Teeth and Teachers

Our Maggie Moo has been rocking the 1st grade and has become more mature within just a few weeks at school. To add to her independence, she finally pulled her first tooth that has been wiggling for months. I caught one final picture of our tiny girl with all her baby teeth not knowing that later that evening that her smile would never be the same. (For some reason this milestone has really gotten to me that my babies are growing up too fast!)

Daddy tried his hardest to convince Maggie that he should pull it, but in true Maggie fashion she wanted to do it on her own. We are lucky to have neighbors that helped supply cash to the Tooth Fairy, so she did not have to venture out again to the bank. :)

Jacob's turn to meet his new teachers came this week, too. He is going to attend three mornings a week with the Owl Class, and he was eager to explore his classroom. Before we left, I asked him what he was going to say to his teachers, and he replied, "I'm boss baby." 

At least he put it all out there in the beginning. Sometimes I cannot handle this boy's shenanigans.

There were several familiar faces in his class and an overwhelming amount of toys for our little boy. He did not want to leave despite my promise that we would visit the school playground. 

I do not think one tear will be shed next week at drop-off. He is ready for another year at OPP.

Finish Line

Our wild child has been so patient during the final steps of our renovation, so I signed him up for a few days at our church's drop-in care last week to end his summer vacation with some fun!

I love how thoughtful the little nursery care is with their activities. Each week has a different theme with crafts, outside activities, and music. Jacob always walks right in and does not look back!

I could have been more productive during my mornings alone, but I took advantage of it and treated myself to an hour long foot massage, shopping at Trader Joes, and brunch with Gram.

Jacob and I met up with Val and Briggs for a morning at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. The weather last week was absolutely amazing and felt like fall might be right around the corner. Jacob especially loved the sensory play table set up for a special morning activity.

Our painter finally wrapped up last week, and today is the first day in months that a worker has not been in my house. The gigantic dumpster was hauled away, and I emailed this morning to remove the pod from the driveway. Jay and I organized every room with furniture and filled the sunroom with all the boxes. I wanted one location for all the chaos, so I could start unpacking box by box and still feel like the other rooms were clean.

Aside from a punch list of little touch ups, we close to the end of the renovation, and we are THRILLED with the results. I will share all the photos once the rooms are unpacked, and we are more settled. This has been such an adventure but so very worth it.

With Jacob starting preschool next week and the house ready to be unpacked, we can see the finish line.

New Routine, New Rules

We are settling into a new routine with school, sports, homework, and attempting to get all the kids in bed by 8pm. Our house is still in a construction zone, but fingers crossed that it is complete next week. 

This week I hit a breaking point with Jacob's behavior. He has always been very spirited, but I was over him having control over the rest of the family with his bad behavior. Spanking was back firing on me because he would hit back, and he was not in a good state of mind to calmly talk about his negative choices immediately after being reprimanded. I channeled my inner Super Nanny and started a very consistent time out method, and it has already yielded better and calmer results.

I know the key to success is consistency, so I have talked with the kids about how we were all going to focus on helping Jacob improve his behavior, and everyone seems on board. Surprisingly Jacob has not attempted to run away from the time out spot in the corner of the hall. I know kids feels more comfortable in a safe environment with consistent rules and follow through. 

Jacob guarantees that our days are never boring, and I know toddler years are rough. I can relate to my friends so much more with difficult babies. Our little boy has grounded me as a parent.

Unfortunately Tuttle stayed home sick today with a fever and cough. Jay suspects allergies, but since Tuttle never complains that he does not feel good, we wanted to take it seriously. I think everyone is ready to ride into the weekend.

Brotherly Love

I came home from taking Maggie to gymnastics to find Tuttle holding Jacob in the riding toy because he fell asleep while they were cruising around the yard. Tuttle always has his arm around Jacob to prevent him from falling out. I melted.

First Day of School 2018

After a whirlwind weekend moving back into our house (which is not yet complete- we just sectioned off the front three bedrooms), the kids started to school on Monday. The morning was much smoother than I anticipated since our life is so crazy right now, and we even arrived early with supplies for the Kindergarten Coffee and Kleenex event that falls under my PTA committee.

I dropped Tuttle off first in his homeroom with Frau Dorsch. Third grade does not mess around, and Tuttle got right to work on some math review on his desk. I know this is going to be a challenging (and rewarding!) year for him. Third grade seems to be the turning point in elementary school where school gets more serious and students have even higher expectations and responsibilities. I know Tuttle is ready for the change!

Maggie was dropped off next to Frau Ingram's homeroom. She is in class with so many of her best friends, including her bus friend, Kate, and she could not be more excited! She was hoping for Frau Ingram for homeroom because she heard from Tuttle that she hands out candy for reward sometimes.

Amidst all the drop off craziness, Jacob got lost in the crowd. At first I was not worried at all. He acts like he runs the school, and I just knew that I would bump into him along the way, and everyone knows him. After keeping my eyes open for him while I walked Tuttle and Maggie to class, he did not show up. I immediately went to all his favorite spots: the front office, Mrs. Fleming's kindergarten room, the library, and the nurse's office. Nothing. I started to panic a little that he had walked right out the front door with all the parents leaving. My friends all started a search party to find him. Finally he was found sitting at a desk in a 4th grade classroom that he had never ventured into before. He is literally taking years off my life with his antics. 

The Thorne Family is looking forward to another successful year at Ashford Park School!

Celebrating Maggie

I am finally getting caught up on posts because we have been without internet since we moved back into our house. I figured out how to connect to my iPhone hotspot, so I can return to my normal blog writing. :)

We celebrated Maggie's 6th birthday last weekend with a sweet party at the park. The party was initially postponed since most of her friends were fitting in last minute summer trips, so Maggie had been counting down the days for her big day! The party was completely planned by Maggie and proved to be the easiest one to date. I may never return to crazy Pinterest-inspired celebrations after the stress-free afternoon we had with all of Maggie's favorite people!

Maggie requested a luau themed bash complete with leis and coconut/pineapple water bottles. She wanted a Chickfila nugget and fruit tray, chips, and pink and purple cupcakes. The grand finale was a emoji pinata. Easy peasy. 

Everyone enjoyed running around the park and enjoying one last weekend before school started. I loved seeing Maggie with all her best friends. She was so happy, and it made us happy that she is surrounded by such fun and sweet friends.

For some reason SIX sounds so much older than five. Maggie has become such a smart and independent girl, and we are going to soak up this next year with her!

Happy 6th Birthday, Maggie!

An Unforgettable Moment

Tuttle had a once in a lifetime experience this week. Grandaddy made it possible for Tuttle to be a player escort at the Atlanta United All Star Game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

This was a huge game against Juventus, a professional Italian football team, and the stadium was packed with 70,000 people. 

Gram, Grumps, Maggie, and I watched the television in anticipation of seeing our boy, but we were not prepared to see him leading the pack holding the game ball!

We later found out that another boy was supposed to hold the ball, but he wanted to stand next to his brother, so Tuttle volunteered to take over. Such luck!

Daddy and Tuttle watched the game from their great seats and cheered for Atlanta United all the way to overtime. While our team did not end up winning, this experience will be one that Tuttle will NEVER forget!

Fun With The Big Ones

Tuttle and Maggie got two fun days all to themselves while our brave family kept Jacob. It was so relaxing and fun to have some time with our big kids before school starts next week!

Our first treat was attending a Braves game on Sunday with tickets from Uncle Drew while Aunt Peach and Uncle Drew kept Jacob. I had not seen the Braves play in the new stadium, and we had the best time cheering our team into a win! Tuttle was especially into the game and insisted we stay until the final second. 

Gram watched Jacob on Monday, so Tuttle and Maggie could use their birthday gift from Grandmommy and Grandaddy to visit Six Flags. Since Daddy took off extra time to go to the beach, we met up with our best friends for the day. It was Maggie's first time, and she was loved it and was up for riding anything. Her favorite ride was the Mindbender which Tuttle was not a fan of a few years ago. He is more my speed with the Monster Mansion and water rides. 

It was a great day to visit with smaller crowds. We fit in a few games right before we left. Both Tuttle and Maggie were able to win stuffed bear at the dart game. Maggie earned the title of champion in the water gun race, but Tuttle left with a (poop) second prize. 

Today we met the kids' new teachers. It was a circus toting all the supplies and a wild toddler through the school, but we are all registered and ready for school on Monday!

Our renovation and crazy summer schedule has everyone looking forward to routine. Except for Tuttle who wants to sleep until 10am everyday. :)