Goodbyes and New Adventures

Yesterday was my last day with Stella and Dylan after almost two years as their nanny. Since both kids were in full time school now, I needed to look for more hours. My time with this family was better than I could have ever imagined. Tuttle definitely views Stella and Dylan as his siblings, and I am thankful he could grow up around such sweet kids. We are already looking forward to playdates with the family. :)

I treated the kids to one more ice cream outing before I left. Tuttle spent the last couple days with his Grandmommy and Granddaddy, so it was nice to have 100% focus on Stella and Dylan. No one wanted to take a serious picture, so here is a lot of silly!

The best shot of both kids I could get! :)

 

Dylan is Tuttle's FAVORITE friend. He is interested in whatever Dylan is into!

 

Crazy girl with A MISSING TOOTH!

 

Tuttle and I are about to start several new adventures next week! I will be teaching preschool Tuesday and Thursday mornings while Tuttle attends as a student. While he will not be in my class, it will be the perfect opportunity for him to get comfortable around other adults and new children. Check back next week for the cutest first day of school pictures ever!!

We will also be working with THREE new nanny families! It is crazy how I was able to piece together different jobs, but luckily it has worked out. We will watch the cutest two year old all day on Mondays. Celeste has the largest vocabulary, so I hope it will rub off on Tuttle to be around such a smart little girl. On Tuesday afternoons, we will nanny a little boy from the preschool named Gabriel. Tuttle and Gabriel look like brothers with their white blond hair! On Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, we will nanny Gabriel and another little girl from the preschool, Emily. I think the children will love playing with each other! If your head is spinning, so is mine! Tuttle and I are looking forward to keeping busy this year and making new friends!! :)

Brookhaven Farmers Market

Tuttle and I met some girlfriends and their babies at J. Christophers for breakfast Saturday morning. Tuttle was his normal energetic self and did not want to sit in the highchair. I was super impressed with my girlfriends' boys. All three of them sat in their highchairs at the table the ENTIRE MEAL, ate their food, and did not whine/cry/complain. I think Tuttle's friends need to have a restaurant intervention with him! Haha!

Sweet Will

Tuttle's blueberry waffle was barely touched!

After breakfast, we headed over to the Brookhaven Farmers Market across the street. We arrived right when it opened, so many of the vendors were just setting up. I was hoping to pick up some fresh green beans, but maybe they are not in season? I was able to get a delicious King of Pops popsicle-- Pomegranate Margarita!! We only stayed a few minutes because it was already getting so hot. 

 I am having so much fun lately getting the boys together with my Ashford Park mom friends! 

Jack, James, Will, and Tuttle :) 

 

After naps (both Tuttle and me!), we headed to Costco for a lunch of samples. They hand out so many samples on Saturday that it will fill you up. Tuttle is also more likely to eat outside his comfort zone when it is on a toothpick or little plastic cup! :) He devoured smoked salmon, a meatball, salami, potato salad, and granola. We ended the trip with a berry smoothie that Tuttle drank all my himself!

Happy Weekend!!

Reconnecting with Old Friends

My friend Jamie and her son Will were able to meet us at the part yesterday for a quick playdate. Jaime and I met last winter at the park, and since our boys are so close in age, we started planning playdates. It had been a while since we had seen each other, so I was looking forward to this playdate a lot!

Jamie's Little Boy, Will

The best part of our friendship is the CRAZY connection that we discovered! It started with Tuttle and I going on our usual walk through the Ashford Park neighborhood last winter. I bundled him up in a warm coat and my FAVORITE winter hat that his Great-Aunt Ann made for him. Somewhere along the walk, Tuttle pulled his hat off, and I did not discover it missing until we got home, and the sun had set. I was devastated! I jumped in my car (Jay was home and kept Tuttle) and searched up and down the streets with my headlights. I came home empty handed. The next morning, I walked with Tuttle extra early to continue the search, but I was still unsuccessful.

How cute is that hat???

 

Here is where Jamie enters the picture. After meeting at the park, we became Facebook friends. She was browsing through my photos and came across one of Tuttle wearing the hat. The night we lost it, Jamie found the hat in her yard!! Despite her husband's insistence to throw it away, Jamie knew it was special and planned it put it on the park's bulletin board in hopes that the owner would see it. She called me immediately! How INSANE is that?

We had a fun time at the park yesterday. Since the weather has finally cooled off a little, I take advantage of every opportunity to get outside. 

Mary and Jack were able to come, too. :)

Tuttle LOVES watching the trains chug by the park, so I can rarely get his attention for a picture!

Today, my sorority sister and close friend, Samantha, came to visit. She moved to Colorado after graduation, and we realized today that we have not actually seen each other since my wedding three years ago!! We talk on the phone so frequently that it does not seem so long ago that we talked in person. :)

After a failed attempt at the pool due to a fussy toddler, we walked to Yoforia for some yummy frozen yogurt. I even let Tuttle feed himself which turned into handfuls for yogurt into his mouth! Yummy!!

I had the best time catching up for my old friend. Even though the visit started with a poopy diaper and ended with a toddler tantrum, I think the rest of the visit was a huge success! Love you, Sam!!

Weekend of Food

It seems like our entire weekend centered around food! On Saturday, we dropped Tuttle off in Madison and headed to Athens for Jason Green's Annual Chicken and Ribs Party. We look forward to Jason's delicious BBQ every year, and this year did not disappoint. The crowd keeps growing as word spreads, and it is always fun to get together with Jay's old friends.

Tonight, Mary hosted our monthly Supper Club for our Ashford Park playgroup. Mary and I met while I was walking Tuttle in her neighborhood. She was pregnant with Jack (now almost 10 months), and I could not resist stopping to ask her about her cute baby bump! Obviously, I have never met a stranger!! :) We missed the first Supper Club because we were in Hilton Head, so I was super excited to get the babies and husbands together this time. Laurel, James (her son), and Jason (her husband) also came.

Mary and Jack

(Jack is the youngest in the playgroup, but this does not stop him from trying to keep up with the "big boys!")

James

 

Mary pulled out Jack's train table for the boys to play with in the backyard. It was a hit! I think I even convinced Jay that Tuttle needs one for Christmas. :)

 

 The food was absolutely scrumptious! John grilled chicken and bacon wrapped shrimp. Mary made a black bean,corn, avocado, and tomato salsa, as well as a fresh salad. Laurel brought homemade macaroni and cheese, and I brought mini cheesecakes. Yum!!

I am thrilled that I have found such a sweet group of girls in the neighborhood with boys the same age as Tuttle.

 

I apologize for no pictures of the husbands. Cute babies always become priority! Thanks for hosting, Mary and John!!

Flood Recovery and Best Birthday Gift Ever

We were able to return to our apartment Wednesday night since the flooding incident this past weekend. The bedroom walls and ceiling were freshly painted, and the carpets were thoroughly cleaned, so that was nice. Other than working, Tuttle and I have been at home slowly unpacking and getting the house put back in place (furniture, pictures, clothes from my closet).  Jay and I are both ready to purchase a home and not unpack in an apartment ever again.

Tuttle currently LOVES Brown Bear, Brown Bear. (He is reading it in the photo below.) We have started introducing animal sounds, but according to him, all animals roar like a lion, including Daddy! Funny boy!!

Lovin' those baby blues!
 

I also returned home with a new addition: a double BOB stroller!! My mom and Dave gave me my birthday present early, so I could start using it!! I have been obsessed with getting one of these strollers. Jay has listened to me research them, point out each and every one we passed, and complain about how much better a BOB stroller would be compared to my current jogging stroller. My mom definitely surprised me BIG TIME! And no, we are not expecting....yet. :)