Spring Celebrations

Grandmommy hosted everyone at her house this past weekend for a mini family reunion. It was the perfect weather to enjoy a cookout and watch the babies play in the backyard.

Maggie and Holland had the best time roaming the house together. Maggie loves feeling like she is in charge of a little person.

Grandmommy made all the kids Easter baskets. There was even a golden egg in each basket with some spending money inside! 

This was the last photo taken of the patio table. Only a few minutes later the wind picked up and the umbrella flew out of the stand and shattered the table. Luckily no one of hurt despite several adults being right at the table trying to grab the Easter basket loot before it blew away. Never a dull moment!

Thank you to Grandmommy and Grandaddy for organizing such a fun day!

We kept the spring celebrations going with Sunday afternoon at the Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival. We enjoyed lunch from the food trucks, listening to live music, and watching Maggie and Tuttle jump sky high in the kids' area.

We just twirled through the wonderful weekend!

Atlanta Botanical Gardens Visit

Maggie's school was closed Wednesday and Thursday this week for conferences, so we took the opportunity to visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens with Gram to enjoy the tulips. I look forward to this every year! 

Our little adventure begin with a bang when I completely forgot that Jay had attached our new luggage carrier to the top of my car. We wanted to make sure I liked it before our upcoming Disney vacation. It was such a great fit for my SUV that I did not even remember that it was there when I pulled into the parking garage at the Botanical Gardens. I heard a soft noise as we drove lower into the lot and then a scraping when I realized what was happening. I quickly hit a point where we could not fit any further and had to do a tight u-turn and pray that we would fit on the way up the inclined ramp with an audience of garden employees. Luckily we squeezed out and the day could continue!

The weather started out a little cool, but it warmed up to a perfect afternoon by the end. Gram had a chance to see the new children's garden, and the tulips were at their peak. 

Gram treated us to lunch, and Jacob charmed the waiters who offered to watch them while I ate for a few minutes. 

I cannot help taking photos of my babies especially with such a beautiful background. Our sweet photographer offered to let me borrow one of her lens to try out before I purchased one, and I am in love! I did joke with her that the camera made Maggie look like she was twelve, so there much be a glitch. :)

She has definitely grown this year!

We are ready for spring! I love spending these special days with Gram and my babies.

Shamrocks, Shopping and Science

The kids celebrated St. Patrick's Day last Friday which is really just an excuse for me to dress them in coordinating green. :) Tuttle and Maggie started the day with green milk for breakfast. Jacob was not sure about the whole holiday!

Maggie and I had been looking forward to Saturday morning for weeks. We met Grandmommy, Aunt Peach, and Peach's best friend at a bridal shop to search for Aunt Peach's gown for the big day in September. Maggie was in heaven with all the sequins, ruffles, and jewels. We did not find the perfect design, so now we have an excuse to go shopping again soon!

Maggie and I drove home after the bridal appointment to pick up the boys for a fun afternoon with Gram. We explored the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville. I had been eager to visit the museum for a while, and the exhibits were a huge hit for everyone! 

The kids' room offered many different hands-on experiments including a screaming booth to measure volume compared to other animals. What child would turn down an excuse to scream as loud as possible inside? Tuttle's recent science unit on magnets in school was brought to life at Tellus. He loved using magnets to move bars of iron with a toy construction vehicle.

The absolute highlight of the museum was the mining and fossil room. All three kids were completely entertained for almost an hour. Tuttle and Maggie both left with a small bag of gems and real fossils of shark teeth. Jacob carried the paintbrush to sweep away the rocks all over the room and met many new friends.

Thank you, Gram, for another memorable monthly activity! 

Spring has sprung, and we are taking advantage of every second outside. Sunday we walked/biked to Kaleidoscope for lunch. Jay and I were so proud of Tuttle and Maggie for successfully and happily biking the three mile round trip. Now our days are spent balancing homework and sports practice with playing at the park, riding in the wagon to pick up Tuttle, and playing soccer in the front yard.

Jacob is the happiest (and least destructive!) when we are outside. Plus what is more adorable than tiny baby legs and chubby feet in sandals? :)

 Happy Spring!

Family Photo Session

 Although our lives are always a circus, the preschool circus performance was held last week, and Maggie decided to be a mermaid. She was the only mermaid in the group and was somewhat shy when she had to walk in front of the audience, but she still had fun! 

Friday we invited the Poole family over for dinner. I served jalapeno cream cheese hamburgers, fries, and strawberry avocado salad with homemade poppy seed dressing, and everyone seemed to like it. The ice cream bar with toppings was the biggest hit with the kids. The big kids ended the night with a little dress up and super hero battling. Lawson ultimately won with his amazing web throwing skills.

Saturday morning we headed back to Skyland Park for the beginning of spring soccer. Our new coach and parent to the only girl on our team, Karen, completely impressed us with her organization and demands on the team. She was really whipping the team into shape, and we can tell it is going to be a very fun and challenging season. Tuttle had his first taste of being a defender and LOVED it. He was determined to keep the other team's ball out of the goal. He may have found his perfect spot on the field.

I booked another photo session with our new favorite photographer, Stephanie Madison, for Saturday afternoon. I had scheduled a session right around Jacob's first birthday, but it ended up raining that weekend, and he was so close to walking that I decided to wait until March. While the weather had been warming up recently, the weekend brought on cool temperatures. Unfortunately for my family I already had planned coordinating outfits, so the Thornes were troopers to tolerate the spring clothing and smile through the hour. I could not just pick one or two pictures to share, so here is to the picture overload. Stephanie is absolutely amazing, and I cannot wait to book with her again!

With the below 30 degree weather this week, we are wishing for warmer temperatures now!

Living The (Exhausting) Life!

Before Jacob entered our family I honestly felt like my day to day responsibilities were pretty easy to accomplish, and Tuttle and Maggie were old enough to be fairly self sufficient. I just knew that adding another baby to the mix would be be smooth sailing.

And then Jacob was born.

He is busy every single moment that he is awake. He is determined to leave a mess in his wake as he walks around the house. If we are out and about, he wants to explore strangers' belongings and escape through any and all doors. 

I can definitely say that I am not bored in the least being Jacob's Mommy. He has made me question every piece of advice that I freely gave when I only had two children. He has breathed new life into the Thorne Family.

We cannot get enough of Jacob's mischievous smile and crazy energy. Little Boy has guaranteed that we will never have a dull day.

I cannot believe I am lucky enough to be the mommy to my three babies.

You cannot help by smile when you are with them.