Family Cookout

The Giordano family was visiting from Philadelphia this week, and luckily we were able to fit into a family cookout yesterday. It was a very relaxing afternoon, especially since the kids are so independent now. Tuttle, Maggie, and Gwen ran around together the entire time. I loved watching Maggie and Gwen's friendship really flourish. Silas will be joining in the fun in no time!

I have to brag on my cousin for a minute. Anne recently won the Nilsen Literary Prize for a First Novel. The novel now has an anticipated release date of fall 2016 through the Southeast Missouri State University Press. We could not be more proud of her! I know we will see her name on the New York Times Bestsellers List in no time! :)

Almost the entire family was at the cookout, but I only focused on taking pictures of the kids. Let's be honest, they are the best material to work with! :)

We love any chance we get to spend time with the Corbitt clan. We are already looking forward to another event. I just hope it comes before Thanksgiving!

Maggie Turns Three!

We celebrated Maggie's third birthday today and had such a sweet afternoon. Maggie usually prefers smaller crowds, so we opted to get manicures and pedicures with four of her closest friends followed by frozen yogurt.

Each little girl picked a polish for their fingernails and toenails. Maggie opted for two shades of pink- her favorite color! 

I was so impressed with how still and patient each of Maggie's friends were at the salon. I think each friend loved a little pampering! :)

Maggie has such a great group of little friends. We are blessed to have such sweet families in our neighborhood!

After the nail salon we ventured a few shops down to a frozen yogurt shop. Maggie filled her bowl with chocolate yogurt, gummy bears, gummy worms, and chocolate cookie pieces. 

Tuttle enjoyed catching up with Gigi during the party. We have really missed seeing Gigi everyday at our house. Tuttle and Maggie picked up right where they left off with their pretend sibling! I love that Gigi is always ready to poise for a picture! :)

We returned to the house for a little family party with the grandparents, Aunt Peach/Uncle Drew/Holland, and a few close friends. Maggie was immediately ready to open some presents!

I ordered a sub and fruit tray from Publix as well as a cake designed by Maggie- pink and purple flowers! The kids happily played all evening with the new toys while the grown-ups had a chance to sit around relaxing and chatting.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Maggie Moo!

We LOVE having such a spunky, hilarious, pink-loving, strong-willed, but so very sweet baby in our family! Mommy, Daddy, and Tuttle love you very much!

Karate Kid

Tuttle officially started karate yesterday. He is so excited to take on a new sport. We can attend practice as many as four days a week, and we are already heading back today for another lesson. I cannot wait to watch Tuttle break a board in half in the future! :)

We love our karate kid!

2015 Summer Olympics

Saturday Jay and I hosted a Summer Olympics party at our house. Each couple represented a country of their choice, and I organized eight events to compete in for medals. The USA, Mexico, Ireland, China, Dijbouti, and the Netherlands were there to proudly represent their people. :)

Our friends are all very competitive, so it was fun to see which team won the gold, silver, and bronze medals each round. Since I am pregnant, my cousin Anne was Jay's partner to represent the USA. :)

One of the most popular (and funniest) events was the Wrecking Ball. One member of each team has to wear pantyhose on his/her head and use the baseball in the bottom to knock over ten water bottles. It was MUCH harder than it looked!

The three-legged race and the frozen trophy race happened so quickly that pictures were impossible!

The balancing dice event was also a crowd pleaser. Each team representative had to balance five dice on the end of a popsicle stick placed in their mouths. The team with the longest time without dropping the dice was the winner. Aside from it being difficult on its own, the crowd did not hesitate to dance around the competitors and crack jokes which made it nearly impossible. Mexico won by a LANDSLIDE with 5 minutes 30 seconds followed by the Netherlands with 1 minutes 31 seconds and the USA with 1 minute 30 seconds. 

You cannot have an Olympics with a tug-of-war competition. Luckily one of our friends is an elementary school P.E. teacher, so we had an official tug-of-war rope available!

The Netherlands took home in gold in that event.

I think everyone had a blast at the Summer Olympics! We have such a fun group of friends!

Hello, Sweet Baby!

Early this morning at 7:45 I had my 12 week appointment to check on our baby. In the past I have gotten ultrasounds at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 20 weeks, so I assumed it would be the same this round. Jay and I dragged Tuttle and Maggie out of bed to take a peak at their new brother or sister. When I arrived at the appointment, I quickly learned that an ultrasound was not planned for today. Luckily a little begging and maybe a little guilt trip about my two excited children landed us a quick look at our newest baby. :)

Our little doodle was measuring about 4 days larger than my due date calculations. Today made it much more real. We cannot wait to snuggle him/her in January!

Our Annual Hilton Head Beach Vacation

Every year we head to Hilton Head Island with Daddy's family to attend Grandaddy's company's annual conference. We love to tag along and enjoy the beach!

We stayed busy the entire week and had the best time. The first morning we headed out early to cheer on Daddy in a triathlon on the beach. Considering he had not been training, we were so proud of how well he did! It is very important to Jay that the kids grow up watching fitness as a central part of his life. :)

Tuttle and Maggie finished the last 100 feet with Daddy!

We all went directly to the pool when he arrived back at the hotel to cool off. Holland joined Tuttle and Maggie in their matching swimsuits for a quick picture outside.

Tuttle's swimming improved so much over the course of the week. He was in the pool or ocean every day, and we could tell how concepts he was introduced in swim lessons finally clicked. 

The Candy Room that Gresco provides as a hospitality to its member companies is ALWAYS the highlight of the trip, especially for Tuttle and Maggie. They were overwhelmed with all their sugar choices. Tuttle usually chose gum since it was the first time I let him eat it. We are currently reading Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory at home, so the kids were even more excited to explore the selections. 

We devoted one afternoon to the beach. Unfortunately the sailboats were broken, but Tuttle loved jumping the waves while Maggie played with some big girls from the conference building sand castles.

Even though Daddy is not a fan of the ocean, he made Tuttle the happiest little boy by teaching him to boogie board. :)

The conference ended with the annual dinner party on Monday evening. The kids were treated to a carnival room complete with games, balloon animals, and yummy treats.

David Greene, the former UGA quarterback legend, attended the conference with his family and was a guest speaker the following day. All three Thorne fellas enjoyed talking to David. :)

We usually head home after the conference ends, but the entire family decided to stay a couple more days at the beach. Grandmommy and I spent one morning relaxing at the hotel spa with body scrubs and massages, and Daddy loved an entire day spent poolside.

Grandaddy requested dinner at Hudson's Seafood House On The Docks Tuesday night. Everyone liked exploring the docks and the ocean breeze. Of course I had to turn it into a mini photo session. (Maggie tumbled out of her bed Monday night and completely scrapped up her face. Poor baby!)

A huge thank you to Grandmommy and Grandaddy for such a memorable trip to Hilton Head Island this year. We love you!