00.001-04:00

LOVE this face! Thanks to Fall Break, I got to spend even more quality time with him. Two weeks ago, my parents came in again to spend some extra time with the fam. I hope they're keeping up with their frequent flyer miles, because they'll probably be able to cash them in for a trip to Hawaii for Christmas. As always, it was wonderful to have them in. We ate well and my dad did all sorts of handy work around the house, including hanging a shelf in the laundry room and waterproofing the deck. I'm sure they'd say the best part was spending time with John Thomas.

These two really got to bond. Now when we get to Skype, they sit there and make faces at each other and crack up. Oh the simple pleasures in life!

Another perk to grandparent visits is the free babysitting. I snuck out for a Friday girl's night with some of my favorite ladies. We are some hot momma's for sure! (If I do say so myself :))

I must have been feeling really crazy, because I actually went to a concert on a weeknight for the first time since I was in college. Sarah and I went to see Mat Kearney at the Bijou. I've never been a fan of grown men in skinny jeans, but he changed my mind. He so talented, so adorable and so entertaining! I made the mature decision to take Thursday off so that I could rest, take John Thomas to his 18 month appointment and work on some school stuff. John Thomas weighs 28.3 lbs., stands at 32.5 inches tall, and his head is 80 percent larger than all other kids his age. Long story short, he is big, healthy, and extremely adorable!

We've added a chore to his list. He has full responsibility for telling Chester bye whenever we leave the house. This involves getting him a treat, saying "be goodboy" and waving bye to him as we walk out of the house. It's never too early to hand over some responsibility, right?

We are headed to Boo at the Zoo tonight. He's going to love it, so you'll have to stay tuned for the pics on the next blog!

Momma's Boy

2011-10-09T13:20:00.003-04:00

The best part about only blogging every two weeks is that there is usually more to blog about. Perhaps the biggest news of the past two weeks was the dreaded, but way overdue, haircut. Thank goodness Gramma was here to help tame the bear, I mean John Thomas, because he isn't crazy about getting his hair chopped off. Let's be honest, I'm not sure how I'd feel if I was coming towards me with beard trimmers and almost no experience.

Here at the Kirkpatrick household I can give you any haircut you want, as long as you want it high and tight. It was a little higher and a little tighter than usual because the trimmer gauge slipped and I had to even it out. Thank goodness he's too young to remember any of this. None the less, he's still looking pretty cute to me.

Last weekend we had some friends over for the Buffalo/UT game. As you can imagine, John Thomas loved being the only boy amongst several very cute lil ladies. Although, he might have a thing for older women. He seemed mesmerized by Caroline, the elementary-aged girl in black.

It might have just been the fact that his favorite lil pal, Lola, wasn't there yet. These two are too sweet together. Just last week, she started saying "JT." It's only a matter of time before she learns how to say, "I think we just need to be friends." I wonder how many more years they'll be like this before they learn about cooties?

Since the weather was amazing this weekend, John Thomas and I headed to the zoo with our neighbor and her son, Dare. They are only two months apart, so I think these two boys will end up spending lots of time digging, exploring and running around the cul-de-sac together.

All of the animals were feeling quite social on Saturday, especially the infant monkey, George. George was hamming it up for his adoring fans all morning long. He really is a silly monkey. Hopefully John Thomas was taking notes, since he's going to be a silly monkey for Halloween.

This morning we headed to church as usual. It is always one of our favorite things about weekends. That and spending lots of quality time together. This week John Thomas will be 18 months old! He says new words everyday. My favorite words he says are "purple," "Bible," "Go Vols," and of course "Momma." He is such a sweet, lovable boy.

Finally Fall!

2011-09-25T13:52:00.001-04:00

It is impossible for me to resist the absolute adorability of my diapered babe, especially when he's being quite the ham! He was calling, "Chestew" into the megaphone...I mean paper towel roll. Love this boy!

In the last full week of September, Fall has finally moved in to East Tennessee. Granted, it's supposed to be in the eighties today. But it was the perfect weekend and the perfect weather for our first fall fire in the fire pit. Which, of course, means the first s'mores of the season!

You may need to get out your binoculars for this, but believe it or not, it's a fox! I still can't figure out how to get my edited (and cropped) pictures to upload onto the blog, so if you need better proof, you'll have to stop by and see it for yourself.

Gramma is in town again all the way from Wisconsin. She is trying to soak up the last of the warm weather before she has to return to the tundra also known as Green Bay. I think she's also trying to get all sorts of quality time with her "special boy." They really are peas in a pod, and he revels in the extra attention. John Thomas is really partial to the weather too! I'm pretty sure we were outside for the better part of the day yesterday and he is napping with his windows open as I type. Fall really is one of the best parts about living in East Tennessee and in just a few short weeks, the backyard will be every color of the season and I can't wait!

Rememberance

2011-09-11T12:54:00.000-04:00

Today is a day that beckons me to pause and consider the tragedy that forever changed our world ten years ago. It is hallowed by the lives who were lost and the families who still grieve. I cannot believe it has already been a decade. I remember it all in vivid, and petrified recollection. I had a student this week ask me if I thought that Americans would still remember this tragedy 100 years from now. I considered the question for a second and realized that the answer to that question is what motivates me to teach. I answered, "it's my job to make sure they don't." As I write this blog and consider all that was lost, I find myself feeling incredibly blessed and grateful for all that I have.

John Thomas and I had so much fun this weekend. We didn't have any visitors this weekend, but managed to stay plenty busy. He was still looking for "Mimi" though, so I had to wrangle one more shot from last weekend. Mary, please don't kill me. Thanks for introducing us to "Toddler Tunes" because it's been on our TV almost every night this week!

Saturday we had a unexpectedly busy day. We left the house at 9:15 and didn't get home until 7:30! It included Nana Gay's, tailgating, Italian ice, a walk downtown and an impromptu water park splashfest with Lola!

Sunday was the usual; church, lunch, playtime, nap time and the rest is TBD. This week, John Thomas will be 17 months old! Talk about time flying! He is getting cuter by the day and has quite the sense of humor. I love to watch him learn. He is an avid book lover, a water lover (as of 3 weeks ago), an animal lover and he loves to snuggle and laugh. He is such a special little boy. P.S. Happy Birthday Nicole!

Season Opener

2011-09-04T13:55:00.004-04:00

Who doesn't love an extra long weekend? Well we had all sorts of stuff to be excited about this Labor Day. One of my oldest and dearest friends, Mary (a.k.a. Aunt Mimi), came in to visit and take me to my first UT game in two years. John Thomas loves him some Mimi. She's even been very helpful in giving him his antibiotic, since he came down with strep throat this week.

We made a day out of our Saturday outing. Lunch, movie and then (of course) the game. She searched long and hard to find us tickets on the 10th row, 40 yard line, in the shade. They seriously were the best seats I've ever had. We were so close to the field, I could see Derek Dooley's eyelashes.

I think the last time Mary and I took a picture like this, I was wearing a tie-dye, weighed about 25 pounds heavier and was at least nine years ago. I sure love spending time with friends that have seen me at my worst and still love me. She's one of the best.

As I previously mentioned, John Thomas didn't take long to warm up to Mary. In fact, he crawled in her lap the first morning she was here just to enjoy his morning milk. I hate to even say this, because I realize there may be some jealous grandparents reading this, but he was saying "Mimi" within the first few hours of hanging out. We get to spend one more day together before she has to head back to Nashville. I'll have to keep my eye on John Thomas to make sure he doesn't try to stow away with Aunt Mimi.

Getting in the Swing of Things

2011-08-21T13:08:00.006-04:00

After looking back on the blog for the past little bit, I've realized that I must love to take pictures of John Thomas in this outfit. It's not like it's his only set of PJ's or the cutest outfit he owns, but apparently I can't get enough of him in it. Although these two have been peas in a pod for a long time, it's quite the challenge to capture them both sitting still and being cute at the same time.

John Thomas has learned to climb into the chairs on the deck all by himself. Again, it was really more of a photo opp about 30 seconds before this picture was taken, but they WERE leaning on each other and being really sweet before he realized that girls have cooties.

Yes, he is all boy, so please don't let the pink watering can fool you. It came in a set of very masculine outdoor toys. Real men water with pink watering cans anyway. Right?

Today John Thomas wanted to wish his Daddy happy birthday, so happy berfday dada.

Last Day of Summer Break

2011-08-07T13:30:00.005-04:00

It only took us the whole summer to realize that the best toy in the house was the toy box! It doubles as an awesome fort where you can keep watch from any angle. It even makes a pretty great drum as long as you've got sturdy drumsticks.

John Thomas has really started using the basketball goal a little more as well. Chester isn't as fond of this new playtime game because it usually includes getting his squeaky toys caught up in the net.

This has been one of my most memorable summers! We got to go on all sorts of fun family trips, like Charleston and Colorado. We went on lots of walks, played at the playground, went swimming and read a ba-gillion books! Wish us luck this week as we start our new routine tomorrow and we're back in the real world.

Birthday Pie?

2011-07-31T14:53:00.005-04:00

There are some birthdays that just seem to go unnoticed. Not because they're dreaded, but because they are obscure years, like 32, and they fall on a random weekday, like Tuesday. I'm not complaining because I was doing exactly what I wanted to; spending time with my family, eating delectable and dangerous sweets, and opening some very thoughtful cards and gifts. My mom was even able to make the trip down from Wisconsin to spend the week with us. After getting tons of QT in with John Thomas, I bet she felt like it was her birthday too! Watching my mom love every second with our babe just warmed my heart. He sure loves being showered with affection from his Gramma!

As all kids do, John Thomas has gone through many phases. Had I realized the abundance of goodnight kisses would soon give way to one or two kisses a week, I might have relished them even more (if that's possible). So we are not going to let his new phase of loving to crawl into our laps and read a book slip by without savoring every page! John Thomas must sense our weakness, because he's using the same strategy to delay bath time and bedtime. I think he convinced his daddy to read "Noisy Peekaboo" at least five times before we had to throw in the towel (so to speak) and start bath time.

You may notice an absence of glasses in the picture. Well, get used to it because Jason decided to give me the gift of perfect vision for my birthday. When I woke up Thursday, I needed glasses and after LASIK, I have 20/20 vision! Not going to lie, it was the scariest 15 minutes of my life. I'm still having to wear goggles to bed at night (very hot), and can't wear make-up for a few more days, but it was totally worth it!

Thanks to everyone who sent me cards, messages, texts, calls on my birthday...I love you all and I felt really special. This is my last week before I go back to work, so I'm going to be very busy soaking up every second of time with my honey bear that I can get!

Two Much Fun

2011-07-24T14:41:00.010-04:00

This week, I had the opportunity to babysit for the first time in 15 years. It was so much fun having two sweet, yet mobile, babes all over the house. One would be headed to the kitchen, while the other wanted to go to the bedroom, and I just wanted to make sure that everyone had fun and didn't get hurt. After three hours of non-stop baby madness, I was blissfully exhausted. They jumped on the bed (pictured above), rolled on the couch, played in the dirt and tossed toys all over the living room. It gave me a much needed reality check of how much energy it's going to take whenever the next Kirkpatrick comes along. I also didn't appreciate how different it was to change a girl's diaper. I'm sure if we have a little girl one day, I'll have to really improve my girl diapering skills.

My friend, Cara, also came in for our annual summer luncheon this week. She brought her vivacious boys, Jackson (above) and Grayson (below). It was fun to be around some older boys and get a sense of what our house is going to be like in a few years. Jackson was busy climbing our tree, blowing bubbles and trying to make John Thomas laugh. While Grayson found good luck as he happened upon a four-leaf clover in our front yard. I'm so glad they could all make the trip and hopefully we'll see them again really soon.

I couldn't resist one more picture of the from Friday. Charlotte is not going to be the type of girl that is going to let anybody push her around, but she didn't mind John Thomas taking her for a spin in his shiny wagon. In fact, Charlotte will turn one on Tuesday so we all got together for her party last night at Norris Dam State Park. I think there were as many adults there as there were kids, and they loved it. Although, I'm going to blame the humidity for my hair in this picture. I know it's weird that it only affected my hair, but I promise it did not look like a wig when I left my house. Angelina (on the right) is going on a mission trip to Haiti this week, so if you're a prayerful person, please keep her in your prayers. And since it's becoming customary for me to send birthday wishes on the blog, Happy 1st Birthday Charlotte!

More Than Toddling

2011-07-17T15:00:00.006-04:00

I have to confess that our babysitter, Kara, took more pictures of John Thomas this week than we did. With two doctors appointments and a day at the lake, he got to spend lots of quality time with his favorite and only babysitter. Don't let the photo above fool you, he loves having her around and she does a fantastic job. She even babysat Charlotte and John Thomas together on Wednesday so that the ladies/moms could spend a day at the lake.

Chester was in doggy heaven at snack time with these two cuties. They have both learned the sheer delight of dropping food to an ever-eager yellow dog. Although it seemed like a relatively quiet week, we had some major accomplishments around the Kirkpatrick house. One, our toddling/crawling baby boy decided to let go of Momma's finger and embark on the world on his own. He still crawls some, but walks all over whenever he wants. Already my favorite thing in the whole world is when John Thomas walks towards me with his arms open wide and a big smile on his face just wanting to be snuggled. I'm not sure it gets any better than that. The second point of interest is that I found out the Bible study I wrote is going to be published! I'm really nervous and very excited about the whole prospect. It's going to be several months before the finished product will be out, with editing, cover design, marketing..., but I can't wait!

This must be a new theme here at the Kirkpatrick's corner, John Thomas and Lo doing something really cute together. Since I know all the grandparents read the blog, I need to send out a few birthday wishes to Grandpa Danny and Papa. I hope you had or will have a great birthday and we love you.

Catch-Up

2011-07-10T11:48:00.011-04:00

Sorry for keeping all of our faithful followers in the dark over the past two weeks. We've been having loads of fun jet-setting across the country. Before we left, I had to snap this shot. John Thomas has really starting taking advantage of the rest and relaxation summer promises to bring. In fact, he's even sleeping past seven on most days.

In the past two weeks we've gotten to spend tons of time with the McAffry girls. We've gotten in lots of walks, a trip to the Powell water park and even an excursion to the zoo. Charlotte and John Thomas are both learning and growing so fast. We are really trying to work on sharing these days. Charlotte graciously shares her mom's lap and John Thomas willingly shares his goldfish crackers. Isn't this one of the sweetest pictures ever?

After our week of fun around town, we readied for our cross-country flight to Denver. John Thomas did awesome on the flight. People even complemented us about how well he behaved. I was just relieved that we didn't get banned from the airline and arrived in one piece.

We spent five days with the Vernon family in Denver, Colorado. Stella, Liz and Zach were the perfect hosts! They showed us lots of beautiful sites, grilled out yummy food and opened their home to our family. Thank you so much for an awesome weekend!

Thank goodness Liz's car has three rows of seats, because we were able to ride together all weekend long. Most of the time this was a great thing, but on our way home from hiking we had two incredibly tired irritable babies (mostly ours) who didn't want to take a nap. He actually went the whole day without a nap. I hope that doesn't happen again anytime in the near future.

We went to Boulder one day for browsing and dinner. Boulder is a very cool city. Neat shops, yummy restaurants and interesting street performers. This guy is actually wearing mirrors. Please notice the Windex and paper towels. I wonder how many times he's cut himself just putting his work clothes on. We ate at the Rio while we were there and it was fantastic Mexican cuisine.As you can tell from the picture, John Thomas loved it all - especially the black beans.This was the sunset we came home to after our evening in Boulder. It's like they live in a postcard everyday. Although a picture never does it justice, God's artistry was breathtaking.

We spent one day in the mountains. We were at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level. On our drive we saw elk and mule deer. There was even snow on the ground all around the hiking trail. What a beautiful place.

We capped off our stay with the Vernons with their annual fourth of July block party. There were tons of families, all the burgers and dogs you could eat and one of the best fireworks displays I've ever seen. Unfortunately John Thomas couldn't stay awake for the show, considering the two hour time difference. Maybe next year. We literally went out with a bang and couldn't have had a better visit.

When we got home, we had all sorts of garden goodies waiting on us. We have learned that John Thomas is a fan of fresh garden veggies. He eats a cucumber everyday and this was our first tomato. I was letting him hold it and the next thing I knew, he was stuffing it in his cheeks.

We ended our two week hiatus with a trip to the zoo with my girlfriends and their babes. All the kids did great. John Thomas loved the whole trip except for the up close encounter with the gorilla and the merry-go-round. Since "dog" is one of his favorite words, he called every animal at the zoo a "dog" no matter the shape or size. I can't wait to see what adventures we have waiting for us over the rest of the summer!

Unplugged, But Not By Choice

2011-06-26T13:41:00.004-04:00

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

2011-06-19T20:36:00.011-04:00

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.

Of course we were all stoked to celebrate Jason's second Father's Day. He wanted to do all the obligatory dad things like grilling, watching golf and sneaking in an afternoon siesta. I know Jason is truly one of the greatest gifts of my life. He is a wonderful husband, father, friend, provider, and soul mate. I know he's had a nice day and 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.

As most of you know, we tied the knot at my parents former house in South Carolina. Considering we planned our big day in three weeks, I'd say it was a raving success. We had a little over 50 friends and family who were able to make the trip on such short notice. We miraculously were able to line up a caterer, tents/chairs, dance floor, DJ, florist, photographer, baker...all the essentials. We danced the night away, but I had no idea that Jason's dancing skills were genetically passed down from his parents. His dad could seriously go on "So You Think You Can Dance."

My parents have truly loved Jason since the first time he came home with me over Christmas break our sophomore year in college. I mean, who wouldn't fall in love with my handsome hunk of a man? In case you didn't recognize him, Jason is the one without the beard in the Milner circle of trust. This last picture just reminds me of how strong our love was the day we said "I do," and how much my love for him grows everyday. I thank God for letting me share my life with my perfect match. Just thinking about Jason and our family makes me smile and fills me with joy. Happy seventh anniversary honey, I love you with all my heart. Always.

Almost Paradise

2011-06-12T13:24:00.011-04:00

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! It also gave Jason and I a chance to hit East Bay Street for some oh so yummy cuisine at Cypress.

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!

On Vacation, Be Back Next Week

2011-06-05T18:35:00.000-04:00

Meet Priscilla

2011-05-29T16:59:00.004-04:00

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

2011-05-22T11:57:00.002-04:00

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!)

I think the best part about going to a wedding is that it reminds me of the day Jason and I got married. It reminds me of how much I love him and how wonderful it is to share our lives and build our family together. It's also really fun to shake a leg with the funnest dancer in the room.. Not to mention, he's quite the looker in a tux!

Off the Grid

2011-05-15T14:15:00.006-04:00

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.

2011-05-08T21:08:00.001-04:00

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

2011-05-01T14:07:00.008-04:00

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.

The Gift of Easter

2011-04-24T20:34:00.005-04:00

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!

2011-04-17T16:42:00.011-04:00

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!

2011-04-13T17:59:00.006-04:00

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

"Post"poned

2011-04-10T18:07:00.002-04:00

Since John Thomas is turning one next Thursday, I'm waiting to post until after his big day. Check back next Sunday to hear all about his big day!

The Most Boring Blog Ever, Amen

2011-04-03T11:48:00.006-04:00

While we cherish our road trips to visit friends and having close friends to spend the weekend with, this weekend of nothing but the four of us was perfect. We didn't do anything exciting or even interesting, unless you consider going for walks, playing outside with Chester and grilling out interesting.We had to go to the doctor earlier this week for an ear infection. One of the nurses said that he looked more like a fourteen month old. I'm not sure if she was saying he was tall, chunky or just had a mature face. Either way, I certainly don't want him to grow up any faster than he already is. In just eleven short days, John Thomas will be one year old and I cannot believe how fast it's flown!

I know I've already mentioned that John Thomas loves to be outside. This is even more true when his daddy is outside grilling. He points at the trees, watches birds (I know Gramma and Grandma love that!) and generally soaks it all in.

You may notice the poor quality of many of our inside pics, that's because he has learned how to time the flash and will blink in every single picture. He still isn't walking yet, but he sure can log some miles behind the walker.

Daddy took a break from dishes to shoot this through the kitchen window. This is exactly how our after dinner time is spent, including my grandma socks and slippers.

Hail of a Good Time

2011-03-27T17:33:00.008-04:00

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

2011-03-20T20:49:00.008-04:00

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

2011-03-13T21:08:00.010-04:00

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

2011-03-06T21:05:00.008-05:00

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?

Dog Gone Cute

2011-02-27T20:29:00.005-05:00

This is the look you're sure to get if you come home and discover your 70 pound lab curled up on the bed. How can you be mad at this face?
Our weekend was delightfully simple. I actually slept in on Saturday, both Jason and I got to workout, and John Thomas had tons of fun hanging out with Momma and Daddy.

John Thomas was either helping Chester smile for the camera or following in his Dad's footsteps and doing his first oral examination.

I know it's a short blog, but no news in good news. Everyone is healthy and happy and we simply have more blessings than we can count.

Spring Fever

2011-02-20T13:05:00.006-05:00

Everything about this week felt like Spring. I was home, the trees were budding, the birds were readying their new homes, and the weather was ideal. Leave to the Kirkpatrick's to have a more literal definition of Spring Fever. John Thomas had RSV all week. I'm not sure what "RSV" stands for but I'm thinking it could be: Really Scary Virus, Ridiculously Serious Virus, or Raging Super Virus. Either way, his fever actually got up to 105 on Wednesday. In virtual panic mode, I called everyone I thought might be able to help. After a dose of Tylenol and a lukewarm bath, his fever finally came down. I'm happy to report he's almost good as new, with one minor exception. All the snuggling and TLC he got this week has really changed his appetite for cuddling. He has ended up in our bed every morning for the last several days. As Jason would say, "we've got a high quality problem." :)

Of course all of his pictures this week are from the last two days. As you can tell from the picture below, come bath time/bedtime--he really wants to turn back the hands of time. I'm sure we're just so much fun, he never wants it to end.

I'm chalking this bottom picture up to an exaggerated camera angle. Otherwise, it looks like our baby boy is getting so big. At the end of his first week as a ten month old, John Thomas can wave and point (sometimes), he shimmies around on furniture, knows where every "off-limits" spot in our house is (especially the dog bowls, potted plants, electrical cords...), laughs all the time, loves snuggling with mama at 5:00 a.m., gets excited when his dad gets home from work, gives kisses upon request, will eat anything put in front of him, and has had four haircuts.

Love is in the Air

2011-02-13T18:33:00.005-05:00

So I've got some good news and some bad news. Good news first. Grandma Molly came in town to visit with the family this weekend. This enabled Jason and I to go on our early Valentines (and desperately needed) date. We did lunch at Coolato Gelato. I never knew peanut butter and jelly gelato could be so good. Really, it's the best lunch in town. Afterwards, we enjoyed a very entertaining and rich film, The King's Speech. We both gave it two thumbs up. I will say I must have been in a hurry to get home to John Thomas, because I left my purse in the theater. Thankfully it was there when I frantically ran back to get it.
Friday night we headed out for some quick Mexican cuisine. Once again John Thomas was more interested in the people-watching than the food. He could not take his eyes off of a cute little girl with long blond hair that was sitting a few booths down. Is it really possible for a ten month old to be girl-crazy already?

I was so glad that John Thomas got a chance to spend some time with Grandma. They had lots of fun together. Everything was going great until last night. John Thomas didn't want to eat dinner, had a fever and was also pretty congested. We were all up most of the night. He is still feverish, and after calling our doctor, we'll be headed promptly to the pediatrician's at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. I was hoping to be home to celebrate his ten month old birthday, but not because he was miserable.

On a lighter note, John Thomas has already learned to share. Chester is loving their new dinner arrangement. After John Thomas gets done eating, he starts giving what's left to Chester. There new favorite meal: Salmon patties, mac n'cheese and mixed vegetables.

Hat Head

2011-02-06T21:06:00.007-05:00

What about this do? I think we've finally found a hairstyle that suits John Thomas' personality. Just throw on a toboggan for about twenty minutes and viola!
To add further proof that JT doesn't always work inside the lines, here is what his dinner time is starting to look like. On the menu: Bananas, steamed rice and edamame. Yummo!

The highlight of everyone's weekend was the handful of new toys we got for JT. Though, I think they were more for my sanity than his, because I'm a little tired of the same old stuff. One of the toys included an abacus. At this point, he really seems to prefer toys that aren't electronic with lots of lights and crazy noises. You won't hear me complaining about that.

Around the house, I feel like a mother goose and JT is my gosling. He follows me everywhere I go and insists upon trying a bite of anything I put in my mouth. I've yet to find anything he doesn't like to eat. He has also started pulling up on the furniture and taking a few steps while holding on. He even let go a few times today, but no steps yet. Believe me, I'm in NO hurry to have him walking (i.e. getting into everything) around the house.

Of course one of his favorite seats in the house is right on top of dad's shoulders. I'm thinking this is going to be the case for several years to come.

If you're not a dog person, stop reading right now. Almost every night before bath time, after John Thomas has been peeled down to his diaper, Chester loves to get in some puppy kisses. Chester loves kissing JT's little chubby feet and I can't blame him a bit!

I just can't get enough of this chunky lil babe. What did I ever blog about before we had John Thomas?

Thawed Out

2011-01-30T14:02:00.007-05:00

This weekend simply couldn't have been any better! We started off on the right foot with family dinner at Soccer Taco with some friends, Jeb and Cathy. John Thomas was all about the female waitresses. I think he's definitely an equal opportunity flirt. Maybe it will motivate him to be bilingual?
I think he had a growing spurt this weekend, because he looks bigger in the last picture (taken today) than in the first (taken on Thursday). It could be due to the fact that we were all healthy at the same time for the first time all year. His dad must have made our bed seem irresistible, because John Thomas definitely ended up in our bed at 5:30 this morning. It may have been a major parenting no-no, but he was soooo snuggly I couldn't help it!

Did I mention we had a great weekend? I think we all did a lot of smiling. Feeling good, having a loving family, and time to spend together--I am so thankful for God's blessings.

I cannot get enough of this lil guy! We even got to go for a family stroll at the park today because it was 65 degrees. I'm sure we'll be blanketed with snow again before winter bids farewell, but a day like this is a warm welcome (so to speak).

John Thomas actually got to explore the deck this weekend too. We have to watch him like a hawk, because he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. Even after I swept, he was able to find a minute speck of leaf that I had to emergently fish out. The tell-tale is the the "cat that got the canary" look he gets after he's put something inedible in his mouth. I can only hope that a speck of a leaf is the worst thing he's going to put in his mouth before he outgrows this phase.

Although I've learned so much over the last nine months, one of the biggest things I've learned is that I should NEVER say "never." Ever. The other thing I've learned is that it's really inconceivable how much I love JT and how much more I love his daddy. My heart is full.

Of course the blog wouldn't be complete if our ever-eager photog-dog wasn't enduring some mild form of infant abuse just to get some extra love.

One Man Down

2011-01-23T17:13:00.004-05:00

We had another man down this weekend. Believe it or not, Jason caught a stomach bug and was completely out of commission all weekend. Not that I would ever wish for Jason to get sick, but John Thomas and I had a great weekend together. We read, played with Chester, danced, sang, and played more "peek-a-boo" than I can count. We even tried out his old swing and he loved it.
We also did lots of exploring around the house, including the library (i.e. the bookshelves in the dinning room). As you can tell, he's already taken a liking to Economics and his daddy couldn't be more excited. Although I'm a little tired, I couldn't imagine a better weekend with my baby boy.

I even braved church this morning as a single parent. He was incredibly good. In fact, it's the first service I've heard all the way through in a quite a while. Hopefully I won't be blogging about illness again for a very very long time.

If you're looking for something that will make you smile, I've uploaded onto Facebook a short video of John Thomas playing. You'll get just a taste of how much fun we had this weekend.

Nine Months Down

2011-01-16T12:41:00.006-05:00

It is absolutely amazing how fast babies change and grow! From our little snuggly peanut to our big cuddly crawler, John Thomas has just grown up too fast! In his ninth month, JT crawls, pulls up, loves to eat, loves to be read to (especially when he's tired), loves climbing on/over Chester, loves to dance, loves to flirt, and loves his blocks and train. One of my favorite things he does when he's crawling around is chuckle right before he's about to get into something. "Heh heh, there's that potted plant that momma won't let me play in." And then he makes a b-line for the vegetation. I'm thinking his curiosity is a good thing, but may lead to some serious mother/son standoffs in the future.
We had more snow days this week. How I love living in a county that comes to a virtual standstill with only a few inches of snow. It actually worked out great because we all got to recover from the variety of ailments we've been battling. Not to mention that we LOVE getting to stay home and have quality time together.

We also found many creative ways to entertain ourselves, which included torturing the dog. At this point, I think Chester will take any attention he can get.

John Thomas has started pulling up on everything. Whenever we go get him out his crib, he's just standing there looking at us. I'm not sure how long it takes most kids to go from standing to walking, but I'll keep you posted.

Jason also partook in snow day fun. It proved inspirational because John Thomas has started saying "dada" as well as "mama." He doesn't say them everyday, but it's definitely music to our ears. Right now he uses them interchangeably, so he still hasn't quite figured out who he's talking about.

Also in his ninth month, John Thomas is flashing a toothy grin. He's got four, yes FOUR, teeth. I'm sure it's no surprise that we brush them every night right before bath time. I wonder when his dad is going to make him start flossing?

Sick of Being Sick

2011-01-09T12:26:00.004-05:00

It was back to the daily grind this week for all of us. I didn't have to go back to work until Wednesday, so I soaked up the last few days with John Thomas. We mostly hung out around the house and enjoyed the relatively mild temperatures (mid-50s). I forgot how much he loves being outdoors. I think this Spring and Summer we'll be spending most of our spare time hanging out with Mother Nature.
I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised that John Thomas ended up sick again after his first week back at daycare. Everyone told me that it was going to happen, but I loathe the fact that he has to catch all these new germs. At least it happened on Friday, so we had all weekend to nurse him back to health. He must be a tough little boy, because even when he's ill he wants to laugh and play. If he hadn't been "tossing his cookies," I wouldn't have even known he didn't feel well. On a different note, school went well and I think I've got some really great kids this semester.

I know this may not be his cutest picture ever, but he was laughing so hard it was cracking me up. Hopefully he will continue to find momma and daddy so amusing for years to come.

So the hat may be a little Elmer Fuddish, but he looks so darn cute, I couldn't resist. Hopefully for JT's nine month birthday next week, we'll all be feeling better than ever.

Top Ten from 2010

2011-01-02T16:49:00.004-05:00

Because I usually forget my New Year's resolution before the end of January, I've decided to have monthly resolutions. Hopefully this new arrangement will work for my apparently limited attention span. January's resolution: Don't live for the weekends. After going back to work, I really began to relish my time at home (especially my weekends). I know there are an abundance of opportunities, precious moments and important relationships I have been missing out on because my mind was on my family. If anyone else wants to join me in the monthly resolutions or has some ideas of your own, just let me know.
2010 has been an incredible year at the Kirkpatrick's, so narrowing the list down to ten was quite the challenge.
Top Ten Moments of 2010

1. The birth of our son. I simply cannot describe how blessed and thankful we are to have our little John Thomas. It's virtually impossible for me to verbalize how much love we have for our lil bear, but let's just say it's unfathomably infinite.

2. We love our new family traditions and routines like the "bath time" dance, eating dinner together, morning cuddle time and baby kisses.

3. JT's first Christmas and the first Christmas where our families came to our house. Hopefully this will be a new tradition too.

4. Time spent with our families. Whether it was flying to Wisconsin, driving to west Tennessee or driving to North or South Carolina, it's always a treat to visit with everyone.

5. John Thomas' christening. May it be the first day of his lifelong walk with Christ.

6. Time spent with our closest friends. From Alabama and Texas to Colorado and Ohio, we hate being so far away from many of our friends but are thankful to have people in our lives that are so close in spite of the distance. Of course, our Tennessee friends are the ones that have to put up with us the most and can't imagine having a better group of people to share our lives with. One added bonus is that some of my closest girl friends also had babies this year, so JT already has playmates!

7. Traveling to the beach with our babe. Although he was only seven weeks old, he loved it and we can't wait to take him back when he'll actually get to frolic in the sand.

8. Celebrating our sixth anniversary. Jason is so much fun to share my life with.

9. We finally splurged on living room furniture. It's changed the way I feel in our home and I love it.

10. Our new deck and fire pit. I know during the Fall, we spent as much time inside as we did by the fire pit. Not to mention the added bonus of s'mores.

We built John Thomas' first blanket fort today and he thought it was the coolest thing ever. Did I mention we love all the fun family time? Happy new year to our friends and family and we hope that 2011 is filled with laughter and love.

A Crossroads Christmas

2010-12-26T18:06:00.007-05:00

So it's untraditional, but our Christmas cake was just one of several firsts this year at the Kirkpatrick household. Obviously it was the very best Christmas ever because it was the first with our little snow angel, John Thomas. It was also the first time we had everyone over to our house for a major holiday. Jason's parents, my parents, my brother's family and my aunt all under one roof. I would say that it was a raving success. John Thomas has absolutely loved having all the hustle and bustle around the house. You practically had to wait in line to get time with him. He was content just hanging out in the kitchen or in whatever room the action was in.

The official Kirkpatrick Christmas portrait of 2010. I cannot even describe how blessed we are to have our family, our faith, our health, our friends, and our home.

The lil guy loves unwrapping presents! And between grandparents and other extended family, he racked up. We had to go buy a bigger plastic bin today to hold all of his new stuff. After everyone left last night, he just sat in the middle of all his new toys and you could see the excitement on his face.

Of course, we all unwrapped some pretty cool gifts. But the best gift of all is having a loving family to share the spirit of Christmas with.

I think JT would agree that the best part of the holidays was having all the wonderful company, especially his cousin Amelia. I wonder how we'll adjust this week with our abandoned house?

...And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

2010-12-19T12:30:00.004-05:00

We have had a fantastic week here at the Kirkpatrick abode! First off, I only had to work two days this week thanks to some wintery precipitation. Trust me when I say that this teacher loves snow days as much, if not more, than any student I know. If that wasn't enough to make my week great, my parents showed up on Saturday afternoon ready to spend the holidays with us.
We had the Bradley's over last night for dinner, and I'm pretty sure that John Thomas spent the better part of the evening in someone's arms or lap. It's amazing how much a little one can really be the life of the party.

Anyone who has ever been to our house knows that our old couch was both an eyesore and a dog bed, so this weekend our shiny new furniture showed up. Chester, who is still mourning the loss of his old couch, has already learned to stay off the new couch (at least when we're around).

Our Sunday morning started off in the most beautiful way. My parents graciously agreed to babysit so that Jason and I could go see our friend, Sarah, in an amazing musical, Behold the Lamb of God. It was, hands down, one of the more incredible church experiences I've ever had. It was a wonderful reminder of what Christmas really is all about. I'm sure that's not what John Thomas was thinking about as he was climbing all over the gifts this week.

Under the Weather

2010-12-12T10:57:00.007-05:00

This week was relatively routine until I got the dreaded phone call from the daycare on Wednesday afternoon. I couldn't have gotten to the daycare any faster and I am thankful that there weren't any speed traps along the way. The good news is that John Thomas is feeling much better now.
I hate when John Thomas doesn't feel well, but I made a list of the top five benefits of being able to stay home with my boy.
1. I get to spend oodles of time with John Thomas, including snuggling up for a morning nap together.
2. I can remember only wanting my mom when I was sick and I can't imagine being anywhere other than nurturing my babe when he is under the weather.
3. I don't have to wake up at 5:30.
4. I finally started wrapping Christmas gifts.
5. I get to take lots of pictures of our lil bear.
One of his favorite things right now is knocking over the "tower of destruction." He'll crawl all the way across the floor just to take out the stackable cups.

This is right before impact. I think you can see the anticipation on his face.

Leave it up to dad to discover the new found pleasure of knocking things over. Jason has had lots of time with John Thomas this weekend because I came down with a nasty stomach bug yesterday. I spent most of the day in the bed or in the loo. I couldn't even carry JT around without feeling like I was going to pass out. I'm feeling a little better today, but I think daddy is wiped out after having to care for his boy and his wife all day and all night. Jason definitely wins an award for "Daddy/Hubby of the Week." We've both decided that being a single parent has to be virtually impossible. Seriously, I can't imagine how one person could raise a child all by themselves (especially feeling the way I did yesterday).

It's not really a developmental update, but John Thomas has started taking a stow-away with him whenever he gets out of the tub. I guess he's trying to "hang on" to bath time just a little longer. He can also go from laying on the floor to sitting up all by himself. He doesn't just sit up from his back, he kind of rolls around to his belly, gets his leg under him and then pushes up.

Although Jason has had to work especially hard over the last 24 hours, it's got to be worth it when John Thomas just wants to sleep on his daddy. I don't want anyone to be as sick as either one of us, but it surely reminded me that I married an amazing man.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

2010-12-05T18:41:00.004-05:00

It's really starting to feel like Christmas around here. Not only is nearly all my shopping done, we actually had snow flurries all day too! It was the perfect opportunity to try out John Thomas' heavy coat. I'm sure to my parents, who live in Wisconsin now, these flurries don't seem news-worthy. I only wish we could get a few inches more so I might get to extend my weekend at home with my cutie.
Besides the weather, our tree is fully decorated but without any gifts yet. We only had a few baby-friendly ornaments to hang on the bottom branches, so the tree is mostly naked for the bottom two feet. That hasn't stopped JT from shimmying up to it and checking out the lights and (plastic) pine needles.

Only twelve more days of school until Christmas break, but who's counting.

A Spoonful of Love

2010-11-28T13:59:00.010-05:00

This was the first time the Kirkpatrick's got to spend Thanksgiving at our home as a family. Translation: We weren't in the car for hours, sleeping in someone else's bed, and eating way too much because we just can't stop. The embarrassing truth is that the only thing I cooked on this whole plate of yumminess was the green bean casserole. Although we missed seeing our families, we really enjoyed the time we had to spend together with just the three of us. For me, the best part of the whole Thanksgiving holiday was all the wonderful time I got to spend with John Thomas. We started off our break just right with a nap Wednesday morning. And let me assure you, it was way better than getting ready to teach first period!

Since there were only three of us, we had to take turns taking family pictures. I can't remember the last time it was 70 degrees on Thanksgiving, but I'm not complaining.

I am so thankful for all the boys in my life! My wonderful hubby, our snugglicious baby boy, and our spoiled doggy--Chester.

In the past month or so, John Thomas has really started filling out. I'm not sure how much he weighs, but I can't get enough of his chunky legs!

We've also discovered that JT loves kitchen spoons, plastic bowls and plastic lids. It just goes to show that you don't have to spend squillions of dollars on fancy toys, because he's probably going to spend more time playing with the box anyway.

Grandpa Danny also stopped by for a brief visit on his way through town. Chester always relishes the opportunity to snuggle up, but he had some stiff competition this time.

As you can tell, we also got our Christmas decorations up over the break. Please excuse John Thomas' bed head. Anyone who has ever seen Jason when he wakes up knows it must run in the family.

Our Lil Inchworm

2010-11-21T14:43:00.010-05:00

I would love to be able to report that baby Kirkpatrick has mastered the crawl, but my conscience just won't let me. He is definitely on the move, but he looks more like an inchworm squirming across the floor. Albeit a very cute inchworm!Besides enjoying my weekend with the boys. I also started wondering how much harder next Monday will be after spending almost the entire week at home with John Thomas for Thanksgiving. I guess I should just be "thankful" that I get to spend some real quality time with him and the hubby.

As boring as it may seem, we've really spent the whole weekend playing and trying to enjoy the gorgeous weather. As you can see, he's learned to get into his toy box. It's pretty cute watching him rifle through the toys to find just the right one. Of course he is most fascinated by the box itself. Go figure. Don't tell him, but he may be getting a few wrapped empty boxes for Christmas this year because boxes (and cooking spoons) seem to be among the best entertainment this house has to offer.

I think Jason was ready to lug him around like a big boy. But daddy may have changed his mind when John Thomas decided to use Jason's hair as reigns. It was so funny to watch Jason try to get him down while JT hung on to a handful of hair with a vice grip. I guess if that's the biggest news of the week, we can't complain. Happy early Thanksgiving everyone and we hope that you get lots of yummy food and quality time with your loved ones this week.

Lucky Number Seven

2010-11-14T12:10:00.010-05:00

I cannot believe that John Thomas is seven months old today! As I looked back on all his pictures, I'm amazed by how much he has changed, how his personality gets more and more distinct everyday, and by how much we love and adore him. Just seven months ago today, we experienced one of the greatest gifts God could ever give us, our son.
April 14, 2010 was a regular work day but certainly turned into an extraordinary evening. I must have had one of the easiest births for a first-time mom because I went from contraction to baby John Thomas in about four hours. It truly was one of the greatest days of our lives. And, even though I didn't get an epidural, I think back on labor with fondness (Is this crazy?).

One month in, we still had almost no clue what we were doing. But, everything we did, we did with love. From day one, everyone said John Thomas looks like his daddy. That's okay with me, because I sure think his daddy's cute!

I know it seems crazy, but we went to the beach when John Thomas was only two months old. We had an awesome time and JT spent most of his days in the portable swing resting in the breeze on the patio.

Although he had been smiling for a while, I finally captured a good one on camera when his was in his third month. It was also around this time that JT fell in love with the Baby Bjorn. Pretty much from three months on, if we wanted to take John Thomas anywhere, he wanted/insisted on riding in the Baby Bjorn.

I didn't realize that nearly every month we traveled out of town, until I looked back on all his photos. To celebrate his fourth month, we visited the grandparents in Wisconsin. Four months old and he'd already been to five states! I need a nap just thinking about all the traveling we did. For right now, I'd say he's pretty easy to travel with but it may be a different story when he starts walking and talking.

At five months, John Thomas was learning to master his Johnny Jump-up. Since I started work a few weeks ago, he hasn't been in it very much when I'm home because I don't want to put him down.

John Thomas has always loved hats, but in his sixth month he wanted to check out daddy's hat. He still loves to pet Jason's beard, which is really sweet to watch. It reminds me that my dad has had a beard my whole life and mom says that I used to pet my dad's beard too.

Speaking of my dad, as an early birthday present we had a surprise visit from Papa yesterday morning. He didn't stay long, but I know that both these two enjoyed every second of it. Seven months ago today, we started our family and it has been nothing short of amazing. I never knew I could love so much and I thank God everyday for the gift of our son.

60 Minutes

2010-11-07T16:59:00.002-05:00

I am soo thankful to have an extra sixty minutes to spend with my family this weekend. We all survived our first week back at work and in daycare. I am so thankful for all the well-wishes and prayers sent our way throughout the week. The abbreviated version of our new schedule looks something like this:

5:30 Wake and ready myself for work
6:30 Rouse John Thomas for breakfast, wardrobe and snuggle time
7:05 Leave for daycare
7:40 Arrive at work
3:44.59 Leave work and race back to daycare
3:50-8:00 Spend the rest of the evening soaking up my babe

As far as the daycare goes, the women are great and I think he actually likes it there. He's been sleeping fine and, thank goodness, hasn't cried when I drop him off. Hopefully he will continue to be amicable about the whole situation. He did catch a bit of the sniffles this weekend, but it is nothing that a clingy mother, humidifier and some saline drops couldn't handle. I'm sorry that there aren't any adorable pictures of our lil bear, but I was way too busy playing, cuddling, reading, dancing, and loving on John Thomas to pick up a camera. Stay tuned for next week when John Thomas turns seven months old!

Our Cowardly Cuddly Lion

2010-10-31T18:32:00.007-04:00

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have an emotional week. I go back to work tomorrow and John Thomas will spend his first day in daycare. I know he's going to do great and I will eventually adjust to our new schedule. Moving on to more upbeat news...sort of. Our neighbors also have a fairly new baby boy named Dare. It just so happens that the zoo theme was so in this year for Halloween. John Thomas was a cuddly lion, but as you can see--he wasn't the happiest lion in the cul-de-sac. Though I'm starting to wonder if he just didn't want to share the spotlight.
We, meaning Jason, had to perform minor surgery this week. One of John Thomas' favorite rattles was nearly decapitated in the wash. Good thing ol Dad knows a thing or two about stitching things up.

I'm telling you, there's something kinda adorable about watching my man use his surgery skills to mend a baby toy.

We also had some folks over to celebrate the engagement of our friends, John Curtis and Brooke. They are a very cute couple and we couldn't be happier for them. Angelina never misses out on an opportunity to get some baby time in, since her little ones are a few years older.

John Thomas hasn't really had anymore developmental milestones lately. He's still doing the army crawl, still no teeth, and no words. Instead of learning to pull up, he has learned to pull down on the bumper around his crib, which happens to be incredibly cute. I couldn't leave you thinking we tortured our cuddly little lion all evening long. He was a good sport and as I predicted, didn't mind the costume so much when he was the center of all the attention. Maybe we're both going to have to make some adjustments when he starts daycare after all.

Happy Trails

2010-10-24T12:02:00.008-04:00

So we got our family pictures back this week from my friend and gifted photographer, Sarah. We couldn't be happier with them! I think this is my favorite picture ever!Besides obsessively looking at John Thomas' new cute pictures, we had some time to get out an about this week. Of course we are still doing our daily walk and the leaves are in their prime this week, so it's absolutely beautiful. John Thomas had his six month check up this week as well. He now weighs just over sixteen pounds and is 27 inches long! We also met Sarah and Charlotte downtown for lunch one day. One of my new favorite restaurants is Coolato Gelato. They have delicious sandwiches, quiche, and (of course) gelato. I have a feeling that these two are going to be spending their fair share of time as playmates.

John Thomas has successfully developed a taste for peas, green beans, and squash. I think he's just going to eat anything we put in front of him. On the other hand, he hasn't taken as easily to the sippy cup. This was our third try this week and it was the first time that the darn thing didn't cause a fit.

For the first time in six weeks, we had a weekend without company or without going anywhere. It was wonderful! We decided to take our first family hike yesterday. We loaded the car, packed our lunch, and headed to Frozen Head State Park. It was a perfect day; great weather, great scenery and family time. As you can tell from the picture, I was in charge of scaring away the bears! Now you really understand how talented our photographer is. Due to the lack of rain this Fall, we were actually able to eat lunch where there is usually a waterfall. John Thomas had an awesome time. He loved just watching the leaves fall like snow when the wind would blow.

I couldn't resist leaving you with one more photo of our little snuggle bear. I hope it makes you smile too!

182 and a 1/2 days

2010-10-17T12:10:00.008-04:00

While most teachers and students have been enjoying Fall Break this week, we've been celebrating John Thomas' six month birthday. I simply cannot believe our little snuggle bear is already half a year old! Moreover, I cannot believe I will be going back to work in two weeks. Please pray for me because I am already teary-eyed just thinking about it.

Gramma (i.e. my mom) was here most of the week. She spent lots of time playing and cuddling with JT. I know he loved every second of it. The only real change this week is that he started eating veggies. We started with peas and they were a raving success. I was mildly disappointed that he didn't even make a funny face.

Because the weather has been A-mazing, we've been able to spend lots of time outside. We take the blanket out and read or play and we are still going on our daily walk at Victor Ashe Park. We even met Sarah and Charlotte (i.e. Lo) at the park for a walk this week!

While Mom was here, she made a trip down to South Carolina to see my brother and his family. I think they had a blast and I hate that we missed out on all the fun. This is my niece, Amelia, living it up at the Columbia fair.

John Thomas had another special treat on his six month birthday, Mary (i.e. Aunt Mimi), stopped by to give him some love. As you can see, he really enjoyed the surprise.

I know he had a great week because he's gotten to spend time with both of his favorite grand mothers. What a lucky little boy! It's going to seem pretty quiet around here this week without all the company.

All Aboard!

2010-10-10T16:46:00.006-04:00

John Thomas had such a fun weekend! We went up to the Bradley's houseboat on Friday and he stayed until this afternoon. Did you catch that? Jason and I had our first night without JT since April 14th. I only cried for 45 minutes after leaving the boat and then I was pretty good. I will say, he was definitely in capable and loving hands. Thanks Mom and Gay for doing such and outstanding job with our lil bear. But, we couldn't get to the lake fast enough after church today.

Surely you can't blame me for missing this little cutie in his hooded jacket with ears. I sure do love these guys!

In our absence, Captain John Thomas got to steer the boat. Mom (a.k.a. Gramma) thinks he's always in the driver's seat anyway. I think she's suggesting that he's a tad spoiled, but I can't help it. Mom and Gay vowed to keep the rest of their babysitting festivities top secret saying, "whatever happens on the houseboat, stays on the houseboat." Either way, I think they all had fun and all needed a nap on Sunday to recover.

My favorite thing in the whole world happens every Saturday morning. After John Thomas gets up around seven, I feed him, change him and we all get into our bed and snuggle. We usually go back to sleep together and I just can't think of anything in this universe that could make me happier. My second favorite thing is watching JT stroke his dad's beard. I imagine him thinking that he wants a beard just like that one day.

John Thomas still isn't crawling, but he'll scoot towards Chester anytime he gets the chance. I think he even missed Chester while he was at the lake. On the other hand, Chester was savoring every ounce of undivided attention last night.

Lions and Tigers and Giraffes! Oh my!

2010-10-03T19:08:00.010-04:00

We had an awesome weekend in Birmingham at the McCain's new gorgeous home! The weather was perfect, the company was great, and John Thomas got to do all sorts of really cool stuff. For one, he got to be one of the guys. Thanks Tommy for whipping up a yummy breakfast and grilling all those tasty wings. I know he really enjoyed spending time with Tommy and Stephanie, because he was handing out grins and laughter all weekend. Beyond the fact that Stephanie is a great friend and a really interesting person, she is also the zoo vet for the Birmingham Zoo. This has many perks. One, she has the keys, so we came in the back door for free. Two, not only does she know all kinds of cool stuff about animals, but they know her! Case in point--meet Jalil, who peeked over the fence to say "hello" to his favorite doctor.

Unfortunately for Chester, I don't think he'll seem as cool to John Thomas ever again.

We also got to go behind the scenes and visit some animals that, for various reasons, aren't out for the public. Is ironic that in this picture of John Thomas petting a chinchilla, I have at least ten chins? It was easily the softest fur I've ever felt.

As always, John Thomas was very interested in getting to know a pretty girl. Thanks Steph for being such a wonderful hostess this weekend.

We also got to go out to lunch as a family for the first time. I know we probably should/could have done it sooner, but I only had the best interest of the other diners in mind. JT did great!

Speaking of lunch, John Thomas had another first this week when he broke in his new high chair in order to eat (term used VERY loosely) cereal. As you can tell from the facial expression as well as the abundance of cereal on his face, he really wasn't sure about the whole ordeal. However, I'm proud to update that he is really starting to swallow his cereal now and we should be moving to veggies very soon.

I couldn't resist building him his first of many blanket forts. As you can tell from the picture, he enjoyed his new "crib" (like slang for house, but he's a baby and really has a crib...sorry for the cheesiness). Based on how chilly it was when we got back in to town today, he's going to be bundling up in his blankets real soon.

Where's Waldo?

2010-09-25T17:00:00.006-04:00

Sorry to blog early this week, but we're headed to a wedding in Cincinnati tomorrow and I didn't want to disappoint all four of our blog followers by being late. This week was pleasantly uneventful, which gave us plenty of opportunity to spend some quality family time together. As you can tell by the totally adorable picture, John Thomas helped me do some chores around the house. The only major update this week is that we purchased a sound machine to help us get some restful sleep. It turns out that every parent in the world should have one of these. John Thomas will go to sleep without so much as a whimper if the "white noise" is going. Sarah, please tell Becky, whoever she is, that I said "thank you" too.

Hopefully JT's interest in books will continue as he gets older. We're up to four or five books per day. They will even pacify him as well as any of his toys.

If anyone has some children's books that you're looking to pawn off, let us know. I think we've read "Panda Bear, Panda Bear," "Guess How Much I Love You" and a few others about 200 times. I'm pretty sure I can recite them all without even having to look at the page.

Meanwhile, Chester is loving having us home more. It means he gets to be outside gnawing on sticks and being a dog. You'd never know from this picture that this "rugged" dog spends every night on our cozy couch.

The Great Escape

2010-09-19T12:26:00.010-04:00

Our baby boy turned five months old this week. The adage, "they grow up so fast," couldn't be more accurate. He is now 25 inches long, 15 lbs, and itching to crawl. I had a bit of an emotional week this week. I'm not sure if it's how fast he's growing up, how close going back to work is, or just hormonal adjustments --but thanks to an intervention by Sarah, I survived unscathed. Thanks again Sarah.
I guess as a tribute to his five month birthday, I should share with you a few of John Thomas' personality attributes and a few things I love about him.
1. He is a very determined little baby. I think this trait will eventually serve him well when he gets older. For instance, he still loves his baby gym, but he decided his exersaucer was more interesting. He can't crawl, but he certainly can roll to where he wants to go. I know when he figures out how to crawl, he will be all over the place. His "great escape" took about 45 seconds. Maybe we should have named him Houdini?
2. He loves talking to people, especially girls. As you can tell, he inherited great taste in women and maybe even a little of that Kirkpatrick charm. He's already made his first move, trying to hold baby Charlotte's hand. He didn't even try the old "yawn maneuver," he just went for it. I think he must have realized Mckenna was too old for him.
3. He loves to sleep all bunched up on his stomach, especially in mom and dad's big comfy bed.

4. He absolutely lights up whenever he sees his dad. I'm a little jealous of this, but the few times I've left the house without him, he lights up when he sees me again too.

5. Of course, he thinks Chester is the coolest thing ever. We spend countless hours every week playing with Chester. He just laughs, coos and squeals with delight.

It would be impossible to list all the things I love about our little guy, so I'll narrow it down to five in honor of his birthday this week.

1. I love that he smiles with his eyes. Sometimes he's sort of coy and covers his mouth, but his eyes never lie.

2. I love his laugh and his voice. If I could bottle it up and listen to it over and over again, I would.

3. I love that he loves to dance and sing with me. The other day I was doing the electric slide (I can't make this stuff up) and he just thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

4. I love that he actually finds comfort when I sing. I have wished all my life for a beautiful voice, which never happened. But, God did give me a son that thought I had a great voice. I dread the day he actually realizes it ain't too purdy after all.

5. Jason gave me this one. We love the fact that, even though he can't talk, we know he loves us so much.

Even on the tough days, I count my blessing for our beautiful baby boy.

Baby's Best Friend

2010-09-12T13:29:00.006-04:00

Labor Day has to be one of the best holidays ever! Beyond the fact that you don't have to work, there is no pressure to travel, cook or really do much of anything besides veg with the family. And, veg we did! My two cuties and I spent an indulgent amount of time lounging in bed on Monday morning, setting the tone for the rest of the day.
The rest of the week was fairly routine. However I do have a few updates. 1.) John Thomas got a haircut because the hair on the back of his head was turning into a serious baby mullet. I'm not sure which side of the family the mullet comes from, but it's gone now. 2.) JT has moved up in diaper size (appropriately labeled #2) and pj size (9 months). 3.) "Chester" is the only word I am certain John Thomas knows. He loves his puppy doggy. I think this week Chester is starting to reciprocate the love.

For all the germ-o-phobes out there, I realize it is unsanitary to let the dog lick our baby. But, I simply cannot de-dog our house, so he's going to get his fair share of dog kisses, dog hair and maybe even a kibble or two of dog food before it's all said and done.

Although John Thomas is not crawling (yet!), he is trying to get his knees under him and reach for toys in front of him. I can tell a difference in his strength and ability almost everyday. One of the best parts of our daily routine is floor time. As you can tell, everyone gets in on the action.

These two lovebirds are going to be quite the duo when JT starts eating real food and crawling around. I'm envisioning lots of dropped Cheerios and a very happy dog.

This week, John Thomas will turn five months old. Holy smokes time flies when you're having fun!

Bjorn Ultimatum

2010-09-05T14:10:00.004-04:00

This has to be one of my more cleverly titled blogs, if I do say so myself. Remember a few weeks ago when I discovered that John Thomas would go anywhere in the Baby Bjorn? Well, now I can also add, he virtually refuses to go anywhere unless it's in his Baby Bjorn. That's right, as of two days ago I am officially doing our morning walk with him in the Baby Bjorn. I'm holding out hope that once he gets big enough to sit up in the jogger sans his car seat, he'll enjoy his stroller once again. Maybe he just wants to help me lose the last few pesky pregnancy pounds I just can't seem to shake.
As you can see, Jason is also in the Baby Bjorn boot camp. When is it that we should start feeling like we're in charge again?

John Thomas discovered his toes a few weeks ago, but this week he realized that they are perfectly chewy and delicious as well. His new habit makes bath time and "fresh tushy" time slightly more challenging. I guess I can't really blame him for the toe sucking, since I've been kissing on his feet from day one.

We also got to watch our first UT game this weekend. Go Vols! Watching (or rather, trying to watch) the UT game made me realize that there are some things I never used to pay much attention to until I had a baby. 1. Angle of the sun 2. Volume on the television 3. Searching for onions in my food 4. The shear volume of dog hair in our lives. Just to name a few. Even though we're still adjusting our routines and noise levels, we couldn't be happier!

John Thomas the Baptized

2010-08-29T16:57:00.007-04:00

We've had marginally cooler weather this week, which has allowed us to start enjoying the new deck. I can't imagine getting anymore laid back than this. I also think having Gramma and Papa around this week helped everyone relax.
Like any doting grandparents, Mom and Dad were so eager to help entertain and cuddle with JT. The added bonus was the fact that my extremely handy dad did all sorts of work around our house. Thanks to my dad we have a new ceiling fan, new shower curtain rod, new screens in bedroom windows, organized garage, cleaned porch railing, repaired closet light, chopped wood...and so on. Thank you so much dad!

I think Jason even picked up a few pointers in the process.

Mom and I also took a trip to see Mamaw. Mamaw was so excited to see us! She just couldn't get enough of her new little great grandson.

The best part of the whole week was that John Thomas was baptized this morning. He was such a trooper for the whole thing. As you can tell, all the hoopla must have taken its toll. Thank you to all the family and friends who were able to support us and him today. It truly is his first step in his walk with Christ, and I only hope and pray that we can help guide and support him in his relationship with Jesus as he grows up.

John Thomas is officially big enough to use his Johnny-Jump-Up. Although, it could be more accurately named, "Johnny-Play-With-The-Dog." This week we're back to the three amigos: Me, JT and Chester. It sure is going to be a quiet house around here with all the company gone.

Roaring Thirties

2010-08-22T14:16:00.008-04:00

Okay, so I think our little boy is undeniably adorable. I actually couldn't sleep last night for thinking about how cute and lovable and precious John Thomas is. Bath time is one of my favorite things in the whole world, and with a face like this you could understand why.
In his fourth month, I've finally discovered that I can go anywhere with JT as long as he's in the Baby Bjorn. This week we did our big grocery trip and ventured to Babies R Us to pick out a few new toys. As you can tell, he's upgraded from his baby gym.

Jason had a big week this week turning 32. We celebrated with my parents, who flew in from Wisconsin for the week. Please feel free to chuckle at the cake decorating job. Hey, sometimes you get what you pay for.

He may have turned 32, but he still acts like a little kid at Christmas when he opens his gifts. He undoes each piece of tape individually and oh-so-carefully peals back the paper to reveal his new grill brush or dress shirts.

Papa and Gramma have already relished spending time with John Thomas. Every time John Thomas sees my dad, he smiles and giggles. It truly is the sweetest thing in the world to watch these two light up.

Gramma, on the other hand, is eager to volunteer for any holding, burping, changing... that needs to be done. I think JT has learned who is going to cater to him the most (besides me).

I just had to have a picture of John Thomas in his froggy pajamas. Although he's not smiling in this shot, it definitely brings a smile to may face.

Ready For Take Off

2010-08-15T15:43:00.009-04:00

We decided to go visit Gramma and Papa in Wisconsin for a long and fun-filled weekend. We boarded the plane out of Knoxville at 7:00 a.m. Thursday morning. John Thomas did fairly well on the plane rides, considering we had mechanical trouble and three hours worth of delays while sitting on the tarmac after boarding.
After an exhausting day, we were able to unwind and relax in my parents beautiful home. Mom, of course, cooked a great meal while we unpacked. The best part of the whole evening was the clear night sky complete with dozens of shooting stars. I've truly never seen anything like it. It was like God was putting on a fireworks show for us!

The area where my parents live is quite rural. Every lot is five acres and full of all sorts of wild life. Molly, you would love the bird watching. This little tree frog obviously caught a whiff of my mom's cooking and had to check it out.

Friday morning, Dad and Jason got up bright and early to go see the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. I think they had a great day doing guy stuff while mom and I were relaxing at home. Saturday, the boys got up before dawn (3:00 a.m. to be exact) to catch their chartered fishing boat. We were surprised to see them home by 7:00 a.m., having already caught their quota. Don't be surprised if we serve grilled salmon at our next dinner party. Dad earned the "Biggest Catch" award with this whopper. We indulged with in fresh grilled salmon for dinner on Saturday night and it was outstanding!

There also happened to be a local festival called the Shantyday Festival in the town where my dad works, Algoma. It's a little quaint town right on the shore of Lake Michigan. I have no idea what they're celebrating, but it gave us all an excuse to partake in festival food while John Thomas watched the parade.

As we boarded the plane headed home, the flight attendant suggested we let John Thomas take a picture in the cockpit. I think Jason was worried we were going to get arrested by U.S. Marshals. As you can see, JT was very interested in the pilot, the lights and all those gadgets.

We've been home for a few hours and everyone is trying to recuperate from such an exciting weekend. We also have some other exciting news to share. John Thomas turned four months old yesterday and celebrated by rolling over from back to front. You may remember that he rolled over from front to back at five and a half weeks. I have a video, but couldn't get it to work on the blog. You can check my Facebook page if you'd like to see how big our little guy is.

2010-08-08T11:55:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure what all we did this week, but somehow we stayed busy. We had a few visitors, including Denise and Grandma Molly. We also got on the scale and John Thomas is finally in the teens at just over thirteen pounds.
Friday night Jason and I grilled out on our new deck and finally broke in the fire pit. It was a little warm to be sitting by the fire but it provided some ambiance.

We also had a chance to do some gardening. I took out all the squash, zucchini and cucumber plants because they weren't going to bear anymore fruit and reseeded them. Hopefully we'll get some produce before the first frost sets in. Just so there is no confusion, the plants in the picture are okra. I would hate to blog about a drug bust next week!

This week I also finished a phenomenal book, The Help. It's such a great story and nearly impossible to put down! And, thanks to grandma, we were able to go see Inception on Saturday night. Besides the fact that we went to the 10:10 showing and didn't get home until 1:00, it was a wonderful night and a very entertaining flick! It's like Shawshank Redemption mixed with The Matrix.

This week we'll be gearing up for our first flight to go see gramma and papa in Wisconsin. Please wish us luck and if anyone has any advice about flying with a baby, I'll take it.

Thirty One And Counting

2010-08-01T20:28:00.006-04:00

What an eventful week! We started off the week by celebrating my 31st birthday. I had a great day. I got to hang out with John Thomas all day and he was so playful and happy. After Jason got home, he cooked dinner for me. He also ordered very delicious red velvet cake and sang me the happy birthday song. Yes, he even stopped by the store to pick up candles so that I could make a wish. I wonder if you still get your wish if one of your candles is on backwards?
Perhaps the best birthday gift of all was that Charlotte Mae McAffry was born on my birthday. After being in labor for what seemed like an eternity, Sarah had Charlotte around 10 o'clock on Monday night. I was able to go over and see her on Tuesday. At 8 lbs. 4 oz., she is a precious and healthy little girl.

On Thursday, we loaded the car to the brim and headed to west Tennessee to spend some quality time with Jason's grandparents and great grandmother (a.k.a. granny). JT did great in the car and even slept through the night after we got there. He loved being the center of attention and everyone absolutely adored him.

John Thomas was such a ham for granny. She will be 96 this year and after raising several kids, grand kids and great grand kids, she still has the touch. It warmed my heart to see her get so much joy out of making our little boy smile.

Here is the whole gang. Left to right: Granny, Molly, Mama June, Jason, JT, Dillon, Grandfather Joe, Rodney, Micah, Becky, Jared and Chester. Chester loves being on the farm as much as we do. I think we all had a great time but we're happy to be back at home and back into the swing of things.

Decked Out

2010-07-25T21:14:00.009-04:00

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!

Getting Cuter By The Day!

2010-07-18T14:26:00.005-04:00

We had a fabulous week at the homestead! John Thomas turned three months old and I cannot tell you how fast he is changing. We have discovered his favorite thing in the whole world...himself in the mirror. Sorry about the really shoddy photo, but it was the best one of his smile. He also loves to be in the Baby Bjorn (Disclaimer: I know his arms are supposed to go under the straps, but he really prefers it this way for now). We also got to hear him laugh for the first time this week. It's actually more like a squeal, but he's done it several times when we're dancing in the mirror, so I'm pretty sure it's his laugh.
Saturday morning we had to rise early so that builders could begin "demo" (that's builder lingo for demolition) on our deck. Jason and John Thomas took the opportunity to catch some of Le Tour de France on television. I think it must have been all the bright colors that the riders were wearing, because JT actually tuned in.

As of 8:30 Saturday morning this is what was left of our deck. Hopefully next week you'll get to see the final product.

This is my favorite picture of us so far. As usual, he was eager to smile for his daddy.

We have fallen into a daily routine that makes everyone happy. It starts at about seven in the morning and goes something like this:

7:00-9:00 Wake up,eat breakfast, play

9:00-10:00 Nap in jogger as mom walks in the neighborhood

11:00-2:00 Wake up, eat, play, and eventually take another nap

3:00-7:00 Wake up, eat, play, help mom cook dinner and get ready for bed

8:30ish Usually asleep for the night

Chester is trying to show John Thomas how to grab toys with his hands. JT is developing his hand-eye coordination and has actually grabbed a few toys. It is simply amazing how fast he is growing up. And while they haven't learned how to play together just yet, they have learned how to play side by side.

Squashed

2010-07-11T12:57:00.007-04:00

We started off the week with our first trip to the lake. Although we missed out on the 4th of July lake festivities, Monday provided a great day to enjoy the weather without all the traffic and wild parties at the marina. I was so excited about finally getting back to Lake Norris that we were pulling out of the driveway before I realized I was still wearing my slippers. I'm not kidding. I'm sure it won't be the last time I pull out of the driveway without forgetting some rather important detail--like shoes! We were able to spend the entire day on the Bradley's houseboat. The kid loved it! Tony was also kind enough to take me skiing for the first time in nearly a year. I got up but it wasn't pretty. As you can tell, John Thomas was a happy boy and ever eager to flash a big smile for his daddy.
The rest of our week was pretty typical. However, I'm happy to report that our son has been sleeping through the night for an entire week now! Woo hoo! I wonder what Chester was whispering in his ear. Probably "scoot over kid" or "she was my mom first you know."
On a rather disappointing note, this is our entire squash harvest. I think I planted them too close together. At least they tasted good. Jason's mom (a.k.a. Grandma Molly) came through on Saturday. She volunteered to babysit so that Jason and I could hit the town on a date. Yay! We decided to cash in a gift card to Copper Cellar and play pool at Barley's afterwards. Even though it is hard to peel myself away from our little cutie, I always have so much fun hanging out with my hubby. I think we'll try to incorporate a date night every two weeks. But, unless our moms decide to commute every two weeks to spend time with John Thomas, we'll soon be in the market for a babysitter.
Church must have been exhausting today because we could not wait to get home and steal a nap on the couch. Chester took full advantage of my empty arms and lap. What a sweet family I have.

Happy Birthday America!

2010-07-04T20:51:00.006-04:00

We had such a fun week here at the Kirkpatrick household! On Friday I got to venture out on the bandwagon to see Eclipse. If you've read the books and you're a fan, you'll be pleased. If you haven't read the books but you're into vampires, werewolves and young men who go shirtless the entire movie, you'll be pleased too. The best part about the whole outing was the smile I got from John Thomas when I walked in the door. It was as if he was saying, "Momma, you're home! I missed you so much!" Saturday we went over to a friend's house for a low country boil. It was a lot of fun and we were home in time to keep JT in his routine. Speaking of routine, John Thomas has slept through the entire night for two nights in a row! I feel like a whole new woman to get seven hours of consecutive sleep. Today, we had a few friends over for a Fourth of July grill out.

Jason wanted me to include this photo for the "grill club." Dad, I hope this makes you proud. More importantly, he grilled every burger to perfection and they were delicious!
Look at all the cute ladies and John Thomas. He is destined to be a ladies man. Of course he's in one of his favorite laps, Aunt Sarah.

These are all the ladies (and JT). As you can tell, all the partying wore him out. Kinsley, Kim and Jason's little girl, was so festive in her stars and stripes and big red bow. You can't tell but Sarah (far left) is 36 weeks pregnant and due two days before my birthday!

As always, Chester found a way to steal some of the show. I love these two!

Our Little Guppy

2010-06-27T14:38:00.005-04:00

John Thomas and I got to go to the pool three times this week! Our best family friends, the Bradley's, have a swimming pool that stays partly shaded all day--which is perfect for our little one. The first day he put his toes in (i.e. I put his toes in) and that was all he was up for. The second and third days he got in all the way up to his armpits and stayed in until his feet started to prune up. I think he might be fond of the water, just like his momma.
He's even started picking up babes at the pool, or rather they're picking him up. Hopefully our summer pool buddy, Sarah, will be able to enjoy a few more weeks poolside before baby Charlotte gets here.

Don't judge me, but I had to share this face with the world. I have discovered in all my well-intended efforts to not spoil our son, this face will get him about anything he wants. Mom will feed him, change him, sing to him and stand on my head whistling Dixie to help this look disappear.

Chester has figured out how to steal some affection from the little guy. On a different note, we still don't have the sleeping routine perfected but he'll at least sleep for six hours at a time once he goes to sleep. Also, we've learned that he is the sweetest when he wakes up in the morning and I have no idea where he acquired this trait. If I'm only going to get six hours of sleep, at least I'll be waking up to a sweet happy baby.

Loving Husband and Devoted Dad

2010-06-20T14:43:00.005-04:00

Saturday was our sixth anniversary. It may be even harder to believe that this October we will have been together 12 years. Wow! My mom volunteered to babysit so that we could celebrate. We had a very romantic dinner at Ruth's Chris and went for a nightcap at Crown and Goose in the Old City. It took me about two hours to relax although I never stopped wondering how our little boy was doing.
I always knew Jason was an amazing man, but I am truly blessed to go to bed every night and wake up every morning in his arms (although we spend most of the night snuggled comfortably on our own sides of the mattress). It's incredibly hard to narrow down my favorite things about my hubby, but I'll give you five great reasons why my guy is so lovable.
1. He is such a cutie.
2. He is sooo funny. He makes up words, dances around the house, and loves to ham it up.
3. He appreciates me and truly is an equal partner in every aspect of the word.
4. He is a smart cookie, a very hard worker and finds great joy in planning for our future.
5. It is so much fun watching him be a great dad!
Speaking of Father's Day, happy father's day dad! My mom and dad got Jason a new squirt bottle for the grill. As you can see, he really did appreciate the gesture. I cooked him a hearty breakfast of a bacon, red pepper, onion and cheese omelet with biscuits. You should know that this happy daddy is spending part of his afternoon mowing our yard. What a guy!

I couldn't resist this sweet moment. I think Chester has realized his best shot at getting in the picture is to spend time with John Thomas. The video below is the first and only successful documentation of a smile from JT. He's been smiling for a few weeks but is a bit camera shy.

Happy As A Clam

2010-06-13T20:22:00.008-04:00

As promised, I will share with you all the reasons why John Thomas LOVED the beach.
1. Mom and dad were both there, totally relaxed and undistracted.
2. Lots of play time with his very silly and entertaining father.
3. The gentle breeze and soothing ocean sounds he could hear from our screened in porch.
4. His portable swing which he took his afternoon nap in every day.
5. Getting to sleep in mom and dad's bedroom like he used to back in the day (like 3 weeks ago).

We took him down to the beach one afternoon, but as you can tell from the picture it was a tad too breezy.

How blessed am I to have these two cuties to share my heart with. As previously mentioned, John Thomas and his daddy really had a chance to bond during the week.
The weather couldn't have been any better. I was able to sunbathe, exercise and read every day. I finished the most amazing book, East of Eden. Thanks to Jason's mom who came down to babysit, we were able to go on not one, but two dates. We decided to venture in to downtown Charleston and try out Magnolias. I would recommend it to anyone who wants one of the best meals of their life. You must try the scallop appetizer if you go.

While Chester had a fabulous time at my mom and dad's, he is back to being my trusty sidekick here at home. The video below isn't too exciting, I just wanted to share with the world how not-sleepy our little boy is at bedtime. If anyone has advice on how to get our baby to go to sleep at a reasonable hour (i.e. before 11 p.m.), I'm all ears.

Road Trip

2010-06-06T16:07:00.006-04:00

Between the Memorial Day holiday, packing and taking our first family vacation, this week has flown by. Mary (a.k.a. Aunt Mimi) stopped by mid-week to check in on our little boy. I think he's almost twice as big as the last time she saw him!
We packed the car on Thursday so that we could make our early morning departure. I woke up at 3 a.m. on Friday to get us ready to go. We were fed, loaded and on the road by 5 a.m. We are seriously trying to keep his sleeping schedule pretty regular. As you can tell from the picture, it's a good thing my mom volunteered to puppy sit because I have no idea how we could have squeezed Chester into the car. Thanks again mom!

We decided to stop at Jason's parents on the way. It was a great excuse to catch up with family, stretch out our legs and let John Thomas have a little play time. Adrianna, our niece, was staying with Grandma Molly and Grandpa Danny for the week. I'm pretty sure Molly was in grandparent heaven with her two grand babies on her lap!

After lunch, we hit the road again and arrived at the beach in just a few hours. John Thomas slept most of the way even though we (mom and dad) were exhausted. It's two days in and the vacation is going sooo well. I was nervous about traveling so far with our little one, but he LOVES vacation. You'll have to tune in the next week's blog to find out why.

I'm sure that Chester and Ozzie are having a blast a grandma's this week. I wonder if he's missing John Thomas?

Never Say Never

2010-05-31T18:21:00.005-04:00

All along I've vowed to not spoil our son. I will tell you that our little, soon to be seven week old, boy has figured out how to train me (and the rest of the family). He has spent the better part of this last week in someone's arms and I don't mind a bit!
I think he loved the super cushy lap that grandpa had to offer. Dad said it used to be one of my favorite seats too.

John Thomas loves the Baby Bjorn. He gets in it and gets to hang around with mom while I cook dinner or fold laundry (boy, I'm really starting to sound like a stay at home mom).

He now weighs ten pounds and growing like a weed. He's even starting to get the fat rolls on the legs that I love so much.

His new favorite playtime activity is this little gym. He coos while it plays music and lights up. He's also tries to reach out and grab the toys, usually in vain.

Chester has had the best week since we brought JT home because he got to hang out with Ozzie over at grandma and grandpa's. He better enjoy it while he can because they are moving to Wisconsin at the end of June.

Sorry, blog is still under construction. Check back tomorrow.

2010-05-30T19:33:00.002-04:00

Ahead Of The Curve

2010-05-23T14:55:00.008-04:00

John Thomas had a big time this week. He'll be six weeks old on Wednesday and he's already experienced his first girls' night out with mom. Friday we (Sarah, Charlotte, Angelina, Kim and Kinsley) grilled out at Kim's new home. It's a gorgeous house and a great place to start a new family. As you can see in the picture, John Thomas was not the life of the party. Hopefully he will continue to be this disinterested in girls for about 18 more years.
You may not be able to tell, but this was JT's first trip in the car where he actually stayed awake from point A to point B. Don't worry, I was at a stop sign when I took this picture with my phone.

Mom and Dad, this picture is for you. Jason and I cooked lamb chops, baked potato and braised spinach for dinner on Saturday night. Who needs a date night out when we can eat like this at home?

We also ventured out into public on Sunday. It was our first time at church as a family. He stayed awake for nearly the whole service. Although we were about two minutes late, I would consider the outing a success.

John Thomas started his "tummy time" this week. You won't believe this, but he rolled over today! He may be small for his age, but he's a strong little guy. See for yourself.

Maybe it was Chester's ability to model "tummy time" that helped John Thomas work extra hard to roll over. Either way, I'll take all the help I can get.

Baby Baths and Basketball Banquets

2010-05-16T18:10:00.007-04:00

After three weeks of dousing his belly button with alcohol, his tag finally fell off. It has made a world of difference in how much we all enjoy bath time. Now he can actually get in the water--and he LOVES it. He even seems to sleep better after bath time, so we LOVE it too!
We had his one month check up this week and he now weighs 8 lbs. 1 oz. He is growing so fast! On a side note, I cannot imagine birthing a baby as big as he is, so kudos to all the moms out there in the over seven pound club.

This might be my favorite picture yet! Everyone says that John Thomas looks like Jason and I hope so because he'll be a handsome little fella for sure! However, I do wish people would say John Thomas has at least one of my traits. For example, "wow, he totally has your eyelashes or elbows." Just a thought.

We have learned that he prefers to be mostly naked (I'm not saying who he got that from) and that he loves to be outside. We have also learned that he doesn't like to be strapped in to his car seat, which makes leaving the house just a little more exciting.

All the rain has helped the garden come in. As you can tell, we're still weeks away from having any produce. Can anyone guess what these will produce?

Sunday afternoon Jason got to babysit while I went to the basketball banquet. They gave me a plaque with this picture on it. Can you tell how intense I am and how much they don't seem to care? I haven't seen any of the girls since April 14th, so it was nice to see them. I also informed them that I'm not coaching next year. Miraculously, I was able to refrain from crying, which is a milestone all by itself. I think everyone understands that it would be virtually impossible for me to be gone from our sweet boy that much.

I'm not sure if Chester is trying to snuggle up to his new little buddy or share part of his cozy pillow. Either way, they seem to be getting along just fine.

My Very First Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:10:00.008-04:00

I think Mother's Day is my new favorite holiday. I've never been a gigantic fan of "Hallmark Holidays," but I love the fact there is one day set aside every year to say "thank you" and "I love you" to moms. Jason, ever the supportive husband and father, prepared a lovely lunch for my mom and I. He also brought home some flowers, a card and a gift certificate for a spa day. Thank you honey!
We didn't intentionally color coordinate, but I guess great minds think alike.

I think mom is lobbying to change the name of the holiday to Grandmother's Day! We have to check her bags and purse every time she leaves to make sure she's not trying to smuggle John Thomas out the door. It is one of our greatest joys to provide our parents with a little grand boy to love on.

I guess since he spent most of his life there,John Thomas feels really comfortable snuggled up on my belly. It's so hard for me to believe it's already been three weeks since he was born.

He also loves it when we read to him. No kidding, he actually looks at the pages and seems like he's paying attention. I'm not trying to suggest that he's a prodigy or he'll be reading within the next few weeks, I just think it's cool that he seems to enjoy it.

Although Chester got to go to the park almost everyday this week, he is going to great lengths to lobby for our attention at home. Hopefully this week we'll get into some sort of routine that everyone can be happy about.

One Happy Family

2010-05-02T15:26:00.006-04:00

We're finally getting settled in a bit here at the Kirkpatrick homefront. Translation: My body has started adjusting to the hormone overload and the interrupted sleep cycles, Jason has learned to dodge John Thomas' attempts to saturate his shirt and use his "inside voice" after eight p.m., and Chester has begun to ignore the cries instead of barking in unison (which I'm quite thankful for).
Here are all three of my boys. We really have spent the evenings hanging out like this. Chester snuggled up to Jason, John Thomas in his throne (i.e. a Boppy with a blanket), and I sit to the far left.

These pictures are courtesy of our friend from Nashville, Sarah Gilliam. She and her husband wanted to give us a baby gift we would cherish forever. She drove in to take his picture on Monday morning. These are just a few of our extremely cute little boy. You can see some others at http://sarahbgilliamphotography.blogspot.com/ .

One of the things I miss the most about work is my daily walk with Sarah. However, she has been able to come by every week to get her quality time in with John Thomas. As evidenced by the picture, he loves his Auntie Sarah. She has a little less than three months to get some more practice in before Charlotte gets here!

How sweet is this? Chester and JT napping together. Now if I could just figure out how to squeeze in an afternoon nap, we'd all be well rested.

First-Born Sons

2010-04-25T19:35:00.008-04:00

John Thomas' first full week home was a learning/adjusting period for all of us. I learned that having help from family and friends is one of the greatest gifts in the world. My mom stayed with us this week after Jason went back to work. Thank goodness, because I totally took for granted taking a shower, drying my hair, putting on make-up, checking the mail...
Saturday, Jason's parents (Grandma Molly and Grandpa Danny) came in to meet their new grand boy. They both fell in love at first sight. An interesting aside is that Jason's dad is the first-born son, Jason was a first-born son and John Thomas is a first-born son.

You may notice not one, not two, but THREE wet spots on Jason's shirt. That's right, John Thomas squirted dad three separate times during the course of bath time on Saturday. I'd say it's only the beginning of the body fluids we'll be covered in over the next several years.

Here is our little cutie taking his maiden voyage in the swing (thanks Mimi, Jen, Katie, Cara and Mere). He loves it!

Molly (Jason's mom) is going to stay with us the rest of this week. I am already thankful. We got to go to Home Depot today and buy some flowers. She also made a mean chicken casserole for dinner tonight. I don't know what I'm going to do when all my help goes home.

I think Chester is trying to find other ways to occupy his time, since his mom has been so busy. However, when John Thomas starts crying, Chester starts bringing him toys in an attempt to pacify him. The record so far is three toys (frisbee, bone and squirrel). I hate to think of a 5 toy fit.

Hello World!

2010-04-18T16:27:00.008-04:00

As most of you have undoubtedly heard, John Thomas came screaming into the world thirteen days early, on April 14th at 10:40 p.m. He weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. and was 21.5 inches long. It was easily the most wonderful day of our life!

I realize this is a face only a parent could love, but he truly is the cutest thing I've ever seen. I know I'm overly emotional/hormonal but I've written him a letter I'd like to share.

Dear John Thomas,

I loved you before you were born. The day I saw the "+" sign, I was positively enamored. The first time I heard your heartbeat was music to my ears. What a joy to watch you grow from a lentil to a lemon and feel all the nudges and kicks along the way. I was counting down the days before we'd meet, but like your mother, you must have grown impatient. You made your grand entrance in record time. How blessed we are to have such a precious gift. You are our love. I can think of no greater proof of God than your sweet face. Welcome to the family son.

All my love,

Mom

Jason has been truly AMAZING. He has changed almost every diaper, he helps me feed, runs errands and is the most supporting and loving father and husband I could ever wish for. John Thomas is surely a lucky little boy. These last four days have such an adventure and I can't wait to watch our family grow and make all sorts of new memories.

I'm pretty sure this is the best I've looked in the past four days. We've had some visitors and company and I hope they don't mind the "all natural" look of no make-up, pj's and unkempt hair. Hopefully I'll be able to pull it all together before too many days, because I'd hate to scare the baby. Thank you to everyone who came by, brought food and held our sweet baby boy.

Mom got to come to the hospital on Wednesday night. I'm pretty sure he's already got her in the palm of his oh-so tiny and cute hand. Not only is he their first grandson, he was born only days before her 60th birthday. I know she was happy with her gift from us this year. Happy 60th Birthday Grandma!

Chester is still trying to figure out how he is going to fit into the picture (so to speak). I think it'll take a little time for our first stinker (Chester) to adjust to having to share Mom and Dad's love with the new cutie on the block. As long Chester can still lay on the couch and gets a little love here and there, he's going to be just fine.

I Love Spring!

2010-04-11T19:46:00.007-04:00

Yet another fabulous weekend here in Knoxville! Jason and I took full advantage of one of our last baby-free weekends. Friday night we went to Babies R' Us to take care of some last minute finishing touches. Afterwards, we went to dinner and headed home to watch a movie. Yay date night! We had so much fun that Saturday we decided to grill out burgers and then we went to see "Date Night" the movie. Although it was funny, I'd say rent it when it comes out on DVD.
Sunday we headed to Sequoyah Hills for a little exercise. Jason ran while I walked. Doesn't he look like such a cutie. In a matter of a few weeks, you may see this very same photo except there will be a baby stroller leading the way.

Sequoyah Hills is in full bloom: tulips, dogwoods, cherry trees... It really is worth a trip down there to check it out.

These are Bleeding Hearts from our backyard. I think they're such a neat little flower and very low maintenance, which I love.

Chester is also loving the spring weather. I hope he celebrates this much when John Thomas gets here.

Spring Fever

2010-04-04T19:59:00.007-04:00

This week was absolutely fantastic! I was home for Spring Break all week. I managed to make a major dent in a serious to-do list including: finishing the nursery, washing the car, trimming the hedges, walking everyday, writing nearly 40 thank you cards, grading essays, spreading grass seed, lesson planning for my maternity leave, working on a base tan and going to the doctor twice. Speaking of, our last ultrasound was on Monday and John Thomas is positioned head down, over 20 inches long and weighs approximately 5 lbs. 15 oz.

We spent the weekend with my mom and dad. As usually, we ate well, played bridge and spent lots of quality time together. It was a restful and rejuvenating weekend. By the way, we prepared everything on the platter except for the broccoli salad. It was yummy! Good luck on your interview tomorrow dad!

Another perk to having the parents over for the weekend is the extra set of helping hands. Dad and Jason spent part of the day on Saturday tilling our garden and getting it ready to be sown.

Chester also likes it when mom and dad come over because they bring his best friend in the whole world, Ozzie.

The neat thing about dogs is they can play tug-of-war for thirty minutes, growl at each other and after it's all done, they want to start all over again.

Jason made a day trip to Nashville on Sunday to participate in the Christening of his God daughter, Stella Vernon. Not only did he have a great trip, he also brought home all sorts of baby gifts from some of our Nashville friends.

I think Chester might be missing his BFF (bestest fury friend) or maybe he knows that Spring Break is over and mom has to go back to work tomorrow. I'm sure a good nap and a puppy treat will help him cheer up. As for me, only three more weeks of work before we welcome home John Thomas!

Let the Countdown Begin

2010-03-28T17:22:00.005-04:00

What a great week! My colleagues at school threw me my final baby shower. While we still have a few items to get, I am very thankful to all of the staff who supported us and our new family.
This cake was as delicious as it was cute.

Yesterday was the beginning of the one month countdown. As you can see from the picture, John Thomas is definitely getting bigger. I go tomorrow for the last ultrasound. We'll get his estimated height, weight and position. My favorite part is just seeing and hearing the heartbeat!

On a different note, I discovered that my broccoli from last season finally came up. It was supposed to be about half a row of produce and you can see what we're actually going to harvest. Who knew broccoli was so resilient?

You may have noticed there weren't any pictures of Jason this weekend. He went on a golfing trip with some friends. I'm glad one of us got to go somewhere for Spring Break. While I was home nesting and watching basketball, I also gave Chester a much needed bath. As you can tell from the picture, he will try to look as pitiful as possible to get out of taking a bath.