Nanny's Birthday

Luke had to help Nanny with her cake

  Nanny and the kids (minus Andrew)

 This is how Luke slept the whole way there

Saturday we went to Tullahoma to celebrate Nanny's birthday.  Her birthday is actually on the 21st of June, but this was the first time everyone could get together.  We went to Cynthia's and enjoyed grilling out.  Well actually, Thomas did the grilling.  We felt bad for him because it was so hot and only one burner was working on the grill.  Everything was delicious though.  We watched the USA in the World Cup and let Luke entertain us by working puzzles and playing with toys. 

I was pretty tired.  It seems as though I am getting to that point in the pregnancy when I would rather  be napping than most anything else.  When we are away I am always thinking about all the things that need to be done at home, too.  

We stayed there all afternoon and got stuck in horrible construction traffic and did not get home until 8 tonight.  We were all pretty tired and ready to get out of the car by the time we got here!

Father's Day and Anniversary

We celebrated our 5-year anniversary by going on an impromptu overnight trip to Atlanta.  We had talked about doing something "big" this year since baby Katherine's arrival is quickly approaching.  But, when it came down to it we really could not decide where to go so we decided not to go anywhere.  Last Wednesday night there was a Braves game on and Paul and I both commented that we would like to go back to Atlanta soon.  So, just like that Paul was on PriceLine getting us a room!  I had to work Saturday morning.  We dropped Luke off at Nonna's around 1 and got on the road. 

Even though we were there less than 24 hours we had a blast.  We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead.  We ended up enjoying a cool pizza place for supper that night, mainly because we did not want to wait over an hour to eat at a "nice" restaurant.  It was an unseasonably cool night in Atlanta which we both enjoyed immensely.  It has been in the mid to upper 90's in Nashville for 2 weeks so we welcomed a break from the heat.  After supper we drove around for a while and did a little window shopping.  We ended the night with ice cream from Bruster's before returning to the hotel.

One of the best parts about the weekend was sleeping in!  It was nice to not have a 2 1/2 year old alarm clock jumping in bed with us at 5:30!  We ate breakfast at The Flying Biscuit which was a really neat experience.  I love fun breakfast places.  Next we went to IKEA!  We have been there a couple of times before and always have a good time looking around.  They have just about anything you could possibly want for a home at an affordable price.  We picked up a couple of things for Katherine's room and some more train tracks for Luke.  After we spent a few hours in there it was time to get back on the road!  It was a great, quick get-a-way!

Meanwhile, back in Nashville Nonna and Luke had a great time!  They ate supper at Chef's Saturday night were Luke entertained Cheryl and Mary.  They thought he was adorable; I agree!  That night when Nonna put Luke to bed he said "Luke sleep in Nonna's bed?"  How can someone say no to that?  Nonna said he slept good with her and did not take long to fall asleep.  Sunday morning they went on a surprise visit to Tullahoma to visit my Nanny.  She loved having the unexpected company!

When we were all back home we celebrated Father's Day.  I did not get a good picture of Paul and Luke that day.  Paul was excited to open his blender Luke gave him.  We have already enjoyed fruit smoothies with it this week!  It was great, unexpected weekend!

Little Monkey

Over the edge

Laid back...

Tonight Paul and I were in Baby Katherine's room doing some things.  We looked around and Luke had climbed up in her bed!  He did not want to get out.  He said he was going to "take a nap in Baby Katherine's bed".  He also liked her "baby pillow".  It took quite a bit of coaxing to get him out.  I left the room and he was right back up in the bed!  Guess we need to work on the importance of not climbing in the baby's bed before she gets here!

A Day With Friends

The gang

Julie and sweet Maggie

Amanda and Shelby

Today I enjoyed a special treat! I went to Murfreesboro to see my college friends. Amanda and Julie both had baby girls last summer. I saw Shelby shortly after she was born, but had not met Miss Maggie yet. Both girls were so sweet! They were so well-behaved and happy. It was fun seeing them playing together. We have been trying to get together for a couple of months now. I had been planning on taking Luke with me since Julie has never met him. Since we just got back from lake and Luke missed school yesterday, I hated for him to miss 2 days in a row. So, I went by myself. It was neat to see two of my good friends with baby girls! It gave me even more to look forward to when baby Katherine gets here! We vowed it would not be another year before we see each other again.

Weekend Trip

Lauren and Luke. Luke was sportin'
his new hat Uncle Jon brought him.

Jon Jon and Luke playing with the blocks.

Luke on the prowl for his next victim!

Loving the lake with Daddy!

Tired little fella after a day
on the water.

We did a lot of relaxing...

Nene and Luke reading on the deck.

This past weekend we went to Center Hill Lake with the Troutts. We had a great time! Luke did not sleep well at all the first night and was cranky, but after that he was great! Everyone else went on a canoe trip Saturday but the three of us opted to stay at the house. We were glad we did. Everyone was gone over 6 hours! That was too long for a 2 1/2 year old. We decided to drive in to Cookeville for lunch. We had not been gone from the house for more than 5 minutes before Luke was asleep. So, we turned around and went back. Luke slept over 3 hours! I took a nice, long nap, too.

Sunday we spent the day on the lake in Jon's pontoon boat. I was not sure how Luke would like the boat and water, but he loved it! He loved splashing in the water. We got him a little boat that he could sit in and he thought it was great. It was miserably hot outside but being in the lake was so nice and refreshing.

We played a lot of games, relaxed and ate....it was a great weekend! Having the extra night was so nice. No one felt rushed. When we got home Monday the three of us were pretty worthless. We spent most of the afternoon resting and unpacking. We ended up going to the neighborhood pool that evening. Luke has already asked when we are going back to the pool and the lake!

Cheese for the Camera!

One afternoon last week I was fooling around with the camera and Luke decided he wanted to do some posing for me. This is fairly unusual. Usually he closes his eyes or gets some silly face on when the camera comes out. I though these were pretty cute!

Playdate With the Louw Girls

On the swinging bridge

Emma on a cool riding toy

The kids in the kitchen

Emma dressed up as a princess

Today Luke and I met Katherine, Emma and Hanne at the Streets of Indian Lake to go to Peek-a-Boo Playtown. It opened recently and we had been wanting to check it out. The kids had a great time. The concept is really cool. There are different "centers" the kids can play in such as a grocery store, tool workshop, dress-up theatre and kitchen. They also have an indoor playground with a slide and several other stations including two train tables well-equipped with all things Thomas. Luke was very happy with that!

Luke loves Emma and Hanne. I bet he asked where Emma was 100 times while we were with them today! I don't know why I did not take any pictures of little Hanne, but she got in on the action, too. There is a separate toddler area that she enjoyed. After the kids got tired of playing we all walked over and had lunch at Sam's Sports Grille. The kids liked their grilled cheeses and Katherine and I enjoyed yummy salads. I brought the rest of mine home for supper tonight!

Memorial Day Weekend

Helping Dad with a little yard work

Jake is so cute!

Luke loved playing with all
of Jake's toys.

Mr. Reynolds giving his annual
pre-dinner speech

Luke decided to take up croquet
this weekend...

GiGi giving Luke a helicopter ride!

We had a wonderful Memorial Weekend. It was so nice and relaxing. We did not feel overwhelmed with lots of cook-outs and parties this year. Saturday night we went to Jamie and Angela's to cook out. Audrey and Jason joined us. It was great getting to see everyone. Luke had fun playing with Jake and especially enjoyed all of his toys!!! Both boys were so fun to watch. They are growing so fast. They are almost exactly 12 months apart.

Sunday evening we went to the Reynolds for their annual Memorial Weekend party. There were a few pop-up showers, but that did not dampen anyone's mood. Luke continues to love his GiGi and was so excited all day knowing we were going back to her house. He did so good. Luke really enjoys being around other people and is very friendly. He always makes sure Mom or Dad are close by though.

I had to work Monday, Memorial Day. As is typical the hospital empties out on a holiday weekend so I only worked a half day which was nice. Paul and Luke hung out during the morning and then Luke went to Nonna's for the afternoon. Paul and I went back this afternoon to pick him up and stay for supper. Nonna said Luke had a fun time playing outside and reading books. He and Nonna took a long nap which was nice for both of them.

Luke continues to progress with his potty training. We officially started a few weeks ago and have had our ups and downs as is to be expected. We still haven't mastered poo-pooing in the potty but are doing really well with the other. Our goal is to have him fully trained by the time baby Katherine gets here in August!

Good-Bye Dinner

Railroad engineers hard at work.

Our bellies almost completely
obstructed Virginia!

Hunter and Luke ran to look at a real train

Hunter and Laura

Last night we got together with the Boyds at the Reynolds house to say good-bye. Laura and Adam are moving back to Naples this week. Since they have been living in East Tennessee it has been nice to see her more often. We all know this is a good move for the Boyds! Virginia made a great supper-- hamburgers, grilled veggies and sweet potato fries. She even had applesauce for the boys.

It was so fun to see Hunter and Luke playing together. They really interacted well. Luke followed Hunter around most of the night being his "shadow". Very cute! Luke talked about GiGi's house the whole way home and the first thing he said this morning when he woke up was "go to GiGi's house again?". He is in luck because we will be at the Reynolds annual Memorial party this weekend!

Jam-Packed Weekend

Luke and Hanne saying "hi"

Love this pic!

Luke loved the zip line!

Hanne enjoyed the swings.

An attempt at a group picture

The kids (and Christina)
on the trampoline.

Jim and Lauren provided some entertainment.

Whew! This past weekend was a whirlwind! Saturday morning I had to work at the hospital. Luke and Paul went to visit Memaw as well as the Troutts. Luke took a nap at the Troutts and Paula brought him home later. Shortly after he got home we had to turn around and to go to Emma's 3rd birthday party at My Gym. We had never been there before. It was so fun! Luke had a blast playing on all the slides and equipment. He also enjoyed the story time and cake eating. We will definitely be visiting there again!

After the party we joined the Louws for supper at the MacLeans. The three couples have been trying to get together for a couple of months and we finally found a date that worked with everyone. The kids continued to have fun playing with each other, but the long day started wearing on everyone so we said our good-byes around 8 that night.

Sunday morning we were scheduled to keep ETC (nursery) at church. We had a group of 6, four-year olds. Every time we fulfill our quarterly obligation I am so grateful for the teachers Luke has every week! We enjoy being with the kids but are usually worn out when we leave!

That afternoon we attempted to get Luke to take a nap to no avail. We left the house around 3 to do a couple of errands before we went to the Troutts to celebrate Memorial Day early. Luke was asleep when we pulled in to the Publix parking lot! We decided to take the very long way to Gallatin to allow him a quick nap. We had a great time at the Troutts as always. The first 90+ degree day got to this pregnant woman though. I normally am not fond of the heat but add to that an extra 10 pounds and I was pretty hot!

We all enjoyed listening to Jim sing and play the guitar. Lauren joined him on a couple of songs. They are both very talented. Luke was mesmerized by the guitar and kept asking "what's that?"

All Dressed Up

Strike a pose!

He kept his boots on all morning

This past Sunday Luke wanted to pick out his clothes for church, which is nothing unusual. I got him dressed. A little later Paul went to get some shoes for him. When they came back to our bedroom Luke was wearing his "Jon-Jon" boots. He insisted on wearing them and would not take them off. I agreed to let him wear them to church. He got lots of compliments as we were walking him down the preschool hallway. He just beamed from ear to ear. I made sure to tell everyone he picked out his outfit. We ran in to an old Troutt family friend who was especially impressed with Luke's skills. She said she remembered when Jon used to wear those boots! Luke loved it! She said she was even more impressed that I let him wear them. Boys will be boys!

Mother's Day

My sweet boy

Nene and Luke

He is actually dancing here,
even though it looks like he is crying

Despite the flood clean up we enjoyed a nice weekend. Paul and I both worked on Saturday so Nonna kept Luke. He had a great time at her house! He helped cook soup, do household chores and played outside. He did not want to leave when I got there to pick him up. Guess that is a good sign. Since we had not been able to see much of Paul this week we really enjoyed our time together yesterday afternoon and today. This morning we enjoyed being back at church. All services were canceled last weekend due to the flood.

Tonight Nene, Pop, Jon and his friend Chris came over for supper. We needed some help moving some furniture around so decided it was a good opportunity to get that done. We grilled hamburgers and made the first homemade ice cream of the season. As Luke says "yummy to my tummy"! We are hoping this week settles down some.

Devastation

Unintentional water fall on our patio

Luke was worn out

Long Hollow Pike in Goodlettsville

Our favorite Subway....

Madison Creek

This past week has been unlike any other we have ever experienced. The flooding of middle Tennessee has been almost incomprehensible. The rain started last Friday and did not let up until late Sunday night. We received more than 12" at our home. The devastation to so many middle Tennessee counties is heart breaking. Honestly, I still can not grasp the scope of this disaster even after seeing hundreds of pictures and hours of news footage. We were not personally affected. Our home is fine. Our yard and landscaping will need some reconstructing, which is not out of the ordinary after a heavy rain.

Paul has had the opportunity to help his friend Rob, who owns the ServPro in Bellevue, one of middle Tennessee's hardest hit areas. He has been working 10-14 hour days this past week so Luke and I have not seen much of him. Most mornings he is gone by 7 and is home well after Luke has gone to bed. We have missed him, but know he is helping those in need. Paul will continue to work with Rob this week and as long as Rob needs him. We are thankful for the opportunity but hate that it is under these circumstances. The media is saying the one good thing to come of the flooding is that it will put thousands of people back to work in construction and restoration. We are just thankful that we are fine and that no one we know was affected.