GB Activities

I mentioned that there is not a lot to do at Gorham's Bluff and since the two toddlers and one 10-month-old require consecutive 10-minute activities all awake hours of the day, we planned a trip to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. It was about an hour and half drive from GB to Chatty, which forced naps on the manic children and allowed the adults to complete some sentences. We made it through the fresh water then salt water buildings, ate lunch and were home in time to go to the pool before dinner.

At the Aquarium, they had one circular tank that was full of all the fish that were in the dentist's aquarium in "Finding Nemo." Genius. Brian had to crawl in the center tunnel with Henry though, so I got a good distorted picture of them.



Svea was more low-key and was fine with her bottle, looking at all the fish through the sun light.



There were a few points through the aquarium where you were allowed to reach your hand in the tank and use TWO FINGERS to stroke the back of a sturgeon or sting ray. Two fingers. Henry splashed waves so big in the sting ray tank that his entire shirt was wet for the rest of the tour.




Since our kids decide to wake up at 5:30am on vacations (every day) and breakfast is not served until 8:30am, Brian and I had to come up with ways to get them quiet and out of the house before they woke up Lydia. Mostly that involved dodging the goose poop to go tell the geese good morning, a few trips down the slide, kissing Svea's toes, and some loops on the "trikey-cycle." It had to be Lydia's trikey-cycle though. Henry's own would never do.

Gorham's Bluff

I need to give some major props.

After my brother's wedding on June 10th (pictures and stories of that to come), some of my family went up to a bed & breakfast called Gorham's Bluff in Pisgah, Alabama. I had heard before we left that some people call it "Bore-ham's Gluff" due to the lack of things to do, but I thought, there's a huge flat screen TV in our rental and a pool...we'll be fine. I had no idea just how fine until I saw the white robes hanging in our walk-in closet and found out they bring fresh bottled water to your rental every day. Not to mention changing your sheets, fresh towels and a basket full of junk food snacks. Every. Day.

Here's Twelve Oaks, the house we rented:



Then we went to the pool and they had these chairs:





Notice the roll-out tray underneath and the different angles at which to prop your knees. Also, a cooler full of cold bottled water (refilled each morning) in case you get thirsty while doing nothing.

There was a playground right beside the pool that Lydia and Henry loved...and Meredith and I loved that Bobbie and Pops were there to take them down the slide.



Henry is finally showing consistent interest in the pool and got in it every day that we let him. Here he is letting Pops throw him "up in dee sky! up in dee sky!"



Svea loved crawling around in between the pool and playground, and then loved getting in the water with her Bobbie.





We had to walk past the pool on our way to our gourmet breakfast each morning...which was unbelievable. It was served at the Lodge (where you can also rent a room):



Our table was positioned on the back porch overlooking the bluff that allows a view of Tennessee and Georgia I think. It was pretty wherever it was. There was a gazebo that Lydia and Henry ran to after we let them get up from their fresh cherry pancakes, toasted granola with honey and blueberries, fresh juice and organic coffee. Some days offered an egg souffle thing with ham or corn hash in the middle, grits or hashbrowns and always fresh biscuits with 3 different kinds of jelly. I don't even really get in to food that much - Brian does - but I began planning my days around this breakfast after the first morning. Here is Henry and Lydia with tummies full:





Now some of you may be wondering how in the world a family like ours can stay at a place so luxurious and that's when we all four sing in unison THANK YOU BOBBIE AND POPS FOR THE AMAZING GETAWAY AFTER AN EMOTIONAL WEEKEND.

We are all still adjusting from being so spoiled for a week. I'm out of Snickers and bottled water.

Running with the Big Boys

Running with the big boys
Originally uploaded by iMollie.

Henry got to run with the big boy cousins, Brandon and Austin at BSC. Brandon is a cross country runner (as was Henry's Uncle Brad) and Austin is a good steady companion.

We were so glad to get to spend time with them this weekend.

Burning Steam at BSC

Future student?
Originally uploaded by iMollie.

CHEEEEESE

Loving on Popper (Harper)
Originally uploaded by iMollie.

Henry meeting Harper

Henry meeting Harper
Originally uploaded by iMollie.

Henry was very sweet to Harper, who he calls Popper. I think she is a little less threatening than Svea, so it was nice to see how he responds to babies who aren't his siblings.

Svea smiling at Harper

Svea smiling at Harper
Originally uploaded by iMollie.

Svea and Henry got to play with cousins Jackson and Harper Avery the other day. Harper is about 4 months, Svea is 9 months, Henry and Jackson are 2.

Need a Drink

Need a Drink
Originally uploaded by iMollie.

after working so hard

Aunt Brooke and Svea

AUnt Brooke and Svea
Originally uploaded by iMollie.

enjoying the shade while Henry ran around like a crazed chicken.

The Hose

The Hose
Originally uploaded by iMollie.

Here are some quickie pictures of the past few days here in Birmingham.
We had a great afternoon the other day: Svea played on a beach towel, Brooke, Trent and I drink pina coladas in the shade while Henry ran around with the "hose water." Occasionally he rode his "trikey-cycle."

Overheard

At dinner last night:
"That's a plate, not a bat."

Before dinner:
"Did you see Svea cough up that dog food?"

Henry, while trying to get the dog to drop the tennis ball so he could throw it again:
"Drop it like it's HOT."

Henry at the library, in the middle of the story while all the other children are sitting in a semicircle around the teacher while she reads a story on rain puddles:
"READY TO GO HOME EAT LUNCH BYE-BYE LIBRARY!"

Henry, pointing to a man's butt crack at the zoo while he loaded his daughter into her stroller:
"Bum?"

Trapping Rain

Henry, Svea and I went to a garage sale on Saturday and found a piggy bank shaped like a baseball. It's made out of aluminum or something so in order to stop him from throwing it all the time, I tried to begin teaching the value of saving.

My sister gave me this cool vase a few years ago that I keep loose change in in my bedroom. So I retrieved the vase and taught Henry to grab a coin and drop it in the slit on the baseball bank and he could hear it clink to the bottom. Then he could even shake the ball and hear the change rattle around. Fun for all.

So he sat still and did this for about 10 minutes (I read a blog and finished my coffee. Svea napped.) and then he started saying, "Rain. Rain."
I looked down and he was pointing to the bubbles trapped in the glass of the blue vase.

JUST HOW SMART IS THIS KID.

Rhino Spotting at the Zoo

Henry kept calling it a hippo and the rhino kept snorting and spraying water out of his nose.
Svea and I were highly entertained.

One Way To Do It...I Guess

The Morning Snack.

Knockahoma

Because we like to reward whiney behavior, and I am in full-on survival mode with Brian out of town, I bought Henry his first legit baseball tee. It is currently disassembled and spread out in the backyard getting rained on, but when it's assembled, by God he can hit it clear across the yard (over 30 feet for those of you who haven't come to visit yet.)

STRIIIIIIIIIIKE ONE:



STRIIIIIIIIKKKKKEEEE TWO:



GOING SLOW SO I DON'T STRIKE OUT:



IF THERE WERE BASES TO RUN, THAT'D BE A HOMER:

The Turtle and the Snake

Bobbie and Pops' back deck is like an above-ground garden spread out on 2x4s. Henry loves it out there. Svea loves it in the shade.

Bobbie found this turtle sprinkler for like 50 cents somewhere and Henry has been talking about it since we left. He keeps asking me to get him some "turtle water" so he can "eat it." He's a smart kid. Probably above average.







The next day, we finally convinced him to put his clothes back on, and he led Mama J to the edge of the driveway to see a "snake." There are a lot of snakes around there (Pops killed a copperhead a few weeks ago) but this one turned out to be a worm wriggling around in one of those puddles, thank goodness. At least he had Mama J to protect him.

Our Very Own X-Man

Brian and I went on a date Tuesday night and saw the new X-Men movie.
Whenever Brian wants to see something like that - something that comes from a COMIC BOOK - I totally think I am going to hate it. But I have now seen all three of the X movies and I LOVE them.
This last one was really good and I was a little tense at the end from how stressed I got through the movie. I had to do neck stretches in the car. It was that good.

Last weekend, Bobbie had these wings at her house and Henry picked them out and made her put them on him.

Our sweet little mutant.

These Make Me Smile

Chheeeessssseee.

When I say, "Smile for the camera," this is what I get:

At the Beach...

Here's Svea's first day in the pool and first toe-dip in the ocean. As she tends to be more of our go-with-the-flow girl, she liked swimming the first try. The ocean was pretty cold though.





Henry LEARNED to like swimming, but really preferred the "tennis ports" surrounded by the "calm trees" where he could practice his "sideways swing justlikeDaddytaughtyooooooooouuuuuuuuuuu."

Beauty Queen and I'm Not Even Flexing

Our friend Andrea took this one of Svea at a picnic weeks ago and I kept forgetting to post it. I love the shadow on her shoulder and bicep. My little posing chunk...