The Little House of Art

Tuttle LOVES meeting his buddies for playdates, and we have some great choices for fun activities right her in Brookhaven. We met Ryan (and his mom, Katie) at The Little Shop of Art this morning. This place is great because for $10 you can paint, color, cut, arrange stickers, and design for an hour. They provide the supplies and the cleanup! :)

Ryan, Tuttle's Little Friend :)

 

We are looking forward to a "no plans" weekend!

Can You Believe This Weather?

Today we woke up with a sick little boy. He had thrown up, and this was his first time. He really didn't even spit up as a baby, so I think it had him a little shaken up! I was scared that he had caught whatever nasty bug was floating around the preschool, so we decided to call in sick to work. Luckily, he never got a fever or got sick again. I am pretty sure that he got sick by eating too much at Moe's last night- he devoured an entire quesadilla with salsa, chips, and a cookie!!

 He was not 100%, but we took advantage of this BEAUTIFUL weather with a long walk in the stroller and exploring our backyard. Even the animals joined in on the fun. :)

 When Jay arrived home, he built a small fire in the outdoor fireplace to burn some yard debris. This was the highlight of Tuttle's day. He repeatedly reminded us that the fire was "HOT!"

Valentine's Day Celebration

Jay and I celebrated Valentine's Day this past Saturday. My mom sent us a little Valentine's Day spending money, so we decided to spurge at the farmer's market and find ingredients to make our own sushi at home!

We found some yummy sushi-grade tuna and salmon, fresh wasibi, and saki for Jay. A bunch of fresh fruit, bread, and pizza makings also made their way into our cart. 

Jay prepared a DELICIOUS meal for about $20. Compared to our normal sushi dinners of $75+, we may be doing this A LOT more regularly!

How could I finish this perfect meal without dessert???

 

 If case you are wondering, I ate both desserts myself!

Happy Valentine's Day, Mooch! I love you more everyday!! :)

It's A.......

I made an appointment at Stork Vision to find out the gender of Peanut earlier than my scheduled ultrasound for March 9. I am so glad I did! The place was super cute and very comfy. The room that we watched the ultrasound had a big screen television, so multiple people could view the big reveal. We made it a special family thing, so only Jay and Tuttle came.

We are THRILLED to announce a baby GIRL will enter our family in July!

Margaret Ruth Thorne :)

Here is a sneak peak at our little girl:

I already have visions of big bows and tiny tights dancing in my head!!

Valentine's Day (AKA Toddler Tantrum Tuesday)

Someone has officially stolen my sweet baby for a terrible toddler. I should install more durable locks on our doors! :)

My class celebrated Valentine's Day with a little party yesterday. I picked up Tuttle from his class, so he could participate. The parents brought in adorable heart sandwiches, cheese and crackers, fruit salad, and ginger snap hearts. 

Tuttle was only interested in the juice.

 

After a tantrum about being held, he finally got distracted with a toy barn. This was short lived because one of my students wanted to play, too. Tuttle is not a proficient sharer yet. Let's just say that the toy was put away! Ahhhh!!

 I luckily have a lot of patience. I am going to need it!

February Supper Club

Calley and Josh hosted February Supper Club, and it was the first time all six families could attend. We had a crowd! I love how large the group has become. Calley and Josh's neighbors and soon-to-be parents also came. I am sure it felt like "Baby Boot Camp" with seven babies who are all mobile now!! :)

We attempted a picture with all seven babies oldest to youngest. I think Jay took a successful shot!

Sweet Sarah Bates- the only girl in the bunch!

 

Our host for the evening- Joshua

 

James

 

Will

 

Jamie and Tracey

 

A Family Shot 

(At least two out of three are smiling and looking at the camera!)

Mary and Me

 

The guilty "I just shoved an entire cupcake in my mouth" face

 

We have officially entered the sharing toys struggle with Tuttle. He was not allowed the play with L.J.'s toy kitchen by the end of the night because he would FREAK OUT if anyone got near it when he was "cooking." I guess this is another perk of toddlerhood! :)

Thanks for hosting, Calley and Josh!

My First Photo Shoot

While I have done a zillion photo shoots with Tuttle since he was born, I used my new skills and information from my photography class I am currently taking to do a mini photo shoot today. I feel like I really understand how to use the camera now in terms of aperture and shutter speed (I definitely need more practice to capture good images consistently). These are my favorites shots that I plan to reveal during my class on Saturday. 

You will notice ice cream was used to keep Tuttle still! Making all the decisions associated with manual settings on my camera requires a subject that does not run away!!

 

Happy Weekend!

Tuttle Picasso and Peanut Update

Tuttle has become quite the little artist and is VERY serious about his masterpieces. When he is drawing, he puts his face as close as possible to the paper and concentrates very intently on his art. He usually wants someone to color with him and will give you the crayon you are ALLOWED to use and glances over frequently to make sure you are as dedicated as he is. :)

Aunt Peach has passed along her love for painting, and we tackled a Valentines painting project on Wednesday. Tuttle was very clear when he was done with each Valentine (officially a hardheaded toddler), but he stayed interested in the project for a impressive amount of time.

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A Little "Peanut" Update

Week 15

Weight gain: About 10 pounds, but my due date changed (Now July 30), so it set me back a couple weeks. That makes this huge jump okay, right???

Maternity Clothes: I can still wear my pants (Yeah!), but I have started wearing a lot of tight fitting maternity tops to show off the bump!

Sleep: I actually am feeling the extreme fatique in the second trimester. I get up about once a night for a bathroom run.

Gender: Still unknown. I think it's a GIRL! I just made an ultrasound appointment at a local place called Stork Vision for next Thursday to find out the gender before the routine ultrasound at 20 weeks. I obviously have NO patience!!

Belly Button: Definitely out very early.

What I miss: Really nothing- I am one of the crazy women who LOVES being pregnant!

What I am looking forward to: Jay working on the nursery this weekend.

Milestone: Feeling Peanut move more and more, especially at night. One the top perks of pregnancy!

Size of baby: About 4 inches long and 2.5 ounces- the size of an apple.

Behind the Scenes

I always sneak away for a few minutes while I am teaching to peek at Tuttle playing with his friends in school. It is interesting to see him interacting with other kids and adults while I am not present. He seems very independent and happy in his classroom. I especially enjoy seeing him during circle time listening to his teacher read books. He looks like such a BIG BOY sitting down and paying attention to the lesson.

On Thursday two of his classmates celebrated their second birthdays. One mommy brought in cupcakes and emailed me some pictures of Tuttle. I thought they were so sweet, so I had to share!

Tuttle was asked to smile in this picture. This was his reaction!

 

I can really tell Tuttle is retaining things he learns in school, especially songs. I find him trying to sing along to certain ones when I play his Baby Einstein CD in the car. His favorites right now are "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "The ABC Song." He gets smarter everyday! :)

Painting with Aunt Peach

On Tuesday night Tuttle had a date night with Aunt Peach. She picked up his favorite meal (Chickfila!) and planned an art project. Aunt Peach is an elementary school art teacher, so Tuttle gets to benefit from her expertise!

I loved the iPhone pictures that I received! Thanks, Aunt Peach!!

Peanut Update

I went for my second OBGYN appointment on January 25. I was crossing my fingers for another ultrasound, but it didn't happen. I did get to hear a healthy heartbeat of Peanut. :) Due to my previous ultrasound, my doctor moved my due date back to July 30. This means I am back at 14w3d today. We officially find out the gender March 9 (It seems like forever away!), but Jay and I are pretty much convinced it is a GIRL. Tuttle cannot wait to be a big brother!

I felt Peanut move for the first time a couple of days ago!! This is one of the best perks of pregnancy. I mostly feel him/her at night. I am crossing my fingers this is just a coincidence, and his/her sleep schedule is not flip flopped!

We are full steam ahead on the nursery. There are only two more boxes to unpack and then we will organize the current baby stuff into what we will need right away and what can be stored in the attic. I am picking up a white crib tomorrow. It will definitely feel real with two cribs in the house! :)