Baby Holland's Shower

My mom and I threw a baby shower for Aunt Peach and Holland this weekend. We are so excited about adding a new member to our family in June! Tuttle and Maggie talk about their cousin everyday!

The guest list was a combination of family and college friends.

My mom insists that I did as much as she did for the shower, but it was mostly her. She made all the food, cleaned her house top to bottom (as if it is not always immaculate), and set up the shower. Maggie and I spent Friday night at her house, so I could help set up. When I got up at 9am, everything was already done! My mom is the absolute best. :)

I did plan a little game for the shower that seemed to be enjoyed by all. We played "Price is Right- Baby Style." I purchased 10 commonly used baby products, and the guests had to guess the total without going over. Rachel Green won the game! She was within three dollars of the total. I am convinced all her years working in retail paid off! :)

Aunt Peach opened gifts next and received such fun and useful items for Baby Holland. That little girl is already so loved!

My mom and I were so thrilled that we were able to organize such a special day for Allison and Holland. I cannot believe she will be here is about two months! Bring on the baby snuggles!

Conferences and Field Trips

Maggie and Tuttle did not have school Wednesday or Thursday this week due to spring conferences. I was eager to hear how they were doing in their classes.

I was not surprised to hear that Tuttle was thriving in the Dragon Pre-K Class. He has loved school all year, and his assessments indicated that he is ready for Kindergarten (although I am not ready!). Ms. Linda mentioned that Tuttle's biggest obstacle will be himself since he is such a perfectionist. He gets nervous to show work that he knows is not completely correct. She reminded me to always build up his self-esteem, so he understands that everyone makes mistakes, and his mistakes are only tools to help him improve in the future. I was so proud that he always includes everyone in play and that he listens and stays focused in class. I am very happy that his teachers recognize what a sweet and special boy that Tuttle is! :)

Maggie's conference was short and sweet. Her teachers love having her in class and feel that she is advanced compared to her peers. She has done everything early (walking, talking, potty training), so that news was not shocking. Ms. Jen said that Maggie will have complete conversations and understands humor. Maggie is excited to start MWF preschool next year in the Kangaroo Class.

We stayed busy this week. I have missed morning field trips since Tuttle is in school five days a week, so we successfully made it to two of our favorite places.

Tuttle has been begging to go to Legoland (his version of Heaven) for the longest time, so after conferences we grabbed lunch at Costco and headed to Legoland for a few hours. I was a little disappointed with the experience (it was a little messy and two attractions were down), but the kids did not seem to notice. Tuttle especially loved the Star Wars Lego scenes that were set up to promote the new movie!

Today we enjoyed the spring weather and drove to Morgan Falls Park for a playdate with Cooper and Mallory. The weather was absolutely perfect, and we quickly killed three hours playing, climbing, and having a picnic. Morgan Falls Park is easily my favorite playground in our area. 

I cannot believe we are in the home stretch of preschool! Only 7 weeks left until summer vacation!

A Good Weekend.

We had such a great weekend without feeling over committed. Most of our upcoming weekends are filled with big events (weddings, showers, Easter, etc.), so it was nice to have a little flexibility this weekend. 

Friday we started off our weekend at the park until it started to rain. The kids and I grabbed dinner at Newk's before heading home to see Daddy. Tuttle and Maggie absolutely LOVE Newk's and always lick their plates clean.

Saturday Jay spent almost all day getting my new car detailed, oil changed, and inspected, so the kids and I ran around town. We started at Tuttle's soccer game. Luckily it was a 10:30am game, so we did not have to rush out to the fields like we usually do.

Our team played a tough group of boys. They completely shut us out, but Tuttle still had a blast. Tuttle is determined to score next time, especially since I bribed him with ice cream if he does. :)

Next we headed to Marietta to our shoe store to find spring shoes for Tuttle and Maggie. Gram always buys the kids' shoes which is so helpful. She was not able to meet us this time, but she still treated Maggie and Tuttle to two new pairs of shoes each. Thank you, Gram!! We grabbed lunch at Chickfila before heading home.

I was very much looking forward to our dinner surprise Saturday night. Tuttle and Maggie had never been to a hibachi restaurant, so I made reservations for 5:30pm. As Jay predicted Tuttle was captivated with the cooking show, and Maggie was terrified. She was not a fan of the fire at the beginning, but she turned her frown upside down when the chef left, and she could eat her fried rice. :)

Today has been a typical but rainy Sunday. We went to church and the grocery store. We are spending the remainder of our weekend being lazy at home. 

"Me Do It My Own Self"

This sweet girl makes my life so much richer!

I cannot get over all the personality and sass that can fit into such a tiny body. Truthfully I will probably need therapy during her teenage years. :)

Birthday Party Season

We are officially in birthday party season for Tuttle's friends. His class is grouped by similar birthdays, so once March and April hit each year we are very busy every weekend celebrating! We attended three parties this past weekend, and surprising each party was at a location that we had never visited. The kids had a blast!

We started on Saturday morning at Connor's sixth birthday party. It was at a warehouse for outdoor playground sets and trampolines! We had the best time sliding, swinging, jumping, and climbing. I even went down a couple VERY fast slides with Maggie. 

Next I dropped Daddy and Maggie off at home, and Tuttle and I went to the bowling ally to celebrate Will's fifth birthday party. All of our neighborhood friends were there! Tuttle loved bowling and did not want my help with his form at all. Despite slipping on the slick ally and bumping his head, Tuttle ended the party with a strike and lots of cake and ice cream!

After the party Jay and I decided to load the kids up at 7pm to check out a new SUV for me. Jay had been researching what to get me for a while, but this was our first weekend really looking. We have a history of very spontaneous car buying, and Saturday did not disappoint. We left the dealership with a beautiful Buick Enclave. I traded in my Jeep Liberty that I had driven for TWELVE years. Tuttle was absolutely devastated that we were leaving "Blue Tank" at the dealership- he cried for over an hour- but I am convincing him that the extra room in Mommy's new car will be better than our old ride. :)

Our final party of the weekend was at Glow Galaxy, a glow in the dark play space with jumpies, putt putt golf, and lots of room to run around! Maggie was a little nervous initially, but she and Tuttle were soon getting out a lot of energy with their friends and the birthday boy, James. I could not take any decent pictures because it was too dark. Happy 5th Birthday, James!

We are looking forward to the week of 70 degree weather!

Springtime

We are starting to experience some warmer weather, and we are LOVING every minute!

Even though rain is in the forecast a lot right now, we are spending every second we can at the playground. 

Welcome, Spring! :)

A Circus, Soccer, and a Family Wedding

Maggie and I attended the OPP Circus on Wednesday to watch Tuttle perform. He requested to dress up as a "motorcyle man," and luckily Daddy had a real motorcycle helmet from his pre-children days, and Cooper let Tuttle borrow his Captain America costume. Tuttle, Cooper, and Ryder ran around in circles repeatedly with their hands on pretend handlebars. The crowd cheered the whole time. :)

Maggie posed for a picture before school on Thursday. 

Tuttle had his first soccer game of the season on Saturday morning. Due to rain the team had not practiced at all, so we met Coach Ian on Saturday. I was anticipating complete chaos on the field since the team had never played together, but all the boys were very impressive! Tuttle loves soccer and was much more focused during the game compared to his basketball games.

 Saturday afternoon the entire family dressed up to attend Robin and Ross' wedding. It was Tuttle and Maggie's first wedding. We had the BEST time celebrating our sweet friends. I do not know who enjoyed the dance floor more: Jay, Tuttle or Maggie? Maggie convinced Mommy, Daddy, and Aunt Peach to dance with her all night! Tuttle busted his moves with Cade, the ring bearer from our wedding who is all grown up now. :)

The boys left a spot for Justin who was home with his sick little girl. :(

Congratulations, Robin and Ross! We love y'all!

Today we officially had our first real taste of spring weather. We enjoyed the day with Aunt Peach and Uncle Drew eating pizza on the patio in Downtown Roswell. It was the perfect way to start the week. 

Weekend with Zanna

This past weekend I drove to Fort Walton Beach, Florida to visit a friend. Zanna is one of my best friends from college, and I had  not been back to visit her since her wedding last year. We planned my visit a few months ago, so I was eager to get to Zanna's house and really have time to catch up.

Jay was able to work from home on Friday, so I left right after dropping Tuttle off at preschool. It took about 5.5 hours and was a really easy drive down. We immediately headed for the beach for a walk when I arrived. Although it was not hot beach weather, it was still beautiful. We walked over an hour before heading back to shower for dinner.

We ate dinner at the restaurant that hosted Zanna and Daniel's wedding. We arrived right at sunset and enjoyed dinner on the porch. I can never get enough seafood!

The next day was a little overcast, so we ran a few errands and then spent most of the day on the couch binge watching Parenthood and snacking. I requested Zanna's chicken and dumplings for dinner and ate three bowls! :) It was such a luxury to just sit around and be lazy since that rarely happens with two kids!

We ate brunch the next morning before I left at the sweetest Italian restaurant. I told Zanna that I want that location to be a regular stop on future visits! I devoured the yummiest breakfast panini with prosciutto and sunny side up eggs! Yum!

I realize most of my description of my trip involve food, but isn't that what vacation is all about? Hahaha

I was ready to get home to Jay and the babies! Luckily today we are enjoying some sunny weather. We missed being able to play outside, so we went over to Jack and Lily's right after preschool to ride bikes and scooters. Everyone is ready to have warm weather everyday!

Now to get the house back in order after Daddy was in charge...... :)