I have never been as happy to pull into my driveway as I was tonight. We had a wonderful few days in NC with my family, but today's drive home was the worst ever!! Here are just a few things that happened...
-Rain 99% of the way
-A cranky toddler b/c he didn't sleep well the night before
-A cranky mom & dad b/c he didn't sleep well the night before
-Mayo on my sandwich at Zaxby's and the slowest service ever
-Horrendous traffic/roadwork in Asheville and Knoxville
-Nate's 2 naps totaled only 40 minute
-A dvd player that died halfway thru our trip
-The trip to NC took 7 hrs 45 min, the trip home took 11 hrs 15 min
And did I mention I had cramps!? Need I say more....
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
So far, so good
I will try to write a mini-post about our trip so far, so that I don't write a humongus one when we get back! You can thank me later!! :)
Tuesday in the car was MUCH better than we had expected. God bless the portable DVD player! Nate watched Elmo & The Wiggles for 1.5 hours and it was heaven!! He looked like he was at a movie theater...had cheerios in his cupholder, sippy in the other hand, and just laid back and chilled. It was awesome! Although he only took a 20 minute nap in the afternoon, I was pleased he at least slept that long. Man, he hates the car! But he seriously did really well. Watched another dvd after his nap-let, and then we arrived in Clemmons around 5 pm. Hallelujah! Once Aunt B arrived, we hit the Pueb for my bday dinner - I was dying for a jumbo margarita (Bec took a great pic, I will post it later). We did presents, cake, and ice cream that night and then Nate settled in for bed. We had all had a long day!!
He had an AWFUL night unfortunately. Getting used to a new place/crib + getting in his 3rd molar (!) was a bad mix. We spent most of Wednesday playing with the (MANY) toys Nana had bought, walking, playing with Sophie & O'Malley (the dogs), relaxing, and thank goodness, napping! I even took a nap - haven't done that in probably a year! (That's how exhausted I was from the night before, I guess.) Aunt L came into town for dinner, and we left Nate home with him and headed off to Village Tavern for a belated bday dinner and date night!
And here we are, Thanksgiving Day already! 5 of us ran the "Turkey Strut" this morning in the freezing cold. It was Greg's first race (it was a 5K), and though he was nervous, he did great!!! Bec & I pulled up the rear, and got to meet up with an old friend from high school cross-country days. Shout out to Sara Tussey!! We pleaded with her not to run with us b/c we would hold her back, but she insisted and we had fun talking the whole race. Between all the million hills. It was a tough race!!! Dad met us at the finish line with 5 bags of Famous Amos cookies and some other freebies. That man loves his freebies. We have some great pics to post later, especially ones from Krispy Kreme afterwards. (Yes, we ran a race and then went to get doughnuts. Guess whose idea that was!?!? Yes, mine. Just call me fatty.) Anyways, Nate is down for a nap as I write. Mom and Lora are cooking.I am watching football. Bec is napping and Dad is out working on the car. Greg is reading econ and drinking wine. Snapshot of our family, at it's finest!! We are having our meal around 4 or 5 pm, and I cannot wait!! Food rules my life and I have been thinking about Mom's green bean casserole & squash casserole for weeks!
I am thankful for a wonderful trip so far, a loving family & lots of friends, and all the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Today is a day to celebrate with the ones you love, and I plan on doing that!
Tuesday in the car was MUCH better than we had expected. God bless the portable DVD player! Nate watched Elmo & The Wiggles for 1.5 hours and it was heaven!! He looked like he was at a movie theater...had cheerios in his cupholder, sippy in the other hand, and just laid back and chilled. It was awesome! Although he only took a 20 minute nap in the afternoon, I was pleased he at least slept that long. Man, he hates the car! But he seriously did really well. Watched another dvd after his nap-let, and then we arrived in Clemmons around 5 pm. Hallelujah! Once Aunt B arrived, we hit the Pueb for my bday dinner - I was dying for a jumbo margarita (Bec took a great pic, I will post it later). We did presents, cake, and ice cream that night and then Nate settled in for bed. We had all had a long day!!
He had an AWFUL night unfortunately. Getting used to a new place/crib + getting in his 3rd molar (!) was a bad mix. We spent most of Wednesday playing with the (MANY) toys Nana had bought, walking, playing with Sophie & O'Malley (the dogs), relaxing, and thank goodness, napping! I even took a nap - haven't done that in probably a year! (That's how exhausted I was from the night before, I guess.) Aunt L came into town for dinner, and we left Nate home with him and headed off to Village Tavern for a belated bday dinner and date night!
And here we are, Thanksgiving Day already! 5 of us ran the "Turkey Strut" this morning in the freezing cold. It was Greg's first race (it was a 5K), and though he was nervous, he did great!!! Bec & I pulled up the rear, and got to meet up with an old friend from high school cross-country days. Shout out to Sara Tussey!! We pleaded with her not to run with us b/c we would hold her back, but she insisted and we had fun talking the whole race. Between all the million hills. It was a tough race!!! Dad met us at the finish line with 5 bags of Famous Amos cookies and some other freebies. That man loves his freebies. We have some great pics to post later, especially ones from Krispy Kreme afterwards. (Yes, we ran a race and then went to get doughnuts. Guess whose idea that was!?!? Yes, mine. Just call me fatty.) Anyways, Nate is down for a nap as I write. Mom and Lora are cooking.I am watching football. Bec is napping and Dad is out working on the car. Greg is reading econ and drinking wine. Snapshot of our family, at it's finest!! We are having our meal around 4 or 5 pm, and I cannot wait!! Food rules my life and I have been thinking about Mom's green bean casserole & squash casserole for weeks!
I am thankful for a wonderful trip so far, a loving family & lots of friends, and all the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Today is a day to celebrate with the ones you love, and I plan on doing that!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Adventures in Eating
Nate has never been what I'd call a "good eater...."
He has had his moments, where he eats a ton and enjoys unusual foods (shrimp, broccoli, etc). And he's a pretty good breakfast eater. Well, lately, he has gone waaaay downhill, at least at dinnertime. Here are a few of his new favorite habits that drive us crazy:
1. Raking his hands thru his hair (yes, once they are already filthy from food, etc. Now, this is not a big deal if he's eating a quesadilla. But it is if he's eating his other favorite - beef ravioli with spaghetti sauce - it's pretty nasty. And a syrupy eggo is a fun one too.)
2. Throwing food that he doesn't want (usually green vegetables) off the tray onto the floor. One piece is funny, 20 is not.
3. Taking off his longsleeve shirt. He has managed to do this halfway a few times - he pulls one arm out and sits there with a big grin like, "Look what I did." It's pretty cute, but again, not after the 20th time.
I love my little man, but wow, when can a girl catch a break!?
He has had his moments, where he eats a ton and enjoys unusual foods (shrimp, broccoli, etc). And he's a pretty good breakfast eater. Well, lately, he has gone waaaay downhill, at least at dinnertime. Here are a few of his new favorite habits that drive us crazy:
1. Raking his hands thru his hair (yes, once they are already filthy from food, etc. Now, this is not a big deal if he's eating a quesadilla. But it is if he's eating his other favorite - beef ravioli with spaghetti sauce - it's pretty nasty. And a syrupy eggo is a fun one too.)
2. Throwing food that he doesn't want (usually green vegetables) off the tray onto the floor. One piece is funny, 20 is not.
3. Taking off his longsleeve shirt. He has managed to do this halfway a few times - he pulls one arm out and sits there with a big grin like, "Look what I did." It's pretty cute, but again, not after the 20th time.
I love my little man, but wow, when can a girl catch a break!?
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tag, I'm it!
So I was tagged by my friend Mary Leigh.
It's my first tagging experience, yay! Here are the rules:
Go to your fourth picture folder and then go to the fourth picture in the folder.
Write four things about the picture and then tag four other people.
It's amazing what you'll find!!!
Ok - and I tag:
1. Bec
2. Lora
3. Leah
4. Becca
1. This was taken in August 2006, at my good friend Becca's bachelorette party. In the picture is me, Becca Fort, and Lauren Heuber. They were both college roommates.
2. This was an awesome bachelorette weekend!! Lauren offered up her grandma (Mom Mom)'s beach house, and it was amazing! I forget the name of the town, but it was something like Southport, NC???
3. In keeping with the bachelorette theme, we played "games" before going out and hitting the town, and one was carving cucumbers to look like....ahem....male body parts. I don't remember who won, but it was definitely not me. Mine was sad looking. (I think I was distracted by the Usher CD playing in the background.)
4. I got stopped by a cop on my way to the bachelorette weekend/beach house. I was speeding on a back road and he caught me. Luckily, I didn't get a ticket. Thank goodness or Spike would have been PISSED!! :)
It's my first tagging experience, yay! Here are the rules:
Go to your fourth picture folder and then go to the fourth picture in the folder.
Write four things about the picture and then tag four other people.
It's amazing what you'll find!!!
Ok - and I tag:
1. Bec
2. Lora
3. Leah
4. Becca
1. This was taken in August 2006, at my good friend Becca's bachelorette party. In the picture is me, Becca Fort, and Lauren Heuber. They were both college roommates.
2. This was an awesome bachelorette weekend!! Lauren offered up her grandma (Mom Mom)'s beach house, and it was amazing! I forget the name of the town, but it was something like Southport, NC???
3. In keeping with the bachelorette theme, we played "games" before going out and hitting the town, and one was carving cucumbers to look like....ahem....male body parts. I don't remember who won, but it was definitely not me. Mine was sad looking. (I think I was distracted by the Usher CD playing in the background.)
4. I got stopped by a cop on my way to the bachelorette weekend/beach house. I was speeding on a back road and he caught me. Luckily, I didn't get a ticket. Thank goodness or Spike would have been PISSED!! :)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Fun with Aunt B
Aunt B (my little sister Becky) came into town on Wednesday for a short visit. She was officially in Nashville "on business," but got to spent half of Wed & half of Thurs with us! Nate was excited to see his Aunt B and loved sitting in her lap while she worked on her laptop! He also decided that Wednesday was the day that he was going to start walking everywhere....FINALLY!! :) Bec thinks it's because she was here, though I am not sure and think it might be coincidence. But whatever the reason, he has been a walking fool since Wednesday and I am so happy!!
The weather was pretty crappy when Bec was here, so unfortunately, we didn't get to venture out on a walk with Nate's new wagon. And I usually meet with a Strollercize group on Thursday mornings....we meet at different greenway spots to walk with our kiddos and then the mommies get to exercise. Well, we met at an indoor spot Thurs morning and Bec got to experience "mall-walking" for the first time (actually it was a first for me too). It was our group of 30-35 yr old moms, plus about a million senior citizens. Nice. The mall had a great indoor play area that Nate loved after our walk was over though, so we will definitely go back. Aunt B was her usual papparazzi self and took a million pics at the play area(I will post them a little bit later)! She left when Nate when down for a nap Thurs afternoon. It was a short visit, but a great one!
The weather was pretty crappy when Bec was here, so unfortunately, we didn't get to venture out on a walk with Nate's new wagon. And I usually meet with a Strollercize group on Thursday mornings....we meet at different greenway spots to walk with our kiddos and then the mommies get to exercise. Well, we met at an indoor spot Thurs morning and Bec got to experience "mall-walking" for the first time (actually it was a first for me too). It was our group of 30-35 yr old moms, plus about a million senior citizens. Nice. The mall had a great indoor play area that Nate loved after our walk was over though, so we will definitely go back. Aunt B was her usual papparazzi self and took a million pics at the play area(I will post them a little bit later)! She left when Nate when down for a nap Thurs afternoon. It was a short visit, but a great one!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Shaggy No More
Nate had his first haircut today!! (To the left is the "before" picture.) I had been putting it off for a month or two, just b/c I love his pretty hair. But when I saw it starting to come over his ears, puff up over his shirt in the back, and got tired of pushing his comb-over out of the way, I knew it was time!!
I convinced Greg to let me take Nate to my hairdresser, Terra, instead of the old barbershop he goes to. I didn't want my cutie to walk away with a bowl-cut! Terra has cut lots of kids hair, so I felt confident with letting her do the all-important first cut for Nate. He sat on Greg's lap, and they both got their capes on. Nate took to Terra right away, and loved playing with the combs. Contrary to what I had expected, Nate was super well-behaved and sat still the majority of the time. He loved looking at himself in the mirror, combing his hair, and playing with his dad's hat. Terra filled out a cute certificate for Nate, and put his first two hair clippings in a little baggie for me! Nate got a lollipop afterwards, and was a happy boy. Here is a shot of the happy family, and Nate's "after" picture:
As to be expected, I was the papparazzi and took a ton of pictures (56 to be exact). But don't worry, I edited them down. So here they are, in all their glory...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Good times with Nana & Pops
Nana & Pops arrived from NC on Thursday afternoon, and were bursting at the seams to see their cutie pie grandson! I had to restrain Nana, as Nate was still napping. As she had hoped, he recognized her right away when he woke up, and reached for her. Yay! We had fun playing and showing off new tricks that evening, though he didn't want to walk much. Crawling is still so much faster! And I think he was being a little shy too.
Friday morning we headed off to the Discovery Center, b/c I knew Nana was sure to have a good time (it is a teacher's haven). I was right....I'm not sure who had more fun - Nate or Nana! We started out in the play area, and crawled thru tunnels, climbed trees, and slid down foam pits. Then Nana insisted on walking thru EVERY exhibit....the turtles...the fire engine....the fountain...the birds....then upstairs to the blocks, farmer's market, train station, car station, etc. Yes, we were busy and Nate was exhausted! He liked taking in all the sights though. We headed to lunch at Steak N Shake (Pops' favorite) for a treat. JR Steakburger and fries please! Nate was more interested in looking around at everyone than eating, but we managed to have fun and then head home for a nap. We put together a Radio Flyer wagon that Nana & Pops brought, and tested it out after his nap. He loved it! After dinner was trick-or-treating time, and that was a big hit (see post below).
Saturday, Mom made a special breakfast for everyone and Nate gobbled it up! He is a BIG fan of breakfast!! We had Nate's first big boo-boo that morning....he hit his eye and mouth on the windowsill while playing in the kitchen, and there was a lot of blood!! We got it under control - thank goodness Nana was there - and he only ended up with a cut on his eyelid and a swollen top lip. (He looked like he got in a fight, and the other guy won! :) He was pretty pathetic, but then perked up when we headed to the greenway for a long walk. We saw lots of fish, and pretty fall leaves! Poor Pops' was dying to go fishing with Nate (maybe in a few more years). Next stop was Stride Rite, to get Nate's first pair of big boy shoes!!! Now that he is officially a "walker" (though I use that term loosely, since like I mentioned before, he is still crawling more than walking), we had to get him some good, supportive shoes. And I had heard that Stride Rite is the place to go - though expensive. We had to wait over 30 minutes, b/c there was only one worker there. Luckily, Nate was an angel and played so well with some of the toys there. For once, I think he was the best-behaved kid in the store! We finally got our turn, and Nate liked getting his foot measured (he is a 4 wide). We got the next size up for growing room, and came home with some snazzy looking sneakers! We tried them out outside after naptime, and he was a speed demon, walking behind his fire truck! He is a definitely a fan of his new shoes and has hardly tried to take them off at all (much to my amazement). Perhaps his biggest feat of the day was saying a new word, after much coaching. He said "Nana!" That made Nana's visit complete. That night, Greg and I headed out for a long overdue date night to Five Senses (YUM) and Barnes & Noble since we had free babysitters :) Nana & Pops had "Nate Night" and headed to Las Palmas. They said Nate was super good - once again, more interested in everyone else rather than eating. But he did like the refried beans and sipping water from Nana's straw! He was swaying/dancing to the mexican music with Pops, and couldn't stop giggling at Pops' antics on the drive home. All in all, it was a great night for everyone!!
Sunday was supposed to the morning where we got an extra hour of sleep, due to Daylight Savings Time ending. Not so much with a little one. He woke up at 6:15 am (though it felt like 7:15 to his little body). So, we headed to Mimi's Cafe for a big breakfast, and Nate was super good again. He had a gigglefest with Dad, and sampled food off everyone's plates. His favorite was after the meal was over and he got out of the highchair. We put him in the booth b/w me and Nana, and he stood up and danced/bounced a ton. Now, when we say "shake it," he shakes/dances from side to side. Too cute! He went down for an early nap, and I went shopping with Nana...for clothes for Nate of course! We bought way too much, as usual, but had a blast. Nate also got a special stuffed animal - Danny Dog - and we took it for a ride in his wagon after he woke up. He was pretty fussy that afternoon, so it was a good thing Nana & Pops were there to entertain him. He is definitely happiest when outside, whether it's walking, pushing his fire truck, riding in the wagon, blowing bubbles, or looking at pumpkins. Nana did it all! It had been a long day, so he went to bed a little early, and Nana & Pops had to say their goodbyes (they were going to leave early Monday morning). It was a great visit!!
Friday morning we headed off to the Discovery Center, b/c I knew Nana was sure to have a good time (it is a teacher's haven). I was right....I'm not sure who had more fun - Nate or Nana! We started out in the play area, and crawled thru tunnels, climbed trees, and slid down foam pits. Then Nana insisted on walking thru EVERY exhibit....the turtles...the fire engine....the fountain...the birds....then upstairs to the blocks, farmer's market, train station, car station, etc. Yes, we were busy and Nate was exhausted! He liked taking in all the sights though. We headed to lunch at Steak N Shake (Pops' favorite) for a treat. JR Steakburger and fries please! Nate was more interested in looking around at everyone than eating, but we managed to have fun and then head home for a nap. We put together a Radio Flyer wagon that Nana & Pops brought, and tested it out after his nap. He loved it! After dinner was trick-or-treating time, and that was a big hit (see post below).
Saturday, Mom made a special breakfast for everyone and Nate gobbled it up! He is a BIG fan of breakfast!! We had Nate's first big boo-boo that morning....he hit his eye and mouth on the windowsill while playing in the kitchen, and there was a lot of blood!! We got it under control - thank goodness Nana was there - and he only ended up with a cut on his eyelid and a swollen top lip. (He looked like he got in a fight, and the other guy won! :) He was pretty pathetic, but then perked up when we headed to the greenway for a long walk. We saw lots of fish, and pretty fall leaves! Poor Pops' was dying to go fishing with Nate (maybe in a few more years). Next stop was Stride Rite, to get Nate's first pair of big boy shoes!!! Now that he is officially a "walker" (though I use that term loosely, since like I mentioned before, he is still crawling more than walking), we had to get him some good, supportive shoes. And I had heard that Stride Rite is the place to go - though expensive. We had to wait over 30 minutes, b/c there was only one worker there. Luckily, Nate was an angel and played so well with some of the toys there. For once, I think he was the best-behaved kid in the store! We finally got our turn, and Nate liked getting his foot measured (he is a 4 wide). We got the next size up for growing room, and came home with some snazzy looking sneakers! We tried them out outside after naptime, and he was a speed demon, walking behind his fire truck! He is a definitely a fan of his new shoes and has hardly tried to take them off at all (much to my amazement). Perhaps his biggest feat of the day was saying a new word, after much coaching. He said "Nana!" That made Nana's visit complete. That night, Greg and I headed out for a long overdue date night to Five Senses (YUM) and Barnes & Noble since we had free babysitters :) Nana & Pops had "Nate Night" and headed to Las Palmas. They said Nate was super good - once again, more interested in everyone else rather than eating. But he did like the refried beans and sipping water from Nana's straw! He was swaying/dancing to the mexican music with Pops, and couldn't stop giggling at Pops' antics on the drive home. All in all, it was a great night for everyone!!
Sunday was supposed to the morning where we got an extra hour of sleep, due to Daylight Savings Time ending. Not so much with a little one. He woke up at 6:15 am (though it felt like 7:15 to his little body). So, we headed to Mimi's Cafe for a big breakfast, and Nate was super good again. He had a gigglefest with Dad, and sampled food off everyone's plates. His favorite was after the meal was over and he got out of the highchair. We put him in the booth b/w me and Nana, and he stood up and danced/bounced a ton. Now, when we say "shake it," he shakes/dances from side to side. Too cute! He went down for an early nap, and I went shopping with Nana...for clothes for Nate of course! We bought way too much, as usual, but had a blast. Nate also got a special stuffed animal - Danny Dog - and we took it for a ride in his wagon after he woke up. He was pretty fussy that afternoon, so it was a good thing Nana & Pops were there to entertain him. He is definitely happiest when outside, whether it's walking, pushing his fire truck, riding in the wagon, blowing bubbles, or looking at pumpkins. Nana did it all! It had been a long day, so he went to bed a little early, and Nana & Pops had to say their goodbyes (they were going to leave early Monday morning). It was a great visit!!
Halloween fun!
Nana and Pops made the trip to TN for a long weekend, and were excited to be with us for Nate's 1st official Halloweeen! (Last year, he was only 2 months old and just slept thru it basically.) We borrowed a "fat pumpkin" costume from a neighbor, and Nate was NOT thrilled. He hated the hat/stem, and we couldn't even get one picture with it on! Oh well. Once we got him outside in his new wagon (courtesy of Nana & Pops), he was a happy boy! He loved trick-or-treating around our circle....saw lots of big kids and scary costumes, got some good candy (he kept a death grip on his mini-twix bar the whole time), and then we headed back to our house to hand out candy with Nana. We all sat in the driveway and chowed down on chocolate - Nate included, he had his first kit kat bar! - and watched as Nana quizzed all the teenagers. Even if they weren't dressed up, she made them tell us what they were, and made them work for their candy. (We had all the candy in a "singing pumpkin," whose lid went up and down and you had to reach in and grab candy before it closed. It was very entertaining to see the little kids do it; the big kids however were a bit embarrassed. Oh well, at least Nana had fun!) One of the funniest moments of the night was when a little trick-or-treater, maybe 4 years old and dressed as a bee, came over and when he grabbed an Almond Joy, proclaimed "I don't like those" and ran away. Now, granted, I think Almond Joys are gross too, but we had a TON of other good candy and offered to let him choose. However, he was over it, and on his way. Too funny!! Nate was such a good boy and stayed outside with us for close to 2 hrs, waving bye bye to all the big kids, climbing around in his wagon, and munching on chocolate with his Dad. It was a wonderful night and we were glad Nana & Pops were there to share it with us!
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