Two And A Half

 Happy 2 and a Half birthday to our darling Hampton! We'd pause time if we could, but we also can't wait to see what the future has in store for you!

Atlanta Wrap Up

Here are a few more photos from our Atlanta trip. Enjoy!

sleepily waiting for a Haagen-Dazs pick-me-up

testing out the beds at Ikea

also, testing out the chairs at Ikea

riding the train at the outlet mall

Children's Museum of Atlanta

Since we stayed in Atlanta for the whole weekend, we knew we wanted to do something else especially for Hampton while we were there. We'd stumbled across the Children's Museum last year when we were making our trek from South Carolina to home, but we decided against it since Hampton was still so small. This year, we thought he might enjoy it, and enjoy it, he did! Even though the museum isn't huge, it's awesome. There are things to do for every age...from a play area for babies to major messy areas like painting and science experiments for older kids. Hampton loved the musical instruments, the grocery/farm area, and especially the built-in train table area. We've already decided that next time we trek to Atlanta, the museum is on our must-do list....especially since we didn't see everything the first time!

Hampton playing the xylophone while Bo played the bongo drums

having fun on a slide

playing with the huge train table setup

the museum entrance

giving a piano concert in the baby area

More Aquarium Pics

Georgia Aquarium

On Thursday, we left for a mini-vacation to Atlanta. Hampton is obsessed with fish (any animal, really), so we wanted to take him to the Georgia Aquarium. We've wanted to go since it opened but just never got around to it, so this was the perfect opportunity for us to all go! We made the mistake of telling Hampton we were going, so he started asking to see the fish about a week before we left. Friday morning, he was so excited! Once we got inside, his mind was blown with all the fish. Truthfully, ours was too....the aquarium is amazing! We spent the majority of the day there, trying to take everything in. While we were noticing all the fish, Hampton & Harrison were getting tons of attention for their whale outfits. Harrison even posed for pictures! We were all exhausted when we left, but by the time we got back to our hotel, Hampton was already asking to see the fish again!

posing in front of the tropical fish display

checking out the brightly colored poisonous dart frogs

interacting with the friendly penguins

a beautiful sea dragon

Harrison & Hampton staring in wonder at one of the huge fish tanks

Friday Photo

Let's Go Fly A Kite

Bo has great memories of flying kites with his dad when he was younger, so it's been something he's looked forward to doing with the boys. Grandpa bought a pretty butterfly kite to use up at his house, and Hampton really likes it, so Bo took it for a spin when we were out there awhile back. All 3 of them had fun playing with it, and it won't be long until Harrison is out there playing, too!

Aviation Days

On Saturday, even though Hampton was still feeling a bit under the weather, we headed to Aviation Days at the Gulf Shores airport. Hampton likes planes, and we thought this would be a low-key activity to get him out of the house for a bit. Granddaddy met us down there, and even though the weather was a good bit windier than we'd thought, we had a nice time. It was fun seeing all the vintage & new airplanes...especially the tiny little ones. One of the big military planes did fly-overs, wowing the crowd with tricks and other things that would just make us airsick! While looking at the private planes, Bo did get asked if he was a pilot, so maybe one day that will be him doing those tricks........yeah, right!

4-Month Birthday

My, how time flies when you're having fun! Harrison is now 4 months old, and is quite the ham. He loves making faces, and is grabbing at everything he can get hold of. It's so funny watching him go almost cross-eyed as he seriously investigates every toy or blanket that he can get up to his face. He rolls over onto his belly within seconds of being placed on his back, then he gets aggravated very quickly about being there. He's still a cat napper, but since he usually sleeps about 12 hours at night, we aren't complaining! He enjoys sitting in his Bumbo, bouncy chair, and his swing, but he likes to be rotated to keep things interesting. And that's one thing you don't have to worry about around here....with 2 little ones, it's ALWAYS interesting!

Weekend Update

We took this weekend a little slow since Hampton is still feeling yucky. We decided to skip church, since we didn't think that anyone would like the gift of pink eye. We also had to finally sit down and finish the taxes. Call it procrastination, but we weren't parting with our money until we had to! We did manage to run a few errands, clean the house, and go to the air show (more on that later).

The highlight of the weekend for Hampton was definitely playing at Grandi & Granddaddy's house. He ran around the yard, drove his trucks around in the sawdust pile, and rolled around in the grass. He also wrote all over the outside coffee table with chalk, then proceeded to lay down in it. He also wrote on his face, his hair, and his mommy. Thank goodness the stuff is washable! We're mostly just wanting Hampton to feel much, much better....especially since we're going on a little vacation on Thursday!

Friday Photos and Week in Review

Harrison waiting patiently in the Doctor's Office

Well, it seems like this week was spent in medical offices! On Monday, we took Harrison for his 4-month checkup. It went great, and he only cried for just a minute after having his shots (don't worry...we'll post his 4-month photo next week). Then, on Tuesday, Bo had to have some dental work done that resulted in him having a not-so-nice reaction to his pain medication. In the meantime, Hampton started feeling under the weather, and by yesterday he was sick enough that we headed back to the Doctor's office. It turns out that the poor baby has pink eye in both eyes and an ear infection in both ears. He's pitiful! We're hoping he gets feeling better super-fast today so we can keep our plans with friends tomorrow, especially since Hampton has been asking to see his pal Lucas all week. Unfortunately, it's looking doubtful, but we can hope, right?

More Easter Fun

Sunrise Service

We had planned to go to the contemporary service at church for Easter Sunday, but after talking to a few friends who mentioned the Sunrise Service our church puts on, we decided we'd try it instead. It was EARLY (obviously, if it's at sunrise), so we had to be there at 6:30. We were a little worried that it would be too cold, but it turned out to be nice with just a little nip in the air. It was at The Hangout, so there was a stage, seating, and plenty of sand to play in. The band encouraged people to clap or dance, so Hampton went all out! Of course, his little friends were right there with him. He did sit mostly still for Pastor Glen's message, though. Afterwards, we headed out for a delicious southern breakfast with our friends the Bodifords. For not being morning people, the Sunrise Service was the highlight of our day and we'll definitely do it again in the future!

8th Annual Egg Hunt

Two of the couples in our Supper Club host an annual Easter egg hunt on their family's riverfront compounds, so it was decided that all of our group would come and join in the fun. We thought there would be maybe a few more families than our 28 couples, but boy, were we wrong! This was a huge production! There had to have been at least 100 people there, and there was so much food to choose from that hardly anyone's dish was empty even though everyone's plates were overflowing.

It was on the most beautiful property, with huge moss-covered trees and a gorgeous river view. The Easter bunny even arrived to the boathouse by kayak! Someone commented that the hunt looked right out of Southern Living magazine, and they couldn't have been more spot on with their description. Families socializing on picnic blankets and children dressed in their Easter finest made for a very picturesque setting, indeed!




Hampton wasted no time wiping out in the mud within 10 minutes of arriving! Thank goodness Tanner always packs an extra outfit, just in case!

Happy Easter!

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." -John 11:25-26