Rain, Rain, Go Away!

This has been the rainiest summer that I can remember, but the babies and I are braving the wetness to find some fun in Atlanta. Plus any excuse to see a toddler in tiny rain boots!

At one point, we decided to forget about building an ark and go right for a submarine!

Maggie, Jacob, and I braved voting during a flood warning while Tuttle was at a playdate.

Sometimes the simple act of going to Costco for $1.99 hot dogs cures the cabin fever!

We spent one morning at the park with a few quick rain showers during our time there. Since our local park is not very shaded, it was a nice treat to cool off.

Tuttle has discovered a real love for reading this summer and is flying through the Magic Treehouse series on his own. I bribed him with a goal of 20 chapter books by the end of the summer for a trip to Legoland. He has been begging to go, so now he has some motivation to keep reading.

The rain took a break on Friday. We jumped at the chance to make thank you signs and treats for the local fire station and get a quick visit. A call came through after only a few minutes of exploring the station, but the babies loved watching the firefighters spring into action and zoom away in their truck. (I requested a picture on the truck before they took off. I am sure they really appreciated me holding up their jobs....Disclaimer: It was not an emergency they needed to attend to!)

The forecast looks better for this upcoming week, and Tuttle and Maggie are thrilled to be starting VBS at our church tomorrow!

5th Annual St. Simons Beach Trip

The babies and I enjoyed another annual vacation to St. Simons Island with Gram this past week. I cannot believe we have been going for five straight years now. Maggie had just started walking during our first trip and now we had added one last wild baby to the mix!

It was a challenging year with Jacob since he is an energetic toddler who will not stay still for longer than 45 seconds, but that did not stop us from experiencing some amazing memories and highlights this year!

The beach was the perfect spot for everyone. We tried it out on our first full day after a grocery trip. The kids loved digging in the sand, splashing in sandy puddles, and meeting new friends (especially Jacob who approached every group withing walking distance!)

Brogans was a fun spot for dinner. Cornhole was a hit for all the kids, and Tuttle was actually very good! I know he will be back in 12 years with his fraternity brothers celebrating a Georgia win against Florida and winning a cornhole game.

This comparison is only a two year difference. Time really does fly.

Tuesday morning held one of the most loved events during the entire trip. Gram made reservations for the big kids to ride horses at the island stables. When we arrived, the facility was absolutely beautiful. Maggie and Tuttle learned how to groom the horses and then rode two horses around the lake. It was a complete success, and both kids cannot wait to ride again!

One of the highlights of the new condo we stayed in was the pool right beside our rental. Tuttle and Maggie spent hours swimming which allowed Jacob to take a couple good naps during the day.

We tackled a different casual restaurant every night, but some evenings went more smoothly than others. This photo represents Jacob's attitude at the Mexican restaurant. Luckily margaritas made the time a little more tolerable for the adults. :)

We always loved to end our day in Jacob's Happy Place.

Wednesday we returned to the water park at Jekyll Island. Last year everyone had a blast, and it was even more fun this year! While Jacob's favorite areas were the lazy river and wave pool, Tuttle and Maggie spent most of their time on the giant water slides. Gram even went down once with Tuttle. I bribed Tuttle with a dollar to ride the biggest high thrill water slide with me. He did it, but he was not too happy with the little adventure.

We ate dinner at the condo and then went out for our daily dose of ice cream. We tried out four different ice cream shops this year, and the overall winner was Sunset Slush with the Italian ice flavors. The Crybaby flavor was consumed several times by everyone!

 Gram and I were able to sneak off on Thursday for a kid-free lunch while a babysitter took Tuttle, Maggie, and Jacob to the park. We have already declared that we will be hiring a babysitter 2-3 times next year, so we can relax! We grabbed a yummy lunch and browsed around the beach shops. We definitely needed the down time.

Later that afternoon the Corbitt clan came over to swim at our pool. It was just a coincidence that everyone was visiting St. Simons during the same week, and it gave us an excuse to hang out for a while. After a swim we returned to their house while Larry and Gram picked up BBQ for dinner. Unfortunately the night was cut a little short with Jacob needing to head to bed, but we loved spending some beach time with family.

On our last day of vacation Gram took Tuttle and Maggie to a movie while I walked with Jacob to shop at one of my favorite children's shops, Bailey Boys. We happened to be there when it was having its annual sale, so I stocked up and helped some friends shop, as well. 

Jacob shopped until he dropped and allowed us to meet Gram and the big kids for pizza where he slept for half the meal. 

I insisted that we end our amazing vacation with a final trip to the beach. 

And this photo perfectly portrays Jacob's effect on our family. He is pure chaos, but his cuteness helps convince us to keep him around. :)

A HUGE thank you to Gram for another memorable trip to St. Simons Island. I know the babies are creating such special memories every year. We love you so much!

Parents Only Vacation

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of traveling and vacations, and everyone is finally home and recovering from all the fun!

The first adventure was a mini beach vacation for only Jay and me to Hilton Head Island. Grandmommy and Grandaddy kept all three babies for two nights, so we could relax at the beach alone, and it was absolutely amazing!

We drove to Madison to drop off the kids on Tuesday and left early on Wednesday morning. Our first stop was Captain Woody's Seafood Restaurant for oysters and crab legs! It is always a must do when we venture to Hilton Head.

We tried a new spot for lunch on Thursday that was recommended by the valet attendant, and it was such a hit: Skull Creek Boathouse. Apparently we came at the right time because the wait for dinner nightly is 2.5 hours! I enjoyed some delicious sushi by the pier!

 Luckily the cold rain subsided by lunchtime, and the sun came out for us to enjoy! The rest of the vacation was spent poolside.

I had been talking up the hotel's lobster roll for months to Jay, and it did not disappoint at all. Yum!

It has clearly become very obvious that this vacation revolved around sleep and food.

Thursday evening we went to the theater to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean release. We had to keep the beach theme going even at the movies. You really take for granted just deciding last minute to catch a flick when you have kids. We both enjoyed it!

We are officially counting down until our week long trip next summer to celebrate ten years of marriage. I would not want to vacation with anyone else.

The Thorne Ladies

Last weekend we attended a baby shower honoring our sweet cousin, Brooke. Her baby boy is going to arrive in August, and we cannot wait to meet him! I snapped some photos of Grandmommy, Aunt Peach, Piper, and Maggie, and I could not resist sharing them. 

We clearly have some beautiful women in our family.

Summer Success: Week 1

* My photos are lacking in this post because my iPhone came to an untimely water death at Six Flags. I bought a new phone yesterday, so all is well again with my obsession with photos. :)

The first week of summer was absolutely jam packed with activities starting with a late birthday celebration for Tuttle at Medieval Times. Gram bought tickets for us, and I lined up a babysitter for Wild Man Jacob. Both Tuttle and Maggie have declared that it was the best night of their lives! Maggie was so proud to be invited to Tuttle's birthday adventure.

Saturday morning we left early to turn in Daddy's Nissan Leaf that we had leased for the past three years. Since the dealership was in Athens, we made a weekend out of the trip and stayed at Granny's house. Typically we only stay in Athens when there is a football game or a visit with Grandmommy and Grandaddy, so it was a huge treat to explore our college town with the babies with no real agenda.

I insisted we grab lunch at Cali 'N Titos first, and then we drove by our first date spot, the church and reception house for our wedding, our first house, and explored downtown. 

The next day we took a dip in the local pool and walked around Bear Hollow Zoo. We even had a chance to visit some old friends, Carrie and Jason with their babies. Since it was Memorial Day Weekend, we had time to spend two nights at Granny's house before returning to Atlanta on Monday.

 Tuesday Jay, Tuttle, and I made our annual trip to Six Flags for Tuttle's birthday gift from Grandmommy and Grandaddy. Just like last year the day after Memorial Day is THE DAY to visit. We rode everything with absolutely no waits! Though it rained off and on throughout the day, it could not have been more perfect. Jay rode every big roller coaster, and we even conviced Tuttle to try out The Great American Scream Machine. It was MUCH faster than we remembered! A big thank you to Grandmommy and Grandaddy for keeping Maggie and Jacob, so we could enjoy some time alone with our biggest boy!

Wednesday we kept the momentum going with a visit to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens with our friends, The Baldwin Family. We spent most of our time in the Children's Garden with the splash pad, building area, and playground. After we parted ways, the kids and I explored the greenhouse and found all sorts of creatures- turtles, frogs, and quail. 

Thursday Brook Run Park was our destination to play with Parker and Tripp. Everyone was kept busy splashing in the water until ants attacked Tripp and his mom. Unfortunately both started to have bad reactions, so they went home. This just gives us an excuse to get together again sooner! Tuttle and Maggie are looking forward to more time at the skate park with their scooters.

Our final field trip of the week was at Atlanta Zoo with my friend, Elena and her boys. Most of the animals were active, and the weather was perfection! I had not seen Elena in so long, and it was very nice to catch up! Tuttle braved the new ropes course and zip line for the grand finale of our trip!

It seems like we covered all the fun summer activities in one week, but we are just gearing up! :)