Thursday, February 26, 2009

Today was a good day. We went to Build-a-Bear. I had told Natalie that I would take her there while Daddy and Ben went to the hockey game. It turns out that the Atlanta mall where we stayed didn't have a BAB! She had quite a bit of birthday money that she wanted to spend there...so we went this morning.
Then we had lunch at a local hole in the wall seafood place (which was delicious!). Then to a thrift store to get bathing suits for the kids. Then we went over to Tybee Island (which is where we stayed every single year during my childhood). It felt like going back home...it was really neat. We went to the light house and I climbed all the way to the top!! Carrying a baby!! Shawn was in the bathroom and the kids took off so I followed. I knew he was too sick to make it but I did plan on leaving Zoe with him. A really nice couple passed me while I was on a landing, huffing and puffing. The man offered to carry Zoe the rest of the way down (she was literally slung under my arm like a sack and I was huffing and holding onto the rail and must have looked pretty bad, lol!). I gladly let him.


We went to the beach after the lighthouse. We had been telling the kids that it was too cold to swim and they kept arguing. So we decided to take the approach that we would just let them find out for themselves. We figured that when they felt the water that they would agree that it was too cold...not my crazy kids...they got out there and swam! People actually came over from different places on the beach just to watch them. One man came up and said "I thought I saw them from way over there but I didn't believe what I thought I saw so I came over to see!"


Zoe's first look at the ocean!







Zoe eating her first cracker at the restaurant tonight.








Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Savannah Day One

Savannah is where Shawn and I took our first vacation together...not even two months after we got together. I have always remembered it as such a magical vacation and a magical place. I have been looking forward to bringing our children here. The magic is still here....and amazingly, so is the street performer whom we remembered so fondly from that trip!

Shawn recognized him immediately. I asked him how long he had been on the riverfront and he said "about nineteen years". We talked for a while and he sang for us.
We saw a private yacht that was built to look like a pirate ship. There was a sign saying that it is now owned by the Twelve Tribes (aka our very own Yellow Deli people). I thought that was interesting to say the least. I still haven't made up my mind about them but I am leaning towards the negative just because of all I have read during my research.
We also visited a candy shop where they make fresh salt water taffy.
We ate at a restaurant that is housed in the building that held Savannah's first hotel. Supposedly it is a very haunted place - which, for those of you who know Ben, know that being in a hunted place THRILLED him! I took a photo of him and there *is* a small orb above his head...








Sunday, February 22, 2009

Natalie is Four!!

Natalie is four years old today. It is so hard to believe that my baby girl is this old. It is 6:18 pm as I write this. Four years ago today I was holding my new baby girl in my arms (she was born at 6:05 pm). Happy Birthday Natalie!

Friday, February 20, 2009

We don't have a local recycling center so we save our recycling until we have quite a bit and then take it to Chattanooga. The kids love helping to sort everything into the proper containers.

Also, a photo of me with my new glasses.

My Anthropology class is fascinating and it is reaffirming some of my parenting beliefs. The chapter I am currently reading discusses co-sleeping. It discusses how American parents push their children to be independent because that is what is valued in this society. Most societies in the world sleep with their children...it is what has been done since the beginning of time and it is what is still done in most countries of the world. Our children have always slept with us and it was nice to read about all of the advantages of co-sleeping - and in a textbook none the less!







Zoe is learning to feed herself. This is her having a bananna for the first time.



Ben just finished up a five week class at the Creative Discovery Museum. He learned all about inventions and inventors. As part of his class, he was to invent something to share with everyone during the last week's class. He invented a board game based on the "Boxcar Children" books. This is a video of him doing a presentation explaining his invention.


Thursday, February 5, 2009

Zoe is Six Months Old!

Zoe is six months old now. I cannot believe that a half a year has gone by so quickly. She can sit up on her own and loves to eat food. She is becoming a "mama's girl" and isn't very happy if someone else is holding her. Sometimes that makes me feel loved and other times it feels overwhelming. She is a very sweet baby.