Meat Mountain and Pool Time

Every year Jay's good friend Jonathon hosts "Meat Mountain" at his house. It is a fun reason to get together and eat a lot of yummy grilled ribs, chicken, and Boston butt. Jon ALWAYS requests that I bring my "famous pasta salad." This makes crack up because it is the Suddenly Salad boxed pasta salad mix that takes about 15 minutes to prepare. :)

After Tuttle's FOUR HOUR nap, we headed to Jon's house. He already had a big crowd there, and we all enjoyed relaxing, listening to music, and catching up on wedding news (Jon and Stephanie), baby news (Paul and Val), and everyday news (Jason and Rachel visiting from Athens).

Our Hosts, Jon and Stephanie

Stephanie and Val

Aunt Peach and Her Sweet Friends

 

The Grill Master, Allen

Tuttle spent most of his time in one of two locations:

Near the cheese ball bird bath OR

At the keg as the unofficial bartender. Should I be worried about his college days??

Our Attempt at a Family Photo :)

Tuttle and I stayed until he was sufficiently dirty and exhausted. We left Jay to head home, and he kept the party going with a concert later that night. 

Today we enjoyed a lazy day of movies, long naps, and some front yard sittin'. We ventured to Walmart to pick up a plastic pool and chair for Tuttle, and it was a GREAT way to spend $20.

Tuttle turns almost everything into a microphone now. His top hit is still "Old McDonald Had a Farm."

 

Someone is ready for some hot summer days!

 

Happy Weekend!!

Pedicure Party and Two Year Checkup

I have been looking forward to another girls' night out for a while now, and I could not wait for our pedicure party at a new shoe store that we booked for last night! It was also the first time in a LONG TIME that all six of us could go out! 

We started the night at Noche for some drinks and a quick bite. I devoured some chicken empanadas plus most of Jamie's nachos!

 

Afterwards we went a couple of doors down to Happy Feet, the new shoe store and pedicure salon. Since we had reserved a private party, they had food laid out for us, and Laurel made the CUTEST wine glasses for everyone. Since half of us are pregnant (YEAH!), Jamie brought sparkling grape juice for the mommas-to-be. 

It was the perfect evening to relax. My only disappointment was that I was hoping for a longer massage! Maggie Ruth has decided my sciatic nerve is the most comfortable place to lounge.

Since Mary's birthday was very recently, it was the perfect excuse to get together. Happy Birthday, Mary!

Tuttle and I also went to his two year checkup yesterday. Despite A LOT of tears, the doctor said Tuttle is doing great. He is right on track for his vocabulary development and his blood work looked fine.

Here are his two year stats:

Height: 33 3/4 inches (32%)

Weight: 27 lbs 3 oz (40%)

Head Circumference: 50cm (81%)

I was shocked that he is on the shorter side of kids his age because I always thought he was so big. I hope he got his daddy's tall genes instead of my 5'3" height!

I Don't Think That Goes There...

Tuttle's 2nd Birthday Party

I cannot believe I am already writing about Tuttle's second birthday. I feel like he was just born! We celebrated his birthday with a group of his little buddies on Saturday at our house. I planned a "Cookies and Milk" theme complete with six varieties of cookies (with my mom's help) and mason jars of milk for the kids. We scattered riding toys, chalk, and our train table around the yard, and Tuttle's Aunt Peach offered face painting. It was the perfect way to celebrate our little boy's big day! :)

 I asked my friend, Melissa, who I met in photography class to capture the day. Otherwise, I would not be able to entertain because I would be snapping away with my camera. She did an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING job! I cannot take credit for any of the pictures, but here is a glimpse into the birthday fun!!

A BIG thank you to all our friends and family for making Tuttle feel so special.

Happy Birthday, Tuttle! We love you very much!!

Dinner Guests

We are finally feeling settled enough in our new house (after almost 4 months!) to have friends over for dinner. I let Jay pick our first guests, and he chose Paul and Val- a perfect selection! Val recently announced her pregnancy, so I LOVED talking babies although I probably scared Paul a little bit!

I cooked my standby recipe- Rosemary Sausage Pasta with a Creamy Tomato Sauce and paired it with a Caesar Salad and fresh bread. Paul is such a grill master, so I stayed away from a meat and veggies dinner, so I would not embarrass myself. :)

Tuttle has always been so comfortable around Paul. He is one of the only people Tuttle warms up to automatically. Before bedtime, Tuttle and Paul played baseball, and our little boy could not get enough. Paul even tried to teach him how to catch a ground ball. How cute!

Pregnancy Pic- Me at 26 weeks, Val at 15 weeks.

We cannot wait to have dinner with Paul and Val again and to meet Baby Burke in October.

We celebrated Tuttle's 2nd birthday today with a party at our house. My friend, Melissa, took all the photos, and I cannot wait to show them off them once I receive them. The ones that she shared with me at the party were ADORABLE! Happy Birthday, Little Boy!

Preschool Birthday Celebration

In honor of Tuttle's second birthday on Saturday, I made cupcakes for his preschool class in honor of his FAVORTIE show, Curious George. I think they turned out pretty cute!

I will not be able to attend the little celebration because his class has snack time during the middle of the day, and he would not react well to me showing up and leaving again. I know he will LOVE making a mess with his birthday cupcakes, and I cannot wait to officially celebrate with him this weekend. 

Where have the last two years gone???

Sick No More

Yesterday I finally took Tuttle to the doctor to get him checked out after his weekend of being so pitiful. I wanted to rule out ear infections. I was so glad I decided to take the day off because he was so worn out in the waiting room. He was such a trooper and let our doctor check him out. I truly believe his pretend doctor kit at home from his Aunt Peach makes the real instruments become less scary. :)

We went home with no real answers other than ruling out ear infections and strep throat. (I also stocked up on more formula for Maggie Ruth. My OBGYN and Tuttle's pediatrician offer samples, so I ALWAYS ask for anything available. Our pantry looks like an episode of Hoarders, but that stuff is expensive!!)

After a few more hours of acting like a sick little boy and a nap in Mommy and Daddy's bed, Tuttle was ready to play. It shocks me how easily kids bounce back. When I have a sick day, I lay in bed and watch trashy tv all day, but Tuttle was begging to go outside by late afternoon. 

I had to keep Tuttle home from preschool since he has to be 24 hours without a fever, and we decided it was best not to nanny since we did not know what the next day would look like.

Tuttle was completely back to normal today! :) We rearranged the playroom, spent a little time at the park, went for pizza at Cosco, picked up some supplies for his party on Saturday and grabbed ice cream as a special treat. Doesn't ice cream always make everything better?

 Photo from Instagram, but I am not happy with the quality of my camera phone anymore. Time for an upgrade???

Playing in the Dirt and the Band

We declared today "Family Yard Day" and headed early to Home Depot to pick up flowers, pinestraw, fertilizer, bug killer, and other odds and ends. Jay is great in the yard, but this was my first yard project. I volunteered to tackle the flowers by the mailbox and a small raised bed beside the house. Jay took on the rest: mowing the whole yard, weed eating, blowing, and fertilizing. What a good husband!

Tuttle was still a little off today, so he watched us work from a blanket under the shady tree.

Our final product is something to be proud of!

After a three hour nap (I am jinxing myself, but this is his normal nap schedule. Maggie Ruth is never going to sleep. I recognize this!), Tuttle had a little more energy. He went grocery shopping with me, helped Daddy wash the dog, and even had time for a little band practice. Tuttle played the drums while I was the vocals. We rocked the house with our versions of "Old "McDonald Had a Farm," "The ABCs," "Rum Sum Sum," and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

I think we may go to the doctor tomorrow to get our little boy checked out. He seems pitiful one second then happy the next. Maybe I can get some answers...