Summer Fun!

We had our first cookout of the summer last weekend with our friends the Harpers and the Meyers and it was so much fun! The night included grilling, watermelon, sangria, babies in the baby pool, washers, and a great time with good friends...we can't wait for more summer fun to come!

Jack and Shepherd had fun playing together in the baby pool Gigi and Pops gave us!


Happy babies!


After a few minutes in the pool this guy wanted to crawl in the grass, eat dirt, and play with the hose instead of playing in the water


Anna and Molly watching the big boys play!


Action shot of dinner thanks to Uncle Andrew:)

A Visit with Gigi and Pops!

I think it's safe to say that May has been a busy month at the Griffin house. As I sat down to do this post I realized it's been over a month since the last one so this is a quick recap of our visit to Katy for Mother's Day weekend to visit Gigi and Pops. (Another post about what we've been doing over the past month will be coming soon...) On our way to Houston Garrett, Jack and I said good bye to our dog, Lucky. We decided that we couldn't give our energetic dog the attention he needed and Uncle Dallas helped us find a wonderful home for our sweet dog. Although we were sad to say good bye, Lucky was adopted by a great family and know he is so happy in his new home. So it was an eventful weekend of saying bye to our dog, playing in Katy, and celebrating my first Mother's Day. Jack and his Daddy really love on me so well and they made me feel loved and so celebrated on Mother's Day...I am so blessed by those two!

Jack and Lucky's last day playing together...

Gigi and Pops gave Jack a fun little baby pool that sprays water, and he LOVES playing in it!


Thinking hard about how to grab the water shooting up in front of him


Jack got to play with Emma and Claire! These three were pretty cute together...just wish we got to see the Irvings more often!


After a sweet Mother's Day lunch


Mother's Day with Gigi and Pops...Jack was very serious about this picture


While we were in Katy, Jack learned a new trick...how to climb the stairs. He is super fast and very proud of himself!

8 Months Old!

Today our sweet baby boy is 8 months old. Where has the time gone?! I can't believe that we will be celebrating his first birthday in a few months. Jack Griffin is one busy 8 month old boy! He is crawling like a maniac and pulling up on everything. He is quite the explorer and he just wants to see and touch everything in the world around him. The only time he's really still is when he's asleep! Here are some of Jack's likes and dislikes 8 months into his life...

Loves:
crawling, moving, rolling, standing
standing at the window and watching the world go by
dogs...he cracks up at them
the bath tub (he got sick of his baby tub and loves baths in the big tub)
drinking out of a sippy cup with a straw
peas, carrots, applesauce, pears, yo baby yogurt, sweet potatoes, peaches, bananas, baby mum mums, puffs!
playing peek a boo
looking at touch and feel books
swinging in the front yard
putting anything and everything into his mouth
standing up and bouncing on the bed or the couch
"talking" (saying dadada, goo, gaa, mumumuh, buh)

Dislikes:
Being still or confined (like in his carseat or the high chair for too long)
Getting his diaper changed
green beans and squash
Being redirected when he really wants something (he gets pretty mad when we don't let him play with a lamp cord or we don't let him crawl in the fire place or when we don't let him eat sticks and dirt outside)
Being held too much, he'd rather be on the floor playing and exploring

I can't really think of many other things he dislikes and we laugh because most of the things he doesn't like involve not being able to move or play or having to be still! Our little boy is keeping us on our toes and I am definitely pretty tired by the end of the day after chasing him around, but we wouldn't have it any other way! Jack Griffin, we love you!

So happy to be on the move!

Showing off his new top teeth!

This was a very messy breakfast!

So happy to be standing up in the bath tub! (nervous mommy was holding tight..I'm afraid this slippery little guy is going to fall in the tub!)

Easter Weekend

We went to the farm for Jack's first Easter weekend and it was so fun, although we couldn't help but think about how next year will be really fun because Jack will be old enough to hunt for eggs! This year he just banged them around and put them in his mouth. We don't want Easter to be about the eggs, though, and we are praying that our son will one day know, understand, and believe in the power of Christ in his death and resurrection. Here are some pics from a fun weekend!

So happy to be eating a little Easter lunch outside!

Just checking things out in the yard wearing his Easter present from Honey and Big John

I love this little boy!

Four generations...Big Roy loves watching his great grandson play!


Happy Easter from the Griffins! (the only way we could get him to look at the camera is if he had some fingers in his mouth)


With Aunt Jess, Uncle Gray, Honey and Big John. Can you tell it was SO windy?!


So happy to be playing in the baby pool! There were about 10 people watching him splash around


He's thinking hard about his play time


Just trying to eat some dirt!

Trip to Houston

A couple of weeks ago, Jack and I took a little trip to Houston to visit my family and see some friends we haven't seen in a while! It was so fun to be at my parent's house and not have to worry about cooking and cleaning and all the other things that come with being a stay at home mom. We just relaxed and had fun! (we did miss Garrett SO much and we were so happy to come back home to our amazing daddy and husband) There were so many great pics from our visit, but here are a some of our faves...

Trying to grab his great grandfather, Tom Tom's glasses off his face!

Jack with great grand parents, Big Roy and Elsa

I love how the great grandparents are just watching him! They loved seeing our busy boy!

Jack loved taking his baths in Honey and Big John's big kitchen sink!

Sweet Aunt Jessica loves Jack so much!


Playing on the kitchen floor with Honey's kitchen tools...why do we buy him toys when he's so happy with a few measuring cups and a wooden spoon?! (I think I got spanked with that same wooden spoon about 25 years ago!)


SO fun to crawl and explore!


Just a little downward dog on the kitchen table...


What was Honey thinking letting him sit on the table?! He went straight for her decorative little birds


Honey is so fun!


Just hanging out on the patio with Big John


One TIRED little boy....he had so much fun but he ran a fever this day and the next. He was getting ready to cut his top two front teeth that poked through about a week later!

Meet Molly Harper!

Mary Claire "Molly" Harper was born on March 11, 2011 and we are so happy that our friends Anna and Andrew have become parents! Molly spent a few extra days in the hospital and we are so thankful that she is a happy, healthy, and great sleeping little baby. Jack and Molly had their first official "play date" last week and we know there will be many more to come...Jack is a little out of focus in the pics because I didn't have my lens on the right setting, but we were glad to document Molly's first visit to the Griffin house!

A Special Visit...

...from Gigi! A couple of weekends ago we had a special visit from Gigi and Jack had so much fun playing with her! Garrett and I had a much needed night out and Jack and his grandmother got some special time together...

Jack and Bella

Jack has lots of little friends around his age but none closer than Bella LaPine, who is just a week and a half younger. Bella's parents, Matt and Molly, are in our small group and we have loved sharing the adventure of being new parents with them. Jack and Bella play together at least once a week and they are hilarious together. Bella LOVES watching Jack and she just cracks up and smiles at him all the time, whereas Jack is not super interested in her...he just wants to play and explore. She's a social female and he's a determined, one track mind (always focused on toys and moving) male. He is all boy and she is all girl and we love watching them learn and play.

Bella: "Hey Jack, where are you going? Pay attention to me!"


Bella was squealing with delight watching Jack crawl around


Jack: "Hey Bella, give me that toy!"


Aren't these two the cutest?!

On the Move

It's official...we have a crawler at the Griffin house. Jack has been scooting and army crawling around the house for a while now and last week he figured out how to really crawl. He is getting faster and faster every day! Now that he can really move, Jack has been particularly interested in crawling to Lucky and his bed, yanking on lamp cords and anything plugged in, and looking out the front window. He has even figured out how to push up and stand to look out the window. I guess it's time to baby proof and start keeping the floors really clean since that's his favorite place to be these days!

This is how happy Jack is when his dad comes home from work every day. He was crawling to go see him!


Concentrating hard on trying to stand up with the help of the toy basket...


That's right, he wants to crawl all over Lucky's dog bed.


Thinking hard about where to go next...


Don't judge, we usually don't let him yank on cords, but I just had to take a picture of him in the act!


Trying to take a picture of him straight on while he's crawling is very difficult because he can move so fast!