Halloween 2012

Our family had the best time celebrating Halloween this year. Tuttle really seemed to understand the concept and had his costume picked out for months. He has been pointing out traditional Halloween objects (pumpkins, witches, ghosts, monsters, etc.) in books and outdoor decorations, and we have been practicing knocking on doors and saying, "Trick or Treat!"

Even though Maggie was oblivious to what was going on, she still looked adorable in her Halloween outfits this week!

I didn't dress her up to go Trick-or-Treating, so she could be ask comfortable as possible.

 

We started out the night with the supper club group at Jamie's for some yummy food and wine. I loved seeing the kids in their costumes, and Tuttle loved running and tackling his buddies in the front yard.

Ellie's Family

Will is such a proud big brother to Jackson. :)

The Gram Family

Afterward we went to a small neighborhood across the street that always has the best Halloween decorations. Tuttle was such a big boy going house to house to get candy. 

Next we walked down to Redding Road which was closed to traffic, so it was safe for all the excited and unpredictable kids. It was packed with everyone from the neighborhood. One of my favorite things about living in Brookhaven is the fact that I always see so many people I know everywhere I go. Jay and I are extremely happy that Tuttle and Maggie get to grow up in Atlanta with a taste of suburban life. We ended the night by visiting two neighbors on our street.

The Cutest Pirate to Ever Sail the Seas

Holidays take on a whole new meaning through the eyes of our kids.

Happy Halloween!

All You Need is Love...

Love is all you need. :)

Our First Block Party

Tonight we attended our first block party for all the houses on our street. It was so nice to be able to "go out," but I could still pop back home to grab a bottle for Maggie or a juice box for Tuttle. Jay enjoyed watching the Dawgs beat the Gators during the party. G-E-O-R-G-I-A!! Our baby monitor even reached to our neighbor's house, so we could enjoy the party after Maggie went to bed!

Family Shot

 

Mommy and Maggie

Ginny, John Michael, and Baby Tillman

 

Tuttle latched on to the older boys at the party, and they were so sweet to let him tag along during their games. At one point I was looking for Tuttle, and he was sitting in the lap of one of the boys. So sweet!

Tuttle and his Best Buddy, Sam

Daddy roasted marshmellows and watched fireworks with his little boy.

We absolutely LOVE our neighborhood and cannot wait to create more memories with new friends. :)

Happy Three Months, Maggie Ruth!

Margaret Ruth Thorne has been a part of our family for three months now.

At three months, Maggie

• is 10 pounds 5 ounces (4%)- Still a little peanut!
• is 23.5 inches long (47%)
• eats 3-4.5 ounces every three hours.
• has changed formula in the last week to Similac Sensitive and noticeably spits up less and eats more! :)
• wears 0-3 month clothes.
• still wakes up about once a night to eat but slept 7:30-5:30 (with a dream feed at 10:00) and then 5:45-7:30 last night. Let's hope that is a trend.
• has a FAVORITE toy now- the bouncy seat. She loves batting the bird with her little hand.
• still snoozes in the swing very often.
• still must be swaddled to get comfortable.
• enjoys checking out our new television while her big brother watches his shows.
• prefers to be held vertically like a big girl! 
• smiles and smiles. :)
• seems to be growing out of her colic phase. I am not sure if it is her age or the new formula, but Maggie is a much happier baby now.

 I took Maggie to the doctor today for a weight check because she is so small. I got her dressed up to show off my little girl's cuteness! Smocked clothing is 100% addictive!

Although Maggie is very small, our doctor was satisfied with her weight gain since month two. We will continue to monitor her progress, but right now we are just happy to have a small and healthy baby girl.

We LOVE you, Margaret Ruth!

Thank Heaven for Little Girls......

 Especially my Maggie. :)

Baby Blue and The Dimaio Halloween Party

Jay is working on such a fun project right now. He is restoring his family's 1985 Chevy S-10. The Thorne family had the truck on the farm during Jay's childhood, and Jay even learned to drive with Baby Blue. He is loving this assignment and tries to complete something new every weekend. The truck is looking AMAZING! He has already gotten the truck repainted to its orignal color, replaced the tires, replaced and painted the grill, and replaced the Chevrolet decals on the tailgate. He has to spend a lot of time searching the internet for original parts, but so far he has been very successful in his hunt.

Some Father-Son Bonding Time

Here is an up-close shot of the tailgate- Mostly for Grandaddy!

We had so much fun at the Dimaio's Halloween party last night. Unfortunately Tuttle's pirate costume did not come in the mail in time, so he wore his train conductor costume from last year. He refused to wear the red bandana and striped hat, but he still looked cute.

Maggie wore her candy corn dress. I love little girl clothes!

Tuttle was very independent and played in Emily's playhouse in the backyard the whole time. When I checked on him, he was sweeping the house with a little broom. I may have created a cleaning monster! 

I brought the yummiest pumpkin cream cheese dip to share with vanilla wafers and ginger snaps. I found the recipe on Pinterest, and it was a huge hit!

Hailey and Sweet Elyse

 

While Jay and I did not dress up, most of the parents had really creative costumes.

Happy Halloween! Thank you, Jennifer, Danielle, and Emily!

Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochee

Kristin and I took all five kids (Tuttle, Jack, Ellie, Maggie, and Lily) to the Chattahoochee Nature Trails yesterday for a little walk and picnic. I thought it would be fun for the boys to put their feet in the water, so I told Kristin to dress Jack in shorts and Crocs. I really thought the boys would dip their toes in and find the water to be freezing, but they would still love exploring on the shore.

Little did I know that Tuttle would take a running leap into the river.

This would result in my son "swimming in the big pool" in a diaper in October.

 

 

Who wants to give me the "Mom of the Year" Award? :)

The girls stayed safe and warm in the stroller, but they enjoyed watching Tuttle and Jack be crazy boys and the geese that came right up to shore hoping for some food.

 

 

Overall it was a very successful day!

New Adventuers in Parenting

M&Ms

+

A Cars Potty

+

Thomas Underwear

Can only equal one thing: We are starting to potty train! 

Tuttle has started to show interest in letting go of the diapers, so we are supporting his big boy decision. Wish us luck!

Disclaimer:

1. He has not yet actually gone in the potty.

2. He peed on the floor twice yesterday. Good thing we have tile and hardwood floors almost everywhere. I say this as he is sitting in his underwear in my living room chair surrounded by carpet. :)

Fall Apple Picking

First of all, this is my 200th blog post! I cannot believe I have kept this up for so long, but I am extremely glad that I have. It is very easy, and my kids have a detailed "baby book" through the posts describing all our adventures.

Today is going to go down as one of my favorite field trips to date. Kristen and I took Tuttle, Jack, Maggie, and Lily to Reece Farm in Ellijay to pick apples. I have always wanted to try out this classic fall activity, and I am so glad that we made the long drive to North Georgia.

It was truly an authentic experience. We purchased a bag that could hold a peck of apples (I had no idea how many apples that would add to!), and we hiked into the orchard to collect some fruit. I found a ladder for the boys to climb, and we helped pull apples off the trees. Not very many apples make it into our bag because Tuttle and Jack wanted to take a couple bites, throw the apple on the ground, and climb up to find a new one.

I think it is super crowded on the weekend, but we had a little patch of the orchard to ourselves today. The weather felt wonderful with a nice breeze every few minutes, and the scenery with the rows of apple trees and mountains in the background made for a picture perfect day.

The boys enjoyed checking out the petting farm and the tractors, but unfortunately neither are open on weekdays. Although Jack and Tuttle filled up on apples, we had a little picnic among the apple trees, too.

We ended the day by exploring the orchard's bakery and shop. The kids tried apple cider, climbed on top of the pumpkins, and filled our bag with apples to eat later. Kristen and I shared and devoured one of the famous apple pies on the ride home. Yum!

Sadly Maggie missed out on most of the pictures because she was sleeping in her Moby Wrap attached to me, but I tried to get a sibling picture before we left. This was the best shot, so obviously this is something we need to work on! :)
 

It was the perfect fall day.