Best Friends

"Pooh?" said Piglet

"Yes, Piglet?" said Pooh

"Oh nothing, just making sure you're there." said Piglet

"What can I get ya, hun?"

Ah the diner.... part of American history, subject of many tv shows, songs and movies, nostalgic to young and old.....and Matt's favorite place to eat.

There is a "new" diner in Crofton (and I use "new" loosely, it's been open for about 2 years and we have been trying to get there since then) called Nautilus Diner. On Sunday morning, before we said goodbye to Grandpa Phillips and Raili, we all went out for breakfast to the Nautilus Diner. Matt was so excited he looked at the menu Saturday night to plan out what he was going to have! So cute! It was a delicious breakfast, and very filling. I ordered the french toast and it came with 3 pieces and each piece was at least 1.5" thick! Afterwards we made sure we got a picture with Daddy and Jack since it was Jack's first trip to a diner....and I'm sure not his last!

After breakfast Jack went to Grammy and Pop's house for the day so Matt and I could get some yard work done. We have been neglecting the yard since Jack was born and I think we got the entire spring's yard work done in one day....whew!

Happy Birthday Miss C....cont.

Happy Birthday Miss C!

Today was Jack's first birthday party! We traveled to Alexandria for his girlfriend, Cardin's 1st birthday party (he likes his women a bit older). Cardin's mommy, Emily, is my best friend from college. The party was at a baby gym, complete with tumbling mats, zip line, bubble machine, slide, swings, and baby obstacle course. Unfortunately Jack was a little young to play, but I think we will be making a trip back there in a few more months! It looked SO fun! All of the other babies had a blast. Cardin's party was strawberry themed and everything matched - strawberries to eat, strawberry tabled cloth, strawberry cupcakes and even Cardin had an adorable strawberry dress on. SO CUTE! And those strawberry cupcakes were delicious! Cardin had her first sweets today, a cupcake, and I think she loved it - although she was a little bothered by the icing and the first cupcake ended up on the floor. Where's the dog when you need him! We had a wonderful day and we are so happy Cardin invited us! We hope Cardin had a great time at her party and hope she has a wonderful 1st birthday on Tuesday!

Punk's Party

Matt's dad and his girlfriend, Raili, traveled up from North Carolina on Wednesday to visit with Mr. Jack! The last time they were here was when Jack and I were still in the hospital....so imagine their surprise when they saw that he has DOUBLED in weight and grown ~ 4.5 inches! They got in a little late, so Jack wasn't able to see them until Thursday. Since it was such a beautiful night, and Jack loves to be outside, we decided to have dinner someplace with outdoor seating. We went to a new-ish restaurant in the Annapolis Mall called Punk's Backyard Grill. They have the most delicious, organic "backyard BBQ" type of food. We even had home made cookie ice cream sandwiches for desert! Jack got to spend some good time in Grammy and Raili's lap during dinner. We had to eat a little quickly because of a threatening storm, but it made for a nice breeze and an absolutely beautiful sunset. We had to stop and get a picture of the clouds during the sunset....it was unlike anything we had ever seen. What a fun night! Can't wait to have dinners like these all summer.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho.....

....it's off to work I go! Jack spent this morning with me at work. He got to play with Miss Nancy for about an hour while I met with a client, and the rest of the morning we typed, made phone calls, and did some paperwork (and read one book, played with our toys, and ate - it was a busy morning). Daddy came to rescue him from the boring 9-5 around 2pm today so Mommy could get some "real" work done! Jack is a very hard worker and I think everyone loves to have him around the office - even when he falls asleep on the job!

Outting with Grammy

Today Jack and Grammy spent the morning together while I got a very overdue day at the gym. They hung out at home and took some pictures by Jack's tree. Then, they had a fun shopping trip to Target. Jack was even a very good boy (at least according to Grammy, but I think sometimes she is very bias!)

Picnic Dinner

Matt had duty today (meaning he has to be at work for a full 24 hours - has to spend the night and all) so Jack and I went over to meet him for dinner. We had a delicious picnic of take out Chinese, overlooking the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay. We couldn't have asked for a better night for a picnic! Jack and Daddy took a picture to remember our first picnic! Jack was sure to wear his most nautical outfit to match Daddy's uniform!

Nothing cooler than a shampoo mohawk!

Everyone has to have that embarrassing shampoo mohawk picture, right? Jack's still suffering from a little cradle cap, so he has Selson Blue shampoo with each bath. Mommy just realized we can turn it into a super cool mohawk!

Jack's Tree

Grammy and Pop Keys planted a tree in their garden in Jack's honor. Jack now has a beautiful Japanese Maple of his own. It will be a fun place to take a yearly picture to see how both grow!

Matt's First Father's Day!

On Sunday we celebrated Matt's 1st Father's Day and my dad's first Grandfather's Day with brunch at the O'Club at the Naval Academy. Jack made sure he had some "brunch" too, so Mom and Grammy alternated eating and feeding Jack. After the delicious brunch, Matt and my dad took Jack for a little history lesson at some of the Academy's many monuments. We left the Academy and walked around downtown Annapolis for a while to see the Irish Day street fair. We were even able to see a parade of bagpipers and Irish dancers.

Jack's First Golf Tournament

Yesterday we volunteered at the local Virginia Tech Alumni Association Golf Tournament. It was an absolutely beautiful day - sunny and not at all humid! Our job was to verify if anyone made a Hole in One at Hole 12. So, basically our job entailed sitting in a golf cart at Hole 12 all day. We parked in the shade and (since Mommy forgot to bring a book) just enjoyed the beautiful day. Jack was able to get a nap or two in as well! Jack was a big fan of driving in the golf cart. He smiled and laughed every time we hit a bump and loved having the wind hit his face (maybe he's spent a little too much time with Bailey!) Wish I could have taken a picture while I was driving. It was priceless! Jack was also able to meet another Jack - Jack Hutchinson. He runs the Northern Virginia VT campus. Yeah, he's the Hutchinson....like the building at Tech....his grandfather, I think.

Jack was also able to watch his first softball game too. Matt played with several of our friends in a church league. Jack got to meet a new friend, Tommy Conklin, born just a couple months before he was. Both of the Conklin's went to college with Matt. Maybe Tommy and Jack can be classmates at the Naval Academy too!

I'm a little bit late on some of these postings (traveling back from the beach and all!). Last Friday was our last full day at the beach. And, thank goodness, it was a beautiful day. We were able to enjoy the beach and the pool. Jack made it down to the beach twice earlier in the week, but he slept through both. He was awake (kinda, the wind on the beach makes it SO sleepy) on our trip on Friday and got to feel the sand and see the ocean and his cousins' sand castle compound, complete with moat. After a full day of sun and a delicious dinner of burgers and dogs, the whole family headed back out to the beach for photos. It was supposed to be all posed pictures, but as soon as we got out there the kids went into exploration mode and it ended up with some wonderful candids! The last day at the beach is always so bittersweet. You reflect back on the past week which was so fun and really look forward to getting home (and back to Bailey and Grace in our case). But, there is always that sadness that you are leaving such a relaxing place and that family you just don't get to see enough. We traveled back from the beach on Saturday. We took a different route (to avoid traffic) and it was a short 6.5 hour drive instead of the 9 hour haul on the way down. Can't wait to do it again next year!

Beach Week

We are visiting Corolla, NC this week and it's Jack's first beach trip! We are sharing a huge, beautiful house with all of Matt's family. In total, there are 8 adults and 6 kids! This is a big week of firsts! It was Jack's first time on the beach - I posted a photo below. It's been rainy and cloudy so we haven't been able to lay out much, but we took a walk (Jack in the Baby Bjorn) with Grandma on the beach and collected shells. After we got back we had our first "dip" in the pool. We only put our feet in because it was SO cold! The weather is supposed to be much nicer tomorrow, so hopefully we can get in a little more beach time before we have to leave on Saturday. It has been a really relaxing week so far. Matt and Jack are definitely feeling it - they took a cat nap in a super comfy hammock yesterday.

First Time Posting

My best friend Emily has a blog for her little girl, Cardin and she told me I absolutely must do it....and soon! I just love reading about Cardin's adventures and I think it would be so much fun to do the same thing for Jack. We are at the beach this week and with more than usual amounts of time on my hands I have been able to do some Facebook updates and it reminded me to get started on this!