Beth and Neil's Wedding Weekend

Jay and I just had a FABULOUS weekend celebrating Beth and Neil's wedding in North Carolina. Beth is a good friend of Jay's from college, and we were honored to be a part of their special day.

 

 

The entire weekend was absolutely perfect and beautiful. Beth thought of every detail, and we were both agreed that it was the best wedding we had ever attended.

 

Jay and I were able to sneak off for lunch in Boone on Saturday. We asked a local for a restaurant recommendation, and I had the most delicious tacos that I had ever put in my mouth. :)

 

 

I could not get over the breathtaking view of the North Carolina mountains, and the wedding venture highlighted it for all the guests to enjoy.

 

 

Congratulations, Beth and Neil! Thank you for such a fun weekend getaway!



VBS Week

This week Tuttle attended Vacation Bible School at our church for the first time. I was very excited about him trying out something new, but I was also a little nervous that he would not know anyone and might feel a little uncomfortable. I was totally wrong . He confidently walked into that classroom, and we soon discovered that his old Sunday School teacher, Mr. Tim, was the lead teacher for his VBS class. There were also several friends from his current Sunday School class that were there. :)

 

I think one of the highlights of the week was that Tuttle got to wear his VBS shirt to camp everyday.

 

 

Since Gigi was at the beach with her family this week, I had some special time with Maggie while Tuttle was busy at church. While we ran some errands and got routine cleaning done around the house, I loved interacting with my baby alone.

 

 

Tuttle and Maggie loved some extra attention from Aunt Peach this week. We met her at Yoforia Tuesday afternoon for a sweet treat, and we planned a last minute movie night slumber party at her place for the following night. Tuttle and Maggie love their Peach!

 

 

To wrap up VBS, The Varsity food truck provided lunch today for all the families. Tuttle actually ate a cheeseburger which never happens. It did not surprise me that he downed a frosted orange drink.

 

 

Tuttle was very sad that today was the last day. He loved bringing home a craft everyday, learning new songs, and meeting sweet new friends. I bought the CD of music from the week, and it melted my heart watching him dance to the songs with special moves he learned at VBS. Our church has such a strong children's program, and I am thrilled that Maggie and Tuttle are a part of it.

 

Later today we reunited with Jack and Lily after several weeks without seeing our best buddies. Kirsten hosted a playdate at her house with a blow up pool. Several friends from their preschool class came.

 

 

Summer is already flying by, and we are enjoying every minute! :)

St. Simons Island Beach Vacation

Wednesday the babies and I left for our second annual St. Simons Island vacation with Gram. This year Grumps rode his motorcycle down, as well. We could not wait to get our feet in the sand. Tuttle and Maggie did so well on the drive even though we did not arrive until about 11pm.

 

The next morning we slept until 9am and then headed out for breakfast.

 

Afterwards we explored the pier a little bit before heading to the grocery to pick up supplies for the trip.

 

 

Our next stop was the pool/water park down by the pier. We visited last year, and Maggie and Tuttle both LOVED it. This year was no exception. We stayed around the water playground most of the time, and Maggie must have gone down the water slide at least fifty times. Tuttle was completely independent and explored every inch of the playground. Luckily the water is only a foot deep, so we could let Maggie and Tuttle walk around by themselves (with us watching, of course!).

 



 

Once we all took a much needed nap, we showered and went to dinner at Barbara Jeans. This restaurant is always on our list, and it was delicious. I enjoyed crab bisque, crab cakes, and the yummiest squash casserole. I may or may not have eaten Maggie's squash casserole, too.

 

Friday we did not waste anytime after breakfast at the beach house. We rented bikes and rode around the island. Although it was hot, everyone loved getting some exercise and looking at the beach houses.

 

 

We visited the pool again to cool off after our biking adventure.

 

Gram purchased sticker books for Tuttle and Maggie, and a lot of time was spent putting all the stickers in just the right spots. Gram would sit at the table and help the babies. Tuttle and Maggie did such a good job taking turns, and I could not get enough of listening to my sweet family interact.

 

 

Even though I take pictures ALL THE TIME, I was determined to do a little mini photo session with the kids at the beach, so I dressed them up before dinner to make that goal happen. :)

 

I just love my sweet babies.

 

This was the best sibling picture I could get. At least they are both looking at the camera!



 

We ate at Brogans for dinner and finished the evening with ice cream.

 

Last year at the beach with Grandmommy and Grandaddy Maggie taught herself to walk at 10 months old. This year she practically potty trained herself. She was so thrilled every time she went. I am not ready to put panties on her yet, but she is well on her way. I feel confident that she will start preschool fully potty trained. :) The beach is obviously a motivator for Moo Bear.

 

A sweet lady offered to take a picture of all five of us. It was the only one we took the entire time!

 

 

When we got back to the beach house, we watched The Wizard of Oz. It was the first time Maggie and Tuttle had seen the classic movie. They were mesmerized the entire time. Tuttle still cannot get over how Dorothy melted the Wicked Witch with water.

 

Saturday morning we designated as our beach day. We arrived at the perfect time with low tide. Tuttle and Maggie were most interested in digging in the sand and making a sandcastle. We did venture down the beach to the tide pools. Small fish and crabs were trapped in the pools, so we waded around and investigated. Gram found some big conch shells and soon discovered the conchs were still alive inside! We were all amazed how quickly those little animals ran away when she put them back in the water!

 

 

This might be my favorite picture of the trip. Maggie loves her Gram so much and always wants to be carried by her. They definitely have a special bond. 

 

 

Before our last dinner of the vacation Tuttle and Maggie picked out new St. Simons Island tshirts. Tuttle insisted on a tie-dye tshirt, and Maggie wanted pink. We ate at Iguanas Seafood Restaurant (a new pick) and stuffed ourselves with pina coladas, raw oysters, and seafood pasta.

 

Cheese!!

 

 

We had such a fun time at the beach with Gram and Grumps this year. I love creating such special memories with my family. Thank you, Gram, for making this trip possible. We love you!



Father's Day and The Kitchen Sink

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all the daddies! :) I think Jay enjoyed a relaxing day that started with Starbucks coffee and homemade strawberry pancakes. Tuttle and Maggie had picked out their gifts completely independently this week, so they were excited for Daddy to open them. I took Tuttle and Maggie to the Dollar Store on Friday, and they each picked out three surprises for Daddy. I did not help or critique their choices at all. Tuttle selected a plastic safari hat, an art kit, and a white ceramic angel. Maggie chose a pink butterfly net, an M&M scented candle, and a plastic frog. Jay thought it was hilarious!

 

Next we loaded up in our new car (details below) and drove around Decatur, Little Five Points, Kirkwood, and Cabbagetown. We stopped for a quick picnic at Candler Park. It was the perfect little outing for our family.

 

Jay ended his special day with take-out from his favorite Indian restaurant.

We love you, Daddy!

 

Now to play catch-up on our busy week!

We are continuing to live summer to the fullest. Gigi was in camp all week, so Tuttle and Maggie enjoyed some lazy mornings at home. They have started sleeping until 8:30 most mornings. Lazy summer mornings are the best!

One afternoon after picking up Gigi, we stopped by a local park. I had promised Tuttle that he could use his fishing pole from his birthday, so we practiced reeling the line in the creek while Maggie and Gigi walked on the rocks. He is ready to catch some real fish now!

 

Wednesday afternoon a surprise package arrived for Maggie and Tuttle from Gram. Tuttle had requested a cowboy costume, and his wish came true! Giddy up!

 

 

Friday was our busiest day of the week. After Maggie's gymnastics class, we met Daddy for lunch at Home Depot. It had been a while since we had visited Daddy at work. We grabbed a bite to eat in the Home Depot cafeteria and stopped by the desks of some coworkers. Tuttle could not wait to visit Uncle CJ!

 

 

Luckily the rain held off because we were looking forward to a movie night at our neighbors' house. The DiMaio Family hosted an outdoor movie with Costco pizza, and all the guest brought a side or dessert to share.

 

 

And finally, we added a new car to our driveway. We had been planning on a new car for Jay in the near future, but it happened a little more quickly than we had anticipated. While in Athens last weekend after Jay's staycation at Granny's house, we were enjoying a little snack downtown when Jay suggested that we test drive a Nissan Leaf. It is 100% electrical, so the elimination of a high weekly gas bill was very enticing to me! After checking out a Leaf and speaking with the sales rep, he gave us an offer we could not refuse (We tried five times to walk away, but he kept lowering the price!). He delivered the car to Jay on Monday afternoon in Atlanta.

 

 

Jay is really loving driving it, and charging it at night has gone very smoothly. It simply plugs into a regular outlet in our house! I will post pictures soon.

 

The countdown for our first beach trip is on! T-2 days until we leave for St. Simons with Gram!