Emmy and baby Brody pulled in Monday morning, the other week, after driving all night from Tennessee. The week absolutely flew by! I wish we'd had more time, but I think I'd feel the same even if they had stayed another week. We really had a fantastic time.
James, being the good big brother, was so sweet to the baby. Of course he played a little too rough sometimes, but he's used to rough-housing it with Riley all the time.
Riley had a harder time with it. He's never seen me holding or playing with another baby, so the first day he was having some major jealousy issues. It was mostly curiosity at first, but the more mama held Brody, the more he acted out. At one point he even came at Brody welding a rolling pin!By the end of the week, the three of them were playing a little more civil.
How precious is this baby?? He is every bit as squeezeable as he looks!
Our first evening we trekked down to the park and took a walk on the trail.
Our timing was horrible, though. It was about 4 or 5 pm and miserably hot still (hello Georgia!) and the kids were hot and cranky and whiney the whole time. (And heavy! In retrospect, I should have found a way to strap the giant double stroller on the car instead of trying to lug either of them in that backpack. Got a great work out in though!)
I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to take a walk in blistering heat in the afternoon and then take the cranky, hungry kids to the grocery store. But we did. I was dying of thirst when we got to Target (we went there first to pick up wedding gifts for a friend), so I stopped at the little concession stand and James begged for popcorn, so I picked up one of those too for a treat (see where I'm going with this?). The boys ended up fighting over it and in the middle of the store popcorn was slung everywhere. I took the bag away to throw it in the trash and James had the biggest meltdown he's ever had in public. Full on screaming hysterically. Riley started up after that. I was so embarrassed and frustrated. Eventually they chilled out and because I'm a masichist, (a hungry one) we went next door to Publix. While there wasn't any real screaming this time (but a lot of whining instead), both of my kids opened yogurt containers in the cart. I didn't even see what they had done until yogurt was exploded all over them and the cart and the groceries. I could have cried had I not had Emmy helping make light of the situation and the kind cashier who offered wipes and a smile.
Tuesday [was a much better day] we ventured on post to take a dip in the pool.
Thank goodness for all the flotation devices! I'm considering taking the dogs' retractable leash and tying the two inner tubes together so they stop floating off/running away, though...
After a little while in the pool, we gave the splash park a try. Riley was slow to warm up to the idea of being shot in the face and everywhere else by jets of water.
Emmy and Brody took shelter under the pool floatie.
Cranky Riley telling on his brother :)
He got even later.
I helped a little.
Brody and I hung out on the chairs to dry off.
James was a little sniper with that water gun!
That afternoon when we got back home, I noticed it was getting kind of warm in the house. Thinking it was just too much heat coming in through the windows, I shut the blinds and turned down the thermostat. An hour or two later the temperature was climbing. I checked the unit outside and the whole thing was off. After a few calls to my [fantastic] landlord and messing with the thermostat and breaker box, she got us a repair guy to come out that night. It was 90 degrees in the house by the end of the day and 10 pm when he finally showed up. Just miserable heat. By the time we went to bed, the unit was back in order and the temp was back down in the house.
Thank goodness for all the flotation devices! I'm considering taking the dogs' retractable leash and tying the two inner tubes together so they stop floating off/running away, though...
After a little while in the pool, we gave the splash park a try. Riley was slow to warm up to the idea of being shot in the face and everywhere else by jets of water.
Emmy and Brody took shelter under the pool floatie.
Cranky Riley telling on his brother :)
He got even later.
I helped a little.
Brody and I hung out on the chairs to dry off.
James was a little sniper with that water gun!
That afternoon when we got back home, I noticed it was getting kind of warm in the house. Thinking it was just too much heat coming in through the windows, I shut the blinds and turned down the thermostat. An hour or two later the temperature was climbing. I checked the unit outside and the whole thing was off. After a few calls to my [fantastic] landlord and messing with the thermostat and breaker box, she got us a repair guy to come out that night. It was 90 degrees in the house by the end of the day and 10 pm when he finally showed up. Just miserable heat. By the time we went to bed, the unit was back in order and the temp was back down in the house.
Wednesday we went to the Coca Cola Space Science Center, downtown. It wasn't much to look at, but James ate it up! He had a blast exploring and playing with the "space trucks" and rocket simulators.
Emmy took Riley for a spin (who freaked out when it started moving).
Riley wasn't happy about going back into the stroller.
The mamas were entertained by the "weather report" thing. Note to self: wearing a green shirt in front of a green screen, makes you the back ground...
That evening was less eventful. We went out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings, with minimal drama.
Thursday was our last day, so we went to Callaway Gardens beach (I'm really loving this place!).
This time I brought the stroller out with me. While it made dragging all our crap back to the car a little easier, it was still a juggling act. We got chased out of the water when it started thundering, so we had to struggle through packing everything and everybody up and get it all in the car before it started raining on us. Here's our baby caravan.
By that night, the kids were playing, maybe not together, but side-by-side, without inflicting head injuries.
That night our friend, Neil drove down from Atlanta and I cooked dinner and we sat up late drinking bottles of wine and pink champagne gossiping like we used to in high school (and middle school, and elementary school at that!). I don't know what it is about us all getting together that turns us back into giggling, melodramatic, philosophical teenagers all over again. We talked about how we wished the whole lot of us could have been there and stayed up bringing back one of Emmy's old new years parties from years ago, before we were all graduated, some from college, married, having children, growing up. We would be so wild (and loud)!
Emmy took Riley for a spin (who freaked out when it started moving).
Riley wasn't happy about going back into the stroller.
The mamas were entertained by the "weather report" thing. Note to self: wearing a green shirt in front of a green screen, makes you the back ground...
That evening was less eventful. We went out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings, with minimal drama.
Thursday was our last day, so we went to Callaway Gardens beach (I'm really loving this place!).
This time I brought the stroller out with me. While it made dragging all our crap back to the car a little easier, it was still a juggling act. We got chased out of the water when it started thundering, so we had to struggle through packing everything and everybody up and get it all in the car before it started raining on us. Here's our baby caravan.
By that night, the kids were playing, maybe not together, but side-by-side, without inflicting head injuries.
That night our friend, Neil drove down from Atlanta and I cooked dinner and we sat up late drinking bottles of wine and pink champagne gossiping like we used to in high school (and middle school, and elementary school at that!). I don't know what it is about us all getting together that turns us back into giggling, melodramatic, philosophical teenagers all over again. We talked about how we wished the whole lot of us could have been there and stayed up bringing back one of Emmy's old new years parties from years ago, before we were all graduated, some from college, married, having children, growing up. We would be so wild (and loud)!
I'm so grateful for my wonderful friends (and Dee I haven't forgotten about you and all your visits!). Even though our lives are all in different places and we seldom see each other, when we do, I remember why I love each and every one of them. And I kind of think it's fantastic, that even after years, that I can sit down with them and chat like it's been no time at all.
lovely!
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