Gram Retires/ Two Goals and a Stripe

We have been counting down for MONTHS to Gram's retirement. The day finally arrived on August 28, and Maggie and I were honored to attend a surprise retirement party for her last week. A good friend and lawyer Gram had worked with for years, Bill Casey, put together such a special night for her. Former colleagues, family, and close friends were all there to celebrate Gram's new role in life: a retiree! :)

My mom had mentioned many of the people I met at the party in our conversations throughout the years, and it was so nice to finally put a face to a name. 

I wish I had taken more pictures, but the lighting was not in my favor, and Maggie and I were so busy chatting and eating! :)

I kept telling everyone at the party that Gram thinks she was busy at work. She was so mistaken. Now I have her at my disposal with THREE babies!

We packed in a lot this weekend and enjoyed every second. We started with Tuttle and Coach Daddy's first soccer game on Saturday morning. The weather was absolutely perfect. We were ready for a hint of fall in the air. Jay organized the team so impressively, especially since practice had been cancelled this past week for rain. The icing on the top was that Tuttle scored TWO GOALS! He was very proud of himself, and so were we! He hustled the entire time and cheered for his friends when he was on break. I know it is going to be a FANTASTIC season for Team Columbia!

We rushed home, so Daddy would have time to cut the yard before heading to Tuttle's karate class. We typically do not attend class on Saturdays, but Jay wanted to witness Tuttle earning his second stripe on his belt. He gets a new stripe for every ten classes he attends. After three stripes, he is eligible to test for the next belt level. I love that the studio offers a reward system because Tuttle thrives on achieving specific goals.

I had planned on attending church today, but the busy week caught up to me, so we all slept in a little bit. As soon as we realized how crisp and cool the air was outside, we changed into comfy clothes and went on a long family walk/bike ride for the kids. We walked by the elementary school and then headed to Ashford Park for Tuttle and Maggie to burn a little energy. It was a wonderful morning with our little family.

After lunch the kids and I showered and left for a puppet show at the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts. Both Tuttle and Maggie are very interested in puppets, so I knew they would be thrilled to see another puppet show. Earlier this year both saw The Wizard of Oz show. 

Tuttle and Maggie made shadow puppets before the show, and then they had a BLAST during the performance of Aesop's Fables. I barely watched the puppets because I was so busy watching the smiles and soaking up the laughter coming from the two seats next to me. :) We will definitely be back for the next show with Daddy: Peter Pan.

We packed in a bunch of activities, and we loved all the memory making. Two goals and a stripe add up to a PERFECT weekend with our family.