A Few Firsts

Somehow, I've neglected to blog about a few firsts that have happened in our household during the month of June.

On June 12th, Jackson had his first babysitter (non grandparent, that is). Drew was playing in the Member Guest tournament at our club (another first!) that week. He also happened to be on the committee for the event. One of the more senior committee members planned a reception Friday evening, with spouses, in appreciation of all their work leading up to the tournament. So we needed a sitter. Enter Bill & Carolyn Kelly. The Kellys are not only my best friend's parents - they are like family. The have been my "Lawrence Parents" since the day I stepped onto KU's campus in 1995. (Lord, has it really been that long?) Luckily, they were excited to do it.

Jackson behaved perfectly (or so they said) and he couldn't have been in better hands. Carolyn is the Director of the Lawrence Head Start Program so she arrived armed with some new books for Jack. They read, did exercises and cooed back and forth (he was feeling especially talkative that night). We loved having them over. And I heard on good authority that they enjoyed hanging out with our little guy, too!

The funny thing is...Drew & I ended up ditching the reception. In Drew's words, he "had done enough schmoozing that week on the golf course" so we decided to send our regrets and go out on the town instead. After all, we had a babysitter! We went out to dinner, did a little shopping at Old Navy, stopped at Sonic for dessert and went for a drive. Not exactly wild and crazy, but it was a lovely night nonetheless.

Best of all, since Jackson behaved himself, we're pretty sure Bill & Carolyn will come back another time!

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On June 27th, Jackson attended his first birthday party. Some college friends have recently moved back to Kansas after a few years in San Diego. Their son, Nathan, was turning 2 and we were invited to his party.

It was adorable. They planned a beach theme complete with kiddie pools, a sandy beach, a taco bar for lunch and cupcakes for dessert. It was almost surreal to be hanging out with college friends that I haven't seen in years - with all of our kids in tow! My how times have changed.

Like an idiot, I forgot my camera. But I did take pictures of the invitations Kara made. They are just too darn cute and you know what a sucker I am for those things!

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This weekend I read a book, for pure entertainment, for the first time since Jackson was born. It was total fluff...I read it in a few hours over the course of the weekend. But it was lovely. It reminded me how much I love a good book. It also made it clear to me that despite a recent desire to purchase a Kindle, I really don't need one. I prefer the feel of a good old-fashioned book in my hands. One that I can turn the pages of and use cute bookmarks in. Drew (and our budget) will be pleased.

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Last night, I picked our first ripe tomato of the season. We have several green ones on the vine that won't be far behind. This year, we planted cherry, yellow pear and 2 varieties of regular tomatoes for a total of 7 plants. I can't wait for fresh tomatoes in salads, BLTs, burgers and salsa!

Oh yeah, here's the actual size...it's a cherry tomato! :)

That's the latest and greatest from our house. We have a full calendar in July so stay tuned for more adventures and more firsts!