Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful because both Rob and I had the day off.  That's something that doesn't happen often when both you and your spouse are nurses.  It stinks, but working holidays is part of the job, so we definitely enjoy it when we're lucky enough to spend one together.  This year we celebrated the day at our house with family and friends.  I had such a good time cooking and preparing for everyone to come over.  In total, the were 9 adults and Tripp.  We had so much food that we all felt like exploding after dinner...but that's par for the course on Thanksgiving.  I was so glad Mrs. Mary Beth and Mr. Jeff were able to share their last big holdiay in Georgia with us.  They are moving to Louisville, KY in a few weeks and we are sure going to miss them.  I was still in elementary school when the Disney's moved right down the street from my parents.  We have known them a very long time and they will be missed dearly.  I'm glad my sister, Alli, and their daughter, Sarah, have an apartment together here in Georgia.  This will ensure that they come back to visit us! 

Matt, Alli, and Tripp

My sister doing what she does best...TEXT!

Rob, Matt, Dad, and Alli

Relaxing after eating too much food!

Another 30th Birthday Celebration

My friend Ashley got a few of my girlfriends together at Two Urban Licks in Atlanta to celebrate my 30th birthday while Rob watched Tripp!  I have a special friendship with each one of these girls and feel blessed that they came out to help me ring in the new decade.

I've known each one of these girls for 10 years or more!

Children's Museum

Yesterday, Katherine and I took Tripp and Lyla to the Children's Museum in Downtown Atlanta.  We weren't quite sure what to expect, but were excited to check it out, having heard many positive reviews from friends with little kids.  Katherine and I had both been to the Sci-Trek Museum in Atlanta when we were young, but it closed down years ago.  We were a little worried that our kids might be a little young for most of the activities, but were surprised to find that there were more than enough activities to keep them occupied for hours.  Tripp and Lyla really seemed to have fun  and we got to chat.  I would definitely consider buying an annual pass there in the future.  It's a great place to go when it's too hot, cold, or rainy to be outside.

Tripp and Lyla loved the fishing pond and looked adorable in their raincoats.

I love Lyla's cute smile in this picture!



Snack Break

Tripp weighing himself

O...U...T...OUT!  That's what a hard day of playing will do to a pair of 1 year olds!

Our 7th half-marathon

Rob and I had an absolutely wonderful time in Savannah this past weekend.  We started the race with high expectations...maybe a little too high in my case...but still ended up doing very well.  I originally set my goal time as 1 hour 45 minutes and even though I didn't quite reach my goal, I got fairly close to it...1:53:42.  My PR.  I was well into breaking the 1:45 time and maybe finishing in 1:40 or less, but it just didn't happen.  Maybe next time.  There was absolutely no way I could have gone any faster.  I didn't feel well at the end of the race.  Was it due to the meal the night before...or perhaps the breakfast I ate that morning...or wait, was it the loud music outside the hotel that kept me up until after midnight?  Who knows?!?  I was slightly disappointed in myself, which may sound dumb, but that's my fault for giving myself an unreachable goal anyway.  After thinking about it a bit, I've decided I should be jumping for joy.  Afterall, it was my first endurance race post-baby and I did set a new PR.  Plus, it felt really great to be particpating in a race again.  I love all the pre-race and race day hype...picking your number and t-shirt up at the expo with all of the other excited runners...going out to dinner the night before for a pre-race meal...the pre-race insomnia...setting your alarm clock and waking up when it's still dark out...okay, so maybe the last two aren't really that awesome, but it's all part of the endurance race experience and we had a great weekend.  We were also able to spend time with good friends the entire weekend...childfree.  I was so sad to leave Tripp, but loved having an adult only weekend.  I feel that every parent needs them every now and then.  It's a chance to recharge and not worry about diapers and bedtime routines.  Plus, the biggest benefit is that it reminds you just how special that little tike is and how lucky you are to be his/her parent.  I'm so glad we had this fun weekend.

The view from our hotel room balcony

Waiting on the ferry to take us across the river for dinner

Riverstreet

Downtown Savannah

ROAR...it's a DINOSAUR

Better late than never, right?  A few pictures of Halloween and our cute little Dinosaur.

Playing with the foam sword our neighbors gave him.

So ready to go trick-or-treating

Picking out candy at the 1st house

Watching the big kids play next door

After we went to about 4 houses, we went back home and sat in the front yard so Tripp could run around and help us pass out candy.  He had fun taking candy out of our big bowl and putting it in his trick-or-treat basket.

Tripp's 2nd Halloween was a big success!  Each year really seems to get more and more fun!  Big thanks to my sister Alli for coming over to hang out and help us hand out goodies!

Visiting Baby Oliver

I'm super lucky to have met some amazing friends at Northside over the past few years that I've worked there.  Last Thursday, Jacqueline, Katherine, and I brought lunch to Lindsey's so we could all hang out with her and admire her precious new baby, Oliver.  We all brought our cute kiddos and had a great time chatting for about 2 hours. 

Katherine and Tripp

We remembered to get a picture of all four kids right before everyone was about to leave...But, that's when the meltdowns started...

Maybe next time, we'll do a group picture a little earlier.  They are still a bunch of cute kiddos, even when they cry!

30 and lovin' it

I've been so busy that I haven't stopped to mention the big milestone I've just met.  About a week ago, I turned the BIG 3-0!!!!  Eeeekk.  Wait, nah, it's really no different than 29...atleast I don't feel any different right now.  When people ask how it feels to be starting a new decade in my life, I can honestly say, "It feels great!".  I'm excited to see what the next ten years have in store for me and my family.  I am blessed beyond measure.

Here's a quick recap of that wonderful weekend:

Rob wanted to make sure my 30th birthday was memorable so he made special plans for himself and I.  He wouldn't give me one small detail about where we were going or what we were going to be doing except to tell me what I should pack for our overnight stay.  He even made plans for my mom to watch Tripp at our house from Saturday evening to Monday afternoon.  We started out Saturday morning with a quick trip up to Burt's Farm in Dahlonega.  We wanted to have some family time with Tripp before we left that night and no fall season is complete without a day at the pumpkin patch.  We knew it would be pretty crowded so we headed up there early as to avoid the traffic as much as possible.  Tripp enjoyed the farm much more this year because he was able to walk around and pick up the smaller pumpkins and smack the larger ones.  We were so excited to take pictures, but ran into a small problem when we took out the camera...our battery was DEAD.  NOOOO!!!  It couldn't be!!!!  But wait, don't worry...Rob to the rescue.  He found an outdoor outlet and since we had our charger, he stood by the outlet to let the battery charge while I let Tripp run around the pumpkins.  CRISIS AVERTED...

"Look, Mama, a pumpkin."

He loved the red bark on the ground.  However, I am not a huge fan of it since it stains everything RED.  Yes, it happened last year...I totally forgot and put a white shirt on Tripp.

Waiting in line for the Hayride.

I promise Tripp was in a good mood...even though he's not smiling here.

Tripp loves his Daddy.

He wanted to pick up the pumpkins. Even the smaller ones seemed heavy for a 16 month old, but he was able to get one slightly off the ground. Our little guy has an unbelievable amount of upper body strength.

Look who we ran into at the farm... Lindsey, Drew, and Baby Oliver!

We drove home after we picked out one large and two really small pumpkins.  It was time to get ready for my birthday weekend!

Rob ended up taking me to the Four Seasons in Downtown Atlanta that weekend!  It was a fabulous getaway and the same hotel we stayed in the night we got married.  We ate dinner at the Park 75 restaurant in the hotel that night.  The next day we woke up, met friends for breakfast, went shopping, and went back to the hotel again for our 80 minute couples massage.  So relaxing.  I wish I could do that once a week!  That night we went to dinner at Wisteria in Inman Park and stayed one more night at the hotel.  It was so nice to have the option to sleep in both days.  If only my internal clock didn't wake me up at 7:00 am on the dot every morning!  Oh well, I guess that's just part of being a mom.  :)   (Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from our getaway because I definitely forgot my camera on the counter right before we left.)

To top the weekend off, I had a birthday dinner with my family when we got back home.  We also celebrated Matt's 24th birthday since his is a few days before mine. 

Happy Birthday to my bro and I!!!