Still here...

I just realized that it has been a really long time since I have posted...mainly because we were out of town last week and the week before was spent prepping and packing. We returned on Saturday from a nice week long vacation at the beach...weather was a little crummy but it was still nice to have a family vacation. Pics will be uploaded shortly.

It was also great to come home to holiday festivities (and an extra day off of work)...it felt like the vacation was extended. Sunday evening we went to a cookout at the Hutchinson's - which would have been great had Nate not decided to meltdown on us. Guess the vacation wore him out. It was very ironic that just two nights before we took him to Chops in Destin - an outing that had been planned all week and had me anxious the entire time leading up to it - and he was PERFECT...even the waiter and our kid-less dinner companions commented on how well-behaved he was. I was so proud of him! And then here we were at a casual cookout and Nate loses his mind bc I won't let him ride a big wheel down a 45 degree sloped driveway (with cars parked on it). It was so bad, we had to put him in "time out" in the car (don't worry, we sat with him...just needed him away from the other guests!) while he screamed "bi-cee-cul!" through his tears. Toddlers are truly amazing and unpredictable.

On Monday, we attended our first gathering in our new neighborhood...there was a round-robin tennis tournament and cookout at the clubhouse, which was a great way to meet a bunch of our new neighbors.

So, this post is to let you all know that we are still around...the pics and details from our trip will follow soon!

Party Animal

Nate's social calendar was pretty full this weekend. First he hosted his first dinner party and slumber party with Amanda and Jackson. It was not an easy task to get a picture of the tiny diners....by the time I got my camera out, Nate had left the table....notice Jackson eyeing all of the food Nate left on his plate.

After an evening of playing and eating outside, the party-goers went upstairs and put their PJ's on, read some stories together, and retired to their rooms (but not before a photoshoot) for a few hours of sleep so their parents could eat their dinner. We had to give ourselves a pat on the back for having three amazing toddlers that all went down at the same time without a peep!

On Saturday morning, Nate had another party to attend....Jack's 2nd Birthday! Jack had an awesome car wash party...Nate was a little confused at first and thought the soap and sponges were to wash himself with, but ultimately he got the hang of it. It was a beautiful (and warm) day and we had fun playing with everyone - thanks for having us Jack (and Paula and Clay)!

Sunday was Nate's second swim lesson. I guess all of the parents had the same idea....last week all of the mommies were in the pool and the daddies were on the sidelines with the cameras and this week all of the daddies were in the pool. Nate did great this week....he actually did some kicking with the kick board and jumped in from the sides. He got really caught up in the counting to three part of the jump....he would watch his fingers and count "one....two....blee" and then jump to daddy! I was very proud!

We spent the rest of the day on Sunday at my tennis match where he got to hang out with Amanda and Jackson some more...it was really hot and Nate didn't get a great nap in between swimming and playing at the courts, but he hung in there and cheered me on to victory. I could hear him from the sidelines saying "shot!"

After a fun-filled weekend, Nate was in bed early Sunday night and slept soundly...

Weekend in Knoxville

Last weekend we took a road trip to Knoxville to see Nate's CC and Papa Steve. Some of the highlights from the weekend were:

We went to the arts and music festival and Nate did some dancing

The Easter Bunny came again and brought Nate a new scooter! He even learned how to ride it!

We blew lots of bubbles

Checked out some Fire Trucks

Went to the Orange & White game

Bumped in to Phillip Fulmer

And had some quality Grandparent time

After a long weekend of playing, we headed home extra early on Sunday morning because we had to get back in time for Nate's first swim lesson. He did great for the first 30 mins - blowing bubbles and splashing around - but I think the exhaustion caught up with him towards the end of class and he got a little antsy. So, as soon as class wrapped up we headed straight home for a nice long nap.

Thanks for a great weekend CC & Papa Steve!

{I finally uploaded a new web album with more pics....click on the "Spring 09" link on the right for more Nate!}