Maggie

Don't let the sweet, innocent smile fool you. That little girl is starting to give us a run for our money with her busy body attitude! :)

Our Week in iPhone Pictures

I enjoyed another fun summer week with the babies. This was our last week with Ellie Bean because her mommy has decided to stay home. I kept everyday busy with field trips, sports practices, and keeping up with three kids around the house.

Here are some highlights.

We visited the fire station with homemade cookies. Our local firefighters are always so sweet and welcoming to the kids.

Tuttle loved working with the coach on throwing the baseball correctly at practice. We also wrapped up our final week of swimming lessons.

Tuttle and I sneaked away for a Mommy/Son datenight to watch Despicable Me 2 in 3D Wednesday night. :)

Jackie and I were able to get together Thursday for a trip to the zoo with the kids. I was very excited to finally meet Baby Jacob. Although the Workmon family moved to Chattanooga, it is luckily not too far away to see each other.

This is not a good group picture, but it is all I got!

Friday we ended the week with a visit to Lullwater Park with some of the Ashford Park girls and babies.

I cannot believe it has almost been a year since I started keeping Ellie. She is such a big girl now, and we will miss her! Fortunately she lives in the neighborhood, so I see a lot of playdates in our future!

One of our neighbors set up a little library in their front yard. The babies and I went on a walk to check it out.

Our family is now officially counting down to our beach trip! T-5 DAYS!!

Happy Eleven Months, Maggie Ruth!

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

At eleven months, Maggie

• eats 4-5 times a day with breakfast, lunch, and dinner and 1-2 snacks. She drinks 3-4 bottles, usually in his crib before naptime, bedtime, and if she wakes during the night. 
• has started drinking bottles that are 4 ounces formula and 2-3 ounces whole milk
• has very specific taste preferences. She loves eggs, green beans, bananas, Gerber ravioli, goldfish, waffles/pancakes, yogurt, cheese, crackers, soft granola bars, puffs, and sometimes chicken and hot dogs.
• will independently hold squeeze fruits/veggies, so that is how I get fruits and veggies other than green beans and bananas into her tummy. :)
• wears mostly 12m clothing
• goes to bed between 7:00-7:30 and usually wakes once between 1am-5am for a bottle. Yes, that is correct. She still does not sleep through the night.
• has taken 5-6 independent steps if Mommy or Daddy stands her up and cheers for her, but crawling is still her preferred mode of transportation.
• will stand independently for about 30 seconds
• still takes a 30-45 minute nap in the morning on the go and a 1.5-2 hour nap in her crib in the afternoon.
• has four teeth (the top two and the bottom two)
• still takes a shower with Mommy every morning and sometimes a quick bath with Tuttle if the day got the kids extra messy
• loves to wave "hello" or "goodbye" to everyone
• has developed strong seperation anxiety and wants to be near her mommy at all times
• does well in the nursery at church but not other childcare situations (YMCA)
• hates being confined to the carseat or stroller initially, but she quickly calms down and relaxes
• loves sitting in little chairs her size
• is still infatuated with the toilet and Bella's dog bowl full of food
• has started to enjoy wresting and rolling around with her big brother
• likes to snuggle into Mommy or Bella's dog bed
• has developed the name "Moo Stinky" from her daddy, but Tuttle gets upset and always states her correct name: Maggie Moo Bear. She is probably called "Moo" more often than "Maggie"during the day. Sorry, Little Girl!
• is so sweet and FULL of personality! :)

We love you to pieces, Maggie! It is hard to believe you will be ONE next month!!

Pirate Camp

This week Tuttle attended pirate camp at his preschool. It was Monday through Friday from 9am until 1pm, so it was a long day filled with a lot of fun activities! Pirates have always been a favorite theme at our house, so Tuttle could not get enough of all the action at school.

He came home with the cutest crafts throughout the week, including a pirate hat, necklace, telescope, parrot puppet, and a treasure box. 

Each day had a major activity planned. He broke a sweat on an obstacle course, splashed around and climbed on inflatables for Water Day, munched on popcorn and watched a little move on Pajama Day, and searched for treasure with REAL pirates.

Tuttle had the sweetest teachers. One of the teachers was the daughter of the school director and actually lives one street over from us. I got her information to babysit in the near future!

Since Tuttle loves anything pirates, we had a lot of clothing to match the theme. From tshirts to a bathing suit and finally the grand finale: His Halloween Costume! It was a huge hit at camp!

I hope Tuttle is not too disappointed that camp is over next week! He had a blast!!

Popsicles in Their Underwear

Father's Day Weekend

We spent the rest of Father's Day weekend in Madison with Grandmommy, Grandaddy, and Aunt Peach. Saturday and Sunday were filled with a lot of playtime, eating, and relaxing.

On Saturday Aunt Peach and I were invited to go to lunch with Grandmommy and her Bunco friends at my favorite restaurant in Madison, Town 220. I enjoyed visiting with the Bunco friends because I had not seen them since my wedding shower over five years ago. They were all so sweet.

Maggie and Tuttle sat together for the first time for breakfast and lunch at the little table.

Jay pulled out the go-cart, and it was one of the highlights of the weekend! Even Maggie wanted to go for a ride and LOVED every minute!!

Here is the handsome man of the hour: Daddy!

Grandaddy was also celebrated this weekend. We love you, Grandaddy!

We ended the weekend with a delicious homecooked meal by Grandmommy of family favorites: fried chicken, butter beans, potato salad, and deviled eggs. Yum!!

Happy Father's Day, Grandaddy and Jay! We truly appreciate everything to do for our family.

Father's Day Four Miler 2013

Saturday we started the morning off very early with our annual family event of the Father's Day Four Miler at Turner Field. Everyone really looks forward to this race every year.

Stretching Before the Run

Tuttle could not get enough of the baseball man. When he gave the mascot a high five, the baseball man fell on the ground. Tuttle thought that was HILARIOUS and reenacted the reaction all weekend.

As soon as Jay started the race, we walked over to Turner Field to watch everyone finish the run onto the field. 

Jay told me to start looking for him around the 26 minute mark since he finished the race last year at 27:30. Luckily I caught him just in time to snap a quick picture! He killed the race this year at 26:10 (unofficial). Who runs at a 6:32 mile pace??? MY HUSBAND!! :)

The Thorne Ladies

This year Tuttle participated in the kids fun run after the adult race. He wore an official number bib and ran around the track all by himself (stopping to pick up a fallen cone!). He received a race tshirt, medal, and bag of goodies when he crossed the finish line.

The race is such a fun family tradition, and we cannot wait to participate again next year!

Sushi in the Dark

Last night the Ashford Park girls and I went out to dinner at the new sushi place in our neighborhood. Jay and I had tried it a few months ago on a date, and it was FANTASTIC, so I could not wait to go back. Surprisingly all the girls could come which never happens! :)

Little did we know, but it would be one of our most memorable dinners ever. As soon as the waiter brought our drinks, a crazy storm erupted, and the power went out. Luckily we were at a restaurant that did not require much cooking, so the waiter took our orders. You can never go wrong with sushi! :) We ate by candlelight while the storm was raging outside. We literally chatted until our candle burned out, and the waiter told us we had to leave for liability reasons. 

I thought this picture turned out pretty well considering the waiter blindly held the camera up!

 

I highly recommend The One Sushi in Brookhaven. The food was delicious, even with no power, and the service was beyond impressive. The waiter had such a laid back attitude the entire time, and even manually wrote credit card numbers since the machine was down.

No one realized how terrible the storm was until we drove home. Jamie had picked everyone up, so I was able to see how damaging the weather had been to the neighborhood as she dropped everyone off. There were big trees down, power lines laying in the road, and limbs scattered in every yard. Most of the group returned home to no power. Fortunately we did not lose power at all.

I will always remember this dinner with the Ashford Park girls. It was such a fun experience to eat sushi in the dark and catch up with such great friends.

T-Ball Practice with Grumps

Yesterday Tuttle had his second t-ball practice, and Grumps agreed to come help him while I chased after the girls. It started off great. Tuttle was thrilled to play baseball with Grumps, the girls were LOVING the grass between their toes as they walked and crawled around the field, and the breeze was helping make the ninety degree weather feel perfect. But quickly it was clear that Tuttle never napped and the girls fell asleep in the car on the way home from our morning adventure to Fernbank and never wanted to go back to sleep once we arrived home (which resuled in a 30 minute nap vs. the normal 2 hour nap) and the temperature really made everyone hot, sweaty, and more tired. Soon the girls were both crying the stroller, and Tuttle was complaining that his tummy hurt. I was so relieved that Grumps was there to witness and help during the final meltdown!

Not every event with three kids is a success. :)

I did snap some sweet pictures that make the practice look like a piece of cake!

 First At Bat

This is one of my new favorite pictures of Maggie. She took her first steps last week, but at t-ball practice she was standing up from a seated position and taking a few steps independently! Before yesterday, she would not take steps unless I stood her up and prompted her. Jay pointed out that she looks just like a cheerleader. Go, Super Swingers! :)

Luckily fruit snacks, a bar, and a juice box make everything better. The girls were asleep in the car before we left the parking lot.

While I am reliving this practice through the blog now, I get tired all over again!! :)

Grumps, thank you for your help!

Checking In

We really do not have anything new or exciting to report over the last week. The babies and I have been enjoying the summer and staying super busy. Between swim lessons, t-ball practice, field trips, park visits, and battling a very rainy spring/summer, we are having a blast. I am trying to enjoy all the moments I actually have Tuttle and Maggie at home with me all the time. After Tuttle gave up his paci, I realized how quickly the "baby years" are flying by, and that makes me really sad. I am extremely lucky to spend so much time with my babies, and I appreciate all the hard work Jay does to make it possible.

Bopies, Balance, and Baseball

I mentioned in my last post about Tuttle's willingness to part with his paci (known to the family as "bopies") for our sleepover with Stella and Dylan. I was apprehensive to believe that it would be as easy to take it away at home, but I was TOTALLY wrong. I was prepared for sleepless nights, crying, and begging for his beloved bopies. This was really the main reason I had allowed him to keep it so long, and it was also the last piece of his baby years. I simply reminded him at home that we were not going to use bopies anymore. We were going to give them to the new babies, and he would be able to pick out some new little Legos (his wish). We have not had one issue with this BIG change. Tuesday we stopped by Toys-R-Us for his prize!

(Tuttle has a weird habit now of smiling but refusing to actually look at the camera!)

Last week Ellie was at the beach with her family and returned a full time walker! In regular Maggie fashion, she wants to keep up with the milestones and started to successfully stand independently Tuesday morning. 

 

She has taken a couple steps now, but they are caused by her losing her balance standing and falling forward. They do count as her first steps, but they were not intended to move her in any particular direction. Today she was able to hold her balance for about 10-20 seconds and even regain her balance by squatting down and pushing back up in to standing. I cannot wait for Moo Bear to start walking! :)

Tuesday Tuttle started t-ball practice through the YMCA. He reminds everyone it is baseball if they try to refer to it as t-ball, though.

His age group will not play games, but they are learning all the rules and skills associated with baseball. Tuttle was VERY excited to practice with his team. Aunt Peach came to practice to help Tuttle as I chased two active toddlers all over the field. While this activity will not prepare him for the major leagues, Tuttle is having a blast and cannot wait to play again next week.

Stretching with his Team

This week they worked on running the bases in order and using the glove to catch in the ball in an "alligator bite."

First Team Huddle :)

The highlight of the practice was receiving the team hats and jerseys. Tuttle was thrilled that the jerseys were his favorite color: RED!

One of the mothers on the team volunteered to coach, but since their team was the only team practicing, the Youth Sports Coordinator, Jamie, took over the practice. Tuttle did such an impressive job listening to Jamie and waiting his turn to try new skills.

We are enjoying a sweet summer with the babies. :)