Chattahoochee River Outting

After Jay's fishing trip with Paul yesterday, he raved about the Chattahoochee River and how perfect it was for Bella. This morning, after I slept in until 10:30!, we packed up Tuttle and the dog and headed to the river.

It was absolutely beautiful! Bella could not wait to get in the water and jumped in at the first opportunity!

We set up at the edge of the water and threw the ball a couple times before deciding we were in a spot that was too muddy.

Jay led us a little farther down the trail, and we found the perfect spot next to some huge rocks. Jay waded out into the COLD water (about 50 degrees) while Tuttle had a snack.

This is one of those times when he looks TOO BIG!

 

Bella was having the time of her life finding the ball in the water and returning it to Jay. She has never been the best swimmer (she cannot seem to keep her head out of the water enough), but she LOVES splashing around!

I guess Tuttle did not want to miss out on the fun. He kept trying to inch toward the water, so we gave in, stripped him down, and let him play, too! The water was freezing, but he continued to show interest, so Jay helped him walk around. I was too afraid I would slip, so I mostly watched.

Obviously, another snack and water break was a must after all that fun!

I cannot wait for Jay to teach Tuttle all his outdoor skills when he gets older. Camping, fishing, hiking and boating are going to be regular activities for my boys! On those weekends, Mommy will be visiting the spa!! :)

Friday Night Dinner with Babies

This past Friday night, Tuttle and I were invited to have dinner at Genesis and Jett's place. Rachel and Cohen came, too. This was definitely a change from our crazy Friday nights in college! As I drove up to Gen's place, I laughed at all three cars packed with carseats, baby sun shades, and strollers. :) 

Gen and I tried lunch at Goldfish with the babies a couple weeks ago. At one point, the waitress asked if we needed anything, and Gen responded, "Two nannies." Needless to say, it was much more relaxing to have dinner at an apartment where the babies could play, run around in Tuttle and Cohen's case, and jump in the doorway in Jett's case.  

Gen's homemaking skills really impressed me. She made us fried chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Yum! Tuttle gobbled it up, too. Afterward, the kids played, and we attempted conversation. Although it was easier than a restaurant atmosphere, we need to plan a GIRLS ONLY dinner as soon as possible to have time to actually pay 100% to each other!

The blonde/blue eyed stud, the yummy Asian chunky monkey, and the dark Spanish hunk

There are times when I look at Tuttle when I realize what a big boy that he has turned into. He was keeping up with Cohen all evening. They were playing chase all over the apartment.

I am excited that so many of my girlfriends had babies around the same time, and that our group of handsome boys can grow up together. 

Today, Jay went fishing with his good friend, Paul. He had the best time. My husband is the happiest when he is outside from fishing to riding bikes to playing golf. 

The rest of the afternoon we were COMPLETELY lazy. We have plans every weekend for the next two months, so it was nice to do absolutely nothing. I took some new bathtime pictures because what is cuter than a little boy in the tub???

Doesn't this expression scream, "I am up to no good!"

Sesame Street....... Brought to You by Gram

Tuttle will rarely sit still UNLESS Sesame Street is on t.v. If his favorite show is playing, he will lay down and watch until it is over, sometimes lasting 45 minutes. At some point my mom bought Tuttle an Ernie stuffed toy and a little Elmo stuffed toy. He LOVED them and starting carrying them everywhere. Recently, my mom made it her mission to find all the Sesame Street characters and saw them on clearance at Target. This discovery turned into venturing to FOUR different Targets to find the rest of the characters. Gram found Cookie Monster, Grover, The Count, Oscar the Grouch, Elmo, and Ernie. Tuttle is in Sesame Street Heaven! Now, we just need Big Bird and Bert to complete the collection. :)

Although Tuttle loves all the characters, he will not let go of Cookie Monster!

Gymboree Groupon and 15 Month Appointment

I always keep my eye open for a good Groupon, and the company recently started a Groupon Now section that offers discounts on things for a certain period of time. I noticed that Gymboree had been offering an open play time Groupon for a week now, so Tuttle and I snatched one up today for $6 and drove to our local Gymboree for an hour and a half of climbing, running, and exploring the equipment! :)

Honestly, it was EXTREMELY difficult to get pictures today because Tuttle did not slow down much. He had a great time, and the freedom allowed him the opportunity to climb, which gets restricted at home since he wants to climb on the coffee table! 

Stairs! Tuttle's favorite pastime! 

Tuttle was supposed to climb through this hole at the top of the stairs, but he never mastered it. He always turned around to go back down the stairs, and I was there to catch him EVERYTIME when he tumbled down. :)

 

Peek-a-Boo!

 

Tuttle looks like such a BIG BOY here!

 

We also went to Tuttle's 15 month appointment yesterday. He literally cried the entire time the doctor was in the room with us. The doctor said typically all babies hate him at the 15 month and 18 month check-ups. LOL He is right on track with walking independently, responding to commands, and saying about four-six words (cat, sit, get, daddy, mama) He really only says "mama" when he is really upset and pronounces daddy "ga-gee". What a goofball!

These are his stats:

Height 32 3/4 inches (93%- TALL BOY!) 

Weight 24 lbs 10 oz (76%)

Head Circumference 50 cm (99%- LOTS OF BRAINS!) 

Although I am amazed by his growth everyday, I definitely miss the 7 lb 2 oz newborn! :(

Field Trips with the Kids

Ever since I have started nannying, I have been diligent about taking the kids on field trips every week. My mom thinks I am crazy, but it is honestly easier to load all three kids into carseats and go somewhere fun than to stay at home with three kids under the age of six and entertain for 9 hours. Plus, all three kids are great in the car, and it makes me smile to hear them giggling in the backseat. :)

This week, we went to Leaping Lizards in Decatur. It is so incredibly hot outside right now, so we have to find an "indoor playground" to let loose all the energy. Tuttle is officially old enough to enjoy this place and tried all day to keep up with the big kids. My baby did not look like such a baby when he was climbing into the inflatable mazes, drawing on the chalkboard, and walking/trying to run all over the building. Can I please freeze time and keep him little???

Packing up to go!

Drawing with chalk requires deep concentration.
 

Tuttle tried to keep up with Stella and Dylan all day!
 

Friday, we ventured to Fernbank Museum. We have a membership through my nanny family, so we try to go a lot. Previously, I was not impressed with Fernbank at all. The kids' portion was small and boring, so the field trip was a lot of packing and effort to stay about an hour before we saw everything of interest. Recently, the new kids' exhibit, Nature Quest, opened, and I LOVE it! There is so much to explore, touch, and play with from live alligators in a tank to a treehouse with a rope net to climb. All three kids have something to get into, and we have been staying in this area for about an hour or more before we check out the dinosaurs, experiment room, and any temporary exhibits (Right now the temporary exhibit is mythical creatures: unicorns, dragons, giant squids, ect.)

I did not pack the good camera when we went to Fernbank, and my point and shoot was dead when I pulled it out, so iPhone pics will have to do! :)

Group shots are near impossible!
 

We ended the day by finding a local park completely in the shade. Despite the mosquitoes, it was a perfect end to our Friday.

Have a relaxing weekend!

Baby Jaxen

This has been the week of meeting babies! Finally, Tuttle and I were able to meet Jaxen, the beautiful baby boy to my friends Danielle and JD. He will be eight weeks old tomorrow and could not possible be cuter! I cannot believe it has taken so long to get together.

How stinkin' cute? 

He is SO cuddly-although Tuttle lost it when I was holding him! 

What will life be like with #2?

 

 

Since JD is in the army, we all know that their little family will move all over the place. (They just finished being stationed in Hawaii!) I am just so happy that Danielle's family lives in Woodstock, so she comes home to visit frequently, and we can sneak in some girl time, too!

Our college group of girlfriends are FILLED with all boy babies! Jax definitely fits right in!

 It was hard to focus on Jax with my little boy going a mile a minute! He was playing with Jaxen's new exersaucer, hunting for dog toys, and trying to climb up on the couches. Dani and I cannot decide what is more tiring: a 15 month old all over the place or a newborn with reflux! 

We wanted to get a picture of our two boys together, but that proved to be more difficult than I thought. I was hesitant to get Tuttle too close to a newborn (Jax looks a little nervous, too! Haha), so this is the best we got. This was right before Tuttle tried to give Jax his paci!

Unfortunately, it was a short visit because Tuttle needed a nap. I am so happy that we met Baby Jaxen, and we look forward to creating many memories with our boys in the future! :)

Jere Tuttle Thorne, Jr., Published Author!!

My incredible husband attended Auburn University for a Master's Degree in Economics. He wrote his thesis on the effects of economic freedom on happiness. He recently received the UNBELIEVABLE news that his thesis has been published in the leading public policy publication, The Cato Journal. We could not be more proud of his hard work and the impressive final product.

Check it out here:

http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj31n2/cj31n2-4.pdf

Gwen Elizabeth

My entire family was eagerly awaiting an introduction to the newest baby in the family, Gwen Elizabeth. The weekend finally arrived and my cousin, Emily, and her husband, Robb, flew down from their home in Philadelphia with their beautiful little girl! My mom hosted a dinner at her house, so everyone could admire Gwen. :)

Look at those eyelashes!

My grandmother is now the great-grandmother to two babies-Tuttle and Gwen.

 My mom and I had fun shopping for girl stuff as a welcome present for Gwen. If I think I have a baby clothes buying problem now, imagine what will happen if I ever have a girl! Big bows, bloomers, and tiny dresses- Oh, My! :)

Tuttle was very interested in Gwen, but it did not go over well when I was holding her. Haha

My mom snuck in some baby cuddle time.

 Tuttle with no afternoon nap= a VERY fussy boy! Luckily, some wagon time with Gram always brightens his day!

My handsome husband and me

My family's holidays will never be the same now that TWO babies are in the picture! We cannot wait to see Emily, Robb, and Gwen again! Maybe we can convince them to move back to Atlanta??? :)

Hilton Head, Part III

Day 3 of our beach vacation started off with an 80 minute massage for me at the AMAZING hotel spa. It was absolute Heaven, and I continuously fell asleep during it because I was so relaxed. I had to keep reminding myself to stay awake, so I could actually feel the massage! Haha

After lunch, Jay and I rode bikes with Tuttle around town. It was Tuttle's first time on a bike, and he loved it! We rode to Coligny Square, snacked on ice cream, and cruised back. We estimated that we rode about seven miles, so hopefully that balanced out all the food we ate that day! 

 

That night, we opted out of the group dinner because it did not start until 7:45, and it would have been a disaster with Tuttle. I convinced Jay that we needed some traditional "beach pictures." Unfortunately, no one was available to take a family picture, so we asked a stranger. I cannot begin to describe how bad our one family beach picture was: out of focus, crooked, we were not looking at the camera, and we were barely in the shot. Needless to say, I did not keep that photo. Here are some of the winners! :)

 

Our last day at the beach, Jay was able to play in a golf tournament. I know he wishes he was able to play more, so I hope it inspired him to keep playing now that we are home. Plus, he looks super cute in his golf gear!

It was also our THREE YEAR ANNIVERSAY! Grandmommy and Grandaddy watched Tuttle, so we could go out for a romantic dinner. I opted to only bring the little camera, so we would not have much to carry around. Much to my disappointment, I pulled it out to take the perfect picture of us at dinner overlooking the marina, the battery was dead! The food definitely made up for it: fried calamari, crab bisque for me, seafood gumbo for Jay, seared sea scallops with a spicy crab sauce for me, and surf and turf for Jay. It was our best meal at the beach. We ended the night with creme brulee from the hotel. Yum!!

I could not be more lucky to have married Jay. He is the best husband, father, and friend possible. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him and continuing to share important milestones together! I love you, mooch!