601

Six years and 600 posts ago we started this blog.  We actually started it so that our friends and family could track us as we traveled Europe.  That was a lifetime ago, it seems.  Our adventures are not over, but our travel has been slowed to a snail's pace.  It will never be what it was 6 years ago, but maybe we will pick it up a bit as the kiddos get older.

Our adventures used to include climbing on glaciers, driving on curvy roads to mountain tops, trying to communicate to people who do not speak English, learning new cultures, Army and German...now our adventures include trying to take care of three kiddos.  Yesterday I made it to the pool for the first time this summer with all three kiddos.  Not 5 minutes before we all jumped into the water, and HC was stung by a bee.  I had to hand True off to a stranger, and ask another mama (stranger) to watch Annelise, so I could take care of HC.  It was an adventure.  How can I do this?

And Dave is great about turning all of our adventures into funny stories...thank goodness for Dave.  Happy 601st post.

Peter Rabbit

Upon seeing this little house in the Botanical Gardens, HC exclaimed, "Peter Rabbit!  I did not know that he lived here!"

Meeting Noah

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting my new nephew Noah John.  My bro and sis-in-law, Chris and Rubie came out for a week to visit us and they brought their 4 month old baby along with them (thankfully).

I had actually been hoping to take the kids back to Cali for a visit this winter, but several factors brought me quickly to my senses.  The first being that my parents are keeping an exchange student this year, so all four of us would have been squeezed into one room, and the second and most determining is that trying to take 3 kiddos under 5 on an airplane is insane.  I am sure it can be done, but it would have been at the expense of my sanity and maybe a few others too.  Fortunately I thought better of it, and so Chris and Rubie and Noah decided to come to us.  That meant they got to meet True, we got to meet Noah and Dave got in on the action too.

We had a sweet week of visiting and catching up, as it had been a year and a half since we had last seen each other.  The girls love their Uncle Chris and Auntie Rubie, and of course baby Noah was a super star!  While they were here we also took them to the Aquarium, to the Botanical Gardens and to Stone Mountain.  We also fit in a wonderful dinner out at our fav restaurant with only adults...thanks Lrod for babysitting!

The girls were super sad when they left, and Annelise asked why they can't live with us anymore.  And they have both gone back into our guest room and talked about how it smells like Uncle Chris and Auntie Rubie.  Sweet.  We miss them tons, but are hoping to meet up with them again in NYC next summer.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter a little late, and a little blurry.

Callaway Gardens

We have been busy...big breath.

In early April we took the fam down to Callaway Gardens for a fun weekend away.  This was our first time there as a family and it was beautiful weather and beautiful gardens.

We rented a little house outside the gardens, so we ended up just spending one full day there.  The rest of the time we spent puttering around the complex where the house was.  It had a little playground and a putt-putt course, and a pond with boats.

We also braved the fine cuisine of Pine Mountain...why is it that the food is usually LAME in these little towns?  Just a random side note, but a year ago Dave and I spent a weekend away in North Georgia.  There are tons of farms up there, beef farms, dairies, and other veggie farms, and those farmers drive all their stuff down to Atlanta to sell.  No one up there wants to eat fresh grass fed beef, and fresh eggs...this doesn't make any sense to me.  But, whatever.  It is always an adventure eating in small towns.

In Callaway we visited the Butterfly Garden, and the girls went nutso.  HC was wearing a flowered dress and there was a beautiful blue butterfly that landed on her tummy.  She was so excited.  Annelise, on the other hand, was batting the butterflies away, sweet Anna.

It is such a joy to spend time with my little family, and I always walk away feeling super blessed.  We are looking forward to another family vaca in the near future.