Will My Children Ever Return to School?

We just survived another round of snow days where school was cancelled three times. Ever since Christmas vacation, we have not experienced a consistent week of routine since mid-December. Everyone in our family functions best when on a schedule (especially me!), so we are relieved that maybe everything can get back to normal now. Maybe.

Not only did we endure three extra days stuck inside with snow, but I hosted the spring/summer Mary & Grace trunk show at my house. Luckily the kids were pretty compliment to model some of the sweet pieces for my online customers. Jacob tolerated a few outfits and then decided riding the clothing rack around the house was more entertaining.

Daddy packed up Jacob and Maggie for the weekend to head to Madison for my remaining shows, and Tuttle stayed with me, so he could attend a birthday party on Sunday. I loved having some one on one time with my biggest boy, and I was so impressed with how independent he has become. I slept in later everyday, and he got up, made his own breakfast, fed the animals, and entertained himself without disturbing me at all! We were able to sneak in a trip to the movies Saturday evening, as well.

Saturday morning while Tuttle hung out with a buddy I attended a baby shower for a neighborhood friend. There is a new wave of babies among my friends with kids at the elementary school. It is so exciting! While I love celebrating these additions, we will not be joining them for Baby #4. :)

We were so very close to returning to normal this week when Jacob woke up Monday with pink eye. I immediately took him to the Minute Clinic for drops and started them right away. I even requested a second bottle to start Tuttle, Maggie, and myself on them. On Tuesday, our first day back with all three having school, Maggie woke up with pink eye! It is almost comical at this point. 

FINALLY today all three babies were back to routine. I just hope we can stay that way!

Camp Glisson

I have looked forward to the time that my own children could attend my childhood summer camp, and that time has finally come! Tuttle is registered for Camp Glisson for this upcoming summer. Gram and I planned a day trip to tour the camp and grab lunch in downtown Dahlonega.

Our original plan to visit The Smith House for lunch had to change since it was closed for the holiday, but we found a perfect little ice cream parlor that worked for my rowdy bunch.

The kids were eager to finish their lunch, so they could get a treat. Tuttle's ice cream was almost as big as he was, and he ate almost the entire thing!

Gram checked that we could walk around Camp Glisson earlier in the week. We had the camp to ourselves and walked throughout the campus. While most of the buildings were there that I remembered, there were many new and updated spots including a new dining hall and archery area (Tuttle's favorite!). So many memories flooded back to me as we explored. I cannot believe I have a child old enough to have the same wonderful summers at Camp Glisson as I did!

I showed the kids where they would start the creek walk with their living groups which was such a highlight of my week at camp, and we walked the path along the creek until we reached the final destination: Cane Creek Falls. Tuttle and Maggie were both in awe that they could swim in the water at the base of the waterfall.

Maggie was just as thrilled to check out the camp. She is counting down the time until she can sign up, too!

Despite the cold weather, the visit to Dahlonega was such a success and really made Tuttle's upcoming summer more of a reality. Thank you so much, Gram, for our adventure!

Celebrating Jacob

Jay and I hosted a little party for Jacob to celebrate his 2nd birthday on Saturday. We kept it small and only invited the grandparents, Aunt Peach, Uncle Drew, and the cousins. After such a crazy December, it was so nice to have a low key event.

I could not resist having a theme for the party, so I picked one of Jacob's favorite books, Little Blue Truck. Daddy was a fan of this selection since we have our very own little boy truck parked in the driveway. I loved coming up with cute food labels and using toys to accessorize the table.

The bounce house and roller coaster from Santa kept the kids entertained the entire time. Daddy had originally doubted Santa's decision to deliver a bounce house, but he has been singing a different tune during these freezing days stuck inside.

Jacob absolutely loved when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He seemed to really know it was his special day!

I had to take our little boy outside for pictures with his little blue truck. He was not a fan of my crazy photo shoot in below freezing weather. I tried! :)

Jacob received some wonderful gifts including a new robot, a plush blue truck, and a membership to the zoo and botanical gardens, but Grandmommy absolutely stole the show with her surprise. Jacob opened his very own Nerf guns. He became obsessed with Tuttle's laser tag set at Christmas, and Tuttle did not want to share such an expensive toy with his destructive brother. Grandmommy saved the day with her present. It even makes noise like Tuttle's laser guns!

We loved celebrating Jacob with family. I am still in denial that he is already TWO, but everyday brings more fun (and messes!) to our lives. Happy Birthday, Little Boy!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Jacob!

I cannot believe our little boy is already TWO today! He has turned our world upside down and made us laugh more than we thought was possible. He has grounded me as a parent when I though I had everything figured out. :)

You are such a silly boy. Everyone who meets you cannot help but smile when your personality shines through.

You are talking more everyday, but your two favorite things to say are "Daddy" and "Go Dawgs!" I think it is a requirement to be a BIG Georgia Bulldawgs fan in this family. (Your big brother even stayed up until 12:30am for the end of the National Championship this week.)

You love going to school twice a week. I always call it "Little Baby School" because you will always be my baby, and you do not seem to mind that. You might try to act older than you are with two siblings, but you know when to turn on the charm and be a baby. Especially when you get in trouble. Which is A LOT.

Today you celebrated at school with your friends. One sweet buddy shares your same birthday, so she brought the cupcakes while you brought a fancy fruit snack to share with some Pirate's Booty.

We cannot wait to celebrate with our families on Saturday with a Little Blue Truck themed party. Conveniently we have our own little blue truck in the driveway for pictures!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Little Boy! We love you so much! You are the perfect way to complete our family.

Bulldawgs and Back to Routine

New Year's Eve has changed significantly since our younger days. This year consisted of playing Pie Face and being in bed by 10pm. We did manage to stay awake until midnight to start 2018 with a kiss, but then we immediately went to sleep! :)

Our Georgia Bulldawgs pulled off an AMAZING win at the Rose Bowl to take them to the National Championship next week. We watched our team march to victory at Aunt Peach and Uncle Drew's house. They provided the most delicious food (including a mouthwatering gumbo) which did not do well for my resolution, but I could not resist it! 

The game was long, but it was worth every second. The kids played the entire time and were ready for bed when we left at 10pm. I do not think Jacob has ever been up that late!

The weather is so abnormally cold right now, so everyone was ready to return to routine on Thursday. All three babies went back to school, I was able to pack up most of Christmas, and the maids came. It was just what I needed to regain my sanity after two weeks of holiday madness.

I think the best part of our week was finally getting our furnace replaced after FIVE days with no heat. Not surprisingly our company received a lot of calls during this weather, so we survived with a fire and space heaters while we waited our turn for service. I will never take heat for granted again!

Every Step Counts

It is COLD in Atlanta right now, and after Christmas everyone stayed in pajamas for days. By the fourth day, we were getting stir crazy, so we loaded up the car to head to Amicalola Falls for a family hike. During our annual pumpkin patch visit, we had stopped by the same spot, but my heels prevented us from getting very far. We were eager to tackle the climb this time.

Daddy had the biggest challenge with carrying Jacob on his back up and down 1200 total stairs (not including the hiking in between!). At one point we passed a group of teenagers, and one boy turned to his friends and said, "#DadGoals." 

Maggie was our star hiker all day. Not only did she not complain once, but she was leading the pack. That evening I asked her if she enjoyed the hike, and she replied, "I didn't complain, did I?" She is such a mess!

We kept the adventure going after the climb by venturing into Dahlonega for a late lunch. Our favorite spot was closed for the holidays, but a yummy pizza place satisfied everyone. The final stop was a little fudge shop for a candy treat before driving back to Atlanta.

Our impromptu day was just the thing we needed to cure our stir craziness. We made the promise to schedule more family hikes during 2018.